Author: Nate LeBoutillier
Publisher: Creative Educ
ISBN: 9781608180578
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 48
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Book Description
"The history of the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball team from its inaugural 1998 season to today, spotlighting the team's greatest players and most memorable moments"--Provided by publisher.
Author: Jonah Keri
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0345517652
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
What happens when three financial industry whiz kids and certified baseball nuts take over an ailing major league franchise and implement the same strategies that fueled their success on Wall Street? In the case of the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, an American League championship happens—the culmination of one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history. In The Extra 2%, financial journalist and sportswriter Jonah Keri chronicles the remarkable story of one team’s Cinderella journey from divisional doormat to World Series contender. When former Goldman Sachs colleagues Stuart Sternberg and Matthew Silverman assumed control of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005, it looked as if they were buying the baseball equivalent of a penny stock. But the incoming regime came armed with a master plan: to leverage their skill at trading, valuation, and management to build a model twenty-first-century franchise that could compete with their bigger, stronger, richer rivals—and prevail. Together with “boy genius” general manager Andrew Friedman, the new Rays owners jettisoned the old ways of doing things, substituting their own innovative ideas about employee development, marketing and public relations, and personnel management. They exorcized the “devil” from the team’s nickname, developed metrics that let them take advantage of undervalued aspects of the game, like defense, and hired a forward-thinking field manager as dedicated to unconventional strategy as they were. By quantifying the game’s intangibles—that extra 2% that separates a winning organization from a losing one—they were able to deliver to Tampa Bay something that Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” had never brought to Oakland: an American League pennant. A book about what happens when you apply your business skills to your life’s passion, The Extra 2% is an informative and entertaining case study for any organization that wants to go from worst to first.
Author: John Nichols
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780886829261
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 36
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Book Description
Hightlights the new major league baseball franchise that began play in Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1998.
Author: Dave Scheiber
Publisher: Advance Ink Publishing
ISBN: 9780692487969
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 290
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Book Description
Dewayne Staats marks his 40th year as a Major League Baseball broadcaster with POSITION TO WIN, a book that chronicles his amazing journey through America's pastime - a fascinating career working alongside some of baseball's all-time great announcers and calling some of the memorable moments of the game. Many Tampa Bay Rays fans may only know Staats as a Fox Sports/Sun Sports fixture, and the only television play-by-play man in the 18-season history of the Tampa Bay franchise. But in Position to Win: A Look at Baseball and Life from the Best Seat in the House. Staats reflects on his vast experiences in the booth that include: Being a partner with three Hall of Fame announcers: Gene Elston with the Houston Astros, Harry Caray with Chicago Superstation WGN covering the Cubs and Tony Kubek with the MSG Network doing the games of the New York Yankees, as well as working as a national baseball broadcaster for ESPN. Calling nine no-hitters (among them Nolan Ryan's record-breaking fifth and one of the game's most dramatic - thrown by New York's inspirational, one-armed star Jim Abbott). A total of nearly 6,000 MLB broadcasts, with the unique distinction of being the announcer to make the call the first two of the three times in major league history a player has homered for his 3,000th hit (Wade Boggs in 1999 and Derek Jeter in 2011). Dewayne has collaborated with veteran Florida-based author and national award-winning journalist Dave Scheiber (co-author of "Covert" and "Surviving the Shadows"). The result is a lively book that will appeal to anyone who loves baseball or enjoys an engaging success story with a message: How hard work, preparation and persistence helped position him to achieve a childhood dream and rise to the top of his profession. It's a universal lesson that can apply to everyone, no matter what a person's passion or pursuit in life may be.
Author: Dirk Hayhurst
Publisher: Citadel Press
ISBN: 0806536667
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 461
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Book Description
The New York Times bestseller from the author of The Bullpen Gospels. “A humorous, candid and insightful memoir . . . Grade: Home Run.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer After six years in the minors, pitcher Dirk Hayhurst hopes 2008 is the year he breaks into the big leagues. But every time Dirk looks up, the bases are loaded with challenges—a wedding balancing on a blind hope, a family in chaos, and paychecks that beg Dirk to ask, “How long can I afford to keep doing this?” Then it finally happens—Dirk gets called up to the Majors, to play for the San Diego Padres. A dream comes true when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants, kicking off forty insane days and nights in the Bigs. Like the classic games of baseball’s history, Out of My League entertains from the first pitch to the last out, capturing the gritty realities of playing on the big stage, the comedy and camaraderie in the dugouts and locker rooms, and the hard-fought, personal journeys that drive our love of America’s favorite pastime. “A rare gem of a baseball book.”—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated “Observant, insightful, human, and hilarious.”—Bob Costas “A fun read . . . This book shows why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life.”—Keith Olbermann “Entertaining and engaging . . . reminiscent of Jim Bouton’s Ball Four.”—Booklist “The book is a terrific read. If you loved Bullpen Gospels (I’d have a hard time believing you are a baseball fan if you didn’t) you will love Out of My League too.”—Bluebird Banter
Author: Jason Turbow
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 030727862X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
An insider’s look at baseball’s unwritten rules, explained with examples from the game’s most fascinating characters and wildest historical moments. Everyone knows that baseball is a game of intricate regulations, but it turns out to be even more complicated than we realize. All aspects of baseball—hitting, pitching, and baserunning—are affected by the Code, a set of unwritten rules that governs the Major League game. Some of these rules are openly discussed (don’t steal a base with a big lead late in the game), while others are known only to a minority of players (don’t cross between the catcher and the pitcher on the way to the batter’s box). In The Baseball Codes, old-timers and all-time greats share their insights into the game’s most hallowed—and least known—traditions. For the learned and the casual baseball fan alike, the result is illuminating and thoroughly entertaining. At the heart of this book are incredible and often hilarious stories involving national heroes (like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays) and notorious headhunters (like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale) in a century-long series of confrontations over respect, honor, and the soul of the game. With The Baseball Codes, we see for the first time the game as it’s actually played, through the eyes of the players on the field. With rollicking stories from the past and new perspectives on baseball’s informal rulebook, The Baseball Codes is a must for every fan.
