From the late 1950s to the 1980s, baseball's American League mismanaged integration and expansion, allowing the National League to forge ahead in attendance and prestige. While both leagues had executive structures that presented few barriers to individual team owners acting purely in their own interests, it was the American League that succumbed to infighting-which ultimately led to its disappearance into what we now call Major League Baseball. Stumbling around the Bases is the story of how the American League fell into such a disastrous state, struggling for decades to escape its nadir and, when it finally righted itself, losing its independence. The American League's trip to the bottom involved bad decisions by both individual teams and their owners. The key elements were a glacial approach to integration, the choice of underfinanced or disruptive new owners, and a consistent inability to choose the better markets among cities that were available for expansion. The American League wound up with less-attractive teams in the smaller markets compared to the National League-and thus fewer consumers of tickets, parking, beer, hot dogs, scorecards, and replica jerseys. The errors of the American League owners were rooted in missed cultural and demographic shifts and exacerbated by reactive decisions that hurt as much as helped their interests. Though the owners were men who were notably successful in their non-baseball business ventures, success in insurance, pizza, food processing, and real estate development, didn't necessarily translate into running a flourishing baseball league. In the end the National League was simply better at recognizing its collective interests, screening its owners, and recognizing the markets that had long-term potential.

"Geoff Miller has devised a virtually flawless program to assist anyone who aspires to become a winning major league player." -Roland Hemond, 2011 Baseball Hall of Fame Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award "A must read for athletes looking to gain a mental edge or simply better identify their own strengths." -Bryan Minniti, Assistant General Manager, Washington Nationals Mental skills coach Geoff Miller has spent years helping professional baseball players improve their mental toughness-both on and off the field. Now, he's making these invaluable lessons available to everyone who loves the game of baseball. From high school to the Major Leagues, all baseball players struggle with competition, pressure, and their own personal challenges. This book, through inspiring stories about professional baseball players in various stages of their careers, as well as hands-on tips and questionnaires, will help players evaluate and improve the mental skills that are necessary for that competitive edge. In Intangibles, you'll find stories, instruction, and practical applications that teach players and coaches how to put forth their best mental games-portrayed through the eyes of those who have experienced those learning moments firsthand in their quests to become Major Leaguers. From a local park's baseball diamond to dusty minor league dugout benches to the musty concrete tunnels under Major League stadiums, Intangibles meets players where they are, offering specific ways to improve performance and outlook. Whether you hope to be a big league player someday, or whether you simply want to play your best game, this book is essential for all athletes who want to learn how to overcome fear, build confidence, and develop a mental framework for success.

Baseball Chronicles: Articles on Youth Coaching is a compilation of twenty-one articles Coach Marty Schupak has written over the course of his twenty-two years of coaching youth baseball, exploring the most common and pressing issues facing youth coaches & parents today. Featured in these articles are both on-field and off-field topics that are designed to help the youth coach run a successful season, whether it is handling the team's parents or reviewing pitching techniques for youth athletes. Based on Coach Marty's experiences, the subjects discussed in the following twenty-one articles are overlooked by the majority of coaches, but could be the secret to success.

Beginning in an era before traffic jams, air-conditioning, and Atlanta's ascension to international fame, Tim Darnell chronicles the emergence of amateur and minor-league baseball in various forms in Atlanta from just after the Civil War through the rise of the Crackers (1901-65).Through never-before-published player interviews, rare illustrations, extensive charts and statistics, and thorough research, Darnell examines the drama and politics that affected the Crackers over the years. Also profiled is the Black Crackers, Atlanta's Negro Southern League franchise whose success and popularity paralleled those of their white counterparts.The Crackers is a light-hearted, fun, and engrossing history of a time, a people, and one very special centerfield magnolia tree whose stories are legend to this day.Includes a Crackers Trivia Quiz, and appendices with records and statistics.

