Sports & Recreation : Baseball

Take your game from bush league to big time with these proven techniques. Baseball scouts and coaches at every level want players with the knowledge and ability to do it all. They're looking for someone who can dominate a game and showcase talent in each of baseball's five essential skills: hitting for average, hitting for power, fielding, arm strength, and speed. What they hope to find is The Five-Tool Player . In The Five-Tool Player , you'll get all the drills, step-by-step photos, and guidance you need to master the five tools. You'll learn how to: Hit for high average by understanding pitch patterns and expanding your hitting zone; Develop power at the plate with proper technique, an aggressive attitude, and strength training; Diversify your defensive skills by learning the nuances of each position; Increase your arm strength with proper throwing form and conditioning; Improve your base running with speed training more...

Price: $18.95

In The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine, Vincent takes us along for the ultimate fan's fantasy camp. As commissioner, he got to talk baseball with the likes of Yogi Berra, Larry Doby, Warren Spahn, Ernie Banks, Eddie Lopat, Whitey Ford, and Henry Aaron. He brought his legal training to bear on the delicate issue of whether Roger Clemens uttered the magic word that would justify his being tossed out of a playoff game (and it's not the word you think). Through it all, Vincent's deep love of baseball shines through. His most remarkable accomplishment as commissioner may have been to emerge from the office with his fandom intact. The Last Commissioner is truly a valentine to the game, written with the insight and vision that comes from the lofty perch of the ultimate front-row seat. more...

Price: $17.99

There are baseball books and there are baseball books. But for the baseball cognoscenti, there are just a few "must-have" classics: BALL FOUR by Jim Bouton. THE LONG SEASON by Jim Brosnan. WILLIE'S TIME by Charles Einstein. And SEASONS IN HELL by Mike Shropshire, which was a hilarous first-person account of Mike's travails serving as a daily beat writer covering the hapless 1972 Texas Rangers. Now, in The Last Real Season, Shropshire captures the essence of a different time and different place in baseball, when the average salary for major leaguers was only $27,600...when the ballplayers' drug of choice was alcohol, not steroids...when major leaguers sported tight doubleknit uniforms over their long-hair and Afros...and on July 28th, 1975, the day that famed Detroit resident Jimmy Hoffa went missing, the Detroit Tigers started a losing streak of 19 games in a row. On the day that the Tigers blew a 4-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Shropshire recalls: "I drank three bottles of Stroh's beer in less than a minute and wrote that 'Jimmy Hoffa will show up in the left field stands with Amelia Earhart as his date before the Tigers will win another game.'". And so it goes. Filled with just the kind of wonderful baseball stories that real fans crave, this is the perfect Father's Day gift for baseball fans everywhere. more...

Price: $17.99

When legendary Negro League player Buck O'Neil asked Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, the renowned sports columnist was inspired by the question. He decided to spend the 2005 baseball season touring the country with the ninety-four-year-old O'Neil in hopes of rediscovering the love that first drew them to the game. The Soul of Baseball is as much the story of Buck O'Neil as it is the story of baseball. Driven by a relentless optimism and his two great passions—for America's pastime and for jazz, America's music—O'Neil played solely for love. In an era when greedy, steroid-enhanced athletes have come to characterize professional ball, Posnanski offers a salve for the damaged spirit: the uplifting life lessons of a truly extraordinary man who never missed an opportunity to enjoy and love life. more...

Price: $10.95

Baseball’s premier national televisionanalyst Tim McCarver presents fascinatingtales from the game’s greatest players andpersonalities. Tim McCarver’s Diamond Gems is a treasure trove offabulous anecdotes from the many baseball celebritieswho have appeared on “The Tim McCarver Show.”A valuable mix of baseball history with a personaltouch, this book is a natural for everyone who lovesthe game. Includes tales from baseball greats Sandy Koufax, StanMusial, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Tom Seaver, Cal Ripken Jr., JohnnyBench, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, David Wright, and many more. “Baseball is THE storyteller’s game. So, if you love the game, you’ll love Tim McCarver’s treasure trove of stories. And you’ll also understand why Tim never has to fear a rain delay.”. —Bob Costas, NBC & HBO Sports. " Tim McCarver's Diamond Gems is the modern version of The Glory Of Their Times . It's fun and engaging and instructive and even sweet now and then. Tim could always call the pitches, and he also seems to get everyone to deliver their best stuff here.”. ––Frank Deford, author, The Entitled more...

Price: $24.95