Leagues Books

I had 11 concussions playing football in the 1960's. My last two happened when I was playing for the NY Jets Taxi Squad. They ended my career. "Head Games - Football's Concussion Crisis" has given information
and understanding that I had not known in 40 years. I think every parent should have knowledge about head injuries no matter what sport their children play. "Head Games - Football's Concussion Crisis" is a great way to start.

This is a fantastic book and a must read for parents, athletic trainers, coaches, and anyone else interested in seeing a summary of the current research on concussions. Nowinski breaks down the complex science into layman's terms and uses LOTS of stories and personal accounts to really drive home the importance of his message without ever taking an alarmist tone. As an athletic trainer, I would highly recommend this book to anyone remotely involved in sports, especially collision sports like football and wrestling.

This should be required reading for every clinician that sees patients who have had concussions.

As an emergency medicine physician I found this to be a very entertaining and informative book that should be a mandatory read for all parents, coaches and health care professionals that are assosciated with contact sports .The author related up to date medical thinking in a easy to understand way that will have the majority of physicians thinking "Wow , I didn't know that ! "
I would suggest all parents "force " there sons to read this before playing to really emphasize the difference between "hurt and injured."

As a physician and athlete, I was surprised at how much I didn't know about head injuries! Not only is this book an excellent layman's guide, it is a well-researched and even-handed review of the emerging data on post-concussion disability. Nowinksi has a personal writing style and uses his own experience for credibility and context. He is to be commended!

Go Reds! Go Tom! Great Book!

I bought this book being a huge sports fan, and was amazed. I collect many sports books. This, by far, is one of the best in my collection. Get yours today!!!

I had an in depth reasearch project to do. I was petrified to my bones. When I discovered this book i was extreamly happy. It gave me all the information and more. I learned so many new things it's incredible. Get yourself a copy today!! You'll be satisfyed! I gaurentee it!

This book has a wealth of information that cannot be easily found elsewhere... however, I was disappointed at the poor organization. It is not easy to find what you are looking for, and the indexing is inadequate.

This book is a complete compilation of the franchises several different sports.

The first section lists all the teams by the location name of the team, or nickname if the team doesn't represent a specific location. Personally I would like to see the format a little different. The author lists the histories of the franchises with the final location, with all the other team names telling you which final location to look under integrated in the same listing.

Personally I would have liked to see just the final locations listing, along with their other names and locations, in the main part of the section and the other teams names and locations as part of an index or even a table of contents for the chapter for you to find a specific team. This way I could see just the franchises and follow them and not look through multiple listings that just say see another team name.

The second section lists all the leagues with the teams that franchises that comprised them. This is good for doing reseacrh on a specific league. However if you want to know more about the movement with in the league, you have to refer to section one.

The third section lists all the nicknames and the locations associated with them. I didn't really go through this section too much as I don't really have a use for knowing the locations associated with a specific nickname. It would have been better if the dates the location used the nickname were included, but others may find this interesting.

The final section is the most interesting as it gives you the reason behing the nickname of many of the teams. Some histories are very in dept and you can learn a lot from here. The only thing I would so is eliminate the descriptions for teams called the (location) SOCCER CLUB. I think it is self evident as to why the soccer team is called a soccer club. This should be in the beginning of the section to avoid duplication through out the section. This is again one very interesting section and would be reason enough to buy the book.

I would recommend the book to other sports franchise enthusiats, I would just change the format a little bit.

Great book, I bought it for my son and ended up keeping it for myself. Maybe he'll get his copy next year!

This is a very in depth book on the history of the negro leagues, but I feel more on the business side than the games. As I read this book I continually reflected on the business strategy and mismanagement of the league, the racism the players and owners faced, and the changing dynamics of a nation. A good book, but if you are looking to learn about the players and what they accomplished then this is not the book for you. If you want a book about sports management and history of race in the US from 1933 to 1960 then this is a great book.

The book opened my eyes to a lot that I never knew about Negro League Baseball. I did not know how many leagues there were and how the players were treated in regards to Major Leagues. I did not know how the leagues were funded etc. There is a lot of good info in this book and there are parts where the story is good. After that it dies and some of it is quite boring, I mean the way Lanctot writes about certain things in dreadul.

The author is to be commended for the exellent research on a subject with few primary sources. The downside of this book is that it reads like an acedemic research paper rather than telling the story of a long gone istitution. Not an easy read but very detailed. Anyone truly interested in the old Negro Leagues would find this a very informative book. However if you are interested but would prefer something lighter then I would reccomend Mark Ribowsky's book "A Complete History of the Negro Leagues"

Neil Lanctot pens an outstanding history of Negro League Baseball and its historical significance in this brilliant one volume work.

