Chipper Jones

Carroll Rogers Walton

Bobby Cox

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Arkansas

Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones--one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history--shares his remarkable story, while capturing the magic nostalgia that sets baseball apart from every other sport.
 
Before Chipper Jones became an eight-time All-Star who amassed Hall of Fame-worthy statistics during a nineteen-year career with the Atlanta Braves, he was just a country kid from small town Pierson, Florida. A kid who grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his dad dreaming that one day he'd be a major league ballplayer.  
 
With his trademark candor and astonishing recall, Chipper Jones tells the story of his rise to the MLB ranks and what it took to stay with one organization his entire career in an era of booming free agency. His journey begins with learning the art of switch-hitting and takes off after the Braves made him the number one overall pick in the 1990 draft, setting him on course to become the linchpin of their lineup at the height of their fourteen-straight division-title run.
 
Ballplayer takes readers into the clubhouse of the Braves' extraordinary dynasty, from the climax of the World Series championship in 1995 to the last-gasp division win by the 2005 "Baby Braves"; all the while sharing pitch-by-pitch dissections of clashes at the plate with some of the all-time great starters, such as Clemens and Johnson, as well as closers such as Wagner and Papelbon. He delves into his relationships with Bobby Cox and his famous Braves brothers--Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, among them--and opponents from Cal Ripken Jr. to Barry Bonds. The National League MVP also opens up about his overnight rise to superstardom and the personal pitfalls that came with fame; his spirited rivalry with the New York Mets; his reflections on baseball in the modern era--outrageous money, steroids, and all--and his special last season in 2012.
 
Ballplayer immerses us in the best of baseball, as if we're sitting next to Chipper in the dugout on an endless spring day.

Ballplayer

c344f9ca-2309-4386-ba94-d950ca82bb21-1

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

New Jersey

The Life and Troubled Times of Major League Baseball

An inside look at the world of major league baseball draws on interviews with the players, umpires, managers and coaches, owners, and others to discuss behind-the-scenes intrigues, financial manipulations, controversies, and personalities. 75,000 first printing. Tour.

Play Ball

224a4e30-d24d-447d-a730-7bf2c3c175bd-1

Michigan

The American Girls Collection

Kit plays baseball under the disapproving eye of Mrs. Howard, who doesn't think she is much of a team player. But when Kit needs help, she may have to learn what team work really is. Illustrations.

⭐ Kit's Home Run

b8165654-6dda-4585-89a0-b59fc47f4706-1

Derek Jeter

Paul Mantell

Missouri

In Kalamazoo, Michigan, eight-year-old Derek Jeter, who dreams of playing for the New York Yankees, learns what it takes to be a champion on and off the field.

The Contract

792f6b59-ec55-4af5-a814-5ad18cd39953-1

Jackie Robinson

Alfred Duckett

* missing dust cover

In relating his life, Robinson reveals the struggles of a Black athlete in the white-dominated world of American sports

Massachusetts

The Autobiography of Jackie Robinson

In relating his life, Robinson reveals the struggles of a Black athlete in the white-dominated world of American sports

I Never Had It Made

eb80f4e8-6640-40f4-a093-dee557282781-1

#hardcover #baseball #biography #sports #nonfiction

Minnesota

* Captivating portraits that will appeal to baseball lovers of all ages * Contains thrilling accounts of pivotal games * Filled with action photographs & statistics

Willie Mays

756d99d1-a7bc-4585-a647-d38b87822067-1

Reggie Jackson, George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, And The Yankees’ Miraculous Finish In 1978

October Men

c4dca3ba-c9e7-48c9-8d28-8ac868f5a739-1

An Oral History

This book features a collection of interviews and published commentary together with photographs to create the first thorough oral history of the growing up years of baseball's greatest heros.

Growing up Baseball

35bcf0d1-01bd-4487-80ab-69e027074df9-1

The History of Modern Baseball From Its Birth to the Big Leagues in the Garden State

The Jersey Game

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

New York

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Michael Silverstone

Hispanics in Major League Baseball

Profiles some of baseball's present and past superstars who are from Spanish-speaking countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico, including Roberto Clemente, the Alou brothers, and Miguel Tejada.

