Teams Books

This book was a great addition to the work that I do and the designing of a child care center. The author catches the essence of what is needed to consider when starting from scratch.
Great find! Great resource!!

Worth every dime!!! Anita Rui Olds has incredible insight into creating environments that are reflective of children and their interests. She believes that a child care setting should have "spirit." Included are Reggio-type environmental solutions that create a sense of wonder with an architecturally aesthetic sensibility. Lots of great ideas packed into this book. Only regret is that the pictures are too small and not in color. Would have been worth extra [$$] to have an expanded edition.

This is a terrific and necessary resource for anyone involved with the design or renovation of a child care setting. The author has clearly and concisely poured into the book her considerable knowledge and understanding of child care facilities, her passionate beliefs, and her attention to the details of good design. Her knowledge of child development is evident in all of her ideas.

Preeminent authority on design for child care, Anita Rui Olds consummated a lifetime of deep concern and research into the needs of children with the publication of this magnum opus. Lavish use of illustrations--photos, sketches, floor plans, and examples--and attractive layout support Ms. Olds's incisive text to create a remarkably accessible book. Many hundreds of child care professionals and architects who have studied under Ms. Olds will recognize and welcome this work as the summation of the concepts that placed the author at the forefront of her field.

More and more children are in institutional care and, "in search of a model," day care typically happens in society's "leftover" spaces, church basements, warehouses, and places intended for adults. This book will help anyone committed to doing better for our children to "see that young children are raised in nurturing, spirited settings that honor their precious young souls." (from the introduction)

The book's only drawback is technical as the reproduction of photographs is of disappointing quality.

Tragically, Anita Olds did not live to see this book published. We can be thankful that she left it for us, full of her passion for children. In its use we will honor her spirit as we effect her designs.

This must be the best book that exist about designing Child Care Center. It covers everything, but the most important is the focus the autor made on the children. This book is a must for every architect or people interested in design of this kind of buildings, specially if he/she is really interested in children well being.
The only but is that for the quality of its content, this book deserves a better paper and color pictures. (a 0 star here for MacGrow-Hill).
Probably this book is call to change the way a day care is seen today.

This beautiful book is a MUST for every Cubs/Baseball fan, and is unique because of the beautiful artistic renderings of notable players, managers, owners of the Cubs, along with a comprehensive and detailed backround - both current and historic. We have given many to friends and customers who are avid Cub fans and the positive feedback has been a delight to receive...makes a wonderful gift!!

What really struck me about this book was the perfect marriage of writer and artist, and how that combination helped me recapture all those wonderful things about baseball, and specifically, the Chicago Cubs, that I love. If you've ever sat in Wrigley, or even just wanted to, you've felt what it is to love and appreciate baseball the way this book's authors do. It's a love that's timeless, but frustratingly fleeting. Well, this book, and the fine work of Hanley and Deluca, brings those glorious feelings back to stay. I assume it will be a collector's item for decades to come.

This exquisite book is an excellent tribute to that Midwest institution, the Chicago Cubs. The book covers everything from the players, through the managers, the owners, the announcers (including Harry Caray, Holy Cow!), to the ballparks, and on to great and not-so-great moments in Cubs history.

Overall, I must say that I found this to be a fantastic book. There are no photographs in this book, but instead it is richly illustrated with many colorful paintings done by John Hanley, a nationally renowned sports artist. So yes, it not so much a history of the team, as it is a tribute to it. And, I must say that the text is great, short and to the point, and highly informative!

If you have a Cubs fan, and want to get him or her a gift that will be treasured for years to come, then get this book! I don't think that any Cubs fan should be without this book!

I have been a baseball fan all of my life, my boyhood dream was to play in the major leagues. At that time I knew the names of all the players and could quote most of their statistics. I also read a great deal of the history of the game and could recite most of the all-time records. After it became clear that the only way I would ever set foot in a stadium was as a paying customer, I became a fan of the Chicago Cubs. For nearly forty years I have watched them closely, mostly with a sense of frustration. However, my love for them has never wavered and Wrigley Field is still the only stadium where I have watched a baseball game. My first trip there was almost a religious experience as I watched Andre Dawson digging all-out for second trying to beat the throw from the outfield. (He was out, but he did drive in the tying run.)
With this background, I can express nothing but praise and admiration for this book. All of the images are artwork rather than photos and they capture the essence of what made these players so memorable. I watched most of the featured players perform on television and their grace, literally and figuratively in the case of Mark Grace, is expressed in their poses. The collection also includes managers, broadcasters and owners, so the history lesson is largely complete.
If you are a fan of the Cubs, then this is a book that you must own. I don't know if it is being sold in the souvenir shop at Wrigley, but if it is not, it can only be described as a tragedy. Kinda like some of the seasons the Cubs have had over the last forty years.

WOW. That's what I said to myself when the book arrived and I sat looking at the cover with the magnificent art work of John Hanley which makes the book a keeper in itself. Then I opened the book and WOW all over again.

Now, I am not a baseball junkie, but I am a history/art buff, and reading about the Cubs and their history from players, to owners, to Wrigley Field mesmerized me. And loved the examples of the change in uniforms over the years.

If you have a baseball fan be it a Mom, Dad, son, daughter, brother, sister, or simply love the National League teams, or baseball history this is a book I recommend. Cannot put the book down.

195 well organized, easy to read and inwardly digest, common sense, practical approach to improving your organization's life pages! All of us have experienced being involved in vital, dynamic organizations filled with the perfect blend of form and spirit. All of us have also experienced the opposite: organizations that are static, just going through the motions or even full of distrust, anger and conflict.

The Lofy's book can be applied from the personal to the professional - your relationships with family; how to work in a small group on a specific task; how to nourish those groups you are committed to; how to change your work environment; to how to change the larger organization.

"Vitality is about enhancing an organization's 'life force', its dynamism and flexibility." This book shows how to create and foster the environment of vitality. It gives you a process that builds trust and leadership while guiding the organization through change. It's written in simple words; you won't need a dictionary to read it. You'll be able to relate to the anecdotes and concepts presented. Key concepts are highlighted in "sticky note" format and figures are simple and easy to understand.

I've attended two conferences with Dr. Chuck Lofy as a key presenter. At times the room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Dr. Lofy's presentations and this book are in harmony with one another - profound concepts that once presented and learned, you think "why didn't I think of that...that's exactly what's been going on...wow, I'm going to use that..." It's a great book; one you want to share with others so you can reap great dividends in vitality in your life and work.

The Lofy's have taken a sophisticated subject and made it understandable. They take the concept of spirit in the workplace from theory to practice. They recognize the importance of the people element of a positive working environment. As someone who has run a very large organization I can testify that they are right on the mark!

I began to read this book as a favor to my best friend, Chuck Lofy, but immediately was hooked and quickly read it to understand the Lofys' analysis of organizational change. A couple things struck me. First, its clarity. John Lofy's prose rings like a struck bell and it was clear that these people know what it is they do best when they deal with organizational change. Whenever I thought "I'd like an example of this", there it was. Secondly, the pace was just right. It was easy to read a complete section and then let it sit for a while, as we do after a rich meal, digesting. I think their analysis of the process of change and how to harness change for improvement is brilliant and thorough and eminently useful.

OK, I have worked with Chuck and Mary for a long time, and I read the book last weekend expecting the best. I found it, and I am giving it to everyone I know who is involved in organizational change--most eveyone I know. For example, one of my clients is leading a huge organization through fundamental change and says he looks ahead and sees only a thick fog; this is the book for him. It will let him know what he is facing. Another is a friend working in a large, hugely disfunctional organization crawling with consultants. At least she will know what to ask for, and to recognize it when she gets its while this behemoth flails about, smashing everything in its death and birth throes.
You should read it too.

This is required reading for anybody who wants to lead an organization to a new place. The Lofy's explain how fear, mistrust, and disengagement naturally accompany change. Their gem of a book explains how to get through that chaos and into the change you're trying to create. Their idea of organizational VITALITY is so simple you'll wonder why you never put your finger on it before. But better than making you wonder, the Lofy's show you how to create vitality in your business, church, school, or government agency.

