Baseball

by William J. Plott (Author)

 The Birmingham Black Barons were a nationally known team in baseball's Negro leagues from 1920 through 1962. Among its storied players were Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Mule Suttles. The Black Barons played in the final Negro Leagues World Series in 1948 and were a major drawing card when barnstorming throughout the United States and parts of Canada. This book chronicles the team's history and presents the only comprehensive roster of the hundreds of men who wore the Black Barons uniform.

Author Biography

Retired journalist and freelance writer, William J. Plott, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research since 1971, has been a member of SABR's Negro Leagues Committee since its inception. He was also a member of the Negro Leagues Researchers and Authors Group that compiled Negro league statistics for the Hall of Fame. He lives in Montevallo, Alabama.

by Dave Kurlan (Author)

If you can run the bases in baseball, you already understand the fundamentals of a winning sales process. In Baseline Selling: How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know About the Game of Baseball, sales expert Dave Kurlan introduces a simple, memorable, and highly effective sales system that replaces complexity with clarity-and delivers real results.

For too long, sales professionals have struggled with methodologies that are difficult to learn and even harder to apply. Studies show that less than 25% of salespeople effectively use the techniques taught over the last two decades. Why? The unnecessary complexity, steep learning curves, and rigid systems have held them back.

Baseline Selling changes all that. Kurlan reemphasizes the fundamentals of selling in a fresh, relatable way, using the universally understood game of baseball to create a step-by-step process that anyone can follow. Whether you are an experienced sales professional or new to the field, you'll find practical strategies that complement and enhance any advanced methodology you already use.

Inside, you will learn how to:

Get more appointments-even with prospects who say they're "not interested" Differentiate yourself in commodity-driven markets with "Commodity Busters" Increase closing percentages using the simple yet powerful "Inoffensive Close" Sell at higher margins by applying the "Rule of Ratios" Shorten your sales cycle by effectively "Taking a Lead"

This book is not about gimmicks or tricks. It is about visualizing your sales process in an intuitive way and executing each step with confidence. Baseline Selling helps you master the essential skills needed to close more sales, more often-without over-complicating the process.

Step up to the plate and transform your sales game today.

by Michael G. Long (Editor)

Jackie Robinson is one of the most revered public figures of the twentieth century. He is remembered for both his athletic prowess and his strong personal character. The world knows him as the man who crossed baseball's color line, but there is much more to his legacy. At the conclusion of his baseball career, Robinson continued in his pursuit of social progress through his work as a writer. Beyond Home Plate, an anthology of Jackie Robinson's columns in the New York Post and the New York Amsterdam News, offers fresh insight into the Hall of Famer's life and work following his historic years on the baseball diamond.

Robinson's syndicated newspaper columns afforded him the opportunity to provide rich social commentary while simultaneously exploring his own life and experiences. He was free to write about any subject of his choosing, and he took full advantage of this license, speaking his mind about everything from playing Santa to confronting racism in the Red Sox nation, from loving his wife Rachel to despising Barry Goldwater, from complaining about Cassius Clay's verbosity to teaching Little Leaguers how to lose well.

Robinson wrote to prod and provoke, inflame and infuriate, and sway and persuade. With their pointed opinions, his columns reveal that the mature Robinson was a truly American prophet, a civil rights leader in his own right, furious with racial injustice and committed to securing first class citizenship for all. These fascinating columns also depict Robinson as an indebted son, a devoted husband, a tenderhearted father, and a hardworking community leader. Robinson believed that his life after his baseball career was far more important than all of his baseball exploits. Beyond Home Plate shows why he believed this so fervently.

Author Biography

Michael Long is the author and editor of several books on politics, religion, and civil rights. He is the author, most recently, of Martin Luther King, Jr., Homosexuality, and the Early Gay Rights Movement.

by Barry Swanton (Author), Jay-Dell Mah (Author)

In an era when black baseball players had limited playing prospects in the United States, they found a more hospitable and level playing field in Canada. The entries in this dictionary contain biographical sketches, career highlights and statistics for hundreds of players, as well as information about their teams and leagues.

Author Biography

The late Barry Swanton was a retired baseball coach and manager from Winnipeg, Canada. He was inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame for his promotion of baseball and baseball history in that province. A former radio and television reporter, Jay-Dell Mah develops websites. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and previously served as the organization's webmaster. His Attheplate.com has been on the web since the late 1990s.

by Jean Rhodes (Author), Shawn Boburg (Author), Leigh Montville (Foreword by)

Authorized by the twelve-time all-Star and future Hall of famer himself, and written by the nation's leading expert on youth mentoring and an award-winning investigative journalist, the incredible story behind one of the greatest baseball sluggers of all-time.

Manny Ramirez is a future Hall of Fame outfielder who has played in Los Angeles, Boston, and Cleveland. He ranks 17th in career homeruns and eighth in career slugging percentage--the only players above him on both lists are Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Barry Bonds. Manny is the hottest icon in baseball right now, and that will continue throughout the offseason, where speculation regarding his free agency will be the top baseball news on ESPN and throughout
sports media. In contrast to most sports biographies, Becoming Manny brings an unusually
thoughtful analysis to the territory, examining
Manny's life through the lens of larger issues like youth-mentoring and immigration, while also telling the story of a great career. Manny has perplexed the baseball world for years now with his amazing hitting and his unique approach to life and the game. Incredibly focused at the plate and incredibly carefree everywhere else, Manny has become a constant topic of discussion on national sports radio and television, on sports websites, and in print. With unprecedented access, Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg have uncovered fascinating stories and family photos spanning from Manny's early years in the Dominican Republic to the present. This is an authorized inside look at the roots, development, and career of an individual and player on his way from Washington Heights to the Hall of Fame.

Author Biography

Jean Rhodes, a Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, is considered the nation's leading expert on youth mentoring. She has published Op-Eds about mentoring in The New York Times and the The Boston Globe.

Shawn Boburg is a reporter at The Record in Bergen County, N.J. He has written and contributed to several national award-winning stories, including the 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the tragic drowning of four young Dominican boys in the Merrimack River in Lawrence, MA.

by Bill Pennington (Author)

A New York Times bestseller. From award-winning sports columnist Bill Pennington comes the definitive biography of one of baseball's most celebrated, mercurial, and misunderstood figures.

Billy Martin is a story of contrasts. He was the clutch second baseman for the dominant New York Yankees of the 1950s. He then spent sixteen seasons managing in the big leagues--and is considered by anyone who knows baseball to have been a true baseball genius, a field manager without peer. Yet he's remembered more for his habit of kicking dirt on umpires, for being hired and fired by George Steinbrenner five times, and for his rabble rousing and public brawls.

He was combative, fiery, intimidating, and controversial, yet beloved by the everyday fan. He was hard on his players and even harder on himself. He knew how to turn around a losing team like no one else--and how to entertain us every step of the way.

Now, with his definitive biography Billy Martin, Pennington finally erases the caricature of Martin. Drawing on exhaustive interviews with friends, family, teammates, and countless adversaries, Pennington paints an indelible portrait of a man who never backed down from the game he loved. From his shantytown upbringing in a broken home; to his days playing for the Yankees when he almost always helped his team find a way to win; through sixteen years of managing, including his tenure in New York in the crosshairs of Steinbrenner and Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin made sure no one ever ignored him. And indeed no one could.

He was the hero, the antihero, and the alter ego--or some combination of all three--for his short sixty-one years among us.

Back Jacket

Bill Pennington gives long-overdue flesh to the caricature . . . Pennington savors the dirt-kicking spectacles without losing sight of the man. New York Times Book Review

Even now, years after his death, Billy Martin remains one of the most intriguing and charismatic figures in baseball history. And the most misunderstood. A manager who is widely considered to have been a baseball genius, Martin is remembered more for his rabble-rousing and public brawls on the field and off. He was combative and intimidating, yet endearing and beloved.

In Billy Martin, Bill Pennington resolves these contradictions and pens the definitive story of Martin s life. From his hardscrabble youth to his days on the Yankees in the 1950s and through sixteen years of managing, Martin made sure no one ever ignored him. Drawing on exhaustive interviews and his own time covering Martin as a young sportswriter, Pennington provides an intimate, revelatory, and endlessly colorful story of a truly larger-than-life sportsman.

