Players Books

Every year this book loses more and more of it's edge. It's good at saying what a player does well but is overly gentle about what a player does not. Back in the late 80's the book was brutally honest (if you get a chance read Ray Knight in the '86 book ... the year he won the World Series MVP). Now that was entertaining. Sure they were wrong on occasion but they had the guts to tell it like they thought. They've lost that now. Take a look at the "other players" grades. Over 90% are C's. What's the point. That said ... I'll still get it.

A terrific book that exposes the strengths and weaknesses of every Major League Baseball player and some of the up and coming stars who are close to reaching the "show". Follow every players at bats and pitching outings with this great scouting book that pulls no punches when analysing the players. A book I can't put down, every Baseball fan should have a copy in their library.

To all you Baseball Prospectus diehards, your 2005 collection is not complete without this book. This book provides traditional scouting methods that you won't find in any other publication. If you want to know the assortment of pitchers a hurler throws, you can find it in this book. The best part of about this scouting guide is the detail description of players' tendencies and skills. The book also goes into detail about the 30 ballparks around the league and provides a one page report about the tendencies and stategies of all big league managers. While I love to read the performance based analysis of Baseball Prospectus, I think that book has failed to capture the total picture of ballplayers in its publication and I use the Scouting Notebook to get both sides of the story. Remember, a successful baseball team needs both a blend of brilliant sabermetric and scouting analysis to be successful.

If you only buy one baseball annual in 2005, this should be the one! The Scouting notebook effectively humanizes the players to such a degree I felt like I could manage them to a pennant. The writing style is crisp,and clean, easy to understand without becoming boringly predictable. This book makes for a fun companion for the 2005 season.

Along with Baseball Prospectus and the Bill James annual, this is a book that should be on every fan's coffee table throughout the baseball season. Full of detailed scouting analysis on hundreds of major leaguers, it complements the statistical annuals perfectly, helping to provide a complete picture of each player.

There are 22 players listed for each team, with 12 getting full pages and the others shown with 2 on a page. Each player's vitals are included on their page, along with situational stats. For batters, a diagram is included to show hitting tendencies, while pitchers are given a pitching profile showing a further breakdown of their performance versus the league average. The player evaluations are divided into 4 categories - a recap of their 2004 season, pitching or hitting depending on their position, defense, and a 2005 outlook. For the players who have to share a page, the hitting/pitching is cominbed with the defense. Managers and stadiums are also given individual pages, and the park factors and managerial tendencies are useful.

Since more than 22 players contribute to any team, each franchise is also given a couple of pages devoted to "Other" players, whose stats and evaluation are presented in a succinct, boxscore-type format. Each team also has a section where several of their top minor league prospects are evaluated. This number is limited, since the book's main focus is on players expected to contribute to the big team in the upcoming season.

The only complaints I have about this book are minor. One is that the stats in the back of the book list batting average first among stats for hitters. I think even non-stat junkies now accept the fact that OBP or OPS are better measuring sticks for hitters, so I think it would make more sense to list one of those ahead of average. However, that's truly a minor issue. The focus of this book is scouting, and that's something it presents beautifully.

This is one I look forward to every year, and the 2005 edition does not disappoint. This is one to keep by your side during the baseball season, as it should prove both informative and entertaining.

THIS IS THE STORY OF RYNE SANDBERG FORMER CUBS GREAT. RYNO DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING HIS STORY, HIGHLIGHTED WITH THE REASON HE RETIRED EARLY. WHEN THE TRIBUNE DECIDED TO PUT AN IDIOT LIKE LARRY HIMES IN CHARGE, RYNO HAD ENOUGH OF THE EGO, CHEAPNESS AND HORRENDOUS MISTAKES HIMES MADE WITH THR CUBS. RYNO WAS TRULY ONE OF THE BEST 2ND BASEMAN OF ALL TIME. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL CUBS FANS.

