Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 2313 items
Jackie Robinson: A Biography
By Arnold Rampersad. 1997
The extraordinary life of Jackie Robinson is illuminated as never before in this full-scale biography by Arnold Rampersad, who was…
chosen by Jack's widow, Rachel, to tell her husband's story, and was given unprecedented access to his private papers.Hard to Grip
By Emil DeAndreis. 2017
Hard to Grip, a memoir by native San Franciscan Emil DeAndreis is a love story to baseball that is also…
a frank, and humorous account of the author’s struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, the chronic illness that threw a curve into his life and dashed the hopes of becoming a professional pitcher in the major leagues that he had harbored since he was old enough to throw a ball. Scarcely out of Lowell high school where he was an up-and-coming star pitcher for his two-time championship team, Emil discovered the early signs of the disease were hampering his ability to compete, and it became increasingly evident to him as he played throughout his freshman and sophomore years in the D1 Leagues for University of Hawaii/Hilo that his lifelong dream to go pro was to be only that—a dream. Even as he was being courted by the big leagues and about to sign on to play pro ball in Europe. Hard to Grip is a personable, humor-filled and inspirational story of a robust, athletic young man who, barely into his twenties, must confront the reality of living with a physical illness, and the crushing disappointment of not being able to fulfill his lifelong wish, but, who at the same time learns to embrace that one thing he loves in order to forge a new life with a different perspective: as a high school coach for his alma mater, Lowell. Moreover, it is also a story of love for a girl, for his friends, for his family, hometown of San Francisco and the game itself.A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador
By Mina Hubbard. 2004
The fascinating story of the first white person to cross Labrador In 1905 Mina Benson Hubbard became the first white…
person to cross Labrador, documenting her travels in the classic A Woman's Way Through Unknown Labrador. This reissue, edited and fully annotated by Sherrill Grace, makes the complete work available for the first time since the original 1908 publication and features an introduction that situates Hubbard's writing in the context of her life and times, making clear how unusual - and unexpected - it was for a woman to undertake such an expedition, let alone going on to write and lecture about it.Mexican American Baseball in South Texas (Images of Baseball)
By Richard A. Santillán, Gregory Garrett, Jorge Iber, Juan D. Coronado, Roberto Zamora. 2016
Mexican American Baseball in South Texas pays tribute to the former baseball teams and players from Edinburg, McAllen, Mission, Pharr,…
Donna, Alamo, San Juan, Brownsville, Harlingen, and other surrounding communities. From the late 19th century through the 1950s, baseball in South Texas provided opportunities for nurturing athletic and educational skills, reaffirming ethnic identity, promoting political self-determination, developing economic autonomy, and reshaping gender roles for women. Games were special times where Mexican Americans found refuge from backbreaking work and prejudice. These unmatched photographs and stories shed light on the rich history of baseball in this region of Texas.Outsider Baseball: The Weird World of Hardball on the Fringe, 1876–1950
By Scott Simkus. 2014
With new research and revelations that will surprise even the most ardent baseball history buffs, this engaging account tells the…
story of the mostly forgotten world of the mercenaries, scalawags, and outcasts who made up the independent professional ball clubs. Combining meticulous research with modern analytics, the book provides a deeper understanding of how vast and eclectic the world of professional baseball was during the first half of the 20th century. It illuminates an alternate baseball universe where Babe Ruth, Rube Waddell, and John McGraw crossed bats with the Cuban Stars, Tokyo Giants, Brooklyn Bushwicks, dozens of famous Negro league teams, and novelty acts such as the House of David and Bloomer Girls. Written in a gritty prose style, this entertaining book shares the stories of these unsung players and uses a critical lens to separate fact from fiction.Baseball History for Kids: America at Bat from 1900 to Today, with 19 Activities
By Richard Panchyk. 2016
A fascinating journey through the history of America's favorite pastime With this interactive book, kids will discover how the game…
