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A frank and often hilarious account of the baseball life from one of the game's great iconoclasts. “…the most entertaining baseball book of the year!” —Baseball AlmanacFrom his first year in Rookie ball, when Tommy Lasorda ordered him to send a letter to the Dodgers'starting shortstop informing him that he should retire early to make way for the young phenom, to appearing in disguise in the Mets'dugout following an ejection, Bobby Valentine was a lightning rod for mischievous controversy, grabbing headlines wherever he went. Mavericks are seldom welcomed to upset the status quo, and Major League Baseball was no exception. In astonishing detail, Bobby Valentine reflects on the many remarkable moments that comprised his playing and managerial careers. From his wild times as a player in the early seventies, to his transition to coaching with the Mets after a catastrophic injury derailed his playing days; from managing the Texas Rangers in 1985, where he employed sabermetrics and witnessed the beginning of the steroid era, to his iconic stretch at Shea Stadium, when he led the Mets to the 2000 World Series while battling a dysfunctional front office and ownership; from his beloved time in Japan managing the Chiba Lotte Marines, who won the Japan Series, to the absolute disaster of a season in Boston, where he was greeted by a toxic clubhouse and fractured organization. Readers will be intrigued by his off-the-field exploits as well, from his early years as an international ballroom dancing champion to his post-playing days where he may have invented the wrap sandwich and the modern sports bar. Valentine has consistently overcome adversity and reinvented himself, regardless of the playing field. Along the way, he shares stories and insights on memorable moments and iconic personalities, including Nolan Ryan, Ichiro Suzuki, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, Tom Seaver, Joe Torre, George Steinbrenner, Dustin Pedroia, and David Ortiz. Valentine's Way is a riveting look back on forty years of baseball, written with a novelist's mind and a journalist's memory, and in collaboration with legendary baseball author Peter Golenbock. A once-in-a-generation book that leaves no great story untold, this is an invaluable document for anyone wondering what it's really like to play and work in the rarified world of Major League Baseball.

A celebration of the Jets'1968 historic Super Bowl team, filled with exclusive insights and stories from the surviving players, coaches, and managementIn 1968, Joe Namath, the quarterback of the New York Jets, dominated the headlines as a national celebrity and counterculture figure. The Jets were a vastly talented but underappreciated team that drew constant attention due to Namath, but were not taken seriously by fans. When the Jets earned their way to Super Bowl III to face an eighteen-point favorite Baltimore Colts squad, Namath put all the pressure on himself by shockingly “guaranteeing” a Jets victory. He fulfilled his promise, but knew he didn't do it alone. As Broadway Joe said in the postgame locker room: “We've got the team, brother.”In Beyond Broadway Joe: The Super Bowl TEAM That Changed Football, thirty-six surviving members of that legendary 1968 team share for the first time their funny, poignant, and insightful personal stories about their Super Bowl teammates and coaches, and the historic win that changed football forever. Readers will learn what Namath's teammates thought about his “guarantee,” find out what Jets coaches discovered on the field early during Super Bowl III that Namath and the defense used to frustrate the Colts, and delight in how the thirty-nine Jets who took the field each week with Namath enabled him to live up to his Super Bowl vow. Author Bob Lederer reviews head coach Weeb Ewbank's never-before-seen player evaluations—that they didn't know existed—and provides a rich history of the Jets franchise, from how these thirty-nine forgotten players became Jets, and the road ten of them took to become AFL all-stars in 1968.This definitive review of the entire Jets'Super Bowl team is a must for every Jets diehard, for fans of the old American Football League, and for all who love the game.