MLB Titles

<strong>A fascinating tour of Oakland sports history and a look toward the future of professional sports in the East Bay.</strong><br /><br />Oakland is a sports city like no other. It is the only city in America to be abandoned by the same team twice, with the Raiders most recently leaving for Las Vegas. The Golden State Warriors, who crossed the bay in 1971 in search of better digs, have now returned to San Francisco with trophies in tow. The long-fought battle to keep the Oakland Athletics in the East Bay may narrowly save the city from a hat trick of departures.<br /><br />And yet, Oakland has produced more than its share of success in the form of 10 national titles across the NFL, NBA, and MLB. The city is gritty, gutsy, and self-preserving, with a blue-collar mentality and a gold standard under that collar. Bolstered by the Silicon Valley tech boom, Oakland has become one of the most desirable places to live in the entire country, all while its sports fans increasingly find that, in the famous words of Gertrude Stein, &quot;There is no there there.&quot;<br /><br />What is it about Oakland that inspires such wanderlust in its professional teams?<strong> </strong>Featuring numerous conversations with luminaries across sports, politics, and economics, this new book explores Oakland&#39;s fascinating and paradoxical identity as a sports town while illuminating a cast of characters as diverse as the city itself: rogues, superstars, movers and shakers operating on and off the field, and, of course, the fans.<br /><br /><strong>Through the insight of venerated <em>Oakland Tribune</em> scribe Dave Newhouse and sports business leader Andy Dolich, readers will come to appreciate the many quirks and challenges that define &quot;The Town.&quot;</strong>

After falling just short of the ultimate prize in 2021, the Houston Astros were hungry to prove they were simply the best in baseball. With All-Star pitching and a potent offense featuring Jose Altuve, Yordan Álvarez, and Kyle Tucker, Dusty Baker’s 2022 squad raced through the postseason and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to reclaim the World Series title. </br></br><i>Next Level: The Houston Astros’ Dominant Run to the 2022 World Series</i> chronicles this remarkable year through in-depth writing from Gallery Sports and dozens of full-color photographs. Celebrate this extraordinary group of players and relive the top moments of their 106-win regular season and momentous playoff run, including sweeps of the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees, and finally lifting the World Series trophy after triumphing over the Phillies.

<strong>Celebrate Yadier Molina&#39;s incredible career with this vibrant retrospective.</strong><br /><br />A 10-time All-Star with nine Gold Gloves and two World Series rings, Yadier Molina has established his position as one of the greatest Major League Baseball players of his generation and among the top defensive catchers of all time.<br /><br />Molina’s unforgettable life and career are chronicled in this essential book from <em>The St. Louis Post-Dispatch</em>, spanning all 19 seasons in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform. <em>Yadi</em> features 144 pages of award-winning reporting, vivid storytelling, dramatic photographs, and exclusive coverage.<br /><br /><strong>This commemorative volume is the perfect souvenir for any Cardinals fan.</strong>

<div><strong>The never before told story of the profound and compelling friendship between the two New York legends.</strong><br /><br />Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris are forever intertwined in baseball history thanks to the unforgettable 1961 season, when the two Yankee icons spurred each other to new heights in pursuit of Babe Ruth#&39;s home run record. History has largely overlooked the bond between the two men not as titans of their sport, but as people. <br /><br />Guided by Tony Castro, bestselling author and foremost chronicler of Mantle, readers will journey into history, from the Yankees’ blockbuster trade for Maris, whose acquisition re-ignited Mantle’s career after a horrendous 1959 season, to the heroics of 1961 and far beyond.<br /><br /><strong>This dual biography is a thoroughly researched, emotionally gripping portrait that brings Yankees lore alive.</strong></div>

From World Series hero to prison inmate, Willie Mays Aikens' story is one of tragedy, belief, and the ultimate comeback. Willie Mays Aikens was ascendant in the 1980s, establishing himself as one of the top sluggers in Major League Baseball as a member of the Kansas City Royals, alongside George Brett and Hal McRae. But a promising career quickly turned disastrous when he fell into drug abuse and was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison, a reflection of the era's harsh federal sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine and a criminal legal system intent on punishment rather than rehabilitation.Safe at Home is an intimate portrait of a tortured player and a redemption story for the ages. Through extensive interviews with Alkens himself, his family, friends, teammates, cellmates, and dealers, Gregory Jordan has woven this comeback tale with compassion and unique intensity. Readers will gain unvarnished insight into Aikens' impoverished childhood in a slow-to-desegregate South Carolina town, the rollicking Kansas City Royals' locker room, the go-go drug culture of America in the 80s, behind the prison gates of Leavenworth, and the grace and stability Aikens has found as a coach and mentor.

