From that question was born the idea behind BASEBALL AND JAZZ. Posnanski and the 94 year old O'Neil decided to spend the 2005 baseball season touring the country in hopes of stirring up the love that first drew them to the game. This book is just as much the story of Buck O'Neil as it is the story of baseball. In a time when disillusioned, steroid–shooting, money hungry athletes define the sport, Buck O'Neil stands out as a man that truly played for the love of the game. Posnanski writes about that love and the one thing that O'Neil loved almost as much as baseball: jazz. BASEBALL AND JAZZ is an endearing step back in time to the days when the crack of a bat and the smoky notes of a midnight jam session were the sounds that brought the most joy to a man's heart.

    Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season

    Baseball Prospectus 2007 continues that tradition, bringing together the top young baseball writers and analysts in the business to provide a definitive look at the season to come. Featuring humorous and incisive essays on all thirty teams and an in-depth look at every major league player and all the top prospects, Baseball Prospectus 2007 offers the cutting-edge analysis that has inspired nearly every major league team to seek the advice of current or former Prospectus writers. Also included are projections of player stats for next year, as determined by the groundbreaking PECOTA system, which Sports Illustrated has called “perhaps the game’s most accurate projection model.” The most authoritative and entertaining book of its kind, Baseball Prospectus 2007 is as essential to the baseball- watching experience as hot dogs and cold beer.

    The legendary Negro Leagues are regarded with reverence and awe, and play a vital role in black history. The publication of these cards marked the first time most of these players ever appeared on baseball cards.

    This book, spanning the first fifty-two years of Mack’s life, through 1914, covers his experiences as player, manager, and club owner and will stand as the definitive biography of baseball’s most legendary and beloved figure.   Norman L. Macht chronicles Mack’s little-known beginnings. He tells how Mack, a school dropout at fourteen, created strategies for winning baseball and principles for managing men long before there were notions of defining such subjects. And he details how Mack, a key figure in the launching of the American League in 1901, won six of the league’s first fourteen pennants while serving as manager, treasurer, general manager, traveling secretary, and public relations and scouting director (all at the same time) for the Philadelphia Athletics. This book brings to life the unruly origins of baseball as a sport and a business. It also provides the first complete and accurate picture of a character who was larger than life and yet little known: the tricky, rule-bending catcher; the peppery field leader and fan favorite; the hot-tempered young manager. Illustrated with family photographs never before published, it affords unique insight into a colorful personality who helped shape baseball as we know it today.

    From the authority on baseball statistics and research comes an unusual compendium of more than 1,000 baseball lists and records not found in any other medium.

    They were America’s most successful baseball club at the turn of the twentieth century, but by the turn of the twenty-first, things had changed. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908, and the last time they clinched the National League Pennant was in 1945. Yet the Cubs have some of the most devoted fans in all of sport. As Glenn Stout writes in the introduction, “They are the game’s last unsolved mystery, the final conundrum, a historical enigma, baseball’s oldest story, with an ending that has yet to be written.” The Cubs chronicles the long, rich, counterintuitive history of this team in all its depth, nuance, and color. We catch a rare glimpse of the early days of Chicago baseball in the 1860s and 1870s and witness the magical 1906 season, with its 116 wins, still the most in major league history. Ernie Banks’s legendary career is covered in detail, as are decisive seasons, such as 1969’s heartbreaking loss to the Amazin’ Mets. Sammy Sosa’s sixty-plus home runs are here too — together with later allegations regarding corked bats and steroids. The authors cast an analytical eye on the tumultuous reign of chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley and his son Philip, as well as the Tribune Company's planned sale of the Cubs. And we hear the true story behind the “Curse of the Billy Goat” — what has really “cursed” the Cubs all these years. A must-have for Cubs fans past and present, The Cubs tells the complete story in a single narrative for the first time since 1945.

