Baseball Books

Many have tried to define Barti Ddu, Black Bart, Bartholomew Roberts.
Richard Sanders has his number, I think, as few others have had it.

Sanders brings to life one of the world's most intriguing pirates, with his vivid prose and groundbreaking research. This original portrait challenges every cliche we have about pirate culture. For anyone who is interested in what life was really like aboard a pirate ship, this book is a must read.

In this well written and brilliantly told tale the exploits of `Black Bart' Bartholomew Roberts are told amidst the history of the early 18th century. This is much more than a pirate story. This is stories a vast array of characters and places from Newfoundland to the coast of Africa and Devil's islands. In his time Black Bart was one of the most feared pirates, but not as famous as Blackbeard. He was born in Wales in 1682 and began his career as a pirate in 1719 after having worked as a third mate on a merchant vessel. In the fall and winter of 1719 he made his way as a pirate captain to Brazil and then to the Caribbean, suffering a mutiny and losing a ship in the process. By 1720 he had regained his power and moved to Newfoundland, raiding shipping along the way. From September 1720 to April 1721 he became the scourge of the British and French Caribbean. 1722 found him and a much enlarged crew off the coast of Africa, where he had originally become a pirate.
In truth his career only spanned three years, but it is a story that is far richer than those mere three years. This book is a short history of so many things, from sickness in Britain's slave-colonies of Africa, to Devil's island, to the emergence of white settlement in the Caribbean. Many astounding stories and mini-histories can be found in this volume, from stories of utopias among brigands, to the vanishing Caribs of the Caribbean, the use of slaves aboard Pirate vessels, and the rampant homosexuality and promiscuity among men and pirates in the period. One small oversight is the lack of a map.

A brilliantly told story, if most history were written like this than it would all rival fiction in the stories that would be told.

Throw out everything you think you know about pirates. What did a real pirate captain look like? Certainly not Jack Sparrow. Captain Hook is probably a closer visual.

This is not a novelization, but a historical account of Bartholomew Roberts, the most successful pirate in history. Don't expect some dry history book here, this is fascinating! Sanders includes excerpts of actual accounts, stories and letters from the era.

He paints the full picture of why men turned to piracy - the ship captains' authority was total, and many were very cruel, but none so much as the slave ship captains. These men treated people with such brutality that human life was worthless to them, and they treated their sailors almost as poorly as the slaves. There are accounts of sailors begging food from the slaves - when food and water ran short, the sailors were deprived before the slaves. After all, the captains made no money on the sailors.

It's no wonder when a pirate ship showed up and the captain said, "who wants to be a pirate?" that men eagerly joined the crew.

What struck me as most amazing was the democracy of piracy. The captain and all the officers were elected. The crew voted on destinations. The quartermaster balanced the captain's power.

This book is excellent, a must read for anyone who is not only interested in pirates, but the history of colonies in the Caribbean in that era.

If you're looking for pictures of pirates, try Pirates: Predators of the seas, which has great illustrations. If you're looking for an incredible read about what it was like in pirate times, this is the book for you. Highly recommended!

Although I have coached Football before this was my first attempt at ruining kids Baseball experience. :) I really wish that I had read something like this prior to doing any kind of coaching. The chapters on choosing your team and dealing with parents are excellent.

The drills are also helpful but other baseball coaching books are equally good in this aspect.

So far all of the books I've found are designed for coaching 9-12 year olds, this one included. I'm currently working with 6-8 year olds in a pitching machine league. This is the only drawback to this book I can see.

If you are only buying one book to help with coaching a youth Baseball team, this one delivers all the tools needed. Most are simply drill books (which have their purpose). Managing Little League Baseball will help a beginner coach understand everything he needs to get started.

Thought this was a great tool for me (coach) and the kids on our team.

This book is outstanding and obviously written by someone who knows what he is talking about. My only comment is that it is not only for Little League baseball but any baseball program for youth such as Pony/Colt, Dixie league and others. Other than the rules that are unique to the Little League organization, the rest of the book is applicable to nearly any program. His recent update is even better. As a former Umpire in these programs I was particularly impressed in his comments about that part of the program. Strongly recommend this book to both coaches, parents and players.

