It is, however a story that scholars have written about only on the periphery and of which most sports fans know little.

The Sandlot Legacy: Chronicles of Youth and Baseball, an award-winning tale, invites you into a world where dreams are woven into reality through determination, resilience, and the transformative spirit of baseball. Journey alongside our protagonist, Jack Thompson, a dreamer undeterred by skeptics who dares to reach for the stars against all odds. This beautifully penned narrative unearths the profound power of mentorship, encapsulated in the bond between Jack and his mentor, Mr. Davis. Their relationship shines a spotlight on how an act of belief can catalyze someone to achieve their dreams. The Sandlot Legacy: Chronicles of Youth and Baseball transcends the bounds of a familiar story. It's a beautiful reminder to savor the journey—embracing challenges, extracting wisdom from setbacks, and relishing life's precious moments. Jack's lessons on the value of friendship, family, and the simple joy of life's journey will touch listeners. The narrative underscores virtues like kindness, patience, and honesty in shaping our existence and influencing those around us. It magnifies the lasting impact our actions, even the smallest gestures, can have on the lives of others. The Sandlot Legacy: Chronicles of Youth and Baseball is a heartfelt testament to the strength of human connections, the worth of pursuing dreams, and the enduring charm of baseball. As we traverse Jack's path with him, we are reminded that the essence of life lies not only in the destination but also in the companions we meet, the lessons we learn, and the memories we forge along the way. This captivating tale will remind readers of childhood's blissful simplicity, dreams' enchantment, and the formidable power of belief. An audiobook not just for young dreamers but for the dreamer in all of us, The Sandlot Legacy: Chronicles of Youth and Baseball inspires us to dream big, work hard, and never surrender, reminding us that the essence of life is in the journey, not just the destination. Discover the magic of dreams, the enchantment of baseball, and the transformative power of kindness and mentorship in The Sandlot Legacy: Chronicles of Youth and Baseball. Join Jack on his journey and witness how a single dream can evolve into a legacy that will inspire future generations.

Ted Williams was a giant of a man, the likes of whom America may never see again. Enshrined in Cooperstown in 1966, in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ted Williams was also the first living athlete to be honored with his own Museum - the Ted Williams Museum and Hitter's Hall of Fame.

You've never seen Aristotle like this! In If Aristotle's Kid Had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents, Conor Gallagher dusts off Aristotle's Ethics and reveals a vibrant, illuminating philosophy no less powerful and profound than when it was first penned. Aristotle's philosophy of man has endured for millenia. The truth of Aristotle's insights has been acknowledged by saints and scholars, illustrated in literature and pop culture, even empirically demonstrated by modern science. But you've never seen it like this. Gallagher masterfully weaves Aristotle, scientific studies, pop culture, and parenting tales together making If Aristotle's Kid Had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents a funny, rich, and informative read, and an indispensible guide for any parent who wants to pass on the secrets of a happy life to their kids.

The Adulteration of Children’s Sports explores current behavioral and physiological research about how children’s organized sport has changed; how adults’ goals and needs are at the heart of those changes; and the consequences of those changes on children’s enjoyment of sport and on their autonomy, creativity, and moral reasoning outside of sport. Adult introduction of early competition, extrinsic rewards, early sport specialization, and year-round participation has thwarted children’s intrinsic motivation and contributed to children’s attrition from sport. Kristi Erdal explores concerns about the future of sport itself, as adult-mediated selection practices whittle down young athletes earlier on shakier criteria. Parents’ and coaches’ complicity in these practices, however, is based on intermediaries poorly interpreting (or ignoring) the research literature. Thus, the final chapters of this book are about translating the research into applied ideas for change. Erdal provides an essential introduction to evidence-based research about children’s health and well-being in sport and debunks myths along the way. Adults built the problems compiled in this text. We can dismantle them as well.

Baseball was everything and everywhere in the 1950s on the east side of Brockton, Massachusetts. In The Eastside Kid, author John DeCosta tells what it was like growing up in that era and what the game of baseball has meant to his life. This memoir describes DeCostas baseball experiences both as a youngster and as an adult, and it shows how this passion shaped him. With photographs included, The Eastside Kid shares DeCostas life story from 1957 to 2011, including details about his Catholic family, his love for animals, his first job, serving in the military in Korea, dealing with heart problems, and his continued participation in baseball. From the sandlot to Little League to adult amateur baseball, The Eastside Kid provides an inside view of how deeply baseball beats in the heart of John DeCosta.

