Leagues Books

I am expecting my first baby in July and purchased this book because I plan to breast feed & am doing as much research as possible on everything long before baby comes home. So far, I have only read the introduction & first chapter, which is applicable to someone months away from giving birth.
I agree with other reviewers that the author is definitely biased towards breast-feeding, but, duh! Why would the "Nursing Mother's Companion" encourage bottle feeding formula, especially when it has been proven time & time again that nursing is best for baby AND mother?
I would recommend this book to any of my friends considering nursing.

Of all the nursing books out there, I am so glad that I picked (and I bought it because of the reviews!) this one. There is some really good advice for first time mothers and it was easy to read. I could read it quickly when I needed late night or early morning help. I am now going to buy this book for every baby shower that I go to!!

Thinking about breastfeeding, or determined to breastfeed? Buy this book to learn the benefits and ins and outs of this natural feeding method! Great knowledge and an easy read!

I purchased this book, because I heard that about 80% of women actually struggle at least a bit with breastfeeding. I wanted to make sure that I was ready for any complications and issues that might arise and was informed as to how to correct them ahead of time. There is a lot of fantastic information in this book. I would definitely recommend reading the book BEFORE you have the baby and have to suddenly breastfeed within an hour or so--especially if there are any issues. That way you'll be more prepared as to various things to try to solve any problems rather than becoming overly stressed and giving up too soon.

This is by far the best purchase I ever made. I started reading it 2 months before my daughter was born to prepare myself. And I'm still using it today. I refer to it when my friends or I have breastfeeding problems. If you're thinking of breastfeeding, this is the book to get.

Reading this book gave me insight into the Negro Leagues and more importantly into Buck O'Neil. Buck O'Neil was a man today's player should study and revere; not only because of his courage but for his respect of the game.

The Soul of Baseball is a history lesson I encourage any fan or player to read.

This is an outstanding book by one of my favorite writers. Joe really knows how to tell a story and paint a vivid picture with his words. I loved it so much that I just couldn't put it down. A must have for any and all baseball fans.

This is an absolutely amazing book about an amazing person, I really wish I had the chance to meet Buck after reading this.

This is a beautifully written book that is a thoroughly modern history of not only one amazing man (Buck O'Neil), who tirelessly reminded the world of Negro League baseball, but of Joe Posnanski's love of the game and the man. Like all great books, I was devastated when it ended. Thank you Joe. (and Buck!)

An excellent read, not just a story about a baseball man, but a story about a truly great human being that we all can learn from.

The Moosepath league series are fast becoming my favorite books after a lifetime of avid reading. The characters are joyfully delightful and woven into a yarn that is amusing, enchanting and at times magical. Take Charles Dickens Pickwickians, add some "Three Men in a Boat" charm, a liberal sprinkling of P.G. Wodehouse's comic situations, a little Jane Austen romance, a dash of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"'s magic; mix well and spread over a 19th century Maine landscape and you'll end up with this wonderful book. You must read it - however many stars I had to give, I'd give them all.

This book is sheer fun. I discovered it in a used book store and am buying the rest of the trilogy immediately. Before I was through with the book, I was looking into a vacation in Maine. Excellent.

Van Reid is an amazing story teller. There are many great stories within the larger story. This book was great, albeit a little slow in places. If you liked it at all, you should continue on to the other two books in the triology which just keep getting better.

Van Reid has a magic way with words. In "Cordelia Underwood" he has created each character (and there are many of them)with wit and insight. His characters understand the importance of kindness and respect. They are also, with a couple necessary exceptions, game for adventure, especially when that concerns helping a friend or rescuing a "damsel in distress" (who turns out pretty good at helping herself). There are stories within stories and intersecting adventures, and I found each a delight. They all fit together into as pleasurable a novel as I have ever read. You won't regret reading this.

Van Reid has crafted a delightfully charming work. CORDELIA UNDERWOOD actually made me, a deep-fried Southern Belle, dream of adventuring in the very New England setting inhabited by the members of the MOOSEPATH LEAGUE. I look forward with great anticipation to reading all the books in the series and sincerely hope that there will be many more escapades to read about in years to come. If you are a fan of Miss Read's English villages, Jan Karon's Mitford, and L.M. Montgomery's ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, then Van Reid's Maine missives are for you!