The hair on my forearms was standing up by the end of the fifth paragraph of this book s introduction. I knew Billy Martin. I covered Billy Martin. But I never knew him like this. Dan Shaughnessy, best-selling author of Francona

An exhaustive, detailed and fascinating look at a baseball genius whose biggest fight might very well have been against himself. Tampa Tribune

BILL PENNINGTON is an award-winning sportswriter for the New York Times. A former syndicated columnist, Pennington was a beat writer who covered much of Billy Martin s tenure with the New York Yankees. He is a fourteen-time finalist for and six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors annual writing award.
"

Author Biography

BILL PENNINGTON is an award-winning sportswriter for the New York Times. A fourteen-time finalist and six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors' annual writing award, Pennington lives with his family in Warwick, New York.

by Charles R. Smith (Author), Adrian Brandon (Illustrator)

"Each spread is a celebration of the skill and power displayed on the field...but the book takes care to balance that joy with an acknowledgement of the larger societal context in which the men played and the discrimination they faced." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

From Charles R. Smith Jr., with striking artwork by Adrian Brandon, comes an exuberant collection of poems honoring a dozen outstanding baseball stars from the Negro leagues.

Baseball has been and always will be America's pastime. And with the creation of the Negro leagues, men who were denied the chance to play professionally were finally able to participate in the sport they loved. The Negro leagues were always a richness of talent; it provided a space for community and inspired a passion for baseball for all who came to watch. Nothing beat watching iconic players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Willie Wells. They, along with the nine other players celebrated in this collection, changed the trajectory of baseball forever with their incredible versatility in both skill and athleticism. Charles R. Smith Jr.'s dramatic and energetic poems are written with undeniable care as he pays homage to twelve of the greatest Black baseball players to ever play the game and are accompanied by stunning illustrations by Adrian Brandon. Back matter presents player notes and more context about the Negro Leagues.

Author Biography

Charles R. Smith Jr. is the author of sports poetry titles such as Hoop Kings, Hoop Kings 2: New Royalty, Hoop Queens, Hoop Queens 2, and Soccer Queens, as well as Pick-Up Game, Chameleon, Major Taylor, illustrated by Leo Espinosa, and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Brian Collier. He is also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his photographs in My People, an adaptation of the Langston Hughes poem. Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in New York.

Adrian Brandon is an artist and designer fueled by spreading positive social change through visual storytelling. He lives in Brooklyn.

by Jack Bales (Author)

Founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs are a charter member of the National League and the last remaining of the eight original league clubs still playing in the city in which the franchise started. Drawing on newspaper articles, books and archival records, the author chronicles the team's early years. He describes the club's planning stages of 1868; covers the decades when the ballplayers were variously called White Stockings, Colts, and Orphans; and relates how a sportswriter first referred to the young players as Cubs in the March 27, 1902, issue of the Chicago Daily News.

Reprinted selections from firsthand accounts provide a colorful narrative of baseball in 19th-century America, as well as a documentary history of the Chicago team and its members before they were the Cubs.

Front Jacket

Founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs are a charter member of the National League and the last remaining of the eight original league clubs still playing in the city in which the franchise started. Drawing on newspaper articles, books and archival records, the author chronicles the team's early years. He describes the club's planning stages of 1868; covers the decades when the ballplayers were variously called White Stockings, Colts, and Orphans; and relates how a sportswriter first referred to the young players as Cubs in the March 27, 1902, issue of the Chicago Daily News.

Reprinted selections from firsthand accounts provide a colorful narrative of baseball in 19th-century America, as well as a documentary history of the Chicago team and its members before they were the Cubs.

Author Biography

Jack Bales is the Reference and Humanities Librarian at the University of Mary Washington Library in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The author of numerous books and articles, he lives in Fredericksburg.

by Eric C. Gray (Author)

One day during an afternoon at the ball park, author Eric Gray asked his wife, daughter, and friend to identify their favorite game that they had been to. Little did he know, that simple question would soon take on a life of its own. As the question made its way to family members, friends, friends of friends, strangers and beyond, it gave way to a surprising collection of incredibly diverse stories and perspectives. Thus, Bases to Bleachers was born.

Much more than your average baseball book, the many special and unique stories shared with readers here, whether they're about watching or playing, either at the Major League level or Little League, represent a wide gamut of experiences. Some entail meeting the stars or attending famous games--and some offered are personal, intimate moments involving family connections and the importance of baseball in people's lives.

Unlike most baseball books, this is not a biography, or a discussion of a team, or analysis of a season. Baseball here is a setting in which both astounding feats and some of the most beautifully touching moments in peoples' lives have happened. Whether it's the first game, falling in love at the park, or even a beloved baseball glove that survived World War II, these stories are about more than just baseball. They reflect the joys, triumphs, and disappointments of the human condition, and often illustrate what's truly important in life--those things we hold most dear in our hearts.

by Ammie Nurse (Author)

The 1950s clashes between the Yankees and Dodgers put New York at the center of the baseball universe. But the history of Subway Series extends way beyond those classic October battles. No fewer than 14 times have the top AL and NL teams hailed from the Big Apple and the all-New York match-ups have resulted in some of the most dramatic World Series ever played.

Big Apple Baseball Wars is the ultimate resource for all things Subway Series. Included are box scores, game accounts, and highlights of every game of every Fall Classic between perennial October participants, the New York Yankees, and their crosstown rival New York Giants (6 times), Brooklyn Dodgers (7 times), and New York Mets (1 time).

Also included are more than 50 classic photos and dozens of features and sidebars to bring color and life to the players and drama. It is all here, from the three consecutive Yankees-Giants clashes of the Ruth and McGraw era through the DiMaggio years, to Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Berra, Duke Snider and the incredible 1950s, to Jeter and Clemens battling Piazza and Leiter.

The stats and stories are drawn from an incredible database of World Series information that provides not only detail and background for the Subway Series themselves, but also the broader context of the entire history of the World Series.

Big Apple Baseball Wars is a journey through 100 years of classic baseball history unlike any you have ever undertaken.

by William J. Ryczek (Author)

It was a novel experiment as baseball's leading men formed the National Association, bringing order to the hodgepodge of professional and amateur clubs that made up the sport from the end of the Civil War through 1870. It was an imperfect beginning to organized professional sports in America--the league was plagued by gambling, contract jumping and rumors of dishonest play--but it laid the groundwork for the multi-billion-dollar enterprises of the 21st century. Like most sporting endeavors, it was entertaining, with the best players in the world displaying their talents throughout the northeastern and mid-western United States and, in 1874, during a ground-breaking journey to England. The present volume covers all the action--both on and off the field--of the NA's five years, providing the definitive history of the first professional sports league in the U.S.

Author Biography

William J. Ryczek is a finance professional from Wallingford, Connecticut, who writes about early baseball, football, the Yankees, and the Mets.

by Charles L. Dorothy (Author)

Every year over 2 million tourists visit Mount Rushmore National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota. They seldom take the time to travel the rural roads that connect the farms, ranches and small communities. Between the River and the Hills is a blend of fact and fiction providing an intimate view of human life in the sparsely populated area between the Missouri River and the Black Hills of South Dakota in the year 1972. Like the rest of America, the existing life styles and beliefs of the people living between the River and the Hills were challenged by new ideas coming across the airways into their radios and TV sets from 1962 to 1972. Throughout that decade, baseball provided tradition and unchanging rules in a seemingly ever-changing society. It was and is an important reoccurring summer social event that brings together the people who live between the River and the Hills. Come meet the ballplayers and their families.

by David Jerome (Author)

One of the most underrated players in baseball history, Bill Virdon went on to successfully manage four Major League teams. Rookie of the Year with the 1955 St. Louis Cardinals, he played center field for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, next to right fielder Roberto Clemente. Virdon's key plays clinched the Pirates' victory over the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. He was instrumental in coaching the "Bucs" during the 1971 Series against the Baltimore Orioles, and later that year became their manager,

Virdon was American League Manager of the Year with the Yankees in 1974, and National League Manager of the Year with the Houston Astros in 1980. In 1984 he ended his MLB managerial career while with the Montreal Expos yet continued to coach through the 2002 season. This first-ever biography covers his remarkable career, with previously untold stories from Virdon and his wife, Shirley.

