The Boss and the Yanquis

Once upon a time there was a baseball owner who took hands-on leadership to the extreme. He was known for over-reacting, removing managers at a whim and expressing his ire over perceived player recalicitrance. I'm, of course, referring to George Steinbrenner. The legendary Yankees owner took over the Yankees shortly after the demise of the Reserve Clause. The Boss used millions made in the shipping industry and permanently shaped the future of baseball free-agency. He dedicated his ownership to building the Yankees into a permanent championship team, centered around star players paid exorbitant salaries.

In New York Yanquis (Arcade Publishing: 1995), author Bill Granger gives us Yankee owner George Bremenhaven, a thinly-veiled recreation of the late Yankee owner. Sharing the stage with Bremenhaven, and the book's protagonist, is veteran relief pitcher Ryan Patrick Shawn, turned manager. The premise for Granger's comedic novel is the Yankee owners desire to reduce his payroll by getting rid of all of his high-priced players and replacing them with a roster of Cuban all-stars who will play the game simply because of their love of the game. The only player he retains is Shawn, who happens to speak Spanish, and is desperate for one last go-around before retiring.

The novel is full of jabs at Stienbrenner, from his all-consuming drive for a pennant to his penny-pinching methods. He houses the Cuban players in one of his run-down hotels and feeding them pizza. To keep Shawn in line, Bremenhaven contrives various schemes that has Shawn fending off accusations of infedelity to his girlfriend and fearing that the IRS is going to lock him up for tax fraud. Shawn is initially a gullible hero, but one that can, and will, stand up to Bremenhaven - often in amusing verbal jabs. Shawn finds himself playing cat-and-mouse games with his boss, which in the end tends to put him on an equal footing with the eccentric owner.

Bremenhaven hates to lose, whether it's against other teams, their owners, or even his own players. Shawn just wants to survive one more season and then see where things take him. The Cubans just want to play ball, but find themselves frustrated and depressed at being so far from home and being treated as second-hand citizens. The story is a comedy that makes light of the Stienbrenner-esk character and his antics, but we are also treated to a host of stereotypical characters, from Shawn's Los Angeles-based agent to his girlfriend, and a host of mysterious government agents. And then, there's the cameo appearances by Fidel Castro, himself, with his long-winded, rambling tirades

Actual baseball action is rare in this novel, but done well when it appears. But the story is actually less about baseball than about hopes and dreams, and the compromises that must be made along the way toward happiness. Yes, we are entertained by the Bremenhaven character (who I would not be surprised if Granger didn't model him after the Steinbrenner of "Jerry Seinfeld" fame), but in the end it is the Ryan Shawn and his Cuban players overcoming all types of obstacles thrown in front of them that is the real story.

New York Yanquis is not a morality play. It's a farse about greed in the American Game. An over-simplication of complex issues like baseball ownership, free agency, and U.S. politics. But I'd recommend it as an entertaining fun read; one that brings back memories of the craziness that surrounded the Yankees and The Boss.


Steinbrenner: You know George, it struck me today me that a Communist pipeline into the vast reservoir of Cuban baseball talent could be the greatest thing ever to happen to this organization.
George: Sir?
Steinbrenner: You could be invaluable to this franchise. George,there's a southpaw down there nobody's been able to get a look at; something Rodriguez, I don't really know his name. You get yourself down to Havana right away.
George: Yes, sir. Yes sir, do my best.
Steinbrenner: Good, Merry Christmas George. And bring me back some of those cigars in the cedar boxes, you know the ones with the fancy rings? I love those fancy rings. They kind of distract you while you're smoking. The red and yellow are nice. It looks good against the brown of the cigar. The Maduro, I like the Maduro wrapper. The darker the better, that's what I say. Of course, the Claro's good too. That's more of a pale brown, almost like a milky coffee. (George exits) I find the ring size very confusing. They have it in centimeters which I don't really understand that well...

(Seinfeld, Season 6, Episode 10, December 15, 1994)

Love in the time of Red Sox

I watched Fever Pitch (Farrelly Brothers: 2005) the other night. The film is based on the autobiographical collection of short stories written by Nick Hornby (Gollancz: 1992) with the same title. Actually, the movie is a remake of the 1997 film starring Colin Firth that featured a man obsessed with the Arsenal Foot Ball club, to the point that it effected his romantic relationship.

The Farrelly brothers, converting the storyline to the U.S., cast Jimmy Fallon as a math teacher who falls in love with a financial executive. In the Farrelly's version, the character of Ben Wrightman is a rabid Boston Red Sox fan; he inherited season tickets behind the Sox dugout, holds an annual draft to determine which of his friends will attend games with him, his apartment is a shrine to Red Sox history, and he hasn't missed a game in ten years. The love interest, Lindsey Meeks, played by Drew Barrymore, is a work-aholic and baseball novice. But she's attracted by Ben's youthfulness and humor and decides to overlook his obsession, because she, herself, is obsessed with her work.

The conflict revolves around baseball and its affect on Ben and Lindsey's burgeoning relationship during the course of the 2004 season. The storyline has the relationship flowing along with the ups and downs of the Sox quest for the post-season. In the early months, the relationship rises with the hopes of a new year; Ben takes Lindsey to games and she learns about the game and the undying loyalty of Sox fans. Ben is a hit with Lindsey's friends (and particularly their husbands who envy his season tickets) and gains points with her parents by getting them a tee time at the local country club. As the summer wears on, however, the relationship cools as Ben's obsession increases and Lindsey's job beckons as she tries to gain a partnership in her firm.

As with the Red Sox quest for their first World Series pennant since 1918, Ben and Lindsey's relationship ultimately hinges on overcoming a large obstacle. For the Sox, it's the 0-3 hole they find themselves in the ALCS. For Ben and Lindsey, it is breaking the baseball bond that Ben has held on to since he was a child.

Overall, I think the movie is fun to watch: a good date flick. But, in the end, you have to wonder if the two protagonists actually have a long-term future where it's not clear whether each has compromised enough to make it last. I've never read Hornby's book. I'd be interested in seeing if the original story matches better with English football, or whether the Farrelly brothers managed to best the story with their re-telling.