of baseball has changed over the years by reading about topics such as the dead ball era, World War II, segregation and integration, free agency, and the designated hitter. Along the way, young readers will enjoy quotes, stories, and amusing anecdotes from more than 175 former major leaguers and get an intimate look at the game's greatest legends--including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays. With the 21 included activities, children will learn how to calculate a player's batting average and ERA, throw a palmball, design a logo for their favorite team, cook a bowl of Cracker Jack, and more. A time line of the sport's history and lists of books, websites, and places to visit are also included.No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale Of Love And Wandering
By Clara Bensen. 2016
One Dress, Three Weeks, Eight Countries--Zero Baggage Newly recovered from a quarter-life meltdown, Clara Bensen decided to test her comeback…
by signing up for an online dating account. She never expected to meet Jeff, a wildly energetic university professor with a reputation for bucking convention. They barely know each other’s last names when they agree to set out on a risky travel experiment spanning eight countries and three weeks. The catch? No hotel reservations, no plans, and best of all, no baggage. Clara’s story will resonate with adventurers and homebodies alike--it’s at once a romance, a travelogue, and a bright modern take on the age-old questions: How do you find the courage to explore beyond your comfort zone? Can you love someone without the need for labels and commitment? Is it possible to truly leave your baggage behind?With a polished walking stick and neatly pressed trousers, Richard Halliburton served as an intrepid globetrotting guide for millions of…
Americans in the 1920s and '30s. Readers waited with bated breath for each new article and book he wrote. During his career, Halliburton climbed the Matterhorn, nearly fell out of his plane while shooting the first aerial photographs of Mt. Everest, and became the first person to swim the Panama Canal. With his matinee idol looks, the Tennessee native was a media darling in an era of optimism and increased social openness. But as the Great Depression and looming war pushed America toward social conservatism, Halliburton more actively worked to hide his homosexuality, burnishing his image as a masculine trailblazer. As chronicled in American Daredevil, Halliburton harnessed the media of his day to gain and maintain a widespread following long before our age of the 24-hour news cycle, and thus became the first celebrity adventure journalist. And during the darkest hours of the Great Depression, Halliburton did something remarkable: he inspired generations of authors, journalists, and everyday people who dreamt of fame and glory to explore the world.Nailed!: The Improbable Rise and Spectacular Fall of Lenny Dykstra
By Christopher Frankie. 2013
Nailed! is a dramatic biography of Lenny Dykstrathe heroic center fielder for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in…
the ’80s and ’90s whose gritty play earned him the nickname Nails. ” Dykstra’s unlikely post-baseball rise in the business world is a success story that is only matched by the sordid tale of his ultimate downfall. From famously receiving financial guru Jim Cramer’s ringing endorsement as one of the best” stock prognosticators, to hanging out with Charlie Sheen and numerous prostitutes, to holding court in his $15 million California home, Dykstra lived a highflying lifestyle. He was the toast of the business world before his litany of crimes were detected and his empire began to unravel in 2009, leading to a conviction and prison sentence in 2012 with more charges pending. Through compelling storytelling supported by extensive research and documentationincluding interviews with many of Dykstra’s friends, family, and business associatesNailed! Peels back the layers of this onion to reveal that the criminal charges of grand theft auto, identity theft, vandalism, lewd behavior, sexual assault, and more are just the tip of the iceberg. This is an engaging read of a sports and business hero gone bad.Closer
By Leigh A. Tobin, Brad Lidge, Kevin Neary. 2013
The closer is the ace reliever who specializes in closing out the game without surrendering the lead. Facing a power…