Author Biography

David Jerome is a retired U.S. Army officer and a former college professor. He received a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. His research interests include baseball biographies, Army transformation, and the political history of Western Missouri. He lives in Ozark, Missouri.

by Alex Painter (Author)

Though situated in what is traditionally considered the heart of Hoosier basketball country, perhaps no small city can claim Richmond, Indiana's history with baseball's vaunted Negro Leagues. For decades, hundreds of players, all barred from the major leagues on account of their skin color, graced the Richmond ball diamonds, and utterly dazzled the locals with their play. Many of the players would end up in the pantheon of baseball legends. Grab yourself some peanuts and Cracker Jack and enjoy this untold history!

by William T. Ellis (Author)

Billy Sunday entered the public eye as an outfielder in Chicago baseball before turning to preaching - a gifted and charismatic speaker, he entertained enormous crowds for decades.

Published when Billy Sunday was at the height of his fame in 1914, this biography takes us from the man's humble beginnings through to his success as a baseball player and nationally renowned preacher. Upon converting to Christianity in 1887, his celebrity as a sportsman coupled with a knack for compelling speech made Sunday a popular draw at talks. In 1891 he was faced with a choice: continue in baseball, or take up religion full-time. Choosing the latter, it was in the years following that Sunday became the nation's best-known preacher.

Entire halls known as tabernacles were constructed or modified to host his lectures, which were a national sensation. This was an era before electronic amplification or sound systems: Sunday had to project his voice across venues with upwards of ten or twenty thousand people in attendance, while putting energetic emphasis on his words with theatric gestures. The result was an electrifying stage presence that enthralled crowds who sat completely silent. Sunday's passionate views in favor of temperance, against swearing, and for Americans to retain their Christian morals and closeness to God affected millions of lives.

This reprint replicates the original 1914 biography of Billy Sunday. All thirty-two chapters are presented complete, in contrast to later, abridged editions.

by Mark Tannenbaum (Author), Matthew Tannenbaum (With)

During August of 2001 and 2002, a father and son took a baseball trip to the Midwest and West Coast, respectively. As they traveled, they wrote of baseball, the country and its people. While visits to the major league ballparks created the roadmap for the trips, the journey described in Between Innings was always about their time together. They traveled by plane, train, bus, and automobile, logged about 10,000 miles, met a few old friends, and made some new ones.

Their travels took them to places as diverse as the ravines of West Virginia, the Midwest industrial belt, and the vast terrain of the Mojave Desert and Grand Canyon. The people they met came from all walks of life, many representing an astounding number of new immigrants to this country. They observed baseball packaged as mass entertainment, yet felt privileged to still witness the purity of the game in some special places. In all, they learned about each other, about the country and its people, and reaffirmed their love for the game and the lessons it passes on from one generation to another.

by Sports Illustrated Kids (Author)

Baseball is a game of legends. From diamond greats such as Babe Ruth and Willie Mays to Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, this newly revised and updated edition of The Big Book of WHO Baseball is a collection of the 101 baseball stars every fan needs to know, past and present.

Featuring the latest MLB photography and the most current information about baseball's best players, this Sports Illustrated Kids reference book for young sports fans is written in a fun and easy-to-navigate question and answer format. Player profiles, facts, and stats are organized into five comprehensive categories: Champions, Super Sluggers, Prime Pitchers, Cool Characters, and Record Breakers.

Revised and updated with new stats and new stars, this fun collection of questions and answers will have kids stumping their friends and adult sports fans with their expert knowledge of baseball's top names.

Author Biography

Sports Illustrated Kids is driven by more than 25 years of connecting with and empowering children and teens through sports and play. For more information, visit SIKids.com

by Sally Kurjan (Author), Shannara Harvey (Illustrator)

Bernie the One-Eyed Puppy and his friends are on to their next adventure! Landon and Logan take the puppies to the park to learn to play baseball. Bernie doesn't quite remember the rules, but he and his friends have a fun time playing at the ballpark. Later that day they go to "Bark at the Park" and watch their favorite team play baseball! Bernie loves playing and learning as he continues to spread kindness and acceptance.

by Roy Kerr (Author)

Forgotten today, Sam Thompson (1860-1922) was one of the most dominant five skills players of his era. At the plate, he batted .331, was second among 19th century players in home runs, and ranks first all-time in RBI per game (.923). In his prime, he averaged 25 steals a season. Defensively, he registered 283 outfield assists (12th all-time), and is first among all outfielders (with 1,000+ games) in his ratio of assists per game with one every 4.9 games.

Using a primitive fielding glove with no webbing or pocket, he compiled the highest fielding average of any outfielder (1,000+ games) who completed his career before 1900. At age 46, 10 years after his last full major league season, Thompson played eight games for the injury-plagued Detroit Tigers, winning one contest with his bat and saving several others with spectacular catches in the outfield.

This comprehensive biography traces Thompson's life and career from his childhood in rural Danville, Indiana, to his last days as a U.S. deputy marshal in Detroit, and clarifies his status of one of the greatest players in baseball's long and storied history.

Author Biography

Roy Kerr, a retired professor of Spanish and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), lives in Lakeland, Florida.

by Roberta J. Newman (Author), Joel Nathan Rosen (Author), Monte Irvin (Contribution by)

AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE NEGRO LEAGUES AND THE ECONOMIC DISRUPTIONS OF DESEGREGATING A SPORT Roberta J. Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen have written an authoritative social history of the Negro Leagues. This book examines how the relationship between black baseball and black businesses functioned, particularly in urban areas with significant African American populations-Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, and more. Inextricably bound together by circumstance, these sports and business alliances faced destruction and upheaval. Once Jackie Robinson and a select handful of black baseball's elite gained acceptance in Major League Baseball and financial stability in the mainstream economy, shock waves traveled throughout the black business world. Though the economic impact on Negro League baseball is perhaps obvious due to its demise, the impact on other black-owned businesses and on segregated neighborhoods is often undervalued if not outright ignored in current accounts. There have been many books written on great individual players who played in the Negro Leagues and/or integrated the Major Leagues. But Newman and Rosen move beyond hagiography to analyze what happens when a community has its economic footing undermined while simultaneously being called upon to celebrate a larger social progress. In this regard, Black Baseball, Black Business moves beyond the diamond to explore baseball's desegregation narrative in a critical and wide-ranging fashion. ROBERTA J. NEWMAN, Brooklyn, New York, is master professor in the Department of Liberal Studies at New York University. Her work has appeared in the journals Cooperstown Symposium: 2009-2010 and NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture. JOEL NATHAN ROSEN, Allentown, Pennsylvania, is associate professor of sociology at Moravian College in Bethlehem. He is coeditor of A Locker Room of Her Own: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes; Fame to Infamy: Race, Sport, and the Fall from Grace; and Reconstructing Fame: Sport, Race, and Evolving Reputations, all published by University Press of Mississippi.

Author Biography

Roberta J. Newman is master professor in the Department of Liberal Studies at New York University. Her work has appeared in the journals Cooperstown Symposium: 2009-2010 and NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture. Joel Nathan Rosen is associate professor of sociology at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is author of The Erosion of the American Sporting Ethos: Shifting Attitudes Toward Competition and From New Lanark to Mound Bayou: Owenism in the Mississippi Delta. He is founding coeditor of a five-volume collection that explores the forging and maintenance of the reputations of celebrity athletes: Fame to Infamy: Race, Sport, and the Fall from Grace; A Locker Room of Her Own: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes; Reconstructing Fame: Sport, Race, and Evolving Reputations; More than Cricket and Football: International Sport and the Challenge of Celebrity; and The Circus Is in Town: Sport, Celebrity, and Spectacle, all published by University Press of Mississippi.

by Steve Weissman (Author)

Beach Chairs and Baseball Bats takes you on an insider's tour of the Cape Cod Baseball League to celebrate its 100+ years as a proving ground for young players and source of wholesome family fun. Along the way, it introduces you to the hundreds people who make the league experience so special: the players, their families, and their host families; the team coaches and game-day volunteers; the scouts and agents who track the players' progress; the umpires and the fans . . . they may come from different places and for different reasons, but they are joined by a single bond: a love for the game and an appreciation for the region. Come and spent a season with them!

by Charlie Hudson (Author)

All-Star Catcher Benito Santiago, the man who could throw from his knees to second base to get a runner out, reveals personal and professional stories of his baseball career.

by Bill Stern (Author), Louis S. Glanzman (Illustrator)

by Martha Tolles (Author)

A collection of previously published stories about Ben that carry him through the year from an amazing baseball ball game to Teddy's summer vacation and on to Halloween Tiger and a holiday gift.