This is an excellent cookbook, not only in content, but in the quality hard cover and readable print. I am so happy to have had it recommended for my cookbook library! Being a member of a local Herb Society, and having published our own books in the past, this book rates right at the top.

I have found every recipe created from this book to be so delicious and crowd pleasing. A staple item that I make at least three times a week are the Whipping Cream biscuits. Looking for healthy dishes to serve my family, I am fond of the Whipped Carrots and Parsnips dish as well as a rich and delicious Baked Spinach (a favorite often made for potlucks by a dear friend who is also a fan of this book). Each recipe is quite easy to prepare with readily available ingredients. An excellent book, highly recommend.

This is my favorite cookbook. Because the recipes are very thoroughly tested, unlike many cookbooks, I can trust that the recipes are accurate and easy to follow. I also love that all the recipes call for fresh ingredients, and it is an excellent book to use when cooking for company or holidays.

Absolutely wonderful cookbook! A must have for the kitchen! Beautiful bith in pictures and recipes!

I have collected cookbooks for the past 45 years, and this is absolutely one of the BEST!!! It is beautifully illustrated and full of unusual recipes. So far every one I've tried has been delicious and easy to follow. I'm ordering five more to have on hand for gifts.

I wasn't overly impressed by any of the ones I saw, so I dug this out instead, figuring I could at least get a little heads up on what to expect in terms of nursing (like everyone else posting reviews, I've got a nursing toddler and am pregnant; having gotten thru the worst of the soreness, I don't expect weaning soon). In the event, this book offers a nice overview of other impacts on the family of adding a new baby to the mix: sleep issues, routines, keeping the toddler happy while the newborn has you fully occupied, etc. And unlike some of the other second-child books, this one is firmly focused on attachment parenting/co-sleeping/extended nursing/etc.

Flowers' narrative voice is pleasant without wasting your time. As with all too many books about breastfeeding, the format is a little large for holding comfortably while nursing. The voices of many, many mothers who have Already Been There are included within a structure that lets you look up an answer to a question you have quickly.

A wonderful book covering a little-discussed topic which would be helpful for anyone considering breastfeeding a toddler as well as a new baby. It includes lots of data and research but I found the quotes and case studies from mothers who've done it most useful. In the end it gives no answers or even recommendations - other than to listen to your own body as well as your children's needs - but I found it invaluable as reassurance that lots of mothers do it and there can be both challenges and huge rewards.

I am so happy with this book. I am currently nursing a toddler and am pregnant. It answered all of my questions and really put me at ease. Instead of pushing you to continue breastfeeding during pregnancy or after it presents information for your family to consider. It has pictures of positions for nursing around a pregnant belly and nursing 2 or even more. It's also filled with scientific facts on benefits of extended breastfeeding and the safety of nursing while pregnant. A must read if you are considering breastfeeding thru a pregnancy and beyond.

This is both a great resource and a strong support for mothers considering nursing both a toddler and a newborn. It works for our family and I highly recommend looking at this book before you make a decision on the subject.

I was so worried when I found out I was pregnant and still nursing a 9 month old, but after reading this book it put my mind at ease. It is a great book for anyone even just considering tandem nursing. I highly recommend this book.

Collins gets it. Baseball people have a certain way about them, and Collins obviously is one of them; he also knows how to write about them. This book--an in-depth and endearing look at the 2002 Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League--shines with the polish of good baseball writing about a great baseball subject. The players and team staff come to life, as does the ebb and flow of a summer on the cape. The poignancy of this moment in time, in these specific lives and in this specific baseball season, got me a little misty-eyed at the end. These are the kinds of dreams everyone should have, at least once in awhile, even when they have to come to an end.

This is such a big part of why I love baseball.

This is a terrific book for any fan of baseball. The book discusses three main characters in how they came to baseball how they played growing up and in college and then how the fare in the Cape League. I've passed the book on to several others who have loved it as well. A must for any baseball fan.

This book offers excellent insight into what collegiate players will do to make it to the big leagues. The glimpses of small town fans are also interesting. The reader is exposed to a part of baseball few know much about. Informative and fun to read.

