Summers in the Bronx: Attila the Hun and Other Yankee Stories
Berkow was a Pulitzer-winning sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for 25 years. These collected columns are all centered on the New York Yankees, especially George Steinbrenner, the team’s owner and dominant character during the years Berkow was on the beat. Steinbrenner’s ego and eagerness to be the center of attention were offensive to many but not to a columnist; Steinbrenner was always good copy. Berkow’s subtitle alludes to Steinbrenner’s fondness—early in his tenure—for unself-consciously quoting from Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun (1989). But for all the fun Berkow has with Steinbrenner—including the owner’s fictional presence on Seinfeld—these columns are best when the focus is on players, extending from those who were contemporary at the time of the writing to the stars of the past. Along the way, Berkow had the serious responsibility of writing gentle obituary columns for Yankee icons Mickey Mantle, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, Roger Maris, and Billy Martin. He is a graceful writer with a sly sense of humor and a penchant for the subtle detail that reveals his subjects’ humanity. Fine sports journalism. --Wes Lukowsky