Author Biography

Martha Tolles is the author of many short stories and eleven books for young people including the popular Katie/Darci series. Two of her books, DARCI IN CABIN 13 and MARRYING OFF MOM, were chosen for the IRA Readers' Choice list.

by Dave Kurlan (Author)

If you can run the bases in baseball, you already understand the fundamentals of a winning sales process. In Baseline Selling: How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know About the Game of Baseball, sales expert Dave Kurlan introduces a simple, memorable, and highly effective sales system that replaces complexity with clarity-and delivers real results.

For too long, sales professionals have struggled with methodologies that are difficult to learn and even harder to apply. Studies show that less than 25% of salespeople effectively use the techniques taught over the last two decades. Why? The unnecessary complexity, steep learning curves, and rigid systems have held them back.

Baseline Selling changes all that. Kurlan reemphasizes the fundamentals of selling in a fresh, relatable way, using the universally understood game of baseball to create a step-by-step process that anyone can follow. Whether you are an experienced sales professional or new to the field, you'll find practical strategies that complement and enhance any advanced methodology you already use.

Inside, you will learn how to:

Get more appointments-even with prospects who say they're "not interested" Differentiate yourself in commodity-driven markets with "Commodity Busters" Increase closing percentages using the simple yet powerful "Inoffensive Close" Sell at higher margins by applying the "Rule of Ratios" Shorten your sales cycle by effectively "Taking a Lead"

This book is not about gimmicks or tricks. It is about visualizing your sales process in an intuitive way and executing each step with confidence. Baseline Selling helps you master the essential skills needed to close more sales, more often-without over-complicating the process.

Step up to the plate and transform your sales game today.

by William T. Ellis (Author)

Billy Sunday entered the public eye as an outfielder in Chicago baseball before turning to preaching - a gifted and charismatic speaker, he entertained enormous crowds for decades.

Published when Billy Sunday was at the height of his fame in 1914, this biography takes us from the man's humble beginnings through to his success as a baseball player and nationally renowned preacher. Upon converting to Christianity in 1887, his celebrity as a sportsman coupled with a knack for compelling speech made Sunday a popular draw at talks. In 1891 he was faced with a choice: continue in baseball, or take up religion full-time. Choosing the latter, it was in the years following that Sunday became the nation's best-known preacher.

Entire halls known as tabernacles were constructed or modified to host his lectures, which were a national sensation. This was an era before electronic amplification or sound systems: Sunday had to project his voice across venues with upwards of ten or twenty thousand people in attendance, while putting energetic emphasis on his words with theatric gestures. The result was an electrifying stage presence that enthralled crowds who sat completely silent. Sunday's passionate views in favor of temperance, against swearing, and for Americans to retain their Christian morals and closeness to God affected millions of lives.

This reprint replicates the original 1914 biography of Billy Sunday. All thirty-two chapters are presented complete, in contrast to later, abridged editions.

by Tom Alesia (Author)

The most unlikely Hall of Famer

Dave Bancroft should not be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He emerged from his Iowa hometown as an undersized shortstop without batting skills. Signed by one of the 300-plus minor league teams at age 17 in 1909, he lasted only three weeks before being cut, then joined another team and was released again. His rise to become enshrined in Cooperstown as one of baseball's all-time greats was unfathomable.

More importantly, baseball placed Bancroft at the game's best vantage point across nearly one century. This view allowed him to observe the modern evolution of the game through international travel, the fallout of two world wars, racism, women's rights and the Great Depression. He met practically every renowned person connected to pro baseball . . . and countless others with astounding backgrounds and fates. He greeted royalty and presidents, film stars and music sensations, boxing champs and snake oil chumps, needy kids and spoiled moguls.

Along the way, Bancroft:

--Changed how shortstop was played

--Became a groundbreaking switch hitter

--Earned the flattering but bizarre nickname "Beauty"

--Delivered the most precise support of the designated hitter 50 years before it happened

--Played in a 51-minute, 9-inning game

--Managed three women's professional baseball league teams

--Suffered one the sport's most vicious attacks from another player during a game

--Appeared on what may have been baseball's first TV broadcast

--Played every inning in four World Series, including three extraordinary matchups between the New York Giants and New York Yankees in the early 1920s

--Attended several of the earliest night-game experiments

--Holds the longest-standing season record for fielding chances by a shortstop

--Remains the only player to hit six singles in a nine-inning game and score in four straight innings.

Bancroft thrived as a major New York sports hero and languished on dangerous bus rides as manager of the minor league St. Cloud Rox. With his health failing on January 31, 1971, he ate a chicken dinner with his devoted wife, Edna, of 60 years when the phone rang at their modest northern Wisconsin home. Dave listened and spoke softly. "Oh, my God," he told the caller, "that's the nicest thing I've ever heard." He made the Hall of Fame.

by Brooks C. Mendell (Author)

In 1993, the MIT Varsity Baseball Team - known more for its SAT scores than its batting average - won its first ever championship. How did this team, without athletic recruiting or scholarships, achieve beyond expectations? Beaverball reminds us of the impact that coaches, parents, and teachers have on developing human potential and leadership skills. If you love baseball, manage people, or want to be inspired, this book is for you.

by Kat Summers (Author)

Robby

I'm not about to let the strikes against me keep me from winning back the woman I love. Circumstances put Carina into my path again and I'll be damned if I don't prove to her I'm not the boy she left four years ago, but the man who can give her everything she wants and deserves. All I need is a chance, and it looks like the universe is giving it to me.

Carina

Leaving Robby was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Now, I have to rely on him to help me win a grant that will make my dream come true. I couldn't count on him all those years ago. Can things have changed? The way he makes me feel certainly hasn't. Those blue eyes and sexy smirks may remind me of the boy I once loved, but giving him another chance may be my undoing.

Behind in the Count is a sports romance that follows a professional baseball player recovering from a setback and trying to win the college sweetheart he neglected after getting drafted. This light-hearted rom-com is full of witty banter, heartfelt displays of love, and plenty of spice.

This second chance romance is the first in the Nashville Songbirds Series and part of the Nashverse interconnected universe to come. It is a full-length, open-door contemporary romcom with a guaranteed HEA! If you like sports romance, this book is for you!

by Randolph Feezell (Author)

Beyond the Fields is a story about a path from wheat fields to baseball fields to a philosophical life fascinated by a relatively new, non-traditional field of inquiry: philosophy of sport. The book moves from dirt and land and playworlds to a world dominated by ideas and arguments.

by Lawrence Baldassaro (Author), Dom Dimaggio (Foreword by)

Berra, Rizzuto, Lasorda, Torre, Conigliaro, Santo, Piazza. Casual baseball fans--in fact, even many nonfans--know these names, not as Italian Americans but as some of the most colorful figures in Major League Baseball. Ever since future Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri became a key part of the Yankees' Murderers' Row lineup of 1926, Italian Americans have been among the most prominent and intriguing players in the game. The first comprehensive study of the topic, Beyond DiMaggio is also a social history of baseball, tracing the evolution of American perceptions toward those of Italian descent as it chronicles the baseball exploits that influenced those perceptions.

Lawrence Baldassaro tells the stories of Italian Americans' contributions to the game, from Joe DiMaggio, who transcended his ethnic identity to become an American icon, to A. Bartlett Giamatti, who served as commissioner of baseball, to Mike Piazza, considered the greatest hitting catcher ever. Baldassaro conducted more than fifty interviews with players, coaches, managers, and executives--some with careers dating back to the thirties--in order to put all these figures and their stories into the historical context of baseball, Italian Americans, and, finally, the culture of American sports.

Author Biography

Lawrence Baldassaro is a professor emeritus of Italian at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the editor of Ted Williams: Reflections on a Splendid Life and The American Game: Baseball and Ethnicity. Dom DiMaggio, youngest brother of Joe and Vince DiMaggio, made his Major League debut on April 16, 1940, for the Boston Red Sox. He died in 2009 at the age of ninety-two.

by Dan Epstein (Author)

The Bronx Is Burning meets Chuck Klosterman in Big Hair, a wild pop-culture history of baseball's most colorful and controversial decade.

The Major Leagues witnessed more dramatic stories and changes in the '70s than in any other era. The American popular culture and counterculture collided head-on with the national pastime, rocking the once-conservative sport to its very foundations. Outspoken players embraced free agency, openly advocated drug use, and even swapped wives. Controversial owners such as Charlie Finley, Bill Veeck, and Ted Turner introduced Astroturf, prime-time World Series, garish polyester uniforms, and outlandish promotions such as Disco Demolition Night. Hank Aaron and Lou Brock set new heights in power and speed while Reggie Jackson and Carlton Fisk emerged as October heroes and All-Star characters like Mark "The Bird" Fidrych became pop icons.

