This is the first team history of the New York Mets-or any other team-to be told through a lighthearted analysis of uniform numbers. Ordinary club histories proceed year by year to give the big picture. Mets by the Numbers uses jersey numbers to tell the little stories-the ones the fans love-of the team and its players. This is a catalog of the more than 700 Mets who have played since 1962, but it is far from just a list of No. 18s and 41s. Mets by the Numbers celebrates the team's greates...

This is the first team history of the New York Mets-or any other team-to be told through a lighthearted analysis of uniform numbers. Ordinary club histories proceed year by year to give the big picture. Mets by the Numbers uses jersey numbers to tell the little stories-the ones the fans love-of the team and its players.This newly revised edition is a catalog of the more than 700 Mets who have played since 1962, but it is far from just a list of No. 18s and 41s. Mets by...

In 1884, professional baseball was still in its infancy. The National League was less than a decade old, the National Association (which had been around since 1871) was now defunct, the American Association (which began two years earlier) were nipping at the NL’s heels, and a new league—the Union Association—was in its first year.With all that going on, a hard-playing, hard-drinking club out of tiny Wilmington, Delaware—the Quicksteps—were so dominating their minor-league opponents...

Attucks! is true story of the all-black high school basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana, masterfully told by National Book Award winner Phil Hoose.By winning the state high school basketball championship in 1955, ten teens from an Indianapolis school meant to be the centerpiece of racially segregated education in the state shattered the myth of their inferiority. Their brilliant coach had fashioned an unbeatable team fr...

Chicago’s Wrigley Field opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park, the new North Side stadium erected for use by the Federal League’s Chicago team, which would eventually be called the Whales. It was built in just 50 days, with an rectangular shape in the style of New York’s Polo Grounds, designed to fit the odd dimensions of the lot-which formerly housed a seminary school-that Whales owner Lucky” Charley Weeghman had purchased with a 99-year lease at a little over $300,000. In all, it took $250,00...

Racehorse Publishing’s Quintessential Children’s Classics series is a collection of timeless children’s literature. Handsomely packaged and affordable, this new series aims to revitalize these enchanting works, and continue the tradition of sharing them with the next generation of readers.The perfect ending to a perfect day is a story. This book provides unforgettable classics for parents to tuck their children in: Three Little Bears,” Hansel and Gretel,” Jack and the Beanstalk....

It took me a day to learn [the knuckleball] and a lifetime to learn how to throw it for a strike.”This quote, by pitcher and coach Charlie Hough, is the best way to understand baseball’s most baffling and mysterious pitch. Not even the best practitioners of the art of throwing a knuckleball know where it is going most of the time. As a pitch that floats and comes into the plate in what appears to be slow motion, it is miraculous that those who employ the pitch don’t get creamed al...

An addictive read that is sure to spark conversation wherever baseball is spoken, this updated edition of The Baseball Maniac’s Almanac is part reference, part trivia, part brain teaser, and absolutely the most unusual and thorough compendium of baseball stats and facts ever assembled-all verified for accuracy by the Baseball Hall of Fame. In its pages, renowned sportswriter Bert Randolph Sugar presents thousands of fascinating lists, tables, data, and stimulating facts. Inside, y...

Featuring stories about Keith Hernandez, Davey Johnson, Michael Tyson, Keith Rosen, and moreNew addition to the Game of My Life seriesPaints a picture of Mets historyThis Game of My Life book takes a personal look at the most significant moments of the Mets’ best and most loved players, from journeymen to superstars. Their most unforgettable games make a picture of Mets history. The franchise changed from a failing (though loved) expansion team in 1...

So You Think You’re a Chicago Cubs Fan? tests and expands your knowledge of Cubs baseball. Rather than merely posing questions and providing answers, you’ll get details behind each-stories that bring to life players and coaches, games and seasons.This book is divided into multiple parts, with progressively more difficult questions in each new section. Along the way, you’ll learn more about Wrigley Field and the great Cub players and coaches of the past and present, from Bi...

So You Think You’re a Boston Red Sox Fan? tests and expands your knowledge of Red Sox baseball. Rather than merely posing questions and providing answers, you’ll get details behind each-stories that bring to life players and coaches, games and seasons.This book is divided into multiple parts, with progressively more difficult questions in each new section. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the great Red Sox players and coaches of the past and present, from Ted William...

So You Think You’re a Philadelphia Phillies Fan? tests and expands your knowledge of Phillies baseball. Rather than merely posing questions and providing answers, you’ll get details behind each-stories that bring to life players and coaches, games and seasons.This book is divided into multiple parts, with progressively more difficult questions in each new section. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the great Phillies players and coaches of the past and present, from Gr...