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Six Good Innings: How One Small Town Became a Little League Giant
Par Mark Kreidler. 2008
In the tradition of Friday Night Lights comes an unforgettable portrait of a small New Jersey town that became known…
throughout the world for the remarkable exploits of its Little League stars.Summertime in Toms River means two things: tourists and champions. The tourists head for the beaches; the 12-year-old Little League champions can be found on the baseball diamonds, where they win titles at the local, regional, and international levels.The Toms River dynasty began in the 1990s, when the team made it to the Little League World Series three times in five years and brought home a historic world championship victory in 1998. But with each passing summer in Toms River comes renewed pressure, as the latest collection of All-Stars strives to leave its mark on the town's imposing baseball legacy.In Six Good Innings, acclaimed sportswriter Mark Kreidler deftly illuminates the sometimes tense relationship between Toms River and the team that carries the town's hopes and dreams. Following the most recent juggernaut through one tumultuous All-Star season, Kreidler chronicles how the coach, John Puleo, works to strike a balance between healthy competition and bloodless ambition, and how the players themselves reckon with their own fleeting fame as they tumble headlong into adolescence.Puleo, a man with a gift for inspiring young athletes, commands a team whose recent string of successes has led to speculation that this might be the squad to extend the Toms River tradition of reaching Williamsport, site of the Little League World Series. But along the path to glory, Puleo's players will deal with unexpected injuries, a brutally difficult schedule of games, and the daunting knowledge that they have been identified throughout their region—and within the neighborhood blocks of their own baseball-crazy town—as the team to beat.With deep empathy, incisive reporting, and intimate access, Kreidler weaves the stories of the coaches, the parents, the fans, and the true boys of summer into a memorable tableau.Me and My Dad: A Baseball Memoir
Par Paul O'Neill, Burton Rocks. 2003
Paul O'Neill was the undisputed heart and soul of the four-time World Series-winning New York Yankees from 1993 to 2001.…
O'Neill epitomized the team's motto of hard work and good sportsmanship, traits instilled in him by his friend, confidant, lifelong model, and biggest fan: his dad, Chick O'Neill.In Me and My Dad, O'Neill writes from the heart about the man who inspired in him a love for the game and a determination to always play his best. O'Neill remembers the highlights of his own amazing career: the Cincinnati Reds calling him up to the majors, his first World Series, being traded to the Yankees -- and taking part in their recent championship wins. He also reflects on his father's untimely death during the 1999 World Series and on the farewell tribute his fans gave him during his last game in Yankee Stadium.Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America: Hank Aaron and the Pursuit of a Dream
Par Tom Stanton. 2004
Baseball has witnessed more than 125,000 home runs. Many have altered the outcome of games, and some have decided pennants…
and become legend. But no dinger has had greater impact than Hank Aaron's 715th home run. His historic blast on April 8, 1974, lifted him above Babe Ruth on the all-time list, an achievement that shook not only baseball but our nation itself. Aaron's magnificent feat provoked bigotry and shattered prejudice, inspired a generation, emboldened a flagging civil rights movement, and called forth the demons that haunted Aaron's every step and turned what should have been a joyous pursuit into a hellish nightmare.In this powerful recollection, Tom Stanton penetrates the myth of Aaron's chase and uncovers the compelling story behind the most consequential athletic achievement of the past fifty years. Three decades after Hank Aaron reached the pinnacle of the national pastime, and now as Barry Bonds makes history of his own, Stanton unfolds a tale rich with drama, poignancy, and suspense to bring to life the elusive spirit of an American hero.The Worst Call Ever!: The Most Infamous Calls Ever Blown by Referees, Umpires, and Other Blind Officials
Par Kyle Garlett, Patrick O'Neal. 2007
