Lew Vander Meer's Books

The 100 Most Important Sporting Events in American History

By: Lew Freedman

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The 100 Most Important Sporting Events in American History

By: Lew Freedman

This engaging and informative work highlights the 100 biggest moments in the history of American sports, illustrating powerful connections between sporting events and significant social issues of the time. In this homage to sports history, author Lew Freedman compiles athletic feats that caught fans off guard, inspired awe, and left viewers on the edge of their seats, all while making an impression on the world at large. Freedman ranks 100 of the greatest moments in sports, reflecting on the dramatic impact of the events as well as their greater influence on American society of the time. The work showcases the social, historical, and cultural background of memorable games, teams, and athletes, highlighting the enduring value and importance of each selection. An introduction discusses the history of sports and explains the criteria for choosing the 100 sporting events in the book. Fascinating, little-known facts punctuate entries, such as how the athletic accomplishments of Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis helped ease racial tensions in the United States; why the passage of Title IX changed gender relations in the United States forever; and which technologies have altered the way Americans view sport. Content also traces the tremendous advancements of safety gear in sports, from the batting helmet and catchers' shin guards in baseball, to the hardshell helmet and face guard in football, to the face mask for goalies in hockey.

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Page Count

667

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 13

9798216040682

Lightning Strikes Twice

Johnny Vander Meer and the Cincinnati Reds

By: Lew Freedman

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Lightning Strikes Twice

Johnny Vander Meer and the Cincinnati Reds

By: Lew Freedman

In June of 1938, southpaw Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds became the only pitcher in Major League history to hurl two consecutive no-hitters--an achievement that has stood unsurpassed for more than 80 years. Vander Meer was just 23 at the time and a glorious future was predicted. Despite injuries, he became a four-time All-Star yet ended up a .500 pitcher--not a surefire Hall of Famer as many expected. Both the Reds and Vander Meer persevered, but decades later the left-hander is best remembered for his stunning no-hit package. This volume follows Vander Meer and the Reds through the triumphs of two National League pennants and one World Series title, the hardship of World War II, and the trying suicide of a teammate.

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Page Count

204

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476641080

ISBN 13

9781476641089

Game of My Life Cincinnati Reds

Memorable Stories of Reds Baseball

By: Lew Freedman

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Game of My Life Cincinnati Reds

Memorable Stories of Reds Baseball

By: Lew Freedman

In this compilation of stories from members of the Cincinnati Reds, baseball’s first professional team, Lew Freedman takes readers through decades of Reds baseball. In these firsthand accounts, players detail the most memorable games of their Reds careers. From the Cincinnati Reds’ inception, the team has been creating lasting memories for its devoted fans. Since the days of the Red Stockings, Cincinnati has featured Hall of Famers, such as Tony Pérez and Frank Robinson, both of whom are included in this book. Most recently, Barry Larkin, a member of the 1990 championship team, was inducted as part of the Class of 2012, and Freedman highlights Larkin’s memories of his Hall of Fame induction. From Joe Morgan and the Big Red Machine days of the 1970s, to Tom Browning’s heroics in the late ’80s, and Joey Votto and Bronson Arroyo’s recent brilliance, readers can relive many of the most exciting games in Reds history with some of the Reds’ most beloved players. This is a must-have for any fans of the Cincinnati ball club, past and present.

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Page Count

309

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1613214308

ISBN 13

9781613214305

Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost

By: Lew Freedman

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Hard-Luck Harvey Haddix and the Greatest Game Ever Lost

By: Lew Freedman

He pitched a baseball game that was more than perfect, and yet he lost. Southpaw Harvey Haddix had logged a solid but unspectacular career by the time he took the mound on May 26, 1959. Facing the Milwaukee Braves, he set down the first 36 batters in a row, or 12 innings' worth--a perfect game three innings longer than the norm. But his Pittsburgh Pirates couldn't score, either, and Haddix lost in the 13th inning on a controversial play. This book recounts Haddix's one-of-a-kind performance and describes the official decisions that changed the historical record.