I found this book reinforced some of the more successful things I'd been doing as a coach and gave me many other tips I intend to put into use this season. The author is methodical in his approach and it is easy to see why he never had a losing season in 15 years of coaching Little League. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to do a good job coaching youth baseball.

This is a necessary and inspiring addition to any coaches library. It made me want to send a fan letter to the author.

my daugher loves The Mr. Men Show and Mr. Bump. Tjis is a really good book if you are a fan of the show and even if you are not. There is always alittle lesson to be learned at the end.

If you have an accident-prone person in your life, this is the perfect gift. Poor Mr. Bump is always bumping into everything, and he can't keep a job because he is always breaking things. The story of all the many jobs he has had is very amusing, and you will love the job he discovers he would be best at in the end. Mr. Men and Little Miss books are fun for kids of all ages.

Mr. Bump has a problem. He is always getting into accidents,bumping into anything and everything in his way! Although his bumpingdilemma causes him lots of problems in holding a job, after a not-so-bump-free vacation Mr. Bump realizes the perfect job for him. You'll have to read the book to find out Mr. Bump's job niche. This a clever little book great for all ages to teach the lesson that there's a bright side to every situation.

I grew up with these fun little books. I loved them so much, I used to carry at least one round with me wherever I went. It's nice to see that the Mr Men series is still around for little kids and their parents to enjoy.

Mr Bump is an accident prone guy. He's always breaking things or getting himself stuck. He can't get a job because he's always getting into trouble. He doesn't mean to, but he tends to have accidents whether he likes it or not. Will he find the job that's right for him?

The book has very colourful, cute illustrations. I remember as a kid thinking that even though Mr Bump had lots of accidents, he still had a nice, friendly town to live in. Roger Hargreaves' writing is easy for little kids to understand, while still often witty for the grown-up reader reading it to them. In a way, kids might be able to relate to Mr Bump, having lots of accidents and getting in trouble, even though he doesn't mean to.

I'd recommend this for any young children. If they enjoyed this book even half as much as I did when I was little, then it will have been well worth the purchase.

Mr Bump, quite frankly, is a clod. He can't seem to do anything without injuring himself or others. How can he get by in life with such a predilection for mayhem? Read it and see. Great for both children and adults.

In my spare time, I am responsible for the ongoing success of the Madison, NJ LL Girls Softball program. Every spring, approximately 260 young ladies, from 7-16 years of age, play fastpitch softball. Thanks to the efforts of close to 100 volunteer coaches, our program gives the young ladies of our community the chance to learn to love a game they can play forever.

Following our spring program, 3 teams (14U, 12U, 10U) complete in summer tournaments and leagues. I've been coaching the 14U level for 15 years now. In the late spring, I received an email from Harley Rotbart telling me about his book. I read a few chapters online and thought this book might be a good learning tool for my summer softball team. I took a chance and ordered 16 copies.

You can imagine the look on my team's eyes when I handed out a book and reading assignment listing at our parents/players meeting. I created a reading list; with each player having 6 assigned chapters. I organized it so that before/after each game, everyone had to be ready to make a 1 minute presentation to the rest of the team. No one knew who I'd call on to present, so everyone had to do their reading. When I was asked "what happens if we aren't prepared when called on?", my answer was simple. "You'll enjoy that game from the bench. "

We made it through the entire book last summer. I asked my players if they'd be willing to write a book report I could post on Amazon. A few of them took me upon on the offer. Their comments on the book follow:

Did you enjoy reading this book this summer? Why?

I liked this book because it was a very clear and straight forward way to learn more about softball, or to teach those who did not know the difference from a softball and a football. Unlike a lot of books about sports that have a bunch of different sports smushed together, this one explains everything there is to know about softball in a chapter by chapter sequence, often comparing events in softball to real life events. Cara M. 2nd Base.