Sandberg does a great job of telling his side of the story of the Cubs downfall. In 1988 the cubs were a force to be reckoned with and just a few short years later they were in shambles. This account of Larry Himes ruining the Cubs is very true. A terrific read. WE MISS YOU RYNO!!!!

Sandberg does a great job of telling his side of the story of the Cubs downfall. In 1988 the cubs were a force to be reckoned with and just a few short years later they were in shambles. This account of Larry Himes ruining the Cubs is very true. A terrific read. WE MISS YOU RYNO!!!!

This bio gets right down to the heart of the person and what he had to go through. Ryno was an incredable H.S athlete. I liked the fact that he revealed the reason(s) why he retired. The only thing wrong with the book is the fact that a short time after its relese, he came back, leaving the book with an open ending so to speak.

terrific account of his playing days. In his heydey, Ryno! was the smoothest fielding, power-hitting, speed-demon ballplayer A-Rod dreams he could become. No question, Ryno was the best ever. Now, read about what inspired him and how he went from a throw-in in the DeJesus-Bowa deal to MVP, HR Champ, and god of all infielders. When Joe Morgan rants about how good we was, I think he thinks we was Ryno!

Sexual Chemistry is not a "how-to" book. It's a book for people already in relationships or people looking for POSITIVE relationships. I liked that Rom emphasizes that men develop themselves from the inside out, not just the superfical "do this, do that" with women. He asks men to be men and take the lead in relationships.

Practicing the philosophy in this book totally changed my life. Buy this book ONLY if you want to learn how to naturally and automatically exude sexual chemistry as a way of being and living your everyday life. Buy this book ONLY if you are ready to give up struggle and stress in attracting the kind of people into your life you always really wanted. The information, if you are ready to receive it, is in this book and is that powerful. The only question left is, "Are you really ready for this kind of power?".

Well I did think this book was pretty good, it just didn't have the same "bite" as his first book did. Also, he used a of excerpts from his previous book, and this kinda seemed like a way to just make this book longer and take up space. I think the chapter about sex wasn't necessary. While granted he gave some good advice, the Nice Guy and Gamesman has trouble getting a woman to think of him sexually period, so first things first. I do like the chapter he devoted to "Mr Goodbar". The most positive think about this book is that it tells you to focus on enhancing your charisma from the inside first, and then getting yourself together mentally.

"Sexual Chemistry" goes beyond pick-up lines, NLP, and pheremones. This book is beyond everything I have read or tried before. It gets down to the essence of male-female interactions and provides methods for men to increase their natural sex appeal. I've applied the methods in the book and they really helped me.

Sexual Chemistry is a very vood follow-up to Nice Guys and Players. Rom Wills expands on concepts introduced in his first book such as the categories of different men and how ladies respond to them. I think the best thing he did was to provide ways for a man to develop his sex appeal. To me this book is along the lines of the Kuma Sutra or the Tao of Sexology but in a more down to earth, everyday life type of language.

Winner of the 1996 Casey Award, from Spitball Literary Magazine, as the best baseball book of the year.

See a review in www.Sportsbookfile.com, Issue

Marty Appel has a delightful writing style which drew me into this book and I'm not a baseball fan particularly. Mike King Kelly was quite a guy but how could we possibly relate to him? Well, the author has done a great job at giving us a feeling for that time in history (late 1800s) by painting interesting pictures for us of those times and giving great analogies in the present day. Appel has a great sense of humor, and even though this book is a serious study of Mike Kelly, there's quite a few chuckles to be had. Great introduction to early baseball.

Marty Appel bring us a signficant book about 19th century baseball, of which not enough is written. This book is also one of 27 that The Easton Press has chosen in its deluxe library of the 27 top baseball books. This books belongs. Many of baseball's present day problems can be traced back to the late 1880's when both players and owners rangled over such concerns as high salaries and the reserve clause. This is also the story of Cap Anson of the Chicago White Stockings getting fed up and ridding himself of the alcohol abusers on the team, Kelly included. Consumption of alcohol by ballplayers was considered to be a sign of manliness (how sad) and many of the players of this time died young and poor. We don't have many books available on 19th century baseball worth your time, but Slide, Kelly, Slide and a few others such as Where They Ain't (Willie Keeler and the Baltimore Orioles) and A Clever Base-Ballist (John Montgomery Ward), are exceptions. Appel's book will not disappoint you.

