From Publishers Weekly
In 1968–1970, New York fans were treated to an amazing, extended sports season, as the football Jets, baseball Mets and basketball Knicks all won championships during one glorious "harmonic convergence." Only the Knicks had enjoyed anything close to previous glory; the Mets were reliable failures, and the Jets were similarly mediocre. Shamsky, who played for the Mets during their "Amazin' " year, goes beyond the normal jocular jock anecdotes, reminding readers of the lift this trio of wins meant to a New York beleaguered by political upheaval and financial difficulties and grappling with the larger issues of racial unrest and the Vietnam War. He pins a hero to each team, explaining how, for example, Jets legend Joe Namath's swagger and swinging style made waves. The Knicks had a proud but battered leader, Willis Reed, who played with badly aching knees to propel the team into the NBA finals. Then there were the Mets. The lovable losers became cult favorites thanks to their penchant for poor play. But after Gil Hodges, a former Brooklyn Dodger star, took over as manager, they surprised everyone and took the championship. Although Shamsky's prose is clumsy at times, it accurately portrays the sense of what these teams, and those seasons, meant to New York. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
While this book won't win any awards for literary style or lack of cliche, Shamsky, who was himself a player with the Miracle Mets of 1969, has pulled together narrative, interview, and personal anecdote to describe the championship seasons, 1969-70, of New York's football Jets, basketball Knicks, and the baseball Mets. What Shamsky and coauthor Zeman do really well is set these sports victories in the context of that wild and terrible time. Vietnam, the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., riots, social unrest, and Stonewall meant that those sweet sports triumphs glowed with a fierce luster. We needed a break from real life and proof that regular guys working hard could do what needed to be done. Mario Cuomo called it "the American tale." Yogi said, "the 1969 Mets will be talked about forever. Yeah, and the other two teams, too." GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"For the fan, or indeed anyone who wants to read a rousing story of heart, courage, and perseverance, The Magnificent Seasons is for you."
- Joe Namath

"The real joy of the 1969 championship season was on the field and the year-long process of the march toward victory. The excellence of applying one's trade, the competition, communication, and teamwork were, and are, what is most important and memorable from any season, and the 1969 championship was the crowning jewel for everyone on that team."
- Tom Seaver

"In a time when New York City needed something to lift its spirits, the Jets, Mets, and Knicks were able to do just that. All three teams found common ground as they captured the hearts and minds of their fans. The exploits of these three remarkable teams had an important and positive impact on the sport of the city when people needed it most. Their legacy endures today."
- Bill Bradley

"While all championships bring excitement, sometimes even joy, each of these teams had something more. They each had a kind of soulfulness and authenticity of spirit not often seen---then or now. That's how those teams seemed to me as a teenager growing up in New York and how I see them now some three and a half decades later."
- Bob Costas, from his Introduction



Book Description
The remarkable story of the season when the New York Jets, Mets, and Knicks all won championships, recounted by the players who made it happen and the fans who experienced it

In 1969 three underdog New York sports teams won World Championships. It was an unprecedented feat in the history of sports, and it helped bring the nation's largest city---and much of the country---euphoria to balance the lingering political despair of 1969. And here, in The Magnificent Seasons, is that story---a re-creation of one of the most magical periods in sports history.

In reflecting on these events, what they meant then and what they still mean today, Art Shamsky, a 1969 "Miracle Met," introduces the thoughts of members of every team. Highlights include comments from Joe Namath, Tom Seaver, Bill Bradley, Yogi Berra, Emerson Boozer, Jerry Koosman, and many more. But as important as these wins were to the players and coaches who made them happen, their victories meant just as much to the city and the people who celebrated them, and Shamsky includes their perspectives through such personalities as Bob Costas, David Halberstam, Rudy Giuliani, and many other fans of the city and its sports.

Together, the words and pictures within make a wonderful keepsake---a book that lets fans relive three championship runs and gives a true sense of what these sports victories meant to a country suffering through a turbulent period in its history. The words and memories of the players, their fans, and their opponents carry a tremendous emotional charge, and The Magnificent Seasons takes readers back with all the heart-stopping thrill of the time when three teams captivated the country, and when New York City ruled the sporting world.



About the Author
Art Shamsky was a major part of the "Miracle Mets" that won the 1969 World Series. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After his Major League Baseball career ended, he remained in New York and became involved in a number of successful business enterprises. He also worked as a sports broadcaster on radio and television for eight years. He and his wife, Kim, reside in New York City.


Barry T. Zeman, a nonfiction writer, antiquarian, historian, longtime sports fan, and former CEO, recently ended two terms as national Executive Vice President of the Mystery Writers of America. He writes and lectures extensively at national and international conferences on a variety of subjects, and has edited and contributed to numerous books, journals, and magazines, many of which have garnered writing awards and nominations. He lives in New York with his mystery writer wife, Angela.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In 1969 three underdog New York sports teams won World Championships. It was an unprecedented feat in the history of sports, and it helped bring the nation's largest city - and much of the country - euphoria to balance the lingering political despair of 1969. And here, in The Magnificent Seasons, is that story - a re-creation of one of the most magical periods in sports history." "In reflecting on these events, what they meant then and what they still mean today, Art Shamsky, a 1969 "Miracle Met," introduces the thoughts of members of every team. Highlights include comments from Joe Namath, Tom Seaver, Bill Bradley, Yogi Berra, Emerson Boozer, Jerry Koosman, and many more. But as important as these wins were to the players and coaches who made them happen, their victories meant just as much to the city and the people who celebrated them, and Shamsky includes their perspectives through such personalities as Bob Costas, David Halberstam, Rudy Giuliani, and many other fans of the city and its sports." The Magnificent Seasons takes readers back with all the thrill of the time when three teams captivated the country, and when New York City ruled the sporting world.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In 1968-1970, New York fans were treated to an amazing, extended sports season, as the football Jets, baseball Mets and basketball Knicks all won championships during one glorious "harmonic convergence." Only the Knicks had enjoyed anything close to previous glory; the Mets were reliable failures, and the Jets were similarly mediocre. Shamsky, who played for the Mets during their "Amazin' " year, goes beyond the normal jocular jock anecdotes, reminding readers of the lift this trio of wins meant to a New York beleaguered by political upheaval and financial difficulties and grappling with the larger issues of racial unrest and the Vietnam War. He pins a hero to each team, explaining how, for example, Jets legend Joe Namath's swagger and swinging style made waves. The Knicks had a proud but battered leader, Willis Reed, who played with badly aching knees to propel the team into the NBA finals. Then there were the Mets. The lovable losers became cult favorites thanks to their penchant for poor play. But after Gil Hodges, a former Brooklyn Dodger star, took over as manager, they surprised everyone and took the championship. Although Shamsky's prose is clumsy at times, it accurately portrays the sense of what these teams, and those seasons, meant to New York. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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