Download or read book The Knuckleball Club written by Richard A. Johnson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-06-09 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Knuckleball written by Lew Freedman and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-03-17 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “It took me a day to learn [the knuckleball] and a lifetime to learn how to throw it for a strike.” This quote, by pitcher and coach Charlie Hough, is the best way to understand baseball’s most baffling and mysterious pitch. Not even the best practitioners of the art of throwing a knuckleball know where it is going most of the time. As a pitch that floats and comes into the plate in what appears to be slow motion, it is miraculous that those who employ the pitch don’t get creamed all over the park by batters who seem to know that it’s coming. Including interviews with Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, former All-Stars Wilbur Wood and Tim Wakefield, as well as other famed knuckleballers, Lew Freedman (Clouds over the Goalpost, A Summer to Remember), breaks down the history of this infamous pitch, which it seems can be traced back to Chicago White Sox pitcher Ed Cicotte, as well as its effect on baseball as a whole. With pitcher R. A. Dickey, who rejuvenated his career from castoff to 2011 Cy Young Award winner, the knuckleball is still a topic of conversation in the sport, and it continues to be one of the many marvels of our national pastime. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Download or read book Tom Candiotti written by K.P. Wee and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-08-23 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most baseball fans know Tom Candiotti as a knuckleballer but he began his career as a conventional pitcher in 1983--after becoming just the second player to appear in the major leagues following Tommy John surgery, at a time when only Tommy John himself had ever come back from the operation. Candiotti, whose arm recovered, threw fastballs and curveballs in his first two years in the majors before switching over to the knuckleball for the 1986 season. He would then go on to use primarily the knuckleball for the rest of his career, though he threw a good enough curveball to get hitters out. This biography is based on the recollections of Candiotti himself, his former teammates and managers, newspaper and periodical accounts, and archival resources.
Download or read book Wherever I Wind Up written by R.A. Dickey and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The perfect gift for baseball fans, now with a new epilogue by author R.A. Dickey, winner of the 2012 Cy Young award. "An astounding memoir—haunting and touching, courageous and wise."—Jeremy Schaap, bestselling author, Emmy award-winning journalist, ESPN In 1996, R.A. Dickey was the Texas Rangers’ much-heralded No. 1 draft choice. Then, a routine physical revealed that his right elbow was missing its ulnar collateral ligament, and his lifelong dream—along with his $810,000 signing bonus—was ripped away. Yet, despite twice being consigned to baseball’s scrap heap, Dickey battled back. Sustained by his Christian faith, the love of his wife and children, and a relentless quest for self-awareness, Dickey is now the starting pitcher for the Toronoto Blue Jays (he was previously a star pitcher for the New York Mets) and one of the National League’s premier players, as well as the winner of the 2012 Cy Young award. In Wherever I Wind Up, Dickey eloquently shares his quintessentially American tale of overcoming extraordinary odds to achieve a game, a career, and a life unlike any other.
Download or read book The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball 2d ed written by Jonathan Fraser Light and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-03-25 with total page 1112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than any other sport, baseball has developed its own niche in America’s culture and psyche. Some researchers spend years on detailed statistical analyses of minute parts of the game, while others wax poetic about its players and plays. Many trace the beginnings of the civil rights movement in part to the Major Leagues’ decision to integrate, and the words and phrases of the game (for example, pinch-hitter and out in left field) have become common in our everyday language. From AARON, HENRY onward, this book covers all of what might be called the cultural aspects of baseball (as opposed to the number-rich statistical information so widely available elsewhere). Biographical sketches of all Hall of Fame players, owners, executives and umpires, as well as many of the sportswriters and broadcasters who have won the Spink and Frick awards, join entries for teams, owners, commissioners and league presidents. Advertising, agents, drafts, illegal substances, minor leagues, oldest players, perfect games, retired uniform numbers, superstitions, tripleheaders, and youngest players are among the thousands of entries herein. Most entries open with a topical quote and conclude with a brief bibliography of sources for further research. The whole work is exhaustively indexed and includes 119 photographs.
