Frank Strauss

After getting a personalized autograph from Babe Ruth, I felt I would be a committed lifetime Yankee fan. But things changed in 1965 - all because of Yogi Berra.

Yogi had always been one of my favorite players but when he was fired by the Yankees after leading the team to the seventh game of the 1964 World Series as their manager, I felt a sense of betrayal. And when the Mets promptly hired Yogi as a coach, I switched my loyalties.

"Dawn of a Dynasty" about the 1947 Yankees recalls a magical era in Yankee history when Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Yogi returned from World War II service and helped launch an incredible Yankee run of pennants and World Championships..

"The Flags at Shea" is written as a salute to the Mets teams that won four pennants and two World Series while playing at Shea Stadium and also touches on what happened in the intervening years.

With my own divided loyalties over the years between New York's two baseball teams, it seems only fitting that I am the proud dad of two sons - one of whom is a diehard Mets fan while the other is a devoted Yankee rooter.