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Emperors and Idiots: The Hundred Year Rivalry Between the Yankees and Red Sox, From the Very Beginning to the End of the Curse
The New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox. For a hundred years, no two teams have locked horns as fiercely or as frequently – and no two seasons frame the colossal battle more perfectly than 2003 and 2004. Now, with incredible energy and access, leading sports columnist Mike Vaccaro chronicles the history of the greatest rivalry in sports, and the two stunning American League Championship Series that define a century of baseball.
October 17, 2003: A night no Yankees or Red Sox fan will ever forget. At 12:15 am, bottom of the eleventh inning of game seven of the ALCS, New York third-baseman Aaron Boone launches a ball over Yankee Stadium’s left-field fence. The Yankees win their 39th pennant – and send the perennially vexed Boston Red Sox home . . . again . . . suffering another devastating loss to their longtime nemesis.
October 20, 2004: A year later, an eerie reprise – but this time things are different. After losing three straight to the Yankees, Boston has charged back to win the next three, forcing a decisive game seven. From the start of the game Boston is in control, and by winning this game they march toward their first World Series victory since 1918.
These two explosive years define an extraordinary, epic rivalry – from Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens to Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, Derek Jeter and Aaron Boone to David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, from nearly a century of Yankee domination to the undisputed breaking of “The Curse.” With the razor-sharp instincts that have made him a top sports journalist, Mike Vaccaro delves into the history of the rollicking a vicious collision in 1903 (between the New York Highlanders and Boston Pilgrims) that draws first blood; the era of Babe Ruth and his legendary trade from the Red Sox to the Yankees, ushering in the notorious Curse; the golden age of DiMaggio and Williams; the unstoppable power of Mantle and Maris; the heart and soul of Fisk and Yazstremski versus Pinella and Munson; and the modern era of dueling owners, skyrocketing payrolls, and a renewed rivalry that attracts sell-out crowds even to Yankees-Red Sox spring training games.
EMPERORS AND IDIOTS is as lively, fascinating, and raucous as the teams themselves – a must-have volume for any Yankees or Red Sox fan.
October 17, 2003: A night no Yankees or Red Sox fan will ever forget. At 12:15 am, bottom of the eleventh inning of game seven of the ALCS, New York third-baseman Aaron Boone launches a ball over Yankee Stadium’s left-field fence. The Yankees win their 39th pennant – and send the perennially vexed Boston Red Sox home . . . again . . . suffering another devastating loss to their longtime nemesis.
October 20, 2004: A year later, an eerie reprise – but this time things are different. After losing three straight to the Yankees, Boston has charged back to win the next three, forcing a decisive game seven. From the start of the game Boston is in control, and by winning this game they march toward their first World Series victory since 1918.
These two explosive years define an extraordinary, epic rivalry – from Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens to Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, Derek Jeter and Aaron Boone to David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, from nearly a century of Yankee domination to the undisputed breaking of “The Curse.” With the razor-sharp instincts that have made him a top sports journalist, Mike Vaccaro delves into the history of the rollicking a vicious collision in 1903 (between the New York Highlanders and Boston Pilgrims) that draws first blood; the era of Babe Ruth and his legendary trade from the Red Sox to the Yankees, ushering in the notorious Curse; the golden age of DiMaggio and Williams; the unstoppable power of Mantle and Maris; the heart and soul of Fisk and Yazstremski versus Pinella and Munson; and the modern era of dueling owners, skyrocketing payrolls, and a renewed rivalry that attracts sell-out crowds even to Yankees-Red Sox spring training games.
EMPERORS AND IDIOTS is as lively, fascinating, and raucous as the teams themselves – a must-have volume for any Yankees or Red Sox fan.
416 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 6, 2010
fun look back at the history between the awesome red sox and the toe sucking yankees.
January 22, 2017
I have a feeling baseball fans will appreciate this a whole lot more than I did.
Pros: There was some really interesting history and as a person who is not a baseball fan the author helped me understand why people care so much about this (a topic that was incomprehensible to me previously). He picked interesting people to interview and clearly had his heart and soul invested in the topic. The narrator on the audiobook was amazing.
Cons: I would have given just about anything for the author to quit jumping time periods. This book would have been about a thousand times easier to follow if it was in chronological order. It also could have been about four chapters shorter if things weren't rehashed and repeated so many times. Also, it felt a little one sided at times, hard not to really feel for the underdog Red Sox, given the way he portrayed them.
