WITHOUT HIS LUCKY glove, Jamie doesn't believe in his ability to lead his baseball team to victory until he learns that faith in oneself is the most important equipment for any game.

Jamie lovingly oiled his glove all winter and, as the season approaches, he--and his glove--are in top form. When he carelessly loses his glove, he also loses his faith in himself and it shows in his playing. After an unsuccessful search for the glove and a stern reprimand from his father, a borrowed glove is found for the season's opening game. Disappointed in his performance with the borrowed glove, Jamie seeks help at a local sporting goods shop and finds it in the generosity of the store's owner--a former minor league player. The old-timer uses the history of baseball gloves and a few fielding tips (like practice!) to demonstrate that no tool--even a lucky glove--is a substitute for confidence and determination....

THE TIGERS ARE IN TROUBLE.

Baseball season is underway, and Coach Skelly has just quit. When Scott and his teammates can't find an adult to coach the team, it looks as if the Tigers' season might be over before it really begins.

But then the players have an idea: what if one of them became coach? They learn about leadership and discover unique and unrecognized talents among their own friends. Woven into the story are real-life tales of player-managers in Major League Baseball....

Tyler_s hopes for an unbeatable season for the Cougars disappear when his friend Zack, the team_s hot-shot midfielder, and two more of their best players accept an offer to play for the Panthers, an elite travel team.

Tyler has to admit he_s pleased when Coach Murray puts him in Zack_s midfielder position. But playing the middle is tough and Tyler_s spirits really sink when the Cougars lose their season opener in a close game--and the next game, too.

Then an elderly English soccer fan tells Tyler about America_s 1-0 surprise upset of England--the world_s number one team--in the 1950 World Cup. Any game can be won or lost by a single play, Mr. Robertson insists.

But will one play really be enough to beat the top-ranked Mustangs?

Fred Bown offers an exciting story of a young athlete who must build up his confidence in order to build up his team_s--even if it means losing his best friend. The exciting play-by-play game action as well as the victories and upsets--on and off the field--will keep young readers on the edge of their seats.
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MORE THAN ANYTHING, T. J. wants to be a pitcher. But he's smaller than his teammates, and his pitches just don't pack the power they need to strike out the batters. When T. J. learns about one of baseball's early heroes, Pittsburgh Pirate Rip Sewell, he decides to try Sewell's secret weapon. But will his teammates give T. J. a chance to prove that he can be a pitcher? And will T. J.'s secret pitch help lead his team to victory?...

Four friends who share a love of basketball have to go through tryouts for the school team. Slowly it becomes clear that they may not all make the team.
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BRENDAN IS ONE of the best players in the league, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't make his team win. An unexpected event and the story of legendary Cubs player and Hall of Famer, Ernie Banks, make Brendan realize that it's love of the game rather than winning that makes the experience a success....

IN ORDER TO WIN an important baseball game, twelve-year-old Kyle claims to have made a difficult catch which he actually dropped. The unearned win gives his team, the Reds, an unfair advantage in the championship series against the Cubs, and everyone--from his teammates to his parents--considers him the hero of the game.

But the heady excitement of the praise and attention he receives is not enough to silence his conscience, which starts getting to get the better of him. He is afraid of disappointing his family and teammates if he tells the truth, but he is increasingly uneasy in his deception. He even considers deliberately throwing the next game in the series to try to offset the damage. Then his sports-crazed grandmother tells him about Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, a pitcher whose reputation for honesty was so great that umpires would ask him to make calls during games. Mathewson made the calls--and sometimes against his own team!

In the end Kyle learns a valuable lesson about sportsmanship and realizes that being a hero is only worthwhile if you have earned it. The final playoff game between the Reds and the Cubs provides exciting and nail-biting action which will have young readers on the edges of their seats....

THE FALCONS HAVE a problem: they've lost the first two games of the season. Although they have skill, they lack height.

When Michael Mancino comes across an old issue of Sports Illustrated and he discovers the similarly vertically challenged UCLA Bruins who won the 1964 NCAA Championship with an aggressive and hard-to-beat full-court zone press used to compensate for a short team. Will the Falcons be able to make a comeback and win the dreaded end-of-the-season game against the much bigger eighth-grade team?...

MARCUS IS ONE of the best players on his junior high school basketball team. He's the highest scorer and the best rebounder, but he's not so great at free throws. When Marcus misses four free throws at the end of an important game and his team loses, he begins to lose his confidence on the court.

With the help of a school custodian and former high school basketball player, Mr. Dunn, he learns about the "granny shot," an unorthodox way of shooting fouls shots, and about the former NBA star, Rick Barry, who used it throughout his career. Marcus tries the shot and is successful with it, but he resists using it because it looks silly and his teammates ridicule him. But when he finds himself on the foul line again in a crucial game, his desire to help the team win overcomes his pride. In the end Marcus learns the important lesson that appearances don't matter and pride stems from using knowledge and talent to do your best.

A sports history epilogue provides a detailed inside look at NBA player Rick Barry and the infamous granny shot. As with the previous titles in the series, author Fred Bowen offers up another action packed sports adventure for young readers!...