Formerly the worst hitter on the team, Chad Griffin's hitting definitely improves when a major-league all-star coaches his team, but then the sixth-grader discovers something very disturbing about the coach.

The challenging puzzlers presented here will have you playing armchair manager or umpire; reading about strange, unusual, and trick plays; and matching up quotes with the people who originated them.

Gross Productivity Average, or GPA, is a new baseball statistic that measures performance. Accounting for the effect that each plate appearance or baserunning play has on scoring opportunities, it is reported on a scale similar to that for batting average, making it easy for the average fan to understand. Beginning with a detailed explanation of the statistic and its derivation, the book identifies, in Part II, historical patterns in league-average GPA (even the steroids effect is quantified). Practical applications are then explored, as GPA is used in Part III to settle long-running arguments about strategy and in Part IV to reassess players and awards voting from 1952 to 2012.

When Tim Allison decided to try out for the Kansas City Blue Sox he had no idea of pursuing a professional baseball career-but here he was-trying to move up in the Blue Sox organization. The first year of professional baseball had gone by quickly. The year with the Springfield Kings had been a year of discovery. A year in which Tim discovered his love for baseball was greater than he had ever imagined; discovered a wonderful girl; had fallen in love; and had found that the world is not always kind and understanding. With all negative thoughts of his first year in baseball behind him, Tim was looking forward to the new year, a new team, and further adventures in the world of professional sports. He was apprehensive, but filled with excitement as he looked forward to moving up to Little Rock to play for the Blue Sox AA farm team. How many of the other guys had been promoted? Where would Larry Phelps and Big Tony Meeker play this year? Would they still be in Springfield, or would they be assigned to Little Rock or Topeka? And what had become of Randy Ford and Burr Swann? And what about Linda-where do we go from here? All these questions and more will be answered in this sequel to the first Tim Allison Baseball Story, Tim's Big Decision. Batting Third is filled with baseball action, romance, mystery, intrigue, and an emphasis upon Christian values as we follow Tim through another exciting year of professional baseball.

Written by three esteemed baseball statisticians, "The Book" continues where the legendary Bill James?'s "Baseball Abstracts" and Palmer and Thorn?'s "The Hidden Game of Baseball" left off more than twenty years ago. Continuing in the grand tradition of sabermetrics, the authors provide a revolutionary way to think about baseball with principles that can be applied at every level, from high school to the major leagues.Tom Tango, Mitchel Lichtman, and Andrew Dolphin cover topics such as batting and pitching matchups, platooning, the benefits and risks of intentional walks and sacrifices, the legitimacy of alleged ?clutch? hitters, and many of baseball?'s other theories on hitting, fielding, pitching, and even baserunning. They analyze when a strategy is a good idea and when it?'s a bad idea, and how to more closely watch the ?inside? game of baseball.Whenever you hear an announcer talk about the ?unwritten rule? or say that so-and-so is going ?by the book? in bringing in a situational substitute, "The Book" reviews the facts and determines what the real case is. If you want to know what the folks in baseball should be doing, find out in "The Book,"

An inside, in-depth look at a fascinating baseball life . . . There were spectacular highs—Rookie of the Year, All Star, World Series . . . And devastating lows—the end of his playing days, a tragic accident in his second year as manager, a heartbreaker in the World Series, being fired from the job he loved . . . Mike Hargrove truly spent a lifetime in baseball. From the sandlots of tiny Perryton, Texas, to the biggest stage, Game 7 of the World Series, he played, coached, managed . . . lived the game for four decades. The Cleveland Indians were at the center of Hargrove’s baseball life for more than 20 years. He played for some mediocre Indians teams in the 1980s. He managed some of the best Indians teams ever in the 1990s—including five consecutive division titles, one of the most powerful offensive lineups in baseball history (Lofton, Belle, Baerga, Murray, Thome, Ramirez) and two trips to the World Series. Not bad for a kid who didn’t play baseball in high school, was a walk-on in college and an afterthought 25th-round draft pick. One constant in Hargrove’s roller-coaster career: Sharon Hargrove. Their 50-year marriage in an unsteady business (from 1970 to 1995, the Hargroves lived in 23 different houses) is inspiring. This book takes a close-up look at a life and career long under-appreciated—by us, not by him—perhaps because much of it was spent in the shadows of so many big personalities. But Hargrove’s story includes big moments—both heartbreaking and heart-stopping.

