Book Review: The Men Who Made the Yankees

The Men Who Made the Yankees: The Odyssey of the World’s Greatest Baseball Team from Baltimore to the Bronx. W. Nikola-Lisa. Gyroscope Books: Chicago, July 2, 2014, Paperback and Kindle, 144 pages.

Reviewed by Ed Marohn.

The Men Who Made the Yankees takes the reader through the history of the National and American Leagues and the men who laid the basis for professional baseball today. As the American League developed so did the New York Yankees. If you are a baseball fan, you will enjoy the book with its detailed and solidly researched story of team owners, key players, and the political and financial pressures that the leagues endured from the late 1800s to 1923, the year the Yankees won their first world championship title. If you aren’t a baseball fan, you will still enjoy the book. You will learn about the handful of powerful club owners and how players such as Babe Ruth, Carl Mays, and John Baker influenced the leagues and shaped baseball into the sport it is today.

Even though it is loaded with some specific and detailed history, the book is a fast and enjoyable read. The author, W. Nikola-Lisa, expresses a love for the game through entertaining anecdotes, such as how the New York Yankees finally acquired Babe Ruth.

And just as impressive are the names of the owners and other figures that played pivotal roles throughout the leagues’ history: Charles Albert Comiskey, Ban Johnson, Jake Rupert, T.L. Huston, John McGraw, and Albert Goodwill Spalding.

Read the book and experience history by discovering some unique treasures about American baseball and the famous New York Yankees.