Extra Bases
Few sports have as much power and magic as baseball, and few writers have addressed the history of the game as well as Jules Tygiel. In his role as a historian, Tygiel purposefully takes his eye off the ball and focuses on the broader cultural scene that surrounds the game: how developments in the game reflect American society and the ways in which our nation has changed over time. In doing so he captures a part of baseball that many have forgotten, a rich aspect of our American legacy. In this collection of articles Tygiel illuminates significant events and issues in the history of baseball. He revisits the Jackie Robinson saga-his turbulent military service in World War II, the story behind his signing, and the evolution of his legacy. Tygiel examines the history of blacks in baseball-the Negro Leagues and baseball's Jim Crow era, race relations in baseball since 1947, and Roy Campanella's career and his life after the tragic automobile accident that left him paralyzed. Finally, Tygiel analyzes what baseball history has to offer-how it should be written, the intersection of television and baseball, and a reflection on the current state of the game. Jules Tygiel is a professor of history at San Francisco State University. He is the author of Past Time: Baseball as History and Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy.
A Summer Up North
June 12, 1952--only a local sportswriter showed up at the Eau Claire airport to greet a newly signed eighteen-year-old shortstop from Alabama toting a cardboard suitcase. "I was scared as hell," said Henry Aaron, recalling his arrival as the new recruit on the city's Class C minor league baseball team.Forty-two years later, as Aaron approached the stadium where the Eau Claire Bears once played, an estimated five thousand people surrounded a newly raised bronze statue of a young "Hank" Aaron at bat. "I had goosebumps," he said later. "A lot of things happened to me in my twenty-three years as a ballplayer, but nothing touched me more than that day in Eau Claire." For the people of Eau Claire, Aaron's summer two years before his Major League debut with the Milwaukee Braves symbolizes a magical time, when baseball fans in a small city in northern Wisconsin could live a part of the dream.
Run to Win: Vince Lombardi on Coaching and Leadership
Vince Lombardi, whom many believe to be the greatest football coach in the history of the sport, is both a household name and an icon. He is not only renowned in the sports world, but also in business and industry for his exceptional leadership skills. In Run to Win, acclaimed author Don Phillips examines Lombardi's famous coaching style by painting a picture of a fascinating individual, a man whose ingenious leadership helped lead his teams to nine playoff victories in a row, including wins in the first two Super Bowls. By extracting powerful lessons from a man who could both lead and inspire, Phillips gets to the heart of what made Lombardi great and shows readers what it takes to be a winner. At the same time, this groundbreaking book tells the inspiring story of Lombardi's ten-year career with the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins, complete with anecdotes, quotes, and Lombardi Principles that show why this legendary coach continues to be a role model for effective leadership in business today. Totally accessible and utterly fascinating, Donald T. Phillips's Run to Win empowers readers with the knowledge to succeed in business, while entertaining them with tales of a man whose ability to win under any circumstance is unsurpassed in the history of professional sports.
The Baffled Parent's Guide to Great Soccer Drills
A PAPERBACK ORIGINAL A games-based alternative to tedious rote exercises, guaranteed to keep practices fun, engaging, and productive Great Soccer Drills provides soccer coaches with a great way to make every soccer practice active, fun, and productive. Coaches get 125 games guaranteed to keep kids moving and excited while teaching them basic skills, sharpening their reflexes, and building their confidence and decision-making ability. Written by two of North America's foremost names in youth soccer coaching, it also includes guidelines on how to create just the right blend of drills to hold the attention of six- to twelve-year-old players. Great Soccer Drills can be used in conjunction with the bestselling Coaching Youth Soccer: A Baffled Parent's Guide or as an excellent stand-alone resource for spicing up any practice.