Thank goodness for Marty Appel. It is amazing how many people today have absolutely no idea of who Mike "King" Kelly was. How many of them know of Buck Ewing, Old Hoss Radbourn, John Montgomery Ward, Kid Nichols, Cap Anson, Dan Brouthers, A.G. Spalding? Without Marty Appel, this era in baseball disappears forever. If you read this book very keenly and see between the lines, you will see a stunning similarity to today's baseball. The greed and politics of baseball were just as rooted back then as they are today. The future of baseball was actually rooted deep in the game of baseball back in the late 1800's. Well written and researched with what little information actually exists from that era. A little difficult in spots to keep interested, but a solid and must read just the same. A must read for historian buff's.

As a coach and someone who knows the personal dedication it takes to achieve life's goals, this book confirms everything I have done in my life and teach to the players on my team. This book is more than a book about hockey. It spells out a recipe for success in life, in and out of hockey(or any team sport for that matter). Every page has something that will inspire you and remind you what is important in life. I am making this book required reading for my team because it confirms everything I have ever said in the locker room and to parents. While this is one man's journey through life to the NHL, the story is one shared by most people in the struggle to define who they are as the grow up and to achieve the goals that they want.

As the father of a 9-year-old, I am delighted that my son has selected Dan Bylsma as one of his role models. Dan (Anaheim Mighty Ducks of the National Hockey League), and his dad's most recent collaborative literary achievement, "So You Want to Play in the NHL" is an honest and straight-forward discussion about Dan's uncompromised determination to become a professional hockey player, is set against a backdrop of objectivity and seemingly insurmountable odds. The book embodies a wonderful and powerful message, that hardword and determination are the cornerstones of personal, as well as professional success. I highly recommend this book to all aspiring young athletes, their coaches, and parents.

I actually bought this book from the Dan Bylsma WEB site. THe book was sent autographed to my son for this past Christmas. Most of the content is directed toward kids interested in playing hockey and who have questions from how do I do a certain drill to what if my parents are embarrasing me. My 8 year old enjoyed the book very much and continues to read it again and again. I still pick it up as well. If you haven't read the first book "So Your Son Want's to Play in the NHL", another great read.

As the father of a 9 year old son, I am proud that my child has selected Dan Bylsma as one of his role models. Dan and his father's latest collaborative literary achivement is an honest and straightforward study of the role of athletics in a young persons life. The fire and passion of competitive sports at the highest level, measured against a backdrop of incalculable odds of achieving professional success is difficult, if not seemingly impossible to reconcile. Nonetheless, Bylsma's book "So you want to play in the NHL" deserves commendation for having done just that. I strongly recommend this book to any parent or child who participates in sports and who is fortunate to have the courage to dream.

After receiving the book, I read it throughout the day as opportunity presented itself. I hated to put it down when I had other stuff to do. I felt like I was being forced to leave the game before it was over. I was enchanted by the book as if I'd never read it before, thrilled to play a role by helping with it and to be mentioned in this wonderful contribution to amateur hockey. As I read it, I thought about my roles as a father of a young player, as a coach, and as a coaching educator for USA Hockey. Two overwhelming thoughts came to mind as I read the printed version of the book. The truth conveyed by the material and the fact that at times I fall short of the goals conveyed by that truth from a child's perspective. Even though I speak or write about and teach many of these things quite often, I found myself addressing my mistakes in each of my roles as I read the book. But, even as I found myself addressing my mistakes, I was simultaneously using the ideas in the book to reaffirm many of my beliefs or to assimilate these ideas to address issues from a different perspective. And as stated in the book, perseverance is a key to success. Taking responsibility is a key to success. Learning from mistakes or failure is what truly makes you better. "So You Want To Play In The NHL" has given me additional impetus in my goal to constantly strive to improve as a father, a coach and a coaching educator. Thank you for taking the time to inspire even us older hockey guys with a book written for kids, because really, we are all still kids at heart! By addressing the issues from a kid's perspective for kids, I believe you have succeeded in reaching adults as well. The heart of this old kid is much better as a result of the time and effort you have taken to share your thoughts with the hockey world. This new book, "So You Want To Play In The NHL", for kids, and the existing book for adults, "So Your Son Wants To Play In The NHL", set the standards by which all of us in the sporting world should continually strive to achieve. Cordially, Terry Vayda USA Hockey Associate Coach-In-Chief (Southeast District--Florida)

