is about more than sport itself. David Herman was schoolboy fan of the 1981 Columbus Clippers, the New York Yankees' Triple A farm team and he recounts the tale of the season when the spotlight fell upon them given that there was a strike which halted the Major League season.

Herman has researched far and wide and spoken to nearly thirty of the team members and he ha provided a beautifully written account of what happened throughout what was a memorable season and also the fate of so many of the players who in many cases were so near - but also so far from making it in The Show and having a Major League career.

I am a sports and baseball junkie and thoroughly enjoyed how Herman also interposed his own life, family and upbringing into the story.

Highly recommended.

A wonderful reflection of what it means to be a fan and the profound effect a team can have on people. Part memoir, part adulation, and part historical record, this book thoroughly captures the 1981 Columbus Clippers tremendous season and the impact it had on the sport of baseball during a time where baseball needed a distraction the most. You are introduced to the rookies, vets, and rejects that constructed the team and gain a greater appreciation of what it means to be a team. There are crazy superstitions, a 33 inning game, and import baseball influencers inserted throughout the book.

In 1981, the first strike to interrupt a major league baseball season occurred. However, minor league baseball was still played and one of the best teams that season was the Columbus Clippers, the AAA farm club of the New York Yankees. J. David Herman was an 11-year old superfan of this team until his family relocated to California. His memories are the inspiration for this book about that team.

Herman shares stories about many of the players such as Brad Gulden, John Pacella, Steve Balboni and Dave Righetti, although he only spent a short amount of time on the Clippers before being recalled by the Yankees. However, it isn’t only players who are portrayed in the book. Manager Frank Verdi, broadcaster Rick Rizzs and umpire Bill Emslie are just a few of the other people Herman talks about when he reminisces about the Clippers.

In addition to reviewing the championship season for Columbus, Herman includes passages about other events, baseball and otherwise, that took place in 1981. Of those, he talks most about the Yankees, which is logical since that was the parent club of his favorite baseball team. Righetti is the subject of most of these segments, but other Clippers like Balboni and Pacella who also made the big club are included.

What makes this book stand out more than others about a particular season or team are Herman’s personal memories about the team. These go well beyond simply memories at the ball park with his father or meeting the players. For example, when he was attending college at the University of Washington, Herman would catch Seattle Mariners games on the radio – and one of the Mariners’ broadcasters was none other than Rick Rizzs. Herman’s writing about hearing Rizzs over the airwaves and imagining he was calling a Clippers game was excellent.

Fans of minor league baseball will enjoy this book as they could relate to many of the stories. Herman has brought one of the best minor league teams back to life in this book and it will take the reader back to that glorious summer in Columbus when the Clippers were the kings of the baseball universe.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Almost Yankees follows the Columbus Clippers, the AAA team for the New York Yankees during the tumultuous 1981 season. It focuses on the players and coaches during the season as well as their subsequent baseball careers, in addition to exploring the significance of baseball in Columbus, Ohio. The book is generally an enjoyable read, with interesting personal anecdotes about the author's upbringing, childhood, and adult life. Stories about players both famous, infamous and anonymous are discussed. This reviewer is a life-long Yankees fan and found the work to be enjoyable and insightful. The book follows the course of the season but is not constrained by it.
Some mild criticism of the book are include an under-theorizing of why winning (as opposed to development) matter at AAA, and a sporadic use of personal anecdote. The author's struggles with his father, weight, relationships, loneliness, and success are mentioned but not discussed in depth. There are many players mentioned and sometimes it was hard to keep track of all of them.
Overall this book is a welcome edition to any baseball shelf. It is not constrained by the 81 season. More books about minor league baseball should be written.

ALMOST YANKEES, by J. David Herman, tells the forgotten story of the 1981 Columbus Clippers, the AAA minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. When Major League Baseball went on strike, this ragtag team of up and coming stars and grizzled veterans were thrust into the spotlight. Some of the players continued to mature into major leaguers, while for others, this was their last and maybe only time to shine.
Herman tells the story of the team and all of its players with such passion and vigor. I particularly enjoyed reading about the manager, Frank Verdi, who could probably have a book written just about him and his antics. Many of Herman's stories of the individual players were well-researched and fun to read about and his tales of George Steinbrenner reflected a feeling of awe, coupled with a hearty dose of eye-rolling at some of his ridiculous choices based on personal animosities. Herman does try to tie in national stories in 1981, I think to try and create a fuller feeling of the time, but those interludes in the book just seem clunky and random and took away from my enjoyment of the book. Herman also splices in his personal story at certain parts and while I appreciate how baseball can tying into one's life deeply, I wish there was some sort of indication of this in the title of the book. Generally, the layout of the book felt very clunky and uneven.
Some really fun stories from the 1918 Columbus Clippers that I won't soon forget, ALMOST YANKEES does take me back to a pleasantly different time in baseball that is lost in today's world. Any baseball fan is going to come away from this book with a new appreciation for minor leaguers and some great tales of baseball lore.

This is an at times interesting look at the 1981 Columbus Clippers season. For several months in the middle of the season, the Clippers were the best team in baseball. Why? The major league players were on strike and, as a result, the Clippers not national TV and radio attention.

The book was uneven, with some absolutely terrific spots and some less than stellar spots. It benefits somewhat by the fact that the author was a huge fan of this team. For baseball fans who like a nostalgic look at baseball seasons gone by, this might be something they'd like.

As a longtime Yankees fan, this book brought back a lot of memories. The Columbus Clippers were the AAA farm team for the Yankees when I was a kid, and this book captures the joy of that time, and the team and players. Highly recommended for any baseball fan!

1981 the year of the baseball strike was also the year for the Yankees Trillpe A affiliate Colombus Clippers to win their championship. For some of these players that would be it there would be no more baseball, or baseball in the Yankee organization. Most would have never heard of it. Some like Dave Righetti would pitch a no-hitter for the Yankees against the Red Sox on a 4th of July game in 1983 he would be with the Yankees but later win three World Series as pitching coach for the Giants. Buck Showalter was another member of the team but is now known for being a manager for different clubs including the Yankees. Unless you are a Yankee fan most never heard the name Steve Balboni who was to take over first base but never had a chance in New York. I remembered him more for striking out but he did win a championship with the 85 Royals and hit well and had good glove work as well. That was the big guy from the book but for me, I was happy to read this book and all of the different stories.