Baseball Eccentrics

A round up of the most outrageous group of malcontents, characters, rebels, nut jobs, reprobates, wing-nuts, wackos, space cadets, head cases, goofs, free thinkers, and oddballs who ever livened up the grand old game of baseball, this collection not only describes their most bizarre antics in often-hilarious detail, but also includes the unique thoughts of Bill "Spaceman" Lee, a man known for his colorful quotes and offbeat personality.

Baseball has produced some notably strange plays--like Randy Johnson's fastball dismantling a bird--yet there have been many that defy belief. Beginning with Todd Frazier tricking umpires into calling an out with a rubber ball and culminating in Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky pitching into a scrum of two batters and a manager at home plate, this book describes the 150 most bizarre plays in the history of the game. Baserunners going in the wrong direction, outfielders kicking the ball, three runners meeting at one base, two balls in play, players ejected for dancing and many other anomalies are presented with detailed commentary.

Explain away your bad at-bats and imperfect pitches—and have your friends laugh at the same time! In Baseball's Best Excuses, author Joshua Shifrin takes a witty approach in helping baseball players make sense of their worst days on the diamond. The next time a player leads his or her team in defeat, he or she can always explain the woeful performance with “The guy batting after me is terrible.” Or after a bad pitching outing, players might try to explain the mishap with, “I couldn’t control my fastball." Shifrin has crafted loads of funny—but all-too-real—excuses for pros and amateurs alike. Examples include: The pitcher was taking too much time between pitches. The fans behind home plate were distracting. I’m not used to the dimensions in this park. The manager had me playing out of position. And many more! Whether you want to motivate the amateur in your life or laugh away embarrassing mistakes in your own game, Baseball's Best Excuses is a must-read. Complete with laugh-out-loud full-color cartoons, this book makes for the perfect gift.

Steve "Psycho" Lyons uses his patented Psycho-Meter to break down the 100 most famous and infamous moments in baseball history. And who better to chronicle baseball's history of outrageous personalities, plays, and pranks, than Lyons, the man who dropped his pants at first base and created perhaps the most outrageous moment of all time? Digging in and dusting off the annals of baseball history, he has researched the craziest moments in baseball ever, ranging from the hilarious to the ridiculous, from the incredible to the heroic, including Randy Johnson's unexpected and unbelieveable exploding bird, Clemens v. Piazza--rounds 1 and 2, the infamous Disco Demolition Night in Chicago, and the George Brett pine tar incident. From Babe Ruth's called home-run shot to the Steve Bartman fiasco, from Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse to Joba Chamberlain being attacked by insects, and from Pedro Martinez body slamming Don Zimmer to a team turning a triple play without ever touching the ball, The Psycho 100 has it all.

A volume of baseball essays by an unlikely fan describes her transformation from a geeky Yale graduate to a Village Voice sportswriter, a short-term assignment that takes her from the press box and locker room to Milwaukee and Taiwan. Original.

Long before L.A. Dodger pitcher Brian Wilson, in his buzz-cut Mohawk and hillbilly beard, there was Dizzy. And Daffy. And Ducky, Goofy, Babe, Pepper and Yogi - not cartoon characters, but baseball players - great ones, who made America's pastime playful and fun and sometimes outrageous. Before Peyton and Eli, there were the Mad Duck and Broadway Joe, the Tooz and Golden Boy. Football was not for sissies but for men who jarred loose a few brain cells and bloodied each other's noses on a Sunday afternoon.Decades before pro golfer John Daly whacked a golf ball out of a stranger's mouth, Walter Hagen barnstormed the world from Terra Haute to Timbuktu, and the Merry Mex with his army of Lee's Fleas invaded venerable courses ruled over by the Lords of Golf. Before Lebron, before Shaq and Charles Barkley, even before Pistol Pete and Wilt the Stilt, there was Goose and Meadowlark and little boys with big dreams.Revisit Billie Jean King defending women against sexist pigs like Bobby Riggs, wrestling in its pre-TV heyday, the hilarious escapades, pranksters and jokesters of yester yore and more in this revised and updated collection of rollicking sports anecdotes.

Nick Garcia was born in Key West, Florida in 1968. He attended Vanderbilt University and received a B.S. in accounting from Auburn University and a Law Degree from Georgia State University. He currently practices law in Fayetteville, Georgia where he lives with his wife Myra and their four children. The revolutionary Theory of Roidactivity has at long last cracked Major League Baseballs Steroid Code. Who were the first players to taste baseballs forbidden fruit? Nick Garcias A League of Their Own is a shocking, irreverent romp that illuminates the ghosts of baseballs past, present and future. Strap yourself in and be prepared for the most controversial ride the Major League circus has ever seen. More awe inspiring than a Mark Mcgwire home run and more poignant than a Roger Clemens fastball to the temple, A League Of Their Own is Major League Baseballs bitter little pill.