I was very leery for a while to buy this product after the LUG debacle but was was very glad I did afterwards. Decipher put together a great psuedo-d20 d6 sytem RPG that is easy to play with tons of Star Trek backround in it that will please gamers and fans alike I think. In fact only a non-trekkie would be crippled when reading the many in rule Star Trek references from all the series except Enterprise. As other reviewers have stated, this book focuses on character creation and has little in the way of Narrator tools and it is best used with the Narrators guide. Fan books, maps, galaxy guides, technical manuals, creature guides etc. from Star Trek all are very useful one might say essential to this game as well. In short the pictures, backround, rules, and system are all excellent with this Star Trek license game and I give it my highest marks.

First, let me say that I bought this for the Trek content and for inspiration as a writer and may never play the game. I have played some previous RPGs (none Trek) so I can still evaluate it as one - I hope. Anyway, this appears to be a complete player's guide. Unlike some games, everything you need is here, and sourcebooks are extras not essentials. There are ten starting species to play: Humans, Bajorans, Betazoids, Cardassians, Klingons, Ferengi, Trill, Vulcans, Talaxians and Ocampans. Each matches what we have seen in the show in their attribute modifiers and special abilities, although Vulcans have so many that some were cut. The action is done by rolling dice once, adding your character's skill score, bonuses and penalties and then comparing the result to the number needed for success. Everything your characters can do is expressed in a skill, and the range of skill coverage is very good. Characters also have edges and flaws, character traits that help define their personalities and affect their skills. Finally, each character also has Courage points. These represent heroic action and you use them to add to your rolls, either to prevent failure or boost the level of your success. (I would love this feature as a player.) There are seven basic professions: Diplomat, Merchant, Mystic, Rogue, Scientist, Soldier and Starship Officer. There are elite starship officer professions for every one we have seen in the shows. There are other elite professions that can be entered by anyone meeting their prerequisites. This system manages transfers like Spock from Science Officer to Commander to Ambassador and then probably either Envoy or Spy, all as a Starship Officer. All in all, the system really captures the feel of Star Trek characters.

The guide has a number of flaws. Least annoying first, there are a number of canon errors, which is surprising considering how much trivia the Decipher staff know about Star Trek. It was enough to bother me a little, so some fellow Trek reviewers may be driven crazy by it. As has been mentioned in most reviews (such as on rpg.net) the chapter and section order is really bad. The sections on character mechanics and level advancement should have been consolidated and in front. Character Development should probably have been in front of Professions, since you would use them in that order, and the non-starship elite professions should have followed the basic professions. The worst flaws are outright errors in presenting the mechanics of the game. There are edges listed in training that were renamed or eliminated by the time the Traits chapter was written. There are errors in the examples supposed to clarify how the game works. The level advancement rules are sometimes unclear. The Starship Duty ability is, according to the FAQ on the web, importantly more limited than it reads in the Guide. This needed a much more thorough editing before printing.