A compelling memoir at the intersection of baseball and American history  Cleon Jones has never forgotten where he came from. As a child, growing up in a Mobile, Alabama shotgun house with no electricity or running water, he yearned to follow the path of hometown heroes Satchel Paige and Hank Aaron, and his community uplifted him.  Navigating the perilous norms of the Jim Crow South, Jones ascended to baseball's highest ranks, leading the 1969 New York Mets with his bat and catching the final out to clinch the "miracle" World Series title. But after 13 years in the major leagues, Jones returned to the place he loves, the neighborhood where it all started: Africatown. Coming Home is Jones's love letter to his roots in Alabama's most historic Black settlement, whose origins can be traced back to the last known illegal transport of slaves to the United States aboard the Clotilda. Jones candidly discusses how his Africatown neighbors helped supply him with a bat and glove when his family could not afford equipment, the opposition he faced as a Black player after leaving Alabama, his fond memories of the Miracle Mets, and his post-baseball fight to save his dying community. Also featuring Jones's outlook on the modern game and American society, this timely chronicle is a profound slice of history for all baseball fans.

<strong>An unforgettable look at a lifetime of Cardinals baseball packed with Mike Shannon#&39;s passion for the game </strong><br /><br />Mike Shannon#&39;s voice served as the soundtrack of St. Louis Cardinals baseball for 50 years. Millions of fans have enjoyed his observations, insight, and magical storytelling on radio broadcasts. Now, with the help of Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel, the St. Louis native and lifelong Cards fan takes fans behind the mic, into the clubhouse, and beyond as only he can.<br /><br />Shannon weaves countless unforgettable tales, from childhood memories growing up in south St. Louis to champagne-soaked World Series celebrations as a player in 1964 and 1967, plus encounters with Cardinals legends ranging from Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith, to Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina. <br /><br /><strong>This unmissable autobiography gives fans a rare seat to over six decades of Cardinals history, hijinks, and lore.</strong>

In The Franchise: Boston Red Sox, take a more profound and unique journey into the history of the team. This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans' history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the team's iconic identity. #&8203; Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it got to prominence in the modern major league landscape, and how it'll continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come. Red Sox fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at baseball history.

A compelling autobiography from one of Detroit's favorite sons At 15, Willie Horton received his first contract offer to become a professional baseball player. At 20, he smacked his first major-league home run. At 24, Horton stood in full uniform on the hood of his car, in the midst of burning homes and overturned vehicles, and pleaded for an end to the violence of the 1967 Detroit riots. In this new autobiography, Horton shares the fascinating story of his life and career, from growing up in Detroit's Jeffries Projects as the youngest of 21 children to winning a World Series with his hometown Tigers in 1968. Horton also candidly discusses the opposition he faced as a Black player, his fond memories of Al Kaline, the joy he felt in returning to the Tigers as a front office executive, and the many ways he still tries to give back to Detroit and his community. By turns heartrending and hilarious, this timely chronicle is an essential contribution to baseball's written history.

An important resource for umpires, coaches, leagues, and serious fans of Major League Baseball (MLB), this handbook lists the dos and don'ts of the national pastime. Fully up-to-date, this book contains the official and sanctioned MLB rules and their interpretations per the Playing Rules Committee, the sole group that determines baseball's regulations.

