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A Legend in the Making: The New York Yankees in 1939
The story of perhaps the greatest team in baseball history, narrated against a background of one of the game's most remarkable seasons—an original work of history based on considerable research. Mr. Tofel presents a good many usually overlooked findings and sets the sport in its social and historical context. The best book about a single baseball team in a single year I have ever read. —Donald Honig
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 26, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 26, 2022
In A Legend in the Making: The New York Yankees in 1939, Richard Tofel sets out to write a narrative of the 1939 Yankees season from the perspective of the Yankees on the cusp of becoming legendary, "[n]ot as if the ending . . . were known at the beginning, but rather, as life is lived, from front to back." He attempted to "not only follow a narrative form, but also not to let matters after 1939 intrude." In other words, Tofel concedes at the outset that every that could be said about the 1939 Yankees has pretty much already been said.
I'd also add that the premise is a bit shaky to begin with. Tofel claims that, at this stage, the Yankees were "by no means baseball's winningest team," which . . . I guess is accurate if you start at 1936. But they were already viewed as the dominant force in baseball and had been since the days of Ruth. He lists the number of championships as of 1936 by the different teams and, yes, the Yankees had 7 compared to the Giants' 10, and the 8 by the Cubs and A's. But all of the Yankees' were recent (their first title came 1923). And that's in 1936, not 1939. The Yankees won in 1936. And 1937. And 1938. So we're already at 10. In a 16-year stretch. So I think the legendariness is pretty much already established.
But whatever. With all of that out of the way, the book is actually quite engaging. The narrative is clear and well-written. Tofel spends a lot of time on Gehrig in particular, dispelling a lot of common myths surrounding his final season, public knowledge about his diagnosis, etc. He gives some coverage to nearly every player on the team, which I appreciated.
It's a decent enough book if this is what you're looking for. It's just hard to escape the feeling that the whole exercise is superfluous.
I'd also add that the premise is a bit shaky to begin with. Tofel claims that, at this stage, the Yankees were "by no means baseball's winningest team," which . . . I guess is accurate if you start at 1936. But they were already viewed as the dominant force in baseball and had been since the days of Ruth. He lists the number of championships as of 1936 by the different teams and, yes, the Yankees had 7 compared to the Giants' 10, and the 8 by the Cubs and A's. But all of the Yankees' were recent (their first title came 1923). And that's in 1936, not 1939. The Yankees won in 1936. And 1937. And 1938. So we're already at 10. In a 16-year stretch. So I think the legendariness is pretty much already established.
But whatever. With all of that out of the way, the book is actually quite engaging. The narrative is clear and well-written. Tofel spends a lot of time on Gehrig in particular, dispelling a lot of common myths surrounding his final season, public knowledge about his diagnosis, etc. He gives some coverage to nearly every player on the team, which I appreciated.
It's a decent enough book if this is what you're looking for. It's just hard to escape the feeling that the whole exercise is superfluous.
July 28, 2017
This was my annual baseball read, this one for the 2017 MLB season. "A Legend in the Making" is a time capsule of 1939 starring the Yankees, arguably one of the greatest baseball teams of all time. The Yanks buried the competition with such stars as Joe DiMaggio (the Yankee Clipper), Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez and Bill Dickey, and the emergence of young stars like Charlie "King Kong" Keller and Tommy "Ol' Reliable" Henrich. Love the nicknames. It was a memorable year that included the end of Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak and his heroic address at Yankee Stadium on the 4th of July when he declared himself "the luckiest man on the face of the earth". Excuse me while I dry my eyes. Interspersed among the baseball vignettes are events happening outside of baseball: The beginning of World War II in September when Germany invaded Poland, the opening of the 1939 World's Fair, and the premiere of films like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With the Wind". Not much to recommend this to non-baseball fans, a lot of game recaps and statistics that can't possibly be of any interest. This is a one-star book for them. To baseball geeks like myself it gets five stars so I had to average it out to three stars. Let's play two!
June 11, 2019
Babe Ruth is gone. Lou Gehrig is deathly sick and the Yankees at the moment do not stand out as the premiere dynasty in all of baseball. The Cardinals and Red Sox have achieved similar success in different eras. But a group of young players is being assembled that will change that. DiMaggio, Heinrich and Keller lead the Yankees to a new era of success. This is the story of their 1939 season. A very fine read for a baseball fan.
December 8, 2019
Covers the entire 1939 season. The end of Lou Gehrig and the rise of Joe DiMaggio. How the players on the team arrived and developed into a powerhouse. Their many pennants and their World Series dominance. In the years after Babe Ruth moved from the Red Sox to the Yankees, he out-homered the entire Red Sox team in 10 of the next 12 seasons.
October 18, 2024
This is a good and informative look back at one of the greatest teams in baseball history. There is one embarrassing and inexcusable blunder that knocked off a star. Tofel said Lou Gehrig's full name was Louis Henry Gehrig. It is in fact Henry Louis Gehrig. Overall, the book is fine, but unlike the team it's written about, it's nothing memorable.
April 3, 2019
An informative and well written story of the Making of the 1939 Yankees.
March 15, 2020
Not a bad read, but if you're looking for more details and a less bias view, this isn't the book for you.
December 31, 2023
Yes, this book is about the Yankees. But there is great and vital baseball information on nearly every page. If you’re a fan or student of the game, I highly recommend it.
July 21, 2025
Standard baseball nostalgia/history fare.
June 8, 2011
I enjoyed this one season look at the Yankees and baseball in 1939.
This is the era of baseball I have read the least about, from after Ruth's retirement thru the 1950's. I was saddened by Lou Gehrig's story and his precipitous loss of health. I learned a little about Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez, both just names before this book.
I had forgotten about the Ernie Lombardi "sleeping" at the plate during the world series incident. From the description in this book, it sounds more like he was knocked out. Dimaggio scored because no one backed up the plate.
This is the era of baseball I have read the least about, from after Ruth's retirement thru the 1950's. I was saddened by Lou Gehrig's story and his precipitous loss of health. I learned a little about Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez, both just names before this book.
I had forgotten about the Ernie Lombardi "sleeping" at the plate during the world series incident. From the description in this book, it sounds more like he was knocked out. Dimaggio scored because no one backed up the plate.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews