Intentional Walk

An inside look at the faith that guides the all-stars. The St. Louis Cardinals have long been one of the most successful franchises in the major leagues. They have won 11 World Series titles and some of the most famous players in the history of the game have worn the storied “Birds on the Bat” uniform. While that on-field success has been well documented, Intentional Walk is the first book which goes beyond the story of what happens on the field to take an in-depth look at the men inside the Cardinal uniforms, and examine how their strong Christian faith is one of the driving forces behind their success. Intentional Walk features the stories of Adam Wainwright, David Freese, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, Jason Motte and other members of the 2012 Cardinals, written as those players and the rest of the team tried to repeat the 2011 world championship. The book talks about how they became Christians and offers their testimony about what it means for them to have God play such a prominent role in their lives. Playing for first-year manager Mike Matheny, a strong Christian as well, these men talk about their success and failure, about the challenges that come from playing baseball at the highest level, and how thankful and blessed they are to have that God-given ability. In the end, however, what is far more important to them is their life-long relationship they have established with Jesus Christ.

Reporter Ray Gorman met baseball player Dixon White in 1971, before he was a star, but that didn't stop Gorman from seeing star potential. Dixon was the best high school pitcher in the state-until a fateful car crash changed his life forever. A few years later, Dixon decides to take a chance and try out for the big leagues. He misses baseball, but more than that, he also wants to help his parents financially. His little brother, Todd, suffers from polio and will need an expensive surgery to live a normal life. Dixon is shocked when he is hired to join the team's Triple-A affiliate, and Gorman dubs him "The Can't Miss Kid." Now Dixon is the hottest prospect in the minors, and with Gorman's help, he's front-page news on the Pittsburgh Gazette. Soon, however, Dixon's best intentions get lost in the fray. Unready for the kind of attention and expectations the story brings, he will need to look to his roots and his inner faith to find success while staying true to his family, friends and to himself.

Part 1 ended with many issues unresolved. Will Dixon make it to the big leagues? Will Dixon's beaning of Johnny Powers derail his path to the majors! Will Todd recover from his current health issues? What caused him to pass out during Dixon's game and what will his prognosis be? How would Dixon react if something bad ever happened to Todd? What does the future hold in store for Dixon and Patty's relationship? What possible devious designs does Ron Spillman have in store for Dixon? Will Sky Allen ever realize that he had been duped and doped by Ron Spillman when he deviously arranged his "accidental encounter" with Veronica (aka Ronnie) Gacy? What would Sky's reaction be if he suddenly discovered that Ronnie wasn't just some girl in the club that night, but was there in her capacity as one of the most elite call-girls in Oakland? Will Ray Gorman's "Can't Miss Kid" moniker end up being prophetic or just a sad commentary on a failed dream? So keep on reading and you'll find out the answers to all of those questions, and to a few more too!

Featuring stories about Curt Schilling, Frank Pastore, Ted Williams, Rube Waddell, and Ty Cobb, and drawing spiritual insight from these modern parables, this volume of devotionals will appeal to fans of America's favorite pastime--baseball.

More than any other sport, baseball has developed its own niche in America’s culture and psyche. Some researchers spend years on detailed statistical analyses of minute parts of the game, while others wax poetic about its players and plays. Many trace the beginnings of the civil rights movement in part to the Major Leagues’ decision to integrate, and the words and phrases of the game (for example, pinch-hitter and out in left field) have become common in our everyday language. From AARON, HENRY onward, this book covers all of what might be called the cultural aspects of baseball (as opposed to the number-rich statistical information so widely available elsewhere). Biographical sketches of all Hall of Fame players, owners, executives and umpires, as well as many of the sportswriters and broadcasters who have won the Spink and Frick awards, join entries for teams, owners, commissioners and league presidents. Advertising, agents, drafts, illegal substances, minor leagues, oldest players, perfect games, retired uniform numbers, superstitions, tripleheaders, and youngest players are among the thousands of entries herein. Most entries open with a topical quote and conclude with a brief bibliography of sources for further research. The whole work is exhaustively indexed and includes 119 photographs.

A fascinating and charming encyclopedic collection of baseball firsts, describing how the innovations in the game—in rules, equipment, styles of play, strategies, etc.—occurred and developed from its origins to the present day. The book relies heavily on quotations from contemporary sources.

Written by three esteemed baseball statisticians, "The Book" continues where the legendary Bill James?'s "Baseball Abstracts" and Palmer and Thorn?'s "The Hidden Game of Baseball" left off more than twenty years ago. Continuing in the grand tradition of sabermetrics, the authors provide a revolutionary way to think about baseball with principles that can be applied at every level, from high school to the major leagues.Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman, and Andrew Dolphin cover topics such as batting and pitching matchups, platooning, the benefits and risks of intentional walks and sacrifices, the legitimacy of alleged ?clutch? hitters, and many of baseball?'s other theories on hitting, fielding, pitching, and even baserunning. They analyze when a strategy is a good idea and when it?'s a bad idea, and how to more closely watch the ?inside? game of baseball.Whenever you hear an announcer talk about the ?unwritten rule? or say that so-and-so is going ?by the book? in bringing in a situational substitute, "The Book" reviews the facts and determines what the real case is. If you want to know what the folks in baseball should be doing, find out in "The Book,"

The challenging puzzlers presented here will have you playing armchair manager or umpire; reading about strange, unusual, and trick plays; and matching up quotes with the people who originated them.