Yankee Batboy
Price: $3,000.00
Hard Cover. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1955. First Edition. Near Fine / Dust Jacket Included.
First edition, first printing. Signed by Carrieri and a total of 43 players, coaches, beat writers, and broadcasters connected to the 1955 Yankees team, in contemporary hand, on the front and rear endpapers, half-title page, and recto of Table of Contents page, including: Jerry Coleman (inscribed), Whitey Ford (HOF), Mickey Mantle (HOF), Yogi Berra (HOF), Casey Stengel (HOF), Bill Dickey (HOF), Phil Rizzuto (HOF), Frank Crosetti, Bob Turley, Hank Bauer, Don Larsen, Elston Howard, Gil McDougald, and Bill Skowron. Publisher's black cloth-backed white and gray boards, with spine stamped blue foil; in its original black and red patterned dust jacket, with a photo of Carrieri holding two handfuls of bats to front panel, lettered in black. Near fine book, with some toning to extremities of boards; very good clipped dust jacket, with some fading to spine, shallow chipping to head of spine, some small closed tears to panel edges, closed tear to front spine fold, and some tape repair to verso. Overall, a fantastic array of 1955 Yankees signatures. In Yankee Batboy, Joe Carrieri details his experiences as the Yankees' batboy from the age of 13 to 18, during which time the Yankees won an incredible five straight titles (1949-1953) under Casey Stengel. In 1955, the Yankees dynasty was still going strong, though the team was upset in the World Series by the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games. That year, the Yankees' captain Yogi Berra won his third and final AL MVP award. Yogi Berra played eighteen seasons with the New York Yankees, winning an incredible ten World Series titles. Off the field, Berra was known for his wise and humorous "Yogi-isms," some of which include: "It ain't over til it's over," "it's déjà vu all over again," and "the future ain't what it used to be." Mickey Mantle played his entire eighteen-year career with the Yankees. Plagued by injuries throughout much of his career, Mantle nevertheless became an all-time great, winning three MVP awards (1956, 1957, 1962) and the Triple Crown in 1956. He also helped power the Yankees to seven World Series titles. Whitey Ford played all sixteen years of his career with the Yankees (1950, 1953-67) and helped them win six World Series. He was a 10x All-Star and holds numerous Yankees records, including career wins, shutouts, and games started. Ford was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, alongside Mickey Mantle. As a player, Phil Rizzuto was an excellent defensive shortstop, who earned five All-Star selections and helped the Yankees win seven World Series titles. After his playing career ended, he spent 40 years in the booth as a Yankees commentator, known for his famous phrase "Holy cow!" Casey Stengel was the legendary and charismatic manager of the New York Yankees from 1949 to 1960. In his twelve years with the team, the Yankees dominated the league, winning seven World Series titles and ten pennants. Prior to becoming a manager, Stengel was a solid pro player, helping the New York Giants win World Series titles in 1922 and 1923. All told, Stengel's professional baseball career spanned more than fifty years. Item #NYY008