There has been several important works on the Negro Leagues over the years, but none have been as inclusive on exploring the era as Lanctot. If the reader is looking for a book to quickly skim over, this is not the one to purchase. But you will be missing a vital book on a professional baseball league that has never received its true recognition.

It has angered me for many years that the Negro Leagues has become nothing more than a footnote in baseball history, seemingly "celebrated" a couple times a season with current pro baseball teams wearing "throwback" jerseys during games.

Lanctot's book should be a required reading for baseball's commissioner and other officials & then the steps should be taken to include the NLB statistics in "official" records, with additional classes of hall of fame inductees to follow the NLB Class of 2006.

I own over a thousand cookbooks (great reading, good ideas, good stories) and this book is on my TOP TEN list. I have been using it over 25 years to great raves from dinner party guests.

Fun and easy receipes for dinner parties. The enchalada verdes is especially good.

I've had this cookbook and SF Encore ever since they were first published and have made many recipes from both cookbooks. Not one has failed to meet expectations. One caveat, however. This cookbook is meant for people who know their way around a kitchen, not for beginniners. Since I've been cooking for a very long time, this was no problem. These two cookbooks are well worn and often-used. I recommend both very highly.

I have many Junior League cookbooks in my extensive cookbook collection. I purchased the San Francisco A La Carte book along with the I'll Cook When Pigs Fly...and They Do in Cincinnati (Junior League) cookbook with this purchase. Like most Junior League cookbooks, the Cincinnati book was fabulous. If it were as simple as going to my neighborhood bookstore to return the San Francisco A La Carte book, I would. There was nothing unique or unusual in it and I will never crack it open again. It was a very poor choice and I would not recommend it to anyone. In fact, I can't think of anyone to even give the book to...

If ever there is a "must have" cookbook, this one wins hands-down! I am usually pleased with a cookbook if there are 5 recipes that are savers---I have made over 50 from SF a la Carte and not been disappointed. Every page has scrumptious recipes whether a main course, hors d'oeuvre, or dessert. I own cookbooks from around the world, but this is my favorite and I am thrilled to see it once more in publication! Now I can treat my best friends to this treasure and they will no longer have to ask me for recipes.

What a great addition to any fan's library, The Team By Team encyclopedia of Major League Baseball is much more then a useful reference guide. It's got everything from statistics to in-depth biographical information and team history. The amount of information is staggering and it's filled with lots of photos of team memorabilia, legendary moments and important players and managers (the baseball cards are a particularly nice touch). The Team History & Significant Player's section for each team is my favorite part as you can easily trace the greatest players of a franchise's history and it isn't completely made up of the usual Hall of Famers & MVP's. I often find myself picking it up off the shelf to brush up on my baseball history or a quick stat check. At $22.95 it is a must buy!

Here one thick volume (1166 pages) compiles most every historical fact a baseball fan might want about each of the major league franchises from the original teams to those expansion additions. The book is nicely organized with a written review of each team followed by top team and individual statistics both traditional and newer. These statistics are shown both for team history as well as by season. Also included are the yearly starting lineups both hitting and pitching as well as the list of past managers. Each chapter ends with written comments about that teams best players. A great reference.

Purdy's 'Encyclopedia' tries to go beyond the usual 'stats and lists' format, although there are plenty of lists for season and career leaders. The sections on individual players are nice, with some well-chosen anecdotes fleshing out the familar stuff true baseball fans already know (i.e.'Lou Gehrig went to Columbia U.')
The weak point of the book would probably be the team history sections, which are, if anything, too concise in baseball info, and too wordy in historical background on every owner of every team.
Perhaps if Purdy updates this work, he'll flesh out the tean info. As it is, he's made an impressive rookie debut as a baseball historian.

VERY SIMPLE, VERY QUICK , VERY INEXPENSIVE, EXCELLENT QUALITY, VERY VERY SATISFIED!! I HAVE ORDERED MANY OTHER THINGS FROM AMAZON AND RECIEVED THE SAME SWEET TREATMENT.