For the millions of fans who grew up during this time, and especially those who cared just as much about Oscar Gamble's afro as they did about his average, Dan Epstein's Big Hair serves up a delicious, Technicolor trip down memory lane.

Author Biography

DAN EPSTEIN has written for Rolling Stone, MOJO, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time Out, produced shows for VH-1, and is the author of 20th Century Pop Culture. He lives in Southern California and is the Managing Editor of shockhound.com, the music website affiliated with the Hot Topic retail chain.

A Q&A with Dan Epstein courtesy of Scratchbomb.com, May 2010

As a kid, I was fascinated by 1970s baseball. The huge afros, the amazing facial hair, the retina-burning uniform designs--it seemed like such an insane, colorful era, particularly when compared to the heavily moussed 80s, where I spent most of my kid-dom. (Of course, there were some colorful characters then, too, but that's a tale for another time.)

Whenever I had some disposable income (which was not often), I would spend it at a baseball card convention or store, usually on a large plastic box filled with completely worthless cards from 1977 or 1975, just so I could savor such sartorial majesties as Willie McCovey's sideburns. My elementary school library had these slim books on each major league team, all published in the mid-'70s, which I borrowed repeatedly. And whenever my grampa took me to Cooperstown, I'd seek out the unbelievable mini-exhibit on the technicolor uniforms from those years (sadly, no longer there).

While there are some chronicles of players and teams from the 1970s (The Machine and Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning are great, recent examples), there haven't been many (if any) retrospectives about the decade in total. When people speak of a Golden Age of Baseball, they usually save such mythologizing for the 1950s and its stainless, sepia-tone heroes.

But now there is finally an evangelist for game as played in the Me Decade. Journalist Dan Epstein has penned a love letter to 1970s baseball entitled Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride through Baseball and America in the Swinging 70s. ESPN's Rob Neyer has said of this tome, What the 1960s were to America, the 1970s were to baseball, and Dan Epstein has finally given us the swinging book the '70s deserve. The book drops May 25 from Thomas Dunne Books, and there will be a big ol' release party at the Bell House in Brooklyn on May 26 (I for one am excited to try the Oscar Gamble hot dog that will be served there).

Dan was generous enough to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer some questions via email about Astroturf, day-glo erseys, the best Topps card designs, and the worst promotions of all time. Read all about it after the jump.

What compelled you to write this book?

About ten years ago, I went in search of a good book on '70s baseball; I was born in 1966, so this was the era when I first fell in love with the sport, and I wanted to relive some of those memories, and maybe gain a greater understanding of the period. At the time, the only thing out there that came even close to what I was looking for was Phil Pepe's Talkin' Baseball: An Oral History of Baseball in the 1970s; but while that's a highly enjoyable read (and one I would recommend to anyone interested in the era) I didn't feel like it showed as much appreciation for the funkiness and uniqueness of the era as much as I would have liked--nor have any other of the decade-spanning '70s baseball books that have been published since then. I don't come from a sportswriting background--music and pop culture has been my beat for the past two decades--but I felt that, as a baseball fan, a student of pop culture, and a child of the '70s, I could write a love letter to '70s baseball that also truly celebrated the weirdness of the period.

I have a theory that some of the excesses of 1970s baseball--huge afros, crazy facial hair, drugs, wacky uniform designs, etc.--were the product of the sport desperately trying to catch up after being so resolutely square for so long. Your thoughts?

I would have to vehemently disagree--who exactly in the baseball establishment was desperately trying to be hip? Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was as square as they came, and would have been happiest if baseball had resembled a perpetual Norman Rockwell painting; most of the team owners and executives (with the notable exceptions of Bill Veeck and Ted Turner) weren't much hipper. I think the excesses you mention were more the result of the freak flag-flying spirit of the late '60s finally worming its way into all elements of mainstream America, baseball included. Think of the JC Penney fashion catalogs from the '70s with all the wacky leisure suits and patterned shirts with giant collars--white, middle-class Americans actually wore that shit without batting an eye, but they wouldn't have even dared to do so ten years earlier. You also had players coming up to the majors who had been college students in the late '60s and early '70s, and thus felt more comfortable engaging the sort of self-expression (ranging from facial hair to outspoken sharing of political beliefs) and drug use that would have been unthinkable in the majors just a decade earlier. And while I do think many of the baseball uniforms of the era were reflective of the more flamboyant trends in '70s male fashion, they were chiefly designed to look impressive on color TV--a device which most American households didn't own until the 1970s.

Arguably, the two greatest teams of the 1970s were a study in contrasts: the '72-'74 Oakland A's--a hirsute, hard living, pugnacious bunch--and The Big Red Machine--a mostly strait-laced group that was forbidden to grow long hair or beards. If you had to pick one (not necessarily for purely baseball reasons), which team do you prefer and why?

Just from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I'm always gonna side with a team of hairy, ornery dudes in gold jerseys and white shoes. But while the Big Red Machine was obviously a force to be reckoned with, the '72-'74 A's were the most well-rounded team of the era. Like the Reds, they had speed and power, but they also had much stronger pitching (Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Kenny Holtzman, Rollie Fingers, et al.). And not only did the A's win three straight World Series, but they also won five straight AL West crowns ('71 through '75) and came very close to winning a sixth in '76. Sorry, Joe Morgan--the A's were the one true dynasty of the '70s.

Let's say I'm a younger baseball fan unfamiliar with the game in the 1970s. What is the one event/team/player who would clue me in to the awesomeness of this era?

God, there are so many to choose from, and for so many different reasons. But I guess Bill Lee or Dock Ellis would be the most obvious choices. Both men were way more outspoken, irreverent, hip and intelligent than your stereotypical major leaguers, both had great taste in music, and they both engaged in some pretty epic battles with the conservative baseball establishment. And, of course, Lee advocated pot use and Ellis pitched a no-hitter on LSD--but they were also incredible competitors who loved the game, and never let their teammates down on the field. If we're going to pick a single event, I'd have to go with the Atlanta Braves' Wet T-Shirt Night in 1977; they just don't do baseball promotions like that anymore!

Looking back on it now, which player most exemplifies the 1970s?

See above.

Who were your favorite team and player as a kid? Least favorite?

In the '70s, I split a lot of time between Los Angeles and Ann Arbor, Michigan, so my two favorite teams were the Dodgers and the Tigers. My favorite Dodger was Ron Cey. I loved that he was known as The Penguin, and that this oddly-proportioned guy with the funny walk could actually be an All-Star third baseman. I wore #10 on my Little League jersey in his honor. For the Tigers, I loved Willie Horton, Mark Fidrych, Ron LeFlore, etc., but my true favorite was Lou Whitaker. When Sweet Lou came up from the minors, I told all my friends he was going to be a star; and unlike my other grade school baseball predictions (like my brief championing of the Blue Jays' Doug Ault as a sure bet for superstardom), it actually panned out!

Least favorite team? I hated the Reds, because they were so damn good and always gave the Dodgers a hard time--and I also hated them for sweeping the Yankees (who I liked at the time) in the '76 World Series. Least favorite player would have to be Fred Chicken Stanley, at least when he was on the Yankees; he was the weak link in that lineup, and a really mediocre shortstop, and I couldn't understand how he continued to have a job in the majors.

With the disappearance of non-retractable domed stadiums from baseball, Astroturf is all but gone from the game. What players from the 70s would suffer the most if they had to play in this new carpet-free world?

The players who benefitted the most from artificial turf were the guys who didn't have a lot of power but could make contact with the ball and run like hell, and infielders (especially shortstops) who had good range but not so great arms. Dave Concepcion, Larry Bowa and Freddie Patek all fit the above profiles, and all figured out how to get extra mileage on a throw to first by one-hopping it off the turf. They were all key members of their teams, to be sure; but they also all would've had a tougher go of it playing full-time on real grass.

Worst promotion: Cleveland's Nickel Beer Night or Chicago's Disco Demolition Night?

Nickel Beer Night--actually, it was Ten Cent Beer Night [D'oh! -- ed.]-- hands down; if not the worst promotion, it was certainly the era's most idiotic. Disco Demolition Night was obviously a disaster, but that was largely because the White Sox organization had no real understanding of how popular the Disco Sucks movement was in Chicago, or that it would primarily bring rowdy rock fans to Comiskey. But you can't offer your fans unlimited beer at a dime per cup, like the Indians did, and not expect that things will eventually get WAY out of hand; Jesus, even a third grader could tell you that.

