He walks in the footsteps of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, and someday his shadow will loom just as large. Yet he has never been the best player in baseball. In fact, he hasn’t always been the best player on his team. But his intangible grace and Jordanesque ability to play big in the biggest of postseason moments make him the face of the modern Yankee dynasty, and of America’s game.In The Captain, best-selling author Ian O’Connor draws on extensive reporting and unique access to Jeter that has spanned some fifteen years to reveal how a biracial kid from Michigan became New York’s most beloved sports figure and the enduring symbol of the steroid-free athlete. O’Connor takes us behind the scenes of a legendary baseball life and career, from Jeter’s early struggles in the minor leagues, when homesickness and errors in the field threatened a stillborn career, to his heady days as a Yankee superstar and prince of the city who squired some of the world’s most beautiful women, to his tense battles with former best friend A-Rod. We also witness Jeter struggling to come to terms with his declining skills and the declining favor of the only organization he ever wanted to play for, leading to a contentious contract negotiation with the Yankees that left people wondering if Jeter might end his career in a uniform without pinstripes.Derek Jeter’s march toward the Hall of Fame has been dignified and certain, but behind that leadership and hero’s grace there are hidden struggles and complexities that have never been explored, until now. As Jeter closes in on 3,000 hits, a number no Yankee has ever touched, The Captain offers an incisive, exhilarating, and revealing new look at one of the game’s greatest players in the gloaming of his career.

    The anticipation, memories, and celebrated relief of the season when it finally came together are captured in this chronicle of the World Series season of the Giants. Written in entertaining prose, the book is as much an enjoyable story to be reread through the years as it is a factual account of the events that brought the elusive title to the Giants.

    Baseball, almost from the first moment Robinson saw it, was more than a sport. It was history, a nearly infinite ocean of information that begged to be organized. He realized that understanding the game, which he fell in love with as an adult, would never be possible just through watching games and reading articles. He turned his obsession into a dizzyingly entertaining collection of graphics that turned into an Internet sensation. Out of Robinson's Web site, www.flipflopflyball.com, grew this book, full of all-new, never-before-seen graphics. Flip Flop Fly Ball dives into the game's history, its rivalries and absurdities, its cities and ballparks, and brings them to life through 120 full-color graphics. Statistics-the sport's lingua franca-have never been more fun. (By the way, the answers: about 26,000 miles, at least if the team in question is the 2008 Kansas City Royals; 3,178 miles; they were the artists atop the Billboard Hot 100 when Ryan first and last appeared in MLB games.) Craig Robinson is, among other things, an Englishman and a New York Yankees fan with a soft spot for the Colorado Rockies and a man-crush on Ichiro. Last season he played outfield for the Prenzlauer Berg Piranhas in the Berlin Mixed Softball League (.452/.548/.575). His previous books include Atlas, Schmatlas: A Superior Atlas of the World and Fun Fun Fun.

    Baseball Prospectus 2011 brings together an elite group of analysts to provide the definitive look at the upcoming season in critical essays and commentary on the thirty teams, their managers, and more than sixty players and prospects from each team.Contains critical essays on each of the thirty teams and player comments for some sixty players for each of those teamsProjects each player's stats for the coming season using the groundbreaking PECOTA projection system, which has been called "perhaps the game's most accurate projection model" (Sports Illustrated)From Baseball Prospectus, America's leading provider of statistical analysis for baseballNow in its sixteenth edition, this New York Times bestselling insider's guide remains hands down the most authoritative and entertaining book of its kind.

    And even fewer who are as well respected as Bill White.Bill White, who's now in his mid 70s, was an All-Star first baseman for many years with the New York Giants, St.Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies before launching a stellar broadcasting career with the New York Yankees for 18 years. He left the broadcast booth to become the President of the National League for five years. A true pioneer as an African-American athlete, sportscaster, and top baseball executive, White has written his long-awaited autobiography in which he will be candid, open, and as always, most forthcoming about his life in baseball. Along the way, White shares never-before-told stories about his long working relationship with Phil Rizzutto, insights on George Steinbrenner, Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Bob Gibson, Bart Giamatti, Fay Vincent, and scores of other top baseball names and Hall of Famers. Best of all, White built his career on being outspoken, and the years fortunately have not mellowed him. UPPITY is a baseball memoir that baseball fans everywhere will be buzzing about.

