Titles by Ira Berkow

<div>Culled from 50 years’ worth of columns from one of the country’s most popular sportswriters, <em>It Happens Every Spring</em> stands as a remarkable and evocative anthology that is guaranteed to delight baseball fans of all ages. Former <em>New York Times</em> columnist Ira Berkow captures the spirit of America&#39;s pasttime in this collection of opinions, stories, and observations from his long and distinguished career. From memories of Ted Williams and Satchel Paige to reflections on Jackie Robinson, Barry Bonds, and the soul of the beloved game, this work combines Berkow’s eye for detail with the comedy and drama revealed by the subjects themselves, bringing to life some of the most famous baseball personalities from the last half century.</div>

<div><strong>Forty years’ worth of columns from one of the <em>New York Times</em>’ most popular sportswriters</strong><br /> <br />Former <em>New York Times</em> columnist Ira Berkow captures the spirit of the Giants in this unforgettable collection of opinions, stories, and observations from his long and distinguished career. From memories of Fran Tarkenton and Bill Parcells to reflections on Eli Manning and Phil Simms, this work stands as a remarkable collection bringing to life Giants’ personalities through the critical and comedic commentary of Ira Berkow.</div>

Spanning the period between 1967 and 2005, this compilation includes 84 of Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ira Berkow’s columns on boxing. Readers will meet some of the greatest names in the sport’s history in the pages of this book, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Joe Louis, and Mike Tyson. Among the unforgettable stories gathered in this collection are the heated rivalry between Ali and “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier, Tyson’s infamous “Bite Fight” in 1997, and the will-he-or-won’t-he retirement saga of Sugar Ray Leonard. Written in Berkow’s gripping prose, the columns included in Counterpunch chronicle the most important moments in boxing over the last four decades.

Featuring 25 years’ worth of columns from one of New York’s most popular sportswriters, this collection is guaranteed to delight Knickerbockers fans of all ages. These unforgettable opinions, stories, and observations from New York Times columnist Ira Berkow capture the spirit of the Knicks, from memories of Red Holzman and Earl Monroe to reflections on Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin. As the 2013 team celebrates the 40th anniversary of their 1973 NBA championship, this book enlightens fans on the entire colorful history of the franchise.

For millions of basketball fans in the 1970s, Walt "Clyde" Frazier defined the word cool. One of the greatest point guards in NBA history, Clyde guided the New York Knicks to their only two championships with a style and flair that was wholly his own. Back in 1974, Clyde and New York Times sportswriter Ira Berkow collaborated on a book that has become an iconic and much-sought-after piece of basketball history. Now, three decades later, Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball & Cool is back with an all-new introduction, afterword, and everything that made it one of the most unusual sports books of all time.

Culled from 50 years’ worth of columns from one of the country’s most popular sportswriters, this work stands as a remarkable collection of opinions that is guaranteed to delight Mets fans of all ages. Former New York Times columnist Ira Berkow captures the spirit of the Mets in this unforgettable collection of opinions, stories, and observations from his long and distinguished career as he interviews and comments on the team. From memories of inaugural franchise manager Casey Stengel and Hall of Famer Tom Seaver to reflections on ace Johan Santana and the superstar David Wright, this collection combines Berkow’s eye for detail with the comedy and drama revealed by the subjects themselves, bringing to life Mets’ personalities from the last half century.

<div>From George Steinbrenner&#39;s odd reliance on the book, <em>The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun</em> to the views of such memorable Yankee greats as Casey Stengel, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and more recent stars like Reggie Jackson, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, Ira Berkow takes the reader with him into the clubhouse and onto the field as he observes, interviews and comments on the Bronx Bombers over his long and distinguished career writing and reporting on them. <em>Summers in the Bronx: Attila the Hun and Other Yankee Stories</em> is a collection of Berkow&#39;s rich, candid and nationally popular sports columns and feature stories for <em>The New York Times</em> and other syndicated papers are devoted to the New York Yankees, arguably the most famous, controversial, beloved and sometimes berated organization in the history of sports. Berkow&#39;s eye for detail and for the unusual insight along with the comedy and drama revealed by his subjects themselves bring to life a Who&#39;s Who of unforgettable Yankee personalities from the last half century.</div>

Lou Brissie's extraordinary story is one that takes readers from the terrifying battlefields in Europe in World War II to the playing fields in Philadelphia. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ira Berkow brings together the unforgettable memories of a hero's life, telling the tales of a man who overcame incredible odds with his leg in a protective metal case to realize his dream of pitching in the major leagues. Brissie recounts amazing stories, including Brissie’s leg injury and how he was left for dead in the snow and mud of the Appenines in Italy, his pleading with doctors to not surgically remove his leg so that he might one day play professional baseball, the numerous surgeries and his improbable road to recovery, his friendship with Connie Mack and the opportunity to pitch after his injury, being named to the 1949 All-Star team as member of the Philadelphia Athletics, the big scare Brissie received when a Ted Williams line drive struck his wounded leg, and his regular visits for the past 60 years to both veteran's hospitals and children's hospital wards. The Corporal Was a Pitcher is a must-read not only for baseball fans, but also for anyone looking to find inspiration from a man who never quit despite the odds being stacked so highly against him.

This autobiography of Hank Greenberg tells of one of the most dynamic and inspiring stories in the history of baseball. The son of Eastern European parents, he rose from the streets of New York to rank among the greatest home-run hitters of the game, and became the first Jewish player to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Along the way he challenged Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season; led the Detroit Tigers to four pennants; fiercely stood up to anti-Semitic slurs, insults, and assaults; and was one of the first major leaguers to enlist in the military at the outbreak of World War II. Hank Greenberg's extraordinary life in baseball-playing with and against Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Charlie Gehringer, Joe DiMaggio, Dizzy Dean, and Bob Feller—combined the uncommon courage, dignity, strength and, to be sure, humor, in the face of formidable odds.