Beware of a number of mistakes in this book, including the following:

p120 (1954) - Ted Williams would have needed only 477 plate appearances, not 502. The rule is 3.1 plate appearances per scheduled game. 502 is the number required in a 162 game season, but the season was 154 games in 1954.

p219 (1912) - The author notes that Morrie Rath was "easily" the least productive player in terms of RBIs as he had only 19 in 591 at bats. However, Enzo Hernandez drove in 12 in 549 at bats in 1971, clearly a lesser rate of production.

p552 (1929) - How can Johnny Frederick's six pinch-hit home runs in a single season still be a record, when on page 555 (2000) the author states that Dave Hansen set a new record for pinch-hit home runs in a single season with seven?

p665 - The text refers to "attorney Frank Shea." His name is correctly given as "William A. Shea" on page 670.

p727 - Yogi Berra became manager of the Mets in 1972, not 1971. Gil Hodges died during spring training of 1972 (see p581).

p752 - "1908" should be "1980."

p780 - In 1935, Cochrane lead the Tigers to their first-ever World Series victory, not their first-ever World Series.

p826 - Gavvy Cravath lead the NL in home runs six times, not the AL.

p1018 - Christy Mathewson did not prompt the creation of Ladies' Day. Ladies' Days were instituted as early as 1883.

p1030 - If Andrew Freeman purchased the Giants in 1895 (see p1026), how could Ward have retired in 1894 after growing weary of dealing with the principal owner of the Giants, Andrew Freeman?

p1114 (1977) - Doug Ault hit 15 more home runs after that opening day game. I have no idea where the reference to his hitting only two more home runs that season came from.

p1114 (1985) - On 5/23/85, Dennis Lamp picked up a win after pitching but 1/3 of an inning in relief. He also had wins after appearing 1 1/3 and 1 2/3 innings. Even if the latter two are considered "long relief", given the 5/23 win, Lamp did not win all his games in long relief appearances.

p1129 - The author states that George Bell was made the team's DH in 1988 because of his failing knees. Bell played 149 games in the outfield that year, and only seven as DH. In 1989, he played 134 games in the outfield, and 19 as DH. In 1990, the split was 103/36 in favor of the outfield. Bell didn't become a DH until 1992. The chart on page 1119 shows Bell as the team's primary LF in 1988-1990.

Total Access is a funny, well written view into the world of the NFL by the journalists that cover it. The book offers a look at what it's like to cover the most popular sport in America. What makes the book so compelling is that the stories are written in the same manner that Rich Eisen speaks, his descriptions always offer some humor, and the personal anecdotes are what make the book so appealing. A really entertaining read!

This book is basically a 300+ page commercial for the NFL network. Wish there was more research and backstory instead of a rehash of the last 1 or 2 NFL seasons.

Imagine you are not from US. Imagine you live in Chile, bottom of south america, where all you have is ESPN's Sunday Night and Monday Night games and nothing else...

Well, "total access" lets you understand why american football is so popular and, if you already love fotball, like it more than you did before.

congratulations rich, great book, great sport... hope to have nfl network in latin america

Rich Eisen's book "Total Access," is a great inside look at the goings-on of the NFL Network and its programming. I know a couple of reviewers said it was recycled material (i.e., transcripts of interviews that Eisen has done) and that's true. But certainly most readers have not seen every single interview that's ever been aired, so there's bound to be something new in that regards. Also, there are many great anecdotes about players and the NFL Network crew, in particular a great story regarding former head coach and present analyst Steve Mariucci and a piano in the crew's hotel in Canton, Ohio (it can be found in the Hall of Fame chapter).

My favorite chapter may have been the second, which was about the Pro Bowl. Rich Eisen does a great job of illustrating how laid back it is at the Pro Bowl and some of the cool interactions that go on between players and the NFL Network crew. The chapter about the Combine is very interesting in particular as well.

If you love Rich Eisen, the NFL Network, and football in general, you should find this book very fascinating. It didn't take me long to read at all and it probably won't be long until I read it again.

I'm thirty pages into this book -- and I love it. I'm buying copies as Christmas gifts for all the football fans in my family.

Rich Eisen paints very entertaining detailed pictures with a lot of humor that makes it accessible to NFL freaks as well as casual fans like myself.

History of the Art Students League
While reading the history of the Art Students League, by Raymond J. Steiner, I was able to trace the roots of the tradition of painting that I now pursue. This was as validating an experience as tracing your genealogical roots to understand your connections to the past.
While living in New York City I attended the Art Students League , studying with excellent teachers like Harvey Dinnerstein and Ron Sher. It was my belief that our subsequent move out of the city would deny me the masterful guidance the League provided. I was wrong.
My move out of the city shifted my focus to landscape painting. Friends told me that there was an excellent landscape instructor at The Ridgewood Art Institute in New Jersey.
That instructor is John P. Osborne, who studied under Arthur Maynard, who studied under Frank Vincent Dumond at the Art Students League. Now living more than 60 miles away from the city, I still have access to a tradition that began in Europe and has been handed down through generations of artists.
Reading the book brought to life the challenges endured and the devotion embraced by a small band of artists to pursue their craft. Generations that follow, settling away from the HUB, still benefit from the core group that founded the league. I, for one am grateful for the League and for Raymond J. Steiner who so beautifully created this historical journey providing an understanding of the threads in tradition.

