Bøger af Bill Deane

David T. Riley dreamt big. His desire to be a superstar recording artist led the adolescent hoodlum into the fringes of organized crime. Ironically though, it was a failed extortion attempt at the Coral Gables bus station that landed him in jail where he found his calling in June of 1960. When the CIA needed recruits to carry out dangerous spying missions to Cuba, their Ivy League educated agents would rather not do themselves, they found Riley languishing in a light green jumpsuit in Miami Dade County Jail awaiting trial. Street-smart, confident to the point of being cocky and extremely intelligent, the Agency believed he'd be able to talk his way out of any situation. Trained by the Feds to operate in a complex world of international crime, David became one of the Agency's top operatives. The CIA's use for him eventually waned, and with skills learned through covert work, Riley afforded himself an extensive career in gunrunning, drug dealing, fraud and embezzlement. SMOOTH CRIMINAL, A One-Man American Crime Wave exposes how the Government's secret release of criminals to conduct dangerous overseas assignments backfires when they return home.

Presenting a 'who's who of what-ifs' this book focuses on 40 well known non-inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame, such as Tony Conigliaro, Denny McLain and Jose Fernandez, along with many others all but lost to history, such as Ross Barnes, Charlie Ferguson and Hal Trosky. Also included are more than 100 'honourable mentions'.

Baseball followers have been perpetuating, debating, and debunking myths for nearly two centuries, producing a treasury of baseball stories and ';facts.' Yet never before have these elements of baseball history been carefully scrutinized and compiled into one comprehensive workuntil now. In Baseball Myths: Debating, Debunking, and Disproving Tales from the Diamond, award-winning researcher Bill Deane examines baseball legendsold and new.This book covers such legendary players as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Pete Rose, and Derek Jeter, while also looking at lesser-known figures like Dummy Hoy, Grover Land, Wally Pipp, and Babe Hermannot to mention people who found fame in other fields, such as Civil War General Abner Doubleday, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Deane's original research and logic will educate, amuse, and often surprise readers, revealing the truth behind such legends as the inventor of baseball, the first black player in the major leagues, and even the origin of the hot dog.With photographs, stats, and more than 80 myths examined, this book is sure to fascinate everyone, from the casual baseball fan to lifelong devotees of the sport.

Through many years of research, Bill Deane has documented 260 successful hidden-ball tricks-putting the rarity of the play roughly in the class of the no-hitter. Along the way, he has collected the often-hilarious stories of these plays and the men who pulled them.

Baseball followers have been perpetuating, debating, and debunking myths for nearly two centuries, producing a treasury of baseball stories and ΓÇ£facts.ΓÇ¥ Yet never before have these elements of baseball history been carefully scrutinized and compiled into one comprehensive workΓÇöuntil now. In Baseball Myths: Debating, Debunking, and Disproving Tales from the Diamond, award-winning researcher Bill Deane examines baseball legendsΓÇöold and new.This book covers such legendary players as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Pete Rose, and Derek Jeter, while also looking at lesser-known figures like Dummy Hoy, Grover Land, Wally Pipp, and Babe HermanΓÇönot to mention people who found fame in other fields, such as Civil War General Abner Doubleday, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. DeaneΓÇÖs original research and logic will educate, amuse, and often surprise readers, revealing the truth behind such legends as the inventor of baseball, the first black player in the major leagues, and even the origin of the hot dog.With photographs, stats, and more than 80 myths examined, this book is sure to fascinate everyone, from the casual baseball fan to lifelong devotees of the sport.