I enjoyed reading this book this summer because I enjoyed how the author related softball to real life. I really taught me a lot. Julianna V. Catcher.

Yes- It helped prepare me for each game and made me realize how every aspect of the game of softball is related to life. It really got me thinking. Mackenzie G. Pitcher, SS.

Was being prepared to talk about this book a good way to begin/end our games?

Being prepared to talk about this book before or after games was a good way to review how to act in real game situations. Cara M.

This book was a great way to open and close games. IT really got you to understand the topic thoroughly in order to present what you read to the team. Julianna V.

Yes, sometimes the chapters that were talked about were situations in the game we just played. Mackenzie G.

What one thing did you read that really surprised you?

One chapter that really surprised me was the one about "The perfect game". It talked about how a perfect game would be when the pitcher throws no bad pitches, only strikes. The thing that surprised me was that the book said how the catcher was just a part of the perfect pitches as the pitcher, due to all the signs she gives. Cara M.

One thing that surprised me was that everything talked about softball and it was all related to life. That surprised me that everything in the book had an impact on life. Julianna V.

The "from the dugout" section of each chapter really surprised me because I never really thought of how softball could relate to life. It made the game seem more than just a bunch of girls throwing balls around. Mackenzie G.

Would you recommend this book to other players/coaches?

I would recommend this book to players that want to improve their knowledge of the game, or anyone who just wants to know what is going on when they watch their daughter, friend, etc. Cara M.

Yes, I would recommend this book because not only does it teach you about softball, it teaches you about life. Julianna V.

Yes, it improves the player's game and is a good coaching tool. Mackenzie G.

Did you forgive your coach for giving you a summer reading assignment?

Even though I was very surprised coach gave us a summer reading assignment, it was really not a big deal, and I actually learned a lot. Cara M.

Yes, I do forgive my coach because I thought the summer reading I would be a drag, but I ended up learning a lot of life lessons from the book and really enjoyed it. Julianna V

Yes - it wasn't that bad. Mackenzie G.


I'll be buying 15 copies of this book every summer in the years ahead. I found this a great way to prepare the team for the game ahead or to finish up after the game was over. Sometimes its difficult for a coach to find the right things to say. Taking this approach put my players in charge of the pre/post game talks! It worked very well.

Dave Carver Madison NJ LL Softball

I discovered the perfect gift for a grandmother to give her baseball-playing grandkids. I don't know anything about bats or gloves, and I can't figure out any of the other paraphernalia my grandsons use when I watch their games. Until now, the best I could do was giving them a gift certificate to a sporting goods store. But, "The On Deck Circle of Life - 101 Lessons from the Dugout" is better than any gift certificate. If I made a list of everything I'd like my grandsons to grow up to become, the list would include most of the chapters of this book. I bought a copy of the book for myself, too - because the top half of every chapter is a little lesson in the game of baseball and helps me understand what the kids are doing out there. The bottom half of each chapter teaches kids how the game relates to the real world, so there's something in each chapter for grandparents, parents, and kids. I really like this part of Chapter 81, the "Home Field Advantage":

"As life challenges and confuses you, take comfort in, and take advantage of, your home field. Your parents and your brothers and sisters are your best friends, your most important teammates...No matter how bad the crisis, how afraid you feel, or how terrible you imagine the outcome, your family is your ultimate home field advantage. Find the comfort and stability of your familiar dugout and the friendly faces on the bleachers. You'll win many more games at home than on the road."

As parents, one of our goals is to teach our children how best to interact with their increasingly complex and sometimes unfriendly world. This book serves as a primer to both parent and child, using baseball rules as the platform. In its simplicity, it is an elegant guide to making our children better adults, and making us better parents. I loved Dr. Rotbart's book, and only hope to see more of his profound wisdom in future books. How I wish he could have been my parent! Thanks for educating me to the rules of baseball and life, all in one concise volume.

