When deciding which athletes to profile, our editors take into account not only a player's statistics, but also his character. SPI takes care to select athletes who are known to be community minded and can serve as role models.
The biographical material on each athlete covers him from his earliest days to the present.

Pedro Martinez: Throwing Strikes (SUPERSTAR SERIES BASEBALL)

Shalin, Mike

Biographies & Memoirs

Sports Pub

In the late 1960s, the New York Rangers were transformed from National Hockey League also-rans to Stanley Cup contenders. Gilles Villemure was part of that transformation. The little goaltender, who had a long wait to make it to the NHL because the league had six teams until after the middle of the decade, joined Eddie Giacomin to give the Rangers as strong a 1-2 goaltending tandem as there was in the league. The Vezina Trophy-winning twosome was a fixture on Ranger teams that threatened to end the franchise's long Stanley Cup drought, only to come up short. Now, 30 years later, Villemure writes about his days with the Rangers, telling stories about old pals like Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield, Brad Park, Jean Ratelle -- and his boss, Emile "The Cat" Francis. The Rangers finally won that Stanley Cup in 1994, ending over 50 years of frustration, but it was those Francis teams -- the ones with Villemure and Giacomin in goal -- that brought New York's Blueshirts, Madison Square Garden's finest, to the top of the NHL. Read what Gilles Villemure has to say about this wonderful team in his "Tales From The Ranger Locker Room."

Gilles Villemure's Tales from the Ranger Locker Room

History

Vilemure, Gilles

Americas

The exhaustive research of sports biographer Mike Shalin sheds new light on a baseball legend, exposing the Hall of Famer's moxie and lifelong dedication to baseball in this engaging biography. The in-depth research follows Don Mattingly, an incredibly talented and hard-working player, who, during his time with the Yankees, became one of the most beloved and popular players in the glorious history of their franchise. An insightful review of Mattingly's career, including his going from a 19th-round draft choice to the 1985 American League MVP to his true motivation behind his retirement in 1995 and his thoughts on his young coaching. Donnie Baseball: The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly is a must-read not only for passionate Yankee fans, but for all baseball enthusiasts who want to become better historians of the game.

Donnie Baseball: The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly

Sports & Outdoors

Biographies

Triumph Books

Speaking candidly to veteran sportswriter Mike Shalin for the first time about his often tumultuous career in Major League Baseball, Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd recounts a life that began in the Deep South of Mississippi, and the events that led him toward great heights atop the pitcher’s mound at Fenway Park. As part of a stellar rotation alongside Bruce Hurst and a young Roger Clemens, Boyd served a dazzling array of pitches to opposing batters, most notably during the Boston Red Sox ill-fated 1986 World Series run against the New York Mets; and while he was at once brilliant and focused on the mound, off the field—as he affectingly reveals here—Boyd was unraveled by the personal battles he waged with substance abuse and destructive mood swings. As one of the few African American starting pitchers in the history of baseball, Boyd offers a candid, insightful, and often funny portrait of an athlete with boundless passion for the game, his teammates, and the Boston Red Sox.

They Call Me Oil Can: Baseball, Drugs, and Life on the Edge

Boyd, Dennis

Community & Culture

In the late 1960s the New York Rangers transformed from NHL also-rans to Stanley Cup contenders. Gilles Villemure was part of that transformation. The little goaltender had a long wait to make it to the National Hockey League, which had only six teams until after the middle of the decade. Eventually Villemure joined Eddie Giacomin to give the Rangers a strong 1-2 goaltending tandem. The Vezina Trophywinning twosome was a fixture for the Rangers, threatening to end the franchise’s long Stanley Cup drought, only to come up short. Now, forty years later, Villemure writes about his days with the Rangers in the newly updated Tales from the Rangers Locker Room. Villemure tells stories about old pals like Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield, Brad Park, Jean Ratelleand his boss, Emile The Cat” Francis. The Rangers finally won that Stanley Cup in 1994, ending over fifty years of frustration, but it was those Francis-led teamsthe ones with Villemure and Giacomin in the goalthat brought New York’s Blueshirts, Madison Square Garden’s finest, to the top of the NHL. It is their influence that has continued to propel the Rangers forward even today, with a conference championship win in 2014 and the President’s Trophy in 2015. Fans young and old will want to hear Villemure’s stories come to life. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sportsbooks about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Tales from the New York Rangers Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Rangers Stories Ever Told (Tales from the Team)

Villemure, Gilles

Sports Publishing

For Red Sox fans eager to relive the glory days of their favorite players, The Hometown Team enables them to do just that, through the lens of longtime photographer Steve Babineau. From star and support players, to members of the grounds crew, Red Sox staff, alumni, and some opposing players, this book features Fenway's most memorable characters from the past forty years, with behind-the-scenes images of the ballpark during that time as well. This scrapbook-style book features fun and insightful commentary from veteran sportswriter Mike Shalin and images of the following BoSox legends: Carlton Fisk, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, Johnny Damon, Mookie Betts, and many more. The perfect gift for any fan of Boston baseball!

The Hometown Team: Four Decades of Boston Red Sox Photography

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

To diehard baseball fans, the selection of players who will join the ranks of Cooperstown inductees often seems a bit arbitrary. Over the years there have been many outstanding players passed over, time and again, by the Veterans Committee, despite the players' qualifications and the support of fans and teammates. In Out by a Step, Mike and Neil Shalin compile their list of the 100 finest major leaguers who, in their views, deserve a place on the hallowed walls of Baseball's Hall of Fame. Out by a Step celebrates the fine careers of this "close but no cigar" fraternity―Richie Allen, Joe Torre, Tommy John, Elroy Face, and Urban Shocker, to name just a few―and will surely open up lively debate among baseball fans everywhere.

Out by a Step: The 100 Best Players Not in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Shalin, Neil

Baseball

Taylor Trade Publishing

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Books by Shalin, Mike