Download or read book The Negro Leagues in New Jersey written by Alfred M. Martin and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work examines the historical significance of the state of New Jersey in the Negro League legacy, especially the black baseball players, teams, owners and managers, and their struggles against not just segregation, and their accomplishments. The book includes photographs, appendices (records of New Jersey Negro League teams, 1923-1948, and a chronology), notes, a bibliography of research sources, an annotated list of suggested further readings, and an index.

Download or read book Willie Mays written by James S. Hirsch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-04-03 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling, authorized, “enormously entertaining and wide-ranging” (The Seattle Times) biography of the late, great Willie Mays. Willie Mays (1931–2024) was arguably the greatest player in baseball history, revered for the passion he brought to the game. He began as a teenager in the Negro Leagues, became a cult hero in New York, and was the headliner in Major League Baseball’s bold expansion to California. He was a blend of power, speed, and stylistic bravado that enraptured fans for more than two decades. Author James Hirsch reveals the man behind the player. Mays was a transcendent figure who received standing ovations in enemy stadiums and who, during the turbulent civil rights era, urged understanding and reconciliation. More than his records, his legacy is defined by the pure joy that he brought to fans and the loving memories that have been passed to future generations so they might know the magic and beauty of the game. With meticulous research and drawing on interviews with Mays himself as well as with close friends, family, and teammates, Hirsch presents a brilliant portrait of one of America’s most significant cultural icons.

Download or read book Willie Mays written by Mary Linge and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2005-10-30 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Willie Mays' career bridged eras in baseball history, from the Negro Leagues to expansion to free agency. Through it all, his all-around ability and his love of the game set him apart. His career accomplishments include 660 home runs, 2 MVPs, Rookie of the Year, and the first 30-30 season. No other player is cited by so many of his peers as the best they have ever seen. From his childhood growing up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama to becoming the first black team captain in baseball, Mays' life is described in detail. Readers will learn of his early life, his career with the Giants and the Mets, his induction into the Hall of Fame, understanding why he is regarded by many today as baseball's greatest living player.

Download or read book Willie Mays Aikens written by Gregory Jordan and published by Triumph Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An intimate portrait of a tortured player, this biography culls interviews, letters, and the personal account of baseball legend Willie Mays Aikens. Touted from a young age as the next Reggie Jackson, Aikens' promising career quickly turned disastrous when he fell into drug abuse and was ultimately sentenced to the longest prison sentence ever given to a professional athlete in a drug case. Not only an exploration of baseball and culture in the 1980s, this book also delves into the United States justice and penal systems.

Download or read book Mickey and Willie written by Allen Barra and published by Crown. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acclaimed sportswriter Allen Barra exposes the uncanny parallels--and lifelong friendship--between two of the greatest baseball players ever to take the field. Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. Both were nearly crushed by the weight of the outsized expectations placed on them, first by their families and later by America. Both lived secret lives far different from those their fans knew. What their fans also didn't know was that the two men shared a close personal friendship--and that each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience.

Download or read book Summer of 68 written by Tim Wendel and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The extraordinary story of the 1968 baseball season--when the game was played to perfection even as the country was being pulled apart at the seams From the beginning, '68 was a season rocked by national tragedy and sweeping change. Opening Day was postponed and later played in the shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral. That summer, as the pennant races were heating up, the assassination of Robert Kennedy was later followed by rioting at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. But even as tensions boiled over and violence spilled into the streets, something remarkable was happening in major league ballparks across the country. Pitchers were dominating like never before, and with records falling and shut-outs mounting, many began hailing '68 as "The Year of the Pitcher." In Summer of '68, Tim Wendel takes us on a wild ride through a season that saw such legends as Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, Don Drysdale, and Luis Tiant set new standards for excellence on the mound, each chasing perfection against the backdrop of one of the most divisive and turbulent years in American history. For some players, baseball would become an insular retreat from the turmoil encircling them that season, but for a select few, including Gibson and the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals, the conflicts of '68 would spur their performances to incredible heights and set the stage for their own run at history. Meanwhile in Detroit -- which had burned just the summer before during one of the worst riots in American history -- '68 instead found the city rallying together behind a colorful Tigers team led by McLain, Mickey Lolich, Willie Horton, and Al Kaline. The Tigers would finish atop the American League, setting themselves on a highly anticipated collision course with Gibson's Cardinals. And with both teams' seasons culminating in a thrilling World Series for the ages -- one team playing to establish a dynasty, the other fighting to help pull a city from the ashes -- what ultimately lay at stake was something even larger: baseball's place in a rapidly changing America that would never be the same. In vivid, novelistic detail, Summer of '68 tells the story of this unforgettable season -- the last before rule changes and expansion would alter baseball forever -- when the country was captivated by the national pastime at the moment it needed the game most.

