Acclaimed sportswriter Allen Barra exposes the uncanny parallels--and lifelong friendship--between two of the greatest baseball players ever to take the field. Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. Both were nearly crushed by the weight of the outsized expectations placed on them, first by their families and later by America. Both lived secret lives far different from those their fans knew. What their fans also didn't know was that the two men shared a close personal friendship--and that each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience.

In 1928, Disney and a little cartoon mouse named Mickey became stars of the silver screen. The first-ever animated film with synchronized sound, "Steamboat Willie tells the story of Mickey the steamboat pilot and his determination to impress Minnie Mouse.

Was Willie Mays better than Ty Cobb? Is Babe Ruth the best player all-time? For devoted baseball fans, the Baseball Hall of Fame is a sacred institution, as well as the subject of much debate. Who will and who won't get in? Who should be there, and who shouldn't? Every player who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame has been a lightning rod for fan debate. "The Hall of Fame Index" offers a revolutionary compendium of statistics that rates a player's fitness for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, baseball beat-writers will continue to vote for their guys and the Veterans' Committee will vote for their guys, but "The Hall of Fame Index" offers them critical information to consider when determining who should be considered for induction. Along the way, you will learn a great deal about the complex world of baseball statistics. Whether you agree or disagree, it is guaranteed to be a lot of fun.

Award-winning sports writer Jane Leavy follows her New York Times runaway bestseller Sandy Koufax with the definitive biography of baseball icon Mickey Mantle. The legendary Hall-of-Fame outfielder was a national hero during his record-setting career with the New York Yankees, but public revelations of alcoholism, infidelity, and family strife badly tarnished the ballplayer's reputation in his latter years. In The Last Boy, Leavy plumbs the depths of the complex athlete, using copious first-hand research as well as her own memories, to show why The Mick remains the most beloved and misunderstood Yankee slugger of all time.

The untold story of ten critical, formative years in the great producer's life

"(Almost) everything you wanted to know about Mickey Mouse! Thousands of facts, quotes, and stories about Walt Disney's famous alter-ego." -- Back cover.