When the Boston Red Sox won the World Series on October 27, 2004, they made history. Their stunning comeback against the New York Yankees and their four-game annihilation of the St. Louis Cardinals capped one of the most thrilling postseason runs ever. The World Series victory-Boston's first in 86 years-came less than three years after John Henry and Tom Werner bought the team from the Yawkey Trust and forever changed the way the Red Sox operated on and off the field.
Seth Mnookin was given access never before granted to a reporter in the history of organized sports. He had a key to Fenway Park and a desk in the team's front office. He spent weekends talking business with John Henry and afternoons in the clubhouse with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. He learned never-before-told details of the team's Thanksgiving Day wooing of Curt Schilling, the jealousy Nomar Garciaparra felt toward better-paid teammates, and the anxiety that impelled Pedro Martinez to insist that the Red Sox guarantee his future. He was there when general manager Theo Epstein's frustration over the organization's ceaseless drive for more media coverage and new revenue streams collided with his fracturing relationship with CEO Larry Lucchino. The resulting narrative -- juicy, gripping, and overflowing with thrilling detail -- reveals how a savvy sports organization tries to stay on top while under the relentless scrutiny of the country's most voracious sportswriters and baseball's most demanding fans.
Drawn from hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews and a year with the team, Feeding the Monster shows as no book ever has before what it means to buy, sell, run, and be part of a major league sports team in America.
When the Boston Red Sox won the World Series on October 27, 2004, they made history. Their stunning comeback against the New York Yankees and their four-game annihilation of the St. Louis Cardinals capped one of the most thrilling postseason runs ever. The World Series victory-Boston's first in 86 years-came less than three years after John Henry and Tom Werner bought the team from the Yawkey Trust and forever changed the way the Red Sox operated on and off the field.
Seth Mnookin was given access never before granted to a reporter in the history of organized sports. He had a key to Fenway Park and a desk in the team's front office. He spent weekends talking business with John Henry and afternoons in the clubhouse with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. He learned never-before-told details of the team's Thanksgiving Day wooing of Curt Schilling, the jealousy Nomar Garciaparra felt toward better-paid teammates, and the anxiety that impelled Pedro Martinez to insist that the Red Sox guarantee his future. He was there when general manager Theo Epstein's frustration over the organization's ceaseless drive for more media coverage and new revenue streams collided with his fracturing relationship with CEO Larry Lucchino. The resulting narrative -- juicy, gripping, and overflowing with thrilling detail -- reveals how a savvy sports organization tries to stay on top while under the relentless scrutiny of the country's most voracious sportswriters and baseball's most demanding fans.
Drawn from hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews and a year with the team, Feeding the Monster shows as no book ever has before what it means to buy, sell, run, and be part of a major league sports team in America.
The Pirates' situation got even worse the next day, when Jesse Haines beat Hal Carlson, 1–0, dealing the slumping leaders their second consecutive shutout. With the Giants idle, Pittsburgh's lead was now a mere half game.
... Todd, 87 Hutchinson, Fred, 24, 47 Jackson, Reggie, 167, 246 James, Fob, 18 Jarvis, Leroy, 207, 208 Jay. ... Billy, 58, 60 Kluszewski, Ted, 153, 154, 175 Koufax, Sandy, 69, 218 Kralick, Jack, 04 Kramer, Jack, 141 Khrushchev, Nikita, ...
The Black Barons' manager, Piper Davis, was introduced to Mays by Willie's father, Cat, with whom Davis had been a teammate years earlier in the Alabama Industrial League. Davis was regarded as the premier second baseman in the Negro ...
8 General James Mattoon Scott was a literary example of Eisenhower's warning. Seven Days in May, written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II, reinforces the notion that a military coup in the White House could happen with a man ...
10. Quoted in Dan Daniel, “Tresh Certain He's It,” New York World- Telegram and Sun, February 7, 1962, 34. 11. Quoted in Steve Jacobson, “Tresh 'Star' at Short; Or, at Least, He Was,” New York Newsday, July 17, 1962, 20c. 12.
There was more than one Chet Nichols in major-league history. The earlier Chet pitched for parts of six seasons, including his 1930 adventure with the Phillies. He made it through the year 1–2 with a 6.79 ERA (and his only major-league ...
The Imperfect Diamond tells the stories of the players and their opponents, the powerful owners: how John Montgomery Ward led the Players League Rebellion of 1890; the rise and fall of David Fultz and the Baseball Players Fraternity (1912 ...
We want to reach out to all generations and backgrounds. Hopefully, these stories and lessons will inspire people in a positive way.” —Willie Mays
We want to reach out to all generations and backgrounds. Hopefully, these stories and lessons will inspire people in a positive way.” —Willie Mays
A number of authors have tried to identify baseball's premier feats, fantastic plays, and dominating performances. Because "best of" listings inevitably raise questions, differences of opinions, and even controversy, one...