We are brought closer than we have ever been to the great ballplayer, a man of courage and quality who became a pivotal figure in the areas of race and civil rights.Born in the rural South, the son of a sharecropper, Robinson was reared in southern California. We see him blossom there as a student-athlete as he struggled against poverty and racism to uphold the beliefs instilled in him by his mother--faith in family, education, America, and God. We follow Robinson through World War II, when, in the first wave of racial integration in the armed forces, he was commissioned as an officer, then court-martialed after refusing to move to the back of a bus. After he plays in the Negro National League, we watch the opening of an all-American drama as, late in 1945, Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers recognized Jack as the right player to break baseball's color barrier--and the game was forever changed.Jack's never-before-published letters open up his relationship with his family, especially his wife, Rachel, whom he married just as his perilous venture of integrating baseball began. Her memories are a major resource of the narrative as we learn about the severe harassment Robinson endured from teammates and opponents alike; about death threats and exclusion; about joy and remarkable success. We watch his courageous response to abuse, first as a stoic endurer, then as a fighter who epitomized courage and defiance.We see his growing friendship with white players like Pee Wee Reese and the black teammates who followed in his footsteps, and his embrace by Brooklyn's fans. We follow his blazing career: 1947, Rookie of the Year; 1949, Most Valuable Player; six pennants in ten seasons, and 1962, induction into the Hall of Fame. But sports were merely one aspect of his life. We see his business ventures, his leading role in the community, his early support of Martin Luther King Jr., his commitment to the civil rights movement at a crucial stage in its evolution; his controversial associations with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Humphrey, Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, and Malcolm X.Rampersad's magnificent biography leaves us with an indelible image of a principled man who was passionate in his loyalties and opinions: a baseball player who could focus a crowd's attention as no one before or since; an activist at the crossroads of his people's struggle; a dedicated family man whose last years were plagued by illness and tragedy, and who died prematurely at fifty-two. He was a pathfinder, an American hero, and he now has the biography he deserves.From the Hardcover edition.

    Mr. Angell includes writing never previously collected as well as selections from The Summer Game, Five Seasons, Late Innings, and Season Ticket. He brings back the extraordinary games, innings and performances that he has witnessed and written about so astutely and gracefully--"The Interior Stadium," on the complex attractions of baseball; "In the Country," on a friendship that began with a fan letter and took him far from the big stadiums and big money; "The Arm Talks," on contemporary pitching strategy and the arrival of the split-finger delivery; and many others. Mr. Angell's conversations with past and present players and managers, scouts and coaches, rookies and Hall of Famers enhance his own expertise and critical appreciation, which define him as the game's most useful and ardent fan. "Angell resembles a pitcher with pinpoint control. As a chronicler of the game, he's in a class with Ring Lardner and Red Smith."--Newsweek. "Angell's perceptions are fresh, vivid, and uncannily accurate.... Only a fan who cares this much could observe so carefully and write so eloquently."--San Francisco Chronicle. "A triumph of art and grace."--Chicago Tribune Book World.

    But the world has also left its mark on him. "Hammering Hank" Aaron's story is one that tells us much about baseball, naturally, but also about our times. His unique, poignant life has made him a symbol for much of the social history of twentieth-century America.Raised during the Depression in the Deep South enclave of Mobile, Alabama, Aaron broke into professional baseball as a cross-handed slugger and shortstop for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. A year later, he and a few others had the unforgettable mission of integrating the South Atlantic League. A year after that, he was a timid rookie leftfielder for the Milwaukee Braves, for whom he became a World Series hero in 1957 as well as the MostValuable Player of the National League.Aaron found himself back in the South when the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1965. Nine years later, in the heat of hatred and controversy, he hit his 715th home run to break Ruth's and baseball's most cherished record--a feat that was recently voted the greatest moment in baseball history. That year, Aaron received over 900,000 pieces of mail, many of them vicious and racially charged.In a career that may be the most consistent baseball has ever seen. Aaron also set all-time records for total bases and RBIs. He ended his playing days by spending two nostalgic seasons back in Milwaukee with the Brewers, then embarked on a new career as an executive with the Atlanta Braves. He was for a long time the highest-ranking black in baseball. In this position, Aaron has become an unofficial spokesman in racial matters pertaining to the national pastime.Because of the depth and pertinence of Aaron's dramatic experiences, I Had A Hammer is more than a baseball autobiography. Henry Aaron's candor and insights have produced a revealing book about his extraordinary life and time.