Summary: The Boston team that will become the Red Sox win a bunch of games against the team that will become the Yankees. Everyone's friends, maybe a little too much. Boston sucks at decision-making; they aptly dub themselves the idiots. The Yankees win pretty much all the important games. Boston is superstitious and irrational; New York is superstitious and arrogant. Also their owner may or may not be Darth Vader. No one's friends anymore. Baseball players make a lot of money in New York, also in Boston but that's not important. The Red Sox continue to not win - and there's that poor decision making again. The Red Sox win, finally! Everyone still doesn't like each other, maybe just a little less. The End.
Pros: There was some really interesting history and as a person who is not a baseball fan the author helped me understand why people care so much about this (a topic that was incomprehensible to me previously). He picked interesting people to interview and clearly had his heart and soul invested in the topic. The narrator on the audiobook was amazing.
Cons: I would have given just about anything for the author to quit jumping time periods. This book would have been about a thousand times easier to follow if it was in chronological order. It also could have been about four chapters shorter if things weren't rehashed and repeated so many times. Also, it felt a little one sided at times, hard not to really feel for the underdog Red Sox, given the way he portrayed them.
Summary: The Boston team that will become the Red Sox win a bunch of games against the team that will become the Yankees. Everyone's friends, maybe a little too much. Boston sucks at decision-making; they aptly dub themselves the idiots. The Yankees win pretty much all the important games. Boston is superstitious and irrational; New York is superstitious and arrogant. Also their owner may or may not be Darth Vader. No one's friends anymore. Baseball players make a lot of money in New York, also in Boston but that's not important. The Red Sox continue to not win - and there's that poor decision making again. The Red Sox win, finally! Everyone still doesn't like each other, maybe just a little less. The End.
May 18, 2009
I loved this book- the long time cutthroat Yankee-Red Sox rivalry is the most fascinating subject for me- and I will admit I am a diehard RedSox fan and proud of it
December 4, 2018
So, what happened is this:
I started this book in March, during spring training.
I stopped listening in May....a little hiatus because I was listening to baseball every day on NESN.
THE RED SOX WON THE 2018 WORLD SERIES!!!
I started listening again in late November.
If you're a Yankees or Red Sox fan, you'll really like this book. In fact, you'll flat wallow in it. I fully expected the author to favor one team over the other, but it was a really well balanced narrative. Just when I was ready to throw something at the speaker because of Yankees' dominance, there'd be some good Red Sox anecdotes and I'd be mollified. And just when I thought the Red Sox were going to take over the book (YES!), the Yankees would crop up and crush my dreams.
Just like in real life.
In someone else's review, they made mention of how difficult it was to keep track of the "old times" parts and the "modern" parts. You'd be listening along and all of a sudden realize that it had jumped from 1974 to 2004 or something like that. I agree, and it made me listen more attentively. If you want to sort of zone out during your audio book, this will not be one of your favorite listens. If you know the names of players on each team through the ages, this won't really be a problem for you.
It's a great book for those of us who get lonesome for baseball in the winter, and who delight in the rivalry.
GO RED SOX! :)
I started this book in March, during spring training.
I stopped listening in May....a little hiatus because I was listening to baseball every day on NESN.
THE RED SOX WON THE 2018 WORLD SERIES!!!
I started listening again in late November.
If you're a Yankees or Red Sox fan, you'll really like this book. In fact, you'll flat wallow in it. I fully expected the author to favor one team over the other, but it was a really well balanced narrative. Just when I was ready to throw something at the speaker because of Yankees' dominance, there'd be some good Red Sox anecdotes and I'd be mollified. And just when I thought the Red Sox were going to take over the book (YES!), the Yankees would crop up and crush my dreams.
Just like in real life.
In someone else's review, they made mention of how difficult it was to keep track of the "old times" parts and the "modern" parts. You'd be listening along and all of a sudden realize that it had jumped from 1974 to 2004 or something like that. I agree, and it made me listen more attentively. If you want to sort of zone out during your audio book, this will not be one of your favorite listens. If you know the names of players on each team through the ages, this won't really be a problem for you.
It's a great book for those of us who get lonesome for baseball in the winter, and who delight in the rivalry.