In any sport, whenever an official takes the field, court, ice, ring, or pitch, they do so with a bright…
red bull's-eye on their backs. For even with their great accuracy and passion for the game, they do make errors—occasionally, great big fat ones—that change the tide of sports history.In The Worst Call Ever, keepers of truth and enlightenment, sportswriters Kyle Garlett and Patrick O'Neal, expose the most injurious mistakes and desecrations, document their lasting damage—which to some wronged parties has evolved into a condition akin to post-traumatic stress disorder—and hopefully become the soothing balm of reconciliation.Each piece details the play in question and examines the players and stakes involved, the scope of the injustice, and the path of change that was often its result. Garlett and O'Neal cover mishaps in all sports, from the four Major Leagues to golf and auto racing to even curling, in this fascinating look at the worst calls in sports history.Giants Past & Present
Par Dan Fost. 2011
With a history that straddles two coasts and more than a century of winning, the Giants baseball club stands out…
as one of the great franchises of professional sports. The 2010 World Series championship—the franchise’s first since moving to San Francisco more than 50 years ago—provided the ultimate high for a team steeped in history and tradition.The Giants organization boasts more Hall of Fame inductees than any other baseball team, as well as 21 National League pennants gathered over nine different decades. From McGraw and Mathewson to Mays and Marichal, Hubbell and Ott to Lincecum and Posey, the Giants have been bringing excitement and drama to the diamond for generations.Giants Past & Present goes around the horn to celebrate the legends at each position on the field—from the little-remembered stars of the nineteenth century to the heroes of tomorrow—and visits the memorable and distinctive ballparks that have housed the team on two ends of the continent. The book presents the players, the dugout and front-office wizards, the voices from the broadcast booth, the hard-luck heroes, and the myriad rites of spring that keep fans coming back year after year.Year of the Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball's Golden Age
Par Sridhar Pappu. 2017
The story of the remarkable 1968 baseball season. &“Seldom does an era, and do sports personalities, come alive so vividly,…
and so unforgettably.&” —The Boston Globe In 1968, two remarkable pitchers would dominate the game as well as the broadsheets. One was black, the other white. Bob Gibson, together with the St. Louis Cardinals, embodied an entire generation&’s hope for integration at a heated moment in American history. Denny McLain, his adversary, was a crass self-promoter who eschewed the team charter and his Detroit Tigers teammates to zip cross-country in his own plane. For one season, the nation watched as these two men and their teams swept their respective league championships to meet at the World Series. Gibson set a major league record that year with a 1.12 ERA. McLain won more than 30 games in 1968, a feat not achieved since 1934 and untouched since. Together, the two have come to stand as iconic symbols, giving the fans &“The Year of the Pitcher&” and changing the game. Evoking a nostalgic season and its incredible characters, this is the story of one of the great rivalries in sports and an indelible portrait of the national pastime during a turbulent year—and the two men who electrified fans from all walks of life. &“Explores so much more than the battle between two pitchers and their teams . . . A fine history of a vital period in the history of not only baseball, but America.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“A compelling tale of all that America was in the turbulent year of 1968, told through a (mostly) baseball prism.&” —New York PostReversing the Curse: Inside the 2004 Boston Red Sox
Par Dan Shaughnessy. 2006
&“A true insider&’s perspective on the 2004 Red Sox&” and their World Series win, from the bestselling author of Curse…