Download or read book Knuckleball written by Ken Beckley and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: KNUCKLEBALL is an inspirational story of how one man learns to live through the unexpected and, in the end, discovers it is never too late to realize a dream. It is 1955 in rural Indiana. As he stands on the pitchers mound on a hot August afternoon, fifteen-year-old Davie Miller focuses intently on the catchers mitt and grins when he sees his favorite sign --three fingers pointing toward the ground. KNUCKLEBALL. In a matter of seconds, Davie tosses his third no-hitter of the season. As he celebrates, Davie is already painfully aware of lifes uncertainties but he has no inkling of what lies ahead for him in the next thirty-five years. Davie embarks on a journey into adulthood, not completely aware of the knuckleballs his mother has endured until she reveals the poignant details behind two tragic family events during a series of intimate conversations with her son. Never forgetting her words of wisdom, Davie lives life to the fullest, shows promise as a baseball player, discovers love and a rewarding career as a public relations professional, and swings at lifes knuckleballs with faith that is tested time and again. But an unforeseen gift for his fiftieth birthday changes everything forever.
Download or read book Throwing Strikes written by Robert Allen Dickey and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relates the author's unlikely journey to the big leagues after his athletic dream was nearly destroyed, and how he was susutained by his Christian faith and the love of his family before emerging as one of the National League's premier pitchers.
Download or read book Get a Grip Vivy Cohen written by Sarah Kapit and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this perfectly pitched novel-in-letters, autistic eleven-year-old Vivy Cohen won't let anything stop her from playing baseball--not when she has a major-league star as her pen pal. Vivy Cohen is determined. She's had enough of playing catch in the park. She's ready to pitch for a real baseball team. But Vivy's mom is worried about Vivy being the only girl on the team, and the only autistic kid. She wants Vivy to forget about pitching, but Vivy won't give up. When her social skills teacher makes her write a letter to someone, Vivy knows exactly who to choose: her hero, Major League pitcher VJ Capello. Then two amazing things happen: A coach sees Vivy's amazing knuckleball and invites her to join his team. And VJ starts writing back! Now Vivy is a full-fledged pitcher, with a catcher as a new best friend and a steady stream of advice from VJ. But when a big accident puts her back on the bench, Vivy has to fight to stay on the team.
Download or read book A Game of Inches written by Peter Morris and published by Ivan R. Dee. This book was released on 2006-03-23 with total page 663 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating and charming encyclopedic collection of baseball firsts, describing how the innovations in the game—in rules, equipment, styles of play, strategies, etc.—occurred and developed from its origins to the present day. The book relies heavily on quotations from contemporary sources.
Download or read book A Stitch in Time written by Gene Elston and published by Halcyon Press Ltd.. This book was released on 2006 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hoyt Wilhelm written by Lew Freedman and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2024-01-26 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hoyt Wilhelm's intriguing baseball career lasted two decades. A veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, the eight-time All-Star from Huntersville, North Carolina, was a standout for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves, though he did not reach the majors until he was nearly 30. He pitched a no-hitter as a starter, won as many as 15 games a season, was the first reliever to win more than 100 games and save more than 200, and broke Cy Young's record for most games on the mound. Along the way, he relied almost entirely on his baffling skill with a rare weapon of choice--the knuckleball. This first full-length biography covers the life and career of the first relief pitcher in the Hall of Fame.
Download or read book Knuckler written by Tim Wakefield and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2011-04-06 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At forty-four years old, Tim Wakefield is the longest-serving member of one of baseball’s most popular franchises. He is close to eclipsing the winning records of two of the greatest pitchers to have played the game, yet few realize the full measure of his success. That his career can be characterized by such words as dependability and consistency defies all odds because he has achieved this with baseball’s most mercurial weapon—the knuckleball. Knuckler is the story of how a struggling position player bet his future on a fickle pitch that would define his career. The pitch may drive hitters crazy, but how does the pitcher stay sane? The moment Wakefield adopted the knuckleball, his career sought to answer that question. With the Red Sox, Wakefield began to master his pitch only to find himself on the mound in 2003 for one of the worst post-season losses in history, followed the next year by one of the most vindicating of championships. Even now, as Wakefield battles, we see the twists and turns of a major league career pushed to its ultimate extreme. A remarkable story of one player’s success despite being the exception to every rule, Knuckler is also a lively meditation on the dancing pitch, its history, its mystique, and all the ironies it brings to bear.
