Baseball Books

One thing about reading these baseball books Fred Bowen has written by the AllStar SportStory series is that if your Little League days are behind you then you are going to have memories of highs and lows coming back to you. While reading "T.J.'s Secret Pitch" I recalled the painful memory of our team losing a game to of the second division teams because the pitcher was throwing the ball so slow nobody could hit him. So when T.J. Burns' father quoted Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn dictum, "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing," I know from painful experience that this is true. However, this excellent baseball story for young readers has another more important lesson that will help Little Leaguers even if they are not pitchers.

Like a lot of kids who play baseball, T.J. wants to be a pitcher. He is the team's second baseman, but he has been practicing pitching all summer long, learning how to move the ball around the strike zone. But he is also the shortest player on his team and when he is given a chance to pitch batting practice he cannot get anybody out. That night he watches his father pitch a softball game and win, throw great, high "meatballs" that nobody can hit. From that performance and talking with his dad afterwards, T.J. learns quite a few things about pitching with your head as well as with your arm. So in his back yard T.J. starts teaching himself to throw meatballs and when he pitches to his friends they are surprised to find out these are very hard pitches to hit. Now he just needs to have an opportunity to pitch in a real game.

One of the defining characteristics of Bowen's stories is the way he always works a little baseball history into the plot. In the case of "T.J.'s Secret Pitch" that would be the example of Rip Sewell and his infamous eephus pitch. In the back of this book Bowen tells the real story of Sewell's pitch, which he lofted as high as 25 feet. Besides Sewell's famous encounter with Ted Williams in the 1946 All Star Game, Bowen tells about Sewell's entire career and what happened to him afterwards, and I was surprised to learn Sewell only threw the pitch he made famous about 20 times a game, and never with runners on base (think about it).

"T.J.'s Secret Pitch" is illustrated by Jim Thorpe and should give young baseball players plenty to think about. To quote another Hall of Famer, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra, "Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical." Young readers should certainly learn that important lesson from the examples provided in this excellent little story.

This is a fantastic book about sports, life, and weird pitches. Everyone should go pick up a copy right now and read it cover to cover. Go. Now.

This is an incredible pop-up book. The images are on both sides and the detail is incredible. My 2 year loves finding the young, mischevious, baseball loving bunny on each page, along with all of the wild fans in the stands - including Santa Claus and the sun in addition to a wide arrary of animals. My husband and I have both picked up the book after our son is asleep to further explore the images. A wonderful book!

this pop up book is great for baseball fans and animal lovers. our son is 3 years old and he LOVES this book. there is just so much to see...all the different animals and it's also a unique pop up book.

I thoought the Horn Book review was rough on this delightful picture book. My children have loved it from toddlerhood-- especially because we can "sing" our way through it (and sing over and over if the page turning pace is fast, slow, etc-- it doesn't matter). There is plenty of detail and nostalgia in the careful illustrations-- also a hit with Nana! And it depicts black and white fans side by side, with nods to Jackie Robinson. The end notes are fascinating too. Enjoy!

The illustrations is this book are so good that they made me love baseball even more than before. My 2 year old sings the song all of the time now. I wanted to buy the hard cover version after checking it out of the library, but I can't since it's out of print.

If you just want to sit down and enjoy an easy, fun book to read, get this book. You can sit down at one reading and finish it, or pick it up and put it down a number of times and enjoy it.

The individuals who tell the stories are people who have lived Michigan football.

While the real Wolverine fan will love it, all college football fans will enjoy it.

These are the stories that were never in the newspaper..some things players or coaches didn't even know! The reader feels like he/she is sitting around with 50 Michigan football players and coaches listening to one story after another.. with the next story funnier or more "secret" than the last. The reader feels like they're reading the secret diaries or journals of people in Michigan football they've only seen on the field or on TV, or read about. Now each one is telling me something that no one else knew.

Can anyone list for me the Table of Contents of this book?

Thank you!!!

I have been a phillies fan for 43 years and my biggest thrill came at 11:29 P.M. October 21,1980 when they won their only world championship.I am also a student of PHILLIES history especially 19th century history.Since they have lost more games than any other sports francise I feel that the PHILLIES and this book represent life itself!We all must struggle but when we reach the top of the mountain it was well worth the wait.This great book talks about all of the trials the PHILLIES have experienced since Tuesday,May 1,1883.I recommend this book to everyone especially ALL THE PHILLIES FANS!GOD BLESS THE PHILLIES!!

As a bookstore owner I am solicited often to carry literature but NEVER have I encountered a book so hard to keep on the self. The profit margin that it has created so far is awesome. I encourage investors in literature to take a closer look at this unsung hero's chronicles of the good, bad and ugly history of this country that we all know and share. The author has performed one signing so far and the book sold out within 45 minutes, it is a MUST HAVE!!!!

