Tim Hudson was determined to demonstrate his recovery from a recurring injury. Barry Zito had to show the world that after a ho-hum 2003, his 2002 Cy Young Award was not a fluke. Mark Mulder missed the 203 playoffs entirely with a stress fracture, but the way he saw it, he simply needed to be himself-the natural-born pitcher.Given unprecedented access to the Big Three , Mychael Urban recreates their tumultuous season through their eyes. he explores the nuts and bolts of major league pitching, examining each player's unique approach to this craft while revealing how three very different personalities cope with the demands, rewards, and challenges of sports stardom.Now with a new afterword on the 2005 seasonUrban traces the fortunes of the Big Three after Hudson was sent to Atlanta and Mulder to St. Louis, trades which held the dramatic promise of them being reunited again-as opponents-in the playoffs."Written with great color, style, humor, and grace, Aces takes readers on a captivating ride." - Mike Silver, Sports Illustrated"Mychael Urban's book is a fabulous read... This is hardly just a baseball book. It's about life, and he tremendous burden each pitcher carried while trying to lead the Oakland A's to the playoffs. I absolutely loved it." - Bob Nightengale, Senor Writer/Columnist, USA Today Sports Weekly"From the southern fried heat of Tim Hudson to Mark Mulder's cool aloofness to Barry Zito's cerebral wanderings, Urban captures the engine of Oakland's Little Engine That Could of a team with grace and aplomb." - Scott Miller, National Baseball Columnist, CBS.SportsLine.com

    Summer's last hurrah. For nine-year-old Eddie Gilmarten and his mother, who have fled to his aunt's home in the Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, Aunt Gene's isolated rural property is the perfect place to escape an alcoholic father. There are caves to explore and sprawling wooded hills to play upon, but all is not fine in this idyllic country setting. Eddie and his Ma aren't the only souls who have sought sanctuary on his aunt's sprawling property, although they might be the only innocents who have done so. There is a dark entity at large, one that might or might not be a figment of Eddie's fertile imagination, and a man of secrets with a twisted mind and a terrible appetite for innocence. Yet, even in the midst of pain there is hope, and valor may sometimes be found in the hearts of the wicked. For Frank O'Keefe-- the bank robber known as "the Fox"-- Eddie and his mother might not just be his only chance for survival... They might also be the only chance for his soul's redemption. Indian Summer is the latest novel by the indie best selling author of The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All and Mort. This novel contains adult situations, language and violence. It may not be suitable for younger readers. Approx. 80,000 words. Released June 2011 by Cobra Ebooks.

    After being fired from his job as the clandestine stooge on hit TV show Ghostbusters UK, Elliott returns home to find his girlfriend missing. To make matters worse, Hapkido Valentine, the legendary 1980s wrestler, has returned from the dead and taken up residency in Elliott’s flat. Despite a voracious appetite for sausage sandwiches, Hapkido is convinced he has finally become the mystical Japanese warrior he once portrayed in the ring.Together they must undertake a dangerous journey to find out why the Universe created this most unlikely of partnerships. All that stands in their way is a medallion wearing TV psychic, a train-spotting assassin and the murderous intentions of the local over 75’s women’s group. If Elliott thought the day started badly, things are about to get a whole lot worse.

    As a symbol of the Self, the mandala provides a connection to our innermost being. The forty-eight drawings presented here for coloring include designs inspired by forms of nature, Native American and Tibetan sand paintings, Hindu yantras, Turkish mosaics, the illuminations of Hildegarde of Bingen, and the art of M.C. Escher. These mandalas are organized according to the Great Round of Mandala, a scheme of twelve archetypal stages that represents a complete cycle of personal growth. Thus, to do the coloring book from start to finish will carry the reader through a balanced experience of change, guided by the accompanying text.

    . .Years of long workdays and little sleep as a political campaigner are about to pay off now that Lucy Toomey's boss is entering the White House. But when her estranged older sister, Alice, unexpectedly dies, Lucy is drawn back to Nilson's Bay, her small, close-knit, Wisconsin hometown. An accident in her teens left Alice mentally impaired, and she was content to stay in Nilson's Bay. Lucy, meanwhile, got out and never looked back. But now, to meet the terms of Alice's eccentric will, Lucy has taken up temporary residence in her sister's cottage--and begins to see the town, and Alice's life, anew. Alice's diverse group of friends appears to have little in common besides an interest in quilting. Yet deep affection for Alice united them and soon Lucy, too, is brought into the fold as they share problems and stories. And as she finds warmth and support in this new circle, Lucy begins to understand this will be her sister's enduring gift--a chance to move beyond her difficult past, and find what she has long been missing. . .