The Final Season
Tom Stanton's The Final Season offers a powerful memoir of fathers, sons, and the end of a baseball era. Maybe your dad took you to ball games at Fenway, Wrigley, or Ebbets. Maybe the two of you watched broadcasts from Yankee Stadium or Candlestick Park, or listened as Red Barber or Vin Scully called the plays on radio. Or maybe he coached your team or just played catch with you in the yard. Chances are good that if you're a baseball fan, your dad had something to do with it--and your thoughts of the sport evoke thoughts of him. If so, you will treasure The Final Season, a poignant true story about baseball and heroes, family and forgiveness, doubts and dreams, and a place that brings them all together. Growing up in the 60s and 70s, Tom Stanton lived for his Detroit Tigers. When Tiger Stadium began its 88th and final season, he vowed to attend all 81 home games in order to explore his attachment to the place where four generations of his family have shared baseball. Join him as he encounters idols, conjures decades past, and discovers the mysteries of a park where Cobb and Ruth played. Come along and sit beside Al Kaline on the dugout bench, eat popcorn with Elmore Leonard, hear Alice Cooper's confessions, soak up the warmth of Ernie Harwell, see McGwire and Ripken up close, and meet Chicken Legs Rau, Bleacher Pete, Al the Usher, and a parade of fans who are anything but ordinary. By the autumn of his odyssey, Stanton comes to realize that his anguish isn't just about the loss of a beloved ballpark but about his dad's mortality, for at the heart of this story is the love between fathers and sons--a theme that resonates with baseball fans of all ages.
When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One o
An exciting new collection of sublimely simple wisdom from a bestselling author, celebrated athlete, and a true American hero. Three-time MVP and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra hit home runs twice in a row with his two previous books, The Yogi Book and It Ain't Over. Now, his winning streak will continue with this latest work -- a collection of appealing, funny, and surprisingly moving essays on life, happiness, and getting through the slumps. Filled with another delightful helping of Yogi's inimitable and unwittingly wise aphorisms, these reflections focus on the valuable lessons he's learned on and off the field. From his early years as an immigrant's son who dropped out of the eighth grade through his triumphant career as a player and manager who played in a record seventy-five World Series games, Yogi illustrates his homespun philosophies with apt analogies to his trove of baseball stories. He expounds on such topics as Patience (Waiting for your pitch); Sacrifice (Laying down a bunt); Trusting Others (Taking direction); and Staying Focused (Keeping your eye on the ball), to show how the rules of life and baseball are uncannily similar. And, in the tradition of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and All I Really Need to I Know I Learned in Kindergarten, he explains his recipe for fulfillment and happiness with life lessons that are profoundly simple, simply profound--and classic Yogi to the core. Following on the heels of two New York Times bestselling books and filled with memorable photos, this new collection of Yogi wisdom will undoubtedly expand his growing legion of fans. When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! is a wise, humble, touching book that's a guaranteed winner. In short, it's D矇j? vu all over again. A baseball legend reflects on the following lessons..."A nickel ain't worth a dime any more.""It ain't over til it's over.""You can't think and hit at the same time.""I didn't really say everything I said.""The future ain't what it used to be." . . . and many more.
Weaver on Strategy
During his career as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Earl Weaver was called "baseball's resident genius." His distinctive style of managing helped his teams finish first or second thirteen times in his seventeen years as a manager.This volume reveals Weaver's approach to the game, with a focus on how to manage a roster, a lineup, and a pitching staff. He defines the differences between running a team during a single game and managing it during an entire season. In his characteristically blunt style, Weaver explains everything from how to tell when a pitcher is tiring to how and when to argue with an umpire. Successful ball clubs still mimic his offensive strategies. Readers of this updated edition will learn new ways to think about the game as it's played today.
Mets Fan Book
Ya Gotta Believe!: The 40th Anniversary New York Mets Fan Book is the perfect gift for the ultimate fanAre you a true Mets fan? Were you there when they won the 1986 World Series in the seventh game? Did you stand and cheer as the Mets demolished the St. Louis Cardinals to become the National League Champions in 2000? Do you know why the original team colors were orange and blue? How much do you really know about those lovable heroes who have brought fortune, glory, and two World Championship trophies to New York? Are you a true believer? Do you know: *Who the Hall of Fame outfielder was who played for the Mets in their inaugural season and went on to become a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies?*Which Mets outfielder ran the bases backward after hitting his 100th career home run in a game in 1963?*Which rookie outfielder swiped 24 bases in 1981 and became one of the most popular players ever to play for the Mets?*When Tom Seaver's rookie year was?*Who holds the single-season Mets record for home runs? It's all here, with highlights of the team's exciting history, from the club's beginnings in 1962 to today, including postseason play. From Casey Stengal to Tom Seaver; from Doc to Mookie--to Mike and Fonzie-questions and answers, sidebars, fascinating bios and photos gathered by lifelong Mets fan Michael Lichtenstein. Much more than just facts and trivia, Ya Gotta Believe! is something no Mets fan can do without.