Latino Legends

2f652fe1-07cc-4938-9563-19178e658c6d-0

Nick Cafardo

For the Love of the Boston Red Sox

5b5f997f-2b0b-4e28-94d2-dbab3cc9b6c5-0

Pennsylvania

My Life in Baseball Analytics and Drug Design

Richard D. Cramer has been doing baseball analytics for just about as long as anyone alive, even before the term “sabermetrics” existed. He started analyzing baseball statistics as a hobby in the mid-1960s, not long after graduating from Harvard and MIT. He was a research scientist for SmithKline and in his spare time used his work computer to test his theories about baseball statistics. One of his earliest discoveries was that clutch hitting—then one of the most sacred pieces of received wisdom in the game—didn’t really exist. In When Big Data Was Small Cramer recounts his life and remarkable contributions to baseball knowledge. In 1971 Cramer learned about the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and began working with Pete Palmer, whose statistical work is credited with providing the foundation on which SABR is built. Cramer cofounded STATS Inc. and began working with the Houston Astros, Oakland A’s, Yankees, and White Sox, with the help of his new Apple II computer. Yet for Cramer baseball was always a side interest, even if a very intense one for most of the last forty years. His main occupation, which involved other “big data” activities, was that of a chemist who pioneered the use of specialized analytics, often known as computer-aided drug discovery, to help guide the development of pharmaceutical drugs. After a decade-long hiatus, Cramer returned to baseball analytics in 2004 and has done important work with Retrosheet since then. When Big Data Was Small is the story of the earliest days of baseball analytics and computer-aided drug discovery.

When Big Data Was Small

6b428847-926a-4381-b78a-6418af2c0010-1

Texas

Illustrated Lives

Babe Ruth - Heroes of America 

Indiana

Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Baseball

Provides color photographs and miscellaneous information about some of the fascinating individuals, lore, facts, and statistics in America's national pastime.

Baseball Miscellany

3962765e-e57f-44ca-ba94-fd702360234d-1

#hardcover #protectivecover #formerlibrarybook #smokefreehome #sports #baseball

California

A Memoir of Life on the Edge

A TOP-TEN NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! AN INSTANT CLASSIC OF HUSTLE AND EXCESS ...

"Tough, straight, upsetting, and strangely beautiful. ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS AUTOBIOGRAPHIES I'VE EVER READ. It comes from the heart." -- Stephen King

"THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND! Obviously everyone has to buy it."   -- Howard Stern

Eclipsing the traditional sports memoir, House of Nails, by former world champion, multimillionaire entrepreneur, and imprisoned felon Lenny Dykstra, spins a tragicomic tale of Shakespearean proportions -- a relentlessly entertaining American epic that careens between the heights and the abyss.

Nicknamed "Nails" for his hustle and grit, Lenny approached the game of baseball -- and life -- with mythic intensity. During his decade in the majors as a center fielder for the legendary 1980s Mets and the 1990s Phillies, he was named to three All-Star teams and played in two of the most memorable World Series of the modern era. An overachiever known for his clutch hits, high on-base percentage, and aggressive defense, Lenny was later identified by his former minor-league roommate Billy Beane as the prototypical "Moneyball" player in Michael Lewis's bestseller. Tobacco-stained, steroid-powered, and booze-and-drug-fueled, Nails also defined a notorious era of excess in baseball.

Then came a second act no novelist could plausibly conjure: After retiring, Dykstra became a celebrated business mogul and investment guru. Touted as "one of the great ones" by CNBC's Jim Cramer, he became "baseball's most improbable post-career success story" (The New Yorker), purchasing a $17.5-million mansion and traveling the world by private jet. But when the economy imploded in 2008, Lenny lost everything. Then the feds moved in: convicted of bankruptcy fraud (unjustly, he contends), Lenny served two and a half harrowing years in prison, where he was the victim of a savage beating by prison guards that knocked out his front teeth.

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, channeling the bewildered fascination of many observers, declared that Lenny's outrageous rise and spectactular fall was "the greatest story that I have ever seen in my lifetime."

Now, for the first time, Lenny tells all about his tumultuous career, from battling through crippling pain to steroid use and drug addiction, to a life of indulgence and excess, then, an epic plunge and the long road back to redemption. Was Lenny's hard-charging, risk-it-all nature responsible for his success in baseball and business and his precipitous fall from grace? What lessons, if any, has he learned now that he has had time to think and reflect?

Hilarious, unflinchingly honest, and irresistibly readable, House of Nails makes no apologies and leaves nothing left unsaid.

House of Nails

ec7769c1-f678-4db8-ac4f-8e69b41137a1-1

Florida

Mickey Mouse and the Great Lot Plot

Mariano Rivera

Wayne Coffey

The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball. Mariano Rivera, the man who intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic. What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time. With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings. In The Closer, Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time -- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam. When Rivera retired, the whole world watched -- and cheered. In The Closer, we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.