These problems are irritating, but they are fortunately simple to resolve. The character generation system and the skill test system are solid and very simple to implement. The guide also explicitly states that the players can create their own skills and edges, and even rules for doing so, and that the Narrator can change the type of skill test as he sees fit, if necessary. Should I ever choose to play, I would be very happy to use this system. As a collector, the insight into the skills and abilities of the character types, especially the elite professions, was worth the price. Also, nearly a third of the guide is given to chapters on equipment, starships, the galaxy and the Federation. Those sections were really interesting and informative. As a player I would give this a four for the errors, but as a collector I give it five stars.

This book is one of two core books, the other being the Narrarator's Guide. This book is full-color, with pictures from the original Star Trek all the way through Voyager and Enterprise. It has just about every gadget you've ever seen, and some you haven't, available to characters. Classes include Trader, Rogue, Starship Officer, Warrior, etc. If you're a Star Trek fan and enjoy roleplaying, do yourself a favor and get this book!

This is the best. I'am a narrator and I own all of those decipher manuals. This is the best rpg I ever played. Not just the best of trek rpg ,but the best of all I have played, and I have played almost all.
Perfect rules, Perfect manuals (that explain deep the ST universe and clear all on the rules for roleplaying and starship battles, spece astrogation or space hazards), perfect universe : what u are looking more? I have only a thing to say: buy it, and play.

This is the first book of the Star Trek RPG series. In this volume, it gives you the basics of character creation and gameplay from the player's point of view. It's a pretty simple and flexible gameplay system. However, there are a few complaints about this book. First of all, I feel that it wasn't organized very well. There isn't a checklist for character creation (I had to get that from another GM), so at first it's a little confusing. You have to jump around to different chapters to get all the information you need on character creation. Even just adding a checklist would have helped a lot. A second complaint is that a lot of skills, especially racial skills and abilities, are not listed on the character sheet, so again, you'll have to use resourses created by other GMs or make your own.

Even though this book has weak points, they can be overcome with resources available on the internet. Just be warned, this book only presents the game from the standpoint of the player. While the book claims that the game is playable with only this book, it's very difficult because there are no adventure seeds, or even many races or creatures to play with. If you're planning on running a game, you'll definitely need to pick up the Narrator's Book as well.

I refer to this book on a nearly daily basis, and it is a must for any serious baseball fan. If you're in a fantasy, roto or sim league, you need to have this book.

Don't miss it.

When's the new one coming out?

John Sickels does a tremendous job. The book is well organized, well written, thorough, and doesn't cloud the joy and anticipation of baseball. The best of the STATS books, and always on my 'must-buy' list every year.

there is no better, more accurate source for minor league future stars and role players available at any price. John Sickels is the best!! He spends his winters watching baseball, and he spends his summers also watching baseball. he talks to coaches, managers, players and scouts. his seven skill approach is the most accurate forum for determining future success. I learned the importance of strike-zone judgement, and noone can convince me it's not the single most important factor in determining future success. My roti-team is stocked with Sickels reccommendations. Eric Chavez, Gabe Kapler, and Matt Clement for starters. it's easy to say now, what great players they will be, but John told me FIRST!!!

I'm writing this because Sickels deserves it. After years of roto info overload I now prepare for Draft Day with only three books: Sporting News Baseball Register (so i can see the statistical history of every player on the 40-man rosters), and the masterpieces from Benson and Sickels. The key in a competitive league is all timing, and Olkin gives you a better feel for WHEN a player will bloom than anyone else. John, thanks for helping me win 5 out of 6 league titles in the last two years. But I'm worried now that my competitors will start noticing your book at my side...

If you're a serious fan like me, especially if you do fantasy baseball, purchase this book. It is the most comprehensive text on the top prospects in baseball and a must have!

I constantly refer back to it throughout the baseball season.

I'm a basketball fanatic, I love every aspect of the game. I watch it as a spectator, I coach, I ref, I organize, I do whatever to help the game advance. I also read a lot. I bought this book few years back and read it, I loved every minute of it. Every page had something interesting, some piece of advice. I knew most of it, I got a different perspective on a lot of things and a lot of ideas. Unfortunately, I forgot about this book in my bookshelf. I came across last week and started reading it again, it's still as good as it was the first, second and third time I read it. It's something I will likely come back to every now and then, just like some other excellent basketball books. Highly recommended for everyone who loves basketball.