    . . Ted Williams . . . Joe Louis . . . Billy Conn . . . WhirlawayAgainst the backdrop of a war that threatened to consume the world, these athletes transformed 1941 into one of the most thrilling years in sports history. In the summer of 1941, America paid attention to sports with an intensity that had never been seen before. World War II was raging in Europe and headlines grew worse by the day; even the most optimistic people began to accept the inevitability of the United States being drawn into the conflict. In sports pages and arenas at home, however, an athletic perfect storm provided unexpected—and uplifting—relief. Four phenomenal sporting events were underway, each destined to become legend.In 1941—The Greatest Year in Sports, acclaimed sportswriter Mike Vaccaro chronicles this astounding moment in history. Fueled by a somber mania for sports—a desire for good news to drown out the bad—Americans by the millions fervently watched, listened, and read as Joe DiMaggio dazzled the country by hitting in a record-setting fifty-six consecutive games; Ted Williams powered through an unprecedented .406 season; Joe Louis and Billy Conn (the heavyweight and light-heavyweight champions) battled in unheard-of fashion for boxing’s ultimate championship; and the phenomenal (some say deranged) thoroughbred, Whirlaway, raced to three heart-stopping victories that won the coveted Triple Crown of horse racing. As Phil Rizzuto perfectly expressed, “You read the sports section a lot because you were afraid of what you’d see in other parts of the paper.”Gripping and nostalgic, 1941—The Greatest Year in Sports focuses on these four seminal events and brings to life the national excitement and remarkable achievement (many of these records still stand today), as well as the vibrant lives of the athletes who captivated the nation. With vast insight, Vaccaro pulls back the veil on DiMaggio’s anxieties and the building pressure of “The Streak,” and chronicles the brash, young confidence Williams displayed as he hammered his way through the baseball season largely in DiMaggio’s shadow. He takes readers inside the head of Billy Conn, a kid who traded in his light-heavyweight belt for a shot at the very decent and very powerful Joe Louis, and tells the story of the fire-breathing racehorse, Whirlaway, who was known either for setting track records or tearing off in the wrong direction. Rich in historical detail and edge-of-your-seat reporting, Mike Vaccaro has crafted a lasting, important book that captures a portrait of one of America’s most trying, and extraordinary, eras.

    Their story has been told many times in many ways over the years. . . but it has never been told like this. Barney Stein was the Dodgers' official team photographer from 1939 until the team left for Los Angeles in 1957. With access that no other photographer had, his camera chronicled every aspect of the team's most vibrant and memorable period. But his Brooklyn Dodger work has remained one of the sports world's lost treasures, since--except for rare and scattered glimpses--it has not been published or otherwise seen since the team left New York. Now, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn, Barney Stein's Dodgers photographs live again. Through a Blue Lens takes you to every corner of Ebbets Field--to the playing field, the dugout, the locker room, even to the fabled Marble Rotunda. You'll see the on-and-off-the-field legends who made the Brooklyn years so unforgettable, as well as never-before-seen photos of the final game at Ebbets Field and the legendary ballpark's demolition. In addition, first-person memories and anecdotes from surviving members of the Brooklyn Dodgers give a unique dimension to what is truly a family album of those unforgettable years. They also pay a fitting tribute to Barney not only as a great news photographer, but as a loving and considerate friend to all who wore the Dodger Blue.

    The Prospect Handbook profiles in-depth analysis and statistics of 900 players, provides a detailed amateur draft report card, a list of the top one hundred prospects, and a ranking of the Major League Baseball player development programs. The Prospect Handbook is the resource for information regarding the leading minor leaguers throughout baseball and is a valuable tool for fans, fantasy leaguers, and anyone who wants to know more about the player development process.

    The Chicago American Giants. The St. Louis Stars. The Newark Eagles. The Birmingham Black Barons. The Homestead Grays. The Cuban X Giants. For over 50 years, they were the Yankees, Cardinals, and Red Sox of black baseball in America. And for over a decade beginning in the mid-1940s, umpire Bob Motley called balls and strikes for their games, earning the opportunity to work with such legends as Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays. Today, Motley is the only living Negro League arbiter, and Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants & Stars is his revealing, humorous memoir.

