Baseball books span the spectrum from the All-Stars to the has-beens but invariably overlook the endless string of things that could have happened but didn't. Baseball's Memorable Misses fills that void, pointing out little-known facts perfect for both rabid and casual fans. Who knew that Willie Mays never won an RBI crown or that Stan Musial hit the most home runs in one day but never led his league in a season? Nolan Ryan had zero Cy Young Awards despite owning records for strikeouts and no-hitters. Roger Clemens, on the other hand, had a record seven Cy Youngs and two 20-strikeout games but zero no-hitters.There were also zero no-hitters by Greg Maddux, who has more wins than any living pitcher. Players took zeroes and sometimes double-zeroes as uniform numbers.
Veteran baseball writer Dan Schlossberg delves into the previously-unknown world of baseball zeroes, exploring everything from Christy Mathewson's zero runs allowed in the 1905 World Series to the three perfect games pitched in Yankee Stadium. This book also reveals that there were zero no-hitters pitched by Pirates at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field even though visiting pitchers did not fall victim to that hex. There have been zero players who hit five home runs in one game but two who have hit five in one day.
This is a book of Almost But Not Quite (ABNQ for short) but also a book that suggests baseball's second century can be almost as intriguing as its first. With the help of author Doug Lyons, who wrote the foreword, and celebrated baseball cartoonist Ronnie Joyner, this is also a utilitarian volume, perfect for the living room coffee table or even the bathroom. Like the game itself, Baseball's Memorable Misses is fun--and perfect for rain delays in season or off-season enjoyment.
About the Author: Dan Schlossberg has written or co-authored forty baseball books, including Designated Hebrew: the Ron Blomberg Story, Making Airwaves: Sixty Years at Milo's Microphone, and Called Out But Safe: a Baseball Umpire's Journey. A former AP sportswriter, Dan has covered baseball since graduating from Syracuse University with a communications degree in 1969. He has covered the game for USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Baseball Digest, Ball Nine, Latino Sports, and forbes.com while contributing to the official All-Star and World Series programs, airline magazines, and numerous newspapers. The award-winning sportswriter edits the weekend editions of Here's The Pitch, published by the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America [IBWAA] and hosts Travel Itch Radio, a weekly half-hour podcast. He co-founded the North American Travel Journalists Association [NATJA] in 1991. A lifelong North Jersey resident, he lives in Fair Lawn.