The Closer

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#sports #history #baseball #newyork #politics


1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City

“Masterful . . . In Mahler’s expert hands, the city’s outsized citizens are flawed, fierce, bickersome, and as indomitable as the metropolis itself.” —Mike Sokolove, author of The Ticket Out A passionate and dramatic account of a year in the life of a city, when baseball and crime reigned supreme, and when several remarkable figures emerged to steer New York clear of one of its most harrowing periods. By early 1977, the metropolis was in the grip of hysteria caused by a murderer dubbed “Son of Sam.” And on a sweltering night in July, a citywide power outage touched off an orgy of looting and arson that led to the largest mass arrest in New York’s history. As the turbulent year wore on, the city became absorbed in two epic battles: the fight between Yankee slugger Reggie Jackson and team manager Billy Martin, and the battle between Ed Koch and Mario Cuomo for the city’s mayoralty. Buried beneath these parallel conflicts—one for the soul of baseball, the other for the soul of the city—was the subtext of race. The brash and confident Jackson took every black myth and threw it back in white America’s face. Meanwhile, Koch and Cuomo ran bitterly negative campaigns that played upon urbanites’ fears of soaring crime and falling municipal budgets. These braided stories tell the history of a year that saw the opening of Studio 54, the evolution of punk rock, and the dawning of modern SoHo. As the pragmatist Koch defeated the visionary Cuomo and as Reggie Jackson finally rescued a team racked with dissension,1977 became a year of survival but also of hope.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning

32ef6169-7f4f-4d94-9c77-ea00a1b98748-1

#hardcover #swindle #baseball #action #youngadult #ya #scholastic 

Ocean's 11 . . . with 11-year-olds, in a super stand-alone heist caper from Gordon Korman!

After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his valuable Babe Ruth baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way - a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their general inability to drive - but Griffin and his team are going to get back what's rightfully his . . .

This is Gordon Korman at his crowd-pleasing best, perfect for readers who like a hoot, a howl, and a heist.

Swindle

b02b7a05-89f5-4077-a8f7-e5152fcc835f-1

Mike Lupica

Ex-library copy with typical internal stamps/markings

When Homers Flew, Records Fell and Baseball Reclaimed America

In the summer of '61, Mike Lupica's father left notes for him in the night: Maris hit another, Mantle two-for-four, Yanks won. That was his first golden summer. He thought there'd never be another one like it -until the summer of '98, when he found himself leaving notes for his own sons: Sosa hit another, McGwire hit one back. And the Yanks won.In 1998, the conversation of the country was about baseball again, as the taste of the 1994 strike was finally washed away in a sweet flood of glory. With humor and feeling, Lupica recaptures that season, but not in any ordinary way. In Fargo, North Dakota, Roger Maris's boyhood best friend watches McGwire hit 62. In Washington Heights, New York City, the scout who saw Sammy Sosa get off the bus from Santo Domingo celebrates, along with half a million Dominicans. The Little League champions from Toms River stand in awe on the field at Yankee Stadium; Joe DiMaggio talks as he watches the Yankees have the kind of year he always had; Cal Ripken speaks from the past about how he always intended his streak to end; a divorced father watches with a lump in his throat as McGwire lifts his son at home plate. David Wells, Kerry Wood, Shane Spencer, Ken Griffey, Jr. -all the boys of summer come alive in unique and special ways, as we're reminded, for one season at least, that, yes, they do play baseball like they used to.

Summer of '98

6cb47bbc-174f-4272-b324-ce8fdb4c3066-1

Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World's Most Loved (and Hated) Team





Everyone has an opinion about the Yankees. More than an opinion in most cases, but an opinion at the very least.

--From the Introduction

Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees have been an American institution for nearly a century. With their rich history and colorful cast of characters, the Yankees never fail to inspire or provoke. In this exciting compendium, some of today's most acclaimed writers--including Pete Dexter, Colum McCann, Roy Blount Jr., Dan Barry, Jane Leavy, Charles P. Pierce, J. R. Moehringer, Daniel Okrent, Frank DeFord, Bill James, and many more--step up to the plate to take their cuts. The result is a collection of original essays as idiosyncratic and expansive as the team that has inspired them: ruminations on Babe Ruth's gravestone, Derek Jeter's swing, and the upper-deck vantage of the Oldest Living Yankee; dual allegiances; mortal rivalries; and every other subject that spans from the hilarious (the Yankee wife-swap of the '70s) to the sublime (the grace of Catfish Hunter).

