 First edition | |
| Author | Sparky Lyle,Peter Golenbock |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | baseball |
| Genre | autobiography |
| Publisher | Crown Publishers |
Publication date | 1979 (1979) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 248(first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-517-53726-5 |
The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees is anonfiction book written by formerMajor League Baseball pitcherSparky Lyle andPeter Golenbock. Amemoir of Lyle's tenure with theNew York Yankees, the book documents the1978 New York Yankees season, including the1978 World Series and conflicts between players. The book was published byCrown Publishers in 1979.
The term "Bronx Zoo" became a nickname for the Yankees teams of the late 1970s through early 1980s.
TheNew York Yankees won the1977 World Series.[1]Sparky Lyle, theircloser, won theAmerican LeagueCy Young Award that season, given to the league's best pitcher.[2] However, YankeesownerGeorge Steinbrenner acquiredrelief pitcherGoose Gossage from thePittsburgh Pirates that offseason, giving him a larger salary than Lyle's.[2] Though the Yankees wanted to have both Lyle and Gossage work late innings in games, it became apparent that the team would choose Gossage over Lyle in key situations. According to teammateGraig Nettles, Lyle went from "Cy Young tosayonara". Lyle demanded a trade and a larger salary, but received neither.[2] After the 1978 season, the Yankees traded Lyle to theTexas Rangers.[3]
Lyle dictated the book from March through November 1978 with a tape recorder. He received a $40,000 advance to write the book.[4]
In the book, Lyle talks about his penchant forpractical jokes. One of his favorite jokes was to sit, naked, on thebirthday cake of a teammate.[5]
Sport printed excerpts from the book before its publication.[6] The book spent 29 weeks onThe New York Times bestseller list,[7] peaking at number 2,[8][9] and was the 13th best selling hardcover book of 1979.[10]Dell Publishing purchased the book from Crown for the paperback version. Lyle stated during the1979 MLB season that he regretted writing the book, as the publicity distracted him from pitching.[4]
Lyle wrote a follow-up book in 1990, titledThe Year I Owned the Yankees: A Baseball Fantasy, which parodied Steinbrenner's ownership of the Yankees.[11]