    Louis Cardinals 101 is required reading for every Cardinals fan! From Enos Slaughter's "Mad Dash" in 1946 to the 2006 World Series championship, you'll share all the memories and "Go Crazy" with the next generation. Enjoy all the traditions of your favorite team, learn the basics about playing baseball and share your passion for America's pastime!

    Monte Irvin, a New York Giants star player who got his start in the Negro Leagues, pays homage to baseball's unsung heroes and long-forgotten stars by selecting the top five players at each position and the top five managers, owners, pioneers, or organizers from the Negro Leagues.

    A chunky book filled to the brim with quotes, stats and trivia that every New York Yankee fan will have to have.

    With nearly 100,000 copies in print, the previous books in David and Ron Green’s “101 Reasons to Love” series have hit the ball right out of the park. Now Ron and Dave extend the home-run streak, bringing their offbeat humor, insiders’ grasp of baseball fact and legend, and good-natured rivalry—as brothers and as fans—to new books about two of the National League’s all-time greatest teams. The glorious wins and the ignominious losses. The breathtaking hits, astounding catches, inexcusable errors. Whether you’re cheering the Dodgers or jeering the Giants—or vice versa—you gotta love ’em. And, together, these books give you 202 reasons for doing so.

    Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone

    Baseball great Bobby Thomson selects his all-time Giants team—five players at each position plus the top five managers—covering the team's more than 100-year history in two cities, New York and San Francisco.

    The origin and evolution of the sport are explored, as are the great players, famous games and idiosyncrasies such as team owners, broadcasters and collectors of baseball souvenirs. But where this title really flies beyond the outfield fence is in its awe-inspiring collection of more than 30 facsimiles of momentous baseball memorabilia, including historical letters, a full-size poster, ticket stubs, programs and rare baseball cards, which jump from the pages. The Treasures of Major League Baseball offers a new perspective on the national pastime and is something any baseball fan will treasure forever.

    As a season of rare hope and unity crashed to a painful end in a ten-minute sequence of bad plays, so too did the city's urban renaissance falter and an old sense of inferiority return. This ambitious examination of the relationship between the team and city delves deep into Philadelphia's social and baseball history to reveal how the disillusionment of Black Friday affected Philadelphia's self image and fans' relationship to the team they both love and love to hate.

    In After Jackie, author Cal Fussman traces Robinson's enormous legacy in sports, politics, and the civil rights movement through the men (and women) who came after him. With moving and intimate interviews of more than one hundred former major league players of African-American descent, as well as such luminaries as Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Ali, and Walter Cronkite, among others, After Jackie recalls the day one man altered history for so many, and the history that followed.

    By the time his 25-year playing career had ended, he was a pivotal performer on five all-time great clubs, dominating his position like no one before (or since), and earning a reputation for intelligent, selfless play that followed him to Cooperstown. Also covered in detail is his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, a team he served variously as part owner, vice-president and general manager until 1951, when after 45 years in major league baseball a stroke ended his career and, weeks later, his life.

    Ernie Banks recalls the moment he coined the phrase "Let's play two!"; Mike Piazza recounts his backyard batting lesson with Ted Williams; Cal Ripken Jr. tells of his first call-up to the major leagues; Roger Clemens reminisces about the night of his first twenty-strikeout masterpiece -- after almost missing the game; and George H. W. Bush reflects on his brief meeting with the one and only Babe Ruth. With intimacy and insight, dozens of the game's greatest players and lifetime fans remember their finest baseball moments on and off the field.Lavishly illustrated and handsomely designed, Once Upon a Game is the perfect gift for any baseball fan.

