Coach Em Up The Skip Hall Story

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Coach 'Em Up: The Skip Hall Story

Author : Heather Goetter
Publisher : Aloha Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781612062372
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (623 download)

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Book Synopsis Coach 'Em Up: The Skip Hall Story by : Heather Goetter

Download or read book Coach 'Em Up: The Skip Hall Story written by Heather Goetter and published by Aloha Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09-09 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the Coach Without a Father Became One of America's Greatest MentorsA Guide and Handbook to Mentorship, Coaching Leadership, Business Leadership Coach Merle 'Skip" Hall grew up fatherless in a time when most other boys had fathers. He went on to coach dozens of NFL players, top college coaches, and even NFL coaches. This story of Coach Hall's life highlights the influence coaches have mentoring athletes as well as the power of coaching and recruiting for business. Everyone in a leadership role will be encouraged by the idea that positive coaching leads to success. "A coach will impact more people in one year than the average person will in an entire lifetime." -Billy Graham Once you learn the power of Coach 'Em Up, you will be able to Create consistent principles which lead to winning year after year Avoid the guilt and chaos of negative leadership Overcome the challenge of mediocrity Empower leadership skills in other leaders, coaches, and colleagues Overcome obstacles to success Dispel the myth that positivity is a soft skill Challenge the cultural norms Learn about the power of Don James Thursday Speeches Win more often Coach Hall coached and mentored football players with the likes of Mike Lude, Nick Saban, Don James, Jim Zorn, Chuck Pagano, and other top coaches and leaders. This book is not just for members of the coaching community. It is a resource for teachers, employers, and even parents-for anyone that works with young people, helping them develop and grow. As a bonus, Coach 'Em Up offers a resource section which can be used for pre-game speeches, pre season planning with coaches, vision blueprints, and ideas for annual team themes. "This book provides an insider look into the world of coaching and business. Coach Hall's passion for a unique style of coaching comes through loud and clear." -Chris Petersen, Head Football Coach, University of Washington and Boise State University "Skip Hall's performance speaks for itself. His leadership inspires and influences all who are lucky enough to know him. He always went above and beyond to encourage his players and fellow coaches."-Nick Saban, Head Coach, University of Alabama, seven-time National Champion "Coach Hall wanted our football team to take on a new identity and culture, a culture of positivity and building relationships. He wanted a culture of accountability that was done the right way-not belittling but building each other up."-Chuck Pagano, NFL Head Coach, Indianapolis Colts "It is a true honor to recommend this book. One of the great joys of my life was to play linebacker for the University of Washington Huskies and to be coached by Skip Hall. Not only did he inspire, challenge, and motivate us on the field, he mentored and taught us how to be men of character."-Mike Rohrbach, Founder and Executive Director of Run to Win, Team Captain of University of Washington football, University of Washington Sports Chaplain "Don James looked for young energetic coaches with good character. He found that in Skip Hall, who was always kind to everyone and took positive coaching seriously in an era where other football programs weren't always focused in that direction."-Carol James, wife of legendary coach Don James Skip has been a phenomenal coach with an infectious personality since the beginning of our acquaintance in the 1960s. He also proved to be a sensational recruiter over the many years that I have known him. Everyone will learn something from his story.-Mike Lude, former Athletic Director University of Washington

I Did It My Way

Author : Bud Grant
Publisher : Triumph Books
ISBN 13 : 160078786X
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis I Did It My Way by : Bud Grant

Download or read book I Did It My Way written by Bud Grant and published by Triumph Books. This book was released on 2013-09-01 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Minnesota sports legend Bud Grant tells the story of his remarkable life as a player and coach in this rich firsthand account. From surviving polio in childhood to a shining college sports career and playing both basketball and football professionally, and from coaching a championship-winning Canadian team to leading the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowls, Grant shares his personal perspective for the first time in this autobiography with entertaining detail and refreshing openness. The book recounts his experiences with star players and gives the inside story on Grant’s controversial retirement in 1983 and his return to the sideline in 1985. Minnesota sports lovers will also enjoy Grant’s reflection on his own idiosyncrasies, including his famous love of cold-weather football and banning of sideline heaters, and his postretirement life spent devoted to environmental protection and being an outdoorsman.