I actually bought 2 books. My son is 10 and he reads everying evening.
He reads out loud to me and I follow along in my book. We discuss every chapter (short). The book is well written. Any child that likes baseball will certainly enjoy all the baseball talk. And the way life's lessons are presented are so much better than I could try to explain to my son. He understands them. We are now referring back to the book in conversation. I can say remember what the book said about curve balls?
Sometimes life will throw you a curve ball. It is all in how you handle the situation. We have not finished the book yet, but when we do I will keep them handy and have my son refer back to certain chapters when life
can be sticky. I look forward every evening to sit down and read this book with him. I think it is awesome.

First off...I dearly love the game of baseball, have since I was 5 years old. Mr. Rotbart has shown me why the game has rooted itself to my inner core. These days, I've had to step back and look at the game from another view. I am a District Administrator for Little League Baseball in Arizona and oversee 18 leagues. After reading this book I purchased enough copies for the presidents of each league (plus some) in the hopes that these directors of our young athletes will do the same with their constituents. Nothing worthwhile in life is just handed to us, we must practice over and over so we are ready when it's our turn to make the right play or decision in our lives. This book teaches us as adults, as well as our children, how perfect practice makes perfect!

A book that has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust that should have been in circulation to friends and lovers of The Game. This is a 'keeper' that intrinsically reveals the difference between the average ballplayer and the few who become students of the game.An entertaining book that will make also the average sandlot coach into a possible Casey Stingle.

This was one of the most inspirational and wonderful books I've ever read.....now it is unavailable except in audio tape! What a mystery that the book is no longer available, if anyone can find it, be sure to read it, it is magical!

This is a novel which shows you what the Left Behind series could be if only the humanity of the characters were more evident. Elgin Woodell is a study in character, perseverance and unconditional love towards a father who does not always deserve it.

This is also a story which made me love baseball again. You can almost smell the grass and feel the whoosh of the ball against the glove. When will they make a movie out of this wonderful testimony to the love of the game?

This book asks the question, "What might happen if someone with all the talent in the world chose to maximize their potential?" Too often I've read about truly gifted people who wasted their abilities with reckless and destructive behavior. This story explores what can happen if someone with "all the talent in the world" chooses to hone their skills and see how high they can soar. I read this book 4 years ago (hardback) and still remember the story. I gave my copy to my nephew. Now I need a replacement to read to my son!!

Rookie, though jam-packed with plenty of baseball action, has too much stuff about Elgin's mother breaking up with Neil and all that mess. No offense to Jerry, of course, but I don't think that many kids like that much of a mom and dad breaking up. But, it was one incredible book!

PS Will there be a sequel?

Born in Autaugaville, Alabama in 1923, Bob Motley chronicles his exciting and interesting life as a professional athlete. As an umpire in the Negro American League in the 1940s and `50s, he ran the gauntlet from top-flight professional baseball players to the Ku Klux Klan.
His birth in the heart of "Jim Crow territory," with all the restraints of segregation and prejudice, could not hold back his physical ability, positive attitude, and intellect, which powered him to be the best in his select profession. In that era, baseball was segregated far longer than other major sports. That forced the premier athletes of the time into the formation of the exclusively black Negro American League. Men like Elston Howard, Satchel Page, and Willie Mays turned the all-white Big Leagues on their ear after Brooklyn Dodger star Jackie Robinson broke the 80-year color barrier in 1947. Great black players who had been concentrated in the Black Leagues took the country by storm and elevated the game of baseball to infinite heights.
Motley umpired them all. His autobiography not only chronicles that story, but his story of success, in spite of unbelievable odds, with fortitude, personal discipline, patience, and guts. From my own personal view, having grown up playing ball with anyone who could swing a bat, I always wondered why such talent should be separated and thereby limited. My black high school teammates and I, although just two or three years from "integration," never gave that separation a thought when we took the field. Bob Motley, in this book, shows us what great a victory has been won by all Americans.
Even if Motley had not been with the Kansas City Monarchs, if he had not personally known Buck O'Neal, Roy Campanella, Hank Aaron, Joe Black or Cool Papa Bell, his story is that of a man who is in my Hall of Fame.

