Koufax Throws A Curve

Author : Brian M. Endsley
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2018-04-16
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781476669427

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Koufax Throws a Curve by Brian M. Endsley Pdf

The conclusion of the Sandy Koufax Era was a wild roller coaster ride for the LA Dodgers. Overly dependent on the fragile left arm of their to-be Hall of Fame left-hander, they careened from their worst season since World War II in 1964 after losing Koufax to an injury in mid-August, to a World Series Championship in 1965 on the strength of his shutout performance on short rest in Game 7 with the Twins, to an ignominious World Series collapse to the Orioles in 1966 after he single-handedly saved the Dodgers' 1966 regular season in the final game. In the last two seasons of his career, Koufax averaged an impressive 27 complete games, 27 wins and 350 strikeouts. Yet 16 days after winning his second straight unanimous Cy Young Award, he shocked Major League Baseball by announcing he was going to retire. Like a supernova that had lit up the sports world for six years, he flamed out and was gone by age 30.

Author : Brian M. Endsley
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 215 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2018-05-03
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781476632391

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Koufax Throws a Curve by Brian M. Endsley Pdf

The conclusion of the Sandy Koufax Era was a wild roller coaster ride for the LA Dodgers. Overly dependent on the fragile left arm of their to-be Hall of Fame left-hander, they careened from their worst season since World War II in 1964 after losing Koufax to an injury in mid–August, to a World Series Championship in 1965 on the strength of his shutout performance on short rest in Game 7 with the Twins, to an ignominious World Series collapse to the Orioles in 1966 after he single-handedly saved the Dodgers’ 1966 regular season in the final game. In the last two seasons of his career, Koufax averaged an impressive 27 complete games, 27 wins and 350 strikeouts. Yet 16 days after winning his second straight unanimous Cy Young Award, he shocked Major League Baseball by announcing he was going to retire. Like a supernova that had lit up the sports world for six years, he flamed out and was gone by age 30.

Author : Ed Gruver
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780878331574

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Koufax by Ed Gruver Pdf

A biography of Sandy Koufax, considered by some to be the best left-handed pitcher of all time, drawing from interviews with friends, former teammates and opponents, and sports journalists to examine Koufax's life growing up as a Jew in Brooklyn, his career achievements, and his retirement.

Author : Tim McCarver,Danny Peary
Publisher : Villard
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2013-05-22
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9780307831774

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Tim McCarver's Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans by Tim McCarver,Danny Peary Pdf

Tim McCarver, major league baseball's premier analyst, has been surprising and delighting viewers for years with his remarkable insight. Fans who once were content to merely watch baseball were stimulated into wanting to think baseball as well. McCarver brings to the booth a combination of twenty-one years of major league service and nearly twenty more in broadcasting. There is nobody better at explaining the game than McCarver, and it is a rare game in which the viewer does not learn something new and unusual. Now he is putting down on paper all he knows about the sport, producing this unique perspective on how America's pastime should be played and watched. With his unmistakable wit and storytelling verve, McCarver succinctly explains the fundamentals and proper mechanics of baseball at the level necessary for success in the major leagues. Once the skills have been learned, the viewer can devise smart strategies, getting into the heads of the players, coaches, and managers: When should a player or manager be conservative or aggressive; what factors change as the count goes deeper; how do you set up an effective running game, and how can a defense try to sabotage it? This book is a gold mine for all fans, from brain surgeons and rocket scientists to beginners who want to start with the basics. (Even major leaguers will be able to pick up some pointers.) With a deeper knowledge and understanding of baseball, any fan will be able to watch it like a pro.

Author : Brian M. Endsley
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2015-09-11
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781476618944

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Finding the Left Arm of God by Brian M. Endsley Pdf

This is the story of the L.A. Dodgers’ volatile fortunes during Sandy Koufax’s transformation from a wild left-hander with a losing record on the verge of quitting the game, to an artist with exquisite control of the baseball—a veritable Mozart on the mound. From the Dodgers’ sudden plunge into the baseball wilderness in 1960, to their return to pennant contention in Koufax’s breakout year of 1961, through their catastrophic 1962 season—precipitated by Koufax’s freak midseason finger injury—to their redemption in 1963 with their second World Championship on the West Coast, the narrative is set against the backdrop of John F. Kennedy’s fleeting New Frontier presidency.

Author : Alan H. Levy
Publisher : McFarland
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2021-02-12
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781476682105

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Walter Alston by Alan H. Levy Pdf

Walter "Smokey" Alston is best known for his long and successful tenure as manager of the Dodgers--first in Brooklyn, then in Los Angeles. Yet few fans are aware of his years in the minors, where he honed the skills that would make him famous. Raised in rural Ohio, Alston graduated from Miami University, where he was noticed by scouts for the St. Louis Cardinals. Signed in 1935, he played on minor league teams in the Cardinals' system. He went to bat in the majors just once--and struck out. But Cardinals President Branch Rickey recognized other talents in Alston and made him a player-manager for several clubs. He steadily produced winning teams and in 1946 led the racially integrated Nashua "Little" Dodgers to a championship. In 1953, he was tapped to run the big club and over the next 23 seasons led the Dodgers to nine pennants and four World Series wins. This book traces Alston's rise through the minor and major leagues to become a Hall of Famer with more than 2000 career wins.

