Аннотация

The year was 1947. A talented young minor-league baseball player was called up to the majors to join the Brooklyn Dodgers. But this was no ordinary man, nor any simple achievement. This was Jackie Robinson: an all-around star athlete, a U.S. Army veteran—and a black man. Until that year, baseball’s shameful color line had kept African Americans out of the big leagues. Overcoming prejudice, exclusion, and even hatred, Jackie Robinson broke that line and became one of the game’s best players. He was recognized in the Hall of Fame, and he inspired many young people to fight segregation and ignorance for the chance to follow their dreams. Through both his career and his character, Jackie Robinson became one of America’s greatest heroes. This is his story.

Аннотация

When Mark Buehrle threw his perfect game against Tampa Bay, it was DeWayne Wise, the ninth inning White Sox defensive sub who made the leaping, back against the wall catch of a fly ball, robbing Gabe Kapler of a home run and preserving Buehrle’s achievement. Until that moment, Wise was virtually anonymous. Yet for that one moment in July, Wise moved into the spotlight and The Los Angeles Times called his one of the top ten moments in sports for 2009. But when the season ended, Wise was a free agent, able to sign only a minor league deal. He went to Toronto. The history of baseball is filled with players like Wise—players who are good enough to reach the top of the sport but who, for any number of reasons, hang at the edges of the game. Some manage to spend only a week or two in the major leagues and then disappear back into the minors. Many leave the sport. These are the tales of one-season wonders. Here are stories of the brief moments when, for an afternoon, a week, a couple of months, they stood on the field with the best of the best in the game