One thing about Max was that he was about as well-adjusted to his disability, if you want to call it that, as anyone could be... He even used his eye once to shut up an obnoxious high school coach. After he'd heard all the complaining he wanted to hear, Max took his eye out of the socket and handed it to the stunned coach, saying, 'You want to umpire this game? Here, be my guest.'" Everything Happens in Chillicothe is an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at the lowest rung of professional baseball, and a biography of Max McLeary, the one-eyed umpire and a most intriguing individual. Author Mike Shannon spent the 2000 Frontier League season attending games with McLeary and gives his account of the season here. The book speaks volumes about umpiring as a profession, relationships (particularly between Max and his estranged son, a minor league player; between Max and his long-suffering wife Patty; and between Max and his umpiring partner Jim Schaly), life in small-town America, and the various people connected with the Chillicothe Paints and other teams in the Frontier League. Many humorous and poignant stories, are told here for the first time, by McLeary, Schaly, and others.

The Cincinnati Reds are recognized as one of the great teams in baseball history. Left fielder George Foster-an integral part of the Reds' back-to-back World Championships in 1975-1976-has never received proper credit for his contribution to their legacy. In 1977, Foster became the most feared slugger in the National League, batting .320, with 52 home runs and 149 runs batted in to win the NL MVP Award, establishing a new single-season home run record for the Reds' franchise that still stands. Yet Foster's big year was not enough to stem the emergence of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who roared out of the gate and ran away with the NL West Division pennant. This book tells the story of Foster's record-setting season and puts his pre-steroid era achievements in proper perspective. The author chronicles the subsequent decline of the Big Red Machine and the rest of Foster's big league career, including his disappointing tenure with the New York Mets.

An anthology of nine touching and funny stories by the editor of Spitball Magazine, and author of 16 baseball books. The book is filled with characters from all walks of life, all of whom are gripped, one way or another, by the force of that feeling so many of us have for baseball. Among the book's characters are a lottery winner whose dream of owning a baseball team turns into a nightmare; a lonely man who has a blind date among the Bleacher Bums at Wrigley Field; and appearances by Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, and the spirit of Pete Rose.

The latest collection of littleknown baseball stories from the acclaimed author of Tales from the Dugout.

Mike Shannon, top-selling author of the critically acclaimed baseball classics Tales from the Dugout and Tales from the Ballpark, returns for a third success to deliver a brand-new collection of more than 100 true stories and never-beforetold anecdotes that come straight from the insiders circle. Entertaining and masterfully told, More Tales from the Dugout brings together delightful stories from the great and the not-so-great, both on and off the field, including baseball personalities from the past and present such as:

• Roger Maris
  
• Ken Griffey Jr.
  
• Pete Rose
  
• Phil Rizzuto
  
• Gaylord Perry
  

At turns hilarious and heartwarming, this compilation is sure to join Shannons previous books as a baseball classic.

When it was originally published in 1992, Mike Shannon's Baseball: The Writer's Game as hailed as a unique exploration of what it takes to write about the national pastime. Brassey's is proud to present this new edition, expanding upon Shannon's original interviews with baseball's top authors and historians, including Bill James, Roger Kahn, W. P. Kinsella, Robert Creamer, Peter Golenbock, and Lawrence Ritter. Shannon delves into their different backgrounds, writing techniques, personal insights, and the aspects of the game and its history that interest them. Whether with an analyst like Bill James or an ex-player like Jim Brosnan, Shannon lets each explain in his own words the challenge and the joy that come from writing about the game. Baseball fans, whether they want to write about the game them-selves or not, will enjoy the unique observations and advice of baseball's greatest writers.