Author : Lee C. Kluck
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-28
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9781496240002

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Leave While the Party's Good by Lee C. Kluck Pdf

Author : Dan Schlossberg
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2017-03-07
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781613218365

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The New Baseball Bible by Dan Schlossberg Pdf

For fans of baseball trivia, this updated version of The New Baseball Bible, first published as The Baseball Catalog in 1980 and selected as a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate, is sure to provide something for everyone, regardless of team allegiance. The book covers the following topics: beginnings of baseball, rules and records, umpires, how to play the game (i.e., strategy), equipment, ballparks, famous faces (i.e., Hank Aaron vs. Babe Ruth), managers, executives, trades, the media, big moments in history, the language of baseball, superstitions and traditions, spring training, today’s game, and much more. Veteran sportswriter Dan Schlossberg weaves in facts, figures, and famous quotes, discusses strategy, and provides stats and images—many of them never previously published elsewhere. With this book, you’ll discover how the players’ approach, use of equipment, and even salaries and schedules have changed over time. You will also learn the origin of team and player nicknames, fun facts about the All-Star Game and World Series, and so much more. The New Baseball Bible serves as the perfect gift for fans of America’s pastime.

Author : Editors of Sports Illustrated
Publisher : Time Home Entertainment
Page : 683 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2012-10-30
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781603204576

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Sports Illustrated Great Baseball Writing by Editors of Sports Illustrated Pdf

When Sports Illustrated was launched in 1954, baseball was, indisputable, the national pastime, its stars America's epic heroes, its rivalries the era's mythology. As baseballs fortunes rose and fell over the next 50 years - and then rose again to new heights, drawing more than 65 million fans to ballparks in 2004 - the game never failed to produce great drama and inspired storytelling. This collection is a virtual Hall of Fame from the pages of SI, bringing together the stories of baseball's greatest heroes (Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Sandy Koufax) and villains (Ty Cobb, Pete Rose, Denny McLain) and characters (Casey Stengel, Max Patkin, Yogi Berra); its legendary quests (the home run chases of Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds; the thrilling pennant races, from the Dodgers - Giants in 1951 to the Yankees-Red Sox in 1978); its world-class writers (Frank Deford, Mark Kram, George Plimpton, Peter Gammons, and Tom Verducci) and its own players writing from the inside about their game (Ted Williams, Jim Brosnan, and Jim Bouton). In the wake of SI's acclaimed Fifty Years of Great Writing comes this baseball anthology worthy of Cooperstown.

Author : Sports Illustrated
Publisher : Triumph Books
Page : 350 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2024-04-09
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781637275016

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Sports Illustrated The Baseball Vault by Sports Illustrated Pdf

Sports Illustrated, the most respected voice in sports journalism, has covered Major League Baseball for over seven decades, documenting its heroes, villains, great characters, and iconic moments. A wide-ranging portrait of America's pastime, this anthology features the best baseball writing from the SI archives by nationally renowned journalists including Frank Deford, Mark Kram, George Plimpton, Peter Gammons, and Tom Verducci.

Author : Tom Verducci
Publisher : Time Home Entertainment
Page : 355 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2011-01-27
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781603203845

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Inside Baseball by Tom Verducci Pdf

No sport has inspired better writing than baseball, and no one writes baseball better than Tom Verducci.As Sports Illustrateds lead baseball writer since 1993, Verducci has witnessed the achievements of the games greatest heroes and told their inspiring stories with unmatched passion and sophistication. He has enriched SIs readers with an insiders perspective on the game, examining subtle shifts in the ever-changing balance between pitchers and hitters, between slumps and streaks, between sacred records and the athletes trying to break them. Despite his deep affection for baseball, however, Verducci has never shied away from the hard truth about the game: his landmark piece about steroids, for instance, changed the baseball landscape forever.These 25 pieces span the generationsfrom Sandy Koufax to Roger Clemens, from Ted Williams to Barry Bonds.They chronicle the important trends in the game and celebrate baseballs brightest stars and most breathtaking performances.They are the best work of a writer at the top of his game.

Author : Jocko Conlan
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
Page : 250 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 1997-03-01
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 0803263813

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Jocko by Jocko Conlan Pdf

The ultimate umpire relives the good old days on the diamond. Jocko Conlan was an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox when, one afternoon in 1936, he became an umpire. Thus began a career lasting more than a quarter century, most of it with the National League. Through the skillful writing of Robert W. Creamer, the ebullient Jocko makes his many years of umpiring so real that the reader can smell the peanuts and hear the swat of the ball. Jocko is packed with funny stories about famous players and the beleaguered umpire?s lot.