If you're a Royals fan (like I am), if you can remember the disappointments of 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1984 (like I can), if you were on top of the world when the Royals won it all (like I was), this is a book to buy. It is chock full of memories of the 1985 Series, with little interesting facts thrown in about various player's lives after the Series, (where have you gone Buddy Biancalana is answered among others), and neat insights into the running of the Royals that year. "The Call" warrants a chapter of it's own, as does a member of neither team, Don Denkinger.

The only reason I didn't give this book a "5" is that the writing of the book itself is only average, even for a sports book. It doesn't come up to the level of some of the great true-sports authors of our time such as Halberstein.

If you are a true-blue Royals fan, you need this book. If you aren't, it is still a nice story of a team that came together at the right time to win the World Series.

The Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 1985. Most people aren't aware that the team had a few occasions when they were really good and competitive. Sure, those were many years ago, but you can't take away a World Series victory for a team that truly deserved it that year.

The opinions and memories that this book provides is worth a serious read. Every baseball fan should order this book right away.

I am a lifelong Royals fan and like many Kansas Citians, I have vivid memories of the games that year. However, I have very limited information about what this series meant at the time to the actual players. This book transcends the box scores and recaps to provide true insights to the thoughts and emotions of the players and the fans. The importance of this series to this team and city is epitomized by the graphic descriptions of players' mental impressions surrounding the key plays in that series. This series was the greatest sporting event in this city's history and this book is a wonderful way to relive the splendor.

It's a shame that any Royals team wouldn't be inspired by reading this book. Former Kansas City Royals outfielder Frank White is right, "You've only got a few chances in life when a special challenge is put before you." So I hope future Royals teams will read this book, and maybe that inspiration will help improve the franchise. It was wonderful to experience what the former Royals are up to now-a-days, and Mr. Spivak did a great job in describing the feel of all seven World Series games. Finally, "The Curse of The Call" was a brilliant twist.

As a faithfull and lifetime Royals fan, this book is amazing. The stories and memories of that faithfull series are brought back very vividly. The author does a very good job of re-creating the suspensefull moments of one of the most exciting times in Kansas City History

Dan Marino was one of the great all-time quarterbacks. His quick decision making, and quick release revolutionized the game. But we never could have seen this athlete perform, had there not been NFL funding. Yes, without contributions from government subsidies, we never would have been able to see Elway play. I mean Marino. Do you guys realize that George Bush is thinking about cutting NFL funding. He has already voted to reduce quick release-throwing-funding. Without this funding Marino can't make the comeback he keeps talking about.
Doesn't anybody else care about Marino other than ME? F***

An extremely well-presented biog of the NFL's greatest quarterback. Different people gives their insights on the former Dolphin enabling us to see different sides of Dan the Man. I was intrigued to learn that he has written several commentaries on the work of Guy de Maupassant, has mastered the lute and mandolin and is an accomplished pastry chef.

I must admit that I am the biggest Dan Marino fan of all time, so I read this book with a little bias. However, Beckett Publications always produce good books.

This book is extremely well written, and there are tons of super pictures, many of which, I had never seen. Instead of having one storyline from start to finish, this book uses several authors, many of whom are well-recognizable to the sportsworld, to depict Marino's story throughout time.

Nobody in the game of football was a better pure passer, and nobody ever graced the game with more passion and competitiveness. This book sheds light on Dan Marino's overwhelming deisire to compete and win. In reading this book, you'll easily win too.

This book is the greatest book i ever read. Growing up in Pittsburg and eating those peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches turned a boy into a man and not just an ordinary man, Dan Marino THE GREATEST quarterback EVER and this book will prove to you that he is the best person on and off the field. Its a shame how video games are taking over kids life so we will probably never see anyone that comes close to Marino in every aspect of life. He donates his time to help children in need and on the field he throws the ball super-human like. I live in New York and i'm a Jet fan but theres no way i can deny him being the best ever and if you deny it its really because your jealous. This book shows the ups and downs dan had in his life and carrer. Dan is a loyal and caring man to his wife and kids. Theres never been a man with a greater will to win, and when you see him play and the fire in his eyes you will agree. After reading this book it will turn any man into a Dan fan. I recomend this book to football fans and Dan Marino fans all over the globe.