Bigger waste of talent: Dave Kingman or Dick Allen?

I don't think it's fair to dub either Kingman or Allen a waste of talent--they both enjoyed long careers and put up some impressive numbers along the way. Did Allen's attitude hamper his production during his final few seasons? Possibly, but he was also getting into his mid-30s and dealing with the after-affects of the broken leg he suffered during the 1973 season. And would Kingman hit 442 career homers--would he have hit more if he were less of an asshole? I doubt it. To me, a true waste of talent was someone like David Clyde, the brilliant Texas high school pitcher who the Rangers signed and immediately sent to the big leagues--without necessary minor league training or seasoning -because they knew he would bring the locals out to the ballpark. Clyde couldn't handle the pressure, or the hard-partying lifestyle of the veterans he hung out with, and he was out of the majors for good by the time he was 24. That's just sad.

Best uniform of the 1970s? Worst? (My vote for the latter goes for those black and red Indians tops with the inexplicably jagged letters or pretty much any Padres jersey from the entire decade.)

Hideous as they were, I'm actually really fond of the Houston Astros' tequila sunrise jerseys--to me, they beautifully embody both the colorfulness and ridiculousness of the era. But aside from the truly awful 1976 White Sox uniforms with short pants (which the players only wore in a handful of regular season games), my vote for Worst Uni of the 70s goes to the 1978 San Diego Padres. As if the fecal brown and mustard yellow color palette wasn't bad enough, the lettering on the jersey looks like Ray Kroc had 'em thrown together in about five minutes at an iron-on t-shirt store at the local mall. My '78 Little League jersey looked classier than that.

Do you like the recent trend of teams bringing back alternate powder blue jerseys, another 1970s innovation? (Brewers, Royals, Blue Jays)

I do, actually--or at least, I far prefer them to the dark solid softball alternates that have been so unfortunately prevalent in recent years. I wish the Phillies would go back to the zip-up powder blues (with the red P on the front) that they wore on the road for most of the '70s and into the '80s--I still think those look really sharp.

Best year for Topps baseball card design? (I vote for 1972 or 1975)

1972, no question. I would describe the design template for that year as psychedelic Hollywood retro; it's as if each player was briefly transported into the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds sequence from Yellow Submarine. And it made even the scrubs look like superstars.

What are the features you look for in an awesome 1970s baseball card, in terms of design, pose, facial hair, etc.?

Simply depends on the card. It's hard to beat funky facial hair or a voluminous 'fro, and action shots can be really cool, too. Then again, would a card of Roberto Clemente or Hank Aaron be any more awesome if they'd sported Fu Manchu moustaches? I don't think so.

Dock Ellis's no-hitter-on-acid has gotten a lot of renewed interest, thanks to the No Mas animated short that came out last year. How prevalent was recreational drug use in baseball in the 70s? What was the drug of choice among players? And had performance enhancing drugs entered the picture yet?

I don't have anything other than anecdotal evidence to go on, but pot use seems to have been fairly prevalent among major leaguers in the '70s. Coke much less so, though (like in the rest of America), it became more common by the end of the decade. As far as performance-enhancing drugs, it's not inconceivable that steroids had entered the picture by then--they've been around since the '30s, and there's evidence that football players were using them as early as the late '60s--but they were hardly widespread. Back in those days, weight training and getting buff wasn't a regular part of the major league baseball fitness regimen; the prevailing wisdom of the time was that you should run a lot, and that lifting weights would make you too muscle-bound to be effective in the field. Use of amphetamines, however, was extremely common; I'm sure a lot of players wouldn't have made it through a 162-game season without them--though whether or not greenie use actually improved anyone's play or jacked up anyone's numbers in the long run is still pretty debatable.

Is there a game or playoff series from the 1970s that you consider a lost classic--something that should still be remembered now but isn't?

Well, it's not been completely forgotten, but the June 28, 1976 game between the Yankees and Tigers is pretty dear to my heart. That was the night that Mark The Bird Fidrych made his national TV debut, beating the Yankees 5-1 on Monday Night Baseball in front of an ecstatic Tiger Stadium crowd. He's so goofy on the mound, yet also so dominant--and during the post-game interview, he's just radiating pure joy. The Bird was the real deal, both as a pitcher and as a human being, and clips from this game always bring that home beautifully.

What event marked the death knell of 1970s-style baseball (other than the arrival of the year 1980)?

Just like the increasing freakiness of the '70s, it's hard to ascribe the demise of 70s-style ball to one particular event, though it's not too much of a stretch to say that, as America became increasingly conservative during the Reagan years, the game did so as well. I do think that 1980 was the last truly 70s year of baseball--after being denied for half a decade, the Phillies and Royals finally made it to the World Series, and played the first all-Astroturf fall classic. Then came the players strike of 1981, followed by the Pittsburgh Drug Trials of 1985, owner collusion in the late '80s, and (as we know now) the spread of steroids. Baseball definitely changed in the '80s, and for the worse.

Are there any modern players you can imagine playing--and thriving--in the 1970s?

I'd say the most 70s player out there today is Tim Lincecum -- not just because he has long hair and got popped for weed, but also because of his natural charisma, his unusually slight build (at least for a 21st century starting pitcher) and unorthodox delivery and mechanics. And if he can do this well against bulked-up batters in the PED era, just imagine how well he would have done in the '70s.

by Bill Stern (Author), Louis S. Glanzman (Illustrator)

Bill Stern's Favorite Baseball Stories is a collection of entertaining and insightful anecdotes about America's favorite pastime, baseball. Written by legendary sports broadcaster Bill Stern, the book is a treasure trove of stories that capture the spirit and excitement of the game. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the early days of baseball to the modern era, and includes stories about famous players, memorable games, and the unique quirks and traditions of the sport. With its engaging writing style and wealth of fascinating stories, Bill Stern's Favorite Baseball Stories is a must-read for any baseball fan.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

by Jerry Grillo (Author)

Johnny Mize was one of the greatest hitters in baseball's golden age of great hitters. Born and raised in tiny Demorest, Georgia, in the northeast Georgia mountains, Mize emerged from the heart of Dixie as a Bunyonesque slugger, a quiet but sharp-witted man from a broken home who became a professional player at seventeen, embarking on an extended tour of the expansive St. Louis Cardinals Minor League system.

Mize then spent fifteen seasons terrorizing Major League pitchers as a member of those Cardinals, the New York Giants of Mel Ott and Leo Durocher, and finally with the New York Yankees, who won a record five straight World Series with Mize as their ace in the hole--the best pinch hitter in the American League. Few hitters have combined such meticulous bat control with brute power the way Mize did. Mize was a line-drive hitter who rarely struck out and also hit for distance, to all fields, and usually for a high average. Nicknamed the Big Cat, "nobody had a better, smoother, easier swing than John," said Cardinals teammate Don Gutteridge. "It was picture perfect."

Tabbed as a can't-miss Hall of Famer, then all but forgotten, Mize spent twenty-eight years waiting for the call from Cooperstown before he was finally inducted in 1981, delighting fans with his straightforward commentary and sly sense of humor during a memorable induction speech.

From the backroads of the Minor Leagues to the sunny Caribbean, where he played alongside the best Black and Latin players as a twenty-one-year-old, and to the Major Leagues, where he became a ten-time All-Star, home run champion, and World Series hero, Mize forged a memorable trail along baseball's landscape. This is the first complete biography of the Big Cat.

Author Biography

Jerry Grillo is a longtime journalist and author of The Music and Mythocracy of Col. Bruce Hampton: A Basically True Biography. His work has appeared in Georgia Trend, Atlanta Magazine, Paste Magazine, Newsday, and jambands.com, among other publications.

by John A. Wood (Author)

Most baseball fans know of the amazing accomplishments Hall of Fame members achieved on the field, from Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak to Cy Young's 511 career wins. But few are as familiar with the ballplayers' lives away from the diamond--especially those icons who played before the Internet and 24/7 media coverage. Beyond their baseball statistics, what kind of individuals were they? How did they conduct themselves out of the spotlight? What made them tick?

