Contents
Introduction (Or Why I Wrote This Book)
1. THE MOST INCREDIBLE RELIEF JOB IN HISTORY
2. FELLER’S BID FOR A WIN FELLED IN A STRANGE WAY
4. WILLIE MAYS’ INCREDIBLE CATCH HIJACKS A SERIES
5. A PERFECT CASE OF PITCHING LARCENY BY DON LARSEN
6. ONE MANAGER COMES, ONE MANAGER GOES IN A DEAL
7. A DOUBLE PLAY COMBINATION IS IMMORTALIZED IN POETRY
9. OVERCOMING AN EIGHT-RUN DEFICIT IN THE SEVENTH INNING OF A WORLD SERIES GAME TO WIN THE CONTEST
10. WHO WON THE 1945 ALL-STAR GAME?
11. WHY DID THREE CRUCIAL PLAYERS IN THE 1947 WORLD SERIES NEVER PLAY ANOTHER BIG LEAGUE GAME?
12. THE BROTHER ACT THAT WON FORTY-FIVE GAMES IN ONE SEASON
13. NOLAN RYAN’S RECORD SEVEN NO-HITTERS
14. THE WORLD SERIES THAT HAD FANS EVENLY DIVIDED
15. BASEBALL BILLBOARDS AS FAMOUS AS THE BALLPARKS
16. THE FASTEST BUILDING OF A BASEBALL CATHEDRAL
17. HOW THE BEST BASEBALL CENTER IN THE WORLD BECAME A GHOST DIAMOND
18. THE BASEBALL WAR TO END ALL WARS
19. THE 1942 ST. LOUIS CARDINALS–GREATEST TEAM EVER?
20. WORST BOOING OF A PRESIDENT AT A BASEBALL GAME
21. BABE RUTH AS PITCHING STAR AND CAR-BATTERING ACE
22. THE MOST INCREDIBLE WORLD SERIES ALIBI
23. A YANKEES BATBOY WAS FIRED FOR ALMOST KILLING BABE RUTH–AND LATER BECAME A FILM STAR
24. DOUBLE DUTY WAS HIS NAME; CATCHING AND PITCHING IN A DOUBLEHEADER WAS HIS CLAIM TO FAME
25. TWO BROTHERS WHO AMASSED AN ASTONISHING WIN TOTAL
26. THE BEST PUT-DOWN OF AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT BY A BASEBALL STAR
27. FROM PRISON TO THE MAJORS–THANKS TO BILLY MARTIN
29. MICKEY MANTLE AND ROGER MARIS AS MOVIE STARS–IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD
30. ROOKIE MANAGERS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PENNANT–AND WORLD SERIES–WINNERS RIGHT OFF THE BAT
31. A BATTER WHO STRUCK OUT ON ONLY TWO STRIKES
32. ALMOST GIVEN UP FOR DEAD IN WORLD WAR II, LOU BRISSIE RETURNED TO PITCH IN THE MAJORS
33. SIX MANAGERS IN FOUR YEARS–ONLY STEINBRENNER COULD DO IT
34. THE IMPROBABLE COMEBACK IN THE SUMMER OF 1978
35. FROM THIRD-STRING CATCHER TO FIRST-STRING SPY
36. STAN MUSIAL SHOWS WHY HE IS “THE MAN”
37. FROM MISTER ANONYMITY TO ALL-TIME HERO
38. THE EVANGELIST WHO DOUBLED AS A BASEBALL STAR
39. WAS THIS THE ALL-TIME BASEBALL BONEHEAD PLAY?
40. BARNEY KREMENKO’S MISTAKEN SIGNALS
41. INCREDIBLE FEATS BY BASEBALL PLAYERS IN WORLD WAR II
42. FROM HOCKEY GOALIE TO BASEBALL MANAGER
43. THE DAZZY WHO GOT THEM DIZZY
44. THE REDHEAD WHO TURNED BASEBALL BROADCASTING INTO AN ART FORM
45. A BASEBALL PUBLISHER WHO AFFECTED MORE FANS AND SERVICEMEN THAN ANYONE IN THE LITERARY BUSINESS
46. THE MOST INCREDIBLE BASEBALL NICKNAME COLLECTION
47. ONE HAND, NO HITS–HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN?
48. SOMEBODY ACTUALLY OUT-BABED THE GREAT RUTH [ROGER MARIS 1961]
49. THE FORGOTTEN PITCHER WHO BEFUDDLED THE BABE
50. THE MOST INCREDIBLE HITTER OF FOUL BALLS
51. A ONE-ARMED OUTFIELDER IN THE MAJORS? INCREDIBLE, BUT TRUE
52. IT TOOK A PAIR OF PITCHERS TO STOP JOE DIMAGGIO’S CONSECUTIVE GAME STREAK AT FIFTY-SIX
55. WHEN NINETEEN YEARS OF GREATNESS MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR THE HALL OF FAME
56. THE MOST CURIOUS HOME RUN EVER BELTED
57. BILL VEECK’S STUNT TO END ALL STUNTS–SIGNING AND THEN PLAYING A MIDGET
58. THE JEWISH SLUGGER WHO GOT A NICKNAME LIKE BABE RUTH
59. A REMARKABLE PUN THAT ONLY FRENCHY COULD UTTER
60. AN INCREDIBLY CORNY CONVICTION
61. HOW YOGI BECAME A STAND-UP COMIC
62. HOW TO SQUELCH AN UMPIRE–AND GET AWAY WITH IT
63. THE GREATEST SEASON BY A MODERN DAY PITCHER [PEDRO MARTINEZ]
64. THE MOST SENSATIONAL GAME EVER PITCHED [SANDY KOUFAX]
65. YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO BAT .388 [TED WILLIAMS, AGE 38]
66. THE MOST INCREDIBLE WORLD SERIES GAME FEATURING A TRIPLE PLAY
67. DICK GROAT–WILL IT BE BASKETBALL OR BASEBALL?
68. THE ALL-TIME UTILITY PLAYER, MARTIN DIHIGO
69. THE LONGEST HOME RUN OUT OF YANKEE STADIUM
70. JUAN MARICHAL VS. WARREN SPAHN–DUEL OF THE TITANS
71. BOB GIBSON’S FABULOUS 1968 SEASON
72. A GOOSE EGG TRIFECTA FORGOTTEN BY MANY
73. SHORT HITS–FOR NINE MEN IN THE FIELD, NINE SHORT TAILS OF INCREDULITY
A) Rickey Henderson Breaks Lou Brock’s Stolen Base Record (1991)
B) Jack Morris Throws Ten Shutout Innings in World Series Game Seven (1991)
C) Joe Carter’s Walk-off World Series Home Run (1993)
D) Cal Ripken Passes Lou Gehrig (1995)
E) Baseball Returns to New York After 9/11 (2001)
F) Luis Gonzalez Delivers World Series Title to the Desert (2001)
H) Hall Of Famers Babe Ruth And Ty Cobb’s Shared Idol
I) Roy Halladay’s NLDS No-Hitter (2010)
74. THE CATCHER WHO COST THE PHILLIES $10,000 FOR RUNNING TOO FAST
75. AN INCREDIBLE CASE OF FAN DEVOTION
76. THE REMARKABLE BIRD IN CASEY’S HAT
77. BENCHED BECAUSE OF SPELLING PROBLEMS
78. HOW A BLEACHERS SPECTATOR CHANGED PITCHERS FOR THE DODGERS
79. THREE MEN ON THIRD–HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN?
80. THE AMAZING AERIAL BASEBALL–GRAPEFRUIT TRICK
81. THE MOST INCREDIBLE START TO A PITCHING SEASON
82. WRITING BASEBALL’S BOBBY THOMSON INTO A NON-BASEBALL MOVIE SCRIPT
83. HOW LEGENDARY AFRICAN AMERICAN CATCHER JOSH GIBSON TURNED A HOME RUN INTO A DOUBLE
84. HOW AN INCREDIBLY DISSONANT MUSICAL GROUP HAD THE LONGEST-RUNNING RECORD AT A BALLPARK
85. GAME CALLED ON ACCOUNT OF–GET THIS!–A HURRICANE
86. WHICH TEAM WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR BASEBALL’S LONGEST WINNING STREAK, YET FINISHED FOURTH?
87. UNBELIEVABLY, THREE MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS OPPOSED EACH OTHER IN THE SAME GAME
89. WHY DID A GAME-WINNING GRAND SLAM IN THE BOTTOM OF THE NINTH GET CALLED BACK?
90. AN INCREDIBLE MURDER BECAUSE OF BASEBALL PASSION
91. A WORLD SERIES-WINNING TEAM WITH AN ARRESTING COLLECTION OF NICKNAMES AND TWO COOPERS
92. THREE-FOR-THREE, THE REGGIE JACKSON WAY
93. HARVEY HADDIX’S IMPERFECT PERFECT GAME
94. SKEPTICS BEWARE–A DOUBLE NO-HITTER
95. TAKE ME OUT TO THE BRAWL GAME–AT THE COPA
96. THE GREATEST BASE-BRAWL RIVALRY
97. THE SERIES WHERE TWO MANAGERIAL WIVES NEEDED AN APARTMENT
98. HOW TO LOSE A WORLD SERIES–SIX BLUNDERS ON ONE PLAY, PLUS BAD LUCK ON ANOTHER
99. FIVE STRAIGHT HALL OF FAMERS STRUCK OUT–HOW DID HE DO IT?
100. HOW CAN ANYONE REPLACE THE BABE? WELL, TWINKLETOES DID