Simply a fantastic book. Well-researched, intriguing, personal, etc. Shows why baseball is unique as compared to all other sports. There are so many nuances always to explore. The Central Illinois League, another amateur summer league, is a good example of a smaller version of the Cape Cod League as well. Either way, this book was an easy read on a long plane ride. No other sport could have produced a book's topic/story like this. Well done, Mr. Collins. Well done, baseball, as always.

If you like decent writing and/or, you are a baseball fan, just read it. I thought about the book long after I had finished reading it.

I bought this large print edition as a Christmas present for my father. He is 90 years old, and remembers these events vividly. He felt that the Jackie Robinson Bio from 2007 was supplemented with this study of Jackie Robinson's 1st year in the majors. It was a good, quick read, which he really enjoyed.

This is the first book I have read about Robinson. I had gleaned what I knew about him from the media, especially Ken Burns' "Baseball." The author combines a macrocosmic overview of 1947 American society and microcosmic vignettes to give readers a stunning portrait of a single year with far-reaching effects. Especially enlightening for me was learning details about Branch Rickey's personal motives in integrating major league baseball, Robinson's competitive nature, and his effect on Black Americans at that time. The epilogue illustrates how profoundly our views of events alter with the passage of time, and the poignancy of change. I look forward to watching Burns' footage about Robinson again soon, with a more informed grasp of the significance of the man and his first season.

I found Mr. Eig's book very well written and felt it was well researched, though not until I read the `Acknowledgments' section did I realize how much leg work he put into "Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season." He interviewed Rachel Robinson three times and that background is readily apparent throughout the book. She tells how Jack felt about certain situations, which sometimes were in complete contrast to published reports that historians rely on when writing these types of books. (Interesting also that Mr. Eig's research uncovered the fact that Mr. Robinson did not like to go by the name `Jackie' but preferred `Jack.' And my recollection is that every time I've heard Rachel Robinson talk about her husband, she always referred to him as `Jack.') Mr. Eig also interviewed some of the principals written about in the book like Ralph Branca, Carl Erskine, and Joe Garagiola, as well as the Robinson children and Branch Rickey III.

The book did a fine job of painting a picture of the United States circa 1947 and with that perspective, made the reality of Jack Robinson's first major league season much more believable. I'm in my 40s and what I learned about Jack Robinson's first season - from watching baseball games first on Saturdays on NBC and then later on cable, was much more passive than what was presented in this book. However, as much as I would have wanted to stay comfortable with my pastel-colored memories, I do believe this presentation in part because of my own life experience, but also because of the copious research Mr. Eig invested in the writing.

I would recommend this book for any baseball fan, as well as for people interested in the history of civil rights and the long, not-so-steady growth and improvement of equal rights for African Americans in the United States.

Eig's extensive research and thoughtful treatment of Jackie Robinson does not vary or question the general truth of his legend: Robinson played the game well under tremendous pressure with little or no support and demonstrated in the process the skill and courage that entitled blacks to equal opportunity. But Eig does add some new perspectives that make the legend far more interesting.

First is the general unpleasantness of Robinson. He's like Pete Rose in his burning desire to win at all costs and would rub some people the wrong way regardless of his color.

Second and perhaps most important is Eig's ability to introduce more subtlety into the story. Eig destroys the legend of Pee Wee Reese publicly encouraging Robinson on the field in the face of racial abuse. That did not happen, at least not in 1947. Robinson is utterly alone in 1947 and has to prove himself to his teammates. Branca is the only guy to make a point of shaking his hand when he first appears, which adds to Branca's own legend as a man of character, but even Branca essentially ignores him for much of the season. Some of this is racial, of course. But some of it is the culture of baseball: a rookie must prove himself.

Robinson's ability to peform in these circumstances, under the most tremendous pressure possible, adds to his legend and makes his 1947 season perhaps the most admirable of all seasons. Eig is also good at introducing subtlety into the legends surrounding Robinson's oppressors. There is some rumbling on the team, but that quickly dissipates. Most interesting is the role of star player Dixie Walker. Walker felt compelled by his southern roots, and by his desire not to have his business punished in the south, to make a point of objecting and asking for a trade. But thereafter, he drops the protest. The problem for Robinson was not simply the obvious bigotry, but his freeze-out by the rest of his team until he could prove himself under the most trying of circumstances. Walker may have given Robinson a few batting tips and may have dropped his trade demands, but neither he nor anyone else took Robinson under his wing. Even in baseball's demanding culture of ritualized abuse of rookies, a rookie will eventually be taken under someone's wing. Robinson did not have that benefit.

