Baseball

"A hugely entertaining history of baseball in New York City, bursting with bigger than life figures, and long-forgotten heroes, spanning the game's founding to the early 1940s"--

Managing the Show is a revealing look and behind the scenes details of the responsibilities of Major League Baseball's general managers.Tune in to any MLB broadcast, radio, TV or streaming and you will hear broadcasters and reporters including "The Show," in their reporting.One of the side effects of the "Moneyball" era has been the glamorization (and, at times, charm, and obsession) of baseball's general manager position. Baseball general managers are the ones responsible for managing the show. Let's take a look inside that.We as fans think we know what to do and we think we know what is going through the head of an MLB general manager, but we really don't. We don't until now. Managing the Show - Inside the Daily Responsibilities of Major League Baseball's General Managers, opens up the world of baseball general management and pulls back the curtain of what really happens in baseball and inside the world of a baseball general manager.This book shares information on how baseball's general managers work to further develop their show. Just like armchair quarterbacks in football, we as true baseball fans put ourselves in the shoes of the team's general manager, at least in our own minds or in hot stove league conversations abound. Now it's time to get out of that armchair and see the real story.The book consists of stories and interviews with former and current baseball general managers at the Major League Baseball level.This book is written for the baseball fan.

Before Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, there were only nineteen men who played in the Major Leagues of baseball and in the NFL in the same season. Only one, Walter French, played for a World Series winner and an NFL Championship team. Little remembered today, his status as a two-sport star had him constantly in the news.

Do pinstripes get you peeved? Do you wish the "House That Ruth Built" would get condemned? Are you convinced that George Steinbrenner is in league with Lucifer? Then this is the book for you! Let's face it, Yankees-haters have two favorite teams: their team, and whatever team is playing against the Yankees that day. Now, the Bronx Bomber bashers have their own handbook that shows how anyone, anywhere, of any age, can hate the Yankees like a pro in no time! Full of fun facts and anecdotes from around the league-as well as helpful, easy-to-follow rituals, chants, and keys to helping every non-Yankee fan focus their rage, disappointment, and burning jealousy from opening day right up until the Yanks walk away with yet another completely undeserved World Series Championship!

As abundant and layered as the National Pastime itself, The Big Book of Baseball Stories takes the reader on a rich journey that circles the bases of the game's history and literature-its Giants, its dramas, its tragedies, and its laughs-as it rolls through the typewriters of some of the game's mightiest scribes, from Walt Whitman and Mark Twain to Grantland Rice and Ring Lardner, even Abbott and Costello. Rediscover the feats of Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, and Frank Merriwell; bask in the prose of P.G. Wodehouse, Paul Gallico, and Zane Gray; and dive into the very mystery of the meaning of the seventh-inning stretch.If you love baseball, you'll love The Big Book of Baseball Stories. Whitman called baseball "our game . . . America's game." It was then. It still is. The words within these pages invite you to remember why.

Stanley Coveleski's life was a story of triumph and tragedy.He was born in the Coal Region town of Shamokin, PA in 1889, the eighth child of Polish immigrants, and went to work as a breaker boy when he was twelve. But he escaped the 12-hour work days in the mines by throwing stones at a can tied to a tree-his own crash course in how to pitch a baseball.Years later, he was one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.In a season marked by personal and team tragedy-the death of his wife and his teammate Ray Chapman, who is the only player to die as a result of being hit by a pitch-Covey pitched three complete-game victories in the Cleveland Indians' 1920 World Series championship.Covey, one of 17 pitchers still allowed to throw a spitball after it being outlawed before the 1921 season, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.Check out this interview about the book...

Long before the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season, Boston's now nearly forgotten "other" team, the 1914 Boston Braves, performed a baseball "miracle" that resounds to this very day. The "Miracle Braves" were Boston's first "worst-to-first" winners of the World Series. Shortly after the turn of the previous century, the once mighty Braves had become a perennial member of the National League's second division. Preseason pundits didn't believe the 1914 team posed a meaningful threat to John McGraw's powerful New York Giants. During the first half of that campaign, Boston lived down to such expectations, taking up residence in the league's basement.Refusing to throw in the towel at the midseason mark, their leader, the pugnacious George Stallings, deftly manipulated his daily lineup and pitching staff to engineer a remarkable second-half climb in the standings all the way to first place. The team's winning momentum carried into the postseason, where the Braves swept Connie Mack's heralded Athletics and claimed the only World Championship ever won by Boston's National League entry. And for 100 years, the management, players, and fans of underperforming ball clubs have turned to the Miracle Braves to catch a glimmer of hope that such a midseason turnaround could be repeated. Through the collaborative efforts of a band of dedicated members of the Society for American Baseball Research, this benchmark accomplishment is richly revealed to the reader in The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions. The essence of the "miracle" is captured through a comprehensive compendium of incisive biographies of the players and other figures associated with the team, with additional relevant research pieces on the season. After a journey through the pages of this book, the die-hard baseball fan will better understand why the call to "Wait Until Next Year" should never be voiced prematurely.

