Phil Pepe has covered sports in New York for more than five decades. He was the Yankees beat writer for the "New York World Telegram & Sun" from 1961-64, and for the "New York Daily News" from 1971-84. He is the author of more than 40 books, including "My Favorite Summer: 1956" with Mickey Mantle (Doubleday), which reached No. 7 on the "New York Times" bestseller list; "BillyBall" with Billy Martin (Doubleday); and "Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s "(Ballantine).