Boise State of Mind

Author : Joel Gunderson
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1683582535
Total Pages : 389 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (835 download)

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Book Synopsis Boise State of Mind by : Joel Gunderson

Download or read book Boise State of Mind written by Joel Gunderson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-10-09 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After decades of under-the-radar success, the Boise State Broncos became a household name during the 2006-07 NCAA football season. That was when the 12–0 Broncos were set to face the 11–2 Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl. A David vs. Goliath event, everyone expected the Sooners, who played in the highly competitive Big 12 conference and had dominated since coach Bob Stoops took over in 1999, to beat the no-names from the Western Athletic Conference. The match-up would end up becoming one of the greatest college football games ever played, with Boise State beating Oklahoma, 43–42, on a trick-play two-point conversion to win in overtime. But where did it all start? How did a school in Idaho become one of the most successful and polarizing schools in the country? In Boise State, writer Joel Gunderson tells the story of how the school went from a junior college to Division I, climbing the ranks and building a program that has since beaten such college football powerhouses as Oregon, Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma, and has the highest winning percentage in the country since 2000. With in-depth interviews with current and former players, coaches, and administration, Gunderson offers an entertaining story of the growth of a program that rose from anonymity to becoming arguably the most successful underdog in the country. While the city of Boise in Idaho has a population of approximately 223,000 people, the state, in general, is not a sports powerhouse. The closest NFL team is the Seattle Seahawks, who are a 7.5-hour drive away. There are currently only six players in the NFL that were born in Idaho. So how did Boise State, known mostly for its blue turf, become known for football excellence? This is more than a Cinderella story. It’s about how they arrived, how they conquered, and how they’ve maintained in the cut-throat business that is college football.

Coach Royal

Author : Darrell Royal
Publisher : University of Texas Press
ISBN 13 : 0292774699
Total Pages : 155 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (927 download)

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Book Synopsis Coach Royal by : Darrell Royal

Download or read book Coach Royal written by Darrell Royal and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many legendary men have been associated with University of Texas football, but for most fans one man will always be "Coach"—Darrell K Royal. One of the most successful coaches in college football, Royal led the Longhorns to three national championships and eleven Southwest Conference titles during his twenty years (1956-1976) as UT's head coach. He coached some of the Horns' best players, including future Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, and was named NCAA Coach of the Year three times. In 1969, an ABC-TV poll of sportswriters called Royal the Coach of the Decade. In 1996 UT recognized his unrivalled contribution to Longhorn football when it designated Memorial Stadium the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in his honor. Now, for the first time, Darrell Royal tells his life story in his own words. He remembers growing up poor in Hollis, Oklahoma, during the Great Depression, and describes playing college football for the University of Oklahoma and then coaching a succession of college teams and one pro team before settling in at UT for the rest of his career. He gives a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at Longhorn football during his time-recruiting strategies, coaching techniques, the famous wishbone offense, unforgettable wins and losses, and his impressions of rival teams and coaches, including Bear Bryant of Texas A&M and Alabama and Frank Broyles of Arkansas. Proving that he's still the same straight shooter as always, Darrell Royal even discusses some of the controversies he's dealt with, including early charges of racism in the UT football program, the impact of Title IX on college athletics, his association with Jim Bob Moffett and the Freeport-MacMoRan Corporation, his longtime friendship with Willie Nelson, and his decision to retire from coaching. But whether he's describing the tough times he's faced professionally and personally or the rewards of being UT's most beloved coach and goodwill ambassador, Royal maintains the same plainspoken honesty and sense of honor that—as much as the winning seasons—have made him a legend to so many people.

Black Coach

Author : Pat Jordan
Publisher : Dodd Mead
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Black Coach by : Pat Jordan

Download or read book Black Coach written by Pat Jordan and published by Dodd Mead. This book was released on 1971 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African American football coach Jerome Evans takes over as football coach at predominantly white Walter Williams High School in Burlington, North Carolina, in the fall of 1970.

Finding the Winning Edge

Author : Bill Walsh
Publisher : Sports Publishing LLC
ISBN 13 : 9781571671721
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (717 download)

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Book Synopsis Finding the Winning Edge by : Bill Walsh

Download or read book Finding the Winning Edge written by Bill Walsh and published by Sports Publishing LLC. This book was released on 1997-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NFL coaching legend Bill Walsh offers his unique blueprint and conceptual insights for coaches at all levels of play. Among the topics covered in this comprehensive 560-page, hardcover book are: Understanding the role of head coach; Strategies and tactics for dealing with a highly competitive adversary; Designing a winning game plan; Organising the staff; The importance of being able to focus and concentrate; Evaluating players; Game-day responsibilities; And much, much more.