Author: George Christian Pappas
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1683582756
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 305
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Book Description
For almost fifty years, the Cleveland Indians were a joke. They had won the 1948 World Series with one of the greatest teams of all time, but had not been to the playoffs since 1954 (losing to the New York Giants in the World Series). Even the Major League movies poked fun at their inadequacy. That all changed in the 1990s, when the Indians became one of the most dominant teams of the decade. A Tribe Reborn tells the story of a failing franchise, from “The Mistake by the Lake” to “The Curse of Rocky Colavito,” and how a laughingstock team that was on the verge of relocating changed its ways to become a dominant franchise. With the building of the state-of-the-art Jacobs Field (which the Indians sold out a record 455 consecutive games, from 1995–2001) to changes in how their scouting, front office, and locker room were run, the team that nobody cared about became front-page news across the country. With interviews from Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, Mike Hargrove, John Hart, and many more, A Tribe Reborn is a fantastic look inside how a losing franchise changed its ways to become a perennial powerhouse. While the Indians of the ’90s never won a World Series (appearing twice in 1995 and 1997), they are still remembered for their hard play, amazing talent, and rabid fan base.
Author: Jim “The Rookie” Morris
Publisher: Savio Republic
ISBN: 1682617971
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 214
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Book Description
Jim Morris is no stranger to big dreams. Since he was five years old, he passionately yearned to play baseball in the major leagues. However, despite all his hard work and determination, a series of unfortunate events and injuries scuttled his career before he was twenty-five. Doctors told him he would never play again. Then at age thirty-five—after a string of highly implausible events and at an age when most players are retiring—Morris found himself on the mound as a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. His return to the game was so incredible that Disney made his story into a heartwarming film—The Rookie—with a stellar performance by Dennis Quaid. It was released to popular acclaim and was a huge box office success. It won the ESPY for Best Sports Movie in 2002 and the CAMIE award for Character and Morality in Entertainment. Dream Makers picks up where The Rookie left off. This compelling memoir explores the untapped territory of Morris’s life, including his contentious relationship with his father, his incessant and grueling struggle with pain and addiction, the mentorship with his wise and loving grandfather who kept him grounded, and the resolve and faith that drove him to overcome every tribulation. Dream Makers explores the transformative power of surrounding yourself with the best, most accomplished people possible—inspiring you to overcome life’s obstacles and achieve your dreams. Life can come at you fast, but with God, all things are possible. “It’s not about me. It’s what God can do through me.”
Author: Colette Bancroft
Publisher: Akashic Books
ISBN: 1617758124
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 211
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Book Description
Tampa Bay joins Miami in representing the (alleged) Sunshine State in the Noir Series arena. “Fifteen tales that reveal the dark side of sunny Tampa Bay.” —Kirkus Reviews Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct location within the geographic area of the book. Brand-new stories by: Michael Connelly, Lori Roy, Ace Atkins, Karen Brown, Tim Dorsey, Lisa Unger, Sterling Watson, Luis Castillo, Sarah Gerard, Danny López, Ladee Hubbard, Gale Massey, Yuly Restrepo Garcés, Eliot Schrefer, and Colette Bancroft.
Author: Steven Johnson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735211620
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
“Thoroughly engrossing . . . a spirited, suspenseful, economically told tale whose significance is manifest and whose pace never flags.” —The Wall Street Journal From The New York Times–bestselling author of The Ghost Map and Extra Life, the story of a pirate who changed the world Henry Every was the seventeenth century’s most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular—and wildly inaccurate—reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every’s most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event—the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew—and its surprising repercussions across time and space. It’s the gripping tale of one of the most lucrative crimes in history, the first international manhunt, and the trial of the seventeenth century. Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Every and his crimes to explore the emergence of the East India Company, the British Empire, and the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. How did this unlikely pirate and his notorious crime end up playing a key role in the birth of multinational capitalism? In the same mode as Johnson’s classic nonfiction historical thriller The Ghost Map, Enemy of All Mankind deftly traces the path from a single struck match to a global conflagration.
