Chaz Scoggins – författare

Recalling some of the greatest players in Red Sox history and some of their greatest games, author Chaz Scoggins traces back over 70 years, to the very start of the seminal Yawkey era, in Game of My Life Boston Red Sox. Beginning with Bobby Doerr, the Hall of Fame second baseman who joined the team in 1937, the book touches on players and their most memorable games from every decade, right up to those who finally experienced the exhilaration of winning that elusive World Series in 2004. Among the many players who recount the most memorable games in their Red Sox careers are Johnny Pesky, Dominic DiMaggio, Mel Parnell, Frank Malzone, Bill Monbouquette, Rico Petrocelli, Fred Lynn, Butch Hobson, and Bruce Hurst. Their recollections and stories linking eight decades of Boston Red Sox baseball and revealing many details unknown until now will undoubtedly awaken fond but probably long-forgotten memories of lifelong Boston fans themselves.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.

By the end of 1966, the Boston Red Sox were a team in serious trouble. The Red Sox had not won a pennant in twenty years and had not posted a winning record in eight. Pampered by their benevolent owner, Tom Yawkey, the Red Sox had developed a reputation as a team that cared more about having a good time than winning baseball games. The "Gold Sox" (or "Jersey Street Jesters") were sometimes playing before fewer than 1,000 fans at Fenway Park. Yawkey, disillusioned, began seriously considering selling the team or moving the franchise to another city.Then, in 1967, a brash rookie manager named Dick Williams took charge of a hungry, but very young and inexperienced team that did not know how to win. A strict disciplinarian, Williams had no tolerance for nonsense, and he taught the Red Sox how to play the game right. Yet, when he predicted that the Red Sox would win more games than they''d lose in 1967, no one took him seriously. The Red Sox forged a 10-game, midseason winning streak. Adopting the theme song from the hit Broadway musical, Man of La Mancha, the 1967 Red Sox season became "The Impossible Dream." The fans grew excited again and started flocking to Fenway Park or tuning their radios to the broadcasts of the games. Over the season''s final six weeks, the Red Sox never led or trailed by more than 1 1/2 games. Three teams were still in the pennant race during their final game. When that day was over, the Red Sox had become the first and only team in major-league history to rise from ninth place to league champion.The Red Sox remain indebted to the 1967 champions, and they will be indebted forever. Rico Petrocelli, one of Boston''s most beloved athletes and a twenty-four-year-old shortstop on that "Impossible Dream" team, recaptures the thrills of that improbable season through his unique anecdotes. In this re-release timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary that magical year, Rico chronicles both the nightmare that threatened to swallow an organization and the resurrection that would reinvigorate a team and a city that share the same heart