Download or read book African American Pioneers of Baseball written by Lew Freedman and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2007-04-30 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jackie Robinson became the first African American player in major league baseball in 1947, elbowing aside the league's policies of segregation that had been inviolate for 60 years, he became a symbol of opportunity and acceptance for African American players everywhere. Robinson withstood discrimination to establish himself as a Hall of Fame player, and to lead future generations of black players into the previously all-white world of Major League Baseball. Written for students and general readers alike, this biographical encyclopedia chronicles the history of African American baseball through the life stories of the game's greatest players, the legends who played a significant role in the integration of the major league. From Negro League stars Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, to color line shatterer Jackie Robinson, and those who followed them in the limelight, such as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, readers will learn how the inclusion of African American players in Major League Baseball improved the sport and race relations in the United States during this critical period in history. Providing detailed accounts of each player's amazing professional achievements, this insightful reference describes how the spectacular talents of African American players elevated Major League Baseball forever. Features include a timeline of important events, numerous photographs, and a bibliography of print and electronic sources for further reading.

Download or read book Chasing Willie Mays written by Paul Kocak and published by Creators Publishing. This book was released on 2016-09-30 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book First Black Red written by Marty Ford Pieratt and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2010-05-06 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chuck Harmons life story symbolizes and transcends our countrys struggle for civil rights and equality. From his humble beginnings as one of the 12 children of Sherman and Rosa Harmon in Southern Indiana, to the pressure of death threats as a Cincinnati player, this gentlemen big leaguer is an example of those African American pioneers who helped make a mockery of hate and injustice with integrity, decency, and iron will. From the stories of an early meeting with Babe Ruth to rooting for his beloved Cincinnati Reds today, Chuck Harmons compelling life story symbolizes all that is good about Americas pastime and its oldest professional franchise. His great-great grandfather fought and died for freedom in the Civil War. Less than 100 years later, Chuck Harmon was still fighting for justice - not with a gun and bayonet, but with a golden glove and hot bat. Chuck Harmon is proud to be called, Cincinnatis First Black Red. This book is an important look at the parallel benchmarks in baseball and civil rights, and Chuck Harmon is one of the quiet patriots who helped make America truly a country where all men and women should expect to be treated equally.

Download or read book If Baseball Integrated Early written by Doug Fowler and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-05-08 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book takes a look at the differences, and some sililarities, in a history of baseball that might have been had the game been integrated from the start."-- page 4.

Download or read book Diamond Classics written by Mike Shannon and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2024-10-11 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each work, chosen with exquisite care by an expert, is analyzed and summarized. Its greatness as baseball literature, its place in the genre, its peculiarities, weaknesses, strengths, how the critics went for it--all are discussed in such a way, with quotations, that reading or browsing Shannon's book is equivalent to absorbing a rich history of the sport.

Download or read book From The Stick to The Cove written by Mike Murphy and published by Triumph Books. This book was released on 2020-04-14 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Day in, day out, Mike Murphy has been a constant presence with the San Francisco Giants since the team moved west in 1958. The clubhouse at Oracle Park bears his name, and in the jubilant aftermath of the team's 2010 World Series victory, Buster Posey told Murphy, "We did it for you, we got your ring." If you know the Giants, you know "Murph." In From the Stick to the Cove, the beloved longtime clubhouse manager reflects on over six decades of incredible memories, from getting his start as a bat boy and first meeting his idol Willie Mays, to unexpected celebrity encounters, to his role as a father figure for more recent generations of Giants.

Download or read book The Greatest Summer in Baseball History written by John Rosengren and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2023-04-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The vivid story of a young Reggie Jackson on Charlie Finley's A's and the veteran Willie Mays on Yogi's Mets, both destined for the '73 series." —Library Journal A rousing chronicle of one of the most defining years in baseball history that changed the sport forever. In 1973, baseball was in crisis. The first strike in pro sports had soured fans, American League attendance had fallen, and America's team—the Yankees—had lost more games and money than ever. Yet that season, five of the game's greatest figures rescued the national pastime. Hank Aaron riveted the nation with his pursuit of Babe Ruth's landmark home run record in the face of racist threats. George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees at a bargain basement price and began buying back their faded glory. The American League broke ranks with the National League and introduced the designated hitter, extending the careers of aging stars such as Orlando Cepeda. An elderly and ailing Willie Mays—the icon of an earlier generation—nearly helped the Mets pull off a miracle with the final hit of his career. Reggie Jackson, the MVP of a tense World Series, became the prototype of the modern superstar. The season itself provided plenty of drama served up by a colorful cast of characters, including the Mets rise from last place to win the division under Yogi Berra's leadership, Pete Rose edging out Willie Stargell as the MVP in a controversial vote, Hank Aaron chasing Babe Ruth's landmark record in the face of racial threats, Reggie Jackson solidifying his reputation as Mr. October, Willie Mays hitting the final home run of his career, and future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and George Brett playing in their first major league games. That one memorable summer changed baseball forever. Originally published as Hammerin' Hank, George Almighty and the Say Hey Kid. "It's a season-ticket to one of the greatest years in baseball history. John Rosengren has given us one of the most enjoyable baseball books to come along in years." –Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season