hitter in the ninth inning with a man on base and no outs takes nerves of steel. The pressure on the mound is intense. It takes a special breed to hold it together in these situations. Legendary manager Tony LaRusso said Sure, games can get away from you in the seventh and eighth, but those last three outs in the ninth are the toughest. ” It wasn’t until the creation of the save,” the successful maintenance of a lead by a relief pitcher, in 1960 that the position of closer began to rise in prominence. Today, closers are seen as some of the most intense athletes in all of sports. Neary and Tobin explore the unique personalities of major leagues’ most prominent relief pitchers from Bruce Sutter (Cubs, Cardinals, and Braves) to Mariano Rivera (Yankees). Closer is an insider’s look into the role of the closing pitcher, how the position has evolved, and how legendsTrevor Hoffman, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz, Rich Goose” Gossage, Mariano Rivera, Brian Fuentes, and many morecoped with the stress on the mound such as when facing the . 340 batter in the bottom of the ninth with only a one run lead.The Rotation
By Jim Salisbury, Todd Zolecki. 2012
Not since 1957 has one major league team's pitching staff boasted three pitchers (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt)…
in the Top Ten in career winning-percentage. Plus, the Philadelphia Phillies' 2011 rotation also happens to include Cole Hamels-the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP-and an alternating fifth starter. This awe-inducing rotation has been the talk of baseball since coming together in December 2010. They were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2011 baseball- preview edition, interviewed on the MLB Network on opening day of spring training, covered in the New York Times Magazine, and mentioned in numerous newspapers and magazines nationwide. Authored by two of the most knowledgable and connected Phillies beat writers, The Rotation is a remarkably detailed day-in-the-life story of one complete season with a Major League Baseball starting-pitching staff. The authors offer deep daily access to the Phillies players, coaches, and front-office staff, as well as the players and staff of other major league teams and the national baseball media. With firsthand reporting and extensive interviews, plus two full-color photo inserts, this is a fascinating and detailed look into the day-to-day operation of what is arguably the greatest pitching rotation ever assembled. It is a must-read for Phillies fans and general baseball fans alike.Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas
By Randy Miller. 2010
To Philadelphia Phillies fans, he was the soundtrack of summer. To millions of football fans across America, he was the…
“Voice of the NFL. ” And as open and giving as Harry Kalas was throughout his professional and personal life, there are countless layers of the man that have remained unknown . . . until now. Author Randy Miller interviewed more than 160 people—including all of Harry’s surviving family, many of his close friends from childhood to present, numerous colleagues from baseball and the NFL, and even Harry’s longtime personal psychologist—to craft a loving and shockingly honest portrayal of one of the most celebrated broadcasters in the history of sports. With incredible details from all phases of his life—from his upbringing in the Chicago suburbs, to his Hall of Fame broadcasting career in baseball, to his ubiquitous voiceover work with the NFL, to his personal vices for drinking and women, to his legendary friendship with Richie “Whitey” Ashburn, to his ongoing feud with on-air partner Chris Wheeler—Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas will surprise, delight, and enlighten all fans of the man they called “Harry the K. ”Over the last 40 years, Richard Roeper has attended White Sox games, watching as his team established a losing streak…
that was almost unparalleled in Major League Baseball history. In this account of what it was like to grow up a White Sox fan in a Cubs nation, Roeper covers the recent history of the organization, from the heartbreak of 1967 and the South-Side Hit Men to the disco demolition and the magical 2005 season when they became world champions. Encapsulating what it means to be a baseball fan, root for the same sorry team no matter what, and find vindication, this history of the White Sox is flavored with trivia; anecdotes about players, owners, and broadcasters; plus Roeper's own humorous and personal reminiscences.The Baseball Fan's Bucket List: 162 Things You Must Do, See, Get, and Experience Before You Die
By Robert Santelli, Jenna Santelli. 2009
No sports fans are more in touch with the history and ephemera of their game than baseball fans. Hitting the…
sweet spot of our national pastime, The Baseball Fans Bucket List presents a list of 162 absolute must things to do, see, get, and experience before you kick the bucket. Entries range from visiting Elysian Fields in Hoboken, NJ (site of the first pro baseball game), to starting a baseball card collection; experiencing Opening Day; attending your favorite teams Fantasy Camp; reading classic books like Ball Four, and much more! Each entry includes interesting facts, entertaining trivia, and practical information about the activity, item, or travel destination. Also included is a complete checklist so the reader can keep a running tally of their Bucket-List achievements. With todays tabloid stories of steroid abuse and off-the-field shenanigans encroaching on baseballs idyllic charm, this unique guidebook encourages readers to celebrate all thats good about being a fan.Joe Black: More than a Dodger