Ray Steiner's book on the League brought back wonderful memories of the very quality time I spent studying there as a young art sudent. Harry Sternberg, Michael Ponce DeLeon, Will Barnet, Yasuo Kunyoshi, many others, were all there in real life, creating the ambiance of continuing art history. Mr. Steiner's book is an informative contribution to the cultural story of our times. Monya Brown, artist, director/producer:ARTLAND(Public Access TV,CH 15,96 Westchester County)

This book brought me back to one of the best and richest times in my life. It was a reunion with old friends and teachers. Mr. Steiner has done a remarkable job.

In addition to sharing with us the historical and academic aspects of this valuable institution, Mr. Steiner has given us a rare glimpse into the life of many of the artists who worked and studied there. We have the opportunity to appreciate them as people who participated in life, enjoyed friendships, attended social functions and parties. They have been fleshed out into real people creating art as an extension of their lives, rather than just names on paintings. I find Mr. Steiner's book a refreshing change from stodgy "catalog" type works that bore us with facts and forget that artists are human beings and enjoy the lives of real people while creating works of art. This book has enhanced my enjoyment of many of the works produced by artists who studied at the League and I believe everyone reading this history will come away enriched and smiling.

Valuable insights into the founding, evolution, and character of one of America's most influential art schools are provided by this book.

The author goes "behind the scenes" to provide us with a human view of the instructors and students and their relationship to the League. It discusses the League's disputatious beginnings and its energetic evolution into what is arguably New York's most important art school.

The author has used his art-world connections to glean rare anecdotes about the League, offering the reader glimpses of this institution which are unlikely to be found elsewhere.

This book will be valuable to anyone who wishes to understand the history of art and artists in New York.

This is the best book on FWL that you could find now. Its very good for someone who wants to start a FWL gaming unit. It tells things like ranks from Recruit to Capitan-Genenra, All the Free Wolrds League units like, Marik Militia,Atrean Dragoons,Siraian Lancers and more.So get the book NOW!

I love the new Field Manuals that FASA has been publishing recently. However, the Marik book is probably the worst. Still, it is a worthy book with lots of useful information, but if you don't have any other field manuals yet I would suggest getting the Crusader clan book or the Draconis Combine instead.

BattleTech: Free Worlds League is good, and when I first got it I drooled over it. But, it gets old after awhile and now it's just another addition to my "library" of BattleTech source-books and novels.

I'll never forget the first time I was sitting at home and the "Battletech" cartoon showed up on my living room Television. From that moment on I was hooked on pretty much anything that had a mech in it. But, enough about that you want to know what's in the book. Don't you? Well, This book focuses on the military forces of the Free Worlds League. It describes units, tactics, as well as awards and merits. Also, it states academies run within the League and offers historical insight into the League. I have not read the book cover to cover, But don't let that throw you on my opinion of the book. It has so much that I could not possibly wait to go through that book and absorb all that book could offer and to this day I am still not done. Will I recomend buying this book? yes as well as any other Field Manual for any other aspect of the Inner Sphere or the Clans.

This is a great book full of everything you need to know about the Free Worlds League. It contains things like new 'Mechs designs, weapons, and new battle armor. The unit summeries are very detailed and show the insignia of every main unit. The color pictures show the new battle armor and regimental paint schemes, which are very cool. This is one of the best Battletech books I own and I recommend it to everyone.

I have made this book required reading for my students when I started teaching Medical Ethics here at the university. Most of my students and colleagues (both groups include nurses, doctors, med. students, P.A.'s, etc.) are astounded by what they learn from this book. It's tragic that almost no one is telling women about the inherent dangers of the Pill. Likewise, I think it is criminal that most "HIV education programs" on college campuses do not include Wilks' information on condoms and spermicides. He shows that counting on latex to save your life or prevent pregnancy is a dangerous illusion. Also, he makes clear that HPV (the most common, communicable and deadly viral STD) is transmitted even when condoms are used "correctly and consistently" (even assuming the latter criteria were actually attainable!). This book can save lives. It is must-reading for health professionals, guidance counselors, teachers, parents. I can't wait for a third edition!

