Overview

If it was not all so true, you’d think it was a fairy tale. A seventeen-year-old from Queens spray paints graffiti on Yankee Stadium and gets nabbed by George Steinbrenner himself. Contrary to his gruff public image, the Boss—driven by a compassionate inner voice—reclaims the teen at a time when the Bronx is literally burning. Thus begins the unlikeliest of baseball stories, one in which Ray Negron is transformed from street kid to batboy and beyond. Befriending many of major league baseball’s greatest stars—Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Munson, Mantle, Catfish, A-Rod, Jeter, even Mrs. Lou Gehrig—Negron ultimately emerges as a dynamic community leader, dedicating his own life to helping the sick and rescuing generations of city kids from unfulfilled lives. Yankee Miracles is a book about the power of baseball to transform lives, about all those miracles on 161st Street we never knew were there.

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9780871406866

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Reviews

"""A compelling tale of redemption, of second chances, of unheralded gestures and of touching personal connections."" -- New York Daily News ""Much of sports can leave us skeptical if not cynical. But I defy anyone to read Ray Negron's remarkable story and not come away believing that there still can be genuine heart, soul, and even redemption in the games we watch and play."" -- Bob Costas ""Full of fondness and good memories, Negron’s affectionate memoir reveals that his love for the Yankees and his affection for Steinbrenner haven’t diminished over these many years."" -- Publishers Weekly ""Hard as it is to recommend yet another book about the Yankees—especially this bouquet by a longtime employee—it’s just as hard not to be touched by Negron’s story …Even avowed Yankee haters will be warmed by stories of Alex Rodriguez’s outreach to a local youth baseball team, Derek Jeter’s private chat with a young cancer patient in a corner of the Yankees clubhouse, and the gruff but heartfelt kindness Munson would extend to teammates, opposing players, and the young Negron."" -- Booklist ""With the assistance of Cook (co-author: Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son, 1997, etc.), longtime New York Yankees employee Negron (One Last Time: Good-bye to Yankee Stadium, 2009, etc.) relates a series of heartwarming tales from his time with the storied franchise. The author, whose previous Yankee-related books have been aimed at children, here offers a biography that seems straight out of a 1930s movie. As a young troublemaker, he was caught spray-painting graffiti on Yankee Stadium by the team’s new owner, George Steinbrenner. Hours later, he found himself in uniform, shagging flies from his heroes as a batboy, a job that would lead to a lifetime working in baseball. Negron’s effort to show the kindhearted side of the notoriously prickly ‘Boss’ permeates this touching book. He joined the Yankee organization shortly after Steinbrenner’s purchase of the team, and he was there through the glory years of the 1970s, when the team included such icons as Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin. The author formed life-altering friendships with each of them, and he also features the triumphs and tragedies of other stars, including Mickey Mantle, Catfish Hunter, Dwight Gooden, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Each chapter recounts a “miracle” from the author’s time with the team, and Negron provides ample insight into the real men behind the uniforms. Though he doesn’t hold back from showing their flaws, the lenses through which he views them are heavily rose-colored. A treasure-trove for sentimental Yankees fans and a feel-good read for all baseball fans."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""[Ray Negron’s] affectionate ode to the team and its former owner is a welcome salve to the Yankees’ often self-inflicted bruises."" -- Sam Roberts - New York Times ""Longtime Yankees advisor Negron's inside story of life with the team begins with what reads like an episode of Seinfeld."" -- New York Post ""An exciting new book by a New York Yankees insider... offers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at America’s most storied baseball franchise and the man they called “The Boss”—Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.... [A]uthor Ray Negron recounts an unlikely career in baseball that had a most unexpected beginning and reads like a modern day version of Angels with Dirty Faces.... Yankee Miracles features a series of heartwarming tales illustrating the power of baseball to transform lives."" -- Jim Meyers - Newsmax ""The most storied team in baseball history has a few tales that even the most die-hard Yankees fans might not know… [An] inspiring story."" -- ReadKiddoRead.com"

A compelling tale of redemption, of second chances, of unheralded gestures and of touching personal connections.

Author Information

Ray Negron, a community advisor for the New York Yankees, is the author of three children’s books and the producer of an animated film. Sally Cook, the author of two children’s books, is also the coauthor of Another Season, a New York Times bestseller.

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