The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth
This title traces the baseball lives of Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn, John Valentin, and Marteese Robinson, from the playgrounds through college ball to the big leagues, revealing a fascinating and personal account of four routs to the same destination and dream.
The Odds
One gambler is a manic former cokehead with an Ivy League degree. The second is a college dropout trying to make a living at the only thing he enjoyed at school -- gambling. The third, one of Vegas's most respected bookmakers, is perilously close to burning out. The Odds follows the lives of these three professional gamblers through a college basketball season in a one-of-a-kind city struggling to reconcile its lawless past with its family-friendly makeover. With a wiseguy attitude and a faultless eye and ear for the sights and sounds of Vegas and its denizens, Chad Millman has created a portrait that the Wall Street Journal called "fascinating. . . often screamingly funny." The Las Vegas Review-Journal had just one word for the book: "Superb."
The Era 1947-1957
Celebrated sports writer Roger Kahn casts his gaze on the golden age of baseball, an unforgettable time when the game thrived as America's unrivaled national sport. The Era begins in 1947 with Jackie Robinson changing major league baseball forever by taking the field for the Dodgers. Dazzling, momentous events characterize the decade that followed-Robinson's amazing accomplishments; the explosion on the national scene of such soon-to-be legends as Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Bobby Thomson, Duke Snider, and Yogi Berra; Casey Stengel's crafty managing; the emergence of televised games; and the stunning success of the Yankees as they play in nine out of eleven World Series. The Era concludes with the relocation of the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, a move that shook the sport to its very roots.
Cages to Jump Shots
Basketball is now over a century old. Cages to Jump Shots offers an unforgettable glimpse of its exciting and eccentric early years, beginning in 1891 when James Naismith drew up the first rules, through decades of growing popularity and professionalism, and culminating with its fundamental transformation in the 1950s, when the twenty-four-second shot clock and team foul limit were instituted. Along the way we learn about all those who were drawn to the game--players, officials, owners, and fans--and why so many came to love it. Drawing on extensive research and a host of interviews with veteran players, Robert W. Peterson vividly recreates the rough-and-tumble basketball games of long ago and shows why basketball has become such a celebrated part of American life today. This Bison Books edition features an updated appendix of early pro basketball teams.
Heartbreakers
Veteran baseball writer John Kuenster recalls fifteen of the game's most painful "disasters" of the last half-century and looks at them from the losers' point of view. With a reporter's skill and a fan's enthusiasm, he sets the scene for these memorable matchups, surveys the players who led each team to the big moment, and tells the story of the game and the emotions that can't be erased. "Kuenster has hit a Grand Slam."-Sparky Anderson. "John Kuenster lets those who suffered baseball's most epic defeats know that he feels their pain."-Bob Costas, NBC sports. Illustrated.
Diners, Bowling Alleys, and Trailer Parks: Chasing the American Dream in Postwar
The years immediately following the Second World War witnessed a dramatic transformation of America's working-class suburbs, driven by an unprecedented post-war prosperity and a burgeoning consumer culture. Chrome and neon were the new currency in this newly vital consumer culture, and no post-war consumer products trafficked more heavily in this currency than diners, bowling alleys, and trailer parks. Through these three distinctively American institutions, Andrew Hurley examines the struggle of Americans with modest means to attain the good life after two long decades of depression and war. He tells this story of the humble origins, explosive growth, and gradual, sad decline of the diner, bowling alley, and trailer park in expert fashion. This is cultural and social history that knows how to entertain.
Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Chicago Cubs
Banks to Sandberg to Grace brings together more than 60 first-person accounts from the past 50 years of Cubs baseball. Each of the storytellers whose voices are heard throughout shares his or her personal, revealing account of what it was like to play or work for the Cubs. Hank Sauer laughs about fans in the bleachers throwing tobacco at him. The team's longtime equipment manager, Yosh Kawano, talks about gaining the trust and friendship of players such as Ryne Sandberg. And WGN-TV producer Arne Harris reminisces about sharing an earpiece with Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray. Includes a foreword by Chicago sportswriter Bob Verdi.
Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball
America's favorite sportswriter takes readers on a thrilling and unforgettable journey into the world of college basketball in this national bestseller. Like millions who love college basketball, John Feinstein was first drawn to the game because of its intensity, speed and intelligence. Like many others, he felt that the vast sums of money involved in NCAA basketball had turned the sport into a division of the NBA, rather than the beloved amateur sport it once was. He went in search of college basketball played with the passion and integrity it once inspired, and found the Patriot League. As one of the NCAA's smallest leagues, none of these teams leaves college early to join the NBA and none of these coaches gets national recognition or endorsement contracts. The young men on these teams are playing for the love of the sport, of competition and of their schools. John Feinstein spent a season with these players, uncovering the drama of their daily lives and the passions that drive them to commit hundreds of hours to basketball even when there is no chance of a professional future. He offers a look at American sport at its purest.
Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life
Joe DiMaggio was, at every turn, one man we could look at who made us feel good. In the hard-knuckled thirties, he was the immigrant boy who made it big--and spurred the New York Yankees to a new era of dynasty. He was Broadway Joe, the icon of elegance, the man who wooed and won Marilyn Monroe--the most beautiful girl America could dream up. Joe DiMaggio was a mirror of our best self. And he was also the loneliest hero we ever had. In this groundbreaking biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Ben Cramer presents a shocking portrait of a complicated, enigmatic life. The story that DiMaggio never wanted told, tells of his grace--and greed; his dignity, pride--and hidden shame. It is a story that sweeps through the twentieth century, bringing to light not just America's national game, but the birth (and the price) of modern national celebrity.
Great Basketball Drills: A Baffled Parent's Guide
The newest addition to the highly successful Baffled Parent's Guide Series.Written by a teacher and basketball coach with more than three decades of experience, Great Basketball Drills offers 125 games that will keep practices fresh and kids moving and excited. Here is a fun, engaging alternative to traditional rote drills, with games designed to teach basic skills, sharpen reflexes, and build confidence and decision-making ability. Great Basketball Drills is a sure bet to end practice boredom.A fun, original games approach to drilling young players 125 simple, skill-building games that keep kids moving Quick-access troubleshooting chart lets coaches easily match drills to problem areas Endorsed by nationally renowned high school coach Morgan Wooten
The Head Game: Baseball Seen from the Pitcher's Mound
Beyond the techniques and training, baseball begins with one player facing another and the psychological battle that they wage-the head game. In his critically acclaimed and bestselling new book, Roger Kahn presents the story of this supreme war of wits and the people who changed the course of baseball by playing, what he calls, chess at 90 miles an hour. In The Head Game, Kahn investigates not only grips, tactics, and physics, but also the intelligence, maturity, and competitive fire that has inspired some of the greatest hurlers in history.By covering renowned pitchers and pitching minds-from Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, and Bruce Sutter to today's reigning pitching coach, Leo Mazzone-Roger Kahn sheds new light on baseball's most pivotal contest. A delightful and edifying tour of America's favorite pastime seen through the pitcher's eyes, The Head Game "is as lively and familiar and old-shoe as the game itself, even today" (Los Angeles Times).
