When Joe Torre was fired as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1995, he thought his career in baseball was over. After more than three decades and 4,200 games as a player and manager, one thing had always eluded him: winning a World Series.
He had all but given up his dream when the New York Yankees made him an offer to manage their 1996 club. Encouraged by his wife and others, he accepted. And so began one of the greatest seasons in the fabled history of the New York Yankee franchise and one of the most inspiring, heartwarming stories in all of baseball.
Here is the ultimate insider's record of that unforgettable season by the man whose personal struggles captured the hearts and imaginations of fans everywhere. Tough, gritty, but always fair and honest, Torre vividly reveals how he turned a potentially volatile mix of talented youngsters such as Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter, seasoned veterans like Wade Boggs and Paul O'Neill, and so-called "problem" players like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden into a cohesive unit that cared more about winning than personal egos. He explains how he played his hunches and earned his team's confidence and respect as he focused his players from spring training on toward one goal: the World Series. And he did it all in a pressure-filled sports city that expects nothing less than a champion.
Here is Joe Torre's own story, told for the first time in his own words, from his early childhood in Brooklyn, to his celebrated baseball career playing with the likes of Hank Aaron and Bob Gibson, to his stint as the first native New Yorker ever to manage the Yankees. Offering a rare, behind-the-scenes look at a season to remember and a man who went through so much to reach the pinnacle of his profession, Chasing the Dream is more than just another sports story. It is a poignant reminder of why we love the game - and how, sometimes, nice guys do finish first.
On the evening of July 27, 1985, five hikers made a fateful choice to climb Yosemite's Half Dome, even as the sky darkened and thunder rolled. By night's end, two would be dead from a lightning strike, three gravely wounded, and desperate EMTs would be overseeing a harrowing midnight helicopter rescue.
"[A] well-written and thoroughly investigated account....[Madgic's] contribution to the adventure category is at once a terrifying story and an urgent cautionary tale."-Publishers Weekly
Bill Strickland believed he was cursed. No matter how secure his life outwardly seemed, the happiness he had attained with his wife and daughter hung by a thread-threatened by the monster Bill lived in constant fear of, a demon inside him that had been created by horrific childhood abuse.
A lifelong but decidedly average bicyclist, Bill was challenged by his daughter to score ten points in a series of weekly races dominated by pro racers, national champions, and legends of the sport. He hoped that if he could achieve this impossible feat, he might similarly triumph over the indestructible demon that haunted his life. Weaving together the story of the races and Bill's struggle to overcome a legacy of abuse, TEN POINTS is an insider's look at the world of bicycling and the healing power of sports.
2008 Retailer's Choice Award winner!
Tony Dungy's words and example have intrigued millions of people, particularly following his victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first for an African American coach. How is it possible for a coach, especially a football coach, to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without the screaming histrionics, the profanities, the demand that the sport come before anything else? How is it possible for anyone to be successful without compromising faith and family? In this inspiring and reflective memoir, Coach Dungy tells the story of a life lived for God and family, and challenges us all to redefine our ideas of what it means to succeed. Includes a foreword by Denzel Washington.
The Augusta National Golf Club, home of the prestigious Masters Tournament, is an American icon shrouded in intrigue. Behind the wondrous scenes and memorable tournament play resides a secretive and exclusive clan, marked with scandal and invested with the social power to make or break a man's rise to glory.
Mixing a deep respect for golf's traditions with a scrutinizing curiosity, Eubanks explores the many episodes of controversy in the club's history, including the significant role co-founder Clifford Roberts played in Augusta member-to-be Dwight Eisenhower's ascension to the presidency; Roberts' suicide and the club's subsequent loss of the pistol he used; and the exclusion of African-American Charlie Sifford from the Masters field. He also recalls moments of Masters glory, such as the 1997 coronation of Tiger Woods, the first African-American Masters winner. Augusta is required reading for any golf fan.
He was the biggest man baseball has ever produced. Babe Ruth transcended the sport that brought him fame, money, and adulation, moving beyond the limits of baselines and outfield fences into the mainstream of American life.
In this extraordinary biography, Creamer uncovers the complex and captivating man behind the legend. He presents the truth behind famous Ruth stories such as the "called shot" homers and the home run for a dying child, analyzes the astounding statistics with detailed information on specific games, and describes Ruth's varied, often volatile, relations with those around him, from fellow players to fans, friends, and reporters.