~1 luv~

i thought this book was amazing. it tells the story like no one else can. it brings you through the hard times and also the happiest moments in dans career. i would definatly suggest this book to any miami fan.

This book is a must have for Baseball historians like myself, chronicling the careers of players who played before the "long ball" was fashionable and at a time when the game was "becoming" the National Pastime! SABR writers have given us a valuable insight into the lives of these players of yesteryear. We cannot appreciate what it must've been like to play baseball back then, when salaries were extremely low and players had to take off-season jobs to augment them. One bad injury could cost you a career and if you strayed off the straight and narrow and put your lot in with the gambling element, banishment was always a possibility, as was the lure of alcohol. The stories of these gentleman are told with affection and with such clarity that we might just as well be reading about a long deceased family member than a ballplyer from the distant past. After reading this wonderful book you will find yourself re-evaluating your thoughts on today's star players, who want for nothing and are able to dictate in what direction their careers take. Such was not the case in the years between 1895-1920. It is sad to relate that we never got a chance to see these fine players in their heyday but thanks to magnificent books like this one, we can at least read about their exploits, some happy and mostly sad but always interesting and entertaining. A glorious book, I can't wait to recieve the American League edition.

I bought this along with the American League version. I like to pick it up and read about an older player or two each week. Interesting stuff. My friends who like baseball like to browse through it as well.

The Society for American Baseball Research rarely turns out a bad book, and "Deadball Stars of the National League" continues that trend. It is an excellent book, with short biographies of the major stars for each of the franchises active between 1901 and 1919, complete with photos rare and common. The book was an enormous undertaking, with a huge amount of people on the "Deadball" Committee of the organization taking part in the writing, editing and fact checking. It's a wonderful book for those wanting a feel of the game in the first decades of the 20th century, and of the players of that time, and I highly recommend it.

Fantastic book chronicling stars of the most misunderstood era of baseball. I really enjoyed learning of some of the lesser known stars like Orvie Overall and Mike Donlin. Great work by the SABR members. I can't wait to get the companion book for the American League.

I've been a member of SABR (The Society for American Baseball Research) for eight years, and I have always enjoyed the publications that they put out and send to their members. Many of the members of SABR work very hard on the projects that interest them, and the books that get put out reflect a lot of love, if not always a ton of quality.

This book is an exception. This is the best book I've ever received from SABR, and it's the sort of thing that makes me proud to be a member. Meticulously researched, beautifully laid out, and compulsively readable, this book offers profiles of over 100 players, managers, and executives from the Deadball Era of Major League Baseball (1900-1920). A few of these guys are still well-known today (Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, Rogers Hornsby) but the majority are players who, despite long, successful careers, have been forgotten by all but the most die-hard fan. I've been a baseball fan all my life, and I couldn't tell you the first thing about Armando Marsans, Howie Camnitz, or Homer Smoot until I read this book.

Thanks to the work of the members of the Deadball Committee, though, now I feel like I know these guys. I applaud the members of the committee for putting together such a well-written book, and I eagerly anticipate the AL edition!

Great book. The service was faster than I thought it would be. Thank you.

While this book can be used as a childrens book it can also be used in the work place. Kirk does an excellent job pointing out how people continue to pass by obvious problems but are more than happy to point them out.

I have heard Kirk speak and he is an excellent speaker. This book tells a simple story and has a very simple meaning.

If you see a problem, don't just tell people to watch out for it.... Take Action.

5 stars.

I have used the Dog Poop Initiative in our leadership training classes to introduce Lean manufacturing concepts. I would recommend it to any one that is struggling to implement change and improve employee ownership, moral, and buy in. It has helped invigorate our cultural change as we strive to transform our organization into a Lean culture. Like the Dog Poop Initiative Lean is all about removing waste. I would recommend the book and Kirk's expertise to anyone that is serious about improving their corporate culture.



