Maury Allen

The extraordinary life of Jackie Robinson is illuminated as never before in this full-scale biography by Arnold Rampersad, who was chosen by Jack's widow, Rachel, to tell her husband's story, and was given unprecedented access to his private papers. We are brought closer than we have ever been to the great ballplayer, a man of courage and quality who became a pivotal figure in the areas of race and civil rights. We follow Robinson through World War II, when, in the first wave of racial integration in the armed forces, he was commissioned as an officer, then court-martialed after refusing to move to the back of a bus. After he plays in the Negro National League, we watch the opening of an all-American drama as, late in 1945, Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers recognized Jack as the right player to break baseball's color barrier - and the game was forever changed. Jack's never-before-published letters open up his relationship with his family, especially his wife, Rachel, whom he married just as his perilous venture of integrating baseball began. Her memories are a major resource of the narrative as we learn about the severe harassment Robinson endured from teammates and opponents alike; about death threats and exclusion; about joy and remarkable success. We follow his blazing career: 1947, Rookie of the Year; 1949, Most Valuable Player; six pennants in ten seasons, and in 1962, induction into the Hall of Fame. But sports were merely one aspect of his life. We see his business ventures, his leading role in the community, his early support of Martin Luther King Jr., his commitment to the civil rights movement at a crucial stage in its evolution; his controversial associations with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Humphrey, Goldwater, Nelson Rockefeller, and Malcolm X.

"All Roads Lead to October examines the team under the reign of George Steinbrenner, a man as integral to the history of the Yankees as DiMaggio or Ruth. Having covered the Yankees since Steinbrenner came aboard, acclaimed sports journalist and noted author Maury Allen examines the complex and often fiery relationships the owner had and has with the likes of Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Yogi Berra, Joe Torre, Darryl Strawberry, and many others." "Here are the firsthand, insider's accounts of the pivotal events in the Yankees' rise to power. Maury Allen gives an exclusive look at all the action, covering both off-field and on-field controversies - Yankee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich's wife swapping; the angry tirades, fights, and often brilliant coaching moves of the misunderstood Billy Martin; the inside story of the signing of Reggie Jackson, whose ego was as big as his bat; and the Yankees' rise to baseball dominance with the likes of Jeter, Williams, El Duque, Clemens, Rivera, and Torre. Allen was there through it all, from Steinbreener's first press conference through the death of Catfish Hunter, the World Series wins, the controversial trades and firings, and even a night when a drunken Billy Martin banged on his hotel room door, madder than hell."--Jacket.

A career biography of the Boston Red Sox player who is expected to set new batting records during the 1980's.

A collection of 150 short essays from the author's weekly syndicated column, "On Language."

A brief biography of one of the star pitchers of the New York Yankees.

A potpourri of major league happenings between 1900 and 1978. Includes records, anecdotes, photographs, and biographical information.

A biography of the New York Yankee baseball player whose batting ability has been compared with Babe Ruth's.

Accounts of record-breaking attempts by fifteen athletes: Joe DiMaggio, Toni Sailer, Wilt Chamberlain, Johnny Unitas, Roger Bannister, Don Schollander, Jimmy Clark, Jimmy Brown, Bobby Jones, Sandy Koufax, Donald Campbell, Gordie Howe, Maureen Connolly, George Billick, Roger Maris.