Swing And A Miss

At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners' team captain and Henry's best friend, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment--to oneself and to others.

On August 24, 2017, the Cleveland Indians win, 13–6, over the Boston Red Sox to split a four-game series after dropping the previous night's game by a score of 6–1. The Tribe is now back in the win column, and no player or fan could guess what is to come. From August 24 through September 14, 2017, the Cleveland Indians put together a stretch of wins that propelled them to the best record in the American League and set the record for the longest continuous win streak in Major League Baseball history. The Indians played and swept six consecutive series to win twenty-two straight games, the longest winning streak without a loss or tie ever recorded. Cleveland's pitching and hitting were so dominant they outscored their opponents by a total of 105 runs and had a collective team ERA below 2.0. This book includes an in-depth chronicle of every game of the historic win streak and exciting quotes from Tom Hamilton and others that put you right in the middle of this improbable run by the Tribe. Relive the most dominant win streak in the modern Major League era!

Although dramatic head kicks and garrote-tight submissions may get most of the airplay in highlight reels, the stats show that punching combinations and knockouts reap more MMA victories than any other fighting technique. This boxing primer not only covers the basics, including stance, footwork, punches, and combinations, it takes these boxing skills and views them through an MMA prism that addresses the realities of the mixed martial arts game. While there are some must-know fistic skills for MMA, there are also more than a few boxing tactics that will get you smashed in MMA. Boxing for MMA builds on the good and tosses the bad, discussing the differences in strategy and tactics when it comes to facing likely MMA scenarios. Matchups covered include Boxing vs. Wrestling, Boxing vs. Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing vs. Muay Thai, Boxing vs. the Slugger, Dirty Boxing Inside the Clinch, and Boxing off of the Fence. All the techniques are illustrated in hundreds of action-sequence images, making this guide the go-to resource for blending boxing skills into your fighting arsenal.

After winning three consecutive World Series championships, myriad problems befall the Buffalo Pioneers, starting with a dying owner, a crumbling stadium and a superstar the club can no longer afford. Tensions in the front-office and egos in the clubhouse spill over onto the field, depriving the Pioneers of the chemistry that brought them glory. As the team is ripped apart by free-agency, drug controversies and personal rivalry, old-school manager Jack Vaughn does his best to keep the ship together only to be overcome by the economics of baseball and the immense problems of his own personal life. As Jack's relationship with general manager Trent Blair disintegrates beyond repair and he finds himself in the twilight of his own storied career, he is forced to come to the realization that "nothing lasts forever". Is baseball doomed in Buffalo? Can the Pioneers ever hope to replicate the glory of their halcyon years? End of a Dynasty shows the alienation that can occur in professional baseball between the players and its devoted fans, as greed and egoism threaten to ruin the majestic innocence the game provides for those who love it.

U-Shaped Behavioral Growth discusses a phenomenon called “U-shaped behavioral growth , in which some behaviors appear, disappear, and then reappear over time. This book covers structuralist approaches, production system models of information processing, rule systems approach, nativism, and a model of how maturation factors may influence U-shaped behavioral growth. A broad range of content domains that compare where there is and there is no overlap in the understanding of the developmental processes occurring in U-shaped behavioral growth is also included. The domains considered include the development of physical and musical concepts, metaphor production, artistic production, face perception, social cognition, and language acquisition. This publication is a good reference for psychologists, psychiatrists, and medical practitioners conducting work on the U-shaped behavioral growth.

Relive the most memorable and sensational events in Cleveland sports history. Many of them are known by shorthand: Red Right 88. The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. Beer Night. Some were gut-wrenching. Some, like the 1964 NFL championship game, were glorious. All are highlight of the shared experience of all Cleveland sports fans.

Nicknamed “America’s Pastime,” baseball is a favorite sport for many people. With little leagues, school teams, community recreation clubs, farm teams, and Major League Baseball, it is no wonder the game is so popular. When Craig Barnes and his friends broke a window in their neighborhood as a result of their lively game of baseball, the group of youngsters invented miniature baseball. This breakthrough version of their favorite game could be played in a smaller space and utilized a ball that wouldn’t break any windows! Small Ball: The Blessings of Miniature Baseball introduces you to the game of miniature baseball and provides you with a complete set of rules and instructions for how to play the game. Unlike traditional baseball, the unique scoring system of miniature baseball allows you to play the game with as few as two people. And with handicaps for advanced players, both young and old rookies can enjoy playing alongside those with more experience, thus mentoring and sharing the love of baseball with all generations, including those who live with handicaps.

There are really two games, the one you see and the one you don't. The way I see it, the best way to use access to both worlds is to illuminate and reveal, not idolize and adore. It's better to be wrong than to be played for a fool. – Colin Cowherd In this age of billion dollar athletic marketing campaigns, “feel good” philosophy with no connection to reality, and a Sports Media echo chamber that’s all too eager swallow whatever idiotic notion happens to be in vogue at the moment, it’s tough to find people who aren’t afraid to say what they’re really thinking. But that’s where Colin Cowherd comes in. As his millions of fans on ESPN Radio and ESPNU already know, Colin is the rare sports analyst who’s brave (or crazy) enough to speak his mind—even if it pisses some people off. Of course, it helps that a lot of what Colin has to say is simply hilarious. Lots of writers can tell you about Boston’s storied sports history. But how many can tell you why the city of Boston is America’s five year old? Lots of writers will brag about the stuff they got right, but how many will happily list all the calls they got completely and utterly wrong? Whether he’s pointing out the stupidity of conspiracy theories, explaining why media bias isn’t nearly as big a deal as many assume, or calling out those who prize short term wins over sustainability, Colin is smart, thought-provoking, and laugh-out-loud funny. Some of the questions he’s not afraid to ask in You Herd Me! include: Is Tiger Woods really a sex addict—or does he just have good PR? Is “work-life balance” really the ideal we should all strive for—or is that just a way for people feel better about mediocrity? Is talent really all it’s cracked up to be—or can too much talent actually be counterproductive? Is the X games really a sport—or would we all be better off if we admitted it’s something else entirely? Is Hell really a supernatural place of fire and brimstone—or is it actually just another word for living in Tampa? Unapologetically entertaining and packed with behind-the-scenes insights you won’t get anywhere else, You Herd Me! is unlike any other sports book ever written.