Baseball books span the spectrum from the All-Stars to the has-beens but invariably overlook the endless string of things that could have happened but didn't. Baseball’s Memorable Misses fills that void, pointing out little-known facts perfect for both rabid and casual fans. Who knew that Willie Mays never won an RBI crown or that Stan Musial hit the most home runs in one day but never led his league in a season? Nolan Ryan had zero Cy Young Awards despite owning records for strikeouts and no-hitters. Roger Clemens, on the other hand, had a record seven Cy Youngs and two 20-strikeout games but zero no-hitters.There were also zero no-hitters by Greg Maddux, who has more wins than any living pitcher. Players took zeroes and sometimes double-zeroes as uniform numbers. Veteran baseball writer Dan Schlossberg delves into the previously-unknown world of baseball zeroes, exploring everything from Christy Mathewson's zero runs allowed in the 1905 World Series to the three perfect games pitched in Yankee Stadium. This book also reveals that there were zero no-hitters pitched by Pirates at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field even though visiting pitchers did not fall victim to that hex. There have been zero players who hit five home runs in one game but two who have hit five in one day. This is a book of Almost But Not Quite (ABNQ for short) but also a book that suggests baseball's second century can be almost as intriguing as its first. With the help of author Doug Lyons, who wrote the foreword, and celebrated baseball cartoonist Ronnie Joyner, this is also a utilitarian volume, perfect for the living room coffee table or even the bathroom. Like the game itself, Baseball’s Memorable Misses is fun--and perfect for rain delays in season or off-season enjoyment.

The Greatest Teams Never: Sports Memories of Near Misses, Total Messes, and Not-so-magical Moments chronicles the despair and disappointment of 40 remarkable teams that are remembered more for what they didn’t accomplish than their successes. The book revisits some of the most memorable and unbelievable events in the annals of sports, while at the same time recognizing those deemed "second-best" as unofficially great, even if history may never remember them that way. Each chapter comprises teams with similar notoriety and highlights a particular nuance of their ultimate demise. There is the 2007 New England Patriots stunning Super Bowl loss to the NY Giants headlining You Can't Win em All. Among other oddities in sports, the chapter Better Lucky than Good examines the Immaculate Reception and divergent outcomes for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders after their historic playoff game. Once long-suffering Red Sox and Cubs fans will appreciate the chapter, Wait til Near. Even international teams such as Brazil futbol and the USSR hockey are showcased in C'est La Vie. Using hundreds of quotes from players and coaches, statistics, and “distant” replay the book explores both the promise and improbable ending for some truly great teams. Hear in their own words how several Golden State Warriors blamed themselves for blowing the 2016 NBA finals; that Mickey Mantle and other Yankees greats wouldn’t admit the 1960 world champion Pirates were the better team; heartbroken college athletes who try to make sense of one-loss seasons; and more. From Baby Boomers to Millennials, avid sports fans to casual observers, there is something for anyone who follows sports, played sports, or simply roots for their hometown team. Each chapter is filled with reasons to consider the “losers” as still great and ends with a Claim to Fame providing some level of vindication for players and their fans. After all, everyone deserves a second chance — even the greatest teams never.

Are you dividing up the pots and pans, or is he stealing your best china that was tucked away in boxes in the garage? Whether you were married to the slob of suckers, or the king of control freaks, you will live vicariously in Joni Newmans humorous depictions of her victories and conquests while she helps you to achieve self-esteem, and leads you back to peace once again. ------------------ This book is written with the Jilted Wife in mind--you and me. This is a self-help/how to/better-not-do-that/ book, which takes a fresh approach to the subject of divorce through humor. It is intended to show you that the light at the end of the tunnel isnt the train speeding down the tracks in your direction! As a woman, a victim, an outcast, and the object of his evasive attitude and abusive temperament, I am a tad prejudice. If you are a woman who has been stung by her mans betrayal of lifes promises, and are no longer the Queen Bee in his honeycomb, (or do you wish it was his catacomb?) this book will help you through the intense and debilitating smut of a divorce. I will tell you my story, and you can log your own story right beside mine. Well proceed down this bumpy avenue of life that is often gridlocked with his obstructions. Then, well trot uphill onto an elevated crest we never imagined we could reach, in light of a divorce. This book will help you find purpose in life, laugh at the idiocy of his thinking, and put your confused feelings in perspective. Finally, you will learn how to validate your worth--not as his jilted wife--but as being your secure and confidential self. If you think youll never be able to tolerate your divorce, think again. No one taught you how to breathe, or spit, or ovulate, but you managed to perform these activities without training in boot camp! Well go through this together. Ill explore my hurt feelings, and you will recognize them. And through it all, well discard the maniac who disassembled our lives, while we beam with confidence at the pure joy of independence. Well nurture our souls and hearts by building a much better life for ourselves and our families. Well graduate from the whipped-wimp image of ourselves that he molded to suit himself. As we bring in the junior Red Cross to glue our clay-mation Gumby character back to her original formation, well give a new meaning to mutual bonds. Well explore all the avenues on which you may travel, but none will lead you to a dead-end. Also, Ill add a touch of humor. Its difficult, I know, but it is better to laugh at the truth that sometimes seems surreal. At the conclusion of most chapters, I will give you perceptive perspectives, therapy thoughts, little life lessons, and jokes. Ill also include some husband-bashing, which should make you feel a lot better. All those innuendoes, insults, and intrusive aspersions that we have unjustly suffered, will now be explored, swallowed, and eventually put to death. Well make our heartaches turn into his headaches. Well watch our dreams grow without him putting up obstacles and hurdles, for which we used to apologize and ultimately regurgitate. Youll share with me my thoughts, criticisms, opinions, and plots for revenge. And I know youll come up with a few of your own. Well explore, compare, and examine our divorce through alternative viewpoints: The Three Trimesters of Divorce, and the Five Stages of Grief. Ill even tell you my Secret for Happiness! And in the end, well be much better off without that speed bump we once called a husband. DID HE SAY DIVORCE? D-D-Divorce. Okay, so I stuttered a little at the D word. Who wouldnt stutter if they had the rug pulled out from them, especially if that rug came off the top of his bald head? So, here you are, tripping over that D word too. You may be left with financial burdens, emotional abandonment, and no more supplies of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. How

