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Legendary sports columnist Maury Allen captures the dramatic and emotional highlights of the careers of 50 former New York Yankee fan favorites, including Dooley Womack and Phil Linz.
In The Grand Old Man of Baseball, Norman L. Macht chronicles Connie Mack’s tumultuous final two decades in baseball. After Mack had built one of baseball’s greatest teams, the 1929–31 Philadelphia Athletics, the Depression that followed the stock market crash fundamentally reshaped Mack’s legacy as his team struggled on the field and at the gate. Among the challenges Mack faced: a sharp drop in attendance that forced him to sell his star players; the rise of the farm system, which he was slow to adopt; the opposition of other owners to night games, which he favored; the postwar integration of baseball, which he initially opposed; a split between the team’s heirs (Mack’s sons Roy ...
The Duke Blue Devils have a long history of success in intercollegiate basketball, and that history comes alive within these pages, as detailed by Duke historian James Sumner. The Blue Devils' storied past includes 27 NCAA tournament appearances, 13 trips to the final four and three national titles. A number of Duke games have achieved legendary status and they are relived in Tales From The Duke Blue Devils. Read about the 12-10 North Carolina State win over Duke in the 1968 ACC Tournament, North Carolina's scoreless half at Duke in 1979, Duke's upset win over UNLV in the 1991 Final Four, and the 1992 Duke-Kentucky Eastern Regional classic. Duke University has been home to 28 All-American ba...
Winner of the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing The true story of the game that never should have happened--and of a nation on the brink of monumental change In the fall of 1943, at the little-known North Carolina College for Negroes, Coach John McLendon was on the verge of changing basketball forever. A protégé of James Naismith, the game's inventor, McLendon taught his team to play the full-court press and run a fast break that no one could catch. His Eagles would become the highest-scoring college team in America--a basketball juggernaut that shattered its opponents by as many as sixty points per game. Yet his players faced danger whenever they traveled backcountry roads. ...
“If we could have scored one more run than the White Sox in each game, I think we would have won the series”---so opined Boston manager Terry Francona. Sharp observations such as this have brightened the Red Sox Nation through the years. “All literary men are Red Sox fans,” said John Cheever. And while the Red Sox made it to the top of the baseball world in 2004 after a long and tortured history, presidential hopeful John Kerry remarked, “If anything prepares you to be president, it’s being a Red Sox fan”---even though he ultimately failed to reach his goal. The franchise that has gone from dynasty to dud and back to dynasty has inspired its share of comments from pundits and wisecrackers, legends and toffs. And the Sox have had their own world-class quipsters and philosophers, from Cy Young, Bill Lee, and Ted Williams to Jimmy Piersall and Manny Ramirez. Collected here are the best-known, wittiest, pithiest, and most entertaining writings, quotes, and quips relating to the Red Sox, accompanied by a rich collection of historic and modern photographs.
One of the oldest and most celebrated franchises in baseball history, the Cincinnati Reds have left an indelible mark on the national pastime. Perhaps the most compelling but overlooked period in Reds history is the 1940 championship season, during which the team won 100 games and earned the world title while overcoming an in-season tragedy faced by no other team in baseball history. Four attempted suicides, three of which were successful, by individuals connected to the team dealt a tragic and unprecedented setback to what was ultimately a successful season. This book addresses both the 1940 Cincinnati Reds as a collective group and, to a greater degree, the individual players who comprised...
This reference work, updated since the 1997 edition, provides comprehensive information on the major professional leagues in North America--baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer. Arranged chronologically, the entries for each league in each sport include individual statistical leaders, championship results, major rules changes, winners of major awards, and hall of fame inductees.
The Duke Blue Devils have a long and glorious history of success, and that history comes alive in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Duke Blue Devils Locker Room. The Blue Devils’ storied past includes forty NCAA tournament appearances, sixteen trips to the final four, and five national titles. In this treasure trove of Duke history, Jim Sumner recalls the most legendary games and unique players that have come to define this championship team. Read about the 1968 ACC Tournament, North Carolina’s scoreless half at Duke in 1979, Duke’s upset win over UNLV in the 1991 Final Four, and the 1992 Duke-Kentucky Eastern Regional classic. Duke University has been home to thirty-six All...
In June of 1938, southpaw Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds became the only pitcher in Major League history to hurl two consecutive no-hitters--an achievement that has stood unsurpassed for more than 80 years. Vander Meer was just 23 at the time and a glorious future was predicted. Despite injuries, he became a four-time All-Star yet ended up a .500 pitcher--not a surefire Hall of Famer as many expected. Both the Reds and Vander Meer persevered, but decades later the left-hander is best remembered for his stunning no-hit package. This volume follows Vander Meer and the Reds through the triumphs of two National League pennants and one World Series title, the hardship of World War II, and the trying suicide of a teammate.
The author visits briefly with around 75 former professional baseball players from the '40s and '50s.