Mickey Mantle's: Behind the Scenes in America's Most Famous Sports Bar

Following in the tradition of such famed New York City hot spots as Toot Shor's, Mickey Mantle's Restaurant--on Manhattan's Central Park South between the St. Moritz and Plaza hotels--has stood as both a restaurant and a blue-plate gathering place for athletes and celebrities ever since its opening in 1988. William Liederman, who founded the restaurant with the official endorsement of Mantle himself, knew he was on to something big. What he didn't know was the number of funny, poignant, and often outrageous tales that would play themselves out under his watch.

Liederman offers a behind-the-scenes look from his days running the world's most famous sports bar. But more than just a personal memoir, Sports Bar is also a wickedly funny account of the comings and goings of such storied athletes as Muhammad Ali, O. J. Simpson, Reggie Jackson, Joe Pepitone, and Wilt Chamberlain, as well as encounters with Donald Trump, Marla Maples, Lizzie Grubman, and Larry King--not to mention the police, health inspectors, and the Mafia.