Matthew Silverman

Al Yellon

Kasey Ignarski

What do Dizzy Dean, Catfish Metkovich, John Boccabella, Bill Buckner, Mark Prior, and Jason Heyward all have in common? They all wore number 22 for the Chicago Cubs, even though eight decades have passed between the last time Dizzy Dean buttoned up a Cubs uniform with that number and the first time outfielder Jason Heyward performed the same routine. Since the Chicago Cubs first adopted uniform numbers in 1932, the team has handed out only 77 numbers to more than 1,500 players. That’s a lot of overlap. It also makes for a lot of good stories. Newly updated, Cubs by the Numbers tells those stories for every Cub since ’32, from current staff ace Jake Arrieta to former third baseman turned division-winning manager Don Zimmer. This book lists the players alphabetically and by number; these biographies help trace the history of baseball’s most beloved team in a new way. For Cubs fans, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Cubs by the Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even those they think they already know. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

A Complete Team History of the Chicago Cubs by Uniform Number

Cubs by the Numbers

Relive the games, moves, and players of the hard-hitting team that won the 1986 World Series. Vin Scully called the tenth-inning groundball in Game Six of the 1986 World Series—Mets versus Red Sox—that sealed a comeback, fueled a curse, and turned a batting champion into a scapegoat. But getting there was a long, hard slog with plenty of heartache. After being knocked out of contention the previous two seasons, the Mets blasted through the National League that year. They won blowouts, nailbiters, fights, and a 14-inning game that ended with one pitcher on the mound, another in right field, and an All-Star catcher playing third base. Matt Silverman covers famous baseball players including: Ron Darling, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry and more. Going beyond the partying and excess, Silverman recounts in this book, step by step, the team’s meteoric rise in 1986, when they captured their first division title in over a decade, shattered the franchise record, and then won it all.

Inside the Rise and Fall of the 1986 Mets, Baseball's Impossible One-and-Done Champions

One-Year Dynasty

Keith Hernandez

To many New Yorkers who came of age in the 1980s as Mets fans, Keith Hernandez is the Mets. Two decades after his last game in a New York uniform, the first captain in Mets history is still with them, literally. He's spent most of the last decade in the broadcast booth at Shea Stadium watching the rise and fall of the club and, just as he did when he played, calling it as he sees it. Opinionated, funny, urbane, and unafraid to poke holes in the team or himself, Hernandez is a master at relating the unseen game on the field. The subtle movements and positioning that even the most avid fan can't recognize are easily spotted by the sharp eyes of "Mex." Hernandez has the ability to translate his prodigious baseball achievements as a player into an unrivaled understanding of the game on the field. His acerbic wit and sense of humor are mixed with a pointed, no-nonsense assessment of what he's observing. Shea Good-Bay carries on the high standards of Hernandez's earlier best-selling books. He recalls Shea Stadium both fondly and matter-of-factly in its last year of existence, lamenting the loss of the stadiums he knew, replaced with flashier bandboxes that favor home runs and negate strategy. He looks at the 2008 season and all the hope that arrived with the Johan Santana deal and how much of the optimism went out the window with the team's stumble out of the gate. He speaks frankly on the taint of steroids in the Mitchell Report and how the game has been compromised, as well as the firing of Willie Randolph. Shea Good-Bye looks at the past, present, and future of the Mets and baseball with reflection, insight, and smiles. Only someone who has controlled the carnivorous New York press fromhis locker--crossword puzzle in hand--can explain what is expected of a ballplayer and a ball--club in New York. It isn't for everybody, and no one has lived the life of a New York ballplayer like Keith Hernandez.

The Untold Inside Story of the Historic 2008 Season

Shea Good-Bye

Stuart Shea

Peter Palmer

Gary Gillette

Greg Spira

Details statistics from United States baseball teams and players from 1900 through the previous season, including draft information, and provides lists of award winners and world champion teams.

The 2006 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia

Pete Palmer

Doug White

The 2005 ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia

The history of the New York Mets is presented with pictures and accounts of their greatest players and teams.

The Complete Illustrated History

New York Mets

Tod Maher

Ken Pullis

Sean Lahman

Presents the statistics of professional American football players, coaches, and teams for each season from 1920-2006.

The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia

Bill Nowlin

What do Rube Walberg, Mike Nagy, Kevin Millar, and Dustin Pedroia all have in common? They have all worn #15 for the Boston Red Sox. Since 1931, the Red Sox have issued 74 different numbers to more than 1,500 players. In this newly updated edition, Red Sox by the Numbers tells the story of every Red Sox player since ’31—from Bill Sweeney (the first Red Sox player to don #1) to J.T. Snow (#84, the highest numbered non-coach in Sox history). Each chapter also features a fascinating sidebar that reveals obscure players who wore certain numbers and also which numbers produced the most wins, home runs, and stolen bases in club history. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

A Complete Team History of the Boston Red Sox by Uniform Number

Red Sox by the Numbers

Few remember that Shea Stadium—and indeed the Mets baseball club itself—arose out of a dispute between two oversized egos: New York City official Robert Moses and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley. While O’Malley wanted complete control over a new stadium and all of its concessions in Brooklyn, Moses insisted that the stadium be built by the city in Queens and leased to the Dodgers. The impasse led to the Dodgers following the Giants out to the West Coast, where The City of Los Angeles granted O’Malley all of the concessions he had sought in New York. With now no National League team in the New York area, the National League office awarded a new franchise to the city in 1960 on conditional that it fund and build a new stadium, which the Mets (and later the AFL Jets) would lease. The stadium was named in honor of William Shea, the person most responsible for returning National League baseball to New York. Over its forty-four year existence Shea Stadium witnessed a colorful cavalcade of sporting and entertainment events, all detailed in this lively, skimable tribute to a memorable New York landmark. It’s all here: the memorable games; the unforgettable characters such as Tom Seaver, Joe “Willie” Namath, and Seinfeld buddy Keith Hernandez; and even the solemn moments such as when Shea was used as a staging area for first responders after 9/11. By the time of its demolition in 2008, the Mets had played more games at Shea than the Dodgers had ever played at Ebbets Field, and the stadium had hosted seven National League Championship Series, four World Series, three Jets playoff games, and the American Football League Championship game in 1968.

Matthew Silverman

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