As Boston's revered Fenway Park hits its 100th anniversary, it's a good time to look back at the full century of Red Sox baseball played in the team's home park. Author of more books on the Red Sox than any other writer, Bill Nowlin has produced another one here. This is no dumbed-down version of Fenway Park history told in trivia form. The average reader will easily answer some of the questions, certainly, but our guess is that the average reader will feel more frustrated than genius after working his or her way through these 100 questions for the 100 years. The goal isn't to give the reader a difficult time, though. It's to provide better insights into the park and the play on the field. Reading through this book will hopefully be an educational (and enjoyable) experience.

A Memoir of Life on the Edge

"Mad Ball" is a story about the madness that invaded Wrigley Field and was consequently felt 'round the world during the 2003 MLB playoffs. Chicago attorneys and life-long Cubs fans R. Thomas Hoffman and Walter Yurkanin take us on a sweeping examination of the historic meltdown in Game Six against the Florida Marlins, finally setting the record straight on what was to blame for the Cubs' collapse. Forming their own "Commission," every aspect of the infamous "Bartman Play" is held under the microscope - interpreting and analyzing the rules, evaluating comments from players and managers, reviewing media reports, and looking at countless photos and video replays. No stone is left unturned, including the legendary Cubs curse. For Cubs fans, this book is therapeutic. For baseball fans everywhere, it's a fascinating look at one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. And for Cubs fan Steve Bartman, "Mad Ball" is freedom, and it's long overdue. "Impressively researched. If The Warren Commission Reported on the Bartman foul ball, this is what it would look like " -Bob Sirott Co-Anchor Fox Chicago News @9pm

It was the first (and last) season of professional baseball in Israel. Aaron Pribble, twenty-seven, had been out of Minor League Baseball for three years while he pursued a career in education when, at his coach's suggestion, he tried out for the newly formed Israel Baseball League (IBL). Of Jewish descent (not a requirement, but definitely a plus) and former pro, Pribble was the ideal candidate for the upstart league. In many ways the league resembled the ultimate baseball fantasy camp with its unforgettable cast of characters: the DJ/street artist third baseman from the Bronx, the wildman catcher from Australia, the journeymen Dominicans who were much older than they claimed to be, and, of course, seventy-one-year-old Sandy Koufax, drafted in a symbolic gesture as the last player. After falling in love with a beautiful Yemenite Jew, enduring an alleged terrorist attack on opening day, witnessing a career-ending brain injury caused by improper field equipment, participating in a strike, and venturing into the West Bank despite being strongly advised against it, Pribble must decide whether to forgo a teaching career in order to become the first player from the IBL to sign a pro contract in the United States. His is a story of coming of age spiritually and athletically in one short season in the throes of romance, Middle Eastern politics, and the dreams of America's pastime far, far afield from home.
Learn about Holy Land Hardball, a documentary on the Israel Baseball League.

The Pirates Prospects Annual 2011 features the most comprehensive Pittsburgh Pirates coverage available. The Annual features player profiles, 2011 projections, historical essays, in-depth analysis, and more.

Every summer, college baseball teams from around the nation come to Omaha, Nebraska, to play pure move-the-man-over, run-manufacturing baseball in a series that's part college bowl game, part county fair. In the spirit of "3 Nights in August" and "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty," veteran sports writer Ryan McGee goes behind the scenes, into the stands, and onto the field to reveal an exciting yet personal look at one of the hottest sports championships in the country---the College World Series.
In 2008, the ten-day, eight-team tournament was the scene of one of the greatest series in its illustrious history. And Ryan McGee puts the reader behind closed doors with the underdog champs, the Fresno State Bulldogs, as well as with their seven opponents, from the first batting practice session, to bus rides to the ballpark, to the locker room and the dugout. It's the CWS as few ever see it.
But "The Road to Omaha" goes far beyond the 2008 season. It's an in-depth look at the managing strategies and playing style of college baseball, as well as a series of profiles that examine the people behind and around the CWS---the players, coaches, and fans who keep that feeling of good-old-days innocence alive through their reverence for the Great American Pastime.
McGee also takes up residence at Rosenblatt Stadium itself, reliving its rich history and tapping into the electricity around it, from the tailgating fans to the surrounding neighborhoods. "The Blatt" is America's last real connection to the baseball belief that "Field of Dreams "can actually happen: a wooden-framed ballpark with cramped concourses where teams share locker rooms, change clothes in the parking lot, and sign autographs for kids until their fingers cramp. "The Blatt" is a monument to tradition---and the last of its kind to keep that tradition alive.
Thanks to Ryan McGee's quick eye for play-by-play action, as well as his deep love for sports, " The Road to Omaha" is a rare glimpse into the kind of baseball our grandfather's knew---a snapshot of the one of the last remaining vestiges of pure Americana: a hometown, baseball, and the people who shape it and are shaped by it in turn.