Mathematics is often challenging for students majoring in nontechnical fields. This book makes mathematical concepts more engaging with examples drawn from baseball and other sports, providing a basis for a solid survey of college math. Liberal arts students will find concepts applicable to "real life" presented in ways not typically taught in college algebra courses. Topics covered include logical fallacies, unit conversions, statistics, probability, finance, geometry, modeling and voting theory. The book can be used in high school courses for students who have taken algebra and geometry. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

In Turning Two, Bud Harrelson delivers a team memoir as he takes fans through the early seasons, sudden success, lean years, and return to glory. Only one man, Harrelson, can say he was in uniform for both New York Mets world championships: as the shortstop who anchored the infield of the 1969 "Miracle Mets" and then as the third-base coach for the storied 1986 team. Born on D-day 1944, the Alameda County, California, native made his Major League debut with the Mets in 1965. At 147 pounds he was the team's Everyman--a Gold Glove, All-Star shortstop who won the hearts of fans with his sparkling defensive skills and trademark brand of gritty, scrappy baseball. Harrelson recalls how the gentle yet firm guidance of manager Gil Hodges shaped a stunning success story in ‘69. Bud remembers the game's legends he played with and against, including Hall of Famers Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson (against whom he compiled a .333 career batting average), and his idol, Willie Mays--Harrelson's teammate on the 1973 "Ya Gotta Believe" team. Harrelson writes of his famous fight with Pete Rose in the playoffs that autumn as the Mets upset the Cincinnati Reds to win the National League pennant and squared off against the mighty Oakland A's in a dramatic seven-game World Series. After retiring as a player, Bud returned to Shea Stadium as Davey Johnson's third-base coach in 1985 and waved Ray Knight home for the winning run in the unforgettable Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Harrelson takes us in the dugout and on the field as he tells thrilling tales from his career and speaks candidly of the state of the game today. Turning Two is the ideal souvenir from the first half-century of the New York Mets--and from the pre-steroid era when players played the game the right way and did the little things to help their teams win. Bud Harrelson in Turning Two On Gil Hodges "Hodges accomplished his goal with compassion and a gentle hand and attained discipline simply by being such an imposing physical specimen. He rarely lost his temper, but on the few occasions that he did, you can bet he got our attention." On Battling at the Plate "I have always said I'll take God to three-and-two and take my chances. I might foul two off before He gave me ball four." On 1969 "Torre hit a smash to me at short and I'm thinking, Don't screw up the throw; don't rush it. I knew I could catch it. I just wanted to be sure to make a good, firm throw right at the chest of Al Weis at second base. I tossed it to Weis and he turned it over to Clendenon at first for the double play and we had won the Mets' first title. We were the first champions of the National League East." On Playing with Willie Mays "I reached up to catch the ball and as I did, I stepped on Willie's foot. Oh, no! ‘Hey, Pee Wee, what are you doing out here?' he squealed. ‘I didn't hear anything,' I said. ‘I don't call for the ball,' he said. ‘Well,' I said, ‘if you don't want to get stepped on again, you better start calling for it.' The next time he was in center field and there was a pop fly, he called for it." On Tom Seaver to M. Donald Grant "Mr. Grant, you know why we're doing so well? See that little guy in the corner over there"--and he was pointing right at me--"that guy whose salary you cut? He's the reason we're winning." On Game 6 "I leaned over to Mitchell and reminded him to be alert and be ready to take off if Stanley threw one in the dirt."

Inside tips to improve all areas of your game.

Why does a curveball curve? What is a “can of corn”? Why was Joe DiMaggio called the “Yankee Clipper”? “Who wrote “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”? How many times did Ty Cobb steal home? In Baseball Miscellany, the fascinating history and lore of our national pastime is finally revealed! For example, the reason a curveball curves is that its spin drags a layer of air across one surface of the ball faster than it does across the opposite surface. A “can of corn” is slang for an easy-to-catch fly ball, the term originating from a general store clerk reaching up and dropping a can from a high shelf. Sportswriters dubbed Joe DiMaggio the “Yankee Clipper” because he glided about the outfield with beauty and grace, like a clipper ship on the ocean. The lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” were written in 1908 by vaudeville star Jack Norworth, who, while riding the subway, was inspired by a sign that said “Baseball Today—Polo Grounds.” And the great Ty Cobb stole home a whopping fifty-four times—fifty more than the career leader in total stolen bases, Rickey Henderson. Packed with all manner of delightful surprises, beautiful illustrations and photographs, and delicious nuggets of information, Baseball Miscellany demystifies the origins and customs of America’s most celebrated game. From spring training through the World Series, you’ll be entertained with fun, little-known facts. Why do baseball players wear stirrup socks? Who invented the catcher’s mask? What Major League team passed up on signing eighteen-year-old Willie Mays in 1949? Settle into your favorite armchair, grab some peanuts or Cracker Jacks, and find out!