Steinberg, Steve & Lyle Spatz. The Colonel and Hug: The Partnership That Transformed the New York Yankees. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2015. Pp. 344. Notes and Index. $34.95 hardcover.

Reviewed by Brett L. Abrams

In his chapter in the seminal book New American Sport History, Stephen Hardy calls for the additional need for studies focused on the role of owners in sports.Over the years, studies have emerged covering a few important figures and their contributions to the development of professional sports. The Colonel and Hug offers a strong dual biography that provides an excellent telling of the important contributions of owner Jacob Ruppert and manager Miller Huggins to the New York Yankees dynasty. Ruppert eventually became the team’s sole owner and he hired knowledgeable baseball men for the key positions of field manager and general manager. Ruppert’s other major contribution was investing the money to build the…