    When Babe Dahlgren passed away, he left behind a nearly completed manuscript. He wanted more than anything to tell his story. And so begins the endearing story between a grandfather and his grandson. Rumor in Town is more than just a journey throughout a fascinating career in baseball. It's a captivating look at Babe Dahlgren's life, from tragedy and poor beginnings in San Francisco where, by the age of 6, he set his sights on a dream. It is a look at his days in the Pacific Coast League, striving to get to the other side of the country to that dream: the Big Leagues. There are stories from the many dugouts, clubhouses, and trains that blazed across America; stories about Hall of Fame players and managers; and the historic day he replaced his boyhood idol, Lou Gehrig. But it's more than that. It is about the failures of Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Albert "Happy" Chandler to punish the likes of Joe McCarthy and Branch Rickey for spreading a rumor throughout baseball while Babe played under a cloud of suspicion. Rumor in Town uncovers moments where a bond was fostered between a boy and his grandpa. Etched in Matt's memory are true stories from the greatest era the game has ever seen. So too are the frozen moments in time shared with Babe when he passed these stories down. How Matt watched him speak highly with boyish smiles of the game he held so dear, yet cry over the painful scars it left behind because of a rumor that he ultimately took to his grave. A wrong Matt promised to right.

    With nearly 100,000 copies in print, the previous books in David and Ron Greens 101 Reasons to Love series have hit the ball right out of the park. Now Ron and Dave extend the home-run streak, bringing their offbeat humor, insiders grasp of baseball fact and legend, and good-natured rivalryas brothers and as fansto new books about two of the National Leagues all-time greatest teams. Pairing the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants is a natural. After all, both clubs were born in New York City, and both moved to the West Coast in 1958. Both teams have lost the World Series exactly 12 times. And concessionaires at both teams ballparks have made important contributions to that staple of baseball cuisinethe hot dog. The glorious wins and the ignominious losses. The breathtaking hits, astounding catches, inexcusable errors. Whether youre cheering the Dodgers or jeering the Giantsor vice versayou gotta love em. And, together, these books give you 202 reasons for doing so.

    The Yankees, lordly and corporate, were making their 12th trip to the World Series in 15 years and, through the managing of Casey Stengel, power hitting, and immense talent, usually found a way to win. Featuring such legends as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Roger Maris, the Yankees had outscored the Pirates 46–16 through six games — only to go down, 10–9, when Mazeroski became the only player ever to decide a World Series Game 7 with a walk-off home run. From extensive personal interviews with those who were there, along with newspaper, radio, and television accounts, Reisler reconstructs this fall classic pitch by pitch, from analysis of managerial tactics and the chatter of the players on the field to the lively atmosphere within the ballpark and throughout the country. The result is the feeling of being right there from the seemingly predictable start to the truly unbelievable finish of the best game ever.

    With special sections on the dream team by position and great moments in history, these are a read that can't be missed.

    These pieces have become a favorite feature for Reds fans, who love to celebrate the Big Red MachineOCOs long and storied history and traditions. This collection brings together every single one of Rhodes' pieces in a single book for both Reds fans and baseball aficionados. "Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Highlights" chronicles more than 130 years of history and five world series championships and includes over 300 short accounts of the teamOCOs greatest, saddest, wildest, and weirdest players and moments. Packed with over 100 photos furnished by the Reds and their museum, the book pays tribute to a teamathat remainsaone of America's favorites."

    "The history of the New York Mets professional baseball team from its inaugural 1962 season to today, spotlighting the team's greatest players and most memorable moments"--Provided by publisher.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. 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 the original work.

    The text includes portraits of a century's top Cuban ballplayers, including stars like Omar Linares and Osmani Urrutia.

    The game first gained popularity on the island under the Japanese occupation, and that popularity continued after World War II despite the withdrawal of the Japanese and an official lack of support from the new state power, the Chinese Nationalist Party. The remarkable success of Taiwanese Little League teams in the 1970s and 1980s cemented Taiwan’s relationship with the game. Taiwanese native Junwei Yu’s Playing in Isolation presents a comprehensive account of that relationship. While giving due credit to the great successes in Taiwanese baseball, Yu also addresses the scandals and controversies that have plagued the sport, including game fixing, improper recruitment practices, and the age-deception fiasco that tainted Taiwan’s seventeen Little League World Series wins. In addition Yu draws attention to the influence traditional culture exerts on parental support of sports versus education and more sedentary occupations. Drawing on detailed research and personal experience, Yu provides a rare, honest look at the reality of baseball in Taiwan and offers an insider’s perspective on a unique part of baseball history.