In One-Win Wonders, we meet 78 players whose time in the major leagues included only a single pitching win. One-Win Wonders is a companion book to the 2021 SABR book One-Hit Wonders, which included biographies of players who had gotten only a single hit.The 78 players whose biographies are presented here are among the 915 players who completed their major-league career with just one win. An astonishing 229 of those never lost a game, ending with a career record of 1-0. Some simply had very brief stays in the majors, like Bill Ging "With the Wonderful Wing" who joined the Boston Beaneaters at the tail end of 1899 and secured a 2-1 complete game victory over the New York Giants, but found himself without a team when the National League contracted from 12 teams to eight in 1900. Then there's Nick Adenhart, whose career was tragically cut short by a drunk driver hours after securing his win for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Others, like catcher Brent Mayne, were position players who wound up on the mound and left with a victory. Mayne's win came in an epic extra-innings contest between the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves, after the last pitcher on the roster was ejected after a brawl. Each of the current 30 major-league franchises is represented by at least one such wonder, as are a number of other teams, some dating back to the nineteenth century. One-Win Wonders represents the collaborative work of nearly 60 researchers, authors, and editors from the Society for American Baseball Research.

"Strike out the skinny bum. Send him back to Korea!" These words, yelled by baseball fans during a game in Shibe Park, and referring to Ted Williams, first fired Ted Blood with the idea of writing a book about the Splendid Splinter and his long-time difficulties with sportswriters. "The average fan, or man in the street, actually does not know how truly great the Splinter was or is," Mr. Blood writes, "both as a devastating hitter and as a fine fielder. They do not know a single fact about his charities, nor about his generous and unlimited help and advice to hundreds of young and old baseball players. Actually the fans are not to blame for their cursing and booing of our skinny hero. The sportswriters, at least some of them around the East and especially a few around Boston and New York, are to blame. They have painted a black picture so well that many fans jeer and curse the Splinter because they really believe he is a prize jerk, a poor sport, a hothead, a selfish, conceited bore, a lousy outfielder, a true villain." With a zealot's ardor and a veritable almanac of facts, Mr. Blood here refutes these canards. "A truly great sportsman," the author calls Williams, "the most deadly hitter of all time and one of the greatest fishermen in the whole wide world . . . a real, live heman, a gentleman." The author extols the Splinter's charitable work, his kindness and consideration, his greatness as a baseball player and his record as a war hero. He also explodes such stories as that Williams was deliberately off in the Everglades, fishing, when his wife gave birth to a baby daughter. This is a book that will capture the imagination of anyone who has ever thrilled to the cry: "Play ball!" and one that will arouse controversy in dugouts and bleachers and, in fact, wherever baseball players and fans gather. It will also show the would-be ballplayer how baseball "greats" are made.

A Galaxy of Stars best describes Andrew "Rube" Foster's 1910 Chicago Leland Giants. In their only season together, this combination of players played their way into the heart and soul of a nation divided. They are proof positive that the National and American Leagues did not corner the market on athletic talent. Foster's unit began the season with a thirty-two and one record and ended with thirty-one consecutive victories. They scored nearly 1,000 runs and finished the season with a 124-7-1 record. Their win total is elevated to 138-11-2 when Cuban Winter League games are added. They played 64 games in the Chicago portion of their schedule. These games are equivalent to a home schedule for National and American League teams. Foster's Giants finished with a landmark 57-6-1 record for games played in Chicago. That Foster, John Henry Lloyd, and John "Pete" Hill, three members of the 1910 Leland Giants, are enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is worthy of closer observation. And yet, Bruce Petway, Frank Wickware, and Grant "Home Run" Johnson should be there, too.Thus, Phil Dixon's American Baseball Chronicles, Volume II, Great Teams, enters the illustrious conversation. The Leland Giants story is uniquely told here in a day-to-day account of every exciting win and every memorable thrill. The comparative scores and related histories are a resourceful and entertaining aid for further analysis of the participation of African-American athletes in baseball as best represented by one legendary team in a single championship season.