The protests of other teams has also been exaggerated. It appears that there were some murmuring on the Cardinals to try to boycott Dodger games, but that fizzled before it started. The Phillies were grossly racist in their bench jockeying, but backed off early in the season. The Yankees in the 1947 World Series had a few nasty bench jockeys.

What emerges from all this is the pain of the gross racism aggravated by the agonizing loneliness of Robinson as he has to endure everything and prove himself. Eig convincingly shows that by the end of 1947, Robinson succeeded in proving himself and was the MVP of this team. Only then was he accepted by Pee Wee Reese, the team's captain.

All of which demonstrates Branch Rickey's wisdom in choosing Robinson as the man to break the color barrier. Robinson had mental toughness and competitive fire. The rap on black athletes was that they were not mentally tough, and Robinson was exactly the right guy to disprove that myth. Choosing a more passive personality would not have made the point, and choosing a less disciplined soul who would have got into physical fights in 1947 would not have worked either. But it is interesting to learn how Robinson sometimes crossed the line (such as spiking Rizzuto in the 1947 Series) and how close Robinson came to losing it.

Robinson emerges as a complex and truly great man in this narrative. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend.

On April 15, 1947, a young Holocaust survivor who had arrived in New York just 14 weeks before, attended his first baseball game at Ebbets Field. That young man was my Dad. Just having arrived in the United States and unfamiliar with the country's social ferment, he was unaware at the time that he was present at an historic moment---Jackie Robinson's Major League debut.

In OPENING DAY, Jonathan Eig presents us not only with an account of April 15, 1947, but of the months both preceding and following it. Eig wisely and honestly paints us a portrait of Jackie Robinson not as the infinitely patient hero of the film THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY (in which he played himself), but as a mercurial and talented young man who restrained his natural impulses toward bellicosity in order to bring down the walls of the segregationist citadel of white America.

In a world which had not yet experienced Brown v. Board of Ed., Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., CORE, Little Rock, or the Voting Rights Act, Robinson crossed the white sky like a dark comet. Promoted to the Majors by Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman, Robinson not only broke the color barrier, but excelled at his craft, leading the National League in hitting that year.

Eig examines (but does not utterly explode) some of the urban legends surrounding Robinson, in particular his supposed Christlike passivity in the face of discrimination. Robinson was a warrior by nature, and if he couldn't fight back directly due to his circumstances, he fought back indirectly by being an aggressive and accomplished player on the field.

An intelligent, articulate, gifted and deservedly angry young black man, Robinson had faced down a Court Martial while in the Army for arguing with a segregationist officer who called him "boy." To turn the other cheek was not in his character, and he did not suffer fools gladly, nor did he suffer in silence. Nonetheless, he kept his promise to Branch Rickey not to respond to the inevitable racial provocation that greeted his appearance on the field.

For the first several months of that baseball season, Robinson was the only black player, not only on the Brooklyn Dodgers squad, but in Major League Baseball. As such, he was a magnet for abuse both from fans and many fellow players. Shouts of "N****r!," "Shoeshine!," "Sambo!," "Rastus!," "Watermelon!" and other such bon mots flowed freely; beanballs were a common occurrence. Hate mail was received by the bucketload. Petitions were circulated (even within the Dodger organization) to exclude Robinson from baseball. A general strike was threatened.

Fortunately, Major League Baseball had more farseeing men than bigots at the helm. Diamond-in-the-rough Dodger Manager Leo Durocher uttered his immortal words about a zebra one day in the clubhouse, and stopped the griping. His successor, Burt Shotton, a quieter man, treated Robinson unexceptionally.