of the Bambino (USA Today). On October 27, 2004, the Red Sox won their first World Series Championship in eighty-six years—breaking the infamous Curse of the Bambino and giving diehard fans the thrill of a lifetime. Reversing the Curse preserves one of the greatest stories in sports history with an absorbing account of the team—a raggedy lineup of motorcycle-riding, whiskey-drinking rogues—and the key events that led to their incredible championship victory. A more epic sports saga could not have been invented: Here we have the curse that began with Babe Ruth; a team of comeback kids determined to prove their mettle; the perennial rivalry against the Yankees; and a historic win that was celebrated around the world. Dan Shaughnessy captures the Sox triumph in all its drama and euphoria with penetrating insight, a keen sense of history, and unparalleled insider access. With photographs by the Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Stan Grossfeld, Reversing the Curse is the definitive record of a landmark moment in baseball history. &“[Shaughnessy is] adept at capturing the mood, the emotion, the palpable feel of the Boston-New York showdown.&” —The New York Times &“In story after story of near-triumph, the book should delight the team&’s most fanatically loyal followers.&” —Publishers WeeklyThe Boston Globe Story of the Red Sox: More Than a Century of Championships, Challenges, and Characters
Par The Boston Globe, Chad Finn. 2023
Experience the illustrious and passionate history of the Boston Red Sox, one of the most storied franchises in baseball, as…
it happened through the articles, features, and lens of their hometown and national news outlet, The Boston Globe. The Boston Red Sox are the most winning baseball team in the 21st century with four World Series titles, and they're not slowing down any time soon. Two of the most prominent organizations in Boston, The Boston Globe and the Boston Red Sox, combine to share a tour de force history of the heralded baseball franchise from the very beginning in 1901, when they were known as the Boston Americans. The Boston Globe Story of the Red Sox includes more than 300 articles chronicling the team's rich history as told through the best sports writing and coverage from the beloved Globe reporters, led by veteran sports columnist and an EPPY Award finalist Chad Finn. Relive some of the biggest moments in franchise history, such as their first baseball title ever in 1901, Carlton Fisk's wave home run in 1975, David Ortiz's postseason heroics, and the most dominant Red Sox team ever in 2018. With a foreword from beloved former Sox pitcher and broadcaster, Dennis Eckersley, and Illustrated throughout with hundreds of photographs through every era, and updated through 2022, this beautiful archive celebrates two beloved organizations, and shares the hometown story of one of the world's most popular baseball teams.Swing and a Hit: Nine Innings of What Baseball Taught Me
Par Paul O'Neill, Jack Curry. 2022
This fun and fiery New York Times bestselling memoir tells the life story of All Star Yankee and five-time World…
Champion, Paul O&’Neill, like you&’ve never seen him before. In Swing and Hit, O&’Neill elaborates on his most important hitting principles, lessons, and memories—exploring those elements across ten chapters (to align with the nine innings of a baseball game and one extra inning). Here, O&’Neill, with his intense temperament, describes what he did as a hitter, how he adjusted to pitchers, how he boosted his confidence, how he battled with umpires (and water coolers), and what advice he would give to current hitters. O&’Neill has always been a tough out at the plate. Recalling how he started to swing at bat as a two-year-old and kept swinging it professionally until he was thirty-eight, O&’Neill provides constant insights into the beauty and frustration of playing baseball. The legendary Ted Williams said using a round bat to hit a round ball is the most difficult thing to do in sports. Naturally, O&’Neill, who once received a surprise call from Williams that was filled with hitting advice, agrees. Swing and Hit features O&’Neill&’s most thoughtful revelations and offers clubhouse stories from some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball—hitters, managers, and teammates like Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Pete Rose, and Bernie Williams. Remember, O&’Neill, ever the perfectionist, was the type of hitter who believed that pitchers didn&’t ever get him out. For that incredible reason and so many others, Swing and Hit is essential reading for any baseball fan.Chuck Tanner and the Pittsburgh Pirates (Sports Ser.)
