The knuckleball-so difficult to hit but also difficult to control and catch-has been a part of major league baseball since the early 1900s and continues to be used to this day. This remarkable and unusual pitch is the instrument of a special breed of pitcher, a determined athlete possessing tremendous concentration, self confidence, and a willingness to weather all kinds of adversity. In The Knuckleball Club: The Extraordinary Men Who Mastered Baseball's Most Difficult Pitch, Richard A. Johnson provides an informal history of the wildest, weirdest, most mesmerizing pitch of all time. Beginning with an examination of the invention of the knuckleball, Johnson then briefly touches upon the science and psychology of the pitch before profiling the game's great knuckleballers. Rich in anecdotes and interviews, this book shares the unique stories of Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro, Jim Bouton, Tom Candiotti, Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey, and many others. Also featured are the stories of the best knuckleball catchers, from Bob Uecker and Doug Mirabelli to Rick Ferrell and Paul Richards. While knuckleballers today are an anomaly, decades ago a surprisingly large number of major league pitchers used the knuckler. The Knuckleball Club is the first book to provide a comprehensive survey of the pitch and the players who used it, offering a deep understanding of how the knuckleball has fit into the fabric of the game over the past one hundred years. Anyone wanting to learn more about this unusual pitch, from baseball historians and fans to current and former players, will find this book an entertaining and enlightening read.

In the fast moving world of information technology, Java is now the number 1 programming language. Programmers and developers everywhere need to know Java to keep pace with traditional and web-based application development. COBOL Programmers Swing with Java provides COBOL programmers a clear, easy transition to Java programming by drawing on the numerous similarities between COBOL and Java. The authors introduce the COBOL programmer to the history of Java and object-oriented programming and then dive into the details of the Java syntax, always contrasting them with their parallels in COBOL. A running case study gives the reader an overall view of application development with Java, with increased functionality as new material is presented. This new edition features the development of graphical user interfaces (GUI's) using the latest in Java Swing components. The clear writing style and excellent examples make the book suitable for anyone wanting to learn Java and OO programming, whether they have a background in COBOL or not.

Statistics: Principles and Methods, 8th Edition provides students and business professionals with a comprehensive introduction to statistics concepts, terminology, and methods with a wide array of practical applications. Real-world data provides an easily relatable frame of reference, while numerous examples reinforce key ideas and demonstrate critical concepts to help ease student comprehension. Designed for those seeking a highly practical introduction to statistical measurement, reasoning, and analysis, this book requires no specific mathematical background and leaves derivations behind in favor of logic, reasoning, and modern statistics software. Concepts are introduced first in a real-life setting to illustrate immediate relevancy, and are subsequently expanded to relate underlying mechanisms, limitations, and further applications. An emphasis on the relationship between validity and assumptions underscores the importance of critical thinking and the use of appropriate models while instilling thoughtful habits that lead to accuracy in interpretation. Going beyond the typical introductory text to keep the focus on application, this book gives students a deeper understanding of statistics as it is used every day across disciplines and industries.

International Conciliation, No. 424, October, 1946. Additional Contributor Is William Benton. Preface By Nicholas Murray Butler.

International Conciliation, No. 424, October, 1946. Additional Contributor Is William Benton. Preface By Nicholas Murray Butler.