When Ra-me, the Traveling Troubadour, is invited to attend the christening celebration of Fair Haven Village’s newest ship, he doesn’t know it will turn into a dangerous adventure. Lured to the village by the promise of a bag of gold and the sighting of a real, live mermaid, he joyfully accepts the invitation to play his piccolo and lute and lead the festival parade. When Merrylin, the mermaid, fails to break the bottle of sparkling water at the christening, a curse in the form of black clouds threaten, and a storm descends. The black clouds hide the arrival of Mudcat’s pirate ship, The Pirate’s Revenge. The sea god, Neptune, who brought the curse, must be appeased. When Captain Skip Jack finally broke the bottle, sharing half of its contents with the Neptune, the curse was lifted. But during the darkness, Mudcat the Pirate kidnapped the festival princess, Miss Lulu Belle, and sailed away. Ra-me is forced to go with the Captain to help find and rescue Lulu Belle. The pirate ship has sailed to the far coastline where many overhangs shelter hidden coves and caves. But the newly-christened ship, Good Ship Lightning Bolt, sails quickly in pursuit. When Ra-me finds Mudcat the Pirate, he must try to compose a siren’s song to make the pirate give up. His lute must play a magic tune. The plot takes a twist, and there is a surprise ending to this adventure.

A touching biography of the beloved Pittsburgh Pirate Willie "Pops" Stargell, this life story documents the 21-year, Hall of Fame career of one of the most celebrated and revered players in the history of Major League Baseball. Beginning with his difficult childhood and revealing his encounters with fierce racial hostility while playing minor league ball in the south, this book goes on to show how Stargell became one of the most feared hitters in baseball, a perennial All Star and MVP candidate, and World Series hero. More than a slugging star, Stargell--a clubhouse leader who was revered for his bursting personality and "joie de vivre"--earned the affectionate nickname "Pops" during the 1979 season when he began handing out stars to teammates following a good play or game. The stars soon became a symbol of the unity on the Pirates team that went on to win the World Series. This biography also details his life following his playing days: Stargell's coaching career, his struggles with obesity and diabetes, and his lasting legacy that remains relevant to this day. This telling of a dearly loved man with a larger-than-life personality is a must read for any fan of baseball.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the most storied histories in the annuals of baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia captures these fabulous times through the stories of the individuals and the collective teams that have thrilled the Steel City for 125 years. The book breaks down the team with a year-by-year synopsis of the club, biographies of over 180 of the most memorable Pirates through the ages as well as a look at each manager, owner, general manager and announcer that has served the club proudly. Now updated through the 2014 season, The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia will provide Pirates fans as well as baseball fans in general a complete look into the team's history, sparking memories of glories past and hopes for the future. Highlights include: • Single-season and career records • Player and manager profiles • Pirates award winners • Synopses of key games in Pirates history Now fully updated, this is one of the most comprehensive books ever written about the Pirates, and a resource that no Bucs fan should be without. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books 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.

It is 1939, and Stefan Zurowski heads to his home nestled in the Masurian Lake District of Poland. Manipulated by his domineering father throughout his life, Stefan’s heart soars with the thought that the count has now called him home to protect their estate and its people from the German invasion. But when he arrives, Stefan finds a horrific scene. His entire family and household staff have been murdered. Now Stefan must continue the path laid out for him. Even in death, his father drives his future. After he journeys to war-torn Warsaw to find his father’s business manager, Stefan learns that his future as the new count must be played out in a strange land with a family that he didn’t know existed and with a wife he has never met. As danger follows him to his new country, Stefan realizes he has desperate enemies who will stop at nothing to obtain the treasure he now possesses. This he must protect, alongside his emotionally unstable wife, while attempting to determine if his enemies are within the new family he’s beginning to know or within another unknown presence. In this historical romance, fierce circumstances drive a young man from his war-torn home in Poland to his destiny in a new land.

The Anatomy of Baseball Nicknames is filled with a selection of over seven hundred monikers given athletes, mostly in the game of baseball, that will make for an enjoyable read whether you are a fan of "America's Game" or not. Be it "the Left Arm of God" or "the Octopus" or "the Gooney Bird," all of these have been tagged to significant ballplayers in their major league careers. Besides the major leagues, which date back to the late 1800s, there is a wonderful parallel history of Negro Basebal

Ever since the ill-fated trade of Rocky Colavito to Detroit in 1960, Indians fans have watched their team stumble through an extraordinary array of misdeeds, misfortunes, and outright tragedies. This series of funny, fond, and irreverent vignettes captures the frustration, anger--and undying optimism--of baseball's worst team. Photos.

When the National League decided on June 22, 1932, to place numbers on the backs of uniforms to make it easier for fans to follow their favorite players, no one knew at the time just what a landmark decision it would turn out to be. In fact, when the Pittsburgh Pirates donned numbered jerseys eight days later against the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field, the uniform numbers were so unimportant on the team’s list of priorities that it was second billing to the main event of that day: the first Ladies Day in Pirates history. The secondary event would turn out to be an iconic moment in baseball history, as players are now closely associated with their uniform numbers. For example, two Hall of Famers for the Pirates wore the number 21: Arky Vaughan and Roberto Clemente. Both ironically died young while trying to help others, and 21 has become the most sacred number in Steel City sports lore. Pirates by the Numbers tells the tales of these players and more in a format that will include the greatest players to wear a specific number, the worst, and the most unique. The book highlights the first players to wear particular numbers and how they performed in their inaugural games, the first to hit home runs, and the first pitchers to win games. You’ll also find a list by year of every player and the numbers he’s worn that fans have used to identify him over the past eighty-four years. The players of the Pittsburgh Pirates have worn eighty-one different numbers. This book tells each player’s stories in a unique and compelling way that every Pirates fan will love. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books 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.