A Fauxtographer's Yankee Stadium Memoir

By Arnie "Tokyo" Rosenthal

Over 100 never before published pictures, from the late 1970's New York Yankee dynasty years, are contained within. Author and photographer, Arnie "Tokyo" Rosenthal, has assembled the best pictures of Yankee personnel of that era and their opponents from his personal collection. Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, Lou Piniella, Catfish Hunter, Goose Gossage , Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and others are all included. Plus the best of the Yankee opponents from teams like The Red Sox, The Orioles, The Tigers, The Twins, The Angels, among others, including Nolan Ryan, Carl Yastremski, Don Zimmer, Rod Carew, Mark Fidrych and many more. Also World Series locker room celebrations including 1977 right after Jackson's three home run game. These are off beat pictures, actions shots, locker room hi-jinks, portraits, being made public for the first time after being stored away for over 35 years.

Prefaced by a hilarious story of how he came to get a full time press pass without any real credentials. Any Yankee or Major League Baseball fan will get a kick out of this book and appreciate the exclusive photos of baseball heroes contained within.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781682226339

Book preview

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Long ago...it must be... I have a photograph. Preserve your memories, They’re all that’s left you. - Paul Simon

In the summer of 1958 I entered Yankee Stadium for the first time. I was 6 years old. Baseball up until then was a TV show for me and it was in Black & White. It was Old Timers Day and my Dad, a Bronx Boy, saw that as an appropriate indoctrination for my first visit to these hallowed grounds, and dressed me in a mini-Yankee uniform which I didin't take off for days. Much as Billy Crystal has described it, seeing baseball and The Stadium in color for the first time (we only had a black & white TV), as we walked through the tunnel into our seating section, was overwhelming.

I’ve never seen anything that green before or again. You can only experience this sort of contrast once in a lifetime. Thinking I might someday be taking pictures down on that field and from the press box wasn’t even a thought. I’d never shot a camera yet and didn’t know what a press box was or where it was. I figured the press box had something to do with dry cleaning.

My first press box experience was in May of 1968. More specifically, it was Memorial Day and what is considered Mickey Mantle’s last great game. I was invited by my good friend, Gerry LaMonica, to go the Stadium and sit in the press box. This was arranged by his uncle, Mike Rendine, who was the ticket manager for the Stadium. I couldn’t say yes quickly enough and Gerry and I took the long trek by bus and subway from Long Island up to the Bronx.

Mantle hit two homers, two doubles and a single as he went 5 for 5 in the first game. Manager Ralph Houk gave Mickey game two off. Thinking I’d ever meet Mickey, never mind photograph he and Roger Maris raising the World Series Flag, was still in the impossible phase if for no other reason that I’d still never shot a camera. I’m not even sure we even owned one at this point in time.

As James Earl Jones said in Field Of Dreams, baseball has marked the time and as the years passed it marked mine, as well. The Mets went to the World Series twice and the Yankees were in a play off drought of biblical proportions. I had gotten through college and was now discovering my love for visual and communication arts while getting my Masters in such studies.

While all of this was happening, a new phenomenon called Cable TV was sweeping the nation and along with it, public access television was allowing amateur producers and directors to turn pro overnight. I was one of those people; Cable