In Beyond the Ballpark: The Honorable, Immoral, and Eccentric Lives of Baseball Legends, John A. Woodlooks at the personal lives of fifty members of the Hall of Fame, examining their childhoods, families, influences, life-changing events, defining moments, and more. The players range from the really good guys to bizarre characters and even the downright immoral. The author considers how tragedies may have impacted players, such as the shooting of Ty Cobb's beloved father by his own mother, and seeks to explain the dispositions of others, such as why the great Rogers Hornsby couldn't seem to get along with anybody.

By taking a closer look at who the players were as men, Beyond the Ballpark captures the essence of these fifty Hall of Famers. Including such names as Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth, this book is for all fans who are interested in more than just a ballplayer's statistics.

Author Biography

John A. Wood is professor emeritus of religion at Baylor University. He is the author of Perspectives on War in the Bible (1998) and The Panthers and the Militias: Brothers under the Skin? (2002). Wood is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.

by Kevin Horgan (Author)

BED BUG STEW is two books in one volume! First is a compilation of short story fiction and poetry on a wide range of subject matter: science fiction, messages from the heart, and a little terror thrown in. You will laugh out loud and shed a tear, and you will remember all the characters and their flaws, strengths, motivations, and sometimes the depths of their souls. You will meet a senior citizen who hears other people's thoughts through his hearing aids, a football coach who shuns interviews, a widow who changes her life for one that she loathed, a mason whose soul has been crushed, a man who claims to have been in thousands of movies, and a ballplayer whose best moments were off the field. And many many more... The second book is the author's first person account of his attendance at the New York Yankees Men's Fantasy Camp in January 2023. Yes, it is hilarious. Lies that we tell ourselves, caressing the thought, Deeds that we never do, nor what we ought. It's tempting to tell others what they must do, I see the injustice. These rules are for you. Kevin Horgan served as an infantry officer in the USMC from 1979 - 1984. He tells everyone his service was the great privilege of his life; he was never downrange and he is nothing special. He has authored two US Civil War historical novels, one modern day suspense novel, and has co-authored three illustrated children's books with his sister-in law, Stephanie. Bed Bug Stew is his fourth completed book. Kevin and his wife, Maureen, reside in Georgia.

by Travis Sawchik (Author)

Big Data Baseball provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the Pittsburgh Pirates used big data strategies to end the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history.

New York Times Bestseller

After twenty consecutive losing seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, team morale was low, the club's payroll ranked near the bottom of the sport, game attendance was down, and the city was becoming increasingly disenchanted with its team. Big Data Baseball is the story of how the 2013 Pirates, mired in the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history, adopted drastic big-data strategies to end the drought, make the playoffs, and turn around the franchise's fortunes.

Big Data Baseball is Moneyball for a new generation. Award-winning journalist Travis Sawchik takes you behind the scenes to expertly weave together the stories of the key figures who changed the way the Pirates played the game, revealing how a culture of collaboration and creativity flourished as whiz-kid analysts worked alongside graybeard coaches to revolutionize the sport and uncover groundbreaking insights for how to win more games without spending a dime.

From pitch framing to on-field shifts, this entertaining and enlightening underdog story closely examines baseball's burgeoning big data movement and demonstrates how the millions of data points which aren't immediately visible to players and spectators, are the bit of magic that led the Pirates to finish the 2013 season in second place and brought an end to a twenty-year losing streak.

Author Biography

TRAVIS SAWCHIK covers the Pirates and Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Sawchik has won national Associates Press Sports Editor awards for enterprise writing and numerous state-level awards. Sawchik's work has been featured or references on ESPN, Grantland.com, and the MLB Network. He is the author of Big Data Baseball.

by Alison Jacobs Maldonado (Editor), Timothy Williams (Author)

An amusing, vivid, and descriptive narrative with strong characters, in ballpark settings, as a rookie baseball player barrels through the obstacles that arise as he tries to make the team in a permere adult baseball league in Sonoma County California..This book takes you to the dugout, the mound, the infield, and outfield, and you'll meet, Little Eddie, a loyal fan in dedicated attendance. Narrative prose weaves the story with action poems that give the reader rare and original views of playing baseball. Poems are in both English and Spanish. Baseball: In and Out of Time is an intimate look into senior baseball in the Redwood Empire Baseball League in Sonoma County, California.

by David J. Gordon (Author)

Every serious baseball fan can attest to the perennial excellence of stars like Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey, Jr. But how many can recall the exploits of Fred Dunlap, George Stone, Bobby Shantz, or Mark Fidrych? Each of these players performed like a superstar for a single season, but none of them came close to replicating that success in subsequent years. Some achieved early success and flamed out, while others overcame early setbacks to achieve brief stardom late in their careers. Some were one-year wonders, and others sustained solid careers after setting an early standard that they would never again reach. This book contains the bittersweet stories of 30 such players who tantalized their fans with visions of greatness, but ultimately fell short.

Author Biography

David J. Gordon is a cardiovascular epidemiologist and an internationally recognized expert on clinical trials, who recently retired after 42 years with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. He has authored seven analytic and historical articles in SABR's Baseball Research Journal, and a book analyzing and ranking the careers of baseball's greatest players. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

by Justin McKinney (Author)

Hastily formed in 1883 as a rival, third major league, the Union Association upset the moguls of the baseball world and disrupted the status quo. Backed by Henry V. Lucas, an impetuous 26-year-old millionaire from St. Louis, the UA existed for one chaotic season in 1884. This first full-length history of the Union Association tells the captivating story of the league's brief and enigmatic existence. Lucas recruited a wild mix of disgruntled stars, misfits, crooks, has-beens, drunks, and the occasional spectator--along with a future star or two. The result was a bizarre experiment that sowed both turmoil and hope before fading into oblivion.

Author Biography

Justin Mckinney is a baseball researcher and archivist living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He has written articles on 19th century and early 20th century baseball for the SABR Research Journal Base Ball: Journal of the Early Game, and the SABR Biography Project and writes about deceased baseball players at https: //medium.com/@BaseballObscura.

by Alan Hirsch (Author)

Baseball has produced some notably strange plays--like Randy Johnson's fastball dismantling a bird--yet there have been many that defy belief. Beginning with Todd Frazier tricking umpires into calling an out with a rubber ball and culminating in Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky pitching into a scrum of two batters and a manager at home plate, this book describes the 150 most bizarre plays in the history of the game. Baserunners going in the wrong direction, outfielders kicking the ball, three runners meeting at one base, two balls in play, players ejected for dancing and many other anomalies are presented with detailed commentary.

Author Biography

Alan Hirsch, chair of the Justice and Law Studies program at Williams College, has written numerous books and been published in The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, Newsday and Village Voice, among many others. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.

by Scott Christopher (Author), Michael S. Malone (Foreword by)

Baseball, Art, and Dreams is the amazing true story of Scott Christopher, a boy who loved the game of baseball. At age six he falls on the broken soda bottle, severing all seven tendons, median nerve, and both arteries in his throwing hand.

Some said Scott had ten minutes to live, and shockingly his team of doctors considered amputation. After years of grueling rehabilitation, weighing less than one hundred pounds as a junior, he did make the high school varsity baseball team.

With no surprise, Scott had the worst season of any varsity player in the country, batting zero with three strikeouts in four plate appearances. His supernatural forces surfaced by his creative thinking that became laser focused on his dream.

Scott built a batting cage in his backyard, hitting day and night, staining his bat handles blood red. His proactive efforts earned him the MVP trophy his senior year.

With an ongoing dream of playing for the Maryland, even as Scott was turned away three times over the next three seasons, was all part of his journey to success. His career shifted gears when Maryland's head coach, Jack Jackson, offered Scott a full scholarship after witnessing him blast a 380-foot home run in a championship game.

Scott's super human ability to focus his energy on his vision takes his life into uncharted territory. When one season was very compromised due to a car accident, he would recover earning MVP honors both his junior and senior seasons. Selected on the All-ACC team as a shortstop, but bypassed in the 1976 MLB June draft, opportunity revealed itself in a new way, offering the chance to play baseball in Korea.

It was January 1977 when he signed a professional contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Over the next four seasons his teams made the playoffs every year. He still holds the all-time organizational record for stolen base percentage in a season.

In 1978, Scott become a professional champion, and the only player in the Orioles system to ever hit a ninth inning home run in the final playoff game for the title.

Learn how his AMAZING story beats the almost one in a million odds as passion and purpose drive Scott's success. His American Baseball Memoir is an INSPIRATIONAL story for everyone. Readers should get ready to "Dream Big, Dream On!"

by Bryan Steverson (Author)

Scripture becomes evident in baseball, if we only look. As a special gift from God, many examples are herein detailed. If we can find God's Word in baseball, we can find it elsewhere also.

by Mark Gola (Author)

Put your game into overdrive with this complete guide to harnessing your athletic instincts.