Stephen Stoddard

Creative, witty and spot on! The message resonates with toddlers to grand-parents. Open your mind and this little gem will change your attitude, actions, and your children's lives.

I'm looking forward to the next book in what I hope becomes a series of similar (soon to be) classics.

Kirk Weisler's brilliant book Dog Poop Initiative may be illustrated, but there's nothing cartoonish about the lesson. Be a scooper for your kids by setting the right example for them, and you too can be a super hero! A simple message, but a tough lesson for everyone looking to motivate their team, their children, or themselves. Well done!

My family is a Notre Dame Family so I purchased this book for my mom. She loved it! It is also an excellent coffee table book!

This is the fourth book written by Mr. Garner that I have read. The first three were awesome and this book comes close to matching the standard set by them. For the most part this is a very enjoyable book: an easy-reading text detailing legendary moments in Irish football history, accompanied by tons of great pictures. The CDs are a bonus, but there is too much Regis and not enough actual game audio. My only other complaint regards the choice of what was included (or excluded) from this project. Can anyone really believe that the '92 Sugar Bowl (Cheerios Bowl) or the '92 Penn St. game are more defining moments in ND football lore than the '46 Army game (the most famous 0-0 tie in college football history and included 4 Heisman trophy winners in the lineups) or the '87 Michigan State game, featuring Tim Brown's back-to-back punt returns for TD's (I still get chills listening to this) and the fastest score in NCAA history (ND awarded a safety on the opening kick-off), or even the '75 Orange Bowl win over 'Bama in Ara's last game? And as for including "Rudy", well, the movie should have been enough, OK?

Just got the new "ECHOES" book for an early Christmas present while visiting family up north. AWESOME!

We listened to the CD's the whole way home - it was almost like we were really there. Regis was a good pick for the narrator. After your reader from Galesburg listens to the CDs, he'll realize that all of the events not in the book are ALL on the CDs. Now I remember why I'm such a huge Rocket fan.

I've only had time skim through the book, but I can already tell that it will be hard to put down once I get the time to get into it. Garner has hit another home run...or should I say "touchdown"? What a great Christmas present. I almost forgot about what a lousy season the Irish are having this year.

I confess...I'm a woman who loves football. Not to mention an Irish-Catholic. So when a football-fanatic friend of mine told me about Echoes of Notre Dame Football, I had to check it out. I read it, I listened to the CDs, and I have to say--this book has it all! Lots of stats for the serious football fan, tons of incredible photographs spanning over 100 years and compelling stories of football legends that will keep you up late into the night reading "just one more" chapter. And the CDs are great! Going back in time and hearing the broadcasters' excitement as Notre Dame football history unfurled on the field before them actually gave me goosebumps. I will admit that it was hard at first to listen to Regis without picturing him on the set of "Millionaire", which was distracting. More of the original play-by-play broadcasts would have been a plus. But any fan of the noble tradition of college football will enjoy this book.

"Echoes of Notre Dame Football," with its superb collection of Fighting Irish football memorabilia, hits on the high points of a storied football tradition. In additon to having a fine text with plenty of stories on the great Irish football hereoes, including a full chapter on the school's 7 Heisman Trophy winners, along with the memorable games, the book also includes CD disks with audio material involving the likes of ND super fan Regis Philbin and memorable coach Ara Parseghian.

The big games are covered in fascinating detail, making them come live again. The disks include audio portions from those great contests with announcers like Keith Jackson and Van Patrick calling play by play. Among the memorable contests covered are the 1935 classic when the Irish upended Ohio State 18-13 in the closing seconds, the famous 10-10 tie at Michigan State in 1966, and the great comeback in the 1979 Cotton Bowl, when a dehydrated Joe Montana, fortified by chicken soup, returned after the second half had already begun, leading the previously overwhelmed Irish from a 34-7 deficit against Houston to win 35-34 as the clock expired, giving football fans a preview of what to expect from the great quarterback when he joined the Forty-Niners in the NFL.