<strong>Celebrate David Ortiz&#39;s Hall of Fame enshrinement with this vibrant retrospective.</strong><br /><br />With more than 500 career home runs, an infectious personality, and three World Series championships, David Ortiz has established his position as one of the greatest Major League Baseball players of this generation.<br /><br />But Ortiz’ story did not start with postseason heroics and towering blasts into the Fenway Park bleachers. Ortiz struggled to find his power stroke in parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, who released him after the 2002 season.<br /><br />Then, Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein signed Ortiz in 2003 and the 27 year old soon became known as Big Papi, setting career highs in home runs, winning the franchise’s first World Series championship in 86 years, and continuing his onslaught against American League pitching well into his late-30s.<br /><br />Following a 2015 season in which he hit 37 home runs at age 39, Ortiz announced that the 2016 season would be his last. Five years later, he became the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame&#39;s 2022 class.<br /><br />Ortiz’ unforgettable career is chronicled in this updated and expanded book from <em>The Boston Globe</em>. <em>Big Papi: The Legend & Legacy of David Ortiz</em> features 144 pages of award-winning reporting, vivid storytelling, dramatic photographs, and exclusive coverage of Ortiz as he prepares for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<br /><br /><strong>This one of a kind career retrospective is the perfect souvenir for any Red Sox fan.</strong>

A candid autobiography from the famously reclusive Oakland Athletics owner during the pivotal Moneyball era. As the owner of the Oakland A's during the 1990s and early 2000s, Steve Schott fostered a front office culture of experimentation, risk, and autonomy that ultimately changed the course of modern baseball. As a founder of Citation Builders, he has been responsible for the construction of over 40,000 individual residences in the state of California.Long Schott is a story about unlikely victories, from that feisty A's squad that rallied for a historic 20-game win streak to the booming California real estate market and beyond.Co-authored by renowned San Francisco Chronicle baseball writer John Shea, this is a fascinating business story encompassing humble beginnings, unprecedented success, and the many lessons learned along the way.

<strong>In <em>The Franchise: New York Yankees</em>, take a more profound and unique journey into the history of the baseball#&39;s most successful team.</strong><br /><br />This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans’ history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the Yankees#&39; iconic identity.<br /><br />Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it got to prominence in the modern major league landscape, and how it’ll continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.<br /><br /><strong>Yankees fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at baseball history.</strong>

<strong>A heartfelt portrait of Hank Aaron, featuring nearly 40 years of stories plus never-before-told insights from the home run king</strong><br /><br />When journalist Terence Moore was 12 years old, he treasured his poster of Henry Aaron. Years later, Aaron would sign it for him: &quot;Best wishes to Terry.&quot; Later still, Moore would be named an honorary pall bearer at the home run king#&39;s funeral, staying up late into the night with Aaron#&39;s widow, Billye, to get the obituary just right for the program.<br /><br />Friends and family knew Aaron as quick-witted, hilarious, and fiercely opinionated beyond what was shown in public. With the encouragement of Aaron#&39;s family, Moore now shares this intimate perspective on the baseball legend, the culmination of decades of friendship and correspondence. <em>The Real Hank Aaron</em> captures the icon#&39;s contagious laugh and pointed views, from the depth of his admiration for Jackie Robinson to his true thoughts on Barry Bonds and the steroid era. <br /><br /><strong>Also featuring Aaron#&39;s views on race, politics, media, and sports fandom, this is a charming and illuminating glimpse at the man outside the spotlight.</strong>

A love letter to the game of baseball from one of America's foremost scribes Bob Ryan has scored every baseball game he's attended, at every level, since the start of the 1977 season. It's a deeply personal tradition still going strong at more than 1,400 games and counting. The tattered scorebooks he's filled are worn from age, travel, and countless summer days, but their grids and scrawled symbols tell the stories of milestones, rivalries, rare historic achievements, and more.In Scoring Position captures the incomparable spirit of baseball, with its infinite possibilities and madcap anomalies. Ryan, alongside baseball historian and statistician Bill Chuck, has scoured his scorecard archives for the most singular events—a switch-hitter being hit by a pitch from both sides of the plate in the same game; a player batting for the cycle off four different pitchers; even back-to-back pinch-hit home runs with two outs in the 9th. Featuring some of the game's biggest names and wildest scenarios, this is a fascinating romp through baseball history, exuding a pure zeal for this sport that fans of all teams will recognize in themselves.Part of the collection at the library of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, this volume also features reproductions of dozens of scorecards from Ryan's collection.