    Rather than predicting batting average, for instance, this resource looks at the elements of skill that make up a given batter’s ability to distinguish between balls and strikes, his propensity to make contact with the ball, what happens when he makes contact and reverse engineer those skills back into batting average. The result is an unparalleled forecast of baseball skills and trends for the upcoming season and beyond.

    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.

    and on the verge of choking away a dream... when a mysterious man appears and offers coaching beyond the player s wildest imagination. As the drama unfolds you ll discover... How to make total confidence as easy as ABC The hidden Law right now governing your success in everything How to eliminate negative thoughts and feelings in 5 minutes or less What really causes you to under-perform... and how to fix it 5 simple steps to breaking through to the next level Dr. Tom Hanson is on the leading edge of sports psychology. His knowledge goes way beyond the conventional and traditional. His teachings have been extremely helpful, not only in my career, but in my life in general. Carlos Pena, First Baseman, Chicago Cubs

    From Spring Training to the stretch run through the playoffs and the World Series, all capped off by the epic ticker tape parade, this treasury of exclusive photos and stories transports Giants fans inside the action and behind the scenes, including on the team plane with the World Series champions and their covered trophy on the jubilant flight home.

    The 2010 Gamecock baseball team won six consecutive games over eight summer nights to take the College World Series and lay claim to the school's first major national championship. From dancing around in a dark locker room to singing "Silent Night"? on the team bus after every victory in Omaha, these Gamecocks were as fun-loving as they were talented. And they did it all in the name of one special boy, seven-year-old Bayler Teal. Bayler passed away before he could see his beloved Gamecocks triumph, but the team's victory is a tribute to their number one fan. Join the Post and Courier's Travis Haney as he recounts this incredible team's historic season.

    Born to a father of Italian descent and an African- American mother, Campanella wanted to be a ballplayer from childhood but was barred by color from the major leagues. He dropped out of school to play professional ball with the Negro Leagues’ Washington (later Baltimore) Elite Giants, where he honed his skills under Hall of Fame catcher Biz Mackey. Campy played eight years in the Negro Leagues until the major leagues integrated. Ironically, he and not Jackie Robinson might have been the player to integrate baseball, as Lanctot reveals. An early recruit to Branch Rickey’s “Great Experiment” with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Campy became the first African-American catcher in the twentieth century in the major leagues. As Lanctot discloses, Campanella and Robinson, pioneers of integration, had a contentious relationship, largely as a result of a dispute over postseason barnstorming.Campanella was a mainstay of the great Dodger teams that consistently contended for pennants in the late 1940s and 1950s. He was a three-time MVP, an outstanding defensive catcher, and a powerful offensive threat. But on a rainy January night in 1958, all that changed. On his way home from his liquor store in Harlem, Campy lost control of his car, hit a utility pole, and was paralyzed below the neck. Lanctot reveals how Campanella’s complicated personal life (he would marry three times) played a role in the accident. Campanella would now become another sort of pioneer, learning new techniques of physical therapy under the celebrated Dr. Howard Rusk at his Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. As he gradually recovered some limited motion, Campanella inspired other athletes and physically handicapped people everywhere.Based on interviews with dozens of people who knew Roy Campanella and diligent research into contemporary sources, Campy offers a three-dimensional portrait of this gifted athlete and remarkable man whose second life after baseball would prove as illustrious and courageous as his first.

    Using an alphabetical approach, the famous wordsmith paid entertaining tribute to 24 legends of the diamond, encapsulating each in just 4 clever lines. Creative Editions is proud to present this masterpiece to a new generation of fans, reintroducing icons from the formative years of professional baseball. The masterful mixed-media illustrations of C. F. Payne portray these heroes of summer in their athletic primes in this, the first-ever picture book publication of Nash s classic.

    Before the 27 World Series titles -- before Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Derek Jeter -- the Yankees were New York's shadow franchise. They hadn't won a championship, and they didn't even have their own field, renting the Polo Grounds from their cross-town rivals the New York Giants. In 1921 and 1922, they lost to the Giants when it mattered most: in October. But in 1923, the Yankees played their first season on their own field, the newly-built, state of the art baseball palace in the Bronx called "the Yankee Stadium." The stadium was a gamble, erected in relative outerborough obscurity, and Babe Ruth was coming off the most disappointing season of his career, a season that saw his struggles on and off the field threaten his standing as a bona fide superstar. It only took Ruth two at-bats to signal a new era. He stepped up to the plate in the 1923 season opener and cracked a home run to deep right field, the first homer in his park, and a sign of what lay ahead. It was the initial blow in a season that saw the new stadium christened "The House That Ruth Built," signaled the triumph of the power game, and established the Yankees as New York's -- and the sport's -- team to beat. From that first home run of 1923 to the storybook World Series matchup that pitted the Yankees against their nemesis from across the Harlem River -- one so acrimonious that John McGraw forced his Giants to get to the Bronx in uniform rather than suit up at the Stadium -- Robert Weintraub vividly illuminates the singular year that built a classic stadium, catalyzed a franchise, cemented Ruth's legend, and forever changed the sport of baseball.

    Never-before-told, behind the scenes stories about the great Chicago Cub Ron Santo, mixed with humor and fascinating facts, plus 24 pages of great photos.

    Did you know that the Baker Bowl in North Philadelphia had a short right field, and playing to that quirk allowed Phillies batters to capture 13 home-run titles in 21 years? Each stadium—from Boston's legendary Fenway Park to New York's Yankee Stadium to lesser-known fields all across the country—has its own dimensions and layout that have a major effect on players and the game itself. Teams play 81 games a year, and no two are exactly alike.500 Ballparks celebrates the uniqueness of our national pastime's parks, stadiums, and fields. There's Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York, where Hall of Fame games are played, and Howard J. Lamade stadium in Pennsylvania that hosts the Little League World Series. There are places long gone like Ebbets Field, former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and newly-built marvels like Nationals Park in Washington, DC. From the major to the minor leagues, each park is identified, discussed, and accompanied by stunning photographs or specially commissioned artwork.It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, but what does matter is where you play the game.

    Never before told, behind the scenes stories mixed with humor and fascinating facts, plus a whopping 24 pages of great photos make this book a must read for Cubs fans. The remembrances are all here, told by an all-star team of people. It is like sitting around Wrigley Field listening to Ron's friends reminiscing about the man we all loved. Ron Santo Jr., contributed the Foreword.

    The Jim Murray Reader gathers some of Murray’s best columns from the height of his career and showcases the wit and the style that won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1990. His inexhaustible talent and limitless range are on full display here: from the perplexities of tennis scoring (“a game in which love counts for nothing, deuces are wild, and the scoring system was invented by Lewis Carroll”) and baseball rules (“The infield fly rule is about as simple as calligraphy. It might as well be a Japanese naval code”) to Murray’s Laws (“The way to make a line move faster is to join the other one”) and many of his colorful profiles (“Richard Petty has climbed in more windows than 50 car thieves. . . . He wasn’t born, he was assembled and modified”). His striking images, evocative prose, and hyperbolic one-liners have made Murray one of the most quotable and most celebrated sports columnists of the twentieth century.

    Conlon created iconic images of baseball’s glorious heyday, taking about 30,000 photographs of the sport from 1904 to 1942. In The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon’s Golden Age Baseball Photographs, soulful, striking shots of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and hundreds of other major leaguers are paired with captions meticulously based on contemporary reports and quotes from the players themselves. In their own words, colorful characters spill the beans about famous scandals, divulge quirky characteristics, and tell little-known stories.In 1993, Abrams’ acclaimed Baseball’s Golden Age first celebrated Conlon’s photographs. Research in the Conlon Collection of the Sporting News later uncovered a cache of brilliant, rare photographs. Showcasing this windfall, the book—a must-have for baseball fans young and old—is the definitive collection of America’s best baseball photographer’s work, offering a moving depiction of past baseball greats.Praise for The Big Show:“With The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon’s Golden Age Baseball Photographs, edited by Neal and Constance McCabe, the photographer gets a well deserved day in the sun. The more than 200 portraits here capture the soul of the early game—whether the subjects be stars or . . . something less. The players have been long forgotten. Conlon’s photographs should not be.”—Sports Illustrated  “In 1993, [Neal and Constance McCabe] produced Baseball’s Golden Age: The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon (Abrams). The book was a revelation in black and white, a time machine to the era of wooden ballparks, legal spitballs and manual typewriters . . . Nearly two decades later, Neal and Constance McCabe have teamed on a worthy and riveting sequel titled The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon’s Golden Age of Baseball Photographs (Abrams). The book features more than 200 photos (this time digitally produced from the glass negatives), as well as Neal McCabe’s fascinating captions.”—Los Angeles Times “This beautifully rendered study from the McCabes—the brother/sister writing team who produced Baseball’s Golden Age—offers a superb range of photos and intelligent prose, covering the many forgotten men of baseball, as well as some giants.”—Publishers Weekly  “The captions by Neal and Constance McCabe are revelations in themselves.”—Washington Post “This is one beautiful baseball book.” —New York Post

    God given ability, leading man charisma, and an ego the size of Brooklyn. Yet throughout the course of his lifetime he threw away a potential Hall of Fame career, two marriages, and countless opportunities. Then one night, rock bottom hit him like a one hundred mile an hour fastball....the wrong place, the wrong car, and perhaps the last wrong turn of his life. Alone in a cold prison cell, the roar of Yankee Stadium a distant memory, Joe is visited by an apparition...a vision of a man who claims to know the path to redemption. They will embark on a wild ride through the peaks and valleys of Joe's life, in a last ditch attempt to right the wrongs. Along the way they will encounter the most serious threat to Joe's eternal existence...the greatest icon in the history of the game. A rivalry dating back sixty years has come full circle, and now each man has something to lose...in the battle for Joe Pepitone's soul.

    (And with it, her cheater ex, Zachary Murphy.) Maybe she'll finally be able to silence her snarky streak and concentrate on her lifelong dream - being recruited for Division One softball. But when Kylie arrives at her first softball practice of the season, she comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare: Amber McDonald, the best pitcher in the state. Now, Kylie's forced to warm the bench as Amber wows crowds again and again. With all the drama happening out on the softball diamond, Kylie finds herself drawn back to bad habits-sabotaging people and hanging out with a certain Zachary Murphy. . .Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 7/7/2011 Pages: 272 Reading Level: Age 10 and Up

    His dark mane, burly physique, and feral glare intimidate batters even before they face his wicked repertoire of pitches. Brian “Boo” Carter is barely hanging on to his spot in the Giants rotation. He wrestles with a lack of confidence, a nonexistent curve, and his feelings for Eileen Palmer—Sam’s girlfriend. Both pitchers are chasing dreams. Both pitchers are facing barriers made more formidable by their off-field pursuits. With the Giants season hanging in the balance, Sam and Boo must make decisions that will impact far more than their careers in baseball.

    He covered the move of the team from Kansas City that winter and observed the new owner – a Russian billionaire – signing the best players he could, including the reigning National League MVP, Bill Revere. Ancient rivals, observing the events from afar, note the new owner wants to upset the balance of power in the American League. But as the season progresses – even as early as Opening Day – Harry observes odd things happening in the Royals’ clubhouse. It comes to a head at the All-Star break, when Revere severely injures himself. He is carried off the field, and everyone thinks his season is over.Not so: Revere recovers, but his form has changed. He slumps and eventually breaks out of it, yet the story written that night changes both his and Harry’s lives: Harry notices something different with Revere in the clubhouse and dutifully reports his findings. Soon, Harry’s running for his life – but that does not quench his desire for wanting to know exactly what’s going on in that clubhouse.It all leads to a road trip like no other, which has Harry perfectly placed to write an expose that’s hard for any baseball fan to ignore.

    He also understands baseball, business, and the art of mentoring. Tom's multiple areas of expertise, and his willingness to share what he has learned, make Grounders a compelling and important book. But Tom offers us much more. He also knows how to deliver a pithy lesson and make it stick-in part by focusing on the essentials, in part by telling a good story.In Grounders, Tom combines the inspiring and entertaining story of a grand baseball journey with 33 essential lessons that all of us (yes, even those of us who are already very successful) can apply in our lives. He also demonstrates, over and over, the life-changing power of mentoring.-from the introduction by Tony Jeary

    Louis Cardinals had no chance to make the postseason - at least, that's what logic indicated. But by the end of October, they were hoisting the World Series trophy, celebrating the franchise's 11th world championship and its second in six years. All it took was a historic comeback in September, in which the Redbirds rallied from an 8.5-game deficit in the Wild Card race, and an incredible run through the postseason to do it.On the backs of Cardinals mainstays Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter, as well as more recent arrivals like Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, St. Louis took out the heavily favored Phillies in the National League Division Series before outclassing the division-rival Brewers and overmatching the American League champion Texas Rangers.The Year of the St. Louis Cardinals: Celebrating the 2011 World Series Champions commemorates the Cardinals' thrilling 2011 season, detailing their rise to the top, including a recap of every postseason game they played, regular-season highlights, team history, insider stories, stats and more than 200 photographs. As the only official Major League Baseball World Series championship book, this keepsake is a must-have for any fan of the Cardinals or baseball.

    As the American national pastime, it has reflected the political and cultural concerns of US society for over 200 years, and generates passions and loyalties unique in American society. This Companion examines baseball in culture, baseball as culture, and the game's global identity. Contributors contrast baseball's massive, big-business present with its romanticized origins and its evolution against the backdrop of American and world history. The chapters cover topics such as baseball in the movies, baseball and mass media, and baseball in Japan and Latin America. Between the chapters are vivid profiles of iconic characters including Babe Ruth, Ichiro and Walter O'Malley. Crucial moments in baseball history are revisited, ranging from the 1919 Black Sox gambling scandal to recent controversies over steroid use. A unique book for fans and scholars alike, this Companion explains the enduring importance of baseball in America and beyond. Read Leonard Cassuto's article 'Baseball and the Business of American Innocence' in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

    It contains crucial information such as important dates, player nicknames, memorable moments, singular achievements, and signature calls. This guide to all things San Francisco Giants covers Willie May's basket catch, the year the Giants finished the season with a .319 team average, and the 1963 Marichal-Spahn matchup.

    He is also the winner of more National Coach of the Year awards than any other college coach. Garrido’s former teams at Cal State Fullerton and, more recently, at the University of Texas together have compiled a total of five College World Series championships under his leadership. But despite his unmatched record as a winner, Coach Garrido is not a win-at-all-costs coach. He teaches his players to focus on developing character, being good teammates, mastering all facets of the game, and playing with joy in the moment rather than focusing on the scoreboard. Augie teaches that the challenges faced in the batter’s box or on the pitcher’s mound are universal—and that the lessons learned on the diamond are applicable off the field, too. Life Is Yours to Win follows the coach’s journey of self-discovery and his evolution from being driven by fear to being motivated by passion. His unique and compelling book offers this revered leader’s philosophy on life and his thoughtful approach to helping young men understand both who they are and how they can be successful in their work, their relationships, and their communities. Every individual will find advice worth following including: •BE A PLAYER, NOT A PROSPECT—If you want to be considered a star in your field, whatever that may be, you need to be fully engaged. Augie once had his Labrador retriever demonstrate the joy of play to a team that needed a reminder of why they loved baseball as children. •STEP UP, SUPERMAN—Augie stages a costumed Superhero Scrimmage each Halloween to remind his players that their inner superhero is just waiting for the perfect moment when preparation meets opportunity, potential is fulfilled, and destiny is realized. •THE FEARLESS FIELD—To be successful in the often cruel game of baseball, players must master fear and other emotions so they are energized rather than paralyzed. Augie once rented a hearse and placed a casket on the pitcher’s mound to help a slumping Cal State Fullerton team bury their fears and put losses behind them. •BUDDHA AT BAT—Bunting and other “small ball” skills are not as glorified as home runs and big plays, but Coach Garrido’s teams are known for putting players in scoring position and winning games by following a Zen-like philosophy of claiming small victories during each at bat, in each inning that add up to winning records. Augie’s coaching methods are unconventional, but his creativity and wry humor provide masterful life lessons. His insights will help you both on and off the field by providing fresh approaches to conquering fears, living with joy and passion in each moment, establishing personal principles, and appreciating the value of both losing and winning. This is a book by a beloved college coach but it is packed with Major League insights and anecdotes featuring many of baseball’s greatest players and most inspiring spirits. Life Is Yours to Win will appeal to anyone who appreciates the wisdom of a proven winner in sports and in life.

    The book is even shaped like a baseball jersey and features the home game jersey as the cover.

    Since 1949, the Louisville Slugger company has presented the man with the highest batting average at season's end with the Silver Bat Award, a regulation-sized metal bat plated in sterling silver with the winner's name and average engraved upon it. Throughout the years, heated battles for the Silver Bat Award have featured unusual machinations by players, managers, and entire teams, including allegations of cheating, bribery, deliberate misplays, and questionable strategies, and, in one especially bitter campaign, charges of racism. Here are the stories behind these races.