By Chuck Schoffner, Martha Jo Black. 2015
He was told that the color of his skin would keep him out of the big leagues, but Joe Black…
worked his way up through the Negro League and the Cuban League. He burst into the Majors in 1952 when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the face of segregation, verbal harassment, and even death threats, Joe Black rose to the top of his game; he earned National League Rookie of the Year and became the first African American pitcher to win a World Series game. With the same tenacity he showed in his baseball career, Black became the first African American vice president of a transportation corporation when he went to work for Greyhound. In this first-ever biography of Joe Black, his daughter Martha Jo Black tells the story not only of a baseball great who broke through the color line, but also of the father she knew and loved.Larceny and Old Leather: The Mischievous Legacy of Major League
By Eldon Ham. 2005
Every baseball player from little league to the big leagues knows it is illegal to steal signs, yet every major…
league team assigns someone to do just that. Baseball thrives on trickery and deception. But as our oldest major team sport, its larcenous legacy goes much deeper than the field of play. In LARCENY AND OLD LEATHER: THE MISCHIEVOUS LEGACY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, Eldon Ham--sports lawyer, professor, and author--traces the game's lesser-known, roguish past. His wry chapters, filled with anecdotes and statistics, expose both the hidden and the obvious cheating occurring throughout baseball's history, from corked bats and spitballs to betting and media hyperbole. Here is a book for both seasoned baseball fans and neophytes who'd like to get a look at the game that evolved into an industry. Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa, Pete Rose, and many other lesser known players make their appearance in this fascinating history, as Ham seeks not only to chronicle the legacy of deception inherent within the game, but also to explore why it is, and how it is, that this deception is exactly what makes baseball the most endearing of American games.Memoirs of a Buccaneer: Dampier's New Voyage Round the World, 1697
By William Dampier. 1968
It was William Dampier's passion to see the world that turned him into a buccaneer. He possessed remarkable powers of…
observation and analysis, and his life as a seventeenth-century navigator aboard pirate and privateering ships is brilliantly detailed in his journal. Throughout his travels of Central and South America and the East Indies, Dampier provides riveting accounts of sea battles against Spanish treasure ships, as well as pirate life, lore, and customs. Originally published in 1697 as the New Voyage, his journal became an instant success, and has been read ever since as one of the greatest travel and adventure accounts ever written.But Memoirs of a Buccaneer is far more than historical adventure. Dampier was a man of intelligence and education with a strong naturalist's urge, and his book quickly became a vital source of information on the geology, biology, zoology, and peoples of the lands he visited. His descriptions of the West Indian manatee, booby birds, cacao, and mangrove trees--flora and fauna never before heard of in England and the Continent--are incredibly accurate. His notes on the produce of Guam and Mindanao--coconuts, vanilla beans, bananas, breadfruit, and more--exerted a powerful influence on Britain's explorations and colonizations. And his depictions of Central America's Mosquito Indians and the natives of Mindanao proved to be highly reliable.The influence of this classic book on the work of later travelers is incalculable, leading writers such as Defoe, Swift, and Coleridge to borrow both facts and literary style from it. It continues to inspire readers today.Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad
By Steve Springer, Josh Harris, Jake Harris, Blake Chavez. 2013
The electrifying behind-the-scenes story of the late Deadliest Catch star, from his own two sons.Prior to his untimely death in…