Spiritual Seeds

Author : Jon Strain
Publisher : Elevate Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1937498697
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (374 download)

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Book Synopsis Spiritual Seeds by : Jon Strain

Download or read book Spiritual Seeds written by Jon Strain and published by Elevate Publishing. This book was released on 2015-06-02 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spiritual Seeds is about gaining the resources to impart spiritual and social wealth to our children. The purpose of this book is to give (pre-) parents a tangible model and workable vision for growing their family with God s caring provision."

IRIS My Story

Author : Pedro J. Hidalgo
Publisher : Pedro J. Hidalgo
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 107 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis IRIS My Story by : Pedro J. Hidalgo

Download or read book IRIS My Story written by Pedro J. Hidalgo and published by Pedro J. Hidalgo. This book was released on 2022-08-09 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story is about a young man called Pedro Hidalgo who has a vision impairment and this vision impairment is characterized by colored spots that randomly appear in his line of sight. As he grows older and starts going to school, his eyesight becomes worse and his mother grows concerned. She wishes to take him to United States of America before it gets worse, but his country, Cuba, is undergoing a crisis and it was very difficult to leave. They eventually do manage to leave but when they find a doctor that is competent enough to help, he says that it is too late for Pedro to recover from his condition. In light of this situation, Pedro’s mother decides to enroll him into a school for visually impaired children called the New York institute of the education of the blind. From there Pedro details his life at the school where he spent 10 years. Pedro talks about the difficulty of adjusting to America as he did not know English very well. He has many fond memories from his prepubescent two adult years. He also discusses the many historical events that took place, as it was a very volatile time in Cuba and the United States. What stands out most in this book is how his mother has been his biggest supporter throughout his journey of moving to and growing up in America. He also details his time spent on the Rowing Team of blind students, job hunting as a visually impaired person while still in high school, enrolling into university to further his education, and developing relationships with girlfriends.

Havin' a Ball

Author : Richie Adubato
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
ISBN 13 : 1496223411
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (962 download)

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Book Synopsis Havin' a Ball by : Richie Adubato

Download or read book Havin' a Ball written by Richie Adubato and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2020-10 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Havin' a Ball one of basketball's most colorful characters and storytellers chronicles his life in the game, from high school coach in New Jersey to head coach in both the NBA and the WNBA. Richie Adubato isn't a Hall of Fame name, but he's one of basketball's most beloved coaches, with a lifetime of stories that are humorous and heartfelt, poignant and personal. Adubato's career has crossed paths with many of basketball's most memorable people and events. Starting in the 1960s, he was part of the Jersey Guys, a group of young junior high and high school coaches--including Hubie Brown, Dick Vitale, and Mike Fratello--who all later went on to coach in the NBA. He was hired as Vitale's assistant coach with the Pistons in 1979. Then, three years later, he was hired by Hubie Brown as the Knicks' assistant coach. He would stay in pro basketball for the next twenty-five years, with stints as head coach for the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic and the WNBA's New York Liberty and Washington Mystics. In fact, he is the first coach to have led teams in both leagues to the playoffs. Adubato grew up as an Irish Italian Jersey kid with modest aspirations who went on to experience a fascinating ride in pro basketball. He tells readers how a young Magic team led by Shaquille O'Neal came undone, about his years coaching the Mavericks at a time when the NBA was never more popular, what it was like to coach in the WNBA when the Liberty were outdrawing the Knicks in attendance, and what it was like to coach with, and against, other Hall of Famers. Havin' a Ball takes readers into locker rooms, planes, practices, games, and off court to the inner world of pro basketball with an insider's unique perspective.

The Little Green Book of Tennis

Author : Tom Parham
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
ISBN 13 : 9781503559042
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (59 download)

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Book Synopsis The Little Green Book of Tennis by : Tom Parham

Download or read book The Little Green Book of Tennis written by Tom Parham and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2015-04-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Golf is a disease, not a game. Especially when you take the game up in your fifties, as I did. After a series of injuries stopped my recreational tennis play, and my retirement from a lifetime of coaching and teaching tennis, I tried golf. It didn't take long to realize it was not an easy endeavor. Someone said, "You can't learn anything from a golf book, but you have to read a lot of golf books to find that out!" I found the gurus of golf instruction: Ledbetter, Pelz, and Hogan, who was said to have written the book with the secret! I did find one that really attracted me but in a somewhat different way.