GO RED SOX! :)
November 11, 2021
(Audiobook) I don’t cheer for either the Yankees or the Red Sox, but this work was engaging and informative about the biggest rivalry in baseball. While the primary focus of the work is the 2003 and 2004 ALCSs, the work covers the long history of the rivalry, going back to the origins of baseball and the modern game. There are so many personal accounts, from the owners and players to the fans from both sides. It would be interesting to see how this has evolved since 2004, but it is hard to figure anything more earth-shattering than the Red Sox coming back from 0-3 to win the best of 7 ALCS.
A good read for any fan of baseball and for someone who wants to know why this rivalry is the way it is.
A good read for any fan of baseball and for someone who wants to know why this rivalry is the way it is.
April 19, 2023
This is probably one of the most entertaining books I’ve read in quite some time. In the same style as The Last Folk Hero, I thought the author did a masterful job of bringing in different fun stories of the rivalry. I am a bit biased as a Sox fan whose first memories are of sitting in right field at Fenway with my dad, this story was packed with nostalgia for the greats of yesteryears and the amazing ride that was 2004. Five stars May be too many, but this sure was a fun ride of a book!
April 6, 2024
"You gotta go through it to know what it's like to go through it" - Yogi Berra
I'm a Sox fan... through and through, but Yogi really did say it best. This book was amazing. It helps open your eyes to the real feeling of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. I highly recommend it.
I'm a Sox fan... through and through, but Yogi really did say it best. This book was amazing. It helps open your eyes to the real feeling of one of the greatest rivalries in sports history. I highly recommend it.
June 8, 2019
Got this book around when it came out, but it was way to soon to read it. More than a decade later it was fun to see where my memories of the season lined up with the true to life account.
April 25, 2024
Exactly what it says on the tin: the book begins with the 2oo3-2004 seasons, but then uses moments within the games to bringing in moments from throughout the rivalry.
March 5, 2017
Over the years, there has been enough prose written about the rivalry between baseball's New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to fill volumes upon volumes. However, in "Emperors and Idiots", Mike Vaccaro is able to keep the material fresh and interesting by narrowing his focus to just the Yanks and Sox.
For example, most takes of this rivalry include a focus on the Red Sox being "cursed" and the Yankees winning all their titles in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This book, though, only touches on the games actually played between the two warring clubs (e.g. I don't believe Bill Buckner is discussed at all in the text, besides in a passing reference). Whether it is the beginning of the rivalry in 1904 (with the New York Highlanders playing the Boston Beaneaters), the heated games of the late 1940s and mid-70s, or the jump-start in 2003-2004, Vaccaro's ability to keep his focus on just the two teams led to the unearthing of some information that was new to me (or at least I hadn't remembered in a very long time).
Of course, "Emperors and Idiots" spends the requisite time focusing on the '03 and '04 seasons and playoffs, which is a topic that can be read over and over by baseball fans and never really get old or stale. Sure, there is some talk of "ghosts" and "curses" and such things, but they play second-fiddle to what the book really tries to do: Try to understand the New York/Boston rivalry from the perspective of the fans, the front offices, and the players.
Until reading this book, the co-authored text "Faithful" (Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan) was what I considered to be the authority on this subject...but that really only told the story from the die-hard Sox fan's perspective. This book gives equal time to each side in its quest to try and understand why the rivalry is perhaps the greatest in the history of sports.
For example, most takes of this rivalry include a focus on the Red Sox being "cursed" and the Yankees winning all their titles in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This book, though, only touches on the games actually played between the two warring clubs (e.g. I don't believe Bill Buckner is discussed at all in the text, besides in a passing reference). Whether it is the beginning of the rivalry in 1904 (with the New York Highlanders playing the Boston Beaneaters), the heated games of the late 1940s and mid-70s, or the jump-start in 2003-2004, Vaccaro's ability to keep his focus on just the two teams led to the unearthing of some information that was new to me (or at least I hadn't remembered in a very long time).
Of course, "Emperors and Idiots" spends the requisite time focusing on the '03 and '04 seasons and playoffs, which is a topic that can be read over and over by baseball fans and never really get old or stale. Sure, there is some talk of "ghosts" and "curses" and such things, but they play second-fiddle to what the book really tries to do: Try to understand the New York/Boston rivalry from the perspective of the fans, the front offices, and the players.