In baseball, a five-tool player possesses the five most important skills: hitting for power, hitting for average, defense, arm strength, and speed. But there is one essential skill that brings it all together: the sixth tool. It's that extra something, an X-factor that can make a good player great.

In this fully illustrated, information-packed guide, coach Mark Gola shows you how to use your smarts to channel your instincts, psych out your opponents, deal with pressure, and much more. Whether you're in Little League or heading for the majors, Baseball's Sixth Tool will teach you how to:

• Fire up your baserunning without increasing speed
• Step up your defensive play using keen observation and communication
• Master pitching with super-smart strategies
• Perfect your swing by getting prepared before you step to the plate
• Become the all-around all-star player that every coach wants

Author Biography

Mark Gola is a full-time baseball instructor at Dave Gallagher's All-American Baseball Academy. A former hitting coach at Princeton and Rider, he has written several books on the sport. He lives in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

by Daryl K. Cobb (Author)

Baseball, Bullies & Angels is a fun, funny and emotionally strong story. Stephen is a typical 13 year old boy who just wants to find his place in the world, but his difficulties in school, both socially and academically, have him feeling the pressure. When a group of students make Stephen the target of their merciless bullying he struggles even more to make sense of his life. With all the pressure and pain he feels each day, he still searches for hope. He finds some in his best friend Charlie who tries to show him the humor in it all. And a kind gesture from Megan, the new girl in class, helps to spark a connection between two kindred spirits. But when everything is at its worst he always finds hope in baseball. Stephen's talents as a young baseball player are well beyond the average Little Leaguer; he is an up and coming star. But as his flame grows brighter, one particular competitor and classmate doesn't like getting overshadowed. He and his friends set a plan in motion that could destroy Stephen's dreams of playing baseball in the future. The Bully Gang has worked hard to bend Stephen before, but now they want to break him.-------("Cobb's long stretches of naturally engaging dialogue ... help deliver characters and twists that positively outstrip stories merely about athletic glory. ... Always sincere, occasionally shocking, this tale is required reading for kids and parents." --Kirkus Reviews )------Recommended for boys and girls, advanced younger readers or ages 10-15 and up.

by Robert Kuenster (Author)

Comparing major league players has always been a popular topic among baseball fans. Debating the strengths and weaknesses of such greats as Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, or Tom Seaver and Greg Maddux continues to stir up controversy among fans eager to champion their heroes.

In Baseball's Top 10, Bob Kuenster has compiled a ranking of the game's best players by position, highlighting the achievements of nearly 300 individuals. In addition to the top 10, Kuenster includes Honorable Mentions--players who were considered but didn't make the final list--and Dishonorable Mentions--players who were left off the rankings due to alleged steroid and performance enhancing drug use. Drawing upon original interviews conducted by the author, this ranking reveals the best players in major league history as seen through the eyes of former players, managers, and announcers. Player entries include biographical information, individual achievements, stats, and quotes. Organized by position--first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field, right field, catcher, designated hitters, multi-position players, right-handed starting pitchers, left-handed starting pitchers, and closers--280 outstanding players made the cut as the most elite pitchers, hitters, and fielders in MLB history.

Baseball's Top 10 features interviews with some of baseball's greatest personalities--including players who have since passed, such as Al Lopez, Bob Feller, Stan Musial, Lou Boudreau, Andy Pafko, Ron Santo, Harry Caray and Harry Kalas. With over 50 photographs and a comprehensive list of suggested titles for further reading, this book is sure to interest baseball fans and historians who love to debate the many outstanding players who have appeared in the major leagues.

Author Biography

Bob Kuenster is the editor of Baseball Digest and has worked as a writer and editor for the publication since 1987. He has been a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America since 1994. Kuenster is the author of The Baseball Entertainer and The Baseball Entertainer #2.

by Dorothy Seymour Mills (Author), Harold Seymour (Author)

In Baseball: The People's Game, Dorothy Seymour Mills and Harold Seymour produce an authoritative, multi-volume chronicle of America's national pastime. The first two volumes of this study -The Early Years and The Golden Age -won universal acclaim. The New York Times wrote that they "will grip every American who has invested part of his youth and dreams in the sport," while The Boston Globe called them "irresistible."

Now, in The People's Game, the authors offer the first book devoted entirely to the history of the game outside of the professional leagues, revealing how, from its early beginnings up to World War II, baseball truly became the great American pastime. They explore the bond between baseball and boys through the decades, the game's place in institutions from colleges to prisons to the armed forces, the rise of women's baseball that coincided with nineteenth century feminism, and the struggles of black players and clubs from the later years of slavery up to the Second World War.

Whether discussing the birth of softball or the origins of the seventh inning stretch, the Seymours enrich their extensive research with fascinating details and entertaining anecdotes as well as a wealth of baseball experience. The People's Game brings to life the central role of baseball for generations of Americans.

Note: On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on Baseball: The Early Years (1960), Baseball: The Golden Age (1971) and Baseball: The People's Game (1991).

Author Biography

Harold Seymour, Cornell University Ph.D., was a college history professor for more than fifteen years. He knows baseball firsthand through his experience as a batboy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, high school PSAL player, college captain, organizer and manager of amateur and semipro teams, and major-league bird dog.

Dorothy Seymour Mills is the author or co-author of 25 books, including historical novels and children's books. She is a member SABR, the North American Society for Sports History, and the Association for Women in Sports Media.

by Mike Shannon (Author)

When it was originally published in 1992, Mike Shannon's Baseball: The Writer's Game as hailed as a unique exploration of what it takes to write about the national pastime. Brassey's is proud to present this new edition, expanding upon Shannon's original interviews with baseball's top authors and historians, including Bill James, Roger Kahn, W. P. Kinsella, Robert Creamer, Peter Golenbock, and Lawrence Ritter. Shannon delves into their different backgrounds, writing techniques, personal insights, and the aspects of the game and its history that interest them. Whether with an analyst like Bill James or an ex-player like Jim Brosnan, Shannon lets each explain in his own words the challenge and the joy that come from writing about the game. Baseball fans, whether they want to write about the game them-selves or not, will enjoy the unique observations and advice of baseball's greatest writers.

by Frank P. Jozsa (Author)

During the second half of the twentieth century, Major League Baseball and its affiliated minor leagues evolved from local and regional entities governing the play of America's favorite pastime to national business organizations. The relocation of teams, league expansion, the advent of free agency and an influx of international players has made baseball big business, on an increasingly global scale.

Focusing on the last fifty years, this work examines the past and present commercial elements of organized baseball, emphasizing the dual roles--competitive sport and profitable business--which the sport must now fulfill. Twenty-five essays cover five areas integral to the economic side of baseball: business and finance, human resources, international relations, management and leadership and sports marketing. Detailed discussions of the redistribution of revenues, the history of player unionization, aggressive global marketing, strategies of franchise owners and an evaluation of fan costs, among other topics introduce the reader to the important issues and specific challenges professional baseball faces in an increasingly crowded--yet geographically expansive--sports marketplace. The work is also indexed.

Author Biography

Frank P. Jozsa, Jr., is professor emeritus of economics and business administration at Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, North Carolina. The author of numerous books about sports, he lives in Hardeeville, South Carolina.

by Chris Jensen (Author)

The first book to explore the entire history of two-way baseball players from the 19th century up to the modern era, this comprehensive work demonstrates that Shohei Ohtani and Babe Ruth are not the only players to excel at both pitching and batting. In-depth profiles examine how Ohtani and Ruth compare to 19th century star John Montgomery Ward and Negro League standouts Bullet Rogan, Martin Dihigo, Leon Day and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe as two-way players. This historical overview outlines the path each player took to reach greatness as a pitcher and a batter, and helps answer the fundamental question: who is baseball's greatest two-way player?

Sixty additional Negro League players are covered for their two-way feats, plus an examination of top two-way players from the 19th century, Deadball Era, and Live-Ball Era--more than 130 players overall are featured. Also included is an overview of 25 top-hitting pitchers and a closer look at all the statistics that define a two-way player.

Author Biography

A member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Chris Jensen regularly contributes baseball articles to IBWAA's Here's the Pitch newsletter and has been published in Elysian Fields Quarterly and the Yankees annual yearbook.