The Crackerjack Gang is a collection of the most unorthodox, but sincerely exceptional, group of baseball players I coached over the last twenty (20) years. If you coach long enough, in any sport, you come to appreciate the true Crackerjacks every year on your team. Crackerjack players make the long hours logged on the field and the monotony of team drills worth every second. Whether it’s the hours spent cramped in uncomfortable team vans, weekend trips to tournaments, team meals, their on...

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny's New York Times bestselling manifesto about what parents, coaches, and athletes get wrong about sports; what we can do better; and how sports can teach eight keys to success in sports and life.Mike Matheny was just forty-one, without professional managerial experience and looking for a next step after a successful career as a Major League catcher, when he succeeded the legendary Tony La Russa as manager of the St. ...

CATCHING-101: The Complete Guide for Baseball Catchers is the most comprehensive book ever written for baseball catchers. It contains tips, drills, and proper mechanics that will help every catcher or coach better understand the most difficult position on the field. This book contains information on EVERY aspect of catching that Coach Barksdale has learned through his years of experience from coaching nationally ranked NCAA teams, and playing at almost every level from Little League to pro...

Reggie Jackson and Bob Gibson offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to understand America's pastime from their unique insider perspective.Legendary. Insightful. Uncompromising. Candid. Uncensored.Mr. October and Hoot Gibson unfortunately never faced each other on the field. But now, in Sixty Feet, Six Inches, these two legends open up in fascinating detail about the game they love and how it was, is, and should be played. Their one-of-a-kind insid...

**Longlisted for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports WritingThe lively and fascinating story of baseball’s 150-year hunt for the perfect pitch**In August 2012, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays in what Terry McDermott calls “one of the greatest exhibitions of off-speed pitches ever put on.” For McDermott, a lifelong fan and student of baseball, the extraordinary events of that afternoon inspired this incisive medita...

"John's Book looks at Baseball, and its two most precious elements of Batting and Throwing, from the multiple standpoints of the 'superficially' physical and mental; from the 'meta-physically' scientific; and from the 'all-inclusiveness' of Spirituality. Therefore, Baseball's most enduring and endearing attributes can be perceived on multiple levels of conscious awareness, and thus arouse the 'dormant understanding' of all enthusiastic fanfare to more than just the mundane interests of the...

Remember the good old days of coaching young athletes? Coaches gave the orders. The players responded with action instead of asking, "Why?" But those are examples of a relationship lost to the ages—specifically to the last millennium. And coaches from that last millennium in every field of sports are learning the hard way that in this millennium they now face a new kind of player personality, one defined simply as a product of the Millennial generation which began reaching adulthood about ...

After the Giants moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958, it took them 53 years to win their first World Series in 2010. Incredible. Their next title came in 2012. Miraculous. Then, in 2014, they became world champions again. Magical. It's very rare in professional baseball, or any other professional sport, for a team to win three titles in such a short span of time. Drawn from his personal journal, Joseph Sutton has combined all three of the Giants' World Series seasons into this one...

RuleGraphics is a new and much simpler way to learn baseball rules. It is a primer and reference for professional baseball rules. RuleGraphics organizes rules by part of the game. In addition, each rule is boiled down to one page. Each page contains the rule book definition, key points, sample plays and a picture where appropriate. This book is a great tool for people who want to quickly get grounded in the rules.The second edition contains references in the new format of the offic...

As a grizzled veteran of over a decade of youth baseball seasons, author Greg Kaup takes you from the pre-season draft to the post-season party sharing with you along the way the insights he has gained. This book will be a great addition to any baseball manager's coaching library.

Would you love to know the incredible and exciting history of baseball?Whether you want to (1) learn incredible and interesting facts about baseball history, (2) discover some of baseball’s greatest events and stories, or (3) be thoroughly entertained as you learn how baseball has evolved over the years, this book will teach you everything you need to know.See what ...

Main Characters: The protagonist is a talented young pitcher or player who dreams of making it big in professional baseball. This character is likely a stand-in for the author himself, reflecting Mathewson’s own experiences in the sport. Other key characters include teammates, coaches, rivals, and possibly a love interest or mentor who plays a significant role in the protagonist’s journey.Plot and Conflict: The central plot follows the protagonist’s rise in the world of baseball, detailing...