proudest names in baseball, hall of famers like babe ruth, lou gehrig, joe di maggio, yogi berra, and mickey mantle led the yankees to a seemingly endless string of world series titles. with the great names gone, the yankees had fallen on hard times. after 29 pennants in 44 years, winning had moved out of reach. in 1972, george steinbrenner came to new york. steinbrenner, a wealthy shipbuilding executive, was used to winning and winners. i can't buy a newspaper without paying a lot more than i used to. how much would steinbrenner pay to bring winning baseball back to yankee stadium? $300,000 for catfish hunter, after hunter's contract was declared void on a fluke. and he hired the man some thought was the best manager in baseball, billy martin. by 1975, attendance was up more than 50%, and the yankees were back in the world series. but they lost that series four straight to cincinnati's big red machine. there it goes. the final score, 7-2. we were the second best team in baseball. that's nothing to be ashamed of. i shouldn't be critical. the yankees still lacked what ruth, di maggio, and mantle gav

it was a picture of willie mays or mickey mantle.y packet not have one so i was offended soweto mealy took a dime and bought another pack. by the end of that week, after the second pack of a small cards, i was tagged that's bugging my parents are taking to the yankee stadium which they did. i was getting so annoyed at the end of the year that my baseball bobby a that's bought me a baseball encyclopedia. was.w who matt kilroy i remember it was my mother's uncle who did this and she said -- what the blank did you do that for? 1967 tore at this may christmas. 1967 by the spring of 1968, my parents refused to acknowledge me if i spoke about baseball on even-numbered day. the audit even system, my parents made it. i never stop talking about it. >> a lot of great political reporters come from sports. the great columnist for the new york times. there is something about describing sports that gives you the ability to describe political events. >> i think that is true. it is historically true as well. the name escapes me but there was a -- a

year that had a small poster that was folded up inside and it was a pick your of willie mays or mickey mantle or whofer. my pack didn't have one. so i was so offended by this, that i immediately took a dime and went and bought another pack. by the end of that week, after the second pack of the baseball cards, i was bugging my parents to take me to yankee stadium which they did within a month. and then i was getting so annoying by the end of the year that my uncle bought me a baseball encyclopedia which i read like page 1 to page 1,000 like its with a novel. >> can't put it down. >> so i knew who matt kill roif the 1883 baltimore orioles was bitten of the year. and i can remember actually my mother's uncle who did this, she said what the-- what the blank did you do that for. and then so now we're at this may 1967 to christmas 1967, by the spring of 1968 it was so bad that my parents used to refuse to acknowledge me if i spoke about baseball on an even numbered day. the odd even system, my parents invented it. >> rose: started it. >> and i never stopped talking about it since. >> rose: a lot of