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Conversations with Coach Wooden: On Baseball, Heroes, and Life

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Conversations with Coach Wooden: On Baseball, Heroes, and Life

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Overview

From legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s life lessons and “pyramid of success” philosophy to musings on his favorite sport—baseball—this engaging account chronicles the friendship between Wooden and fellow Universityof California, Los Angeles (UCLA) head coach Gary Adams. For nearly a decade, the two celebrated coaches shared an office and developed a close friendship that lasted 35 years until Wooden’s passing. Adams’s heartwarming narrative details discussions they shared about heroes, history, life, and their mutual favorite pastime—baseball. The book also reflects on Wooden’s core philosophies and the guiding principles behind his numerous basketball successes, including his election into two halls of fame as a player and a coach, winning 10 National College Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championships in a 12-year period, and being named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times. Recollections from Major League Baseball stars Eric Karros, David Roberts, and Chase Utley are also included, along with quotes from other athletes and associates of UCLA.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595800763
Publisher:	Santa Monica Press
Publication date:	05/15/2013
Pages:	439
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.24(d)

About the Author

Gary Adams was the head coach of the Universityof California, Los Angeles (UCLA) baseball team for 30 years. He is the school's all-time winningest baseball coach and led the team to conference titles and five second-place finishes. He lives in Bear Valley Springs, California. Eric Karros is a UCLA alumnus and a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 12 seasons. He was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1992 and is a color commentator for baseball on Fox. Karros also hosts a local Los Angeles Dodgers pregame show. He lives in Los Angeles.

Foreword Eric Karros 10

Pregame Warm-Up 12

The Early Innings 1959-1982

The First Inning 16

A Scary Meeting 22

Coach's Voice 25

Lewis Alcindor Considers Playing Baseball 28

Coach's First Love 31

The Remarkable Billy Kilmer 40

Our Friend, Coach Reichle 46

A Lesson in Patience 53

Recruiting the Wooden Way 62

Captains 69

The Game 72

Coach Saves the Day 78

A Coach's Player 92

The Bench 97

Loyalty 101

Fate 104

The Wooden-Brown Connection 108

An Open Mind 112

A Rare Baseball Interview 119

Two Similar Coaches 122

Our Heroes 125

The Middle Innings 1983-2002

A Tough Fourth Inning 136

Three Slam-Dunk Heroes: Lynn "Buck" Compton Rafer Johnson, and Jackie Robinson 139

Breaking the Rules 171

Challenging Decisions 175

What Do You Call a Man Like Coach Wooden? 180

Competitive Greatness 183

Dads, Wives, and Children 188

Moms 194

What Is Success? 197

Commitment 202

Respect Vs. Fear 206

Passion Vs. Self-Control 209

A Comeback Player 213

Referees and Umpires 217

Beanball War: Part I 228

Beanball War: Part II 237

Two Great Coaches Tell Their Babe Ruth Stories 246

Numbers 249

Chats with Coach 252

A Curious Misprint? 254

Low-Scoring Games 256

The Winningest Coach 259

Our Mentors 261

A Humble Reminder 263

Be Quick, Don't Hurry 265

It's All About Effort 267

Fair and Reasonable 269

Note to Young Coaches 270

A Tough Act to Follow 271

Pulling Pitchers 273

October 14 275

The Definition of a Hero 277

The Late Innings 2003-2010

Coach's Two Favorite Words 280

Coach's Surprise Visit 285

Winning with Honor 290

Top of the Eighth 297

Finishing the Billy Kilmer Story 302

The Most-Asked Question 304

Attend College or Sign Pro? 307

Building a Car and a Team 318

The Pyramid of Success 321

Industriousness: Rich Amaral, Eric Karros, and Chase Utley 324

Enthusiasm: Eric Byrnes, Jack Gifford, and David Roberts 348

Life and Death 376

A Trusted Friend 378

A Misunderstood Friend 389

Coach Talks Baseball with Friends 395

Top of the Ninth 409

Bottom of the Ninth 416

Extra Innings 425

Acknowledgments 428

Photo Credits 431

References 432

Index 434

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

Coach Adams had a tremendous impact on my baseball career, but more importantly, he guided me down a path to becoming a better person. He set a daily example that all of us wanted to follow....Thank you, Skip, you are a true role model.” —Chase Utley, Major League All-Star for the Philadelphia Phillies and UCLA All-American second baseman
"Thank you, Coach Adams and Coach Wooden, for the lifelong lessons I now will pass along to my children.” —Eric Byrnes, UCLA All-American outfielder and twelve-year major-leaguer
“Coach Adams changed my life by taking my average bat and slick fielding glove away from me during my senior year at UCLA and telling me I was only going to be a pitcher. He was honest with me—and from what I know about Coach Wooden, it was something he would have done, too.” —Casey Janssen, Toronto Blue Jays closer and UCLA All-American pitcher
"Gary Adams is the best coach I have ever had. He not only made me a better ball player, but also a better man! The confidence he had in me was the single reason I believed I could one day be a big leaguer. I am grateful to have played for him for four years, and I am proud to call him a friend." —David Roberts, first base coach for the San Diego Padres, UCLA outfielder, and ten-year major-leaguer
“I had the blessing of not only playing for Coach Gary Adams, but also coaching against him at the college level later in life.... I can honestly say he is one of the finest human beings I have ever known—a great teacher of the good, but more importantly, a great leader of young men!” —Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Baseball Coach, three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, and two-time national championship winner
“Two coaches, working their magic in distinctly different circumstances, bonded by America’s pastime. My thanks to Gary for bringing to life musings so powerful that I can almost smell the pine tar.” —Dan Guerrero, UCLA Athletic Director and former Bruin Baseball Hall of Fame player
'Coach not only enriched my UCLA experience, he also made me a better man. That is how Coach Wooden and Coach Adams were so uniquely similar; they felt it was their responsibility to make eighteen-year-old freshmen into upstanding young men who could function in life beyond the playing field." —Torey Lovullo, Boston Red Sox bench coach, UCLA All-American second baseman, and eight-year major-leaguer
“Coach Adams, we know how much our dad valued your long friendship. Conversations with Coach Wooden brought us laughter and tears as we read it. Thank you, Gary, for sharing your memories of our dad, John Wooden.” —Nan and Jim Wooden, Daughter and Son of John Wooden

From the Publisher

Conversations with Coach Wooden: On Baseball, Heroes, and Life

Conversations with Coach Wooden: On Baseball, Heroes, and Life

Hardcover

Hardcover

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Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Customer Reviews

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews