Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way


Cal Ripken Jr. - 2006
    Cal and Bill Ripken understand this like few others.From their father, Cal Sr., a legend in the Baltimore Orioles organization for 37 years, they learned to play the game the right way. Those lessons, paired with their combined 33 years of big league experience, helped develop the Ripken Way, a method of teaching the game through simple instruction, solid explanations, encouragement, and a positive atmosphere. In Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way, Cal and Bill share this approach to coaching and development.Whether you're teaching your children at home, managing the local travel team, or working with high school-level players, Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way will help you make a difference both on and off the field, with these features:More than 50 drills covering defense, hitting, pitching, and baserunningAge-specific practice plans for players ranging from 4 to 15+Strategies for setting goals and reasonable expectations for your players and teamAdvice on communicating with parents, players, and staffMethods for creating a positive and fun environment in which kids can learn the skills and strategies of the gameBill Ripken was once voted by his peers as one of the big league players most likely to become a manager. Cal Ripken, Jr., known as baseball's Iron Man, is a member of the game's All-Century Team and a future Hall of Famer. Together, they are proof positive that the Ripken Way is the right way to teach the game of baseball.

Saving Dr. Warren


Jeffery McKenna - 2020
    ✯ The American Revolution ✯ WWII ✯ 9-11 What About Today?How do we share Patriotism with America's Future?The novel Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot answers that question through the eyes of a 14 year old boy.Steve O'Dell loves to write and does it well. But as an eighth-grade student at Needham Middle School, his talent sometimes seems more an embarassment than a blessing.Then, on Veterans Day 2001, Steve's award-winning essay propels him into an adventure twisting through Revolutionary battles and bloodshed. Thanks to the bizarre bequest of a manuscript and a musket ball from a long-lost family war hero, Steve's journey with the Revolutionary War hero Dr. Joseph Warren begins.A time-traveling talisman missing from the archives of one of Boston's oldest historical societies takes Steve through portals of history, where he walks side by side with a real Boston patriot. He makes house calls with Dr. Warren on March 5, 1770 and stumbles onto the bloodstained streets of the Boston Massacre. From the killings of March 5, to boarding tea ships in 1773, Steve's history book explodes to life as he helps Dr. Warren and forges a friendship with Boston's True Patriot. Steve watches Dr. Warren launch Paul Revere on his midnight ride, and he helps Dr. Warren dodge British musket balls in the first battles of the War for Independence. With each adventure, Steve tastes the light that ignites The Revolution.Steve will eventually convince others that the Revolutionary relic he was given really does open portals through time, but he faces his most difficult quest alone-saving Dr. Warren from the onslaught at Bunker Hill. Can he do it? And if he fails, will he ever return to this century?Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot rips through the pages of history. From the Revolutionary War to the vanishing veterans of World War II, to the ashes of September 11, 2001, Saving Dr. Warren demonstrates to both old and young that patriotism, standing like an old oak tree on a grandfather's farm, has and will endure.★ ☆ ★ ☆Author's NoteI love Historical fiction; it is a wonderful tool for learning. Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot is a historical fiction novel written for younger readers and middle school teachers. Within these pages are resources that junior high school teachers can use to help their class explore the impact of September 11th, World War II and the beginnings of the American Revolution.Through historical fiction, the author is able to provide young readers a perspective on what it would be like to experience 9-11 and the War on Terror as a middle school student, allowing history to come alive.Combat stories as told by a United States Marine and Medal of Honor recipient give middle school teachers the opportunity to share with students the Battle of Okinawa and impress upon them the sacrifices made for freedom. The importance of Veterans Day is also impressed upon Steve, the teenage protagonist, as he learns about his great uncle's experience as a World War II Marine.Finally, Steve's experiences with Dr. Joseph Warren will propel middle school readers into the beginnings of the American Revolution. All Americans have heard of Paul Revere, but how many know that it was Dr. Warren who sent his best friend out on the famous midnight ride? Junior high school students and teachers can experience the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the battles of Lexington, Concord and Menotomy, as well as the Battle of Bunker Hill, through the lens of Dr. Joseph Warren, America's forgotten hero.Saving Dr. Warren...A True Patriot was written to help teachers connect with these important historical events, while providing a fun adventure through history for teenage readers.

Too Far


Mike Lupica - 2004
    Not even the death of the team's manager can dampen the enthusiasm for long, but then a kid on the high school paper begins to hear things-stories of brutalities at a team retreat, of hazing that went over the line . . . of murder. But no one wants to know, and at every step, the ranks close against him-the school, the parents, the police, the town fathers. Soon the threats begin, then the physical intimidation, and even after he recruits a fallen-from-grace city newsman named Ben Mitchell to help him, the incidents get uglier-and more dangerous. "You always kill for a big story," Mitchell tells him. "You don't get killed for one." But it may already be too late. Things may have gone too far. For years, such top thriller writers as Harlan Coben, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiaasen have praised Lupica for his tightly wound plots, rich characters, and dialogue "that is alone worth the price" (Leonard). Now Lupica joins their ranks. Too Far is a major novel of suspense-and a book that makes us all look in our own backyards.

Queenbreaker: Perseverance


Catherine McCarran - 2016
    No one in her family expects Mary to go far; she's the middle daughter, sharp-tongued, not the favorite, not pretty. But when her cousin, the new Queen of England, Anne Boleyn invites a Shelton daughter to serve her at court, Mary proves to her parents she's their best choice when she boldly spies on them. Mary needs her penchant for breaking the rules if she's to survive at court.Surrounded by girls desperate for the same prize: a grand marriage—Mary quickly outshines them all when she discovers her talent for flirtation and catches the eye of the reckless yet beguiling Lord John de Vere. Thrilled by his attentions, she falls headlong into a passionate game of Pass-the-Time that promises Mary the love she craves and the advancement her family desires. But Mary's dazzling success brings her dangerous enemies who scheme to ruin her life at court. Mary must win Queen Anne’s favor to escape their plots and win her future with Lord John. When Mary forgets that love at court is always a game, she finds herself used in a vicious revenge designed to destroy the most powerful noble in England. With her greatest enemy ready to reveal her worst secret, Mary has just one chance to save her herself from total ruin. It means lying to her family, deceiving Lord John, and defying the Queen. It’s the game Mary was born to play...if she dares.

A 30-Minute Instaread Summary the Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics


Instaread Summaries - 2014
    The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown - A 30-minute Instaread SummaryInside this Instaread Summary: - Overview of the entire book- Introduction to the important people in the book- Summary and analysis of all the chapters in the book- Key Takeaways of the book- A Reader's PerspectivePreview of this summary: Chapter OneIt was a gray October morning in Seattle during the fourth year of the Great Depression. One in every four Americans had no job and millions were homeless. At the University of Washington, freshmen Roger Morris and Joe Rantz registered for the rowing team at the shell house. Only nine of the 175 applicants would be chosen. Joe, who came from a modest home, wanted to be a chemical engineer and to marry his girlfriend. Most of all, he wanted to be on the rowing team.One of the men running the rowing tests was Tom Bolles, the freshman coach. He was in charge of teaching the basics of the sport of rowing. The other tester was Alvin Ulbrickson, head coach of the University of Washington's rowing program.In Germany, Adolf Hitler supervised renovations at the Olympic Stadium. He was initially weary of the idea of Berlin hosting the 1936 Olympics, but Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda, changed his mind. Goebbels job was to control the press in Germany to ensure that it always exalted the Nazi party. He believed hosting the Olympic Games would be an opportunity to not only promote the party within his own country, but throughout the world. He wanted the world to believe Germany was a powerful, civilized and friendly nation.Chapter TwoJoe and his brother, Fred, grew up in Spokane, Washington, where their father, Harry, owned an automobile manufacturing and repair shop. When Joe was four, his mother died of throat cancer. His father, overcome with grief, fled to Canada. Fred went to college. Joe was sent to live with his aunt Alma in Pennsylvania...About the AuthorWith Instaread Summaries, you can get the summary of a book in 30 minutes or less. We read every chapter, summarize and analyze it for your convenience.

The Lincoln Moon: A Historical Novel


Michael Price Nelson - 2020
    Told through the eyes of the defendant's nine year old brother, "The Lincoln Moon" is more than legal drama. It is a story of family, friends and acts of conscience in troubled times.

Defenseless


Amy Jarecki - 2021
    Help his team win a bowl game, 2. Ace his exams and, most importantly, 3. Women are completely, utterly, and irrevocably off-limits.Strait-laced accounting major, Vivian Ellis, hasn't watched a complete game of football in her life. And when she receives her tutoring assignment, the last student she expects is Cade. Not only has the football star earned a reputation as the best looking heart-breaker on campus, his recent trial has made him notorious.But Cade is done with his past and he wants to prove it. When his teammates invite him to a celebration in his honor, he asks Vi to come along to keep the party-girls at bay. Except when Vi shows up without her glasses, she's as sexy-hot as a runway model. Worse, his tutor is as off-limits as any woman can get. As the season continues, sparks fly while their chemistry darts from simmering to scorching. Until everything is blown to hell. Challenged by hateful rumors and a devastating injury, will these star-crossed lovers find the mettle to get back in the game?

Initiation


Phil M. Williams - 2016
    Carter Lynch didn’t care about the slogan, the prestige, or the tradition. He was an outsider, a foreign invader from a foreign land. The army brat transfer didn’t join the football team to make friends. He didn’t care about anything but taking a starting spot and earning a scholarship. He had what it took to be a star. He was focused, talented … violent. He was ready for the game. The initiation and the aftermath … that’s a different story. Adult language and content.

