Billyball 2009

When authors Billy Staples and Rich Herschlag are asked to write a baseball column for The Trentonian, they decide to put their own stamp on it. Covering primarily Philadelphia and New York, they forego the dirt and seek out baseballs role models, well known and not so well known. They sidestep the steroids and find the stories of courage, dedication and humanity the mainstream press so often misses. Shortly after the All-Star break, another storyline develops. In Philadelphia, the 2008 World Champions are beginning to reemerge. Up the turnpike in New York, the Yankees are showing shades of their former selves from a decade earlier. One by one, division rivals fall by the wayside, and on October 25 only the Yanks and Phils remain standing. The Phillies-Yankees World Series is a battle of baseball titans. For Staples and Herschlagwho in their first full year get to cover it from field levelit is the ultimate reward for doing it their way.

The proof of any group's importance to history is in the detail, a fact made plain by this informative book's day-by-day documentation of the impact of African Americans on life in the United States. One of the easiest ways to grasp any aspect of history is to look at it as a continuum. African American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events provides just such an opportunity. Organized in the form of a calendar, this book allows readers to see the dates of famous births, deaths, and events that have affected the lives of African Americans and, by extension, of America as a whole. Each day features an entry with information about an important event that occurred on that date. Background on the highlighted event is provided, along with a link to at least one primary source document and references to books and websites that can provide more information. While there are other calendars of African American history, this one is set apart by its level of academic detail. It is not only a calendar, but also an easy-to-use reference and learning tool.

In a Major League Baseball career spanning 25 years and nine clubs, Rickey Henderson became baseball's greatest base-stealer, and, arguably, the game's greatest lead-off hitter. Though controversial at times, Henderson was first and foremost a run-produci

R. T. Kendall brings a fresh perspective to difficult questions of faith and reveals the correct and balanced picture of God's nature in order to draw readers back to the real God.

Draws on extensive historical and contemporary sources to provide definitions for terms from their earliest appearances, in a latest edition that has been expanded to include more than 18,000 entries.

"This delightfully written, lesson-laden book deserves a place of its own in the Baseball Hall of Fame." —Forbes Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis follows the low-budget Oakland A's, visionary general manager Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball theorists. They are all in search of new baseball knowledge—insights that will give the little guy who is willing to discard old wisdom the edge over big money.

A comprehensive reference provides historical overviews of all 335 Division 1 teams, season-by-season summaries, ESPN/Sagarin rankings of top-selected college basketball programs, and more.

NFL placekicking has an extensive history, from the early days of the dropkick, to the placekick, to kicking barefoot, to soccer style kicking. Each season, approximately 30 percent of all games in pro football are won by field goals. Field goals and extra points account for 20 percent of the league’s yearly total points. This book discusses all aspects of NFL placekicking in historical perspective: the effectiveness of different kicking styles; the use of artificial turf and the development of domed stadiums as they relate to placekicking accuracy; individual kickers who helped to change the way a football is kicked; the mental aspects of the skill, so vital to a kicker’s success; the development of the square-toe kicking shoe used by straight-on kickers to make better contact with the ball; changes in goal posts and the shape of the ball; and the fine points of centering, blocking and holding for the kicker.