Par Dale Perelman. 2023
Baseball's Mr. Sunshine A beloved son of Western Pennsylvania, Chuck Tanner spent a career in baseball both as a player…
and manager. He lead the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977 to 1985 and helped capture the 1979 World Series. Tanner was key in developing the relief pitcher through his work with Goose Gossage and he played a role in the careers of numerous players such as Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and more. Through extensive research and interviews, author Dale Perelman presents the life and career of Chuck Tanner.The 1998 Yankees: The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever
Par Jack Curry. 2023
"The 1998 Yankees were a perfectly constructed team. Jack Curry does an amazing job of telling the tales of that…
phenomenal group." —David ConeDiscover the inside story of the Yankees' unprecedented talent with this gripping account from a reporter who was there for the team's 125 wins. The visiting clubhouse in San Diego was soggy, sweaty and sticky after the 1998 Yankees swept the Padres in four games and celebrated winning their 24th World Series title. The players raised bottles of Champagne, sprayed the bubbly on each other and reveled in a baseball season that might have been more memorable than any in history. Jack Curry was part of that unforgettable scene as a reporter, navigating around the clubhouse to ask the same, pertinent question. After winning an unprecedented 125 games and pummeling teams along the way, were these Yankees, the Yankees of Jeter, Mariano, Posada, Pettitte, Bernie, O&’Neill, Tino and so many other vital players, the best team ever? &“Right now, you would have to call them the best team ever,&” said owner George Steinbrenner. Twenty five years later, Curry revisits that season to discuss how that team was built and why the Yankees were such a talented, refreshing and successful club. This book includes new interviews with more than 25 players, coaches and executives, who revealed some behind-the-stories about the magical journey and who also discussed the depth of this historic squad. &“From the first man to the 25th man on the roster, I don&’t think there&’s a team that had more talent and a team whose players knew their roles as well as our players did,&” said pitcher David Cone. &“If you&’re using that as a barometer for the best team of all-time, then I think you can call us the best team of all-time.&” During that wondrous season, Don Zimmer, a Yankee coach and a baseball lifer who began his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, told associates there would never be another team like the 1998 Yankees. Zimmer was right. Twenty five years later, Curry describes how and why that Yankee team could be the best ever.How to Beat a Broken Game: The Rise of the Dodgers in a League on the Brink
Par Pedro Moura. 2022
The inside story of how the Dodgers won their first championship in more than thirty years—but helped cripple the sport…
of baseball in the processAfter years of frustrating playoff runs, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally reclaimed the World Series trophy after more than thirty years, led by star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, electric outfielder Mookie Betts, and a bevy of impressive young players assembled by team president Andrew Friedman. No team is better positioned to win now and in the future.Yet winning at modern baseball is nothing like it was even twenty years ago. In the years since the famous Moneyball revolution, baseball has grown to look less like a sport than a Wall Street firm that traded its boiler room for a field. Teams relentlessly chase every tiny advantage to win games and make money, even as it hurts fans, TV ratings, and players, courting bigger problems in the long run.This dramatic and insightful book takes you into the clubhouse with the championship players, as well as into the offices where teams constantly seek new ways to win—even when it hurts the game. How to Beat a Broken Game shows not only what it takes to win, but what it will take to save the sport.Billy Martin: Baseball's Flawed Genius
Par Bill Pennington. 2015
The New York Times bestseller. &“The sprawling, brawling, no-punches-pulled narrative Martin deserves . . . one of baseball&’s epic characters.&”—Tom Verducci, bestselling…