Until reading this book, the co-authored text "Faithful" (Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan) was what I considered to be the authority on this subject...but that really only told the story from the die-hard Sox fan's perspective. This book gives equal time to each side in its quest to try and understand why the rivalry is perhaps the greatest in the history of sports.
June 5, 2014
This was good, though it is funny how dated it all seems now. I remember though, in 2004 it really did seem like the Sox and Yankees would never stop battling. But now here we are, a decade later, the Sox have had two thrilling pennant wins over the Indians and Tigers, plus a loss to the Rays, and the Yanks have had pennant losses to the Rangers and Tigers, plus a win over the Angels. Pedro and Grady Little and Aaron Boone seem like forever ago. But those two years, man...'03 and '04, those seasons were really something.
I feel a little bad for listening to the abridged audio book, but that is what was available. I'm not sure what I missed, it seemed long enough. They must have cut out some stories of Red Sox/Yanks rivalry in the 1910s or 40s. They can't have cut much from Vaccaro's recounting of '03 or '04, or '78. I had forgotten a lot, which was surprising to me. Like the whole Jose Contreras thing. Remember when getting Contreras seemed so important? And this reminded me how earthshattering the Nomar trade was at the time. One thing I had NOT forgotten was standing at the Tam in downtown Boston screaming at the TV when Grady Little unbelievably failed to take Pedro out of the game after Jeter hit that double. Every sentient being in New England knew Pedro was done. Everyone!
You know how you know this was written by a guy from Jersey who writes for the Post? The Boston bar he chooses for his "local color" moments, as in "at fill-in-the-blank bar, they stared at the TV in disbelief" is Tequila Rain. Seriously, Tequila Friggin' Rain. He must have just walked down to the media lot at Fenway, looked across the street, and written down the first bar he saw. Of all the thousands of bars in the greater Boston area, literally every single one would have been a better choice than Tequila Rain.
Vaccaro has a great point at the end - Sox and Yankees fans got more great baseball in those two years than most team's fans get in decades. What a crazy couple of seasons. Good times.
I feel a little bad for listening to the abridged audio book, but that is what was available. I'm not sure what I missed, it seemed long enough. They must have cut out some stories of Red Sox/Yanks rivalry in the 1910s or 40s. They can't have cut much from Vaccaro's recounting of '03 or '04, or '78. I had forgotten a lot, which was surprising to me. Like the whole Jose Contreras thing. Remember when getting Contreras seemed so important? And this reminded me how earthshattering the Nomar trade was at the time. One thing I had NOT forgotten was standing at the Tam in downtown Boston screaming at the TV when Grady Little unbelievably failed to take Pedro out of the game after Jeter hit that double. Every sentient being in New England knew Pedro was done. Everyone!
You know how you know this was written by a guy from Jersey who writes for the Post? The Boston bar he chooses for his "local color" moments, as in "at fill-in-the-blank bar, they stared at the TV in disbelief" is Tequila Rain. Seriously, Tequila Friggin' Rain. He must have just walked down to the media lot at Fenway, looked across the street, and written down the first bar he saw. Of all the thousands of bars in the greater Boston area, literally every single one would have been a better choice than Tequila Rain.
Vaccaro has a great point at the end - Sox and Yankees fans got more great baseball in those two years than most team's fans get in decades. What a crazy couple of seasons. Good times.
January 24, 2012
obviously this is content i love. the idea of structuring it with two parallel "stories" -- one describing the 2003 & 2004 seasons, the other describing events from 1904 to 2000 or so -- is a very good one. so i opened the book with somewhat high hopes.
however.
the writing style is a little too wordy, with a lot of extraneous details thrown in just because the author wrote them down on an index card and felt he needed to include EVERYTHING he ever found while researching. and he has a tendency to repeat himself. more annoyingly, the thread describing all past events in the rivalry wasn't completely linear, thus confusing things for a fan like myself who hasn't heard all the stories already and doesn't remember all the names of people involved. i kept saying to myself "are we talking about the 1940's or 1970's here? oh, no, wait, it's 1904. dangit!"
so i think this book is based on a good concept but suffers from a flawed execution. sure, go ahead and read it if you just want to revel in the 2004 World Series again, but it's not something i can actively recommend.
however.
the writing style is a little too wordy, with a lot of extraneous details thrown in just because the author wrote them down on an index card and felt he needed to include EVERYTHING he ever found while researching. and he has a tendency to repeat himself. more annoyingly, the thread describing all past events in the rivalry wasn't completely linear, thus confusing things for a fan like myself who hasn't heard all the stories already and doesn't remember all the names of people involved. i kept saying to myself "are we talking about the 1940's or 1970's here? oh, no, wait, it's 1904. dangit!"
so i think this book is based on a good concept but suffers from a flawed execution. sure, go ahead and read it if you just want to revel in the 2004 World Series again, but it's not something i can actively recommend.