    Possessed of a brilliant baseball mind, capable of analyzing talent and pulling off great trades, Rickey acted as the driving force behind two of the game's historic advances: the development of the farm system and the end of the sport's segregation, achieved with the Brooklyn Dodgers' signing of Jackie Robinson. In 1965, the final year of his life, baseball's elder statesman published these warm, insightful reflections on a game he knew intimately for more than 60 years.Rickey collaborated with noted sports artist and photographer Robert Riger to present a magnificently illustrated perspective on our national pastime. From the Little Leagues to the Big Show, he evokes the season's thrills and drama: spring training and opening day, the clubhouse and the fans, the best players and his personal picks for the greatest team of all time, and much more. Rickey offers memorable observations on life as well as the game and its players, embodied by the immortal quip, "Luck is the residue of design."

    That knowledge, along with insights and vignettes rarely, if ever, revealed, spills out of his colorful autobiography, Thou Shalt Not Steal: The Baseball Life and Times of a Rifle-Armed Negro League Catcher, co-authored with award-winning journalist Al Hunter Jr. Thou Shalt Not Steal percolates with the thrills, challenges, heartbreaks, successes, and racism Cash endured in his baseball career -- including stints in Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Venezuela - and as a black man living in America.And he recalls in painful detail the controversial play at home plate in 1946 involving the Newark Eagles' Larry Doby (who later became the first black to play in the American League). That was when Cash, frustrated at the blown call, accidentally smacked the white umpire -- and nearly started a riot in Ruppert Stadium. Some say that play blackballed Cash and kept him from making it to the majors. "Shoot, as bad as that call was," Cash writes, "I should've stomped him."Funny, charming, poignant, and significantly honest, Thou Shalt Not Steal is as much a history of the game as it is a record of the plight of African Americans in the 20th century. Where some books about the Negro Leagues take a wide-angle view of the league's history and focus on its superstars, Thou Shalt Not Steal focuses on the experiences of one man - Bill "Ready" Cash - so the reader develops a deep appreciation not only for Cash, but for the lives of other players, who, like him, were the backbone of the league.Whether it evokes pride or outrage, empathy or profound respect, Thou Shalt Not Steal will fascinate all who open its pages. Sadly Cash, who started his autobiography when he was seventy-nine years old, died Sept. 12, 2011, just three months before it was published. He was ninety-two.

    Three sections (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) enhance and build upon those skills.Lots of tips, based on questions which come up most often at scorekeeping clinics.About the Author: S L Schell, a former member of the National Association of Scorers, has kept score for baseball and softball leagues for over thirty years, from sandlot baseball to state tournaments.The author has taught hundreds of individuals in scorekeeping clinics for multiple city leagues, worked on rules committees, and was responsible for editing a scoresheet convention used by three different leagues. Official scorekeeper for Washington State tournament the year that Kirkland, Washington, USA won the Little League® World Series.

    It tells the story of how they overcame difficult challenges and, through the force of their will and determination, became more than just athletes—they became honest-to-goodness heroes. Written with style and sophistication by David H. Martinez, the critically praised author of “The Book of Baseball Literacy” (now in its 3rd edition and available as a Kindle ebook), this short ebook is aimed at young readers who are just learning about baseball history and want to find out about two of its most significant figures. It is also perfect for parents who want to read to their children about players who exemplify what it means to persevere, show courage, and achieve a greater purpose.The two stories are about 2,500 words each and can be read in just one sitting. They are not complete biographies. Rather, they are biographical sketches that provide details about how Robinson and Clemente turned themselves into superstars, led their teams to the heights of victory, and earned the respect of fellow players, fans, and sportswriters everywhere.If you’re interested in learning about these two remarkable men, “True Heroes of Baseball” is the perfect place to start.

    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.

    Admired for his leadership, performance under pressure, and work ethic, Jeter is the face of the New York Yankees. He is also a quintessentially modern star, appealing to baseball's diverse audience, savvy about dealing with the press, and publicly enjoying the fruits of his celebrity. Derek Jeter draws upon more than 5,000 news articles and features from the New York Times by the paper's superb sports reporters and columnists, including Dave Anderson, Jack Curry, Buster Olney, and George Vecsey, as well as Tyler Kepner, who has written the introduction. This book is filled with entertaining stories, penetrating insights, and colorful voices: not only Jeter himself, but also George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, Alex Rodriguez, and a host of players, past and present. In words and photographs, it covers Jeter's rise, his style of play, his best moments on (and off) the field, his character as a teammate and a leader, and his place in Yankee history. Praise for Derek Jeter:"If you're a fan of Derek Jeter, the Yankees, and/or baseball history, BUY THIS BOOK!" -Bleacher Report