author of The Cubs Way Even now, years after his death, Billy Martin remains one of the most intriguing and charismatic figures in baseball history. And the most misunderstood. A manager who is widely considered to have been a baseball genius, Martin is remembered more for his rabble-rousing and public brawls on the field and off. He was combative and intimidating, yet endearing and beloved. In Billy Martin, Bill Pennington resolves these contradictions and pens the definitive story of Martin&’s life. From his hardscrabble youth to his days on the Yankees in the 1950s and through sixteen years of managing, Martin made sure no one ever ignored him. Drawing on exhaustive interviews and his own time covering Martin as a young sportswriter, Pennington provides an intimate, revelatory, and endlessly colorful story of a truly larger-than-life sportsman. &“Enormously entertaining . . . Explores the question of whether a baseball lifer can actually be a tragic figure in the classic sense—a man destroyed by the very qualities that made him great.&”—The Wall Street Journal &“Bill Pennington gives long-overdue flesh to the caricature . . . Pennington savors the dirt-kicking spectacles without losing sight of the man.&”—The New York Times Book Review &“The hair on my forearms was standing up by the end of the fifth paragraph of this book&’s introduction. I knew Billy Martin. I covered Billy Martin. But I never knew him like this.&”—Dan Shaughnessy, bestselling author of Reversing the CursePittsburgh Sports in the 1970s: Tragedies, Triumphs and Championships (Sports)
Par David Finoli, Chris Fletcher, Frank Garland, Tom Rooney, Tim Rooney. 2023
Sports in the Steel City has never reached the highs and lows that fans in Pittsburgh experienced in the 1970s.Most…
remembered may be the multiple championships celebrated in city during the era, including two World Series titles, four Super Bowl victories and a NCAA football championship. Despite those successes, fans still recall major tragedies such as the deaths of Bob Moose, Roberto Clemente and others. Local authors present essays on the triumphs, tragedies and championships that defined the 1970s for the city of Pittsburgh and Steel City sports.Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball
Par Alan M. Klein. 2006
A sociologist and anthropologist scientifically examines the worldwide growth of MLB and America&’s favorite pastime.Baseball fans understand the game has…
become increasingly international. Major league rosters include players from no fewer than fourteen countries, and more than one-fourth of all players are foreign born. Here, Alan Klein offers the first full-length study of a sport in the process of globalizing. Looking at the international activities of big-market and small-market baseball teams, as well as the Commissioner&’s Office, he examines the ways in which Major League Baseball operates on a world stage that reaches from the Dominican Republic to South Africa to Japan.The origins of baseball&’s efforts to globalize are complex, stemming as much from decreasing opportunities at home as from promise abroad. Klein chronicles attempts to develop the game outside the United States, the strategies that teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals have devised to recruit international talent, and the ways baseball has been growing in other countries. He concludes with an assessment of the obstacles that may inhibit or promote baseball&’s progress toward globalization, offering thoughtful proposals to ensure the health and growth of the game in the United States and abroad. &“A superb inside look at how the national pastime has reinvented itself . . . Klein&’s writing is engaging, and his research is top-notch.&” —Tim Wendel, author of The New Face of Baseball: The One-Hundred-Year Rise and Triumph of Latinos in America&’s Favorite Sport&“A timely contribution to our understanding of baseball in our contemporary age.&” —Michael L. Butterworth, Sociology of Sport JournalMinnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History
Par Dennis Brackin, Patrick Reusse. 2010
A treasury of Twin Cities baseball history packed with photos from the archives.Major League Baseball came to the Minnesota prairie…
in the spring of 1961, and ever since, the Minnesota Twins have held a cherished place in the hearts of sports fans throughout the region. With Hall of Famers like Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, and Kirby Puckett and beloved characters from Billy Martin to Kent Hrbek to Joe Mauer, the history of the Twins encompasses highs and lows, heroes and goats, but always nonstop excitement.Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History provides an in-depth and entertaining look at the team, its players, its stadiums, and the memorable moments through the years. Illustrated with photos from the Star Tribune’s archives, it is the ultimate celebration of a beloved franchise.3 Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager
Par Buzz Bissinger. 2005
This inside view with the Cardinals&’ Tony La Russa by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Friday Night Lights…
