More than anything, and, defines him as an athlete -- but his dedication, of course, Pedroia's love of the game and desire to win, not just for himself but for his teammates, his perseverance, his monster swing have made him a beloved new symbol of baseball and offer hope for the future of America's favorite game.
Used book in Good Condition. He has natural talent, but he has spent his life overcoming the naysayers who believed he was too small, an unparalleled work ethic, and a pure love of the game, couldn't hit, and would never make it in the big leagues. With commentary from coaches, teammates, including red sox manager terry francona and ninety-two-year-old fan and daughter of Babe Ruth Julia Ruth Stevens, and friends, Pedroia shares the story of his difficult and uplifting journey to prove himself at every turn -- from giving up his college scholarship so his team could have a shot at the College World Series to helping the Red Sox win their second championship in four years in his rookie season to nearly winning back-to-back World Championships in 2008.
His success comes from the heart. Pedroia started swinging a bat when he was just a toddler, and by the time he was four years old he was hitting line drives off his older brother. The inspirational story of boston red sox second baseman dustin Pedroia -- a giant talent in a small package -- who defied his critics with hard work, relentless determination, and a looks-can-be-deceiving attitude to become one of the greatest players in the game today.
Dustin pedroia, at five feet seven inches and 170 pounds, the strongest, is not the biggest, or the fastest player in the game of baseball, but in just two years of major-league play he's become a Rookie of the Year, a Most Valuable Player, and a 2007 World Championship titleholder.
Papi: My Story
The result is a revelatory, fly-on-the wall story of a career by a player with a lot to say at the end of his time in the game, a game to which he gave so much and which gave so much to him. Unhindered by political correctness, ortiz talks colorfully about his journey, from his poor upbringing in the Dominican Republic to when the expansion Florida Marlins passed up a chance to sign him due to what was essentially tennis elbow.
He recalls his days in peoria, arizona, his first time in the United States; tense exchanges with Twins manager Tom Kelly in Minnesota; and his arrival in Boston. Houghton mifflin harcourt. Readers go behind the scenes for the many milestones of his red sox career— from the huge disappointment of the Red Sox losing to the Yankees in 2003, ending the curse in 2004 with the infamous “band of idiots, " including his extraordinary clutch hitting to overcome a 3-0 series deficit against the Yankees, to earning a second title in 2007 and a third in 2013.
Along the way, he was tainted by the infamous banned substances list in 2009; he used his passion and place to fortify a city devastated by the Boston Marathon bombings; and he dominated pitchers right up through his retirement season at age 40 Papi, as he became so affectionately called, gave his fans big hits when they needed them most.
Band of Bearded Brothers: The 2013 World Champion
Teammate: My Journey in Baseball and a World Series for the Ages
Beyond ross's remarkably strong play, mentoring and motivating his fellow players, he became the ultimate positive force in the Cubs locker room, some of them nearly twenty years his junior. New york times bestsellerusa today bestsellerpacked with "compelling inside stories" chicago tribune, Teammate is the inspiring memoir from "Grandpa Rossy, " the veteran catcher who became the heart and soul of the 2016 Chicago Cubs championship team.
In 2016 the cubs snapped a 108-year curse, winning the World Series in a history-making, seven-game series against the Cleveland Indians. Hachette. Now, in teammate, ross shares the inspiring story of his life in baseball, framed by the events of that unforgettable November night. Factory sealed DVD. Houghton mifflin harcourt.
.
Pedro
Martinez entered the big leagues a scrawny power pitcher with a lightning arm who they said wasn’t “durable” enough, who they said was a punk. Hachette. A bold, no-holds-barred memoir from one of the most dominant and dynamic pitchers to ever play the game Before Pedro Martinez was the eight-time All Star, before stadiums full of fans chanted his name, and World Series champion, three-time Cy Young Award winner, he was just a little kid from the Dominican Republic who sat under a mango tree and dreamed of playing pro ball.
. Now in pedro, the charismatic and always colorful pitcher opens up for the first time to tell his remarkable story. In pedro we relive it all in technicolor brightness, from his hardscrabble days in the minor leagues clawing for respect; to his early days in lonely Montreal, where he first struggled with the reputation of being a headhunter; to his legendary run with the Red Sox when start after start he dazzled with his pitching genius; to his twilight years on the mound as he put the finishing touches on a body of work that made him an icon.
Like no one before or since, Martinez willed himself to become one of the most intimidating pitchers to have ever played the game. Factory sealed DVD.
Ballplayer
Before chipper jones became an eight-time all-star who amassed Hall of Fame–worthy statistics during a nineteen-year career with the Atlanta Braves, he was just a country kid from small town Pierson, Florida. Houghton mifflin harcourt. To barry Bonds. Ballplayer takes readers into the clubhouse of the braves’ extraordinary dynasty, from the climax of the World Series championship in 1995 to the last-gasp division win by the 2005 “Baby Braves”; all the while sharing pitch-by-pitch dissections of clashes at the plate with some of the all-time great starters, such as Clemens and Johnson, as well as closers such as Wagner and Papelbon.
Hachette. He delves into his relationships with bobby Cox and his famous Braves brothers—Maddux, and Smoltz, Glavine, among them—and opponents from Cal Ripken Jr. A kid who grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his dad dreaming that one day he’d be a major league ballplayer. With his trademark candor and astonishing recall, Chipper Jones tells the story of his rise to the MLB ranks and what it took to stay with one organization his entire career in an era of booming free agency.
Atlanta braves third baseman and national hall of Famer Chipper Jones—one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history—shares his remarkable story, while capturing the magic nostalgia that sets baseball apart from every other sport.
Francona: The Red Sox Years
But it was an unforgettable, and instructive time in baseball history, one that is documented and celebrated in Francona, endlessly entertaining, a book that examines like no other the art of managing in today’s game. Hachette. Dutton. In those eight years, the red sox were transformed from a cursed franchise to one of the most successful and profitable in baseball history—only to fall back to last place as soon as Francona was gone.
He recounts the tightrope walk of managing unpredictable personalities such as Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez and working with Theo Epstein, the general managing phenom, and his statistics-driven executives. From 2004 to 2011, terry francona managed the Boston Red Sox, perhaps the most scrutinized team in all of sports.
Now, the decorated manager opens up for the first time about his tenure in Boston, in Francona: The Red Sox Years, unspooling the narrative of how this world-class organization reached such incredible highs and dipped to equally incredible lows. But through it all, there was always baseball, that beautiful game of which Francona never lost sight.
Houghton mifflin harcourt.
Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits
Along the way, yet an endearing man to the young, ortiz established his place as a truly Ruthian figure in the annals of our national pastime: an imposing figure in the batter's box, particularly in his native Dominican Republic, where he has focused his charitable efforts on improving the health of children.
Factory sealed DVD. Dutton. Ortiz discusses, his exploding popularity, the challenges of playing in Boston, in detail, his historic and record-setting performances as a member of the Red Sox, and life in the Red Sox clubhouse. Big papi is a unique memoir by a charismatic man who appeals to young and old, on the baseball field or off.
The son of two caring parents, and a loving father of three, Ortiz is a hero to many. Now, in his memoir, the man affectionately known as "Big Papi" recounts his life from growing up in an impoverished area of the Dominican Republic where baseball is king to his ascension in Boston where he became one.