This book is a collection of Chicago Cubs trivia and puzzles, featuring Cubs-themed crossword puzzles, word searches, Sudoku and unique word and number games. Great entertainment for Cubs fans of all ages and a great gift. The Chicago Cubs are one of the most popular sports franchises in the world.
The New York Times Bestseller With inside access and reporting, Sports Illustrated senior baseball writer and FOX Sports analyst Tom Verducci reveals how Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon built, led, and inspired the Chicago Cubs team that broke the longest championship drought in sports, chronicling their epic journey to become World Series champions. It took 108 years, but it really happened. The Chicago Cubs are once again World Series champions. How did a team composed of unknown, young players and supposedly washed-up veterans come together to break the Curse of the Billy Goat? Tom Verducci, twice named National Sportswriter of the Year and co-writer of The Yankee Years with Joe Torre, will have full access to team president Theo Epstein, manager Joe Maddon, and the players to tell the story of the Cubs' transformation from perennial underachievers to the best team in baseball. Beginning with Epstein's first year with the team in 2011, Verducci will show how Epstein went beyond "Moneyball" thinking to turn around the franchise. Leading the organization with a manual called "The Cubs Way," he focused on the mental side of the game as much as the physical, emphasizing chemistry as well as statistics. To accomplish his goal, Epstein needed manager Joe Maddon, an eccentric innovator, as his counterweight on the Cubs' bench. A man who encourages themed road trips and late-arrival game days to loosen up his team, Maddon mixed New Age thinking with Old School leadership to help his players find their edge. The Cubs Way takes readers behind the scenes, chronicling how key players like Rizzo, Russell, Lester, and Arrieta were deftly brought into the organization by Epstein and coached by Maddon to outperform expectations. Together, Epstein and Maddon proved that clubhouse culture is as important as on-base-percentage, and that intangible components like personality, vibe, and positive energy are necessary for a team to perform to their fullest potential. Verducci chronicles the playoff run that culminated in an instant classic Game Seven. He takes a broader look at the history of baseball in Chicago and the almost supernatural element to the team's repeated loses that kept fans suffering, but also served to strengthen their loyalty. The Cubs Way is a celebration of an iconic team and its journey to a World Championship that fans and readers will cherish for years to come.
William Louis "Bill" Veeck, Jr. (1914-1986) is legendary in many ways-baseball impresario and innovator, independent spirit, champion of civil rights in a time of great change. Paul Dickson has written the first full biography of this towering figure, in the process rewriting many aspects of his life and bringing alive the history of America's pastime. In his late 20s, Veeck bought into his first team, the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. After serving and losing a leg in WWII, he bought the Cleveland Indians in 1946, and a year later broke the color barrier in the American League by signing Larry Doby, a few months after Jackie Robinson-showing the deep commitment he held to integration and equal rights. Cleveland won the World Series in 1948, but Veeck sold the team for financial reasons the next year. He bought a majority of the St. Louis Browns in 1951, sold it three years later, then returned in 1959 to buy the other Chicago team, the White Sox, winning the American League pennant his first year. Ill health led him to sell two years later, only to gain ownership again, 1975-1981. Veeck's promotional spirit-the likes of clown prince Max Patkin and midget Eddie Gaedel are inextricably connected with him-and passion endeared him to fans, while his feel for the game led him to propose innovations way ahead of their time, and his deep sense of morality not only integrated the sport but helped usher in the free agency that broke the stranglehold owners had on players. (Veeck was the only owner to testify in support of Curt Flood during his landmark free agency case). Bill Veeck: Baseball's Greatest Maverick is a deeply insightful, powerful biography of a fascinating figure. It will take its place beside the recent bestselling biographies of Satchel Paige and Mickey Mantle, and will be the baseball book of the season in Spring 2012.
Do you consider yourself a Pittsburgh Penguins fan? It's easy to see why! From Mario Lemieux to Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin, and all the excellent players in between, the Penguins are a star-studded, top-flight NHL franchise. But, do you know which of those players scored the most goals for the team? How about which was drafted the highest? If you think you've got what it takes to show off your expertise in all sorts of Penguins knowledge, you can put that confidence to the test with The Ultimate Pittsburgh Penguins Trivia Book! This book will set the record straight on such team history as: What celebration made history after the Pens won their first Stanley Cup Which Penguins player had his jersey retired after just 86 games Which jealous NHL team filed a protest after seeing Pittsburgh's new uniforms Which father and son shared the same nickname while playing for the Pens How a Penguins player became the team's owner while still starring on the ice Impress your friends by showing off the depth of your fandom through a series of challenging trivia questions. Select the correct option from the multiple-choice answers provided. Place your bets on whether some of the unbelievable team facts are true or false. And pick up some great anecdotes to share about all the colorful characters who make up Penguins history! Whether you've believed in the team for decades and want to show that you know your stuff, or you're new to Pittsburgh Penguins hockey and can't get soak up knowledge fast enough, this book is sure to please anyone with the good taste to call themselves a Penguins fan!