Author : Wayne Coffey
Publisher : Crown
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2020-03-24
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781524760892

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They Said It Couldn't Be Done by Wayne Coffey Pdf

“One of sports’ most storied championship teams gets its proper due” (Tom Verducci) in this definitive history of the 1969 Miracle Mets from the New York Times bestselling author of The Boys of Winter. “If you want to know what it was like to live and witness a baseball miracle in tumultuous times, this book is for you.”—Ron Darling, former New York Mets All-Star and bestselling author of Game 7, 1986 The story of the 1969 New York Mets’ season has long since entered sports lore as one of the most remarkable of all time. But beyond the “miracle” is a compelling narrative of an unlikely collection of players and the hallowed manager who inspired them to greatness. For the fiftieth anniversary, renowned sports journalist Wayne Coffey brings to life a moment when a championship could descend on a city like magic, and when a baseball legend was authored one inning at a time. Future Hall of Fame ace Tom Seaver snagged the biggest headlines, but the enduring richness of the story lies in the core of a team comprised of untested youngsters, lightly regarded veterans, and four Southern-born African-American stalwarts who came of age in the shadow of Jackie Robinson. Most of the Mets regulars were improbable candidates for baseball stardom. The number two starting pitcher, Jerry Koosman, grew up on a Minnesota farm, never played high-school ball, and was only discovered because of a tip from a Mets’ usher. Outfielder Ron Swoboda was known for long home runs and piles of strikeouts, until he turned into a glove wizard when it mattered most. All of these men were galvanized by their manager: the sainted former Brooklyn Dodger Gil Hodges, whose fundamental belief in the power of every man on the roster, no matter his stats, helped backup players like Al Weis and J.C. Martin become October heroes. As the Mets powered through the season to reach a World Series against the best-in-a-generation Baltimore Orioles, Hodges’s steady hand guided a team that had very recently been the league laughingstock to an improbable, electrifying shot at sports immortality. “A must-read for not just for Mets fans, but all baseball fans who will appreciate what indeed was the most astounding season in baseball history.”—Ken Rosenthal, two-time Sports Emmy winner for Outstanding Sports Reporter

Author : Tyler Kepner
Publisher : Anchor
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2020-03-03
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781101970850

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K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner Pdf

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From The New York Times baseball columnist, an enchanting, enthralling history of the national pastime as told through the craft of pitching, based on years of archival research and interviews with more than three hundred people from Hall of Famers to the stars of today. The baseball is an amazing plaything. We can grip it and hold it so many different ways, and even the slightest calibration can turn an ordinary pitch into a weapon to thwart the greatest hitters in the world. Each pitch has its own history, evolving through the decades as the masters pass it down to the next generation. From the earliest days of the game, when Candy Cummings dreamed up the curveball while flinging clamshells on a Brooklyn beach, pitchers have never stopped innovating. In K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, Tyler Kepner traces the colorful stories and fascinating folklore behind the ten major pitches. Each chapter highlights a different pitch, from the blazing fastball to the fluttering knuckleball to the slippery spitball. Infusing every page with infectious passion for the game, Kepner brings readers inside the minds of combatants sixty feet, six inches apart. Filled with priceless insights from many of the best pitchers in baseball history--from Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and Nolan Ryan to Greg Maddux, Mariano Rivera, and Clayton Kershaw--K will be the definitive book on pitching and join such works as The Glory of Their Times and Moneyball as a classic of the genre.

Author : Duke Snider,Phil Pepe
Publisher : Triumph Books
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2006-04-01
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781617490521

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Few and Chosen Dodgers by Duke Snider,Phil Pepe Pdf

Before curses and quaint ballparks were in vogue, the Brooklyn Dodgers were playing in a beloved old park in front of passionate fans whose hopes were dashed with cruel regularity. The Brooklyn Dodgers couldn't win the big one, but throughout their fascinating history they always had tremendous talent—which continued after their move to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, winning the big one became more than just a once-every-half-century event. Zach Wheat, Burleigh Grimes, Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Gil Hodges, Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela—the list of Dodgers greats is virtually endless. Rating the top five Dodgers of all time at each position would be a daunting task, sure to incite sharp debate among all Dodgers fans, whether their allegiances are to Brooklyn or Los Angeles. Duke Snider, former Dodgers great and Hall of Famer who played on both coasts, has done just that. InFew and Chosen: Defining Dodgers Greatness Across the Eras, he has selected the top five players at each position and the top five Dodgers managers. His compilation evokes cherished memories of one of the richest histories in sports and spotlights the luminescent talent that has worn Dodgers blue.