From Babe Ruth's early days in a Baltimore orphanage, to the glory days with the Yankees, to his final years, Creamer has drawn an indelible portrait of a true folk hero.
"This book does far more than tell the facts and myths of Babe Ruth's life. It chronicles a time when baseball was played only on grass and a western road trip for East Coast teams meant a train ride to St. Louis."-AudioFile
This memorable collection of anecdotes about America's national pastime will take you into the dugout, clubhouse, and press box with some of the game's greatest players and storytellers. From Hall-of-Famers Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays to the always-quotable Casey Stengel to modern-day stars Ken Griffey Jr. and Larry Walker, Tales from the Dugout features more than 150 priceless stories. You'll read about George Steinbrenner's revolving-door hiring policies, Tommy Lasorda's feud with the Phillie Phanatic, Yogi Berra's expansive strike zone, Earl Weaver's battles with American League umpires, and Phil Rizzuto's battles with the English language. This intimate and entertaining collection is sure to delight fans of all generations.
"Some hilarious, some heartwarming, all the anecdotes will be of interest to fans. Patrick Cullen adeptly conveys the diverse personalities that have shaped the game and woven it into the national fabric, from the fiery temper of Orioles manager Earl Weaver to the good-natured personality of Ken Griffey Jr."- Library Journal
Greg Norman is golf's most complex and controversial celebrity and perhaps its most gifted and charismatic player. He reigned as the world's number-one-ranked golfer for most of a decade and began 1998 as the PGA Tour's career-earnings leader with almost $12 million. As ruthless in the boardroom as he is on the golf course, the Shark turned a $2 million stake in Cobra Golf into a payoff of more than $40 million. Three parts Crocodile Dundee, two parts Jack Nicklaus, and one part Don Quixote, the jetsetting Shark is larger than life. Yet Norman is also the sport's most notorious victim of cruel calamity and inexplicable defeats. This riveting biography by acclaimed journalist Lauren St. John examines Norman's conquests as well as his failures and his relationships with his father, his agents, and fellow golfers. The result is a comprehensive and dramatic portrait of one of golf's most electrifying performers.
Walter Johnson was not only one of the greatest pitchers of all time, but an emblem of gentlemanly conduct in sports. His presence in the big-leagues helped temper the game's roughneck reputation in the early years of the century.
"[An] excellent, exhaustive biography, showing clear affection for Johnson...[the author's] relationship to his subject [adds] to the work's significant depth."-Amazon.com
Pitching in a Pinch, originally published in 1912, is an insider's account of the world of baseball, blending anecdote, biography, instruction, and social history. It celebrates baseball as it was played in the first decade of the twentieth century by famous contemporaries like Honus Wagner and Rube Marquand, managers like John McGraw and Connie Mack, and many others.
Always sensitive to psychology as well as technique, Mathewson describes the "dangerous batters" he faced; the "peculiarities" of big-league pitchers; the "good and bad" of coaching, umpiring, sign-stealing, base-running, and spring training; and the importance of superstition to athletes. "Matty", as he was called, makes the listener feel that tense moment when a player in a pinch must use his head.
"One of baseball's more enduring classics and earliest memoirs....The book's continuing delight and value rests in Mathewson's facility for capturing-from the inside-the game's ethos in the early 20th century, and the generous combination of anecdote and insight with which he shares it."-Amazon.com
Still considered one of the best books ever written about bullfighting, Death in the Afternoon reflects Hemingway's belief that bullfighting was more than mere sport. Here he describes and explains the technical aspects of this dangerous ritual, and "the emotional and spiritual intensity and pure classic beauty that can be produced by a man, an animal, and a piece of scarlet serge draped on a stick." Seen through his eyes, bullfighting becomes an art, a richly choreographed ballet, with performers who range from awkward amateurs to masters of great grace and cunning.
Mike Shannon takes you behind the scenes into the ballpark, the clubhouse, and the minor leagues in this memorable collection of anecdotes about America's pastime. Tales from the Ballpark contains more than 125 priceless stories from some of baseball's greatest players and storytellers, including legendary Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner and Bob Gibson and modern-day stars Mo Vaughn and David Wells.
Learn about Roberto Clemente's chiropractic skills, a now-famous nun in Cleveland who bakes thousands of cookies for the Indians every year, the dangers of pitching batting practice to Gaylord Perry, and Billy Martin's tacit protest against the American League's subjective rating system for umpires. This entertaining and personal collection will delight fans for many years to come.
