Author: Jeff Wing
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595188095
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 322
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Book Description
When Pedro Martinez won his first Cy Young Award with the Boston Red Sox in 1999 many people in the baseball world claimed it to be one of, if not, the greatest pitching achievement of all-time. Though a remarkable campaign it hardly ranks as the greatest ever. This book lists in order the top 150 pitching performances for a single season between the years 1900-1999. Based on the grading system developed for this book Pedro’s season ranks as the 45th best season for a pitcher. Who is the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball? Is it Walter Johnson or Christy Mathewson? Some may argue for Roger Clemens or Nolan Ryan. The debate as to the best ever will continue but the chapter comparing pitchers of today and yesteryear will offer some new insights. This book will truly interest the baseball enthusiast because it offers clear and interesting data. Plus the measuring stick used for the rankings is not based on opinion, potential or favoritism but rather on fair and unbiased criteria. Eighty-seven pitchers (biographies included), from the famous to the one season wonders, make up the list of the greatest 150 pitching seasons. Included as well are brief summaries of an additional 130 pitchers.
Author: Paul Hensler
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538102609
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 317
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Book Description
The 1960s were among the most compelling years in the history of the United States, from the intensifying clamor for civil rights to the tragic incidents of assassination and war. Caught up in this sea of restlessness was major league baseball, and the manner in which baseball addressed the challenges of this decade would have a lasting impact on the game. In The New Boys of Summer: Baseball's Radical Transformation in the Late Sixties, Paul Hensler looks at the key issues confronting baseball during this tumultuous time. Hensler carefully examines how domestic racial issues, the war in Vietnam, assassinations of prominent public figures, youthful rebellion, and drug use each placed their imprint on the game just as baseball was about to celebrate its centennial season. The expansion of both the American and National leagues is also covered in depth, as are the new divisional alignments and major rule changes that were implemented in 1969. Other factors impacting the national pastime include the appointment of Bowie Kuhn as commissioner, the rising influence of Marvin Miller as the director of the players association, the construction of modern stadiums, and the rapid developments in information technology. An earlier generation of players was venerated as the Boys of Summer, and indeed, they continue to hold their rightful place in baseball’s legend and lore; but in the late 1960s, a fresh cast of characters made their own mark as transformations in the game brought baseball into the new modern era. Baseball historians and fans alike will be entertained and informed by this fresh look at the national pastime in the decade of discontent.
Author: Bill James
Publisher: STATS Publishing
ISBN: 9781931584036
Category : Baseball
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Author: Lou Hernández
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476615454
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 317
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Book Description
Baseball has had many outstanding Latin American pitchers since the early 20th century. This book profiles the greatest Hispanic hurlers to toe the rubber from the mounds of the major leagues, winter leagues and Negro leagues. The careers of the top major league pitchers to come from Central and South America and the Caribbean are examined in decade-by-decade portrayals, culminating with an all-time ranking by the author. The grand exploits of these athletes backdrop the evolving pitching eras of the game, from the macho, complete-game period that existed for the majority of the last century to the financially-driven, pitch-count sensitive culture that dominates baseball thinking today.
Author: Don Cox
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476663289
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 207
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Book Description
Who was the best baseball team of all time? This timeless question can most effectively be answered through comprehensive analysis of baseball statistics. Over the course of a season, winning teams tend to score more runs while allowing fewer than their opponents. The greater the difference in runs per game, the more a team can be expected to win. Comparing this data for the top five percent of Major League nines from 1901 through 2014, this book argues that runs above league average is the best statistic for ranking teams. The author sorts 220 teams by era, franchise and skills--hitting, fielding, baserunning, pitching--evaluates their strengths and weaknesses and assigns numerical values to each player's skills to demonstrate how they contributed to team performance.
