From the author of "The Final Season" comes a true bonding experience at the heart of this book about baseball, family, the Hall of Fame, and the town with which it shares a rich heritage. Photos.

The selection process for the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York, has been the same for sixty years. Two sets of electors are used, both of which vote each year using subjective criteria that inevitably cause errors of selection and omission. One group, the Baseball Writers Association of America, votes by mail using a pre-selected list of retired players that meet eligibility requirements. The second group of electors is the Veterans Committee, comprised of former players who are Hall of Fame members plus retired baseball executives and sportswriters who meet in Florida during spring training and base their votes on the merits of candidates no longer eligible for the BBWAA ballot. In this work the author combines an irreverent critique of the voting process with an analysis of the biases that have fostered questionable choices in Hall of Fame voting. The result is a comprehensive, statistically founded survey of the factors which influence election.

The life story of the only league pitcher to have hurled five no-hitters in his career.

Soon to be a major motion picture, Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story is the incredible true tale of a beloved Emmy-winning blind broadcaster who refused to let his disability prevent him from overcoming many challenging obstacles and achieving his dreams. In 1951, when he was only twelve years old, Ed Lucas was hit between the eyes by a baseball during a sandlot game in Jersey City. He lost his sight forever. To cheer him up, his mother wrote letters to baseball superstars of the day, explaining her son’s condition. Soon Ed was invited into their clubhouses and dugouts, as the players and coaches personally made him feel at home. Despite the warm reception he got from his heroes, Ed was told repeatedly by others that he would never be able to accomplish anything worthwhile because of his limitations. But Hall-of-Famer Phil Rizzuto became Ed’s mentor and encouraged him to pursue his passion—broadcasting. Ed then overcame hundreds of barriers, big and small, to become a pioneer—the first blind person covering baseball on a regular basis, a career he has successfully continued for six decades. Ed may have lost his sight, but he never lost his faith, which got him through many pitfalls and dark days. When Ed’s two sons were very young, his wife walked out and left him to raise them all by himself, which he did. Six years later, Ed’s ex-wife returned and sued him for full custody, saying that a blind man shouldn’t have her kids. The judge agreed, tearing Ed's sons away from their father's loving home. Ed fought the heartbreaking decision with appeals all the way up to the highest level of the court system. Eventually, he prevailed, marking the very first time in US history that a disabled person was awarded custody over a non-disabled spouse. Even in his later years, Ed is still enjoying a remarkably blessed life. In 2006, he married his second wife, Allison, at home plate in old Yankee Stadium, the only time that such a thing ever happened on that iconic spot. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner himself catered the whole affair, which was shown live on national television. Seeing Home: The Ed Lucas Story is truly a magical read and a universally uplifting and inspirational tale for everyone, whether or not you happen to be a sports fan. Over his long and amazing life, Ed has collected hundreds of anecdotes from his personal relationships and encounters with everyone, from kings and presidents to movie stars and sports Hall-of-Famers, many of which he shares in this memoir, using his trademark humorous and engaging style, cowritten with his youngest son, Christopher.

Offers advice on the mechanics of pitching, and recommends a program of weight training, aerobic exercise, and sound nutrition.

Ryan pitched for four different teams and in four different decades, but always managed to attract the attention of the media: As a wild, fireballing rookie with the New York Mets who soaked his fingers in pickle brine; as a rising star with the Angels who dispensed snake oil in the clubhouse, broke Sandy Koufax's records and pitched four no-hitters within two years; as the established power pitcher in Houston who pitched a record 5th no-hitter in and continued to chalk up strikeouts; and as the ageing but still dominating Texas Ranger who passed the 5,000 strikeout mark and pitched his sixth and seventh no-hitters after his 40th birthday. This book relives the highlights of a 27 year career: The no-hitters, the landmark strikeouts, the records, and the man who was The Ryan Express.

Riverfront Stadium, which opened in 1970, hosted the greatest team in Cincinnati Reds baseball history. In fact, the Big Red Machine was one of the greatest teams in all of Major League baseball history. Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose and company won two World Series championships, four National League pennants, and made six post-season appearances in a single decade. Riverfront Stadium: Home of the Big Red Machine captures all of the glory of the 1970s, as well as other legendary moments in the ballpark's 32-year history, with nearly 200 classic photographs and narrative that brings the author's knowledge of baseball and love for the game to every page.