As a novice to the subject, I found this a most enjoyable read. It is full of lived history, love of sport and great humor. I highly recommend this book.

THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN BY BOB MOTLEY, WHO WAS AN UMPIRE IN THE NEGRO LEAGUES. HE TELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCES AND LIFE AS A BASEBALL UMPIRE. THIS IS A GREAT READ BY MR MOTLEY AS HE TELLS US OF SOME IMMORTAL GREATS AS SATHEL PAIGE, JACKIE ROBINSON, ROY CAMPANELLA AND MANY MORE. PLUS MANY OTHER STORIES ON THE JIM CROW LAWS AND HIS EXPERIENCE IN UMPIRE SCHOOL AND THE MANY BROKEN PROMISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS HE HAD BECAUSE OF HIM BEING A NEGRO IN WHITE MAN'S WORLD. I HIGHLY ADVISE THIS FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS.

A must have book on baseball history, and what the Negro Leagues went through.
It's an amazing life that unfolds as you turn the pages. Hard to put down as
each chapter will leave you wanting more.

It's great to focus on some great moments in history. Bob Motley has lived an incredible life. Well worth reading and admiring!

I am not just saying that because my son is one of the characters in this book, I genuinely thought James did an amazing job at not only capturing the hearts and minds of little leaguers, but the trials and tribulations that they go through on a day to day basis.
Speaking on a personal note~ At one of our sons baseball games, James told me that my son Tyler was going to be a character in this book. Not believing what I heard, I excitedly waited for the book to come out. When it did, I had tears in my eyes, as James nailed Tyler to a Tee, as well as every other character he depicted in this book.
It truly takes a special author and person to spend the amount of time he did with these boys, and come up with an incredible story line!
Kudos to James Preller!!

Tricia~ Delmar, NY

My 9 yr old son who struggles academically LOVED this book.
When he was done he came to me and asked if I would get him more books like this one because he, "liked it better than his other books".
I haven't read it so I don't know exactly what he meant.
For him to enjoy reading is huge!
He is a Red Sox fan and plays baseball. Maybe that had something to do with it?

I got a vivid picture of the action in the Little League championship game. It brought back great memories of when my kids played.

Nice job.

Six Innings by James Preller is just that, the play by play description of six innings of a Little League baseball game. All of our nation's obsession with the sanctity of the game is concentrated in this afternoon of play by two teams of boys. The book opens in Sam Reiser's bedroom, where he is lying in bed, a young amputee now only able to announce his team's play, to speak the words for actions he can no longer perform. We think we are in for a problem novel, a book about adjusting to a handicap. Then the innings begin, and we realize that Preller has found the perfect dramatic structure in which he can write about twenty-four different boys in depth, each member of the team. Using the inexorable action of the six innings, he delineates the interplay of personalities, abilities, the age of the players and their temperaments. The hopelessness of young Patrick Wong in outfield, praying the ball won't go to him, vowing never to play again after his last humiliating strike out, is compared to the hard throwing pitcher, who already shows signs of a moustache. Although everyone cares deeply and intensely, the action is balanced by the humor of the identical twins, the serious one, Eamon Sweeney, and the leftie, Colin Sweeney, referred to by their coach as the Right Sweeney and the Wrong Sweeney and the attitude of the coaches themselves. In a tense moment, a coach takes his team aside and urges them to "Have fun." Six Innings has a lingering effect, the way baseball does, its pace subtle, leaving the lingering promise of summer.

It's the kind of book that. when I got to the end of it, I didn't even know was meant for kids. I went on vacation and brought this book, not ecven glancing at the jacket copy that suggests it was meant for 11 to 13 year olds. I did think that the language of its rambunctious Little Leaguers was a bit on the sanitized side. The boys love to stage impromptu contests involving dialogue from their favorite baseball movies, everything from THE BAD NEWS BEARS to FIELD OF DREAMS, and evcen the mildest of these has dialogue racier than anything you'll find in James Preller's novel. So that might have tipped me off, but what do I know! I would definitely recommend it to adults.

