SOFT THINGS How many soft things are there left to enjoy? A kiss, a caress between a girl and boy. The coo of a baby while its mother smiles down. The sweet smell of rain as it covers the ground. The warmth of the sun as I look up to the sky. The beauty of nature that money cant buy. Its all so free and wont fade with time. My life is a joy when softness is mine.
Around 1863, William “Candy” Cummings discovered he could make clamshells curve when thrown—a skill he transferred to baseball as a pitcher for the New York Excelsiors. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team in baseball to place all of their players on salary. And in 1945, the St. Louis Browns recruited a one-armed outfielder to the majors. These stories and much more are brought to life in Touching All the Bases: Baseball in 101 Fascinating Stories, an all-encompassing look at the game of baseball. Past to present, this book covers the sport in its entirety, from its defining moments on the field to the outside-the-ballpark influences that have shaped the game over the years. Unique chapters—such as the impact of World War II, legal issues, labor disputes, the legacy of Jackie Robinson, and the doping dilemma—complement accounts of milestone events, individual and team achievements, and the most famous games, plays, and players of the sport. Appendixes provide lists of World Series, batting and homerun champions, perfect games, player nicknames, award winners, and more. A comprehensive collection of baseball’s history, evolution, and memorable moments, Touching All the Bases will entertain, inform, and educate all those interested in baseball, whether a casual fan or a dedicated enthusiast.
It's easy to see why baseball has been our nation's favorite pastime for the past century. This uniquely American sport has captured our hearts with stories of triumph, dedication, sacrifice, and victory. In Play Ball, baseball legend Dave Dravecky helps fans relive some of the sport's greatest moments through breathtaking photography and unforgettable stories of today and yesteryear. Everyone who loves the game will devour this "grand slam" gift book.
Touch of Gray is an urban fantasy series featuring Gray Graham, a touch clairvoyant. She is one of the thousands of Psycepts, psychics or those with enhanced perception, that were genetically identified by the US government. Rather than stay in America with the possibility that she could be drafted into service or compelled to use her gifts to benefit US agencies at the expense of her freedom, Gray sought asylum in the Greater Tribal Council of the Americas (GT). The GT is a country formed following the American Civil War when various Native American / Alaskan or First Nation tribes formed an alliance and fought non-native settlers to a standstill. The GT and its neighbors the US, Canada, and Mexico are geographic allies with different ideologies. The GT grants permanent resident status to Psycepts like Gray, upon certain conditions. In exchange for her living in the GT, Gray assists police with missing persons or homicide cases. The difference is that Gray chooses which petitions she accepts and her contract has an expiration date. Gray has lived in the GT for fifteen years and has kept herself away from most of the Psycept concerns. It seems as if the rest of the world has forgotten Psycepts and moved on. However, nothing is that easy and events conspire to drag Psycepts, and Gray, back into the wider world.
A collection of four novels from the New York Times–bestselling, Edgar Award–winning mystery series starring a rabbi in a tiny New England town. Spend a long weekend with the scholar and spiritual leader who watches over the Jewish community in 1960s Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts—and in his spare time, solves crimes. Friday the Rabbi Slept Late: A young nanny is found dead in the temple parking lot—and her purse is discovered in Rabbi David Small’s car. Now he has to collaborate with the local Irish-Catholic police chief to exonerate himself. Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry: Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, is defiled when a body is found—and the rabbi must uncover who has something to atone for. Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home: When Passover is overshadowed by congregational politics and a murder at a local university, the rabbi must study the clues. Monday the Rabbi Took Off: Rabbi Small journeys to Israel for a bit of peace, but instead has to team up with an Orthodox cop to unravel a bombing case. Don’t miss these four mystery novels featuring an amateur detective who uses Talmudic logic—an introduction to the multimillion-selling series that provides both “an eye-opening snapshot of a particular time in Jewish-American history” and delightfully entertaining whodunits (Los Angeles Review of Books).
Points out why now is the right time to emphasize the call of discipleship, the challenges involved in making "necessary adaptations", catechetical dynamics that distinguish this from our past approaches, and practices that can help all of us keep heart.
A bomb plot draws Rabbi Small into international intrigue while he’s vacationing in the Holy Land in this New York Times–bestselling novel David Small has spent 6 years as the rabbi of Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, and every year his job has been in crisis. In desperate need of time away, he embarks on a 3-month trip to Israel. He expects a relaxing, soul-nourishing stay, but wherever Rabbi Small goes, murder follows. A bombing disrupts his vacation and the rabbi finds himself thrust into a world of terrorism and political discord in the divided city of Jerusalem. He teams up with an Orthodox Israeli cop to hunt down the terrorists before they can attack again. Dispensing Jewish wisdom as he employs his astute detective skills, Rabbi Small might be the only one who can crack this explosive case.
Barbara Jordan was the first African American to serve in the Texas Senate since Reconstruction, the first black woman elected to Congress from the South, and the first to deliver the keynote address at a national party convention. Yet Jordan herself remained a mystery, a woman so private that even her close friends did not know the name of the illness that debilitated her for two decades until it struck her down at the age of fifty-nine. In Barbara Jordan, Mary Beth Rogers deftly explores the forces that shaped the moral character and quiet dignity of this extraordinary woman. She reveals the seeds of Jordan's trademark stoicism while recapturing the essence of a black woman entering politics just as the civil rights movement exploded across the nation. Celebrating Jordan's elegance, passion, and patriotism, this illuminating portrayal gives new depth to our understanding of one of the most influential women of our time-a woman whose powerful convictions and flair for oratorical drama changed the political landscape of America's twentieth century.
Canadian-born George "Mooney" Gibson (1880-1967) grew up playing baseball on the sandlots around London, Ontario, before going on to star with the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. In an era known for tough, defensive catchers, Gibson was an ironman and set records for endurance. He helped the Pirates defeat Ty Cobb and the Detroit Tigers to win their first World Series in 1909. He played with and against some of the biggest names in the game and counted Cobb, Honus Wagner and John McGraw as friends. He then held numerous coaching and managing roles in New York, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Washington and Chicago--the last Canadian to manage full-time in the Major Leagues.