Having read volumes on the subject and having a doctorate in pharmacology, I highly recommend this tome of wisdom from Dr Wilks. He has with over 1000 references silenced the critics of the Pill and other common abortifacients masquerading as "contraceptives". He has also laid out carefully and with precision all the devastating side effects from these powerful steroids which are wrecking havoc on women all over the globe, especially on poor Third World women who have little or no access to support health services.

I am a practicing pharmacist who has had many instances of side-effects due to taking the pill present themselves by women in the pharmacies in which I have worked. Reading the pharmaceutical manufacturers' material and much of the media articles, one would think that these are rare and not very serious. John Wilks has amassed an enormous amount of research showing the true nature of these chemicals being presented as safe and effective for contraceptive purposes. Dr. Wilks' work is useful for both lay people and professionals. This is a very insightful work that sheds scientific light on the true nature of the birth control pill and other chemicals and devices used for contraceptive purposes.

While I agree with John Wilks that side effects and risks of hormonal contraceptives are significantly downplayed, I reading his book didn't tell me anything I didn't know about it already (I have probably read more papers on birth control than he did) and book left me dissapointed and angry. This is mainly because the book is thinly disguised pro-life drivel. Also, his frequent statements "natural fertility is not a disease" made me extremely angry, since I don't think that I would be very healthy if I had a child every year or every two years. Not to mention overpopulation problem. Also, information in the book, although it contains some good points, is presented in scare mongering way and case studies included are calculated to provoke emotional response. Not very scientific in my opinion. Chapters on Depo Provera and Norplants are very short, though side effects and complications of those are usually worse than the pill. "Minor" side effects are not discussed at all for any of the methods. He entirely missed to address the issue of liver problems for pill users. Based on what I know about hormonal contraceptives (and I don't care at all whether they are abortificaent or not) I would never use them, but I don't find John Wilks' book objective and thoroughly researched.

This book contains essential information for anyone who would prescribe, use or research oral contraceptives. As a physician, I have found this book to contain all of the necessary information required to make a truly informed decision about oral contaceptives and other similar medications. This information is either ignored by the general public, but usually buried by the pharmaceutical companies in technical jargon that the average person finds impossible to understand. Mr. Wilks' book cuts through all of this and presents all of the information about these drugs; their risks, side-effects and complications, in an easy to read format that cannot be found anywhere else. Professionals and consumers alike will find this book extremely informative and probably more than a little disturbing, as the truth about these drugs is seldom told.

This is the fourth W.P. Kinsella book I've read, after "Shoeless Joe", "The Iowa Baseball Confederacy", and "The Thrill of the Grass". I loved the first three. The author blends wonderful writing with mysticism, magic, and baseball to create mind-bending stories you can't forget.

"The Dixon Cornbelt League and Other Baseball Stories" disappointed me. "Searching for January", "Eggs", and the title story are memorable; they sparkle with imagination and fine writing. The remaining six tales are just average, below Kinsella's usual high standard.

Baseball fiction is Kinsella's arena. He ranks with Ring Lardner and Mark Harris as best in the genre. If you are new to Kinsella, start with the novels or "Thrill" to catch him at the top of his game.

W.P. Kinsella comes back with another great collection of short stories in this book. His stories are not just about baseball. They are about life itself, with a touch of magic and fantasy. My favorite is the title story, which has a very interesting twist to it. Ever since I found "Shoeless Joe", Kinsella has never ceased to amaze me, and I can read his books again and again without putting them down. Another classic that you should add to your library.

The first story in this book, "The Baseball Wolf," is the greatest short story i've ever read. The descriptions, the humor, and the creativity (the main character's name is "Denny's" after the restaurant) make this story perfection. I've read it over and over and I'm continually marvelled by its ingenuity. Read this story and close the book with a wonderful warmth in your belly.

Baseball and the mystic. Kinsella does a great job of satisfied the baseball addict's need for a good story with the game or its players as the focus. I loved "Shoeless Joe" but was surprised to find these short stories almost as enjoyable. Some of the language is strong but I recommended it to my adolescent son, none the less,and he fell in love in it. Such fun to read. It helped pass those long night between the end of the World Series and the start of Spring training

This is one of the best books, I have EVER read. My favorite, "Searching For January", in which Reberto Clemente paddles ashore, 25 years after his "fatal" plane crash which for him happened only days ago, and discusses with a tourist, returning to the Pittspurgh Pirates, almost made my dad, who remembered Clemente fondly from his youth, cry when I read it to him. This is one beutiful collection of stories. Don't miss it.