Author
& Former NY Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson will sign and personalize your copy
of When the Yankees Were on the Fritz: Revisiting the Horace Clarke
Years.
Add your instructions for Fritz to
personalize your copy of his new book when placing your order.
This is a book written by a player
who was on the Yankees all but one month of the "Horace Clarke
Era," Fritz Peterson. Many personal stories are told about these
8+ years of Yankee history from a player who lived them from 1966-1974
explaining why the Yankees could not have won any pennants during those lean
years the New York Yankees. Still, even without any pennants under his belt,
Fritz feels blessed having worn Yankee pinstripes with such teammates as Mickey
Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, Mel Stottlemyre, to Thurman
Munson, Bobby Murcer, Roy White and some of the Yankees who became the
foundation of the George Steinbrenner Era. Fritz brought entertainment into the
clubhouse from his first day there until a massive trade sent him and 3
teammates to Cleveland as part of the rebuilding process.
Fritz Peterson had three degrees from Northern Illinois University but his main
accomplishment came many years after his career was over when ESPN announced
that he had the lowest career ERA than any pitcher in the history of the
original Yankee Stadium (2.52 ERA.) Whitey Ford came in second with a 2.58 ERA.
Fritz also had the lowest WHIP ratio of any starting pitcher from WWII to the
present. He is now writing books sharing his experiences with the Yankees and
was known as the best prankster Sparky Lyle ever knew in baseball. He was
a starting pitcher for Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers from 1966
to 1976, and was an American League All-Star in 1970, when he won 20 games and
had a 2.90 ERA,
Reader review from Antonio J. Aciff:
The
Yankees of today remind me so much of the time period that Peterson covers in
this book! With the overall aging of the ball club and retiring superstars,
they have in common the dilemma of not being able to score runs while the
pitching staff pitched their hearts out in vain.
For me, the time period falls precisely at the age that I was bitten by the
baseball bug. I had no expectations or sense of entitlement as I was not old
enough to remember the glory days of the Yankees dynasty. Therefore it was not
possible to be spoiled, jaded or hold any resentment as we may now have toward
our current team.
The Horace Clarke Yankees were MY Yankees, not
my father's. Win lose, or draw, these players were my guys! And although less
than half of the games were televised in those days, I followed that ball club
religiously via radio, newspaper and magazines and anything else I could get my
hands on. I knew everything there was to know about my beloved team....OR SO I
THOUGHT!
This book took me right back to those times. It's as if I were able to relive
my youth. But this time, I was accompanied by a tour guide who was one of the
main threads of that team's fabric. Sort of like that first ghost from "A
Christmas Carole". Fritz took me into the Yankees dugout, the clubhouse,
the team bus, and yes, even the team hotel. I would have give my right arm for
that experience when I was eleven, but better late than never.
Fritz Peterson,whom I always considered the most colorful of the bunch, not
surprisingly, has a writing style all his own. His stories not only gave me a
true introspective view of that beloved ball club of mine, but it was
accompanied by many belly laughs as well.
As if it were yesterday, I can recall The Late Great "Scooter", Phil
Rizzuto repeat on more than one occasion : "Holy cow, that Fritz Peterson
is quite a character". He most certainly was, and still is!
A true fan would appreciate this memoir; it is from a time when baseball was
still a game.
**Please not that personalized, signed copies might take a few extra days**