    A comprehensive celebration of girlhood, this title presents a compendium of knowledge, recipes, dastardly tricks, beauty ideas, handicrafts, stories, and activities for girls of all ages.

    Vintage Quilt Revival helps you utilize traditional quilt blocks with contemporary colors and fabrics to create pieces that could rightly be a part of the "traditional made modern" movement. In this book, you'll find: 22 quilting projects, including 19 traditional quilt blocks, and ranging from fullsize quilts to a pillow, table runner, bag, and zipper pouch Hints and modifications for adding a fresh twist to vintage designs A touch of quilting history that adds context to the included projects Use of a variety of quilting techniques, including piecing, blasting, quilting, and binding With Vintage Quilt Revival , there's no need to give up your love for traditional quilting stylesjust bring in a bit of modern flair

    Eliot’s The Waste Land, Pablo Neruda’s Residencia en la tierra, and Federico Garcia Lorca’s Poeta en Nueva York. It marks a major departure from the light-hearted tone of the poet's earlier verse, which was notably influence by Andalusian folksong. It is at once intensely imaginative and intimately realistic, a lyrical illumination of the poet’s “dark night of the soul.”Rafael Alberti, born in 1902, is the last surviving member of the so-called Generation of 1927 that included such notable Spanish poets Federico García Lorca, Vincente Alexandre, Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillen, and Luis Cernuda.Christopher Sawyer-Laucanno lives in Massachusetts and teaches in the program in Writing and Humanistic Studies at MIT.

    Inevitably, as they set off on the journey back to Nottingham the lawmen's disgust at the captive's crime colours their opinion of him and Little John has to be restrained from brutally assaulting the man. The harsh winter conditions slow their progress though, and eventually the prisoner's protestations and desperate violent actions have the lawmen questioning what's really been happening in Stapleford...Can Robin and John complete the mission they've been given, or will their own innate sense of justice lead them down an unexpected path?Fans of the bestselling Forest Lord series will love this exciting new stand-alone tale, set just before Blood of the Wolf, that explores the themes of morality and justice in medieval England.

    Thus CHACHA CHAUDHARY was born in 1971.Tall and robust SABU, who is an inhabitant of planet Jupiter, gave Chaudhary an ideal company. A combination of wisdom and strength was formed to tackle any difficult task. It is said that " Chacha Chaudhary's brain works faster than a computer". Though both fight the criminals and tricksters, each episode ends with a touch of humour. The duo perform in lighter vein. The CHAUDHARY family consists of his wife Bini, a fat sharp tongue woman, Sabu, Rocket - the dog and Dag- Dag, an old truck who is half human- half machine. Chacha Chaudhary is the most popular Indian comics. More than 10 million readers enjoy this series regularly in newspapers and comic books in ten languages. A T.V. serial based on the comics has crossed 500 episodes and still continue to be telecast on premier channel "Sahara ONE".

    Apart from this, many a times each state of each nation has role models from the past but not forgotten history. Maharashtra has its own idols. The greatest and most loved of them all is shivaji maharaj.

    But when a skirmish with pirates grows into something more, he finds himself caught up in a series of escalating events that lead him into the mighty Aggadeh Empire, pursued by a murderous pirate hellbent on revenge and possibly connected to the nobility of the empire, joined by two companions of dubious trustworthiness, and a young dragon focused on obtaining the mindstone in Nem's possession.

    Why knit one sock and then start all over again to make a match? Instead, knit two socks "at the same time" on two circular needles! With this creative approach, you can slip a sock on each foot as soon as you bind off.Get off to a great start with one basic sock pattern; then experiment with seven more designsMake cuffs, feet, and toes match exactly from sock to sock; no more measuring as you goDiscover how easy it is to convert any sock pattern for double-pointed needles to this ingenious method

    With the simple act of an embrace, two people can be joined together in such an intense bond that words no longer serve a purpose. The cuddle says it all.The Cuddle Sutra is an all-encompassing resource for the act of cuddling, filled with detailed descriptions and illustrations of all the ways to express affection, whether you're in the privacy of your own bedroom or walking down Main Street.Includes 50 cuddle positions, fully illustrated, for such locales as:--Snuggling in the bedroom--Kanoodling on the couch--Hand-Dancing--Enchanting EmbracesAnd much, much more!

    Mega’s tired of playing games and there’s a new chick in his life, but there’s something about Taysia that he just can’t seem to shake. Will they finally let go and throw in the towel? Or is their love for one another strong enough for a happily ever after?