Ever since Hopper was a child, he has dreamed of becoming a major-league pitcher. Relentlessly pushed and punished by his abusive father, he's on the verge of becoming one of the game's most promising players when he unexpectedly breaks down on the mound. Now Hopper's only hope for a future lies with an unorthodox sports therapist who urges him to piece together the past and confront the man who is both bully and family.

Introduces the homerun-hitting fielder for the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa.

Gus Lobel has been one of the best scouts in baseball for decades, but, despite his efforts to hide it, age is starting to catch up with him. Nevertheless, Gus, who can tell a pitch just by the crack of the bat, refuses to be benched for what may be the final innings of his career. The one person who might be able to help is also the one person Gus would never ask: his daughter, Mickie, an associate at a high-powered Atlanta law firm.

Former pro baseball player Calvin Campbell's faith in God is restored when he meets Produce, an inspirational man with Down syndrome. As their friendship develops, Calvin is reminded that hope grows in the most unlikely places.

In "The Last Hero", Bryant chronicles Aaron's childhood in segregated Alabama, his brief stardom in the Negro Leagues, his complicated relationship with celebrity, and his historic rivalry with Willie Mays--all culminating in the defining event of his life: his shattering of Babe Ruth's all-time home-run record. Bryant also examines Aaron's more complex second act: his quest to become an important voice beyond the ball field.

These are the tales of one-season wonders. The history of baseball is filled with forgotten names--players who are good enough to reach the top of the sport but who, for any number of reasons, land at the edges of the game. Some spend a week or two in the major leagues and then disappear back into the minors. Many leave the sport for good. Still, for an afternoon, a week, or a couple of months, these men stood on the field alongside the best players...

"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 the color...