I was approached by the co-author of Abused by the New York
Yankees, Gary Toushek, a few months ago, the writer wondering if Batter Chatter
might be interested in writing something about the book. In fact, I was interested. Authored by Paul Priore,
former Yankees assistant clubhouse attendant, the book takes on one of the most
imposing sports franchises in the world with some scorching allegations. Abused
also takes on the most beloved player in franchise history, and tars him with a
salacious sex scandal.
I didn’t know what to think.
And so I read.
Abused is not a good book.
First off, it’s self-published—not a surprise,
given the subject matter, and not a bad thing;
I’ve self published myself and
tend to not discriminate against the DIY set. But it looks off-brand, more like
a bound galley than a book, and reads as if it is in desperate need of an
editor, in just about every paragraph. It reinforces the cynicism some readers have about self-published works.
A gay man, Priore has a giant bone to pick with the Yankees.
He alleges that a prominent pitcher sodomized him with a baseball bat while several
teammates cheered. He mentions walking into the clubhouse sauna and finding two
of the Core Four—Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada—locked in a tangle of, shall we
say, passion. (The phrase “erect paddywackers” actually sees the light of day
in this passage.) He alleges a whole lot of things. Then he alleges more.
If he had spelled out a handful of incidents in which he was
aggrieved, the book would’ve been much stronger. Instead, Priore blasts every
darn player, manager and front office exec he ever came in contact with, which
turns the book into a long-ass, scattershot screed. George Steinbrenner is “Ol’
Turkeyneck.” He suspects that two marginal players in the Nineties, both
married men, share amorous affection for each other, and sees homosexual
tendencies all over the game—from catchers flicking crotch-level signs to
pitchers, to players joking about penis size in the shower. It becomes clear
very early on in the book that he has an axe to grind with any and all aspects
of the Yankee universe.
He constantly names names—players he says committed actual
crimes in the clubhouse, and also others who simply acted like knucklehead ballplayers,
with no idea that, two decades later, the assistant clubhouse attendant would
out them for loutish behavior in a book.
In case you didn’t get your fill of dry writing across the
first 500 pages, Abused concludes with a report from the man who administered a
polygraph test to Priore. Included to establish Priore’s credibility, the
report had the opposite effect on me—the author trying too hard to show us his
far-fetched claims are legit.
Full disclosure, I root against the Yankees and, am sheepish
to admit, take delight in their misfortunes. (Their best hitter is A-Rod! Hah!)
But I derived no pleasure in Abused by the New York Yankees, and, in fact,
found it grossly unfair.
Posts