August 6, 2016
I’ve never really followed baseball but this book made me want to. It also reminded me about the gap between what people who know about something know about it and what people who are only casually familiar with something know about it. In particular, the regular discussion of the way pitchers made batters hit certain kinds of balls or the way batters intentionally hit to one part of the field or in a particular way. I was never skilled enough at ol’ stickball to do anything other than hit it or catch it, so the idea that a pitcher aims not only at a specific point in the strike zone but also at a specific kind of hit from a specific batter shows a depth of knowledge I’m ashamed I hadn’t realized was at play.
February 2, 2010
This was a phenomonal book. Any savvy baseball fan should know of the redsox-yankee rivalry. And for those of you who dont, this book will inform you about it more than anyother source. It takes you back, all the way to the very foundations of the rivalrys begining, and takes you through each memorable and thrilling game, and every fight ever to take place between these two powerful franchises. With quotes from almost every player on both teams that are still alive, they tell you what it was like to be a part of one of the most feircest rivalries to ever take place in the history of anysport.
May 20, 2012
Vaccaro's account of the longstanding Red Sox/Yankees rivalry is thorough, but perhaps a bit too thorough. If I had read the book instead of listening to the audio, I may never have gotten through it.
As a Red Sox fan, I know there is a lot of history, and perhaps a lot of drama. However, Vaccaro's writing is overly dramatic.
I wish I could more articulately explain why I marked this as a 2-star book. I did learn a lot about the two teams, as well as the rivalry, and for that, I'm glad I listened. However...I feel like there must be a less dense and plodding way to learn the facts.
As a Red Sox fan, I know there is a lot of history, and perhaps a lot of drama. However, Vaccaro's writing is overly dramatic.
I wish I could more articulately explain why I marked this as a 2-star book. I did learn a lot about the two teams, as well as the rivalry, and for that, I'm glad I listened. However...I feel like there must be a less dense and plodding way to learn the facts.
May 6, 2010
A century of baseball history, focusing on the highlights - the early years, the Ruth years, the late 40's, late 70's, early 00's. If you are a baseball fan, you will enjoy the book. If you are a Sox or Yanks fan, add another star. From a baseball historian's standpoint, this is it!
June 24, 2016
Great storytelling. It will bring you back to the turbulent ALCS matchups of 2003 and 2004 -- and take you even further back to 1978, 1949, and 1904. By the end you really feel you understand what makes the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry so special.
April 24, 2008
Very good, and helped nme brush up on my baseball history
Currently reading
September 17, 2008Making my way through it slowly
October 10, 2008
An entertaining two-sided exploration on the history of the best rivalry in sports. I learned a lot.
January 12, 2009
Baseball fans, history buffs, Yankee fans and Red Sox fans. This is a fascinating book. If you hate baseball, skip it.
January 8, 2019
Read in 2005
November 2, 2010
Blah... not much new here...
October 9, 2012
Great insider read about the Yankees rivalry with the Red Sox.
Read
March 10, 2013Author seems condescending at times towards Yankees. I did enjoy hearing some stories such as George leaving the lights on for Sox fans and Ted Williams helping Rizuto get in the Hall.
April 15, 2017
A ton of fun for a life long Sox fan. I am sure Yankees fan would also like and appreciate. Really any baseball should find this a great read. I enjoyed the run up to 2004, with the flashbacks to all the big events in Sox history.
Read
June 5, 2017Questionably the greatest rivalry in sports, but definitely the greatest rivalry every in baseball, the Yankees and Red-sock 100 year rivalry is closely followed by Mike Vaccaro. Mike explains, in debth, how the rivalry started and talks about the impact it has had on baseball and the two teams. If you like baseball and a good rivalry than this book is for you.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews