This Savage Art

If you’re of a certain age and grew up in or around New York you have vivid memories of 1977. All the hype about that time was true. New York was on fire. It seared itself into your memories. The real Summer of Sam. The Blackout. The Reggie bar, I can even remember the taste of it — it was basically a Baby Ruthburger. And you definitely remembered the ’77 Yankees. Graig Nettles, #9 baby! Before “Theeeeeeeee Yankees win, the Yankees win!” there was “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie!”

ESPN has produced The Bronx is Burning, an 8-week mini-series based on the Yankees run for the World Championship¹ set against one of the ugliest periods in New York City history. It’s based on the Jonathan Mahler book, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City. Whether you are a baseball fan or not this should be filled with lots ‘o drama. John Turturro as Billy Martin, I’m there.

The Bronx is Burning premieres July 9th on ESPN.

1. The Bronx Zoo: The Astonishing Inside Story of the 1978 World Champion New York Yankees is another great book about the Yankees written by pitcher Sparky Lyle[↩]