The emotionally involving parts of the story take place during rhw championship game between Earl Grubb's Pool Supplies and NE Gas & Electric. The boy who does the scorekeeping for EGPS has a rare disease which has resulted in benching his once promising career at bat, but does he cry or whimper? Well, you'll have to see for yourself. At the other end of the spectrum is the boy who, while enjoying himself at baseball, has now found himself interested in other things, and today might be his very last day playing in organized sport. What a range of players, some with comic subplots, some with underdeveloped storylines, but most of them genuine individuals. The only defect in the story is Preller's working up the actual game pictured in "Six Innings," which is made up of one classic play after another, each one more spectacular than the last, and each reminiscent of a famous major league moment, so it's a bit unbelievable these ordinary kids would wind up in a game this exciting, but hear that whistle? It's time to -- play ball.

This is a good book on the basic and advanced drills for girls learning softball. Highly suggest it.

If you only buy one softball drill book, let this be the one. The drills in this book run the gamut from basic drills for the beginner to advanced drills for the advanced travel ball player. If you are a beginning coach, the drills in this book will help you plan your practices to get the most instruction into a limited amount of time. "Softball Skills and Drills" is a great little book that will stay fresh and relevant as your team grows and matures. Garman knows her stuff!

I have assistant coached my daughters' ASA teams for the past six years, and now I'm an assistant coach of my oldest daughter's jr. high team. I've pretty much learned along the way, picking up ideas and drills from the excellent coaches around me. But I just recently picked this book up and am excited about what I see. It's basic enough for the have-no-clue-but-want-to-learn coach, but there are so many drills here that even experienced coaches will pick up some new ideas. I especially like how the coach is fundamentally sound--the advice can therefore be trusted. I am going to be keeping this book nearby over these next seasons, and perhaps some of these drills will help the girls I coach to be even that much better. I am highly recommending this book for all of us who hope to gain just an inch of an advantage over those who rely merely on gut instinct.

I found the book to be very helpful with a great assortment of drills to choose from.

"Softball Skills & Drills" by Judi Garman is a valuable book for any softball coach or player. I have to admit that I am an inexperienced softball player, who has recently joined a league for recreation. Because I had little knowledge of the game, I bought this book because it is advertised on the cover as "The best book on the basics of the game." In retrospect I think that claim may be a bit of an overstatement because the book does assume a general working knowledge of the mechanics and rules of the game of softball. While these fundamentals are explained in pieces throughout the book, I would have really enjoyed a more thorough overview before Garman raced into chapter one, "Catching." Don't get me wrong: this is a great book, but absolute beginners may also need an even more basic text.

What the book does do superbly is to break down all the fundamental skills of the game of softball and give easy to comprehend (if not to execute, sometimes) explanations, tips, and techniques related to these skills, as well as sets of drills designed to develop those skills. In reading the book (from the viewpoint of a neophyte player) I couldn't help but believe that the single best audience for this book would be coaches. This book would be a positive treasure trove of information for coaches at any level of competition.

I think this is an excellent book, and would have given it five stars if not for the omission of a general introduction, overview, and strategy section that would really help those who need the most basic "basics of the game." As it is, I would like to give it four and a half stars, because it really is an excellent text.

Highly recommended to softball players and coaches everywhere.

This book is being used in our area to link fifth grade classrooms because there is a focus on civil rights at that level. It is just an excellent re-telling of the friendship between Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reeves. Despite some conflict about the exact details, the story is true and is eloquently told. I highly recommend this book both as a read-aloud and as a conversation starter between urban and suburban classrooms wishing to link. There is also s subtle lesson about restraint as the manager of the team is described looking for a player that would control his temper when faced with unjust racist treatment.

"Teammates" tells the story of one of the more moving moments in the history of baseball that occurred during the 1947 season when the Brooklyn Dodgers traveled to Crosley Field in Cincinnati to play the Reds. Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in the major leagues, was playing first base and being the target of hostility and abuse from the fans. At shortstop was Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, who born in the South, but who had refused to join other Southerners on the team in signing a petition to kick Jackie off the team. That day in Cincinnati, Reese did something that remains one of the bright moments of that historic season and which deserves to be more than a minor footnote in baseball history.

