Major league baseball's first Ambassador for Inclusion shares "a passionate memoir of the challenges [he] faced as a closeted gay athlete" ( Sports Illustrated).With a relentless work ethic, exceptional talent, and a quick left-handed swing, Billy Bean made it to the majors, where he played from 1987 to 1995—an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres. But as a gay man in the brutally homophobic world of professional bas...

This book tells the true story of how our family was torn apart by harassment from our next-door neighbors and their associates. The harassment included assaults, death threats, threats to burn down our house, false accusations to the police, and malicious communications, including allegations of paedophilia. It explores how such harassment can spread within a community when the police fail to address it early on. The book also details the intentional failure of our local police force to p...

An MLB pitching coach and a leadership expert share 6 strategies to help you handle pressure like elite athletes like Michael Jordan and Pedro Martinez.In his fifteen years as a major league pitching coach, with the "Moneyball" Oakland A's, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, and Baltimore Orioles, Rick Peterson has coached Hall of Famers, Cy Young winners, and many other elite athletes. In this book, he and bestselling author and leadership expert, Judd Hoekstra mak...

An autobiographical story of the too frequent lows and at times seemingly unachievable highs of surviving addiction.I was finally stabilized, it was time to leave my home in North Dakota and travel cross country. But the relapses kept hitting including in Alabama, Florida, and Las Vegas. Will stability be possible or will the history of addiction win?There are happy points in my journey: meeting previously unknown family, gainful employment, and revisiting a lost love. Howe...

A Human, Then A Building, Now A Rising StockBy: Billy BeansA Human, Then a Building, Now a Rising Stock follows the author’s journey through turmoil following the loss of his brother. This account chronicles the far-reaching damage and suffering felt by him and his family. Repeatedly seeing the person he believed responsible for his brother’s death exacerbated a destructive path for the author, leading to alcohol addiction and criminal actions to deal with the anger and hur...

Dale Scott’s career as a professional baseball umpire spanned nearly forty years, including thirty-three in the Major Leagues, from 1985 to 2017. He worked exactly a thousand games behind the plate, calling balls and strikes at the pinnacle of his profession, working in every Major League Baseball stadium, and interacting with dozens of other top-flight umpires, colorful managers, and hundreds of players, from future Hall of Famers to one-game wonders.Scott has enough stories about...

With traditions, records, and team lore, this lively, detailed book explores the personalities, events, and facts every Athletics fan should know. This guide to all things A's covers the team's amazing history including the Connie Mack and Charlie O. Finley dynasties, the "Earthquake Series," and all of their World Series titles. Author Susan Slusser has collected every essential piece of A's knowledge and trivia, including Billy Beane and Moneyball, Catfish Hunter, Stomper, and the "Bash ...

High-pressure situations can make us panic-but if we can change our perspective, what seemed impossible can suddenly become doable. Legendary pitching coach Rick Peterson is a master at this kind of reframing. He and bestselling author and leadership expert, Judd Hoekstra make this skill available to everyone.Everybody faces high-pressure situations, and in today's fast-paced, hypercompetitive world it's arguably worse than ever. But ace pitching coach Rick Peterson and organizatio...

San Francisco Chronicle BestsellerFrom the speedy rise of the Big Three to their stunning breakup, Urban's book says it all." - John Shea, National baseball Writer, San Francisco ChronicleDuring the 2004 season, each of Oakland's Big Three aces had something to prove. Tim Hudson was determined to demonstrate his recovery from a recurring injury. Barry Zito had to show the world that after a ho-hum 2003, his 2002 Cy Young Award was not a fluke. Mark Mulder missed the 203 pla...

In Winning in Both Leagues J. Frank Cashen looks back over his twenty-five-year career in baseball. Best known as the general manager of the New York Mets during their remaking and rise to glory in the 1980s, Cashen fills the pages with lively stories from his baseball tenure during the last half of the twentieth century. His career included a stint with the Baltimore Orioles of the late ’60s and ’70s, working with manager Earl Weaver and the great teams of the early ’70s, includi...

Dale Scott's career as a professional baseball umpire spanned nearly forty years, including thirty-three in the Major Leagues, from 1985 to 2017. He worked exactly a thousand games behind the plate, calling balls and strikes at the pinnacle of his profession, working in every Major League Baseball stadium, and interacting with dozens of other top-flight umpires, colorful managers, and hundreds of players.What makes Scott's book truly different is his unique perspective as the only ...

Chapter by chapter, Graham leads us on a journey in faith. We learn about God and his purpose for our lives; who Jesus is and what he has done for us. We learn to deal with challenges along the way: temptation; wrong thoughts and motives; habits that destroy our spirit, and what to do when life turns against us. And we are given practical advice on the Bible, prayer, knowing God's will, making right decisions, finding fellowship, strengthening our marriages, being wise parents, and using o...