    He has enriched SIs readers with an insiders perspective on the game, examining subtle shifts in the ever-changing balance between pitchers and hitters, between slumps and streaks, between sacred records and the athletes trying to break them. Despite his deep affection for baseball, however, Verducci has never shied away from the hard truth about the game: his landmark piece about steroids, for instance, changed the baseball landscape forever.These 25 pieces span the generationsfrom Sandy Koufax to Roger Clemens, from Ted Williams to Barry Bonds.They chronicle the important trends in the game and celebrate baseballs brightest stars and most breathtaking performances.They are the best work of a writer at the top of his game.

    Topics include: equipment, techniques and strategies, competitive events, playing amateur and going professional. Brief biographies of significant contributors to the sport. Glossary, Additional Resources and Index included.

    While debunking long-held myths, Thorn introduces kids to the first games, first fields, and first leagues. He also shows how the game of yesteryear connects to the game kids love to play and watch today. Featured in the book is the story of his personal discovery of the oldest reference to the sport in American history, a 1791 Massachusetts ordinance banning "Base Ball."

    You cannot find a more comprehensive resource out there, and the competition makes readers wait until months after the season ends to release their guides. Some of the key features include: The Fielding Bible Awards, Pitcher Projections, Base Running Analysis, Hitter Projections, Team Efficiency Summary, Player Win Shares.

    Then baseball stadiums became soulless but practical concrete behemoths. Today, they are a fascinating combination of the two: big but quirky, high-tech but homey. Readers can trace this fascinating history through the lavishly illustrated, deeply detailed pages of Ballparks, Yesterday & Today.Five extensive chapters take readers from the earliest makeshift ballfields o the corporate-sponsored architectural marvels of today, like Target Field in Minneapolis, the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and Citi Field in Queens, New York. Multiple photos, illustrations, and all manner of memorabilia festoon nearly every one of the book's 160 pages. Here is a brief look at each of the chapters: Early Ballparks 1870-1900. Includes photos of the original Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Boston's South End Grounds, and Union Park in Baltimore. The Golden Age 1901-1932. The Polo Grounds, Tiger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and dozens more, all fully detailed. Early Expansion 1933-1966. Candlestick Park, Dodger Stadium, the Houston Astrodome (dubbed "The Eighth Wonder of the World"), and many more. The Modern Age 1966-1988. The era of cookie-cutter stadiums and their final manifestations, like the Kingdome and the Metrodome. The Second Golden Age 1989-Today. Jacobs Field, Great American Ballpark, the new Busch Stadium, Petco Park, Citi Field, Target Field, Comerica Park, and more. Read Ballparks, Yesterday & Today and realize that our experience of the great American pastime is deeply influenced by the ballparks we have watched it in.

    It was the quiet beginning to the most resonant baseball achievement of all time. Starting that day, the vaunted Yankee centerfielder kept on hitting-at least one hit in game after game after game.In the summer of 1941, as Nazi forces moved relentlessly across Europe and young American men were drafted by the millions, it seemed only a matter of time before the U.S. went to war. The nation was apprehensive. Yet for two months in that tense summer, America was captivated by DiMaggio's astonishing hitting streak. In 56, Kostya Kennedy tells the remarkable story of how the streak found its way into countless lives, from the Italian kitchens of Newark to the playgrounds of Queens to the San Francisco streets of North Beach; from the Oval Office of FDR to the Upper West Side apartment where Joe's first wife, Dorothy, the movie starlet, was expecting a child. In this crisp, evocative narrative Joe DiMaggio emerges in a previously unseen light, a 26-year-old on the cusp of becoming an icon. He comes alive-a driven ballplayer, a mercurial star and a conflicted husband-as the tension and the scrutiny upon him build with each passing day.DiMaggio's achievement lives on as the greatest of sports records. Alongside the story of DiMaggio's dramatic quest, Kennedy deftly examines the peculiar nature of hitting streaks and with an incisive, modern-day perspective gets inside the number itself, as its sheer improbability heightens both the math and the magic of 56 games in a row.

    "The history of the Washington Nationals professional baseball team from its inaugural 1969 season as the Montreal Expos to today, spotlighting the team's greatest players and most memorable moments"--Provided by publisher.