2010, Captain Phil Harris was a star of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, the hit show that follows the exhilarating lives of Alaskan crab fishermen as they brave the vicious Bering Sea. He led his crew through hurricane-force winds and fourstory- high waves, hauling in millions of pounds of crab and raking in millions of dollars. Phil worked hard, but he played even harder. His life on shore--from his rebellious days to his tempestuous marriages, from his addictive habits to his fundamental American success story--could serve as a reality show in itself. He lived his life at Mach speed: the blitz of crab season, the six-figure paydays, the thunderous motorcycles, and the drug-fueled parties. High-speed chases and all-night blackjack binges were par for the course. But as wild as Phil could be, he was always openhearted and infectiously friendly. He was a devoted friend, a loving father, a steadfast captain, and a hero to audiences across America and around the world. His death in 2010, the result of stroke and heart failure at the age of fifty-three, left a hole in the hearts of millions. In this exclusive authorized biography, Phil's two surviving sons, Josh and Jake Harris, team up with bestselling author Steve Springer and coauthor Blake Chavez to share the thrilling story of Phil's remarkable life.Edmund Booth: Deaf Pioneer
By Harry G. Lang. 2004
Edmund Booth was born in 1810 and died in 1905, and during the 94 years of his life, he epitomized…
virtually everything that characterized an American legend of that century. In his prime, Booth stood 6 feet, 3 inches tall, weighed in at 210 pounds, and wore a long, full beard. He taught school in Hartford, CT, then followed his wife-to-be Mary Ann Walworth west to Anamosa, Iowa, where in 1840, he built the area's first frame house. He pulled up stakes nine years later to travel the Overland Trail on his way to join the California Gold Rush. After he returned to Iowa in 1854, he became the editor of the Anamosa Eureka, the local newspaper. Edmund Booth fit perfectly the mold of the ingenious pioneer of 19th-century America, except for one unusual difference -- he was deaf. Edmund Booth: Deaf Pioneer follows the amazing career of this American original and his equally amazing wife in fascinating detail. Author Harry G. Lang vividly portrays Booth and his wife by drawing from a remarkable array of original material. A prolific writer, Booth corresponded with his fiancé from the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, and he kept a journal during his days on the California trail, parts of which have been reproduced here. He also wrote an autobiographical essay when he was 75, and his many newspaper articles through the years bore first-hand witness to the history of his times, from the Civil War to the advent of the 20th century. Edmund Booth depicts a larger-than-life man in larger-than-life times, but perhaps its greatest contribution derives from its narrative about pioneer days as seen through Deaf eyes. Booth became a respected senior statesman of the American Deaf community, and blended with his stories of the era's events are anecdotes and issues vital to Deaf people and their families. His story proves again that extraordinary people vary in many ways, but they often possess a common motive in acting to enhance their own communities.The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst: The Strange Last Voyage Of Donald Crowhurst (Sailmate Ser.)
By Ron Hall, Nicholas Tomalin. 2003
In early 1968, desperate entrepreneur Donald Crowhurst was trying to sell a nautical navigation device he had developed when he…
saw that the Sunday Times would be sponsoring the Golden Globe Race, the first ever solo, round-the-world sailing competition. An avid amateur sailor, Crowhurst sensed a marketing opportunity and shocked the world by entering the competition using an untested trimaran of his own design. Shock soon turned to amazement when he quickly took the lead, checking in by radio message from locations far ahead of his seasoned competitors.But on July 10, 1969, roughly eight months after he had sailed from England--and less than two weeks from his expected triumphant return--his wife was informed that his boat, the Teignmouth Electron, had been discovered drifting quietly, abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Crowhurst was missing, assumed drowned. How did he come to such an end when his race had begun with such incredible promise?In this masterpiece of investigative journalism, Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall reconstruct one of the greatest modern stories of one man's descent into self-delusion, public deception, and madness. Based on in-depth interviews with Crowhurst's family and friends, combined with gripping excerpts from his logbooks that revealed (among other things) he had been falsifying his locations all along, Tomalin and Hall paint an unforgettable, haunting portrait of a complex, deeply troubled man and his final fateful journey.