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Page Count

219

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

0786454199

ISBN 13

9780786454198

Johnny Mize

A Biography of Baseball's "Big Cat"

By: Lew Freedman

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Johnny Mize

A Biography of Baseball's "Big Cat"

By: Lew Freedman

During his 15-season Major League career, slugger Johnny Mize was among the preeminent power hitters in baseball, a star for the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants, and a clutch player for the New York Yankees when they won five straight World Series in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Raised in rural Georgia, Mize caught the tail end of the Cardinals' Gas House Gang era and had his career interrupted by World War II before achieving greatness at the plate. An MVP, perennial All-Star and four-time National League home-run champion, he made a science of batting and wrote a book on it (How to Hit, 1953). This first full-length biography traces the arc of Mize's career through his prime years in the limelight to his retirement, when renewed interest in his legacy saw him inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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Page Count

208

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476685932

ISBN 13

9781476685939

Hoyt Wilhelm

Life of a Knuckleballer

By: Lew Freedman

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Hoyt Wilhelm

Life of a Knuckleballer

By: Lew Freedman

Hoyt Wilhelm's intriguing baseball career lasted two decades. A veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, the eight-time All-Star from Huntersville, North Carolina, was a standout for the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves, though he did not reach the majors until he was nearly 30. He pitched a no-hitter as a starter, won as many as 15 games a season, was the first reliever to win more than 100 games and save more than 200, and broke Cy Young's record for most games on the mound. Along the way, he relied almost entirely on his baffling skill with a rare weapon of choice--the knuckleball. This first full-length biography covers the life and career of the first relief pitcher in the Hall of Fame.

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Page Count

219

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476651000

ISBN 13

9781476651002

Caught by Don Hutson!

A Biography of Pro Football's First Modern Receiver

By: Lew Freedman

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Caught by Don Hutson!

A Biography of Pro Football's First Modern Receiver

By: Lew Freedman

Revered pass catcher Don Hutson played for three Green Bay Packers championship squads between 1935 and 1945 and was a charter-class member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. An All-American wide receiver for the University of Alabama, the Pine Bluff, Arkansas, native was a pioneer of the position, mastering the passing game just as it was reaching maturation. Hutson invented many of the pass routes still in use today and retired from the game with 19 NFL records, some of which stood for decades. This first book-length biography chronicles Hutson's life and career during football's leather helmet era of the Great Depression and World War II.

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Page Count

235

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476646333

ISBN 13

9781476646336

Perfect

Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made it Happen

By: Lew Paper

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Perfect

Don Larsen's Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made it Happen

By: Lew Paper

“Perfect captures our hearts as it carries us back to the golden age of baseball and the more innocent world of the 1950s.”—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning Author of The Bully Pulpit On October 8, 1956, New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen took the mound for game five of the World Series against the rival Brooklyn Dodgers. In an improbable performance that the New York Times called "the greatest moment in the history of the Fall Classic," Larsen, an otherwise mediocre journeyman pitcher, retired twenty-seven straight Dodger batters to clinch a perfect game and, to date, the only World Series no-hitter ever witnessed in major league baseball. Here, Lew Paper delivers a masterful pitch-by-pitch account of that fateful day and the extraordinary lives of the players on the field—seven of whom would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Meticulously researched and relying on dozens of interviews, Paper's gripping narrative recreates Larsen's feat in a pitching duel that featured legendary figures such as Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, and Roy Campanella. More than just the story of a single game, Perfect is a window into baseball's glorious past.

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Page Count

429

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

ISBN 10

1101140453

ISBN 13

9781101140451

Chuckin' Charlie Conerly and the New York Football Giants

By: Lew Freedman

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Chuckin' Charlie Conerly and the New York Football Giants

By: Lew Freedman

All-American quarterback Charlie Conerly's college career was interrupted by World War II. He started at University of Mississippi in 1942, fought in the Battle of Guam in 1944, then led Ole Miss to their first conference championship in 1947. He went on to play for the New York Giants from 1948 to 1961, ultimately leading them to an NFL title. A College Football Hall of Famer, Conerly was a professional All-Star and the lynchpin of the Giants offense at time when the team was loaded with Hall of Famers who unduly overshadowed him during his heyday. New York won repeat divisional crowns under the soft-spoken Conerly and participated in the suspenseful, first-ever sudden death NFL title game in 1958. This first-ever full-length biography chronicles his life and career in detail.

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Page Count

232

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476688044

ISBN 13

9781476688046

Lightning Strikes Twice

Johnny Vander Meer and the Cincinnati Reds

By: Lew Freedman

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Lightning Strikes Twice

Johnny Vander Meer and the Cincinnati Reds

By: Lew Freedman

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Page Count

204

Publisher

McFarland

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476681570

ISBN 13

9781476681573

What We Believe Leader's Guide, Part 2: Sessions 13-24

By: Lew Vander Meer

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What We Believe Leader's Guide, Part 2: Sessions 13-24

By: Lew Vander Meer

This popular course for high school students and young adults covers key aspects of the Reformed faith and worldview in an easy-to-lead format. Based on the Belgic Confession, each session features a classic twenty-minute video lesson by pastor and teacher Lew Vander Meer. After watching the DVD video segments, students use session guides to review, discuss, and apply the teachings to their lives. The leader guide provides helpful backgrounds and offers options and tips for leading student activities.

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