The New York Yankees have become the "evil empire" of the baseball world, and this book examines the reasons baseball fans have come to hate the Yankees. Is it the fact that they've won so much? Or is it because the team wins simply by outbidding every other team for free agents-and, when those free agents don't pan out, by buying more free agents? Or is it the arrogance of their fans, who act like they are responsible for all Yankees championships dating back to 1923? (Answer: All of the above-and more.) Authors Kevin O'Connell and Josh Pahigian deconstruct the origins of the so-called "Yankees mystique," discuss reasons to despise the team's overbearing owner, George Steinbrenner, and examine why the Yankees are actually bad for baseball. The tongue-in-cheek narrative is interspersed with revealing quotes from Yankees players, fans, and the media. This is a must read for any Yankees hater-or any Yankees fan wondering why his or her team is so hated!
O'Connell and Pahigian are also the authors of The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip.

Spring training is a time of renewal for baseball, when teams and fans descend on Florida and Arizona to begin the ever hopeful new season. The pace is a little slower, the fans are closer to the action, and the players are more accessible: the sport returns to its idyllic roots. When the first edition of this book was released, 18 of the MLB teams trained in Florida and 12 in Arizona. As 2013 arrives each league consists of 15 teams; together they utilise 14 parks in Florida and 10 in Arizona. This heavily illustrated work dedicates a chapter to each park, including modern Cactus League marvels like Camelback Ranch and Salt River Fields, and Grapefruit League bastions like Joker Marchant Stadium and McKechnie Field. Florida's Fenway Park replica, which opened in 2012, is included. In addition to profiling the five parks that have opened since the first edition, the author has updated the other chapters. Each provides a description of the park, and a recounting of its history, followed by a summary of the home team or teams' spring history. Next is a review of the park's seating, concessions and fan traditions. Each chapter concludes with information about nearby baseball landmarks and attractions.

Set in the summertime tourist mecca of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, this mystery/suspense novel crosses the storylines of affluent summer tourists and struggling year-round residents when a famed and wealthy adventurer gets stranded in town after an incident at sea. When eccentric billionaire Ferdinand Sevigny's latest stunt, to sail around the world blindfolded, goes awry, he lands in Maine just as the summer tourist season is beginning. Despite mounting evidence to the contrary and an investigation by local police, Sevigny, while holing up in one of the town's grand hotels refuses to admit foul play was involved in his mishap. As the tourists arrive, including two intriguing strangers, a troubled local teenager inadvertently uncovers evidence that presents him with the opportunity to change his lot. The teenager, adventurer, and a host of townspeople will be forced to make decisions that will define them forever.