This new version of the late Dick DeVenzio's classic book of basketball 'tips' has been re-typeset and is much easier to read thanks to his Point Guard College protege Dena Evans. Every player and coach should have a copy of this book. Amazon's price is great on this hardcover edition. I bought the original in 1995 when I broke my foot and was unable to play ball for two years. Now I have bought copies for my son and his high school coaches along with DeVenzio's Runnin' the Show.

The things covered in Stuff are not found in any other basketball book I have read-- things many coaches surely know, but don't remember to teach and reinforce- or things they have forgotten and never really put into words. If you are a player or coach or know one, buy this book.

Coaches: You may try, but you can't teach every principle and golden rule in this book. So give it to them on their birthday's and they might surprise you by making the play you wanted them to make, without teaching it to them. Coach Dick "stuff" Devenzio did.
Players: surprise your coach by knowing and performing what he wants, before he even tells you.
As a player I would have liked to keep this book in my sportsbag, as a coach I would have liked to have written this book myself.

Although this book is in alphabetical order it doesn't jump all over the place. They try to keep a continuous flow to make it interesting and informative. The best point of this book is to give you a different approach to almost anything you'd encounter in a game.

It is exactly what I was looking for. The price was right and the book could only be found on Amazon. Thanks

With the recent untimely passing of baseball hero Kirby Puckett, it's particularily worth noting that SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: BLACK BASEBALL IN MINNESOTA includes an oustanding chapter on the life of Puckett.

The chapter on Puckett's life was penned by sportswriter and author Jay Weiner, who was the Twins beat writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune during the 1980s. Weiner does a brilliant job in telling the "rags-to-riches" story of the offspring of the Chicago housing projects who became the smiling face of the Minnesota Twins.

Weiner reveals the essence of Kirby Puckett, warts and all, and gives the reader a deeper sense of the tragic aura of Puck's career, injury, blindness, groping for posterity, and his induction into baseball's Hall of Fame.

Perspective is needed on Puckett and his place in the baseball record in Minnesota and author Weiner does this in SWINGING FOR THE FENCES: BLACK BASEBALL IN MINNESOTA. The book gives TWINS fans a new level of understanding of baseball in Minnesota, tying the past to the present, to see how it all fits together in a lively style, rich in storylines, filled with pathos of the intertwining of the themes of manhood, fatherhood, and brotherhood. A great read for fans of Puckett and of the Minnesota Twins.

Twenty-three articles by a variety of authors, mostly college professors and journalists, cover the different facets of black baseball in Minnesota from its first days in the latter 1800s down to contemporary times. The general theme running through all of the diversified articles is the "America Dream" and the "American Tragedy" reflected in the histories of the teams and the careers and lives of individual players. The American Dream part of the theme deals with how playing baseball allowed players to strive for high personal achievement as well as enjoy various levels of economic security and social recognition. The American Tragedy part takes in not only the racism and discrimination players faced, but also personal troubles and disappointments of some of them. Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays appear along with many relative unknowns. The exploits of teams named the Fergus Falls Musculars, the Quicksteps, and the Brown Stockings, among others, are related. The vibrant Minnesota black baseball scene going back well over a century is treated in a popular style profiling great and other notable players and following the courses, and occasional dramatic moments, of the teams.

Hoffbeck and his group of writers slice through baseball history in a unique way. Minnesota is not known for its baseball history or its African-American history, so at first glance it does not appear to be a very meaty topic. However, the writers have managed to cull together stories dating from the 1870s, covering the local town team right up to major-leaguers with the Twins. Some of the giants of the game stopped in Minnesota on their way to "the show" and therefore the book appeals to all baseball fans, not just Minnesotans.

