We Had Em All The Way

The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates were a special team--team being the operative word. There were no superstars, although Roberto Clemente would become one, and nobody had a record season. The Battling Bucs frequently came from behind to win late in the game, with Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince signing off, "We had 'em all the way." Pittsburgh was the Sad Sack of baseball through most of the 1950s, and as the Pirates grabbed the National League lead early in the 1960 season, fans wondered if the guys in vest-shirts and black sleeves could indeed hang on. And then there was the World Series, the one everybody but the Pirates thought would be won by the Yankees, in which Bill Mazeroski provided the most dramatic finish of all sports championships. This book, featuring interviews with Clemente, Dick Groat, Bob Friend and Dick Schofield, chronicles the Pirates of 1960--a team of friends--and their push through a long and magical season.

Personal reflections on Bob Prince, who was "The Voice of the Pirates" for 28 seasons (1948-1975), and one of the most talked-about and controversial characters ever to grace the Pittsburgh sports scene. This book also catches you up on what's become of the Pirates of the same era who remained in the Pittsburgh area after they retired from playing the game.

He pitched a baseball game that was more than perfect, and yet he lost. Southpaw Harvey Haddix had logged a solid but unspectacular career by the time he took the mound on May 26, 1959. Facing the Milwaukee Braves, he set down the first 36 batters in a row, or 12 innings' worth--a perfect game three innings longer than the norm. But his Pittsburgh Pirates couldn't score, either, and Haddix lost in the 13th inning on a controversial play. This book recounts Haddix's one-of-a-kind performance and describes the official decisions that changed the historical record.

Set in an easy-to-read Q&A format, this volume is full of the stories and firsthand accounts from many of the men who helped shape the 1970s into one of the most exciting and memorable eras in National Football League history.

Baseball's Mr. Sunshine A beloved son of Western Pennsylvania, Chuck Tanner spent a career in baseball both as a player and manager. He lead the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977 to 1985 and helped capture the 1979 World Series. Tanner was key in developing the relief pitcher through his work with Goose Gossage and he played a role in the careers of numerous players such as Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and more. Through extensive research and interviews, author Dale Perelman presents the life and career of Chuck Tanner.

No-hitters are rare in baseball. Father-and-son combinations are rarer. Baseball the Wright Way covers all those bases and then some. Two pitchers with vastly contrasting styles, both Clyde Wright and his son Jaret Wright discuss the art and craft of pitching with an authentic, straightforward sincerity that will captivate all baseball fans. In the mid-1960s, Clyde became the country boy from Tennessee who had his feet in LA when he made his debut with the California Angels. With his special brand of small-town, country charm, Clyde invites you to relive his journey from the farm to the major leagues, where he won one hundred games, tossed a no-hitter, made an all-star team, and played alongside and against many superstars and Hall of Famers in the backdrop of sunny Southern California. From there, Clyde spent three years pitching in Japan, forging many lifelong friendships in the Land of the Rising Sun. When his playing days were done, Clyde returned to Anaheim and launched a pitching school where he trained thousands of major-league-hopeful youths for decades. One of those hopefuls was his son Jaret, who later carved out an eleven-year major league pitching career of his own that included starting game 7 of the 1997 World Series as a twenty-one-year-old rookie for the Cleveland Indians. Jaret picks up the story where his dad leaves off and moves candidly and honestly through his time in the major leagues, where he quickly rose to prominence and played with and against many of the game's legends. If you are a baseball fan, this book is right in your wheelhouse. If you are not a baseball fan, then Clyde and Jaret Wright will convert you with fascinating tales of life before, during, and after baseball.

For over forty years, John Cowan has been both a participant in and chronicler of country and bluegrass music history. Whether as the lead singer and bassist of the genre-bending group New Grass Revival, a beloved personality on Nashville’s WSM radio (“the most famed country music station in the world”), or the newest member of the Doobie Brothers, Cowan has had a front-row seat to seismic changes in American roots music and in the recording industry as a whole. Hold to a Dream combines a rollicking account of Cowan’s life and career with interviews with some of the biggest names in country and bluegrass, including Kris Kristofferson, Bela Fleck, Loretta Lynn, Jim Messina, John Carter Cash, Sam Moore, and Bernie Leadon. It’s a fascinating look into a half-century of tradition, experimentation, and innovation in one of the most vital and enduring of American musical genres.

The Heroes of this book are the veterans and their families whose stories span 140+ years in protecting our country. Their stories are history, filled with the mundane events of service life, the fear of combat, the horror that front line infantrymen faced, the tension that air crews and pilots faced, the vastness of the Pacific that confronted sailors, the strain on the mind and bodies of Prisoners of War, and humor viewed through the eyes of the veterans. As you read their stories listen to the voices of these veterans and picture in your mind an aging color guard from a local veterans post; visualize them marching into the mist, to the sound of distant drums and the muted bugles call, along with the men and women who have gone before. There are no large marble memorials to these individual veterans; their monument is a free United States. I am left with one thought about the experience of speaking with these people; God bless the United States of America and all who serve her.