Superbly written, deeply insightful, and full of both passion and humor, Damn Yankees is a completely fresh look at baseball's most enduring franchise by a Murderers' Row of writers as stacked as that of the 1927 Yanks.

Damn Yankees

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has a tear on the back side of the dust jacket. otherwise excellent conditio. 

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Utah

featuring Jackie Robinson, alex rodriguez, hank aaron, babe ruth, mike schmidt, cy young and more

Discover the greatest baseball players of all time!

Which guys playing right now will they still be talking about in 100 years? A-Rod? Pujols? How about Jeter?

Why do the best pitchers receive the Cy Young Award?

Was Honus Wagner anything but a face on a $2,800,000 baseball card?

Who was this Babe Ruth guy, anyway?

Sportscaster and New York Times bestselling author Len Berman had lots of questions about the game of baseball. So he put together a group of experts that included all-stars, Emmy Award winners, writers, radio hosts, and enough World Series rings to fill one hand's fingers.

Is your Favorite player on the list?

From New York Times bestselling author Len Berman comes an action-packed collection for sports fans of all ages.

If you had to pick the best baseball players of all time, who would they be? Len Berman gave it a try, and asked a blue-ribbon panel--with experts including World Series champion Bernie Williams and radio host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo--to weigh in too.

Full of photos, facts, and fun, The 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time gives you the stories behind the names. Why do so many people love Babe Ruth? What makes Alex Rodriguez so great? Was Jackie Robinson as important on the field as he was off the field? Discover why Len Berman thinks the 25 players in this book are the greatest--then it's time to start your own debate!

So who are the 25 greatest baseball players and why?

Who would be on your list?

Let the arguments begin!

Praise for Len Berman's The Greatest Moments in Sports

"His writing is lively, humorous, and informative--just right to sustain kids' (or adults') interest...this is an excellent choice for anyone who is into sports." --School Library Journal

"Readers and browsers will enjoy paging through this compendium's stories and action-filled photos." --Booklist

"It's an eclectic roundup that's likely to have readers mulling their own personal favorites." --Publishers Weekly

"Great book, great stories--a gold medal performance." --Mike Eruzione, captain of the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

Len Berman is an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster who has covered just about every major sports event, including multiple Super Bowls, World Series, and Olympics during his 40-year career in broadcasting.

He is the creator of "Spanning the World," a monthly collection of sports bloopers, which was a 20-year staple on NBC's Today show. He is also the creator of Sports Fantasy, which aired on NBC and pitted regular viewers against famous sports stars.

He is the recipient of eight Emmy Awards and is a six-time winner, New York Sportscaster of the Year. His daily Top 5 email is featured in the Huffington Post and is received by thousands around the country. This is his fifth book.

A native New Yorker, Len graduated from Syracuse University. He resides on Long Island with his wife, Jill. They have three children.

The 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time

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Louisiana

"The food is fast, the money is always low, and the knowledge is always there that a few are on the way up, a few are on the way out, and the majority are stuck in baseball limbo. 'Come on, Mister, look,' says a small boy at the book's end, gazing at a Royals' game from an airplane window. 'This is real baseball.'."-- Chicago Tribune

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Chipper Jones; Carroll Rogers Walton; Bobby Cox

Ballplayer

John Feinstein

Play Ball

Valerie Tripp; Walter Rane (Illustrator); Philip Hood (Illustrator); Susan McAliley (Illustrator)

⭐ Kit's Home Run

Derek Jeter; Paul Mantell

The Contract

Jackie Robinson; Alfred Duckett

I Never Had It Made

John F. Grabowski; Earl Weaver (Contribution by); Jim Murray (Introduction by)

Willie Mays

Roger Kahn

October Men

Harvey Frommer; Frederic Frommer

Growing up Baseball

James M. DiClerico, Barry J. Pavelec

The Jersey Game

Bette Bao Lord

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Michael Silverstone

Latino Legends

Nick Cafardo

For the Love of the Boston Red Sox

Richard D. Cramer

When Big Data Was Small

Len Canter

Babe Ruth - Heroes of America

Matthew Silverman

Baseball Miscellany

Lenny Dykstra

House of Nails

Disney

Mickey Mouse and the Great Lot Plot

Mariano Rivera; Wayne Coffey

The Closer

Jonathan Mahler

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning

Gordon Korman

Swindle

Mike Lupica

Summer of '98

Rob Fleder

Damn Yankees

Len Berman

The 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time

Jerry Klinkowitz

Basepaths #27