"Swinging For The Fences," is a fascinating journey through Minnesota african american baseball history from the late 19th century to the present day. The book focuses on themes such as race, manhood, brotherhood, and fatherhood, and traces the struggles and triumphs of several black ball players who lived and played in Minnesota.Through the stories of remarkable athletes such as Bud Fowler, Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Dave Winfield, and Kirby Puckett, the authors trace the vivid, if not well known,saga of black baseball in the upper midwest , from the town team days right up to the arrival of the Twins and beyond.Unlike many baseball histories, "Swinging For The Fences," doesn't overwhelm you with mind numbing facts and figures and a real love for the game shines through. The book also contains many never before published photos. Painstakingly researched and beautifully written, "Swinging For The Fences," is as exhilarating and fulfilling as a ninth inning rally !
-Todd Peterson, Member, The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)

When one thinks of "black" baseball, an image of Jackie Robinson trying to break the Major League Baseball color barrier with the Dodgers comes to mind. About the last thing one would expect is to associate the lily-white state of Minnesota with black bseball, yet, in this intrigingly interesting book, Dr. Steve Hoffbeck shows how many other black baseball players suffered the same struggles as Jackie Robinson, their stories being told for the first time.

Dr. Hoffbeck has assembled a team of 11 writers to tell the detailed story of black baseball players in Minnesota that begins in the late 19th century and ends with sad story of the fallen hero Kirby Puckett. This is not a book that revels in baseball statistics; rather, the writers focus on the players themselves: who they were, where they came from, the color barrier conflicts each had to face, and what happened to them after baseball. It is this personalized approach that grabs the mind of the reader, and makes this book so interesting.

The book is divided into 24 concise chapters, each centered on a particular black baseball player or team. My favorite player chapters were as follows:

1. Earl Batty and his attempt to bring racial equality to the southern "plantation" owner of the Minnesota Twins, Calvin Griffith.
2. Satchel Paige's baseball barnstorming days in Minnesota. I am amazed with the pure pitching genius of 'Ol Satch, and how he was not allowed to compete against white major league baseball players until he was 42 years old in 1948. Even at that age (Paige being the oldest rookie to ever play major league baseball), Paige amazed the fans, his teammates, every batter he faced, and even the umpires with his amazing throwing skills. What a shame a man like Paige was denied his chance to excel at his first love while in his prime - just think of how the record books would look if Paige pitched 20-plus seasons in the major leagues!
3. Toni Stone, the first black woman (or any woman of any color for that matter) to attempt to pitch at the major league level.
4. The chapter on the tragic story of Kirby Puckett, the first black Minnesota baseball superstar, who had the fans of Minnesota in his back pocket, and then lost it all to allegations of spousal abuse and infidelity. Minnesota has never gotten over the fall of their hero Puckett and we lament to this day the sad ending to his stellar career.

The above chapters are only my personal highlights of what has come together as an excellent book on black baseball. Other chapters deal with lesser known black players in Minnesota, yet, the themes of persistence through intense racial persecution and taunting, the shared black brotherhood of baseball, and the sacrifices these men went through to pursue their love of the game shine through.

Hoffbeck and fellow writers have contributed a vital link to the previously untold "missing" history of black baseball.

This book should be in the collection of anyone who loves the game of baseball, for it documents the early pioneers of black baseball, and shows the heavy financial and emotional price the players had to pay to seek their places in the game of baseball. Modern-day black baseball players owe a debt of gratitude to these early pioneers, for it was their superior abilities, pride, and persistence that finally brought down the long-standing nearly impregnable racial barrier of American baseball. Cudos to Hoffbeck and Company for telling their compelling stories.

Jim Konedog Koenig

Not only fascinating are these stories, but what I find intriguing is a look into a segment of American History of which I know next to nothing.

The only fault of the book is that, at times, it dissipates into exaggeration. It still comes recommended.

This book has been a big hit with local old time baseball fans as I have loaned it many times.

Not only fascinating are these stories, but what I find intriguing is a look into a segment of American History of which I know next to nothing.

McNary weaves the lively narrative with Double Duty's spicy comments interspersed.