Dodger Captain Pee Wee Reese, a Kentuckian born to segregation, and the most influential man on the team, refused to sign any petitions, and the revolt in the ranks collapsed as a result. Eig cannot find any 1947 documentation of Pee Wee's physical embrace of Robinson on the field in the face of a catcalling audience, an incident now immortalized in bronze at the Brooklyn Cyclones' Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, but more important than the arm over the shoulder was the popular Reese's treatment of Robinson as just "any other player," which encouraged his acceptance by teammates, fans, and other players.

Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick announced that any team refusing to play with Robinson would be suspended en masse. Robinson did use his position as a bully pulpit by speaking honestly but not with hostility about his rightful place in the game. And Brooklyn---an inherently tolerant blue-collar hodgepodge palimpsest of races, nationalities, ethnicities, and languages---embraced Robinson unreservedly just as soon he demonstrated he could play the game. Fans of all colors in other cities supported Robinson, and his legitimate fan mail was enormous.

Given the later volatility of opposition to the Civil Rights Movement, Robinson's acceptance as an everyday teammate seems remarkably free of incident. In fact, the relative calm of Robinson's admission to the ranks, and the quick signing of black players by several other teams as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers, probably did much to energize the nascent Civil Rights movement to take on Jim Crow everywhere. By so being, Jackie Robinson was the belleweather of a new age, an age whose Opening Day was April 15, 1947.

The Twelfth Angel was a very emotional book that portraid the life of a man with a broken heart. It used a lot of forshadowing wich was hard to follow at times but was a main part of the story. It was a very predictible book that at times had you hanging by tip of your seat. I didn't rate the book very high because it was at times hard to follow but had a good plot that showed that he was a deep writer. Over all I thought it was a fine book and suggest that if you like drama and sad books with good endings it is the book to read.

This book just makes you want to count your blessings! I absolutely loved it!

I've read every book that Mandino has written. This was the first book that got me hooked on this author. He is a great story teller and a great motivational/inspirational writer! This is a must read for anyone over the age of 12. If all little league coaches read this book, there would be less problems with out of control coaches. This is not about baseball but about how to deal with life and how to treat people.

I have read everyone of Og Mandinos Books and all I can say is that he writes with brilliance, clarity, enthusiasm, and spirit. You can never go wrong with any of his books. He points out the path to success and motivates the spirit within to achieve all that we as human beings are capable. He helped me to tap into my innate genuis and create a life of prosperity and creativity. If you havent raed his books, start now and your journey of the spirit will begin. He was a born writer and even after his passing continues to have a great influence on many people old and young. He truly lived a purposeful and divine life. Go buy all his books and enjoy the growth and enlightenment. After that Buy my Book " Your daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present". Enjoy and rememeber you are capable of great things in your life.

The Twelfth Angel, by Og Mandigo, is truly an inspiring and heartfelt story. This story left such an unforgettable impact on me that I know I'm likely to ponder it for years. Everyone should absolutely read this book, especially those in need of inspiration and hope. This book leaves you with tears, with hope you never knew you had, and with the wanting to never give up.

I don't want to give away too much, but this book is about a young, diligent, succesful, loving man who moves back to his small hometown of Boland, NH, with his wife Sally and their young boy Rick. When tradegy strikes, John has to struggle to cope. His life is shattered and he ultimately looks to suicide as an answer. Fortunately, his old friend, Bill helps him out of the gutter, which is where his life now lies, by asking him to help coach the boys little league. Uncertain, John finally accepts.

The day of tryouts John notices a boy who is smaller than any of the other kids, whose baseball hat and clothes look about two sizes too big on him. This little boy isn't very good at baseball, but he kept on trying, the whole time with determination and a big smile on his face. Although some of the older and better kids laughed and smirked at his constant mistakes and misses, this little boy was never put down and never stopped. And to John's surprise, this boy was amazingly the splitting image of his boy Rick! At first John had even thought he could have been Rick. This little boy, Timothy Noble, was by far the worst player of all the kids who tried out, and who had managed, almost as if by destiny, to end up on John's baseball team, receiving a jersey with number twelve on it.

Early on in the baseball season, John noticed that there was something very genuine and original about Timothy. What John and Timothy both don't know, is that their relationship will become very close, as they both need each other more than they can imagine.

I absolutely loved this heartfelt story. I even had tears gushing down my cheeks as I neared the end of the book. I think that this book is truly inspiring and comforting. I loved how caring and concerned John was of Timothy, and I especially loved little Timothy Noble and how happy he was. I was truly touched by this story and will always cherish everything I learned from this book. The lesson I think that Mandigo was in a way trying to get across is that you must be positive and have at least a good-maybe even a great-outlook on life, no matter what comes your way. If you are positive, you have a positive feedback, making your life richer everyday and in many different ways.

I really enjoyed Og Mandigo's writing style, as he was very, very vivid with his descriptions. I definitely plan to read more of his books in the future, and I would recommend this book to anyone who can read!

I received this cookbook for a gift and I love it. So many cookbooks you get have obscure items in the ingredient lists that cost a fortune once you find them. This cookbook has easy to follow recipes that my family will eat and I can find the ingredients at my local grocery store. I have bought this book as a gift four four friends and I am getting another one today.

I love this book! I've collected Junior League and other cookbooks for the last ten years, and this one is a gem! The recipes are easy to follow and use ingrediants I can find at my grocery store. My family especially loves the "comfort foods" section. The margin notes and stories make it interesting and personal. I'm enjoying my copy and have given many as housewarming and hostess gifts.

Texas Ties is incredible! It has a unique recipe for every occasion and draws compliments no matter what the dish. Whether cooking for friends, family, holidays or a week-night dinner, you and your guests will be delighted by the delectable treasures I have found in the Texas Ties cookbook!

I am a huge cookbook fan and love to cook. Texas Ties is my favorite cookbook. I received it as a gift and was pleasantly surprised to see that the recipes are easy to make, unique, and delicious. My all-time favorite recipe is the caramel oatmeal bars. I make these often (especially during the holidays) and will give them to family and friends. Everyone seems to always love what I make from this cookbook! I would definitely recommend this book!!

My daughter, Ali May, recently gave me Texas Ties as a gift. Shortly after that I had a small dinner party and decided to try some recipes from Texas Ties, keeping in mind I shouldn't try new recipes for a party, but I did anyway. These are the recipes I tried that day: White Texas Sheet Cake (a favorite of my entire family now), Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (my guests all took seconds on this one), Black Beans,Corn, and Tomatoes (a juicy marinated salad which is now one of my husband's favorites), and Sumptuous Raspberry and Spinach Salad (a delightful change from lettuce/tomatoes). Just this past week our family came for dinner and I made Best Banana Pudding. I did add 1 t. of vanilla to this one. My grandson, Trent, asked for the first bowl and it was all completely gone by early evening. I am a cookbook collector and Texas Ties is now one of my favorites! Happy Cooking to you!

Damn this book is Flawless it has Olympic stats it has some stats on the old players. The Only thing missing was 1892-1917 stats for players who did not play in the NHA or The NHL. I love the sections on the stats it has the players complete minor league and college stats as well as his Pro stats. It has the place he was drafted and all the transactions. This book has a wrap up of the Draft from 1965-1998 and does a fantastic job at it. The Stats and the Draft coverage is the best.

this book has anything and everything you want to know about hockey its almost to much stuff

If you like hockey, hate hockey, or do not know anything about the inarguably-greatest sports ever, then you definantly need this book. It's a great price too, believe it or not, and it's my personal bible. Anything I need to know about hockey is right here, every single player and all.

This book can tell you everything you every wanted to know about hockey and the tradition of hockey. You get to see so many stats about all the teams and the players of the NHL. A must have for all Hockey fans and players of the wonderful game.

I'm one of those schleps who had the misfortune of investing the CDN $70.00+ dollars on this book when it first came out, only to learn that many of the (in particular non-NHL) statistics were inaccurate or missing completely. This is understandable for the very early players, but still, it seems as though more effort should have been put into this initially. I am interested in the old Hamilton Tigers franchise, and prior to getting the book had already done some research into the early careers of some of the players. Right off, I noticed that there were problems with the Leo Reise and Goldie Prodgers listings. These--and no doubt innumerable others--were rectified in the later edition, but that is little consolation for me. I made my investment, and unless I can find the revised edition cheap, I have no intention on blowing more money just to finally get what I should have gotten in the first place. Still, it has been a useful book at times, so it's not a complete loss, I guess.