"Teammates" is written by Peter Golenbock, who heard the story of what happened that day from Rex Barney, who pitched for the Dodgers that day. Usually when the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the "color line" in baseball, the other key person in the story is Branch Rickey, the Dodger general manager. But Rickey could only support Robinson from the front office and not on the field, where it was Pee Wee Reese who decided to do something about that. Consequently, it is Reese who emerges as the hero of this particular story. Certainly it is safe to assume that anyone who reads this book knows something about Jackie Robinson; Golenbock talks about how Rickey needed somebody special to be the first, but does not get into the reasons why Robinson was that man (e.g., All-American football star at U.C.L.A., Army officer). But clearly "Teammates" is not intended to be the first book a youngster reads about the story of Jackie Robinson. Paul Bacon, as he did for the exquisite "Susanna of the Alamo," does both the design and illustration for this volume, combining historic photographs and items with his own watercolor paintings to tell the story.

This book teaches you alot about how blacks were treated back in the day. When Jackie Robinsion was signed to the Dodgers the fans and players treated him really badly. People threw stuff at him. Then a young teammate stood up for him and saved him from being ban from the team. So you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

A simple telling of how Jackie Robinson came to play in the major leagues, this book portrays the prejudice he faced in a basic way that children can understand. And it shines a bright light on a quiet moment: PeeWee Reese's brave public declaration of solidarity with his teammate. This book has been my son's favorite for the past two years, since he was five.

Teammates

Teammates is about 2 men named
Pees wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Both of them were baseball players on the same
Team called the dogers. Pee wee
Reese was white and Jackie rob-
Inson was black. They were both
Friends and helped each other out. The players on their team
Came mostly from the south, men
Had been taught to avoid black
People since childhood. They moved to another table
Whenever Jackie sat down next
To them. Many opposing players
Were cruel to Jackie, calling him mean names from their
Dugouts. A few tried to hurt
Him with their spiked shoes.
It was bad for Jackie. Pitchers
Aimed for his head, and he
Received threats on his life,
Both from individuals and from
Oramizations like the Ku Klux
Klan. Jackie avoided all of it,
And made the team. Jackie and
Pee wee became really great
Friends and baseball legends.

The Rangers have a very interesting and colorful history. Unfortunately, not much of it positive. Nadel fills in all the blanks that existed from the Rangers formative years, stories that were too sensitive at the time they occurred, i.e. Rogelio Moret's mental illness, something that was never addressed in the papers of the day. I assume the Rangers had a say in the editing of this book and I commend them for not trying to make Nadel whitewash the team's history.

This book is where history begins and ends if you follow the Rangers.

This book tells you just about everything you would want to know about the history of the Texas Rangers.Eric Nadel did a wonderful job writing this book.It has a lot of great pictures and is a prominent part of my Texas Rangers collection.

Eric Nadel may be THE best baseball radio broadcaster in the country. His Page From Baseball's Past radio program is always interesting and this book follows the same pattern. A great book for the baseball fan and especially a Ranger fan

Eric Nadel, one of the most informative and entertaining radio broadcasters of his generation, paints a great portrait of Rangers' baseball and all of its oddities over 25 years. A must-read for any longtime Rangers' fan!

I've only been a Texas Rangers fan since 1994, and my wife gave me this book as a present in 1997. I knew the Texas Rangers existed before I came to live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas area, but I never thought much of them. I didn't realize the characters and history of the team. If you're a casual Rangers fan, or a die hard Rangers fan, then you should have this book. It's filled with all kinds of informational pieces about the team's history, going back to the early 70's when they were the Washington Senators. Focuses heavily on the 1996 season in which they finally made it to the playoffs after about 25 years.

As the Texas Rangers now move into the Alex Rodriguez era, the book probably could stand an update, as a lot has happened since the book was published during the 1997 season, but it's a great read if you're into team history.