Do you think you're the ultimate Pittsburgh Steelers superfan?Do you have a buddy who bleeds black and gold for the Steelers?Do you want to learn about the history of your favorite six-time Super Bowl champion?Even if you couldn't answer yes to any of those questions, you will still enjoy The Ultimate Pittsburgh Steelers Trivia Book, the best book to learn about the historic Pittsburgh Steelers. This trivia book is packed with interesting facts about the Steelers from cover to cover, taking you from the tough football in western Pennsylvania to the hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.In this book, you'll discover the answer to:?Which team combined with the Steelers during World War II to create a new team??How many Hall-of-Famers did the Steelers draft in 1974??Which Pittsburgh receiver was coached by Snoop Dogg in a youth football league??Which Pittsburgh draft pick won six collegiate national titles as a wrestler? ?Who was the youngest quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl?Whether you are a knowledgeable Steelers fanatic hungry for more information about your favorite team, an NFL superfan craving knowledge about the teams in the league, or just someone who enjoys learning new, interesting facts to learn new things, this book is right up your alley. You will not be disappointed when discovering the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so just crack open the book, sit back, relax, and enjoy the wave of knowledge.
Step up to the plate and take a swing at 200 tantalizingly challenging questions from Mitch "The Wild Thing" Williams, the hard-throwing, left-handed relief pitcher in the majors for 11 years, and Dave Brown. An introduction by Harry Kalas, announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies, completes the collection. From "Who Am I?" to "Mixed Bag" bafflers, you'll have a great time coming up with the answers.
Do you think you're the ultimate San Francisco 49ers superfan? Do you have a buddy who bleeds scarlet and gold for the 49ers? Do you want to learn about the history of your favorite five-time Super Bowl champion? Even if those don't apply to you, The Ultimate San Francisco 49ers Trivia Book is the best book to learn about the San Francisco 49ers and their history. This trivia book is packed with interesting facts about the 49ers from cover to cover, taking you from the playing fields of the Bay Area to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In this book, you'll discover the answer to: Which team originally owned the draft pick the 49ers used to draft Jerry Rice in 1985? How many Heisman-winning quarterbacks have started a game for San Francisco? Who scored the 49ers' first touchdown in a Super Bowl? Who was the first draft pick of San Francisco's NFL era? Do the 49ers own the NFL record for the largest regular-season comeback? Whether you are a 49ers fanatic hungry for more information about the team, an NFL superfan craving knowledge about the teams in the league, or just someone who enjoys learning new, interesting facts to learn new things, this book is right up your alley. You will not be disappointed in discovering the world of the San Francisco 49ers, so just crack open the book, sit back, relax, and enjoy the wave of knowledge.
Fans of the Bronx Bombers will give a cheer for this cool collection of crosswords. Considered by most (except for Red Sox devotees, of course) to be the best baseball franchise ever, the New York Yankees had the greatest roster of players ever to grace a diamond. From Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig, “Joltin’” Joe DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle, the amazing names just kept on coming. Yankee enthusiasts will enjoy testing their knowledge of past and present line-ups, and team trivia to see if they hit a home run and can fill in the grid—or strike out, with blank puzzle boxes awaiting their letters. A reinforced back board provides a built-in desk so puzzlers can solve right at the ballpark while waiting for a winning game to start!
SABR 50 at 50 celebrates and highlights the Society for American Baseball Research’s wide-ranging contributions to baseball history. Established in 1971 in Cooperstown, New York, SABR has sought to foster and disseminate the research of baseball—with groundbreaking work from statisticians, historians, and independent researchers—and has published dozens of articles with far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the game. Among its current membership are many Major and Minor League Baseball officials, broadcasters, and writers as well as numerous former players. The diversity of SABR members’ interests is reflected in this fiftieth-anniversary volume—from baseball and the arts to statistical analysis to the Deadball Era to women in baseball. SABR 50 at 50 includes the most important and influential research published by members across a multitude of topics, including the sabermetric work of Dick Cramer, Pete Palmer, and Bill James, along with Jerry Malloy on the Negro Leagues, Keith Olbermann on why the shortstop position is number 6, John Thorn and Jules Tygiel on the untold story behind Jackie Robinson’s signing with the Dodgers, and Gai Berlage on the Colorado Silver Bullets women’s team in the 1990s. To provide history and context, each notable research article is accompanied by a short introduction. As SABR celebrates fifty years this collection gathers the organization’s most notable research and baseball history for the serious baseball reader.