Though Willie Mays' World Series catch of Vic Wertz's long drive in 1954 immediately comes to mind, there are many catches that have been called "the greatest." This work documents baseball's best catches by outfielders from 1887 through 1964 (the year of Duke Snider's retirement, the demolition of the Polo Grounds, and, arguably, Willie Mays' last great grab). After introductory chapters on factors that influenced the catches and their legacies--from ballpark quirks, changes to the baseball and the evolution of baseball gloves, to sportswriters and photography--the book describes famous catches by decade from such players as Mays, Willie Keeler, Joe DiMaggio, Duke Snider, Roberto Clement, Curt Flood and many others. Extensive research yields a wealth of information for each catch, including commentary by period sportswriters, players, and, often, the man who snagged the ball.
A rambunctious kitty wakes up with a mission: he is going to finally catch his tail! Through mountains of toilet paper, under the covers, into the laundry basket (with a quick stop at the litter box), and beyond, the tireless kitty continues his never-ending chase until the unexpected motive for his mission is revealed. Debut author and illustrator Jimbo Matison uses his bright, lively illustrations and minimal text to tell a raucous story full of classic “cat humor” and high jinks that will leave young readers (and cat lovers of all ages) laughing out loud.
It's been over 50 years since they moved to Los Angeles, but the Brooklyn Dodgers remain ingrained in the fabric of our national pastime. Golenbock's oral history of these "lovable losers" tells the team's tale through the words of Pee Wee Reese, Leo Durocher, Duke Snider, and other Brooklyn greats.
The spirited story of Marcenia Lyle, the African American girl who grew up to become "Toni Stone," the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team.
In a sport full of players who are larger than life, Terrell Owens towers above the crowd. It isn't just that he holds the NFL record for catches in a single game (twenty) or that he's the most feared wide receiver in the game. It's also his penchant for unique self-expression -- spiking the ball on the midfield Texas lone star in front of a hostile Dallas Cowboy crowd, pulling a Sharpie from his sock to sign a game ball after a touchdown, and dancing with a cheerleader's pom-poms after another TD. Never politically correct and always controversial and colorful on and off the field, Terrell Owens has transformed himself into "TO," the outrageous gridiron personality who has rocked the entire NFL and the sports landscape. But Owens is more than touchdowns, dancing, and celebrations. In this wickedly insightful book, he's full of sharp-eyed observations on the contentious, demanding, insane phenomenon that is pro football. In Catch This! Owens takes readers back to his hardscrabble childhood in rural Alabama, where he was raised by a stern grandmother and loving mother. By the time he won an athletic scholarship for football at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the once small, bullied boy had transformed himself into a very large man with a super body and an iron will to succeed. He takes us behind his apprenticeship to -- and eventual eclipsing of -- the legendary 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice. He pulls no punches when it comes to his extremely public fight with San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci -- a relationship so sour that they didn't speak at all during the crucial final weeks of the 2001 season. And, finally, he lets loose on the free agent scandal that shook the NFL in 2004 -- and reveals the truth behind the NFL's attempt to deny him free agency, his fraudulent trade to the Baltimore Ravens, and his ultimate happy landing with the Philadelphia Eagles. For those who think they know both Terrell Owens and TO, catch this story.
Book Going, going, gone. That was how many MLB broadcasters would describe home runs, which were my favorite aspect of my favorite sport, baseball. That is where the title of this book originated. Sadly, MLB has been changing over the past several years. My favorite sport has become maddening, difficult to watch, and the adoration I had for MLB players and teams has evaporated. This book describes my opinions on what has happened to MLB, which I believe is destroying its future. The book starts with my childhood experiences and favorite MLB heroes, which I believe many fans of my generation, in particular, can understand and relate to. I am hoping it sparks similar fond memories for my readers. The book moves on to the top reasons why MLB has been diminished, and now it has a very uncertain long-term future. These are all my opinions, and my hope is that it increases the reader's understanding of what is happening to the sport I once loved so much. --Eric L. Marcus
“Futurist wunderkind Womack concludes his heralded Ambient series with this intriguing, clever novel set in an alternate, semi-historical 1968” (Publishers Weekly). It’s 1968, and Walter Bullitt, part-time US government freelancer and collector of “race records,” stays busy testing new psychotropics on himself and unsuspecting citizens. Walter’s conscience never interferes with his work—until he’s asked to help sabotage Bobby Kennedy’s presidential campaign. The ghosts who’ve moved into his apartment aren’t much comfort. Then two outré femmes fatales show up and frog-march Walter out of Max’s Kansas City before the Velvet Underground can finish their first song. The ladies have a mission. They need to save New York—both his and theirs. Bringing his acclaimed Ambient series to a close, “Womack has crafted a fast-moving, hipper-than-hip science fiction novel meshing the exuberant wordplay of Anthony Burgess with the high-concept what-if history Philip Dick made famous with The Man in the High Castle” (Publishers Weekly). “A bizarre mating of William S. Burroughs and Robert Heinlein, though the over-the-top, hipster, first-person narration might also make readers think of Jack Kerouac channeled through P. G. Wodehouse.” —The Oregonian “Like Damon Runyon and James M. Cain, Jack Womack has a gift for inventing oddball language. . . . Daringly, scaringly distinct in contemporary fiction.” —Philadelphia Weekly “The action moves with amphetamine quickness, and Womack’s surefooted control over his material completely sucks us in. . . . Has roots in the paranoid, conspiratorial bookends of Norman Mailer’s near-delirious An American Dream and Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49.” —Bookforum
Florrie's favorite coffee shop, with its open mike night, dreamy candles, and cute waiters ... Going? The mysterious little hut selling fresh lemon ice on the west side of town ... Going? The boutique featuring clothes you don't find at the mall, allowing you to look like ... an interesting person ... Going? Individuality. Originality. Quality. Independence. Opportunity. Going, going, gone. What's a girl to do?
Fact: Health improves learning. Yet nationwide, elementary school students spend twelve times more classroom hours studying history than health. Worse, most kids don't get enough physical activity and over 5 million underage youth vape. In When Are We Going to Teach Health?, Duncan Van Dusen, the CEO of one of the most widely used youth health education programs in the world, makes a novel, sometimes irreverent, case for prioritizing "Whole Child" health and SEL in K-12 schools. He shows why health drives academic success, what makes teaching health effective, and how to create a school environment that delivers and sustains healthy behavior. Using case studies, tips, and recommended actions, he describes proven youth empowerment and skills-based health education techniques to increase kids' physical activity and healthy food choices and to decrease youth vaping. Half of the proceeds from this book will fund health education in low-income schools.