Download or read book Washington Senators All Time Greats written by C. Norman Willis and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Washington Senators All-time Greats is one of the first books covering the first 101-year history of the senators/nationals before they were reborn with the transfer of the Montreal Expos to Washington in 2005. Hundreds of players appeared in Washington uniforms over the years, and from these, Mr. Willis selected an all-time team. In addition, all-star teams from five eras were chosen. Career highlights and statistics are included in each of the sixty-seven minibiographies. Photographs and anecdotes bring the players to life. The author also presents team records and summaries for each year and era and for the entire 101-year history covered. The last chapter of the book honors the best of senators managers and owners and the best Washington play-by-play announcer and sportswriter. Readers are invited to compare their selections with the authors. The book contains a foreword by senators great Frank Howard and is recommended by former Washington stars and managers Mickey Vernon and Jim Lemon.
Download or read book K A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches written by Tyler Kepner and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From The New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than three hundred people from Hall of Famers to the stars of today. The baseball is an amazing plaything. We can grip it and hold it so many different ways, and even the slightest calibration can turn an ordinary pitch into a weapon to thwart the greatest hitters in the world. Each pitch has its own history, evolving through the decades as the masters pass it down to the next generation. From the earliest days of the game, when Candy Cummings dreamed up the curveball while flinging clamshells on a Brooklyn beach, pitchers have never stopped innovating. In K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, Tyler Kepner traces the colorful stories and fascinating folklore behind the ten major pitches. Each chapter highlights a different pitch, from the blazing fastball to the fluttering knuckleball to the slippery spitball. Infusing every page with infectious passion for the game, Kepner brings readers inside the minds of combatants sixty feet, six inches apart. Filled with priceless insights from many of the best pitchers in baseball history--from Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and Nolan Ryan to Greg Maddux, Mariano Rivera, and Clayton Kershaw--K will be the definitive book on pitching and join such works as The Glory of Their Times and Moneyball as a classic of the genre.
Download or read book Major League Baseball Players of the 1970s written by Bill Ballew and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-08-02 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1970s, after a decade of stagnant fan interest that seemed to signal the demise of Major League Baseball, the game saw growth and change. In 1972, the players became the first in professional sports to go on strike. Four years later, contractual changes allowed those with six years in the majors to become free agents, leading to an unprecedented increase in salaries. Developments in the play of the game included new ballparks with faster fields and artificial turf, and the introduction of the designated hitter in 1973. Eminent personalities emerged from the dugout, including many African Americans and Latinos. Focusing on the stars who debuted from 1970 through 1979, this book covers the highs and lows of more than 1,300 players who gave fans the most exciting decade baseball has ever seen.
Download or read book The Braves Encyclopedia written by Gary Caruso and published by Temple University Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1996 marked the 125th season of the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in America: the Atlanta Braves. This comprehensive reference begins with the team's birth in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings, and follows them to Milwaukee in 1953 and to Atlanta in 1966, playing under such a variety of names as Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, Braves, Bees, and back to the Braves. Because of this transient past, much of the franchise's history has been misplaced over the years—until now. Beloved not only by their tomahawk-chopping local fans but by baseball fans everywhere, the Braves have become one of today's most successful sports organizations. The Braves Encyclopedia brings it all together. 150 player profiles—from Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Warren Spahn, and Eddie Matthews to all-time greats Dale Murphy, Phil Niekro, and Terry Pendleton to today's stars like David Justice, Greg Maddux, and Steve Avery 600 photographs of players, game highlights, and memorabilia extensive statistics, including box scores, team and individual records, and trades season-by-season descriptions bring to life the great moments, the World Series championships, the managerial strategies, the personalities, and the milestones a comprehensive history of the ballparks a wealth of little-known facts and surprising anecdotes Author note: Gary Caruso is the editor of Chop Talk a monthly magazine covering the Atlanta Braves. As a sports reporter for nearly 25 years, he has written for the Atlanta Journal has been executive sports editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and a senior editor and writer for The National Sports Daily.
Download or read book Eddie Cicotte written by David L. Fleitz and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2020-08-25 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eddie Cicotte, who pitched in the American League 1905-1920, was one of the tragic figures of baseball. A family man and a fan favorite, he ascended to stardom with nothing more than a mediocre fastball, endless guile and a repertoire of trick pitches. He won 29 games in 1919 and led the Chicago White Sox to the pennant. Although he pitched poorly in the World Series that October, fans did not hold it against him--a slump can happen to anybody. A year later, the public learned the truth: Cicotte's poor performance was no slump. He had taken a bribe to throw the Series. Along with seven teammates, he was implicated in what became known as the Black Sox Scandal, the most disgraceful episode in the history of the sport. Overnight, he became a pariah and would remain so for the rest of his life. This is the first full-length biography of Cicotte, best known today not as a great pitcher but as one of the "Eight Men Out."
