Players Books

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

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

This was an amazing title! I never knew what I was doing wrong until, finally, I purchased and read this book.
What a difference it made!
Well worth the effort to find one.
Cheers!

This was an excellent guide for reducing injury on the court. I play several times a week and didn't realize what I was doing wrong! Now I am more confident and certainly prepared for anything!! I recommend it.

Finally, a book about tennis that answers your questions and is fun to read. I especially liked the details about doubles strategies. I even liked the math.
Great job, Dave. When's your next book going to be ready?

Well, I just have to take the opportunity to say Dave taught me everything I know about tennis. Thanks Dave!! I had to order the book and found myself laughing outloud as I sat down to read it. The humor within, as well as the terrific tennis tips, is enjoyable. Even though I have heard it all, it is great to read and have the reinforcement. Congratulations Dave!!

Written by Ron Kramer with newspaper writer Dan Ewald, and comfortably narrated in third person, That's Just Kramer! From Michigan Legend to Lombardi's "12th Man" is the biography of talented athlete Ron Kramer, from his days dominating football, basketball, and track in the University of Michigan, to his time to playing as one of the Green Bay Packers, to choosing his family over his professional career by switching teams and returning home to Detroit, and more. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this down-to-earth chronicle of Kramer's life, career, and passions. An enthralling biography especially recommended for football fans.

I remember reading the following quote in Sport magazine during the late 1950's:

"In 1957 two Michigan exports splashed across the American scene both accompanied by terrific fanfare. One was an automobile called the Edsel. The other was a tank named Ronald John Kramer."

Dan Ewald , who has written books about such Michigan notables as George Kell, Sparky Anderson, and Bo Schembechler has provided us with an excellent account on the life of Ron Kramer who starred for the Michigan Wolverines, Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions. Kramer credits his family for instilling in him the discipline necessary for his success at Michigan, the college he chose to attend so his parents could see him play. For their inept play in 1956 the Green Bay Packers received a bonus pick in the 1957 draft as the rules then allowed. That choice went for Notre Dame's Paul Hornung. With the first choice in the regular round the Packers chose Michigan's Ron Kramer. A broken leg in his rookie season threatened his career, but the arrival of Coach Vince Lombardi in 1959 revitalized his career as it did for several others on the team. Lombardi saw Kramer as an ideal tight end, his "12th man on the field", because Kramer could both catch passes and block for others. This was a position held by Packer veteran Gary Knafelc who lacked the size and quickness of Kramer. This was a team going nowhere under previous coaches Lisle Blackbourn and Ray "Scooter" McLean yet possessed a number of future Hall of Famers. The differences between them and Lombardi was that Lombardi stressed discipline and preparation. Following the 1964 season Kramer requested a trade to the Detroit Lions so he could be closer to home where he felt he was needed due to family matters. It was either that or retire. Had he remained in Green Bay he would have ended up on five championship teams instead of two and most likely cemented his place in football's Hall of Fame. However, family came before football as Lombardi himself stressed, and the trade was made. The situation on the Lions under coach Harry Gilmer compared with the Packers was significant. The book also deals with his family life after football and Kramer's emphasis on the importance on friendship in one's life. I did find one error in the book. The author twice refers to Fordham's Seven "Rocks" of Granite when it should be Seven Blocks of Granite. There have been numerous books written on former Green Bay Packer players and I'm glad to see one on Green Bay's other star player named Kramer, Ron Kramer. Football fan or not, you should enjoy it.

I received this as a gift and it is wonderful! The pictures are beautiful and it has a really in-depth history of theatre in America. Great gift for a Theatre Major!

There are all kinds of theatre history books out there, and then...there is Theater In America: 250 Years of Plays, Players, and Productions, by Dr. Mary C. Henderson. This book is awesome. And definitely a must for ANYone dedicated to or in love with theatre...especially the history of American Theatre. Our theatre expresses everything we are. Just in the short amount of time we have been a country, we have generated a wealth of theatre history, to be found within the pages of this lavish book. It is HUGE...352 pages of wonderful photographs and very interesting text. Dr. Henderson doesn't just take us from the early days of our country's theatre history to the present in one swoop...no, the wealth of material is divided up into sections, each focusing on an important aspect of theatre history. The first section is devoted to Producers, followed by Playwrights, Directors and Choreographers, Actors, Designers-a section devoted to Scenery, Costumes, and Lighting, then Architects, and Beyond Broadway-which looks at Off-Broadway and theatre companies across America. The final section is a concise Chronology that takes us from 1750 to 1990, listing well-known producers, playwrights, designers, actors, and architects. The amount of research that had to go into this is incredible. What I have enjoyed most are all the amusing anecdotes about the colorful people who make up our theatre history...and do we ever have some colorful people in American Theatre history! I strongly recommend this fine book, not only for theatre lovers or history lovers, but for lovers of lavish coffee table books too...Theater In America delivers.

