The Last Few Innings With My Dad

The Last Few Innings with My Dad By: Daniel Vaccaro A son embraces the blessing of time with his father at the end of life. The Last Few Innings with My Dad is the story of a son spending nights in the hospital with his father, talking about his life and learning things he never knew. He learned about his dad’s first date with his mom, his military service and so much more. Death is not new but having the opportunity to learn about a parent is something precious that all children should experience.

The author presents a month-by-month look at the Chicago Cubs' 1970 baseball season.

Former MLB umpire Dave Phillips was at the center of some of baseball's most unforgettable moments—Comiskey's infamous Disco Demolition Night, Gaylord Perry's spitball ejection, Albert Belle's confiscated corked bat and George Brett's pine tar bat debacle—and he shares with baseball fans the untold stories behind those incidents and many others, giving baseball fans a complete perspective on the life of an umpire.

TJ and Jonathan are teen-age friends and teammates on the JV baseball team. Like many young people growing up in America in the late sixties, they have heroes. For TJ, who is white, it is Mickey Mantle, the aging star of the New York Yankees. For Jonathan, who is black, it is Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the civil rights movement. Unfortunately, 1968 is a bad year for heroes and—America. Their friendship is strained to the breaking point when Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. Jonathan, who is devastated by the murder, blames all white people, TJ included. TJ then has to struggle through the challenges of the JV baseball season in his racially-torn town, without the support of his friend. Is there anything that can repair their broken bond? Would it take still another American tragedy?

The Last Summer is a story of friendships that were born on a baseball field in a small but growing North Carolina town. Swansville once had baseball fever, and over a decade later, a group of twelve-year-old boys reignite the love of baseball for everyone in town. Narrator Carson Smith is nearly thirty-eight years old as he looks back on the magical summer when he was only twelve years old. Carson, or sometimes called Worm, as in bookworm, chronicles his and his teammates’ summer playing Little League Baseball before a new middle school is built on the other side of town. The new middle school will split up the boys, and the town will eventually need to choose sides, but for one last summer, everyone in Swansville cheers for the boys from the brown water of Pisgah Lake. Carson has always lived in the shadow of his twin sister, Whitley, until the summer of 1994, when his all-star baseball team begins to have success. She reluctantly follows the team on their quest to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. New student Wyatt Hartley becomes the missing piece of a talented but flawed Little League all-star team. Drake Duckworth and Darren “Ogre” Winslow happily concede to the new boy in town as he takes the reins of leadership, but Travis Harrison and his dad, Coach Alex, will not let the newcomer take over without a challenge. Wyatt and Carson’s unlikely friendship strengthens each other’s weaknesses as the two boys navigate the final months of the sixth grade and the last summer before becoming teenagers. Their bond stays strong despite the challenges of growing up.

"THE FASTEST 30 BALLGAMES" is a World Record journey of dedicated 'Ballpark Chaser', Chuck Booth. In the summer of 2009, Booth accomplished this amazing feat of attending a full baseball game at every Major League Baseball home team's ballpark in only 24 calendar days. Booth managed this after falling just short of the record in 2008. The book chronicles the story of Booth as he rearranged his life to attempt the World Record after hearing the inspirational story of Jim Maclaren who faced two near death experiences--and how Jim overcame being a quadriplegic to become one of the most respected motivational speakers in America. The story features write-ups of all ballparks Booth visited during the streak with a look at traditions and physical appearance. It also reveals how after he became a member of Ballpark Chasers, he decided to include Chaser Guides that offer suggestions on how to travel, where to eat and sleep, the best parking, transportation to and from the ballpark, where to score the best seats and so much more. This knowledge is passed on to the reader in hopes of saving them time, money and stress when Ballpark Chasing around the country. Co-authors are fellow Ballpark Chasers: Craig B. Landgren and Ken Lee. Craig assisted with the Ballpark Chaser Guides while Ken charted Booth's record attempt in 2009. Throughout the book look for other featured 'Ballpark Chasers' personal ballpark stories and memories that have forever changed their lives.

With its three-hour-long contests, 162-game seasons, and countless measurable variables, baseball is a sport which lends itself to self-reflection and obsessive analysis. It's a thinking game. It's also a shifting game. Nowhere is this more evident than in the statistical revolution which has swept through the pastime in recent years, bringing metrics like WAR, OPS, and BABIP into front offices and living rooms alike. So what's on the horizon for a game that is constantly evolving? Positioned at the crossroads of sabermetrics and cognitive science, The Shift alters the trajectory of both traditional and analytics-based baseball thought. With a background in clinical psychology as well as experience in major league front offices, Baseball Prospectus' Russell Carleton illuminates advanced statistics and challenges cultural assumptions, demonstrating along the way that data and logic need not be at odds with the human elements of baseball—in fact, they're inextricably intertwined. Covering topics ranging from infield shifts to paradigm shifts, Carleton writes with verve, honesty, and an engaging style, inviting all those who love the game to examine it deeply and maybe a little differently. Data becomes digestible; intangibles are rendered not only accessible, but quantifiable. Casual fans and statheads alike will not want to miss this compelling meditation on what makes baseball tick.

Jim Palmer was just 20 years old when he became the youngest pitcher ever to throw a World Series shutout, helping lead the Baltimore Orioles to their first-ever championship, in 1966. Two years later, Palmer's budding career almost ended due to arm problems. Yet, he mounted an inspiring comeback and reached the pinnacle of his profession, becoming the winningest pitcher of the 1970s and the only hurler to win a World Series game in three different decades. With three World Series rings, three Cy Young Awards and six All-Star selections to his name, an exemplary record as a spokesperson for charities and corporations, and his long tenure as a TV baseball analyst, Palmer is an authority on what it takes to succeed on and off of the field. Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer and co-author Alan Maimon take readers inside the clubhouse, broadcast booth, and corporate world to tell the story of a one-of-a-kind career that serves as a how-to guide on succeeding in the workplace. Interspersed with memorable stories from his illustrious career with the Orioles, this book includes baseball wisdom and life-lessons learned from the one-of-a-kind Earl Weaver as well as colorful anecdotes about O's teammates like Cal Ripken, Jr and Rick Dempsey, and broadcast partners Howard Cosell and Al Michaels.