Tales From The Bus Leagues

A collection of short stories from a former minor leaguer about life running the roads and playing for peanuts, with the small glimmer of hope of someday suiting up in the NHL. From shaking hands with Gary Player on the first tee at the Masters, to off-seasons living in his grandmother's basement, Jamie McKinven - author of So You Want Your Kid to Play Pro Hockey - talks freely about life as a struggling pro. Learn about how to kill deadly spiders in Louisiana with a 7-iron, the day he was a jerk to Novak Djokovic and why goalies really are the weirdest bunch of dudes on the planet. The not-so glamorous lifestyle of a minor league hockey player is unveiled in this light-hearted exposé.

Ever wonder what minor league baseball is really like behind the scenes? Are you a baseball fan that wants to get closer than ever to the action? This book pulls back the curtain to share the true and (until now) untold tales of America's national pastime. Fans of all ages can read some of the most jaw-dropping, eye-opening stories from life in minor league baseball! Join more than 20 professional baseball broadcasters from across the country, as they recall nearly 100 unbelievable tales from their years in the bush leagues. The most hilarious, wacky, amazing and surprising stories you'll ever hear - all told by the announcers who watched it happen. Untold Tales From The Bush Leagues includes stories featuring notable baseball stars as well as names you've never heard. Some of the names you'll know include Michael Jordan, Tommy Lasorda, Tony Gwynn, Gary Carter, Josh Hamilton and many more! You'll be amazed at what really happens behind the scenes in minor league baseball! I mean, really amazed. What do players do on the team bus? How do they occupy time in the clubhouse? What do they say to each other on the field? You'll hear stories about the most zany things that really happen in minor league baseball, such as.... How did one broadcaster call a no hitter when he never saw even one pitch? What did one player eat off of the infield dirt during a rain delay? What were some of the most hilarious practical jokes players have pulled? How do teams pass the time on long bus rides? Why was one bunch of hungry players walking on a lonely, dark street around midnight? Why was Tony Gwynn intently watching one particular minor league game? What happened when the broadcaster accidentally let the wrong words fly live on the air? What did Tommy Lasorda once do in a fast-food restaurant? How did these teams escape near disaster during late-night bus rides? What special pregame meal did Josh Hamilton enjoy? What was the umpire so angry when he stepped into the hotel elevator? How did Michael Jordan spend some off-time while playing minor league baseball? Why did one public address announcer almost get in a fist fight with a former major leaguer? What tool did one broadcaster use to find true love at the ballpark? Untold Tales From The Bush Leagues will pull back the curtain on these and many other true stories from baseball's minor leagues. Join Rick Schultz and 21 professional baseball broadcasters, as they share the most amazing, zany, funny stories from their career. Broadcasters featured in this book include: Dan Besbris Curt Bloom Ed Cohen Phil Elson Greg Giombarrese Jesse Goldberg-Strassler Doug Greenwald Tim Hagerty Morgan Hawk Bryan Holland Steve Klauke Mark Leinweaver Jeff Levering Dave Lezotte Connell McShane Robert Portnoy Brett Quintyne Danny Reed Mike Saeger Justin Sheinis Larry Ward Truly a must-read for baseball fans of all ages!

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues with updates and additions throughout! The Kansas City Monarchs, the Chicago American Giants, the St. Louis Stars, the Birmingham Black Barons, the Homestead Grays, and the Indianapolis Clowns; for over fifty years, they were the Yankees, Cardinals, and Red Sox of black baseball in America. And for over a decade beginning in the late 1940s, umpire Bob Motley called balls and strikes for many of their games, working alongside such legends as Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays. Today, Motley is the only living arbiter from the Negro Leagues. His personal account of the Negro Leagues is a revealing, humorous, and unforgettable memoir celebrating a long-lost league and a remarkable group of baseball players. In this brand new 100-year anniversary edition of Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars, Motley and his son Byron share the characters, adventures, and challenges faced by these amazing men as they enthusiastically embraced America’s pastime and made it their own. Filled with stories of talented heroes, small miracles, and downright fun, this unique memoir is a must-read for any baseball fan.

This history of American sports fiction traces depictions of baseball, basketball and football in works for all age levels from early dime novels through the 1960s. Chapters cover dime novel heroes Frank and Dick Merriwell; the explosion of sports novels before World War II and its influence on the authors who later wrote for baby boom readers; how sports novels persisted during the Great Depression; the rise and decline of sports pulps; why sports comics failed; postwar heroes Chip Hilton and Bronc Burnett; the lack of sports fiction for females; Duane Decker's Blue Sox books; and the classic John R. Tunis novels. Appendices list sports pulp titles and comic books featuring sports fiction.

When the Lights Went Out tells the story of a moment in the 1987 World Junior Championship that forever changed the lives of the players involved, and ignited a debate that has yet to subside about the way the game is meant to be played. When Team Canada skated onto the ice that night in Piestany, Czechoslovakia, they thought they were 60 minutes away from a gold medal. Future superstars like Brendan Shanahan and Theo Fleury, pitted against Russians like Alexei Fedorov and Alex Mogilny, dreamed of returning to Canada in glory. Instead, they were sent home empty-handed, bearers of a legacy that would follow them throughout their careers. No one who saw it will ever forget it. The mere mention of Piestany evokes the image of twenty fights breaking out all over the ice as players rushed to their mates’ defence, of haymakers, stick-swinging, and even kicking, of a referee skating off the ice in shame. ESPN hockey writer Gare Joyce tells the story of the game that marked the last time Canadian and Soviet players squared off as enemies, rather than potential team mates in the NHL. It tells the stories of the combatants on the ice. Of the coaches behind the bench. Of officials, international hockey executives, members of the media and even politicians who were caught up in the intrigue.

Over 55 seasons, the Fort Wayne Komets have been one of the greatest franchises in North American minor league sports. Throughout their existence, they have experienced uncounted unique stories dealing with players, teams, fans and other characters, such as: -The coach who said winning was better than sex -The fan favorite who was traded for two dryers -The player who rode his horse to practice -The player who earned more than $1 million in the minors -The equipment manager who saved the season -The player who wrote a poem to the fans -The best friends who fought each other -The reason Wayne Gretzky came to wear No 99 -The player who got a kiss during a game -The final fate of Brett Hull's Stanley Cup puck -The Tom Petty Song that helped in a championship -The opposing team that needed an exorcism These stories and many more are inside Tales of the Komets.

To the baseball fans of today, the name 'Dodgers' is synonymous with Hollywood, the warm California sun, and names like Tommy Lasorda, Kirk Gibson, Steve Garvey, and Orel Hershiser. The Dodgers mean much more than that to the fans of baseball history, however. Namely, these fans remember the famed Boys of Summer. otherwise known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team that included some of the most storied players in baseball history. The group included Hall of Famers Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, and Jackie Robinson. Although they eventually moved out West, the Brooklyn Dodgers provided some of the greatest moments the game has ever seen and some of the greatest personalities to ever take the field. Carl Erskine, another member of that legendary team, relates memories about his days with the Dodgers in a book full of true stories and revealing anecdotes. The result is the second edition of Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodger Dugout, a delightfully interesting trip through the world of baseball in the 1950s that includes several new stories added for this edition. Among Erskine's many tales are his dealings with immortal team official Branch Rickey, his view from the Dodgers' bench during Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and his first-hand experiences when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first black player in Major League Baseball history. During his frequent speaking engagements, people often ask Erskine if all of his stories are true. His standard response has been, Yes, I couldn't possibly make them up the way they actually happened. Now fans can read all of those great true stories in Carl Erskine's Tales from theDodger Dugout: Second Edition.