American cities are constantly being built and rebuilt, resulting in ever-changing skylines and neighborhoods. While the dynamic urban landscapes of New York, Boston, and Chicago have been widely studied, there is much to be gleaned from west coast cities, especially in California, where the migration boom at the end of the nineteenth century permanently changed the urban fabric of these newly diverse, plural metropolises. In A City for Children, Marta Gutman focuses on the use and adaptive reuse of everyday buildings in Oakland, California, to make the city a better place for children. She introduces us to the women who were determined to mitigate the burdens placed on working-class families by an indifferent industrial capitalist economy. Often without the financial means to build from scratch, women did not tend to conceive of urban land as a blank slate to be wiped clean for development. Instead, Gutman shows how, over and over, women turned private houses in Oakland into orphanages, kindergartens, settlement houses, and day care centers, and in the process built the charitable landscape—a network of places that was critical for the betterment of children, families, and public life. The industrial landscape of Oakland, riddled with the effects of social inequalities and racial prejudices, is not a neutral backdrop in Gutman’s story but an active player. Spanning one hundred years of history, A City for Children provides a compelling model for building urban institutions and demonstrates that children, women, charity, and incremental construction, renovations, alterations, additions, and repurposed structures are central to the understanding of modern cities.

Young Julianna was different from the other kids. She suffered from a strange form of arthritis that sometimes left her hurting and bedridden for days a time. But she never let it stop her from living life to the fullest - thanks largely to the secret weapon she had in her Uncle Bob. When she was little, Uncle Bob filled Juliannas head with positive thoughts - while filling her room with wild souvenirs from his exotic world travels. There was the painted wolf skull from Siberia; a jagged, blood-stained rock from Mount Everest; and a faceless voodoo doll from Africa. He whetted her appetite for adventure and convinced her that nothing was beyond her reach. Then, when she was sixteen, he invited her along on his far-flung adventures. To the teenager, Uncle Bob was Superman and James Bond combined. But even as she grew up to realize that he wasnt really magic, there was something magical about her favorite uncle. Bob Harris lived life by his own rules, and it took him on great adventures and to the heights of success. Parts of that life were also shrouded in mystery. Now nearing eighty, he reveals his true identity to his beloved Julianna - imparting wisdom, inspiration, strength, and some real surprises, too. Bobs story is a testament to the power of the American dream - and to his personal passion to live life boldly.

All Dora wants is to be the woman he loves . . . All Zical wants is to complete his mission . . . All the enemy wants is total annihilation . . . Blocked by the limitations of her computer hardware, Dora has used only her smarts, her humor, and her sinfully sexy voice to intrigue Rystani warrior-pilot Zical. In order to experience human sexuality--and consummate her love for him--she builds the perfect female body to inhabit. Being human is more difficult and more wonderful than Dora expected. She didn't expect the sensation of touch to alter her emotions. Nor did she expect chocolate to taste so good. Or love to be so complicated. But for a Rystani star pilot, accepting Dora as a crew woman, never mind a lover, is downright confusing. Even if Zical considered Dora fully human--which he doesn't--his tragic past has made him swear off falling in love. But as Dora's increasingly human allure becomes hard to resist, a threat to the solar system sends them on a dangerous mission to the very edge of the galaxy. As Dora explores the full extent of what it means to love, can Zical's sense of honor and his proud adherence to Rystani customs ever let him give his heart to a woman who created herself only for him? And as their enemies turn deadly, Dora and Zical must overcome their pasts . . . if they hope to fight for all of their futures.

A Brooklyn kid hustles his way to the top of a sports marketing and memorabilia empire Brandon Steiner went from a kid who sat in the nosebleed seats at Yankee and Shea Stadiums to CEO of Steiner Sports Marketing Inc., one of the largest sports marketing and memorabilia companies in the United States, with an inventory of more than 10,000 collectibles. You Gotta Have Balls details Steiner's multiple entrepreneurial adventures, where he has both learned and taught others his fair share of "rules." Along the way, he developed some of the most innovative approaches to business—methods that many of today's companies would be wise to observe and employ themselves. You Gotta Have Balls follows Steiner on his pathway to success by demonstrating the business philosophies that allowed him to become the powerful magnate that he is. These ideals include: First to market is everything Ask "What Else?" when working with clients to enhance relationships and elicit more business Don't expand just for the sake of expanding; do it in areas and industries where your passion lies How to train employees while they're in the minor leagues to prepare them for the majors Learn to clearly identify ways to help others rather than sell to them, to align employees and partners with their strengths, and to discover a path where you're most likely to succeed.