Using America's favorite pastime as an analogy, this collection of essays teaches children how to apply the lessons learned in baseball to everyday situations. This guide, filled with invaluable advice, enables adolescents to grow into adults while providing perspective on the sport and the complexities of life. The essays are derived from common themes in baseball but relate to dilemmas experienced off the field. The chapter "Some Days You're the Bat, Some Days You're the Ball" is an allusion to good days versus bad and reminds children that some rules have reasons, although they will probably question them. The sage guidance offers ways to control your emotions by channeling them into better efforts and tips to summon courage whether you are standing at the bat, undergoing surgery, or delivering a speech. The importance of paying attention to detail and respect for authority, along with advice on how to deal with adversity, is included in this indispensable compilation. Andy Norwood underscores the significance of teamwork, self-sacrifice, and the humility experienced after a loss. Each lesson is preceded by a quote from such celebrities as Jay Leno, Maya Angelou, and Albert Einstein. The work incorporates anecdotes from Major League Baseball and significant moments in the sport's history, making this book an enjoyable read for adults and their children.

Author Patrick Flaherty and his brothers honor their mother by sharing stories and life's lessons learned from her during their childhood. Doris Flaherty was typical of the millions of moms raising families in the 1950's, 60's and 70's. Much of what these moms did on a daily basis for teaching and disciplining their children can easily be used by today's mothers. Many stories are humurous anecdotes of how common situations were handled through the wisdom of motherhood.

Nine innings, nine different positions, nine life lessons.

"Philip Theibert, motivational speaker and third-generation baseball coach, has crystalized a lifetime of baseball experience and love for the game into 99 essays in 9 areas of focus that will inspire you to be the best you can be. The pieces are supplemented by more than 40 inspiring quotations from well-known baseball personalities and others. Great for both kids and adults to instill values and establish a positive and productive mindset. Let the keys to winning baseball help guide your pursuit of a winning life--personally and professionally, with your family, in relationships, and more. You may even learn a thing or two about baseball along the way."--Cover.

On the evening of March 28, 1956, Steve Garvey's father, a Greyhound bus driver in the Tampa Bay area, asked his young son if he'd like to accompany him as he drove the Brooklyn Dodgers to a spring-training game with the New York Yankees. For Garvey, a baseball card collector and an aspiring Little Leaguer, the opportunity stretched beyond his wildest imagination and marked the beginning of a legendary career and life in baseball. Garvey spent five years (1956-1961) as a bat boy, mostly for the Brooklyn Dodgers and briefly for the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. The fact that he would go on to become a first baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one of the most successful players of his era, is like something out of a Hollywood script. My Bat Boy Days is his moving collection of indelible memories, fascinating profiles, and lessons learned -- about the game and about life -- from heroes such as Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Mickey Mantle. My Bat Boy Days is for the generation of fans who remember the Boys of Summer and for the generation who grew up watching Steve Garvey play for the love of the game. Garvey's story is perfect for sharing with children and grandchildren who are just now getting to know and love the game.

Good coaches and good parents both try to teach kids the same things: persistence, hard work, how to handle pressure, and how to be a good winner. Baseball can help young players learn these lessons, but only if the coaches and parents stay focused on them. This book address the two main problems for coaches and parents: They are often unprepared or undertrained to teach the lessons baseball has to offer, and they often are trying to live vicariously through the children (which the absolute last thing the kids need).

Growing in Patience Is a Test! Author Brooke McGlothlin notes there’s an old joke that says, “Don’t ask God for patience. He’ll answer by testing yours.” It’s true to some degree, she says. “I don’t know that God is sitting around in heaven just waiting to test our resolve, but parenting, and the Christian life itself, is fundamentally built on trusting something we can’t always see…a master plan that reveals itself little by little and often takes turns we couldn’t predict.” But it’s possible to learn how to wait for God’s perfect timing, even when it seems like we’ve been waiting forever. In this thirty-day devotional and reflective journal, Brooke invites you to consider that patience is: Getting to know Jesus Knowing the cost of salvation Loving through the hard Seeing God in all things Confidence in what we can’t see Waiting with expectation Trusting God with the fight Everyday Prayers for Patience: Giving Yourself and Your Kids the Grace to Grow includes Bible verses on patience, space for journaling, and questions for deeper reflection. The prayers will help you seek God’s heart to discover surer ways to have patience with your children and yourself. Your life and theirs can become beautiful reflections of His great patience with us.