    Robinson became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues, and in doing so, led generations of black players into the previously all-white world of professional baseball. As one of the greatest players professional baseball has ever seen, Robinson fought fiercely for civil rights on and off the diamond throughout his lifetime, and in doing so became a great American hero.Mary Kay Linge recounts the extraordinary story of Robinson's life-from his early childhood in the South, to his college years at UCLA, to becoming a Hall of Famer and a major figure in the NAACP. In analyzing the surrounding social and cultural contexts of Robinson's time, this biography examines the legacy of a man who forever changed baseball. A timeline, statistical appendix, bibliography of print and electronic sources for further reading, and photographs enhance this biography.

    This work applies concepts from economics, finance, and statistics to develop a pricing method that far surpasses any other published. It helps readers learn how to adjust values for position scarcity, injury risk and future potential.

    Willie Mays drills four homers in a single game while sick to his stomach. Felipe Alou prays for a ninth-inning miracle with the National League pennant on the line. In Game of My Life: San Francisco Giants, you'll experience the exceptional moments of fan favorites Will Clark, Rich Aurilia, Robb Nen, J.T. Snow, Kirk Rueter, Robby Thompson, Rod Beck, and Mike Krukow, described in their own words as only they remember them. From the first San Francisco Giants game at Seals Stadium in 1958 through the team's 2002 postseason thrills and beyond, this book relives the excitement of some of the greatest games and single-game performances in Giants history. Each game--selected by the players themselves--was chosen for its personal significance: some of statistical note, others heartwarming or tearful. A grieving Jason Schmidt throws an unbeatable performance just ten days after his mother passed away. Bob Brenly suffers a cruel humiliation before rebounding to a storybook finale. After toiling in minor-league parks across the country for eight years, Brian Dallimore smashes a grand slam in a scintillating debut start. San Francisco native "Dirty Al" Gallagher becomes the hero of the day for his hometown team. Rich and storied is the history of the San Francisco Giants, full of both exhilarating games and colorful personalities. Game of My Life: San Francisco Giants brings them together like never before.

    This comprehensive yet compact book offers more than 2,500 questions to engage and challenge even the greatest baseball buff. In addition, each spread features a lengthier question that goes deep into the subject. What makes this package truly different from any other trivia book is the computerized module embedded in a corner of the book's cover, which allows readers to test themselves or compete against a friend. Play ball!

    Burdened by his responsibility for his best friend's death, and confused by a love for that same friend's fiancée, this professional ball player tries for a second time to make it the Major Leagues. More about how love and questions of fate can direct a man s life, The Ball Player weaves a passionate drama around the world of professional baseball. Honest and compelling, the heart and mind of a relentless competitor fuels each chapter of this creatively crafted story of love and redemption.

    After the release of his first book, Hitting in the Clutch, his cool and trusted friends have abandoned him. Although cheered by the fans and media for his brutal, honest writings about baseball, he has angered his former friends and teammates for giving away too much information about what happens behind closed doors. Now an outcast journeyman across Major League Baseball, he has landed on the Texas Rangers and seeks to regain his old notoriety and status amongst baseball's best. To do so, he'll have to ally with the not-so-popular crowd, ignore his new horrendous and generic nickname, and attempt to take his sub par team to the playoffs, as he has in years past. Follow him through another crass and outrageous season in what critics are calling, "hands down, the best book you will ever read in your entire life."*New friends. Old enemies. Same Clutch.*No critic has said this

    Why does it get hot after a baseball game? Because all the fans leave! What do you call a baseball player who throws a tantrum? A baseball brat! Any baseball fan is sure to hit a home run with this fun collection of jokes.

    The Braves boasted a lineup packed with power and a pitching staff anchored by three aces. Four future Hall of Famers led the team to the National League pennant, and a fidgety right-hander pitched the Braves past the mighty Yankees in the World Series. Covering the Braves' magical season in remarkable detail, the author chronicles the winning streaks and the tough stretches, comments on the key transactions and costly injuries, and recalls the unforgettable players (such as Bob "Hurricane" Hazle) and the events (the Shoe Polish Incident) that have since become part of baseball lore.

