From the first third-generation baseball player in Major League Baseball history, a sometimes moving, always candid look at his family's 70 years in the world of professional baseball.A five-foot-ten firecracker who was spurned by scouts for his small size, supposed lack of power, and temper tantrums (one scout called him a "helmet-throwing terror") , Bret Boone didn't care about family legacy as fought his way into the Major Leagues in 1992; he wanted to make his own way. He did just that, building a 14-year career that included three all-star appearances, four Gold Gloves, a bout with alcoholism, and the ignominy of being traded for the infamous "player to be named later." Now that he's coaching minor leaguers half his age, and his 15-year-old son has the potential to be a fourth-generation major leaguer, Bret is ready to reflect on and tell the story of baseball from the perspective of his family's 70-year history in the sports. Combining the brashness and candor of Ball Four with a dollop of Big Russ and Me sentiment, this book will trace the evolution of the game--on the field and behind the scenes--from Ray Boone's era in the 1950s to Bob Boone's in the 70s and 80s to Bret and Aaron's era in the 90s and 2000s, when players made millions, dined on lobster in the clubhouse, injected themselves with PEDs, and had their choice of "Annies"--female clingers-on, or as today's players call them, "road beef." Along the way, the book will touch on pieces of Boone family lore, including Bret hitting zero dingers in a home run derby and Aaron's home run (if you don't know what this is referring to, then consult the nearest Red Sox fan) . Blending nostalgia, behind-the-scenes profanity, close analysis of the game that only players can offer, and insight into baseball's ongoing evolution as a sport and a business, Bret Boone will offer a one-of-a-kind look at America's favorite pastime from a family who has seen it all.
Publisher: n/a
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9781101904909
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Print book
Slow Getting Up
By Jackson, Nate
Nate Jackson’s Slow Getting Up is an unvarnished and uncensored memoir of everyday life in the most popular sports league in America—and the most damaging to its players—the National Football League.After playing college ball at a tiny Division III school, Jackson, a receiver, signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, before moving to the Denver Broncos. For six seasons in the NFL as a Bronco, he alternated between the practice squad and the active roster, eventually winning a starting spot—a short, tenuous career emblematic of the average pro player.Drawing from his own experience, Jackson tells the little known story of the hundreds of everyday, "expendable" players whose lives are far different from their superstar colleagues.
Publisher: n/a
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9780062108029
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Hardcover
This Is Your Brain on Sports
By Wertheim, L Jon
This is Your Brain on Sports is the book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. Sports Illustrated executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us - on the field and in the stands - and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives. In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. They explore why Tom Brady and other starting NFL quarterbacks all seem to look like fashion models; why fans of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and any franchise from Cleveland love rooting for a loser; why the best players make the worst coaches; why hockey goons (and fans) would rather fight at home than on the road; and why the arena t-shirt cannon has something to teach us about human nature. This is Your Brain on Sports is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games.
Publisher: n/a
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9780553447408
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Print book
Molina
By Molina, Bengie
New York Times Bestseller "It's this year's baseball book most likely to be made into a terrific movie." - The Chicago Tribune "Affecting...A simply told, deeply moving story, quite unlike the usual baseball book." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A baseball rules book. A tape measure. A lottery ticket. These were in the pocket of Bengie Molina's father when he died of a heart attack on the rutted Little League field in his Puerto Rican barrio. The items serve as thematic guideposts in Molina's beautiful memoir about his father, who through baseball taught his three sons about loyalty, humility, courage, and the true meaning of success. Bengie and his two brothers - Jose and six-time All-Star Yadier - became famous catchers in the Major Leagues and have six World Series championships among them.
Publisher: n/a
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9781451641042
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Hardcover
Ball Four
By Bouton, Jim
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONNew York Public Library Book of the Century SelectionTime Magazine "100 Greatest Non-Fiction Books" SelectionNew Foreword from Jim Boutons Wife, Paula Bouton When Ball Four was first published in 1970, it hit the sports world like a lightning bolt. Commissioners, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Following his death, Boutons landmark book has remained popular, and his legacy lives on through its many readers, including those who dont ordinarily follow baseball. The 50th Anniversary of his historic book includes a touching and personal new forward by his wife, Paula Bouton.