By the summer of 1920, Babe Ruth had attained a degree of celebrity beyond that of any other player in baseball history. Traded by the Red Sox for the unheard-of sum of $125,000, the Bambino was on a tear, breaking his own records and drawing legions of fans into Yankee Stadium. The" Atlanta Constitution" fed the growing interest in New York's newest player with a twelve-part series of articles in which Ruth reminisced about his rough-and-tumble childhood as well as his life in the big leagues. He also commented on the current season, including the 1920 pennant race and World Series.
Although doubtless shaped by a ghostwriter, it is clear that these are Ruth's own thoughts, opinions, and recollections. The first contemporary account of the famed player's early years, these articles have long been available only to researchers and history buffs. Thirty historic photographs complement this original edition, along with an Introduction by sports historian Paul Dickson.

Though the players make the highlight reels, for fans of Major League Baseball the actual ballparks are often the seat of affection and team loyalty. Players come and go, get traded, retire, but the parks remain for decades. This work recounts the histories of the classic parks, those that were built between 1909 and 1923, and the last games that were played in them when their teams finally moved on.

On November 1, 2017, the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in an epic seven game battle to become 2017 World Series champs. For the Astros, the combination of a magnificently played series, a 101-victory season and the devastation Hurricane Harvey brought to their city was so incredible it might give Hollywood screenwriters pause. The nation's fourth-largest city, still reeling in the wake of disaster, was smiling again. The Astros' first-ever World Series victory is a great baseball story, but it's also the story of a major American city - a city (and a state) that the rest of the nation doesn't always love or understand - becoming a sentimental favorite because of its grace and good will in response to the largest natural disaster in American history. The Astros' miracle season is also the fascinating tale of a thoroughly modern team. Constructed by NASA-inspired analytics, the team's data-driven system took the game to a more sophisticated level than the so-called Moneyball approach. The team's new owner, Jim Crane, bought into the system and was willing to endure humiliating seasons in the baseball wilderness with the hope, shared by few initially, that success comes to those who wait. And he was right. But no data-crunching could take credit for a team of likeable, refreshingly good-natured young men who wore "Houston Strong" patches on their jerseys and meant it-guys like shortstop Carlos Correa, who kept a photo in his locker of a Houston woman trudging through fetid water up to her knees. The Astros foundation included George Springer, a powerful slugger and rangy outfielder; third-baseman Alex Bregman, whose defensive play and clutch hitting were crucial in the series; and, of course, the stubby and tenacious second baseman Jose Altuve, the heart and soul of the team. HURRICANE SEASON is Houston Chronicle columnist Joe Holley's moving account of this extraordinary team-and the extraordinary circumstances of their championship.

