America grew rapidly after World War II, and the national pastime followed suit. Baseball dramatically changed from a 19th century pastoral relic to a continental modern sport. Six Major League clubs relocated to new cities, capped by the coast-to-coast moves of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. Four expansion teams were created from thin air. Dozens of black stars emerged after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The players formed a union--higher salaries materialized. This book tells the story of baseball's metamorphosis 1945-1962, driven by larger-than-life personalities like the bombastic Larry MacPhail, the sage Branch Rickey, the kindly Connie Mack, the quick-witted Bill Veeck and the wily Walter O'Malley--Hall of Famers all. The upheaval they sparked--and sometimes failed to control--would broaden the sport's appeal, setting the stage for tremendous growth in the half-century to come.

America grew rapidly after World War II, and the national pastime followed suit. Baseball dramatically changed from a 19th century pastoral relic to a continental modern sport. Six Major League clubs relocated to new cities, capped by the coast-to-coast moves of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. Four expansion teams were created from thin air. Dozens of black stars emerged after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The players formed a union--higher salaries materialized. This book tells the story of baseball's metamorphosis 1945-1962, driven by larger-than-life personalities like the bombastic Larry MacPhail, the sage Branch Rickey, the kindly Connie Mack, the quick-witted Bill Veeck and the wily Walter O'Malley--Hall of Famers all. The upheaval they sparked--and sometimes failed to control--would broaden the sport's appeal, setting the stage for tremendous growth in the half-century to come.

A school, sports, and friendship story perfect for fans of Mike Lupica's Comeback Kids.

Baseball diamonds are a girl’s best friend. A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME is the story of a 20-something woman who finds comfort and solace in baseball as her carefully ordered world starts to unravel. 26-year-old Laurie Nicholson thinks she’s beginning to sort things out when it comes to life, work, and love. When a sudden declaration from an on-again, off-again boyfriend inspires her to take a risk, only to meet with crushing heartbreak instead, Laurie finds herself searching for refuge. A chance encounter with Eric Morris and Peter Ellis, two friends spending their summer visiting every ballpark in America, offers Laurie an unexpected way to salve her wounds. Despite growing up in Boston surrounded by Red Sox fans, she wasn’t a fan of the game–until Eric and Peter’s enthusiasm turn that around and she falls in love…with baseball. Life throws Laurie a curveball when she gets laid off from her career-path ad agency job, and then again when her former suitor tries to reclaim her attention. Joining up with Eric and Peter for the remainder of their cross-country baseball odyssey lets her dodge her ex’s efforts as well as look for a new job. Along the way, Laurie and friends encounter Citizens Bank Park and the Philly Phanatic; Fenway Park, the front row of the Green Monster and Wally the Green Monster; the Pirate Parrot and PNC Park; Southpaw and US Cellular Field; the grandstand and bleachers at Wrigley Field; Jacobs Field and that creepy Cleveland Indians mascot; Busch Stadium and Fredbird; Sluggerrr and Kaufmann Stadium; Shea Stadium and the 2006 post-season. But as the season and the journey draws to a close, Laurie realizes that there’s a new set of decisions she’ll need to make: where she’ll live, who she’s in love with, and what team she’s going to claim allegiance to! If you love baseball and best friends, rock and roll and road trips, heartbreak and happy endings, A Whole New Ballgame is for you.

"An interesting and informative look at the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that operated from 1945–1954.... A significant title." --School Library Journal, starred review

On deck and ready for your reading lineup, New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies’s ode to “batty” baseball fans. You think humans are the only ones who enjoy America’s national pastime? Grab your bat—the other kind—and your mitt, because it’s a whole new ballgame when evening falls and bats come fluttering from the rafters to watch their all-stars compete. Get set to be transported to the right-side-up and upside-down world of bats at play, as imagined and illustrated by bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies. Hurry up! Come one—come all! We’re off to watch the bats play ball!

Middle school gets multiplied in this new series about twins Alex and Ava, whose father is the coach of a small-town Texas football team! When twelve-year-old twins Alex and Ava Sackett move from the East Coast to Texas so their dad can coach an elite high school football team, they have to get used to not only a whole new school and town, but also the fame that comes with being football’s first family. They’ve got a plan to make it through: stick together! Because even though Alex and Ava are total opposites, they’ve always stuck together. But then Ava cuts her hair short, and Alex fears that Ava wants a new town to mean a new start—as an individual. At the same time, Alex’s concern has Ava wondering if she’s no longer cool enough for her twin. Are Alex and Ava still the same dynamic duo they’ve always been, or are they headed down different paths?