Home Game
By Boone, Bret
From the first third-generation baseball player in Major League Baseball history, a sometimes moving, always candid look at his family's 70 years in the world of professional baseball.A five-foot-ten firecracker who was spurned by scouts for his small size, supposed lack of power, and temper tantrums (one scout called him a "helmet-throwing terror") , Bret Boone didn't care about family legacy as fought his way into the Major Leagues in 1992; he wanted to make his own way. He did just that, building a 14-year career that included three all-star appearances, four Gold Gloves, a bout with alcoholism, and the ignominy of being traded for the infamous "player to be named later." Now that he's coaching minor leaguers half his age, and his 15-year-old son has the potential to be a fourth-generation major leaguer, Bret is ready to reflect on and tell the story of baseball from the perspective of his family's 70-year history in the sports. Combining the brashness and candor of Ball Four with a dollop of Big Russ and Me sentiment, this book will trace the evolution of the game--on the field and behind the scenes--from Ray Boone's era in the 1950s to Bob Boone's in the 70s and 80s to Bret and Aaron's era in the 90s and 2000s, when players made millions, dined on lobster in the clubhouse, injected themselves with PEDs, and had their choice of "Annies"--female clingers-on, or as today's players call them, "road beef." Along the way, the book will touch on pieces of Boone family lore, including Bret hitting zero dingers in a home run derby and Aaron's home run (if you don't know what this is referring to, then consult the nearest Red Sox fan) . Blending nostalgia, behind-the-scenes profanity, close analysis of the game that only players can offer, and insight into baseball's ongoing evolution as a sport and a business, Bret Boone will offer a one-of-a-kind look at America's favorite pastime from a family who has seen it all.
Slow Getting Up
By Jackson, Nate
Nate Jackson’s Slow Getting Up is an unvarnished and uncensored memoir of everyday life in the most popular sports league in America—and the most damaging to its players—the National Football League.After playing college ball at a tiny Division III school, Jackson, a receiver, signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers, before moving to the Denver Broncos. For six seasons in the NFL as a Bronco, he alternated between the practice squad and the active roster, eventually winning a starting spot—a short, tenuous career emblematic of the average pro player.Drawing from his own experience, Jackson tells the little known story of the hundreds of everyday, "expendable" players whose lives are far different from their superstar colleagues.
This Is Your Brain on Sports
By Wertheim, L Jon
This is Your Brain on Sports is the book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. Sports Illustrated executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us - on the field and in the stands - and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives. In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. They explore why Tom Brady and other starting NFL quarterbacks all seem to look like fashion models; why fans of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and any franchise from Cleveland love rooting for a loser; why the best players make the worst coaches; why hockey goons (and fans) would rather fight at home than on the road; and why the arena t-shirt cannon has something to teach us about human nature. This is Your Brain on Sports is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games.
Molina
By Molina, Bengie
New York Times Bestseller "It's this year's baseball book most likely to be made into a terrific movie." - The Chicago Tribune "Affecting...A simply told, deeply moving story, quite unlike the usual baseball book." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A baseball rules book. A tape measure. A lottery ticket. These were in the pocket of Bengie Molina's father when he died of a heart attack on the rutted Little League field in his Puerto Rican barrio. The items serve as thematic guideposts in Molina's beautiful memoir about his father, who through baseball taught his three sons about loyalty, humility, courage, and the true meaning of success. Bengie and his two brothers - Jose and six-time All-Star Yadier - became famous catchers in the Major Leagues and have six World Series championships among them.
Ball Four
By Bouton, Jim
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONNew York Public Library Book of the Century SelectionTime Magazine "100 Greatest Non-Fiction Books" SelectionNew Foreword from Jim Boutons Wife, Paula Bouton When Ball Four was first published in 1970, it hit the sports world like a lightning bolt. Commissioners, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Following his death, Boutons landmark book has remained popular, and his legacy lives on through its many readers, including those who dont ordinarily follow baseball. The 50th Anniversary of his historic book includes a touching and personal new forward by his wife, Paula Bouton.