Download or read book The Lasting Impact of Positive Leadership written by Stan Toler and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "If you follow the simple yet profound wisdom in this book, then you, too, will take leadership to a level that you’ve never experienced." —John C. Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author Great Teams Start with Great Leaders You know that nobody succeeds alone—you need a great team. But when you’re the leader and you aren’t sure how to nurture the best from your crew, where can you turn for help? In The Lasting Impact of Positive Leadership, bestselling author Stan Toler serves as your coach and reveals what it takes to build a successful team. As you examine the proven strategies of great leaders, you will learn how to effectively connect and communicate, and how to motivate people and inspire them to give their best every day. Creating a positive culture starts with learning how to harness the principles of positive leaderships Become a positive leader…and discover for yourself the remarkable results that are sure to follow!

Download or read book Ernie Banks written by Phil Rogers and published by Triumph Books. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Respected by his baseball peers, beloved by Chicago fans and teammates, Ernie Banks did everything there was to do in the game he loved. Everything, that is, except play in a World Series. How and why that experience eluded him during one season of particular promise—1969—is a key storyline of this fresh look at one of baseball's legendary players. Banks, who had picked cotton outside Dallas as a youth, ascended from a barnstorming semipro team to the major leagues after Kansas City Monarchs manager Buck O'Neil placed him with the Cubs. During his time in Chicago, Banks won two MVPs and received an education far better than the one he received in the segregated schools he'd attended, gaining important life skills while playing the game he was born to play.

Download or read book The American League in Transition 1965 1975 written by Paul Hensler and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-12-18 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the years following the decline of the New York Yankees dynasty that ended in 1964, three American League teams endeavored to stake their claim to the Junior Circuit's crown. From 1965 to 1975, the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Oakland Athletics emerged as the most significant AL clubs, but this trio achieved varying degrees of success. Through the prism of these three teams, this book examines facets of their dynastic aspirations: the way in which key personnel were assembled into a cohesive roster, the glory that was won by the clubs, and the factors leading to their decline. Drawing on a rich variety of primary and secondary sources, the story is told of vital players from Latin America who made their way to Minnesota, the select few who ventured from the Orioles' training facility in Thomasville, Georgia, to Baltimore, and the collegiate stars selected in the early years of the newly-created amateur draft who went on to help forge a winning combination in Oakland.

Download or read book Play Hungry written by Pete Rose and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-06-02 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Bestseller The inside story of how Pete Rose became one of the greatest and most controversial players in the history of baseball Pete Rose was a legend on the field. As baseball’s Hit King, he shattered records that were thought to be unbreakable. And during the 1970s, he was the leader of the Big Red Machine, the Cincinnati Reds team that dominated the game. But he’s also the greatest player who may never enter the Hall of Fame because of his lifetime ban from the sport. Perhaps no other ballplayer’s story is so representative of the triumphs and tragedies of our national pastime. In Play Hungry, Rose tells us the story of how, through hard work and sheer will, he became one of the unlikeliest stars of the game. Guided by the dad he idolized, a local sports hero, Pete learned to play hard and always focus on winning. But even with his dad’s guidance, Pete was cut from his team as a teenager—he wasn’t a natural. Rose was determined, though, and never would be satisfied with anything less than success. His relentless hustle and headfirst style would help him overcome his limitations, leading him to one of the most exciting and brash careers in the history of the sport. Play Hungry is Pete Rose’s love letter to the game, and an unvarnished story of life on the diamond. One of the icons of a golden age in baseball, he describes just what it was like to hit (or try to hit) a Bob Gibson fastball or a Gaylord Perry spitball, what happened in that infamous collision at home plate during the 1970 All-Star Game, and what it felt like to topple Ty Cobb’s hit record. And he speaks to how he let down his fans, his teammates, and the memory of his dad when he gambled on baseball, breaking the rules of a sport that he loved more than anything else. Told with candor and wry humor—including tales he’s never told before—Rose’s memoir is his final word on the glories and controversies of his life, and, ultimately, a master class in how to succeed when the odds are stacked against you.