Golf Rules & Etiquette for Dummies
How to stick to the rules -- and avoid the traps of the game Filled with tips and anecdotes from the pros plus the 34 rules of golf, this ideal companion to the top-selling Golf For Dummies, 2nd Edition includes: Expert advice on the do's and don'ts of golf etiquette -- from dress code to betting on the game Advice on how to survive a business golf outing -- plus tips on behavior as both a spectator and a player The inside scoop on proper etiquette, from replacing divots to using your cell phone
Middle Innings
Dean A. Sullivan presents a fascinating array of provocative, unexpected, and illuminating materials revealing the rich history of baseball. The 105 pieces in this work cover such topics as the Merkle Boner, Jim Thorpe, Christy Mathewson, the Black Sox scandal, Lou Gehrig, the death of Ray Chapman, Ty Cobb, Dizzy Dean, and more from the storied major leagues. Lesser-known treasures celebrate semipro teams, boys' baseball fiction, Japanese baseball, college ball, black baseball, the minor leagues, women's teams, and other facets of the wonderful game of baseball. Dean A. Sullivan is the editor of Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908, also available in a Bison Books edition.
Wildcats to Powercats
Beginning with the first official football game played by K-State in 1896, the purple-clad gridders always struggled to find respectability. The Wildcats had only an occasional good season and individual star on the field. But the fact is that during the '50s, '60s and '70s, losing records and disappointing seasons became the standard in Manhattan. And by the end of the 1980s, the team was mired in a 30-game losing streak and considered the worst college football team in America.Then the turn around.Bill Snyder took over the head coaching duties at K-State in 1989, and within five seasons did something many thought impossible, if not miraculous: he turned Kansas State into not only a winning program, but a dominant contender in the world of college football.From Wildcats to Powercats.The path to being a national power was a circuitous one for K-State. Test your trivia knowledge with questions about players, coaches and big games, from George Maddox and Pappy Waldorf to Michael Bishop and Bill Snyder. From the Independence Bowl to the Fiesta Bowl. Complete with hundreds of questions, facts and photos.
The Majors: In Pursuit of Golf's Holy Grail
WHAT DOES IT TAKE to win a major championship and reach the absolute pinnacle of golf? Through a season of the four tournaments -- the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship -- known collectively as the majors, John Feinstein takes us where the television cameras never go, both off the links and "inside the ropes," as he reveals the special challenges and rituals, the frustrations and exhilaration, that mark the lives and careers of the world's greatest golfers.
Red Smith on Baseball
Red Smith's writing is recognized as the best in the field. Here is a selection of his most memorable columns-175 of them, from 1941 to 1981. His prose...offers lasting lessons about matters journalistic and literary. -Robert Schmuhl, University of Notre Dame. The most admired and gifted sportswriter of his time.... Red Smith's work...tended to be the best writing in any given newspaper on any given day. -David Halberstam, New York Times Book Review
Coaching Kids for Dummies
What could be easier or more fun than coaching youth sports? How complicated could it be--it's all fun and games, right? Unfortunately, coaching kids isn't that simple. If you've ever watched a youth league game, you know that all sorts of pressures, worries, concerns, and emotions come into play when your kid is out on the field. In fact, it's not unusual to witness at least one ugly incident at a game where a coach or parent has gotten out of control. The good news is, as a coach, you can guarantee that kids have fun, get the physical and psychological boost they need, and want to play on your team next year. And now this book shows you how. Written by a nationally recognized sports-parenting expert, coach, and author who is also a former professional baseball player, Coaching Kids For Dummies shows you step by step how to make sports a positive experience for kids of all ages. Packed with practical advice for coaches and parents, it shows you how to: Help kids select the best sports for them Communicate effectively with your young athletes Deal with losses and wins Provide encouragement without pushing too hard Motivate kids and boost performance Foster good sportsmanship Prevent sports burnout Handle irate parents Evaluate travel teams No matter what your prior experience with youth league sports--even if you weren't in one yourself as a kid--Coaching Kids For Dummies coaches you in all the essentials. Topics you'll explore include: What every parent should know about youth sports, including the right age to get them started, how leagues work, and what your kid and you can expect Basic coaching tasks and responsibilities, such as pregame preparation, practice sessions, team meetings with kids and parents, and more Communication and motivational skills every coach needs to develop Coaching challenges, including scheduling, hostile parents, dealing with injuries, and coaching your own kids Loaded with tested-in-the-trenches strategies for helping kids get the most out of sports, Coaching Kids For Dummies is every youth league coach's survival guide.