Author: Bill Ballew
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476646546
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 596
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Book Description
In the 1970s, after a decade of stagnant fan interest that seemed to signal the demise of Major League Baseball, the game saw growth and change. In 1972, the players became the first in professional sports to go on strike. Four years later, contractual changes allowed those with six years in the majors to become free agents, leading to an unprecedented increase in salaries. Developments in the play of the game included new ballparks with faster fields and artificial turf, and the introduction of the designated hitter in 1973. Eminent personalities emerged from the dugout, including many African Americans and Latinos. Focusing on the stars who debuted from 1970 through 1979, this book covers the highs and lows of more than 1,300 players who gave fans the most exciting decade baseball has ever seen.
Author: David Nemec
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
ISBN: 0817314997
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 1057
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Book Description
The authoritative compendium of facts, statistics, photographs, and analysis that defines baseball in its formative first decades This comprehensive reference work covers the early years of major league baseball from the first game—May 4, 1871, a 2-0 victory for the Fort Wayne Kekiongas over the visiting Cleveland Forest City team—through the 1900 season. Baseball historian David Nemec presents complete team rosters and detailed player, manager, and umpire information, with a wealth of statistics to warm a fan’s heart. Sidebars cover a variety of topics, from oddities—the team that had the best record but finished second—to analyses of why Cleveland didn’t win any pennants in the 1890s. Additional benefits include dozens of rare illustrations and narrative accounts of each year’s pennant race. Nemec also carefully charts the rule changes from year to year as the game developed by fits and starts to formulate the modern rules. The result is an essential work of reference and at the same time a treasury of baseball history. This new edition adds much material unearthed since the first edition, fills gaps, and corrects errors, while presenting a number of new stories and fascinating details. David Nemec began the lifetime labor that helped produced this work in 1954 and admits it may never end, as there always will be some obscure player whose birth date has not yet been found. Until perfection is achieved, this work offers state-of-the-art accuracy and detail beyond that supplied by even modern baseball encyclopedias. As Casey Stengel, who was born during this era, was wont to say, “you could look it up.” Now you can.
Author: Peter J. De Kever
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1491816031
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 372
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Book Description
Freddie Fitzsimmons was among baseball's top pitchers during his 19-year career with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. Famed for his knuckleball, Fitz also had the reputation as the game's best fielding pitcher. Fitzsimmons was both a fierce competitor and one of the most admired players of baseball's Golden Age. When discovered by Giants' manager John McGraw in 1925, Fitzsimmons became a household name to baseball fans around the country. A mainstay of the New York rotations of the 1920s and 1930s, Fitzsimmons pitched in the 1933 and 1936 World Series, where he suffered painful losses. Being traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1937 rejuvenated Fitzsimmons and brought him back to the World Series one last fateful time in 1941. When his playing days ended, Fitzsimmons managed the Philadelphia Phillies and later coached for the Giants and several other teams. In Freddie Fitzsimmons: A Baseball Life, Peter J. De Kever brings to life Fitzsimmons's colorful character and most memorable games. Fitz's life in baseball spanned nearly half a century and brought him into contact with many of the game's luminaries, such as Babe Ruth, Bill Terry, Leo Durocher, and Willie Mays. A central player in the great 1941 pennant race, Fitzsimmons also witnessed Bobby Thomson's shot heard 'round the world a decade later. These and other stories figure prominently in this first biography of Freddie Fitzsimmons.
Author: Dave Blevins
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 1461673704
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 1303
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Book Description
In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame was established to honor the legends of the sport. The first inductees were some of the greatest names of the dugout, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Less than ten years later, in 1945, the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted its first members. The Soccer Hall of Fame was established in 1950, followed by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, and the Football Hall of Fame in 1963. In all, more than 1,400 inductees—players, teams, and behind the scenes personnel—have been enshrined in these five halls of fame. The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia is a comprehensive listing of each inductee elected into one or more of these major sports halls of fame. From Hank Aaron to Fred Zollner, this book contains biographical information, sport and position(s) played, and career statistics (when applicable) of each of the more than 1,400 honorees. The book also includes specific appendixes for each shrine, in which inductees are listed alphabetically and by year of induction. Also included are appendixes briefly describing the history of each hall of fame.
Author: David Blevins
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0810861305
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 1302
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Book Description
Provides a comprehensive listing, including biographical information and statistics, of each athlete inducted into one of the major sports halls of fame.