This is the story of the 1959 Dodgers, a team that rose above its disastrous first season on the West Coast for an out-of-nowhere World Series title. One of baseball's greatest underdog champions, the '59 Dodgers were a rag-tag team made of long shots salvaged from the minor leagues and over-the-hill ballplayers who reached back for one final triumph. After surviving a thrilling three team pennant race, they met fellow long shots the Chicago White Sox in an underdog World Series. Here, the team's story is recounted in detail, with game-by-game highlights, and set against the cultural backdrop of the civil rights movement, the Cold War, and the rock and roll cultural revolution.

Baseball Confidential is a revealing look at behind the scenes communication between players, coaches, and managers at all levels of baseball. The book consists of stories and interviews with former players, coaches, and managers mostly at the Major League Baseball level.This book is written for baseball fans. Every fan wants to know what is said on the mound, in the locker room, behind closed doors and more. With my exposures to coaches, players and fans that is all brought to light in Baseball Confidential. Readers are invited to come behind the closed doors.The book reveals many funny and good stories related to the mentioned, behind-the-scenes communication. This is a baseball book that includes what coaches say to players: to pitchers on mound visits, pre- and post-game pep talks, and more.

For a period of time in the 1970s, the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Cincinnati Reds was one of the best rivalries in Major League Baseball. This book takes a fresh look at these two powerhouses and the players that made them so pivotal, including Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Don Sutton, and Ron Cey.

Step back in time to the summer of 1940, when professional baseball in Fayetteville, Arkansas met its untimely demise, leaving a void that has never been filled in the decades since. In this enchanting tapestry of history, the remarkable story of a nearly forgotten Class-D minor league unfolds before your eyes-an organization that holds the title of the "smallest league that ever functioned in organized baseball." With every turn of the page, a bittersweet nostalgia permeates the air, drawing you into the world of the Arkansas-Missouri League and the faded glory of the Fayetteville Angels. The raucous symphony of wood meeting horsehide, the exhilaration of triumphant cheers, and the heartwrenching cries of defeat. Each of these once vibrant sounds now exist as mere whispers, floating in the ethereal realm of forgotten history. Angels in the Ozarks brings a bygone era back to life, where dreams soared and the spirit of baseball thrived, forever leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those who still remember.

Are you looking for the perfect baseball book? Learn about some of the greatest players, teams, and moments from America's pastime. Baseball and American histories often intertwine in profound ways. Some of baseball's greatest stories are also significant moments in US history. Did you know Ted Williams flew fighter jets with astronaut John Glenn? What about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. crediting Jackie Robinson for making his Civil Rights work easier? Or how Sandy Koufax started a conversation about religious holiday observance versus professional responsibilities? Of course, some stories are just pure baseball fun - home run races, curse-defying World Series winners, record-breaking careers and seasons, etc. Discover these stories and many others. Learn about incredible and inspirational players like Satchel Paige, Jim Abbott, Cal Ripken Jr., Sandy Koufax, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and others. Within these pages, you'll find: ¿ 15 incredible baseball stories about players, teams, or events throughout the game's history.¿ A renewed passion for the game and a fuller understanding of its role as America's pastime.¿ Fun facts about each player or team that will stump the biggest baseball heads on trivia night.¿ Vivid retellings of incredible baseball moments, including direct quotes and stories from some of the greatest players.¿ Surprising statistics behind some of the game's greatest players that will change how you think about names like Ruth, Aaron, and Williams.¿ Great examples of perseverance and determination in the face of challenging circumstances that you can use as inspiration in your daily life. Whether you know much or little about baseball, this book promises to share some new insights. You might learn a new detail about your favorite player or find a brand new baseball story you hadn't heard before! The stories in these pages will remind you why you love this sport so much. It may even change your perceptions of how to define greatness in sports. Get your copy of The Most Incredible Baseball Stories Ever Told today!

Ebbets Field is one of the most cherished of baseball's lost ballparks. This book tells the story of Ebbets Field through several feature essays and stories of nearly 100 historic games played there.Relive the historic debut of Jackie Robinson, the 1949 All-Star Game, and the first start by 19-year-old Sandy Koufax-a two-hitter in which he fanned 19 batters. Brooklyn's triumphs and heartbreaks in multiple World Series are here, too, along with Jeff Pfeffer's 18-inning complete game in 1919, and Johnny Vander Meer's second straight no-hitter. These games encompass ample heroics of Cookie Lavagetto, Dolph Camilli, Don Newcombe, Sal Maglie, Babe Herman, and Joe Black.Named after Charles Ebbets, majority owner of the Brooklyn baseball club from 1902 until his death in 1925, Ebbets Field was the home of the Dodgers from 1913 until their relocation to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. Whether they were called the Superbas, the Robins (after skipper Wilbert Robinson) or the Dodgers, the club played over 3,400 games at Ebbets Field, as well as 28 World Series games in nine different postseasons. The games included in this volume reflect every decade in the ballpark's history, from the inaugural regular-season game, against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 9, 1913, to the last one, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, in front of just 6,702 spectators on September 24, 1957.This volume is a collaborative effort of dozens of members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

