The AllStar SportStory Series INSIDE Scoop

Issue No. 1

Dear Sports Fans:

A few years ago my son was about to enter fifth grade. "Dad," he asked, "what was fifth grade like for you?"   When I started to answer, I heard in myself mostly talking about all the sports I played in fifth grade-Little League Baseball, Midget Football, pickup games with neighborhood kids, endless rounds of H-o-r-s-e with my brothers. I also can vividly remember who won the Little League Town Championship that year, more than 30 years ago (the Pirates).   When I was ten even my favorite books were about sports. I gobbled up the books in The Chip Hilton Sport Series like they were literary M&Ms. I read the books by flashlight late at night and at school when the teachers weren't looking. I can still remember the feeling of being lost in those books, lost in a world that I loved-the world of sports.   Sports may mean everything to you, just as they did to me. And I think there are lots of kids out there like you. You are the kids I'm writing my books for.

My stories always include plenty of games and sports action. I have coached teams for seven years, and I know that the games are very important to young sports fans. When I write, I treat the game scenes seriously; I don't put ghosts in the outfield or talking animals on second base. I want you to be able to imagine yourself in the games I describe-as the kid who perseveres when quitting would be a lot easier, or the star player who finally realizes that he is not the only kid on the team. Many lessons are learned through sports, and I make them an important part of my stories.

  I also try to show you that even when you are playing baseball in school yards and sandlots, you are part of a larger tradition-one that includes Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken. That's why I always mix a little sports history into each of my books.

  Coming up with the history angle for my books is fun for me. I get to relive games I watched as a kid or heard about from my dad, or read about in newspapers or books. Through the years, I've collected a lot of sports knowledge--quirky facts, player trivia, historical moments-without even trying. I can't explain it, but this sports stuff has real sticking power.

  I hope you feel the same way about my books as I did about The Chip Hilton Sport Series. Nothing pleases me more than to hear that a kid stayed up late reading one of my books by flashlight, because I've been there.

  I'm really glad you enjoy the AllStar SportStory series. Now, read on inside tidbits about the fantastic world of sports!

Fred Bowen

THE GREATEST-SHORTSTOP-EVER HAD A DORKY GLOVE... IT'S TRUE!

"A hustling bunch of youngsters with teamwork can beat a group of stars without teamwork."- HONUS WAGNER

  In THE GOLDEN GLOVE, Pete Bikakis, the owner of the town's sports store, quotes real-life Hall of Famer Honus Wagner as saying, "There ain't much to being a ballplayer, if you're a ballplayer."

  That was easy for Honus Wagner to say because he was a ballplayer, a great ballplayer. In fact, he is probably the greatest shortstop in baseball history. But he didn't get much help from his glove; it was a puny thing with no webbing and no pocket. It wasn't much bigger than his own hand. He played major league ball from 1897 to 1917, when gloves were designed just to protect your hands and not to help you catch the ball.

Wagner wasn't only a great shortstop. Some say he was the best allaround ballplayer ever. He ran like the wind and stole 722 bases. He was so fast that his nickname was The Flying Dutchman. He wasn't too bad at the plate either. A career .327 hitter, Wagner won the National League batting crown a record eight times.

In the early 1900s when tobacco producers were making baseball cards, Honus Wagner didn't want any cards made with his image on them. He didn't like smoking and he didn't want his name associated with a tobacco company. But a small number of Honus Wagner cards were made. They are so rare today that in 1991 one of the them sold for more than $400,000 to Wayne Gretzky, the famous hockey player.

Read more about old-time gloves in the back Of THE GOLDEN GLOVE.

A HISTORY MYSTERY

Ted Williams was a legendary home-run hitter for the Boston Red Sox in the 1940s and 1950s. But in 1943, 1944, and 1945 the left-handed slugger came up with goose eggs (zeroes)! Look over his great home-run record for the 1940s. Can you figure out why Williams' record suffered during those years? Try to remember what was important about those years in history.

Year	Number of Home Runs
1939	31
1940	23
1941	37
1942	36
1943	0
1944	0
1945	0
1946	38
1947	32
1948	25
1949	43

Answer:
  In 1943, Ted Williams became a fighter pilot in World War II in Europe. Other great ball players went off to war also, and there was talk that Major League Baseball should halt until the war was over. President Roosevelt encouraged the teams to keep playing, and they did. Stars like William returned in 1946.

You Make the Call
Will is a great jumper. He loves to jump over everything. One day, Will is playing left field in a baseball game. The batter hits a high fly ball over Will's head. Will runs back to the fence, jumps over it, reaches up, and catches the ball. Is the batter out?

Answer:
No. The batter has hit a home run. A fielder cannot leave the field to catch a fly ball. If, however, Will had leaped and caught the ball, and then fell over the fence, the batter would be out.

The AllStar SportStory Series Lineup

OFF THE RIM   Chris needs help with his basketball game. Sharpshooting Greta gives him some tips but his shots still hit the rim. Then Chris receives some interesting advice from an unlikely person on how to change his strategy. ISBN 1-56145-161-4

FULL COURT FEVER   The Falcons have lost the first two games of the season. They have the skill to win, but they have one big disadvantage-they're short! Can a 1965 issue of Sports Illustrated uncover the secret to turning their season around? ISBN 1-56145-160-6

PLAYOFF DREAMS   No matter how hard Brendan tries, he can't make his team win! But when he attends a game at Wrigley Field and learns the story of Ernie Banks, Brendan begins to see himself -and his team-in a new light. ISBN 1-56145-155-X

THE KID COACH   When the Tigers lose their coach, they decide to coach themselves. In a daring move, they try using the "Williams Shift" to stop a home-run hitter on a rival team. It worked against Red Sox slugger Ted Williams in the 1940s it just might work again! ISBN 1-56145-140-1

THE GOLDEN GLOVE   When Jamie loses his lucky glove, his parents wouldn't buy him a new one. He borrows a glove, but it's not the same and his self-confidence sinks. He begins to believe in himself again when he learns that some old-time Hall of Famers made extraordinary catches with "un-extraordinary" gloves. ISBN 1-56145-133-9

T.J.'S SECRET PITCH   T.J. desperately wants to be pitcher, but he's small and his pitches don't pack any power. Then he discovers a crazy pitch used by a real-life major leaguer in the 1940s. When he tries it out, his teammates laugh-until they try to hit it! Will T.J. get to use it in a real game? ISBN 1-56145-119-3

COMING SPRING '99

THE FINAL CUT
  For the first time, four friends must try out in order to be on the school basketball team. Who will make the final cut, and how will it affect their friendship?
ISBN 1-56145-192-4

PEACHTREE PUBLISHERS, LTD.
494 Armour Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30324-4088
(800) 241-0113

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