In the 1950s the University of Wyoming, already making national headlines with an NCAA basketball champion ship under its belt and a strong football program, made one of the great hires in the athletic department s history when Glenn Bud Daniel was named baseball coach. Daniel, who finished his playing career at Wyoming after serving in World War II, started recruiting nationally and playing one of the nation s most difficult schedules. It all paid off in 1956 when the Pokes played their way into the College World Series. Some great players called Cowboy Field home over the years from Bob Jingling to Art Howe to Greg Brock to Jeff Huson but the proud program was uncer emoniously dropped by the university in 1996. Lost Cowboys documents the proud history of Wyoming baseball from the early days of Milward Simpson to the glory days of Daniel to the final outs in Laramie.

With "Final Innings" Dean Sullivan concludes his four-volume documentary history of baseball, whose three earlier volumes have been called "a broad array of illuminating and often unexpected materials" ("Sports Collectors Digest"), "an invaluable reference tool" ("Newark Star-Ledger"), and a "fascinating collection" ("Washington Post"), in which "ancient myths are shattered and new facts are uncovered" ("USA Today Baseball Weekly"). Culling the most pertinent, newsworthy, and just plain curious stories from newspapers and periodicals, and putting each into context, Sullivan constructs an informative and entertaining account of Major League baseball from 1972 through 2008. The 105 essays cover key topics such as George Steinbrenner's purchase of the Yankees, the first free-agent draft, the coming of lights to Wrigley Field, the cancellation of the World Series in 1994, and the BALCO steroid probe. They also bring to light lesser-known gems like the rise of sabermetrics and the federal injunction against team owners in 1995. Offering a you-are-there view of the events that made baseball into the game we know today, this book gives readers a chance to go back and experience baseball's recent history as it happened and was reported by many of the game's finest writers and most prominent voices.

Get a new perspective on coaching your kid in any sport with Threw These Eyes! With over 16 years of experience coaching, author Doug Brainard provides an in-depth guide that show the right way to be a coaching parent. Always keeping in mind that everyone will see a given situation in their own way, Threw These Eyes offers advice that will help you coach through the victories as well as the defeats. Combine lessons from greats like Bobby Knight, Yogi Berra and Steve Stone with parent coaching wisdom you need to know so that you can help your kids reach their sports dreams! Author Doug Brainard started coaching ball in 1993 and still does to this day. He and his family live in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Shibe Park was demolished in 1976, and today its site is surrounded by the devastation of North Philadelphia. Kuklick, however, vividly evokes the feelings people had about the home of the Philadelphia Athletics and later the Phillies.

The New York Yankees are a dynasty, but since the end of the 2001 season, the franchise has slowly lost its power to win or even get to the World Series consistently. This story specifically examines the Yankees 2006 season, one in which the individual players did not form a cohesive team. Through a player by player analysis, the author proves that individual strengths and weaknesses turned into a team meltdown.Could any player on the 2006 roster save his team from shooting itself in the foot?

Think you know Yankees baseball? Think again. Find out how smart you really are about the New York Yankees. Are you a rookie? Are you a tested, hardcore veteran? Or will you be clearing waivers for your pending release halfway through the book? We'll let you know. Five chapters, ten categories, more than 250 questions: The Numbers Game, Rookies, Veterans, Legends, Hitters, Pitchers, Managers and Coaches, Fabulous Feats, Teams, and Miscellaneous. That's what you're up against, and we're keeping score. Test your skills. Wrack your brain. It's the ultimate New York Yankees IQ test. "If you consider yourself a tested veteran at baseball trivia in general or a hardcore expert at Yankees trivia in particular, it doesn't matter. You owe it to yourself to test your skills with this book. If you pass this test you can truly claim to be a cut above everyone else." - Daniel J. Brush, award-winning co-author of New York Yankees: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports

Hailed by Sports Illustrated as the "Edward Gibbon of baseball history," Harold Seymour is the first professional historian to produce an authoritative, multivolume chronicle of America's national pastime. The first two volumes of this study--The Early Years and The Golden Age--won universal acclaim. The New York Times wrote that they "will grip every American who has invested part of his youth and dreams in the sport," while The Boston Globe called them "irresistible."