&“should appeal to any baseball fan&” (Publishers Weekly). A Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year &“Plenty of books have taken us inside baseball, but August takes us directly inside players&’ heads.&” —Entertainment Weekly 3 Nights in August captures the strategic and emotional complexities of baseball&’s quintessential form: the three-game series. As the St. Louis Cardinals battle their archrival, the Chicago Cubs, we watch from the dugout through the eyes of legendary Tony La Russa, considered by many to be the greatest manager of the modern era. In his thirty-three years of managing, La Russa won three World Series titles and was named Manager of the Year a record five times. He now stands as the third-winningest manager in the history of baseball. A great leader, La Russa built his success on the conviction that ball games are won not only by the numbers but also by the hearts and minds of those who play. Drawing on unprecedented access to a major league skipper and his team, Buzz Bissinger portrays baseball with a revelatory intimacy that offers many surprisingly tactical insights—and furthers the debate on major league managerial style and strategy in his provocative afterword. &“Superb . . . Will be devoured by hard-core strategists.&” —The New York Times Book ReviewTalking Irish: The Oral History Of Notre Dame Football
Par Steve Delsohn. 1998
An entertaining fusion of fact, legend, and lore, Notre Dame football has transcended the boundaries of the sport and the…
university to become a time-honored American tradition. For its legions of devoted fans and alumni, Talking Irish vividly captures it all: the exhilarating wins, the stunning defeats, the tumultuous coaching changes, and the celebrated mystique that surrounds this beloved football dynasty.With never-before-told anecdotes, this candid and revealing oral history -- the first ever written on Fighting Irish football -- is told in the words of more than 150 Notre Dame players, coaches, leading sports journalists, and school faculty. This rousing narrative begins in the 1940s, a decade after the death of the fabled Knute Rockne, and concludes five decades later, with the formidable exploits of Notre Dame football at the end of the twentieth century.Runnin' with the Big Dogs: The Long, Twisted History of the Texas-OU Rivalry
Par Mike Shropshire. 2006
Raucous, raw, and reliably remarkable, the century–old football riavlry between the state universities of Texas and Oklahoma stands as testimony…
that hate–based relationships are the most enduring. Texas and Oklahoma have been top–level programs for a long time, but in the last few years the rivalry has garnered ever more national attention. Mike Shropshire, an observer of this football war for more than 40 years, chronicles the long and colorful history of this fierce rivalry that has endured for more than a century. The teams have been playing at the Texas State fair since 1929–just a three–hour drive from each campus. This is the only football game in the country that is louder than a NASCAR race, because there's no place in the country that's more football–mad than Texas. Animosity runs deep in this relationship–but beyond the emotional urgency that the Texas–OU followers expend on this event, this is a union of like–minded spirits. They were brought up amid the simple mantra of the Red State road to success: "Get up early. Work hard. Find oil." Football would naturally become the spectator sports of preference in these parts. RUNNIN' WITH THE BIG DOGS is an account of that game and of the game and the events that lead up to the three–and–one–half hours when, deep in the heart of the heartland, it's the day the earth stands still. It will also chronicle the long and colorful history of this fiercest of football rivalries, and inundate the reader in the craziness of the week preceding the game. Year in, year out, the Texas–OU celebration equals or trumps any other rivalry in sheer excitement and entertainment value–and presently, these two teams more than any other pairing are consistently in the hunt for a national championship. The excitement is due in large part to the raw and dynamic history of the two states involved, from the Indian wars to the oil boom. Before statehood Oklahoma was known as Indian Territory, so this Red River Shootout is Cowboys and Indians all over again.The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, the Team, and the Cost of Greatness
Par Buster Olney. 2004
“Vivid, informed, and gracefully written, The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is sports writing at its very best.” —…
David Halberstam“The best and clearest view yet inside the secret society that is the New York Yankees.” — --John Feinstein, author of Season on The Brink and Caddy For LifeA well-mulled, highly atmospheric, and richly versed story of the Bronx Bombers’ great 1996-2001 ride. — Kirkus ReviewsThe definitive treatise on the great Yankee teams of the last seven years. — Peter Gammons, ESPN“A wonderful story about money, power, and baseball that will keep you reading until the bottom of the 9th.” — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News“The best contemporary book about baseball in several years. Yankee fans and haters alike will find it riveting.” — New York Sun“Buster Olney... has chronicled the definitive story of the Bronx Bombers at the end of the 20th century.” — New York Post“…An astonishing richness of detail here that you simply won’t find anywhere else.” — Boston GlobeWell-mulled, highly atmospheric, and richly versed …both subtle and opinionated... — Kirkus ReviewsA remarkably prescient work … Olney’s observations are eerily germane to … [2004’s] postseason meltdown. — Wall Street Journal