I read this book straight through and couldn't put it down. The book is so wonderfully written. The story leaps of the pages. It's so well done that it's like reading a movie. I've read many books, this is definitly one of the most life changing books I've ever read. I'm going to read it again and read it to my children. Thank you for writing a book that adds a major pillar to my development, history and image of perserverance that can carry me through life's challenges. I can't wait until more books come out from this wonderful author.

this is the best book i have ever read if i had the time i would read this book a hundred times. The reason i bought this book is because ted williams is the best hitter in baseballs long history.

I am not the type of person to pick up a book about a sports figure even if I am a fan. I love history books especially Civil War, Napoleonic history and biographies of great leaders. I surprised myself by taking the time to read this book. If you are interested in Ted Williams or baseball especially during the era in which he played 1939-1960, this book could not be rated higher. The author has an introduction of Teds early life and then the remainder of the book is broken down so that each chapter covers a year of his career. This puts Teds life in context of World events which the author neatly weaves within its pages. During his career Ted Williams displayed and developed his hitting skills with the desire of becoming the "greatest hitter who ever lived". Hitting the ball was his obsession. His great desire to excel however was balanced by a contentious personality which was easily set off by the goading of the Boston media. Looking at his stats and realizing that almost 5 years of his life during his prime was spent in the military, I have no doubt that he would have broken Ruth's home run record. Ted Wiliams was both an artist and a scientist at hitting. He studied pitchers, strike zones, handling the bat like no other player. When Mickey Mantle was asked about converstaions with Ted Williams on hitting he said "He makes me crazy." Mickey Mantle did not understand the science of hitting.
Ted Williams probably was the greatest hitter that ever lived, but his personality marred his relationships with the Boston media, sometimes his team mates, and his own family.

I do have a few criticisms however. The book is called A Baseball Life, and that is the authors focus. Ted Williams was an intensely private man whether the author out of respect for Ted Williams or lack of investigation gives very little information on his private life. We learn some things about his family such as his mother was an ardent salvation army worker, yet we know nothing of how Ted Williams felt personally about spiritual matters. We also are denied any information on his relationships with his wife Doris or his daughter. The last chapter stops without little mention of his business interests or his managerial stint in the late 60's. Despite these ommissions, Ted Williams A Baseball Life is an exciting, informative look at perhaps the greatest hitter that ever lived yet at the same time considered by others a selfish egotist. When Joe Dimaggio was asked "what do you think of Ted Williams?" His reply was "greatest lefthanded hitter that ever lived?" " "What do you think of Ted Williams as a ballplayer?"
"greatest lefthanded hitter that ever lived".

Im 17 years old and hardly pick up a book , but I couldnt seem to put this one down , I find myself reading this book 3 hours a day. These are all articles of Ted Williams life that go in order from when he was a young kid to a old man. Its not just about his baseball side , but also about his love of fishing and who he really is behind the baseball image. It doesnt just tell you that he did something but how he did it ( dislike fans , visited kids in hospital , hate writers , sent money to his father even know he hadnt seen him in over 10 years , and why he was so generous to others ). Ive read alot about Ted Williams but I learned alot more about him in this book. I highly reccomend this book to anyone whos interested in " The Kid "

Compiled and edited by lifelong Boston Red Sox fan Lawrence Baldassaro (who is also Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Reflections On A Splendid Life: Ted Williams is a remarkable tribute to the talented baseball player who won six batting titles and two Triple Crowns, and in 1941, was the last player to hit over .400. In addition to his legend on the baseball field, he served as a fighter pilot in World War II and worked on behalf of the Jimmy Fund to fight against cancer in children. Reflections On A Splendid Life collects writings and photographs of Williams, from his rookie year in 1939 to his death in July 2002. Articles by sportswriters, best-selling authors, and those who knew and respected the remarkable Ted Williams fill the pages of this one-of-a-kind compilation. This is a "must read" for all Ted Williams fans!

This is a great book, but basically it's the same book the authors put out in 1997 under the title "Ted Williams: A Tribute" They did add a CD.

I bought this book for my father, a diehard Ted Williams fan since childhood. He has read other books on Williams and says, by far, this is the best. The stories are fascinating and revealing, and offer little-known information, even if you followed his great career and life. The paper quality, design, and writing are superb, making it a wonderful keepsake or collector's piece. I would not hesitate to buy this as a gift for any sports fan, knowing they would not be disappointed. It would make a nice coffeetable piece in a den or sports-watching room. An absolutely wonderful book on all counts.

This book should help those who plan to coach or who already coach kids' baseball. Forty years experience in coaching baseball to youngsters is distilled in the book. It is chock full of hints on teaching the mechanics of the game. Also included are such things as how to conduct practice sessions that are both instructive and fun for the kids. Mr Caldwell has the quaint notion that baseball should be fun for his young players. I suspect they do. I also suspect they win a lot of games in the process.

If you have your own children, or you know someone who does and they are getting started in baseball. This handy book has several good idea on how to run an organized practice and keep the kids attention throughout. Great for experienced and un-experienced coaches alike.