Now, in The People's Game, Seymour offers the first book devoted entirely to the history of the game outside of the professional leagues, revealing how, from its early beginnings up to World War II, baseball truly became the great American pastime. He explores the bond between baseball and boys through the decades, the game's place in institutions from colleges to prisons to the armed forces, the rise of women's baseball that coincided with nineteenth century feminism, and the struggles of black players and clubs from the later years of slavery up to the Second World War.

Whether discussing the birth of softball or the origins of the seventh inning stretch, Dr. Seymour enriches his extensive research with fascinating details and entertaining anecdotes as well as his own wealth of baseball experience. The People's Game brings to life the central role of baseball for generations of Americans.

Whether you're a major league couch potato, life-long season ticket-holder, or teaching game to a beginner, "Watching Baseball Smarter "leaves no territory uncovered. In this smart and funny fan's guide Hample explains the ins and outs of pitching, hitting, running, and fielding, while offering insider trivia and anecdotes that will surprise even the most informed viewers of our national pastime.
What is the difference between a slider and a curveball?
At which stadium did "The Wave" first make an appearance?
How do some hitters use iPods to improve their skills?
Which positions are never" "played by lefties?
Why do some players urinate on their hands?
Combining the narrative voice and attitude of Michael Lewis with the compulsive brilliance of "Schott's Miscellany," "Watching Baseball Smarter "will increase your understanding and enjoyment of the sport-no matter what your level of expertise.
Zack Hample is an obsessed fan and a regular writer for minorleaguebaseball.com. He's collected nearly 3,000 baseballs from major league games and has appeared on dozens of TV and radio shows. His first book, "How to Snag Major League Baseballs, " was published in 1999.

The dual-language (English and Spanish) !PLEIBOL! takes readers on a journey into the heart and history of U.S. Latina/o baseball. The extraordinary stories of Latinas/os, alongside the artifacts of their remarkable lives, demonstrate the historic role baseball has played as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the USA for over a century and how Latinos, in particular, have influenced and changed the game. Latinas/os have celebrated a shared cultural heritage, made a living and fought for rights and justice through baseball. These stories represent experiences to which many people can relate: how one becomes part of a community; how the game can bring people together regardless of race, class and gender and how fans can participate in the culture of the sport as easily as players can on the field. Through eight thematic chapters, the authors illustrate how baseball has provided an important platform from which to celebrate and challenge what it means to be American. Each chapter features stories and artifacts from the Smithsonian exhibits of the same name paired with voices from the community of scholars, players and enthusiasts who have contributed to the larger pan-Smithsonian Latinos and Baseball collecting and exhibition initiative. The variety of stories and objects included in this volume brings seemingly disparate pasts and present together to reveal how baseball is more than simply a game. The history of Latinos and baseball is this quintessential American story.

Praise for A BROOKLYN DODGERS READER Edited by Andrew Paul Mele Forward by Carl Erskine .."..should become one of the standard histories of the irrepressible Dodgers." - Donald Honig "One of the finest collections of baseball writings ever assembled." - Tom Knight Brooklyn Baseball Historian " It's all there, told in the words of Red Smith, Jimmy Canon, and W. C. Heinz, guys who would be worth reading if they were writing about lawn care." - Jay Price Staten Island Advance

Using various (and completely subjective) criteria including lifetime statistics, personal and professional contributions to the game at large, sportsmanship, character, popularity with the fans, and more, sports writer Derek Gentile ranks the best players of all time from 1 to 1,000. The selection spans the generations from Edward "Cocky" Collins (1906-1930) to Miguel Cabrera (2003-present). Dozens of Negro league players are also included, as well as sidebars on the greatest Japanese players, women players, and "pre-historic" players from the time before stats and other information was formally recorded. Each entry includes the player's name, positions played, teams played for, and years played, as well as lifetime stats and a biography of the player including his great (and not-so-great) moments and little-known facts. Baseball's Best 1,000 is sure to spark controversy and debate among fans.