    This situation began to change in 1966, when the Major League Baseball Players Association was formed and Marvin Miller, who had been chief economist and assistant to the president of the steelworkers' union, became its first executive director. Here he recounts his experience in dealing with club owners and his success in winning a new role for the players. He helped virtually end the system that bound an athlete to one team forever, and thereby raised salaries enormously. Candid in his assessments of the characters involved in this drama, Mr. Miller is nonetheless generous in his comments about the ballplayers who made sacrifices for their union.

    

    

    A comprehensive and immensely entertaining baseball reference with fascinating quotes and lore that will delight millions of the game's fans.

    He encounters enterprising owners, dedicated managers, die-hard fans, Hall of Fame instructors, and hopeful players. 8-page insert.

    He is still blowing his fastballs by hitters at an age when most pitchers have long since retired—or have learned to depend on guile instead of power. But the Ryan express keeps chugging on, getting more unhittable, not less. Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible tells us the secrets of Ryan's success. Drawing on Ryan's practical experience and Tom House's research expertise, it shows how the right combination of exercise and motivation can help a pitcher develop to his greatest potential. Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible includes: -Nolan Ryan's complete fitness program for pitchers—including weight training, aerobic exercise, and diet—based on the latest scientific research and his twenty-four years of experience as a major leaguer. -The most up-to-date methods for preventing arm injuries by establishing proper mechanics, a conditioning base, and throwing work loads. -A timetable for keeping a pitcher in top shape year-round, including specific exercise intervals to meet the individual strength demands of each pitcher's throwing motion, maximum velocity, and maximum weekly number of pitches. -An in-depth presentation of Ryan's pitching strategy—how he prepares himself mentally for a game, an analysis of his pitch selection for different types of hitters, and how he applies his training regimen to improving his effectiveness on the mound. Illustrated with black-and-white photos of Ryan in action, along with photos and line drawings of the recommended exercises, Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible is the ultimate book on pitching, by the ultimate pitcher.

    Uses photographs to trace the life and career of Ted Williams, and attempts to depict his complex personality.

    

    But in November, 1989, 30 ex-major leaguers joined the St. Petersburg Pelicans and got a shot at a new life in the Senior Professional Baseball Association, a Florida league for players 35 years of age and older. Here is their story, from the bestselling author of Balls and Personal Fouls. 16 pages of photos.

    16 pages of photographs.

    Now updated and expanded, with over 75 percent original material created for this edition, The New Thinking Fan's Guide to Baseball will enlighten and delight an entire new audience.

    With over 500 carefully selected photographs, most of which have not been published before, William M. Anderson presents the highlights and lowlights of each season and gives a context for appreciating the Detroit careers of the players whose images grace the pages of the book.The new edition of The Detroit Tigers begins with the historic final season of baseball at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull and prepares for a new century of baseball at Comerica Park, where the team has already made memories. Among the recent highlights covered in this volume are the Tigers being crowned American League champions in October 2006, Justin Verlander's no-hitter in June 2007, and the Tigers' historic trade in December 2007, which placed the team among the elite in baseball for the 2008 season. Anderson has traveled the county to find the most interesting and rarely seen photos for this volume, visiting all major repositories of baseball photographs as well as private collections. Presented chronologically with ample description, the photos form the core of this one-of-a-kind book.The new edition of The Detroit Tigers also includes a foreword by current president, CEO, and general manager of the Tigers, David Dombrowski. Tigers fans old and new will appreciate the exhaustive history and striking images presented in this volume.

    If you need to know the latest facts and figures about the national pastime, his handbook is the source of record. In it you'll find complete statistics for the past year's pitchers, hitters, fielders, and managers. But far from being a machine-like compiler of data, James plays with the numbers to find the underlying relationships and trends that make baseball such a great game from a statistical perspective. These are stats that enlarge the game, teasing out the human element and giving fans even more reasons to love and respect the game.

    Japanese Baseball: A Fan's Guide focuses on the Japanese version of the game, covering topics like world records (Sadaharu Oh's 868 home runs); problems like gaijin senshu, the foreign player, Japanese baseball's necessary evil; peculiar strategies like the almost mandatory sacrifice bunt; and bizarre trappings like the hundreds of umbrellas waved by Yakult Swallows' fans to tell an opposing pitcher it's time for the showers. Maitland believes that attending a Japanese baseball game is not just fun but offers insights into Japan and the Japanese people. The same impressive claims can be made for his book.