If you love baseball, then you will love reading about the history of the St. Louis Cardinals. Inside you will read about every season in Cardinals history, including players stats, Playoff and World Series line scores and game recaps. Since 1882, the Cardinals have a rich history and part of American lore for baseball fans south of the Mason-Dixon line and across America. Relive some of the great seasons, games and moments in Cardinals history.

If you love baseball, then you will love reading about the history of the Chicago Cubs. Inside you will read about every season in Cubs history. Since 1871 when they started at the Union Baseball Grounds to the current day playing at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have a rich history and have been part of American lore for baseball fans across America. Relive some of the great seasons, great games, and great moments in Cubs history.

If you love baseball, then you will love reading about the history of the Los Angeles Angels. Inside you will read about every season in Angels history. Since 1961 when they started at the Chavez Ravine to the current day playing at Anaheim Stadium. The Angels have a rich history and have been part of American lore for baseball fans across America. Relive some of the great seasons, great games, and great moments in Angels history.

The Magic of Baseball Made ClearMany of us recognize that ineffable quality within baseball. Movies such as Field of Dreams and Damn Yankees speculate into metaphysical elements of the game. But so far, nothing has been written that makes lucid the spiritual aspect of baseball. Baseball: an Astrological Sightline demonstrates the spiritual and transcendental nature of baseball through the methodology of astrology. This book shows how the stars and planets affect the course of every baseball season and every baseball game. Baseball: an Astrological Sightline introduces the astrological birthcharts of the 30 Major League teams playing in the United States. The history and tendencies of these teams become quite lucid when viewed from an astrological perspective. What was the curse placed on the Cubs? How was it lifted? Why do the Yankees excel in post-season play? What was the miracle of the 1969 Mets? These mysteries and many more are answered through the lens of astrology.

About the BookBurial at Home Plate offers a colorful look at the Pittsburgh Pirates, with an emphasis on offbeat moments in team history. Read about the doubleheader completed underwater; the Pittsburgh outfielders whose pursuit of a batted ball was halted by a gun-wielding Cincinnati fan; the pitcher who earned a victory while taking a nap; the dead man who tied a franchise record for games played; the sparrow that flew from beneath batter Casey Stengel's cap; and the rookie who struck out while seated on the bench.Burial at Home Plate touches on the indoor game that was rained out; the throng of 50,000 that turned out in Pittsburgh for a game played more than 400 miles away; the tipsy pitcher who fell asleep inside the tarp during a game; the future MVPs who delivered their first major league hits while still in the minors; the FBI agent who "pinch hit" for Ralph Kiner; and the Pirates manager who disproved the notion that you can't steal first base.Burial at Home Plate also shines the spotlight on the Green Weenie, the alabaster plaster, Aunt Minnie, the Rickey Dinks, Destiny's Darlings, Dr. Strangeglove, eephus pitches and-the inspiration for the book's title-a strange pre-game interment that took place at home plate.About the AuthorBob Fulton has written extensively about the Pittsburgh Pirates for regional and national publications such as Sports History, Pittsburgh Magazine, The National Pastime, Pittsburgh Sports Now, Pennsylvania, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game program and On Deck, formerly the official magazine of the Pirates. His work has also appeared in American Heritage, Football Digest, The NCAA News, NFL Exclusive, Delta Sky, Marathon and Beyond, Basketball Weekly, Referee, The Elks Magazine, Collegiate Baseball and Sports Heritage, among others. Fulton is the author of The Summer Olympics: A Treasury of Legend and Lore; Never Lost a Game (Time Just Ran Out); Top Ten Baseball Stats: Interesting Rankings of Players, Managers, Umpires and Teams; and Pirates Treasures: Facts, Feats, Firsts in Pittsburgh Pirates History. In addition, his story on the major league debut of 15-year-old pitcher Joe Nuxhall was included in an anthology, The Ol' Ball Game. Fulton, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, resides in Indiana, Pa.

In The 50 Greatest Players in Cincinnati Reds History, sports historian Robert W. Cohen examines the careers of the fifty men who made the greatest impact on one of Major League Baseball's oldest and most iconic franchises.