You might be forgiven for thinking that this book is exclusively for sports fans. It is not. James Thomas Farrell’s Studs Lonigan books are considered among the best of the 20th century. Like ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series, Farrell’s essays on baseball make great reading for anyone who loves great writing. Farrell steps away from fiction in this out-of-print gem. Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb and other baseball greats are here. Farrell saw them all and met many of them as a writer . Baseball is a game of statistics and poetry. Farrell purely and eloquently wrote about his love of the game. This book is an important piece of baseball history and an American sports writing classic. It's available for the first time as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smart phones. Be sure to LOOK INSIDE or download a sample.

Like its eponymous cousin, Say Hey Little Prince transpires over eight eventful days, not in the Sahara Desert, but during the opening week of a modern professional baseball season. This is the story of a Phenom, who pitches the most perfect game, imparts wisdom, and departs without saying goodbye.

Heralded by local and national media as perhaps baseball's most devoted followers, the lovers of St. Louis's legendary Redbirds have a special bond with their team. Cardinal Memories: Recollections from Baseball's Greatest Fans celebrates this relationship by focusing on the people in the stands. A collection of essays gathered from around the world, from St. Louis to Hong Kong, Cardinal Memories forms a history of the team the way it is best remembered--through the eyes and hearts of its fans. By turns funny and poignant, these stories chronicle Cardinal teams and players from the Gashouse Gang to the Swifties, from El Birdos to Whiteyball and Big Mac. The bond between parent and child, the generosity of numerous players, and the power of a single game to unite thousands of people are only a few of the themes that run throughout this remarkable collection. Whether it's the tale of young fans clamoring at a bus stop for a glimpse of Stan the Man, a surprise gift from the "Mad Hungarian," or Mark McGwire's "71st" home run, these vignettes capture the joy, heartbreak, and passion of being a Cardinal fan. Focusing on the game's emotional appeal, Cardinal Memories is about more than baseball--its evocative tales capture the game's deeper meanings and offer readers an affectionate slice of Americana. Transcending Cardinal country, these touching stories will appeal to baseball fans and sports enthusiasts everywhere.

The book begins in a small town setting where aviation has earned a bad name because of an avoidable fatal crash. It is autobiographical only in the sense of the author's progression from non-interest to intense involvement in all aspects of flying. The title "Near Misses" describes close calls as well as choices that determined final outcomes. The highlights of an aspiring Naval Aviator's struggle to become a fighter pilot are revealed. Along the way, bits of historical and technical information are included The main theme is that anyone attempting the same task could benefit by either avoiding the pitfalls described or by being prepared to compensate for them in ways similar to those of the author.

In Israel, pilot trainees who were praised for doing well subsequently performed worse, while trainees who were yelled at for doing poorly performed better. It is an empirical fact that highly intelligent women tend to marry men who are less intelligent. Students who get the highest scores in third grade generally get lower scores in fourth grade.And yet, it's wrong to conclude that screaming is not more effective in pilot training, women choose men whose intelligence does not intimidate them, or schools are failing third graders. In fact, there's one reason for each of these empirical facts: Statistics. Specifically, a statical concept called Regression to the Mean.Regression to the mean seeks to explain, with statistics, the role of luck in our day to day lives. An insufficient appreciation of luck and chance can wreak all kinds of mischief in sports, education, medicine, business, politics, and more. It can lead us to see illness when we are not sick and to see cures when treatments are worthless. Perfectly natural random variation can lead us to attach meaning to the meaningless.Freakonomics showed how economic calculations can explain seemingly counterintuitive decision-making. Thinking, Fast and Slow, helped readers identify a host of small cognitive errors that can lead to miscalculations and irrational thought. In What the Luck?, statistician and author Gary Smith sets himself a similar goal, and explains--in clear, understandable, and witty prose--how a statistical understanding of luck can change the way we see just about every aspect of our lives...and can help us learn to rely less on random chance, and more on truth.