America's Coach

Author : Ross Bernstein
Publisher : Bernstein Books
ISBN 13 : 9780963487193
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (871 download)

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Book Synopsis America's Coach by : Ross Bernstein

Download or read book America's Coach written by Ross Bernstein and published by Bernstein Books. This book was released on 2006-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inspirational story of legendary coach Herb Brooks comes to life in this heart-warming, motivational biography, celebrating the legacy of a true American hero. As the architect of the fabled 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey "Miracle on Ice," Brooks showed the world that dreams really can come true. Brooks' unorthodox ideologies and philosophies on team-building, leadership and motivation can be applied to the real world just as easily as they can to the business world. Follow along as Brooks' amazing life is chronicled with anecdotes, quotes, funny stories and nuggets of wisdom from Brooks himself.

Gang Tackle

Author : Eric Howling
Publisher : Orca Book Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1459812271
Total Pages : 85 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (598 download)

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Book Synopsis Gang Tackle by : Eric Howling

Download or read book Gang Tackle written by Eric Howling and published by Orca Book Publishers. This book was released on 2016-08-30 with total page 85 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After budget cuts force the Southside Saints football team to disband, Jamal and his friends have to settle for playing pickup on the hardscrabble field behind their high school. Then the president of a sporting-goods company offers to donate $20,000 worth of equipment to the team. There's only one catch: he wants to be the coach. Thrilled to have a real team together, the players turn a blind eye to Coach Fort's racism, bullying and discrimination. Until he takes it too far. Now it’s up to Jamal and his teammates to take back their team and show what they’re made of.

Let Them Lead

Author : John U. Bacon
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0358540216
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (585 download)

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Book Synopsis Let Them Lead by : John U. Bacon

Download or read book Let Them Lead written by John U. Bacon and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An uplifting leadership book about a coach who helped transform the nation’s worst high school hockey team into one of the best. Bacon’s strategy is straightforward: set high expectations, make them accountable to each other, and inspire them all to lead their team. When John U. Bacon played for the Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats, he never scored a goal. Yet somehow, years later he found himself leading his alma mater’s downtrodden program. How bad? The team hadn’t won a game in over a year, making them the nation’s worst squad—a fact they celebrated. With almost everyone expecting more failure, Bacon made it special to play for Huron by making it hard, which inspired the players to excel. Then he defied conventional wisdom again by putting the players in charge of team discipline, goal-setting, and even decision-making – and it worked. In just three seasons the River Rats bypassed 95-percent of the nation’s teams. A true story filled with unforgettable characters, stories, and lessons that apply to organizations everywhere, Let Them Lead includes the leader’s mistakes and the reactions of the players, who have since achieved great success as leaders themselves. Let Them Lead is a fast-paced, feel-good book that leaders of all kinds can embrace to motivate their teams to work harder, work together, and take responsibility for their own success.

The Perfect Pass

Author : S. C. Gwynne
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1501116215
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis The Perfect Pass by : S. C. Gwynne

Download or read book The Perfect Pass written by S. C. Gwynne and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-09-20 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An “excellent sports history” (Publishers Weekly) in the tradition of Michael Lewis’s Moneyball, award-winning historian S.C. Gwynne tells the incredible story of how two unknown coaches revolutionized American football at every level, from high school to the NFL. Hal Mumme spent fourteen mostly losing seasons coaching football before inventing a potent passing offense that would soon shock players, delight fans, and terrify opposing coaches. It all began at a tiny, overlooked college called Iowa Wesleyan, where Mumme was head coach and Mike Leach, a lawyer who had never played college football, was hired as his offensive line coach. In the cornfields of Iowa these two mad inventors, drawn together by a shared disregard for conventionalism and a love for Jimmy Buffett, began to engineer the purest, most extreme passing game in the 145-year history of football. Implementing their “Air Raid” offense, their teams—at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Valdosta State and the University of Kentucky—played blazingly fast—faster than any team ever had before, and they routinely beat teams with far more talented athletes. And Mumme and Leach did it all without even a playbook. “A superb treat for all gridiron fans” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), The Perfect Pass S.C. Gwynne explores Mumme’s leading role in changing football from a run-dominated sport to a pass-dominated one, the game that tens of millions of Americans now watch every fall weekend. Whether you’re a casual or ravenous football fan, this is “a rousing tale of innovation” (Booklist), and “Gwynne’s book ably relates the story of that innovation and the successes of the man who devised it” (New York Journal of Books).

How Good Do You Want to Be?