A Season in the Sun
In 1976 Roger Kahn spent an entire baseball season, from spring training through the World Series, with players of every stripe and competence. The result is this book, in which Kahn reports on a small college team's successes and hopes, a young New England ball club, a failing major league franchise, and a group of heroes on the national stage.Roger Kahn is the author of a number of baseball books, including Good Enough to Dream, also available in a Bison Books edition. Kahn has written a new afterword for this edition of A Season in the Sun.
Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist comes "the best Jordan book so far" (The Washington Post), the story of Michael Jordan's legendary years with the Chicago Bulls, capped by the 1998 NBA Finals and the team's second three-peat. From The Breaks of the Game to Summer of '49, David Halberstam has brought the perspective of a great historian, the insider knowledge of a dogged sportswriter, and the love of a fan to bear on some of the most mythic players and teams in the annals of American sports. With Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls he has given himself the greatest challenge and produced his greatest triumph. In Playing for Keeps, Halberstam takes the first full measure of Michael Jordan's epic career, one of the great American stories of our time. A narrative of astonishing power and human drama, brimming with revealing anecdotes and penetrating insights, the book chronicles the forces in Jordan's life that have shaped him in to history's greatest basketball player and the larger forces that have converged to make him the most famous living human being in the world.
Bringing the Heat
Bringing the Heat is the story of one team's season-long campaign for the NFL championship, told through the personal stories of the men on the field and the coaches, managers, and owner on the sidelines. The team is the 1992 Philadelphia Eagles, a group of players assembled in the iconoclastic image of their former head coach Buddy Ryan. They are known throughout the league for their ferocious defense and for the otherworldly talents of their quarterback Randall Cunningham.Award-winning journalist Mark Bowden gets deep inside the world of professional football in a way no writer has ever done before, with an insightful and hilarious portrait of one of the most exciting teams ever to play the game. He spares none of the game's ugliness - the greed, the racism, and the often sadistic violence - while capturing the beauty of athleticism at its highest level, the courage of men who face each play knowing that one bad hit can end a career, and above all the exultant glory of victory that inspires their struggle to be the best.
The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Basketball
David G. Faucher shares his successful "full-participation model" of coaching youth basketball in this Baffled Parent's Guide. Faucher, the head coach of the men's basketball team at Dartmouth College, covers creating good habits, offensive skills and defensive basics, dealing with parents, first aid and safety, and game rules.
The Baffled Parent's Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer
Written by soccer great and championship Stanford coach Bobby Clark, COACHING YOUTH SOCCER: THE BAFFLED PARENT'S GUIDE tells you how, starting at point zero, an uninitiated coach can meld kids into a team and help them enjoy one of the most rewarding experiences of their youth. (In the end, you may be the one who reaps the biggest reward, as you watch kids learn and grow in an experience they'll treasure for a lifetime.)
Slide, Kelly, Slide
Mike "King" Kelly was a hard-living, hard-drinking son of a Civil War veteran whose skills at baseball and infectious charm turned him into the game's first hero, and a symbol of what it meant to be a celebrity in America in the 1880s and 1890s. A Hall of Famer and a two-time batting champion, Kelly's greatest contribution was probably in the popularity he brought to the game, which resulted in the 20th century's first fans, as the game began to mature from the rough and tumble times of Mike and his cohorts.
The Originals
Was there really professional basketball before the NBA? Indeed there was. It was a rugged game but one that continued to evolve swiftly from its invention in 1891. The original Celtics were at the vanguard of this creation and development. The team began as a local group of young Irishmen from the Hell's Kitchen area of New York City in 1914. Through shrewd acquisitions of top players, they were transformed into the most powerful basketball team of their time. In the period from 1919 to 1928 the Celtics won over seven hundred games with fewer than sixty losses. This book chronicles the team, the players, the league seasons and the early era of professional basketball.
