Frank Robinson was one of the greatest baseball players of the 20th century. He was Rookie of the Year for the Cincinnati Reds in 1956, won the Triple Crown in 1966, led the Baltimore Orioles to four World Series appearances, and is the only player in baseball history to be voted Most Valuable Player in both the American and National leagues. When his playing career was over, he became the first black manager in both leagues and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982. Amid these accomplishments, he continually strived for recognition—as if he had something to prove—and as a manager demanded respect from his players and his bosses. This is a biography of a man who “crowded the plate” in all aspects of his baseball life.

Finalist for the 2014 Casey Award! Selected by the National Baseball Hall of Fame for the 2014 author's series Brooks Robinson is one of baseball's most transcendent and revered players. He won a record sixteen straight Gold Gloves at third base, led one of the best teams of the era, and is often cited as the greatest fielder in baseball history. Credited with almost single-handedly winning the 1970 World Series, this MVP was immortalized in a Normal Rockwell painting. A wholesome player and role model, Brooks honored the game of baseball not only with his play but with his class and character off the field. Author of The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych, Doug Wilson returns to baseball's Golden Age to detail the birth of a new franchise through the man who came to symbolize it as one of baseball's most beloved players. Through numerous interviews with people from every part of the legendary player's life, Wilson reveals never-before-reported information to illuminate Brooks's remarkable skill and warm personality. Brooks takes readers back to an era when players fought for low-paying yearly contracts, spanning the turbulent 60s and 70s and into the dawning of the free agent era. He was elected to the MLB All-Century Team and as president of the MLB Players Alumni, Brooks continues to influence today's baseball players. In the current climate of astronomic salaries, steroids, off-field troubles, and heroes who let down their fans, Brooks reminds baseball fans of the honor and glory at the heart of America's favorite pastime.

Jackie Robinson: A Life in American History provides readers with an understanding of the scope of Robinson's life and explores why no Major League Baseball player will ever again wear number 42 as his regular jersey number. This book captures Robinson's lifetime, from 1919 to 1972, while focusing on his connections to the unresolved promise of the Reconstruction Era and to the civil rights movement of the 20th century. In addition to covering Robinson's athletic career with the UCLA Bruins, the Kansas City Monarchs, the Montreal Royals, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, the book explores sociopolitical elements to situate Robinson's story and impact within the broader context of United States history. The book makes deliberate connections among the failure of Reconstruction, the creation of the Negro Leagues, the rise and decline of legalized segregation in the United States, the progress of the civil rights movement, and Robinson's life. Chronological chapters begin with Robinson's life before he played professional baseball, continue with an exploration of the Negro Leagues and Robinson's career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and conclude with an examination of Robinson's post-retirement life as well as his influence on civil rights. Supplemental materials including document excerpts give readers an opportunity to explore contemporary accounts of Robinson's career and impact.

More than any other sport, baseball has developed its own niche in America’s culture and psyche. Some researchers spend years on detailed statistical analyses of minute parts of the game, while others wax poetic about its players and plays. Many trace the beginnings of the civil rights movement in part to the Major Leagues’ decision to integrate, and the words and phrases of the game (for example, pinch-hitter and out in left field) have become common in our everyday language. From AARON, HENRY onward, this book covers all of what might be called the cultural aspects of baseball (as opposed to the number-rich statistical information so widely available elsewhere). Biographical sketches of all Hall of Fame players, owners, executives and umpires, as well as many of the sportswriters and broadcasters who have won the Spink and Frick awards, join entries for teams, owners, commissioners and league presidents. Advertising, agents, drafts, illegal substances, minor leagues, oldest players, perfect games, retired uniform numbers, superstitions, tripleheaders, and youngest players are among the thousands of entries herein. Most entries open with a topical quote and conclude with a brief bibliography of sources for further research. The whole work is exhaustively indexed and includes 119 photographs.

A Fresh Look at an Inspiring Historical Figure Jackie Robinson in Quotes tells the life story of arguably the most important baseball player in history with over 400 pages of quotations by and about him. Featured are quotes by Robinson, his widow Rachel Robinson, other family members, friends, teammates, coaches, members of the media, and many more. Danny Peary has skillfully curated the best quotes to shed new light on the man behind number 42, who famously became the first black Major League Baseball player in 1947. The quotes speak for themselves, following Robinson through his childhood to his days as a young multi-talented athlete; his famous first meeting with Branch Rickey and signing with the Dodgers; then his exciting Hall-of-Fame career playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Read in his own words how he had to face racism and abuse with stoic silence; and how later the true Robinson emerged—a ballplayer and political activist who refused to stay silent, and who for his whole life remained unswerving in his expectation that all Americans be treated equally, no matter their color. Jackie Robinson in Quotes is a behind-the-headlines narrative about the making and life of a hero. It gives a first-hand account of Jackie Robinson’s baseball stardom, his friendships and rivalries, the people he loved and who loved him, the issues that troubled him, and how he took on all challenges to change the face of America’s favorite pastime, the country itself, and, thus, history forever.

This is a story of memories, of time spent observing and interacting with most of the major athletes and many others during the last half of the twentieth century, and of time up close with movie stars, major politicians, and other celebrities. You are alongside Walt Brown during many of the major events that spanned the decades of Americas continuing battle toward equality in sports and general life. www.momentswithheroes.com

Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest baseball players of all time--MLB Rookie of the Year, World Series Champion, six-time all-star, MVP, and a lifetime batting average of .311. But he is most remembered for breaking racial barriers by becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues since the 1880s. This book traces Robinsons life, both on the field and his personal life--from his childhood and career in the miltary to his days in the Negro leagues and with the Brooklyn Dodgers; it also covers briefly his life after baseball. LifeCaps is an imprint of BookCaps™ Study Guides. With each book, a lesser known or sometimes forgotten life is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to literature and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.