The Atlanta Braves Official 150th Anniversary commemorative coffee table book

Popular Atlanta Braves catcher Javier “Javy” Lopez opens up in this autobiography to tell his amazing story, from learning to play baseball on a neighborhood basketball court to his record of 42 home runs in a season by a catcher. The product of a lower-middle-class background in Puerto Rico, Javy had to overcome numerous hardships—not the least of which was a language barrier—to fulfill his destiny as one of the most accomplished catchers of the modern era. He tells of bumps along the way to success, including why he overstated his signing bonus as well as the time in the minors when he cried during an all-night meltdown due to his struggles on the field. But he went on to be named MVP of the 1996 National League Championship Series, and played on 12 of the Atlanta Braves' unprecedented 14 straight division-winning teams of the 1990s and 2000s. From his relationship with great teammates such as Greg Maddux and John Smoltz, to his failed comeback attempt with the Braves in 2008, this autobiography tells all about the handsome, warm, engaging Lopez and how he became one of baseball's most popular players.

John Smoltz was one of the greatest Major League pitchers of the late twentieth / early twenty-first century—one of only two in baseball history ever to achieve twenty wins and fifty saves in single seasons—and now he shares the candid, no-holds-barred story of his life, his career, and the game he loves in Starting and Closing. A Cy Young Award-winner, future Baseball Hall of Famer, and currently a broadcaster for his former team, the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz delivers a powerful memoir with the kind of fascinating insight into game that made Moneyball a runaway bestseller, plus a heartfelt and truly inspiring faith and religious conviction, similar to what illuminates each page of Tim Tebow’s smash hit memoir, Through My Eyes.

In the fifty years that have passed since Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run and supplanted Babe Ruth as baseball's home run king, his legend and legacy have only grown. Humble and modest to a fault, he always insisted that he didn't want people to forget Babe Ruth but only to remember Henry Aaron. Though he never had the benefit of playing in the media spotlight of New York or Los Angeles, he remains the career leader in total bases, runs batted in, and All-Star selections; shares records for home runs by brothers (with Tommie Aaron) and by teammates (with Eddie Mathews); and is remembered with respect and admiration for his outspoken advocacy of civil rights for all minorities. Written by a lifelong Braves fan who became a sportswriter, this book traces Aaron's odyssey from the segregated south to the baseball world revolutionized by Jackie Robinson, who became an early an important ally against bigotry and prejudice. It reveals how the New York Giants nearly beat the Boston Braves in signing Aaron, when the young slugger caught his first break, and why he changed his hitting style after the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta. Though he never won a Triple Crown or hit for the cycle, he won virtually every major honor, including an MVP award, a World Series ring, and a berth in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But he should have won more, as the author contends he was often taken for granted by voters (nine of whom left him off their Cooperstown ballots!). Turn these pages to find out what home run Aaron considered his greatest, what pitcher proved his easiest mark, and what managers he liked or disliked the most. Even the disappointments are included -- his team's move south, its inability to establish a dynasty, and his quests to become a manager, general manager, or even Commissioner of Baseball. This is also a book of personal tragedy: the death of a child, a difficult divorce, and the stunning loss of the 43-year-old brother-in-law who became the first black GM. Not to mention the deluge of hate mail as it became obvious that he was approaching the most cherished record in sports. Through it all, Henry Louis Aaron kept his composure, preferring to let his bat do the talking. He lacked the notoriety of Willie, Mickey & the Duke but he just might have been the best player in baseball history. He's certainly in the conversation.

In 1914 the Boston Braves experienced the greatest come-from-behind season in baseball history. A perennially woeful team, the Braves rose from the ashes of last place—fifteen games behind on July 4th—to battle in the World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics, one of the most dominant teams of all time.Baseball fans witnessed one of sport’s most spectacular comebacks, and Boston’s National League team earned a new designation: “The Miracle Braves.” Baseball’s Greatest Comeback: The Miracle Braves of 1914 follows the Boston Braves through this rollercoaster year, from their miserable start to their inspiring finish. A collection of likeable, determined, and highly unconventional ballplayers, the Braves endeared themselves to fans who rooted enthusiastically for the team. Sitting in last place midway through the season, the youthful group of castoffs and misfits, many of whom had been rejected by other major league teams, followed the lead of Walter “Rabbit” Maranville, Johnny “The Crab” Evers, and George “Big Daddy” Stallingsto turn things around. The Braves battled their way up the standings, finishing the second half of the season with a miraculous 52 and 14 record. They went on to defeat John McGraw’s powerful New York Giants for the pennant and found themselves face-to-face with the talented Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series. On the 100th anniversary of this memorable season, the 1914 Boston Braves are still remembered as one of the greatest comeback teams in baseball history. Full of timeless images and memorable characters—including a fanatically superstitious manager, a cheerfully madcap star, and an obsessively driven, yet highly sensitive captain—this book will inform and entertain baseball fans and sports historians alike.

