Major League Baseball has had its share of characters. Mark Littell is a one-of-a-kind, mold-breaking country boy from the Bootheel of Missouri. In this book, Mark takes you through his wild and wooly career as a baseball player, from his very first at-bat when he was six years old, through his career in the Major Leagues. This collection of unbelievable tales will have you on the floor laughing, as Mark's Southern twang and quick wit show you a side of baseball you've never seen before. Read on to discover what the most common baseball term is, how a country boy from Missouri made it from the farm to the major league pitching mound, and why the city of Cleveland won't let Mark back. "Having Country as a teammate was a pleasure. I never realized he had the writing skills or humor to write such an insightful book. A must-read story." - Dave Nelson Former MLB player, and current broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers "A candid and humorous book about big league baseball. Mark brings to life the ups and downs of professional baseball. This book definitely finds the strike zone." - Denny Matthews Sportscaster and Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame Member-2007 recipient of Ford C. Frick award "This book is the real deal. Mark did a great job of sharing his own stories playing the greatest game in the world. Every baseball fan should read this and laugh their ass off like I did." - Jim Wohlford Former MLB player "Mark is one-of-a-kind, and his uproarious personality comes out in the pages of this book. On the Eighth Day... is a phenomenal collection of stories that will have everyone, baseball fan or not, rolling on the floor with laughter." R. Craig Coppola Author of The Fantastic Life

“On the Eighth Day, God Created a Marine” is one man’s struggle to keep his family together despite numerous tragic events. It also highlights the conflict career military members have when they must choose between family and service.

The president of New York University offers a love letter to America’s most beloved sport and a tribute to its underlying spirituality. For more than a decade, John Sexton has taught a wildly popular New York University course about two seemingly very different things: religion and baseball. Yet Sexton argues that one is actually a pathway to the other. Baseball as a Road to God is about touching that something that lies beyond logical understanding. Sexton illuminates the surprisingly large number of mutual concepts shared between baseball and religion: faith, doubt, conversion, miracles, and even sacredness among many others. Structured like a game and filled with riveting accounts of baseball’s most historic moments, Baseball as Road to God will enthrall baseball fans whatever their religious beliefs may be. In thought-provoking, beautifully rendered prose, Sexton elegantly demonstrates that baseball is more than a game, or even a national pastime: It can be a road to enlightenment.

During a 1980s Edmonton Oilers game, fans unveiled a banner claiming, “On the 8th day, God created Gretzky.” Intersections between religious belief and sporting participation are nothing new, where players, coaches, and fans are known to pray, cross themselves, and point to the heavens during a game. But what should be the relationship between sports and religious faith? On the Eighth Day introduces the theology of sport from a Catholic standpoint. It wrestles with sport’s universal appeal, its rich symbolism, and its spiritual and moral characteristics. Sport is a place where embodied games can be sacramental; where traditions of the past speak to contemporary peoples; and where truth and justice are demanded in a world affected by sin. The eighth day recalls the playful, re-creative work of God the Creator embodied in Christ’s resurrection. In this sense, this book marks out a “new day” in Christian attitudes toward modern sport and the continuing call to redeem sport in service of human flourishing. Comprehensive yet accessible, the book will engage thoughtful lay sports fans and academic students alike.

The New York Yankees were the strongest team in the majors from 1948 through 1960, capturing the American League Pennant 10 times and winning seven World Championships. The average fan, when asked who made the team so dominant, will mention Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford or Mickey Mantle. Some will insist manager Casey Stengel was the key. But pundits at the time, and respected historians today, consider the shy, often taciturn George Martin Weiss the real genius behind the Yankees' success. Weiss loved baseball but lacked the ability to play. He made up for it with the savvy to run a team better than his competitors. He spent more than 50 years in the game, including nearly 30 with the Yankees. Before becoming their general manager, he created their superlative farm system that supplied the club with talented players. When the Yankees retired him at 67, the newly franchised New York Mets immediately hired him to build their team. This book is the first definitive biography of Weiss, a Hall of Famer hailed for contributing "as much to baseball as any man the game could ever know."

The 1982 St. Louis Cardinals played an entertaining style of baseball built on speed and defense. The roster was constructed and piloted by Whitey Herzog, a baseball visionary who tailored his team for the AstroTurf and spacious dimensions of Busch Stadium. Herzog traded for closer Bruce Sutter, speedsters Lonnie Smith and Willie McGee, and defensive wizard Ozzie Smith, adding to a talented roster that included the likes of Bob Forsch, Keith Hernandez, and George Hendrick. The result was an exhilarating season filled with winning streaks, numerous obstacles, and one unforgettable steal of home. The Cardinals won the National League pennant despite hitting the fewest home runs in the major leagues, then overcame baseball's most powerful team--the Milwaukee Brewers--in the World Series. This exhaustive account chronicles the Cardinals from Herzog's rebuild to the final out of the Fall Classic. Hundreds of sources, including original interviews, were compiled to revisit a championship season and tell the backstories of an eclectic group of players who reached baseball's pinnacle.

Originally published: New York: Doubleday, a division of Random House, 2007.