Pinstripes by the Tale: Half a Century In and Around Yankees Baseball

by Marty Appel

Baseball fans in the Bronx and beyond will delight in this incomparable, far-reaching collection of insider tales When 19-year-old Marty Appel got a job as a mail clerk for the New York Yankees, assigned to spend the summer of '68 answering Mickey Mantle's fan letters, he couldn't have known it was just the start of over a half-century entwined with the Bronx Bombers. As a PR director, television producer, writer, and historian, Appel never missed an opportunity to get to know the main characters— and supporting cast— of Yankees lore. The result is an unparalleled trove of colorful stories featuring a seemingly unending parade of characters including Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, Derek Jeter, George Steinbrenner, and everyone in between. By turns hilarious and heartrending, Pinstripes by the Tale is an intimate look at an iconic franchise through the lens of its foremost historical authority. Told as a series of captivating vignettes, it invites readers to consider the small moments that quietly shape the contours of baseball history.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2023

Reviews

[Mike Gutierrez]

This was a fun read. Full of great stories, Marty Appel writes about his time as Yankees PR guy and then working as a producer of the Yankees games on WPIX, Marty shares some pretty funny and interesting stories about his experiences with the Yankees and other famous figures. I have always been a big fan of Mr. Appel's books and this one is one of my favorites of his.

[Philip]

A very refreshing look at The New York Yankees as Marty Appel can pen. Excellent read, excellent author. You hit a Grand Slam, Marty⚾️💪🥇🏆🌎

[Charles Healy]

Great insight to the behind the scenes of the Yankees.

[Patricia E.]

I would rate it a 3+. Some great anecdotes, but a bit "all over the map" at times. It is definitely for the true blue NY Yankees fan.

[Jeffrey Granat]

Excellent author. I will read whatever he writes.. has good stories to tell and excellent knowledge of the subject.

[Jason M.]

I've read several books by Marty Appel. Marty writes in a conversational, anecdotal, and most importantly, funny style. There is some overlap across his books, especially those having to do with the Yankees, a team he's been associated with for most of his professional career. While I'm not a Yankees fan, I grew up in a Yankees household, and it's hard to be any sort of baseball historian, even an amateur one, and it's hard to be a native New Yorker, without knowing more about the Yankees than most other MLB teams. The book is divided into ten chapters -- nine innings, and a final "Extra Innings" chapter -- and some anecdotes and player names spill over across multiple chapters. This is not a book that you need to read cover to cover in one sitting, but rather you can dip in and out at random and be entertained or amused by any page. Appel started working with the Yankees in the 1960s and befriended team personnel who's been around since the 1920, and as this is a 2023 book, it covers a full 100-plus years of team history. This is recommended for Yankee fans especially, but the stories involve multiple Hall of Famers so really should be of interest to everyone.