The Lineup

Want to know a secret?It's about that girl over there.Don't look, but she's the one in the power suit-with the long, black hair and the serious expression, the one I'm about to go on a date with . . .Yeah, according to her, she "accidentally" donated an obscene amount of money to my charity - The Lineup - to win said date but I found out the truth. Miss. Button Up Blouse has a secret, passionate crush on me. I didn't know her name until two days ago, despite the friends we have in common. Was I oblivious? Probably.Was I blind to it? Definitely.But I'm no fool, I see it now. The High Heel Harlot wants more than just a date with Jason Orson, she wants to be able to claim the best butt in baseball as hers. Here's another secret . . . she has no idea I know.

Focusing on the ten most influential baseball books of all time, this volume explores how these landmark works changed the game itself and made waves in American society at large. Satchel Paige's Pitchin' Man informed the dialog surrounding integration. Ring Lardner's You Know Me Al changed the way Americans viewed their baseball heroes and influenced the work of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Bill James's Baseball Abstract transformed the way managers--including those in fields other than baseball--analyzed numbers. Pete Rose's My Story and My Prison Without Bars exposed and deepened a cultural divide that paved the way for Donald Trump.

This is the first book to focus on a small but essential piece of every baseball game played during the last 100-plus years--the lineup card, used to record the full lineup and batting order for both teams. Drawing on input from dozens of memorabilia experts, collectors, team and league executives, umpires, coaches and managers, the author tells the story of the lineup card's role in America's pastime, from its history and usage to cards from famous games and the people who collect them. Nearly 200 illustrations include cards for Sandy Koufax's 1965 perfect game, Cal Ripken's record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game and the final game of Boston's first World Series title in 86 years.

New York City, 1972.Bobby Comfort and Sammy “the Arab” Nalo were highly skilled jewel thieves who specialized in robbing luxury Manhattan hotels. With the blessing of the Lucchese Crime Family, their next plot targeted the posh Pierre Hotel—host to kings and queens, presidents and aldermen, and the wealthiest of the wealthy. Attired in tuxedoes and driven in a limousine, this band of thieves arrived at the Pierre, seized the security guards and, in systematically choreographed moves, swiftly took the night staff—and several unfortunate guests who happened to be roaming about the lobby—as hostages.The deposit boxes inside the vault chamber were plundered and the gentlemanly thieves departed in their limousine with a haul of $28 million. But then matters began to deteriorate. The authorities immediately suspected Comfort and Nalo of masterminding The Pierre ambush and arrested them, but the veteran criminals kept their mouths shut. The Lucchese Family funneled a $500,000 bribe to the presiding judge to quash the charges—and to this day The Pierre Hotel caper remains unsolved.

It happens every summer: packs of beer-bellied men with gloves and aluminum bats, putting their middle-aged bodies to the test on the softball diamond. For some, this yearly ritual is driven by a simple desire to enjoy a good ballgame; for others, it’s a way to forge friendships—and rivalries. But for one short, wild-haired, bespectacled professor, playing softball in New York’s Central Park means a whole lot more. It's one last chance to heal the nagging wounds of Little League trauma before the rust of decline and the relentless responsibilities of fatherhood set in. Professor Baseball is the coming-of-middle-age story of New York University professor and Little League benchwarmer Edwin Amenta. As rookie manager of the Performing Arts Softball League’s doormat Sharkeys, he reverses softball’s usual brawn-over-brains formula. He coaxes his skeptical teammates to follow his sabermetric and sociological approach, based equally on Bill James and Max Weber, which in the heady days of early success he dubs “Eddy Ball.” But Amenta soon learns that his teammates’ attachments to favorite positions and time-honored (if ineffective) strategies are hard to break—especially when the team begins losing. And though he rejects the baseball-as-life metaphor, life keeps intruding on his softball season. Amenta here comes to grips with the humiliation of assisted reproduction, suffers mysterious ailments, and finds himself lingering at the sponsor’s bar, while his partner, a beautiful but baseball-challenged professor, second-guesses his book in the making. Can he turn his team—and his life—around? Packed with colorful personalities, dramatic games, and the bustle of New York life, Professor Baseball will charm anyone who has ever root, root, rooted for the underdog.

Baseball "by The Book."

"Lunch!" Sam heard his mother calling. But Sam was very busy. "Just a minute," he called back. Sam wasn't ready in a minute. Sam's mother was about to lose her patience, but when she saw what Sam had been doing, all was forgiven. An ingenous first picture book with bold, brilliant illustrations.

Vampires, zombies, ghosts, and ghoulies: there are more things going bump in the night than ever. So how do you wend your way through all of them to find the ones that interest a particular reader? RA expert Spratford updates her advisory to include the latest in monsters and the macabre, including Lists of recommended titles, authors, and sub-genres, all cross-referenced for quick reference Tips for effectively practicing horror RA, with interview questions for gauging a reader’s interests An expanded resources section, with an overview addressing the current state of horror lit, and suggestions of how to dig deeperAs both an introductory guide for librarians just dipping their toes into the brackish water of scary fiction, as well as a fount of new ideas for horror-aware reference staff, Spratford’s book is infernally appropriate.

The ultimate handbook for the legions of Kenner sports figurine collectors Kenner Starting Lineup figures are among the hottest sports collectibles on the market. Every year Kenner issues 200 different four-inch plastic likenesses of pro athletes from all the major sports. This definitive guide to every piece ever issued presents an overview of all U.S.-issued Kenner sets, photos of each figure, prices, and a checklist.

Modern worship leaders are restless. They have inherited a model of leadership that equates leading worship with being a rock star. But leading worship is more than a performance, it's about shaping souls and making disciples. Every worship leader is really a pastor. The Worship Pastor is a practical and biblical introduction to this essential pastoral role. Filled with engaging, illustrative stories it is organized to address questions of theory and practice, striving to balance conversational accessibility with informed instruction. Part One presents a series of evocative "vignettes"--intriguing and descriptive titles and metaphors of who a Worship Pastor is and what he or she does. It shows the Worship Pastor as Church-Lover, Disciple Maker, Corporate Mystic, and Doxological Philosopher. Part Two covers specific roles related to ministry within the worship service itself--the Worship Pastor as Theological Dietician, Caregiver, Mortician, Emotional Shepherd, War General, Prophetic Guardian, Missional Historian, and Liturgical Architect. Part Three looks at ministry beyond the worship service--the Worship Pastor as Visionary Teacher, Evangelist, Artist Chaplain, and Team Leader. While some worship leaders are eager to embrace their pastoral role, many are lost and confused or lack the resources of time or money to figure out what this role looks like. Pastor Zac Hicks gives us a clear guide to leading worship, one that takes the pastoral call seriously.