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A loving remembrance of one of baseball's most exciting eras covers the five seasons between 1972 and 1976, featuring the accomplishments of Hank Aaron, Lou Brock, and Nolan Ryan, among others. Reprint.
Exploring a pitching career that began with a complete-game victory over Hall of Famer Don Drysdale in 1964 and ended when he could no longer control his pitches, this book details the life of Pittsburgh Pirates great, Steve Blass. This insider's view of the humorous and bizarre journey of a World Series champion pitcher turned color commentator will delight Pirates and baseball fans alike. Recounting his first years in the Major Leagues and his battle with the baffling condition that would ultimately bear his own name, Steve Blass tells the story of his life on and off the field with a poignant, dazzling wit and shares the life of a baseball player who had the prime of his career cut short.
A touching biography of the beloved Pittsburgh Pirate Willie "Pops" Stargell, this life story documents the 21-year, Hall of Fame career of one of the most celebrated and revered players in the history of Major League Baseball. Beginning with his difficult childhood and revealing his encounters with fierce racial hostility while playing minor league ball in the south, this book goes on to show how Stargell became one of the most feared hitters in baseball, a perennial All Star and MVP candidate, and World Series hero. More than a slugging star, Stargell--a clubhouse leader who was revered for his bursting personality and "joie de vivre"--earned the affectionate nickname "Pops" during the 1979 season when he began handing out stars to teammates following a good play or game. The stars soon became a symbol of the unity on the Pirates team that went on to win the World Series. This biography also details his life following his playing days: Stargell's coaching career, his struggles with obesity and diabetes, and his lasting legacy that remains relevant to this day. This telling of a dearly loved man with a larger-than-life personality is a must read for any fan of baseball.
Baseball players, like teams, have their ups and downs. Pitchers inexplicably lose their command of the strike zone, batters think themselves into deep slumps, and injuries, addiction, and poor decision-making can radically change the fortunes of either. It's in the response to such adversity that memorable stories are made. This book focuses both on players whose determination in the face of injury or private demons landed them back in the big leagues and stars who never recovered from their dramatic, unexpected falls. Profiled here are 14 players whose stories are among the most stirring in baseball history: Tony Conigliaro, Monte Stratton, Pete Rose, Bert Shepard, Eddie Waitkus, Mark Wohlers, Red Barney, Lou Brissie, Tommy John, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Steve Blass, Dave Dravecky, and Joe Jackson.
Packed with insight, humor, and emotion, Yeah, What Else? offers a collection of author C.W. Spooners previously published memoirs, essays, poems, and reviews. Spanning sixty-five years, from 1950 until the present, the works touch on a variety of universal themes. In the story Shake Hands with Mr. Jolley, Spooner shares a fond memory at a baseball field in the summer of 1950 right before his eighth birthday. Sam: Memories of a Good Dog, tells about a difficult decision Spooner and his wife had to make about their German Shepherd. Spooner closes with Bro. Dick, a heartfelt tribute to his late brother. From memories of friends and family and growing up in Vallejo, California; to tales of his schooling experiences at different institutions; to special eulogies; and more, Yeah, What Else? shares a compilation of reflections that examine one mans life and its special moments.
Baseball’s October showcase has provided some high drama over the years. Willie Mays’s spectacular catch in 1954, Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homer in 1960, and Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit blast in 1988 are just a few of the memorable moments that have dominated highlight reels. The outcome of the Series has not always been terribly surprising—especially during the late 1940s and early 1950s when the Yankees captured five consecutive championships, breaking their previous record of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939. But in spite of its predictability at times, the Fall Classic has taken many unexpected turns. The 1906 Cubs lost to the weak-hitting White Sox after establishing a new regular season record for wins. The 1955 Dodgers avenged seven prior October failures with an improbable victory over the seemingly invincible Yankees. And in 1969, the Mets finally shed their image as “loveable losers,” dethroning the powerful Orioles. In more than a century of World Series plays, a number of similar scenarios have emerged. Twenty-two of those stories are told in Shocktober. The book also includes an appendix of game statistics as well as a section on World Series trivia.
Discover the remarkable life of Roberto Clemente—one of the most accomplished—and beloved—baseball heroes of his generation from Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss. On New Year’s Eve 1972, following eighteen magnificent seasons in the major leagues, Roberto Clemente died a hero’s death, killed in a plane crash as he attempted to deliver food and medical supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake. David Maraniss now brings the great baseball player brilliantly back to life in Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero, a book destined to become a modern classic. Much like his acclaimed biography of Vince Lombardi, When Pride Still Mattered, Maraniss uses h...
Michael Wesson decides to drop out of college and head to New York to pursue show business. Sure, his parents are a little worried. His sister and best pal think he's making a mistake. Still, Michael is ready to follow his dream of becoming an actor, even if he can barely afford rent and knows nothing about the city, including news of the Silk Stocking Killer. Turns out, Michael arrives in the Big Apple in the midst of the biggest manhunt in thirty years. A psychotic murderer is hunting the rich women of the Upper West Side. The victims are found bound by silk stockings with the name "Gabrielle" written in red across their chests. As the fresh-faced New York newbie struggles to find his way, the media can't get enough of the horrors happening to the rich and beautiful. Why does the Silk Stocking Killer target such high-class women, and who is Gabrielle? Soon, Michael gets sucked into the investigation as he plays the role of his life, trying to stop a vicious psychopath before more women end up dead.
Boston lawyer Brady Coyne investigates a philatelist fatality in “a first-rate mystery . . . a knockout climax, charged with irony” (The Washington Post Book World). It is a small paper square with uneven edges, dark blue in color and bearing a smudged portrait of a long-dead king. It doesn’t look like much to Brady Coyne, but the stamp known as the Dutch Blue Error is one of a kind—a philatelic freak worth at least one million dollars. It is the prize possession of Ollie Weston, a wheelchair-bound Boston banker, and it is valuable enough that for its sake, several good men will die. A fellow collector contacts Weston, claiming to have found a second copy of the Error—a claim that, if truthful, would destroy the stamp’s value. Weston sends his attorney, kindhearted Boston lawyer Brady Coyne, to purchase the rogue stamp for two hundred fifty thousand dollars, but just before the hand-off, the collector is killed and the stamp disappears. Find the stamp and Brady will find the killer—but that will involve risking another one-of-a-kind item: his life.
Whether winning world championships or falling into last place, fielding teams with Hall of Fame players or trotting out bumbling boys of summer, the Pittsburgh Pirates have thrilled, frustrated, and fascinated generations of fans since 1876.To date, the Pirates have won five World Series and have a total of thirty-six players and managers in the Hall of Fame-including Honus Wagner, Pie Traynor, Lloyd and Paul Waner, Ralph Kiner, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, and Bill Mazeroski. The Pirates Reader is a tribute to the fans, players, and teams who have forged the franchise's rich history. Richard Peterson has collected the writing of baseball's greatest storytellers and brings to life the players, games, and magical moments for this classic and well-loved team.