Author : Nick Saban
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0345500849
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (455 download)

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Book Synopsis How Good Do You Want to Be? by : Nick Saban

Download or read book How Good Do You Want to Be? written by Nick Saban and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2007-01-23 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The winning philosophy for creating and inspiring success that will help you triumph at work and in life from renowned football coach Nick Saban—with a foreword by Bill Belichick Excellence doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from hard work, consistency, the drive to be the best, and a passion for what you do. Few understand this better than Nick Saban. With more than three decades of experience as a player and coach, Saban has worked alongside some of the game’s legends and has seen firsthand how great leaders encourage greatness in others. In this candid and thoughtful guide, he shares his unique wisdom: • Organization, Organization, Organization: Create an environment where everybody knows his or her responsibilities—and each is responsible to the entire group. • Motivate to Dominate: Understand the psychology of teams and individuals, and use that knowledge to breed success. • No Other Way than Right: Practice ethics and values—and demand the same from your team. • Look in the Mirror: Maintain an understanding of who you are by knowing your strengths and your weaknesses. How Good Do You Want to Be? is more than the story of how Nick Saban motivates his staff and players to excel—it is also the memoir of one of America’s most successful coaches. Filled with instructive anecdotes and illuminated by never-before-told stories of his life and career, this is a book that challenges and inspires us all to be our best.

War As They Knew It

Author : Michael Rosenberg
Publisher : Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0446542237
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (465 download)

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Book Synopsis War As They Knew It by : Michael Rosenberg

Download or read book War As They Knew It written by Michael Rosenberg and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2008-09-10 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Award-winning sports columnist Michael Rosenberg chronicles the extraordinary days of campus unrest and civil turmoil during the Vietnam War years as seen through the prism of two legendary (and highly conservative) college football coaches, Ohio State's Woody Hayes and Michigan's Bo Schembechler. The Vietnam War . . . Nixon . . . Kent State . . . The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of total turmoil in America-the country was being torn apart by a war most people didn't support, young men were being taken away by the draft, and racial tensions were high. Nowhere was this turmoil more evident than on college campuses, the epicenters of the protest movement. The uncertain times presented a challenge to two of the greatest football coaches of all time. Woody Hayes, the legendary archconservative coach of Ohio State, feared for the future of America. His protégé and rival, Bo Schembechler of the University of Michigan, didn't want to be bothered by these "distractions." Hayes worshipped General George S. Patton and was friends with President Richard Nixon. Schembechler befriended President Gerald Ford, a former captain and team MVP for the Wolverines. In this enthralling book, Michael Rosenberg dramatically weaves the campus unrest and political upheaval into the story of Hayes and Schembechler. Their rivalry began with Schembechler arriving in protest-heavy Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the height of the Vietnam War. It ended with Hayes wondering what had happened to his country. War As They Knew It is a sobering and fascinating look at two iconic coaches and a different generation.

The Baseball Whisperer

Author : Michael Tackett
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 0544386396
Total Pages : 285 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (443 download)

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Book Synopsis The Baseball Whisperer by : Michael Tackett

Download or read book The Baseball Whisperer written by Michael Tackett and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Field of Dreams was only superficially about baseball. It was really about life. So is The Baseball Whisperer . . . with the added advantage of being all true.” —MLB.com From an award-winning journalist, this is the story of a legendary coach and the professional-caliber baseball program he built in America's heartland, where boys would come summer after summer to be molded into ballplayers—and men. Clarinda, Iowa, population 5,000, sits two hours from anything. There, between the cornfields and hog yards, is a ball field with a bronze bust of a man named Merl Eberly, who specialized in second chances and lost causes. The statue was a gift from one of Merl’s original long-shot projects, a skinny kid from the Los Angeles ghetto who would one day become a beloved Hall-of-Fame shortstop: Ozzie Smith. The Baseball Whisperer traces the “deeply engrossing” story (Booklist, starred review) of Merl Eberly and his Clarinda A’s baseball team, which he tended over the course of five decades, transforming them from a town team to a collegiate summer league powerhouse. Along with Ozzie Smith, future manager Bud Black, and star player Von Hayes, Merl developed scores of major league players. In the process, he taught them to be men, insisting on hard work, integrity, and responsibility. More than a book about ballplayers in the nation’s agricultural heartland, The Baseball Whisperer is the story of a coach who put character and dedication first, reminding us of the best, purest form of baseball excellence. “Mike Tackett, talented journalist and baseball lover, has hit the sweet spot of the bat with his first book. The Baseball Whisperer takes one coach and one small Iowa town and illuminates both a sport and the human spirit.” —David Maraniss, New York Times-bestselling author of Clemente and When Pride Still Mattered