The Blunder Years - The Dark Ages of the New York Yankees

    NEW YORK, NY, December 06, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Someone once said "There once was a team so strong that when a player hit a single, he was stopping the rally." Such was the legacy of the New York Yankees through the early 1960s, the most successful and well known sports franchise in the world. That success would come to a screeching halt in 1965 when, under new CBS ownership, the team hit rock bottom and languished for years. Such was the pre-Steinbrenner Yankees of the late '60s and early 70s, or what some have called the "Horace Clarke" era named after the second baseman of that time.

Now author Ron Quartararo examines this period in his new book, The Blunder Years, to both understand the forces at work, and also provide a personal account of his first time experiences as a fan, growing up in post glory years of the franchise. Quartararo traces the success of the franchise to provide context to the reader before delving into the issues of ownership changes, management (or perhaps more aptly 'mismanagement'), player injuries, a neglected farm system, along with various changes in the game, and their contribution to the Yankee's precipitous and sustained decline. He then presents a year by year account of the highlights and lowlights of the team's performance on and sometimes off the field.

Quartararo also highlights a number of the Yankee players of that era including those who bridged the prior championship era such as baseball legends Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, to those that spanned the Steinbrenner years such as popular stars Bobby Murcer, Roy White, and Thurman Munson. Also profiled are Yankee broadcasters including voice of the Yankees Mel Allen, Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto and the "voice of God" Bob Sheppard. Perhaps the most interesting is the little known background of then Yankee president Mike Burke, who among other things, was an OSS and CIA agent prior to joining CBS. And for the numbers buffs, each player's stats are listed by year. Interspersed alongside factual details are Quartararo's own personal observations and anecdotes making the book both an informative as well as an enjoyable, entertaining read.

The Blunder Years was published by Xlibris and is available at https://bookstore.xlibris.com/ in both digital as well as soft cover versions.

All net proceeds from book sales through the end of 2016 will be donated to the Testaverde Fund for Spinal Cord Injury.

Ron Quartararo is a senior strategy & business development executive in digital media technology. He has spent the past 20 years in a variety of business development, strategic planning and managerial roles in the media & entertainment industry. Quartararo is also an accomplished writer with OpEd articles appearing in the NY Times, Daily News, Barron's, Newsday, Business & Society Review, TV Executive, Broadcast Engineering and Broadcasting & Cable. This is Quartararo's third book, following La Famiglia - The Pride and Passion of Family, a series of vignettes about growing up Italian on Long Island and profiling the many relatives who influenced his life (such as music legend Phil Quartararo, and former NFL quarterback Vinny Testaverde). His second book, The Media and the Mob: Exploring the Mafia Mystique, explores the complex issue of ethnic stereotyping of Italian Americans and criminality, showcasing the challenges for news organizations in reporting the news without painting entire communities with the same stroke.

NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA/JOURNALISTS:
To request a complimentary paperback review copy (for media outlets), contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x7879. Reference Book ID# 750524

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