    Busch purchased the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly four million dollars. His dream included not only the best players money could buy but a brand new Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis. The early sixties found Busch working on both, and by May 1966, when the new Busch Stadium was opened, the St. Louis Cardinals were on the cusp of greatness. A world championship would follow in 1967, and in 1968 the Cardinals battled the Tigers in a classic seven-game series, narrowly losing their bid for back-to-back titles. This volume looks back at the outstanding Cardinal teams of the 1967 and 1968 seasons. Beginning with the ownership shift in the early 1950s, it examines the events leading up to the opening of the new stadium and tracks the various player trades, policy changes and inside dealings of baseball that produced one of the era's great teams. The effects of Branch Rickey's farm system on both the franchise's success and the sport of baseball are discussed, as are the rumblings of labor trouble that would directly involve one of the Cardinals' own. An appendix contains detailed statistics from the 1967 and 1968 seasons. An index and period photographs are also included.

    Key features include: ? Reviews of how 2005 played out in each of baseball's six divisions ? An in-depth look at the minor leagues ? Detailed team stats and graphs ? Team-by-team individual hitting and fielding numbers ? A postseason and World Series round up

    With more than 350 Believe It or Nots inside its pages, and 50-plus original illustrations by Ripley's official cartoonist John Graziano, nearly half of the book is dedicated to the bizarre, colorful and entertaining universe of amusement parks, rides and attractions. The other half features chapters on the Walt Disney parks, roller coasters, Ferris wheels, carousels, entertainers and park food Nearly 100 different amusement and theme parks, waterparks, attractions, zoos and aquariums are represented in these colorful pages, not to mention the 14 pages packed with astounding roller coaster Believe It or Nots A comprehensive index permits readers to quickly discover the oddities of their favorite park.

    With special sections on the dream team by position and great moments in history, these are a read that can't be missed.

    From their beginning as the New York Highlanders, playing in Manhattan's Hilltop Park in 1903, to reigning over Major League Baseball as it entered a new millennium with the World Series championships in '96, '98, '99 and 2000, the Yankees represent a century of triumphs and defeats, legends and lore of America's favorite pastime. Personalities included are Mel Allen, Yogi Berra, Scott Brosius, Andy Carey, Chris Chambliss, Jerry Coleman, Don Larsen, and Bob Sheppard-as well as tributes to the greats-from Mickey Mantle to Don Mattingly, from Vic Raschi to Allie Reynolds, from Joltin' Joe DiMaggio to Derek Jeter.

    He is nevertheless a central figure--arguably the central figure--in our reconstructions of Negro Leagues history. This collection of papers from the 9th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference focuses on the celebrity of Satchel Paige and the team he is most closely associated with, the Kansas City Monarchs. Accounts of Paige's exploits are scrutinized and the effects of his fame, on both the contemporary perception of black baseball and its depiction in the years since, are discussed.

    Good books bear multiple readings, and not merely because our memories fail us; the desire to repeat a good reading experience can be its own powerful motivation. And for bibliophiles, books can also be works of art, physical objects with an aesthetic value all their own. This guide for the book-loving baseball fan is written by one of the most knowledgeable collectors in the country, author and editor Mike Shannon. Beginning with a history of baseball books and collecting, it also identifies the most sought-after titles and explains how to find them, what to pay, and how to maintain their condition.

    Growing up near a city with three major league teams, editor Eric Kroll lived and breathed the Giants at the Polo Grounds, the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, and the Brooklyn Bums (Dodgers) at Ebbets Field. ?What did Willie Mays do last night? How about the Duke? And the golden boy, Mickey Mantle? Was that a thunderous strikeout last night or what?? All this flavor and juice were captured on film by the premier sports photographer of this generation, Neil Leifer. Professional baseball for those two decades belongs to Neil. In 1960, at age 17, Neil had the human drive to match his new Nikon motor drive and he was on his way. With gumption and an eye for the decisive moment in baseball, the baby-faced kid from Manhattan's lower east side was soon selling his baseball photos to Sports Illustrated and later, wo