The Physics of Golf
An update and revision of the best selling book on the physics of golf, with new material added on putting, the latest technology in modern golf clubs, more applications of physics to the usual problems every player faces, and revised references, Written by a physicist (who is also a life-long golfer) for the educated and curious golfer, this book is the only one on the market devoted exclusively to explaining the science behind a successful golf game.
Home of the Game
Home of the Game celebrates the unique position Camden Yards holds as a symbol of the modern game and a prototype for new ballparks across the country. It reveals how this revolutionary ballpark has changed the face of baseball as a sport and a business.
Where’s Harry?
A friend of the legendary sportscaster for more than 20 years, Stone regales readers with hundreds of stories about the baseball icon.
Pitch Like a Pro
Leo Mazzone was one of pro baseball's premier pitching coaches. In his years with the Atlanta Braves, he trained several Cy Young Award winners and helped lead his team to the World Series. In Pitch like a Pro, Mazzone and coauthor Jim Rosenthal offer step-by-step instructions for players and coaches in Little League through high school. They teach all of the pitching basics and give athletes advice on how they can use the right training techniques to grow stronger and stay healthier. Contents include: Mazzone's between-starts throwing programHow to grip different pitchesProper mechanics and delivery techniquePitching strategies and tacticsField the position Pitch like a Pro offers contributions by such well known pitchers as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smotz, and Denny Neagle, along with black-and-white instructional photographs.
A March to Madness
It's the book in which America's favorite sportswriter returns to the arena of his most successful bestseller, A Season on the Brink. It's the book that takes us inside the intensely competitive Atlantic Coast Conference & paints a portrait of how college baskettball is coached & played at the highest level. It's the book that takes us onto the courts, into the locker rooms, & inside the high-pressure world of the talented coaches who have helped make the ACC's nine colleges - Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Maryland, Wake Forest, & Florida State - world-renowned for their championship basketball teams. The author's afterword to this edition will recap the ACC's current season & preview the 1998-99 rivalries.
The City Game
Pete Axthelm follows the 1969-70 season of the New York Knicks and provides a parallel focus on basketball as it was then played in the black neighborhoods of New York City. Throughout, he writes clearly, intelligently, and passionately about the game, bringing alive the players' efforts, accomplishments, and failures.
Fear Strikes Out
"Jim Piersall, 22 year old outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, had a mental breakdown in 1952-one so complete that seven months virtually have vanished from his memory. . . . This account of his experience is a frank and fascinating one."-Chicago Sunday Tribune "The story of a man who became mentally 'sick, ' and how, through competent medical care, the help of a sympathetic and most understanding wife, the patience and encouragement of manager, teammates and fans, and above all his own splendid courage, he made a complete recovery and resumed his baseball career. . . .. How we overcame his fears is a dramatic, heart-warming story."-Library Journal Jim Piersall played baseball in the 1950s and 1960s for the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Washington Senators, the New York Mets, and the California Angels. After brief forays into professional football and wrestling businesses, he has worked for many years in broadcasting and minor league player development for the Chicago Cubs. He lives in Arizona during the off-season and in Chicago during the season.
Practical Golf
Named by Golf Magazine as one of the 10 best books ever.
Stockton to Malone
This is the hardest working team in the NBA - the Utah Jazz. Led by iron men Karl Malone, John Stockton and coach Jerry Sloan. Go behind the scenes to reveal the unparalleled competitiveness of a collection of over-achieving players and their demanding coach, whose never-say-die efforts have captured the hearts of the entire state of Utah and basketball fans throughout North America.
Tales from the Dugout
Batter up--here comes the most memorable collection of anecdotes about the national pastime ever assembled. Tales from the Dugout brings together never-before-told stories from baseball personalities such as Roger Maris, Ken Griffey Jr., Pete Rose, Phil Rizzuto, and Gaylord Perry in this illustrated, one-of-a-kind compendium.
