The Hall of Fame baseball player for the Chicago Cubs describes his life and career. Found inside“Alex Speier spins a compelling narrative about how great scouting and player development created a perennial contender in baseball’s toughest division, without losing sight of the people at the heart of his story.” — Keith Law The ... The foremost historian of the "blackball" era spent nearly 10 years researching this acclaimed oral history, interviewing 17 outstanding players including Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, and Willie Wells. Over 80 vintage photographs. By the end of this book, you will be able to evaluate players and teams through statistics more thoroughly and accurately than you could before. The movie Jerry Maguire and HBO series Arli$$ barely skimmed the surface. Now the true inside story of the sports agent business is exposed as never before. Found insideBig Data Baseball is the story of how the 2013 Pirates, mired in the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history, adopted drastic big-data strategies to end the drought, make the playoffs, and turn around the franchise's ... Found insideIn A Fan’s Guide to Baseball Analytics, MLB.com reporter and columnist Anthony Castrovince has taken on the role as explainer to help such fans understand why the old stats don’t always add up. When Bill James published his original Historical Baseball Abstract in 1985, he produced an immediate classic, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “holy book of baseball.” Now, baseball's beloved “Sultan of Stats” (The Boston ... Cleveland won the World Series in 1948, but Veeck sold the team for financial reasons the next year. This is an epidemic that can be fixed, and The Arm is a great first step.”—John Smoltz “A timely and comprehensive look at all aspects of a baseball problem that in recent years appears to approach a crisis.”—Bob Costas “The Arm ... Joe Posnanski enters the colorful world of Harry Houdini and his legions of devoted fans to explore the illusionist’s impact on global culture—and why his legacy endures to this day. This book tells the story of how Mexican multimillionaire businessman Jorge Pasquel and the Mexican League hastened the integration of major league baseball. A portrait of the Detroit Tigers pitcher who died in a 2009 accident recounts his rise from small-town Massachusetts to the major leagues, the on-field eccentricities that endeared him to fans, and the injuries that cut his career short. A portrait of the three-time MVP and World Series champion celebrates his consistent performances that won him the batting title seven times for the St. Louis Cardinals and earned him the unacknowledged status as the sport's greatest hitter ... How does the team stack up now? Is the club better or worse than the squad that you imagined at first? In Hardball Retrospective, I placed every ballplayer in the modern era (from 1901-present) on their original teams. ?Practical and probing, discussing wide-ranging topics from tool grades to front office politics, this is an illuminating exploration of how to watch baseball and see the future. Green Cathedrals is a celebration of the sport of baseball, through the lens of its ballparks-the "fields of dreams" of players and fans alike. WITH NEW UPDATES FOR THIS EDITION! Written in entertaining prose, the book is as much an enjoyable story to be reread through the years as it is a factual account of the events that brought the elusive title to the Giants. Leeke tells the stories of those who served, as well as organized baseball’s response, including its generosity and patriotism. This book helps readers answer questions about baseball teams, players, and strategy using large, publically available datasets. Lindbergh and Sawchik's behind-the-scenes reporting reveals: How the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox used cutting-edge technology to win the World Series How undersized afterthoughts José Altuve and Mookie Betts became big sluggers and MVPs ... Woven into the narrative of this book are thoughtful and humorous anecdotes from his playing days. The first book of its kind to fully integrate sabermetrics and scouting, the 2019 Minor League Baseball Analyst provides a distinctive brand of analysis for more than 1,000 minor league baseball players. Found insideWe want to reach out to all generations and backgrounds. Hopefully, these stories and lessons will inspire people in a positive way.” —Willie Mays Found insideIn this groundbreaking book, Keith Law, baseball writer for The Athletic and author of the acclaimed Smart Baseball, offers an era-spanning dissection of some of the best and worst decisions in modern baseball, explaining what motivated ... Found inside – Page 1The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia captures these fabulous times through the stories of the individuals and the collective teams that have thrilled the Steel City for 125 years. Found insideThe Phenomenon is the story of how St. Louis Cardinals prodigy Rick Ankiel lost his once-in-a-generation ability to pitch -- not due to an injury or a bolt of lightning, but a mysterious anxiety condition widely known as "the Yips. In this new biography, published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of her execution, Mata Hari is revealed in all of her flawed eccentricity; a woman whose adult life was a fantastical web of lies, half-truths and magnetic sexuality ... Found insideThe Soul of Baseball is as much the story of Buck O'Neil as it is the story of baseball. Driven by a relentless optimism and his two great passions—for America's pastime and for jazz, America's music—O'Neil played solely for love. Hilarious and fiendishly clever, Jeremy Blachman's tale of a lawyer who lives a lie and posts the truth is sure to be one of the year's most talked-about novels. The Baby Bombers details the inside-baseball strategy of the Yankees’ pivot to a younger, more exciting roster, the players’ fascinating paths to Yankee Stadium, their memorable 2017 and 2018 playoff runs, their amazing assaults on the ... Found insideWhether you're attending every home game or supporting the Mets from afar, there's something for every fan to do in The New York Mets Fans' Bucket List. The teammate you can rely on, even when the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Whether you know him as Mo or as the Sandman, Mariano is The Closer, and this is his story. Found insideIn State of Play, twelve-year Major League veteran, Emmy Award–winning MLB Network analyst, and bestselling author Bill Ripken breaks down these modern statistical methods to explain which ones make sense in the game’s historical ... This brand-new edition retains the body of the original, with its rich, accessible analysis rooted in a deep love of baseball, while adding a new introduction by the authors tracing the book’s influence over the years. In The Summer of Beer and Whiskey, Edward Achorn re-creates this wondrous and hilarious world of cunning, competition, and boozing, set amidst a rapidly transforming America. The legendary NPR sports commentator and Sports Illustrated journalist retells the story of an unusual friendship between two towering figures in baseball history. In a book that's sure to thrill--and infuriate--countless fans, Bill James takes a hard look at the Hall, probing its history, its politics and, most of all, its decisions. Using real-world examples from historical and modern-day teams, Ross shows: • Why on-base and slugging percentages are more important than batting averages • How professional odds makers predict the length of a seven-game series • How ... Now, in Wizardry, comes the long-awaited breakthrough. Drawing solely on freely available baseball statistics, Michael A. Humphreys shows how to apply classic statistical methods to estimate runs saved by fielders going back to 1893. A hundred and ninety-one. Found insideThe painfully honest and personal story of one of baseball’s most intriguing players. In Curveball, Zito shares his story with honesty and transparency. The ups and the downs. The wins and losses. Found insideThe essential, trusted guide to the Los Angeles Dodgers, including the 2020 World Series! With traditions, records, and team lore, this lively, detailed book explores the personalities, events, and facts every Dodgers fan should know. The book tells of Banks's early life in segregated Dallas, his years in the Negro Leagues, and his difficult life after retirement; and features compelling portraits of Buck O'Neil, Philip K. Wrigley, the Bleacher Bums, the doomed pennant ... Found insideNow, in The Cooperstown Casebook, Jay Jaffe shows us how to use his revolutionary ranking system to ensure the right players are recognized. 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