Chumps to Champs, Bill Pennington
Chumps to Champs, Bill Pennington
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Chumps to Champs
How the Worst Teams in Yankees History Led to the ’90s Dynasty

Author: Bill Pennington

Narrator: Christian Baskous

Unabridged: 21 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/07/2019

Synopsis

The untold story of the time when the New York Yankees were a laughingstock—and how out of that abyss emerged the modern Yankees dynasty, one of the greatest in all of sportsThe New York Yankees have won twenty-seven world championships and forty American League pennants, both world records. They have twenty-six members in the Hall of Fame. Their pinstripe swag is a symbol of “making it” worn across the globe. Yet some twenty-five years ago, from 1989 to 1992, the Yankees were a pitiful team at the bottom of the standings, sitting on a fourteen-year World Series drought and a 35 percent drop in attendance. To make the statistics worse, their mercurial, bombastic owner was banned from baseball. But out of these ashes emerged the modern Yankees dynasty, a juggernaut built on the sly, a brilliant mix of personalities, talent, and ambition. In Chumps to Champs, Pennington reveals a grand tale of revival. Listeners encounter larger-than-life characters like George Steinbrenner and unexplored figures like award-winning manager Buck Showalter, Don Mattingly, and the crafty architect of it all—general manager Gene Michael, who assembled the team’s future stars—Rivera, Jeter, Williams, O’Neill, and Pettitte.Drawing on unique access, Pennington tells a wild and raucous tale.

About Bill Pennington

Bill Pennington is an award-winning sportswriter for the New York Times and the author of Billy Martin, On Par, and The Heisman. A former syndicated columnist, Pennington was also a beat writer for the New York Yankees. A ten-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors’ annual writing award, Pennington lives with his family in Warwick, New York.

About Christian Baskous

Christian Baskous is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. His theatrical credits include numerous roles in the New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle in the Square, the Kennedy Center, and Theater for the New City, as well as other regional theaters. His film and television work includes appearances in Glory, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Law & Order, Swan’s Crossing, and Swift Justice.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Steven on May 23, 2019

Bill Pennington describes his new book as a story of “resurrection and rebirth.” It is the story of a once proud dynasty, the envy of sports franchises worldwide, so why use the terms just mentioned. Pennington’s book, CHUMPS TO CHAMPS: HOW THE WORST TEAM IN YANKEE HISTORY LED TO THE 90S DYNASTY beg......more

Goodreads review by Michael on May 11, 2019

Highly recommended book about an easily-forgotten period of Yankee baseball that laid the groundwork for the late-90s dynasty and the ensuing quarter-century of nonstop winning. Yankees fans under 40, myself included, have known nothing but success since 1994 (the heartbreaking strike year), but thin......more

Goodreads review by Mike on April 13, 2019

A must read for 90s Yankees fans.......more

Goodreads review by Tom on March 26, 2019

Although the Yankees get plenty of ink Bill Pennington has mined a nice little era where not much has been written but plenty happened. The stars of this book are Gene Michael the longtime Yankee player and exec who becomes general manager as Steinbrenner is headed to exile and Buck Showalter the yo......more

Goodreads review by Will on November 03, 2021

Terrific baseball book about the history of the NYY in the early 90's and how they spent time as a lousy team but were able to build a foundation that generated the last great dynasty on the 20th century. Well written, informative and a great true story.......more

Quotes

“[Pennington’s] attention to the critical details of the lives of both the players and the front-office personnel is unusually penetrating. The title is snarky, but the book is intelligent and memorable.” Booklist (starred review)

“A fast-paced, insider history…a must for Yankees fans but also an exciting history for any baseball aficionados.” Publishers Weekly

“Pennington writes a mixture of interviews, biographies, on-the-field action, and fierce front-office politics.” Kirkus Reviews

“This well-written account of the building of a new Yankee dynasty in the 1990s is deeply informed by the author’s extensive interviews and will be enjoyed by all baseball fans.” Library Journal

“Christian Baskous narrates this compelling slice of recent baseball history…[and] turns the work into a well-articulated, easy-to-follow story. Baskous also skillfully captures the personalities of the players, coaches, and front-office executives listeners meet along the way.” AudioFile

“A book that—much like those Yankees—will be talked about for decades.” Ian O’Connor, New York Times bestselling author

“Bill Pennington spins a richly detailed narrative of the fall and rise of the Yankees…The pages sparkle with forgotten and previously untold nuggets.” Tom Verducci, New York Times bestselling author

Awards

  • Booklist Pick
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