Having formerly lived in Los Angeles, I was fortunate to see many of Notre Dame's class games at the Coliseum against arch-rival USC. This book has a chapter which covers that famous series, which began in Los Angeles in 1926,in comprehensive and exciting detail.

The turnaround of the St. Louis Rams was remarkable--from doormat of the NFL to World Champions in a single season. And they managed to accomplish this after losing their starting quarterback, Trent Green, and having to settle on a little-known back-up quarterback that had been previously cut by the Packers, spent time playing in NFL Europe and in the Arena Football League when he wasn't stocking shelves in an Iowa grocery store on the nightshift.

Of course, that back-up quarterback was Kurt Warner. Coupled with Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Ricky Proehl and a tough, dominating defense, Warner blended the team into a force to be reckoned with. The offense became the Greatest Show on Turf and was unstoppable. The defense continually handled every other offense in the NFL and rose to the occasion when needed. This team was a team that was just that--a TEAM. Everyone on this team contributed to the team chemistry and several heroes were made weekly.

This Rams team was exciting and fun to watch as it was almost impossible to ignore the feeling there was greatness and a destiny for them. This book is the story of this Rams team and contains great photographs, inspirational insight into the team and its players and coaches, and recounts the entire season through stopping the Tennesee Titans at the 1-yard line to in the final seconds of the Super Bowl. In short, this book is a great read with great photos. Enjoy!

A great book about a magic season (comparable to the 85 Bears).That season made me a rams fan and with that book i can re-live the moments any time i want. it helped me over the last few dull seasons where the defense guys woke up for telling the boring saga of defense wins championships.
This book reminds me of all the blow-outs, the 300 yard games of Warner, the catches of Bruce and Holt, the thrill of the Super Bowl and so on.
Great pictures, good stats section of every game. a complete book, actually i wish it was twice as big. i was reading it in ONE day.
a must for all rams fans, new rams fans, Martz fans and Offense-fans.

This is great book that will allow you to re-live the Rams amazing turn around. Go ahead and get the hard back, you'll want to keep this book for years to come.

This book is everything it's cracked up to be. Forget that Sports Illustrated book, the subscription will cost you $80 and for what? Baseball yak-yak-yak for the next 6 months till The Man and his Warner Bros. return to action on Monday Night Football! This book will help you relive every moment from the sick feeling that you felt upon hearing that Green went down, all the way to the exhiliration of hearing that Super Bowl ref say "The game is over." Great gift, great book, great team! RAMS!

could a supermarket stockboy with almost no previous NFL experience who had been cut go from back-up to league, Super Bowl, and Pro Bowl MVP - and become only the second player to throw for over 40 TDs in a season.

Only in America could a team that was 4-12 one year make one trade - for Marshall Faulk - and go from mid-level to the Greatest Show on Turf

Relive it. It will make you pull for the Rams. Kurt Warner is an inspiration to every kid who ever had a dream.

My son announce that he is a Cubs Fan! So, to help make sure he knows important things, I thought this book would be a great place to start.
Now, this book is going to take a long time for my young son to read, but I find it very fascinating!! A great book.

For all the diehard Cub fans out there, this is a very good book. It's a great reference book and very enjoyable to read.

Any Cubs fans interest in the heritage of his team must read Essential Cubs; it's the most complete book ever for Cubs fanatics! Highly recommended!

This book is great reading for any baseball fan, regardless of whether you're a cubs fan (which I'm not). The reader receives the benefit of what must have been an enormous amount of research into not just the statistic achievement of the franchise, but also of the personalities of the people who created the history and the circumstance in which they made their marks. In addition, the information is conveyed in a manner that is easy and fun to consume.

An absolute must for any die hard Cub fan! A work of tremendous research providing the entire Cubs history, great (not-so-great)and forgotten players, teams through the years, the cub faithful and the history of Wrigley Field. I ordered 10 copies and passed them out to my friends. Even if you're not a Cubs fan, you will enjoy the author's fun presentment of facts and his enlightening statistical analysis about this original NL franchise. Bravo to Doug Myers.