One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season


Chris Ballard - 2012
    . . . This isn't merely a book about baseball. It's a book about heart."--Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys WonIn 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois, playing with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hats, defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370 teams to represent the smallest school in Illinois history to make the state final, a distinction that still stands. There the Ironmen would play against a Chicago powerhouse in a dramatic game that would change their lives forever.In this gripping, cinematic narrative, Chris Ballard tells the story of the team and its coach, Lynn Sweet: a hippie, dreamer, and intellectual who arrived in Macon in 1966, bringing progressive ideas to a town stuck in the Eisenhower era. Beloved by students but not administration, Sweet reluctantly took over the ragtag team, intent on teaching the boys as much about life as baseball. Together they embarked on an improbable postseason run that buoyed a small town in desperate need of something to celebrate. Engaging and poignant, One Shot at Forever is a testament to the power of high school sports to shape the lives of those who play them, and it reminds us that there are few bonds more sacred than that among a coach, a team, and a town."Macon's run at the title reminds us why sports matter and why sportswriting has such great power to inspire. . . . [It's] one hell of a good story, and Ballard has written one hell of a good book." --Jonathan Eig, Chicago Tribune

Shattered: Struck Down, But Not Destroyed


Frank Pastore - 2010
    Frank Pastore was a physically awkward kid who became a professional athlete. An okay student who goes on to earn two masters degrees in philosophy. A former atheist who ends up hosting the biggest Christian radio talk show in America. Shattered is part sports book, because you'll go on road trips, enter clubhouses, and walk on the fields of professional baseball. It's part romantic novel, because you'll journey with two young kids who fall in love and eventually elope, evading not only her family, but the law as well--for she was only 16. It's also a story of brokenness, betrayal, and burn-out. If you were raised in a dysfunctional family, if you've ever had your dreams fall apart, been betrayed by close friends, or hit the psychological "wall" in your professional career, this is your book too. But, most of all, this is an uplifting story of how an unpredictable God can surprise any of us with His goodness and love when we allow Him to make beautiful the shattered fragments of our lives.

Suburban Junky: From Honor Roll to Heroin Addict


Jude Hassan - 2012
    Louis. For most of his life, he was an all-around normal kid. He excelled in sports and academics, and cherished his time at home with his family. It wasn’t until he turned fifteen that things went seriously wrong. While attending his first high school party, he was introduced to pot and alcohol. Needless to say, he gave in to the pressure. A month after that, he discovered heroin. The drug had just made its way into the suburban party scene, and Jude was sure that he could get away with doing it only once. He was sadly mistaken. Within a few short months, his entire life was in shambles. His fate appeared certain, but it was just the beginning.​In a series of events that leaves you grasping for the next page, Jude spares no amount of detail in his account of his near-decade long struggle with drug addiction, and the horrors he witnessed along the way.

The Setup and The Substitute: A Single Dad Sports Romance


Jiffy Kate - 2021
    

Baseball Prospectus 2017


Baseball Prospectus - 2017
    The 2017 edition of The New York Times Bestselling Guide.The 22nd edition of this industry-leading baseball annual contains all of the important regular and advanced statistics, player predictions and insider-level commentary that readers have come to expect, along with significant improvements to several statistics that were created by, and are exclusive to, Baseball Prospectus.Baseball Prospectus 2017 provides fantasy players and insiders alike with prescient PECOTA projections, which The New York Times called "the uberforecast of every player's performance."With forty-five Baseball Prospectus alumni currently working for major-league baseball teams, nearly every organization has sought the advice of current or former Prospectus analysts, and readers of Baseball Prospectus 2017 will understand what all those insiders have been raving about!

Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time


Ray Robinson - 1990
    ALS known today as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" robbed him of his physical skills at a relatively young age, and he died in 1941. Ray Robinson re-creates the life of this legendary ballplayer and also provides an insightful look at baseball, including all the great players of that era: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and more.

How Much It May Storm


A.N. Willis - 2020
    When she falls for a doomed soldier named Edward Gainsbury, she vows to save his life. But Millie soon finds the greatest danger is the one she cannot see.Colorado, 1943: With a brother gone to war, Dinah must learn how to fend for herself. She spends her days scouring the old mine for ore and her nights longing to escape her dying town. When Dinah sees a young soldier who looks just like Edward Gainsbury out in the snow—though he supposedly died in 1918—she follows him into the woods.Dinah is quickly drawn into the mysteries surrounding the Gainsbury family. Unexplained events begin to follow her wherever she goes—strange footsteps appearing in the snow, hands pressed to windows of buildings long abandoned. But what she discovers will force Dinah to confront the true history of her town and the darkness hiding inside those she least suspects.For fans of Wendy Webb, Simone St. James, and Jennifer McMahon—a chilling ghost story that spans two world wars, two brave young women, and the terrible secret that binds them.