Walter Victor, official photographer of the Atlanta Braves, shares memories of the storied franchise through nearly 150 photos from the days of Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro and Dale Murphy to the record-setting run of fourteen straight National League Division Championships with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones and manager Bobby Cox.

Jon Peters had it all: record-breaking high school baseball pitcher, on the cover of Sports Illustrated, a beautiful girlfriend. His dream was to play pro baseball. Until his fourth arm surgery... Find out in this book how he's at last found value, fulfillment, and purpose as he shares the secrets he's learned to living a happy life.

Beginning in an era before traffic jams, air-conditioning, and Atlanta’s ascension to international fame, Tim Darnell chronicles the emergence of amateur and minor-league baseball in various forms in Atlanta from just after the Civil War through the rise of the Crackers (1901–65). Through never-before-published player interviews, rare illustrations, extensive appendices of charts and statistics, a Cracker Trivia Quiz, and thorough research, Darnell examines the drama and politics that affected the Crackers over the years. Also profiled is the Black Crackers, Atlanta’s Negro Southern League franchise whose success and popularity paralleled those of their white counterparts. The Crackers is a light-hearted, fun, and engrossing history of a time, a people, and one very special centerfield magnolia tree whose stories are legend to this day.

From the pages of The New York Times come 365 unforgettable moments in sports-to relive, argue about, and enjoy, including: * June 22, 1938-Joe Louis beats Max Schmeling for the heavyweight boxing championship * May 29, 1953-Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norkay become the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest * January 12, 1969-Joe Namath promises a Super Bowl victory and delivers * August 3, 1984-Mary Lou Retton becomes the first American gymnast to win the gold medal * July 10, 1999-In front of the largest crowd to ever watch a woman's sporting event, the U.S. women's soccer team defeats China for the World Championship * August 20, 2000-Winning his third straight major and second consecutive P.G.A. Championship, Tiger Woods defeats Bob May in a three-hole playoff Every sports fan has a personal memory book, a treasury of unforgettable achievements, moments in which a game was spectacularly won (or lost) against all odds, a hero was crowned or an unspeakable human error cost an athlete a championship or a team the entire season. Sometimes it's a scandal, a rule change, or even technology that changes a sport dramatically. Sports of the Times draws from the archives of Times reporting to re-create and select the most important event of each calendar day, from any sport-horse racing to boxing, soccer to the Olympics and more. With three runners-up for each day, five-star selections of the most significant events in history and exclusive photos throughout, this book makes a wonderful gift, and is sure to start many conversations and debates.

Shattered by a broken engagement and a business venture derailed by Jerome Haddad, her unscrupulous partner, Giovanna Rogers goes on a luxury Galapagos cruise with her grandmother to decompress.At least that's what her grandmother thinks. Giovanna is determined to make Jerome pay for what he's done, and she has a tip he's headed for the Galapagos.While snorkeling in Gardner Bay off the coast of Española Island, Giovanna and another cruise passenger, tortoise researcher Laurel Pardo, both become separated from the group and Laurel is left behind. No one on the ship will acknowledge Laurel is missing, and Giovanna suspects a cover-up.When the police come on board to investigate a death, Giovanna is sure the victim is Laurel. She's anxious to give her testimony to the attractive local detective assigned to the case. Instead, she learns someone else is dead, and she's a person of interest. Resolved to keep searching for Laurel and make sense of her disappearance, Giovanna finds that several people on board the cruise ship have reasons to want Laurel gone. One is a scam involving Tio Armando, the famous Galapagos giant tortoise and a major tourist attraction in the archipelago. And Jerome Haddad has a hand in it. Thinking she's the cat in this game, Giovanna gets too involved and becomes the mouse, putting her life in jeopardy. But if she doesn't stop him, Jerome will go on to ruin others.