Baseball is America's pastime, and baseball fans are the ones keeping it that way. Not just the buy-me-some-peanuts-and-Cracker-Jack fans, but the true fanatics: the ones with worn-out gloves, rally caps, jerseys, alternate jerseys, and enough broadcast calls of their team's greatest moments committed to heart to fill a box CD collection. Some are outwardly fanatical, earning their way onto team compilation videos with wild hair, face paint, signs, and dancing. Others are fanatical in the way they observe, closely eyeing every pitch, pickoff, and outfielder's jump with a fine-tuned finesse honed over thousands of innings.These fanatics with finesse are baseball's aficionados. And this is the Aficionado's Scorebook for Baseball.Capture every detail of every game, from the weather and time of the first pitch to the count your team's slugging third baseman had when he roped a hanging curveball down the left field line for a walk-off double (though he would've rounded the bases all the way to the next state if he could). Let the raised-ink cover show some age as you track your son's high school team all the way to the state final. Bring your scorebook home from the ballpark and leave it on the coffee table to show exactly where you were for that complete game shutout in Game 6, or exactly where you've been on your numerous road trip stops to check off another ballpark.Fanatics with finesse don't just cheer today, they relish in the greatness of baseball for a lifetime. Score your baseball memories like a true aficionado today.

Twenty-seven essays, profiles, and stories about America's pastime.

Throughout their history, the Oakland Athletics have been one of the most audacious and individual franchises in all of baseball. As the longtime radio voice of the A's, Ken Korach has called countless improbable, unforgettable moments. As the San Francisco Chronicle's veteran beat reporter, Susan Slusser has become the preeminent scribe of the A's modern era. Both have witnessed more than their share of team history up close and personal. In If These Walls Could Talk: Oakland A's, Korach and Slusser provide insight into the A's inner sanctum as only they can. Readers will gain the perspective of players, coaches, and front office executives in times of greatness as well as defeat, making for a keepsake no fan will want to miss.

In May 1977, the cricket world woke to discover that a 39-year-old businessman called Kerry Packer had signed thirty-five elite international players for his own televised World Series Cricket. The Cricket War, now published with a new introduction and afterword, is the definitive account of the split that changed the game on the field and on the screen. In helmets, under lights, with white balls and in coloured clothes, the outlaw armies of Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd fought a daily battle of survival. In boardrooms and courtrooms, Packer and cricket's rulers fought a bitter war of nerves. A compelling account of top-class sporting life, The Cricket War also gives a unique insight into the motives and methods of the tycoon who became Australia's richest man.

If you are a baseball fan, then coaching youth baseball is one the most enjoyable and rewarding activities you’ll experience. But what if you’ve never coached before? Or you haven’t played the game in a while and have forgot some key points to the sport? No worries! Coaching Baseball for Dummies guides you through the rules of the game, explaining all the essential skills and the best ways to teach them to your players. Covering different age groups and great practice routines, this guide is all you need to have a fun-filled season. You’ll discover how to: Fulfill the role of being a coach and parent Develop a coaching philosophy Understand how your league works Evaluate your team Teach your players fundamentals Understand all kinds of children Create your practice plan Prepare for game day Overcome challenges and problems This plain-English guide also shows you how to run all kinds of drills, from hitting and pitching to fielding and base running. And when your team is tense or low on morale, it shows you how to relax your players and keep them focused on the game. There are also suggestions for making your season, and theirs, a memorable one. Coaching Baseball for Dummies shows you how much fun it can be to train kids to be athletes, have good sportsmanship, and work together as a team.