Break 100 Now
Now, for the vast majority of golfers who struggle to shoot below 100 for 18 holes, a practical instruction book...In "Break 100 Now!, " renowned 'Swing Doctor' Mike Adams provides a sensible, non-technical approach that high handicappers can put to immediate use to lower their golf scores. Unlike traditional golf instructional books, "Break 100 Now!" focuses more on the practical and less on mechanics, stressing simple but proven strategies, such as replacing long irons with easier-to-hit fairway utility woods (4-5-6-7) and forsaking the driver for the more reliable 3-wood -- an exchange of only eight yards for accuracy.Written in clear, straightforward language, this book offers both the beginner and the novice a 90-day program that enables them to go from hacker to golfer in the shortest time possible. Even experienced golfers can benefit from these invaluable tips and advice.
A Great and Glorious Game
With a foreword by David Halberstam. He spoke out against player trading. He banned Pete Rose from baseball for gambling. He even asked sports fans to clean up their acts. Bart Giamatti was baseball's Renaissance man and its commissioner. In A GREAT AND GLORIOUS GAME, a collection of spirited, incisive essays, Giamatti reflects on the meaning of the game. Baseball, for him, was a metaphor for life. He artfully argues that baseball is much more than an American "pastime." "Baseball is about going home," he wrote, "and how hard it is to get there and how driven is our need." And in his powerful 1989 decision to ban Pete Rose from baseball, Giamatti states that no individual is superior to the game itself, just as no individual is superior to our democracy. A GREAT AND GLORIOUS GAME is a thoughtful meditation on baseball, character, and values by one of the most eloquent men in the world of sport.
Where the Game Matters Most
In 1997 Indiana crowned its last all-state champion, marking the end of an eighty-seven-year-old Hoosier tradition. Despite public outcry, the statewide tournament has been replaced by four divisional tournaments based on school size. Small-school teams no longer will have the chance to compete against big-school Goliaths for the state title. Where the Game Matters Most captures the passion and the personalities, the triumphs and the heartbreak of this final all-comers season. Through the most intense basketball season in Indiana history, William Gildea follows four teams. Bringing alive the extraordinary bonds forged among players, coaches, schools, families, and entire towns, Where the Game Matters Most is a compelling evocation of a truly historic championship season.
Golf Dreams
John Updike wrote about the lure of golf for five decades, from the first time he teed off at the age of twenty-five until his final rounds at the age of seventy-six. Golf Dreams collects the most memorable of his golf pieces, high-spirited evidence of his learning, playing, and living for the game. The camaraderie of golf, the perils of its present boom, how to relate to caddies, and how to manage short putts are among the topics he addresses, sometimes in lyrical essays, sometimes in light verse, sometimes in wickedly comic fiction. All thirty pieces have the lilt of a love song, and the crispness of a firm chip stiff to the pin.
Inner Game of Tennis
The timeless guide to achieving the state of "relaxed concentration" that's not only the key to peak performance in tennis but the secret to success in life itself--now in a 50th anniversary edition with an updated epilogue, a foreword by Bill Gates, and an updated preface from NFL coach Pete Carroll"Groundbreaking . . . the best guide to getting out of your own way . . . Its profound advice applies to many other parts of life."--Bill Gates, GatesNotes ("Five of My All-Time Favorite Books") This phenomenally successful guide to mastering the game from the inside out has become a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of people. Billie Jean King has called the book her tennis bible; Al Gore has used it to focus his campaign staff; and Itzhak Perlman has recommended it to young violinists. Based on W. Timothy Gallwey's profound realization that the key to success doesn't lie in holding the racket just right, or positioning the feet perfectly, but rather in keeping the mind uncluttered, this transformative book gives you the tools to unlock the potential that you've possessed all along. "The Inner Game" is the one played within the mind of the player, against the hurdles of self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses in concentration. Gallwey shows us how to overcome these obstacles by trusting the intuitive wisdom of our bodies and achieving a state of "relaxed concentration." With chapters devoted to trusting the self and changing habits, it is no surprise then, that Gallwey's method has had an impact far beyond the confines of the tennis court. Whether you want to play music, write a novel, get ahead at work, or simply unwind after a stressful day, Gallwey shows you how to tap into your utmost potential. In this fiftieth-anniversary edition, the principles of the Inner Game shine through as more relevant today than ever before. No matter your goals, The Inner Game of Tennis gives you the definitive framework for long-term success.
