For 34 years, he berated his players and tormented Yankees managers and employees. He played fast and loose with the rules, and twice could have gone to jail. He was banned from baseball for life--but was allowed back. Yet George Steinbrenner also built the New York Yankees from a mediocre team into the greatest sports franchise in America. Now acclaimed sportswriter Peter Golenbock draws on more than a hundred interviews to tell the story of "The Boss," from his Midwestern childhood and family shipping business background through his decades-long ownership of the Yankees. He gets inside the countless manager hirings and firings (and sometimes rehirings) from Billy Martin to Joe Torre, the legendary feuds and hard feelings, and the ever-spiraling players' salaries, as well as the astute business deals that transformed the Yankees from a $10 million franchise into a $1 billion powerhouse.--From publisher description.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 353) and index.