This is a heart-warming account of the evolution of the Famous People Players and how they got to where they are today.

This is the heart-warming story of Diane Dupuy and the famous Famous People Players Dinner-Theatre Company, from Toronto, Canada. It outlines the battles, victories, and the many fundamental individuals who made the company what it is today. Throw Your Heart Over the Fence is a truly inspirational work, as it presents Diane's perseverence and unique struggle, in following her dream and finally attaining it.

* Throwing Heat: The Autobiography of Nolan Ryan Nolan Ryan and Harvey Frommer -- A home run by the greatest strikeout artist ever

This story of a talented pitcher's rise to stardom contains plenty of charm at its beginning. From throwing rocks at water moccasins in Mustang Bayou to lying ''in bed on those hot summer nights listening to [ baseball on ] the radio,'' the young Nolan Ryan was part of the natural world of Alvin, Tex., his hometown, with its simple pleasures and clear truths. Traded from the Mets to the California Angels in 1971 while still relatively unknown, Mr. Ryan has since become a legend with a lightning fastball that has struck out over 4,500 batters, more than any other pitcher in history. With the Houston Astros last year, at the age of 40, he had the most strikeouts and enjoyed the lowest earned run average in the major leagues. But his success dissolves his charm as his account degenerates into a list of record-breaking statistics. Further, he is too eager to blame his teammates for his unimpressive lifetime record of victories and defeats, glossing over the fact that in eight of 21 years in the majors he walked more batters than anyone else in his league. Passages by people such as Whitey Herzog, Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson occasionally give ''Throwing Heat'' the narrative quality of a novel. The co-author, Harvey Frommer, who wrote ''New York City Baseball,'' deserves credit for retaining Mr. Ryan's country boy style and self-absorbed perspective, allowing us to see both the pitcher and the person.

Ive never read this book, but this guy is my English teacher, and hes pretty cool. He described the book to us, and it sounds pretty cool, so i suggest anyone that reads this to buy his book, it hasnt sold alot, but its def a good idea to buy it!

That first idiot who didn't read the book was a half-dozen dimwit. I laughed so hard i started to convulse. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor in PHHS and I couldn't find my socks. This was a good book. It almost makes me want to learn to read. In conclusion, i like blue.

If you're interested in the history of baseball, I think you will enjoy this book no matter what your level of expertise on the subject. I agree with the previous reviewer's comment about it being the best of its breed. They say Ken Burns called this "the Cadillac of baseball books," and you can certainly see the influence it must've had on his Baseball film-series. It's a nice fat book, at over 400 pages, and there are plenty of historical photos and illustrations included on practically every page, making it truly a browser's delight. With the expansive scope, covering 1876-1999, those who range from really serious to fanatical about baseball history may be left wanting more in terms of depth and description of many topics. Nevertheless, I found the level of detail impressive and I believe that almost anyone with an interest in the game will really enjoy this excellent book.

I read the first edition of this book, I guess more than 20 years ago now. I was dazzled immediately, in the very first inning, by both the prose and the great photos. The most amazing thing (to me anyway)is Nemec's historical report. Somehow even though he's writing the more recent chapters more than 10 years apart you'd never know it. You'd think of him as a 19th century guy from what else he's written, but his 1990's chapter flows with the same spark and flavor as his first chapter on the early years written way back when. Most of the other pieces hold up very well too, especially the one on DiMaggio and Richter's look at Montreal baseball before the Expos. Let's all hope this crew is still around in another decade to do another update.

I found many interesting facts about Micky I never knew before.
I hear he is writing books on Pete (Come on put me in the Hall of Fame already) Rose, Micheal Jorden,Mickey Mantle 2 and others are in the works.
Looking forward to reading them all.

I hear Tom Burkard is a member of the Knights of Columbus South Amboy Council #426 and at certain book signings he donates some money to the childrens Christmas party.

A FINE WRITER AND FINE PERSON.

I received my copy of The Ultimate Mickey Mantle Trivia Book by Tom Burkard today and havent been able to put it down...this is an outstanding work, and is incredible in its in depth and detail. I look forward to seeing more books by this great author, and I hope considers writing another about "The Mick"