The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the most storied histories in the annuals of baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia captures these fabulous times through the stories of the individuals and the collective teams that have thrilled the Steel City for 125 years. The book breaks down the team with a year-by-year synopsis of the club, biographies of over 180 of the most memorable Pirates through the ages as well as a look at each manager, owner, general manager and announcer t...

When Bill James published his original Historical Baseball Abstract in 1985, he produced an immediate classic, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “holy book of baseball.” Now, baseball's beloved “Sultan of Stats” (The Boston Globe) is back with a fully revised and updated edition for the new millennium.Like the original, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is really several books in one. The Game provides a century'...

BLOOPER: BALL SQUIRTS THROUGH BILLY BUCKNER'S LEGS.BLUNDER: BILLY BUCKNER'S MANAGER LEFT HIM IN THE GAME.Baseball bloopers are fun; they're funny, even. A pitcher slips on the mound and his pitch sails over the backstop. An infielder camps under a pop-up...and the ball lands ten feet away. An outfielder tosses a souvenir to a fan...but that was just the second out, and runners are circling the bases (and laughing). Without these moments, the highlight reels wouldn't...

This book will appeal to life-long baserball fans, particularly those who have followed the game for many years--specifically males over the age of 60, perhaps even age 50, too. Younger followers of athletic contests may also likely have an interest, given the revitalized impact to the sport currently--yearly Major League attendance numbers reflect over 73 Million paying customers in 2009. Cable network coverage proliferates--ESPN and MLB to name just two--continuously streaming the latest...

From their origins as the Brooklyn Atlantics in 1884, through their departure from their beloved borough in 1957, to their record-breaking popularity in sunny Los Angeles, the Dodgers baseball team has been an unstoppable force in professional baseball for well over a century. The franchise has captured a record 21 National League titles, won six World Series championships, and produced dozens of Hall-of-Famers. The Dodgers revolutionized the sports landscape with the signing of Jackie Rob...

The Philadelphia Phillies franchise has been providing thrills and chills for its faithful fanatics for more than 125 years---with the 2008 World Series victory providing the ultimate high for the team and its city. The Phillies have boasted great legends of the game, including sluggers like Chuck Klein, Richie Ashburn, Mike Schmidt, and Ryan Howard; beloved characters like Tug McGraw, Lenny Dykstra, and John Kruk; and stellar hurlers from Pete Alexander to Robin Roberts to Steve Carlton t...

Explore the life and times of one of the most storied franchises in baseball—it's the next best thing to a seat at Wrigley Field on a summer afternoon.Pairing historical black-and-white images with contemporary photos of the modern game, Chicago Cubs Yesterday & Today celebrates more than 130 years of ups and downs in the history of the team and its legions of rabid fans. The book examines the ballparks, the teams, the players, and the colorful characters t...

This book brings to life one of baseball's greatest sluggers, Willie Stargell. It examines the factors that shaped him as a man growing up in the tumultuous racial times of the 1950s and '60s, and then recreates the major moments in his Hall of Fame baseball career. His various endeavors during the post-playing days are fully explored as well.Interviews with more than 80 people--family members, childhood friends, teammates, opponents, front office workers and others--combined with ...

WE ARE . . . SPORTS BY THE NUMBERS. The new, exciting, and completely original book series continues with an in-depth look at the proud history of Penn State football.THE TEAM: Rooted in success achieved through dignity and situated amongst the rolling farmland of Pennsylvania’s “T” region, the Penn State football program has won two national championships and posted seven undefeated, untied seasons as far back as 1887. The Sports by the Numbers franchise combs through the program’...

Big League Trivia - Facts, Figures, Oddities, and Coincidences from our National Pastime is a unique trivia book divided into twenty-four chapters dealing with various areas of the great game of major league baseball.Chapters include: All-Star Game, Award Winners, Ballparks, Coincidences, Debuts, Family, Golden Oldies, Home Run Feats, League Leaders, Managers, Milestones, Moment of Glory, No-Hitters, Oddities, One and Only, Opening Day, Pitching Feats, Runs Batted In, So Close, Te...

Games between the Dodgers and Giants are never just another day at the ballpark. Dating back to the late nineteenth century-when the teams embodied the competitive spirit of rival metropolises of New York and Brooklyn-the Giants-Dodgers rivalry gained intensity throughout the early twentieth century. The cheering and jeering continued unabated until 1957, when the clubs backed the moving vans up to the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, and took their rivalry to new venues in Los Angeles and S...

In the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, no team has been more memorable than that of 1960. In the decade before, the team produced only two winning records: a second-place finish in 1958 and in 1959. In 1960, they put it all together to win the pennant. Their reward was a trip to the World Series against the favored New York Yankees. In the Yankees" three winning games, they outscored Pittsburgh 38-3, but the Pirates were able to win three to send it to Game 7. In one of the most excitin...