“We made too many wrong mistakes.”
Cover Design by Midcoast Studio
The Book
I began writing my first draft of The Invisible Yankee in August 2010 after receiving a call from Scott Cacciola of The Wall Street Journal. He wanted to speak with me about the demise of Dandy—the long-forgotten mascot of the New York Yankees. Scott’s article, “The New York Yankees’ Long-Forgotten Mascot,” quickly went viral, and with his encouragement, I realized I had a story worth telling—if I were inclined to take on the daunting task of going back in time and writing.
Over the years, the manuscript evolved beyond anything I could have imagined, thanks to interviews with Ted Giannoulas, the Famous San Diego Chicken, and Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic, who generously shared their experiences and insider knowledge of the 1970s mascot world.
In 2018, Jeremy Schaap of ESPN featured the story on E:60 in a segment titled “The Forgotten Yankee.” The episode aired on June 24 and introduced Dandy’s tale to a global audience. But as compelling as it was, the segment only scratched the surface. The Invisible Yankee reveals the deeper story—how and why Dandy’s brief life ended so tragically, and what his forgotten legacy says about baseball’s culture and image during that era.
The Invisible Yankee is about to go to press. Please click on the link below to go to my publisher’s page, where you can reserve your copy. Thank you for your interest—and for helping to keep Dandy’s story alive.