Buster Olney
Encyclopedia
Robert Stanbury "Buster" Olney III (born February 17, 1964, in Washington, D.C.
) is a columnist for ESPN: The Magazine
, ESPN.com
, and covered the New York Giants
and New York Yankees
for The New York Times
. He is also a regular analyst for the ESPN
's Baseball Tonight
. Olney is one of about 575 voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame
.
" on June 21, 2007. He was educated at Northfield Mount Hermon School and Vanderbilt University
, where he majored in history. As a child Buster was an avid baseball fan. At age 8, he developed an affinity for the Los Angeles Dodgers after reading a book about Sandy Koufax
. Buster would later attribute his fanship as a reason for his journalistic career.
Print
After graduating, Olney began covering baseball in 1989, as the Nashville Banner
' s beat reporter assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds
. While in Nashville, he formed a close relationship with the legendary Don Meyer
, Head Coach of the men's basketball program at David Lipscomb University. He later worked at the San Diego Union-Tribune and Baltimore Sun. He arrived at the Times in 1997 and in his first year won an Associated Press
award.
He is one of the most prominent proponents of "traditional" baseball
strategy
, often referred to as small ball
, in opposition to sabermetric baseball strategy, which Olney sometimes calls "Moneyball strategy" after the Michael Lewis
book of the same name.
, Olney published The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty
, ISBN 0-06-051506-6, a nonfiction account of the Yankees'
most recent run of championships in the 1990s. The book also considered why the team lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks
in the 2001 World Series
and why it didn't win a championship between 2001 and 2008. Since leaving the Times, Olney has become a constant on the ESPN family of networks.
an account of how a tragic car accident and cancer diagnosis impacted the life of a highly accomplished college basketball coach.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) is a columnist for ESPN: The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
, ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
, and covered the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. He is also a regular analyst for the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight
Baseball Tonight is a program that airs on ESPN. The show, which recapitulates the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since 1990.-Air times:...
. Olney is one of about 575 voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
.
Early life and education
Olney grew up on a dairy farm in Randolph Center, Vermont, which came in handy when he served as the "Cow Insider" for Mike Greenberg's milking of a cow on "Mike and Mike in the MorningMike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning is an American sports-talk radio show hosted by Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on ESPN Radio and simulcast on television, normally on ESPN2. If ESPN is broadcasting a live sporting event during the show's timeslot, Sportscenter will air on ESPN2, and the show's...
" on June 21, 2007. He was educated at Northfield Mount Hermon School and Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, where he majored in history. As a child Buster was an avid baseball fan. At age 8, he developed an affinity for the Los Angeles Dodgers after reading a book about Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
. Buster would later attribute his fanship as a reason for his journalistic career.
Nashville Banner
The Nashville Banner is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998...
Nashville Sounds
The Nashville Sounds are a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League , and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music industry...
. While in Nashville, he formed a close relationship with the legendary Don Meyer
Don Meyer
Don Meyer is a retired American college basketball coach who completed his career in 2010 as head coach of the men's team at Northern State University...
, Head Coach of the men's basketball program at David Lipscomb University. He later worked at the San Diego Union-Tribune and Baltimore Sun. He arrived at the Times in 1997 and in his first year won an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
award.
He is one of the most prominent proponents of "traditional" baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
, often referred to as small ball
Small Ball
In the sport of baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and then advancing them into position to score a run in a deliberate, methodical way...
, in opposition to sabermetric baseball strategy, which Olney sometimes calls "Moneyball strategy" after the Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis (author)
Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...
book of the same name.
The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty
In 20042004 in literature
The year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
, Olney published The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty
The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty
Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is a book written by ESPN sportswriter Buster Olney that chronicles the decline and fall of the New York Yankees' 1996-2001 dynasty against the backdrop of the franchise's loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series...
, ISBN 0-06-051506-6, a nonfiction account of the Yankees'
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
most recent run of championships in the 1990s. The book also considered why the team lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, in their fourth year of existence, looked to improve on their 2000 season. They had to contend in what was a strong National League West Division....
in the 2001 World Series
2001 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 27, 2001 at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, ArizonaArizona showed no fear and chased Yankees starter Mike Mussina after just three innings. The Yankees gave up five unearned runs and the Diamondbacks rode Curt Schilling's seven strong innings to a 9–1 rout...
and why it didn't win a championship between 2001 and 2008. Since leaving the Times, Olney has become a constant on the ESPN family of networks.
How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don Meyer
In 2010, Olney authored How Lucky You Can Be: The Story of Coach Don MeyerDon Meyer
Don Meyer is a retired American college basketball coach who completed his career in 2010 as head coach of the men's team at Northern State University...
an account of how a tragic car accident and cancer diagnosis impacted the life of a highly accomplished college basketball coach.