Three Men on Third and Other Wacky Events from the World of Sports [Paperback]

Carl Sifakis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1994

This collection of 500 anecdotes records unlikely--but true--events in sports, such as the 1926 baseball game in which three Brooklyn Dodgers found themselves on third base at the same time, and the 1929 Rose Bowl game when Roy "Wrong Way" Riegles recovered a fumble and sprinted toward his own end zone. 50 photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

One abiding characteristic of Americans is their love for sports; another is their propensity to laugh at the mistakes of others. Sifakis combines the two to produce an entertaining look at the bloopers and blunders of the sports world from 1846 to 1993. While most sports are represented, baseball takes its rightful place as the sport producing the flakiest players and the strangest situations. Many of the anecdotes are familiar, but even the most rabid sports fan will be scratching his head over the Russian "sport" of face-slapping. The book's lighthearted tone is soured somewhat by the inclusion of a piece on the stabbing of Monica Seles by a deranged fan at a tennis match in Germany. While not an essential purchase, this book should prove popular in libraries with extensive sports and humor collections.
- Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This collection of sports wackiness will appeal to the same readers who relish each new installment of Nash and Zullo's Hall of Shame series. Veteran sports reporter and columnist Sifakis starts way back in 1846 and includes anecdotes about sports from handball to golf to bowling to baseball. Some of his accounts are old chestnuts, but many are fresh. For example, baseball star Johnny Mize received a $500 wedding gift from a friend of the team owner, and when he began negotiating for the upcoming season, the owner tried to include the gift as part of Mize's salary. Pepper Martin, a tempestuous member of the old St. Louis Cardinal Gas House Gang, hated to field bunts when he played third. Casey Stengel, managing the Boston Braves, ordered his players to bunt. Martin was so furious he began throwing the balls into the dugout rather than to first base. The bunting stopped. Turn to any page and find more of the same. Fun browsing for all sports fans. Fifty black-and-white photos add spice. Wes Lukowsky

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan General Reference; 1st edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671865021
• ISBN-13: 978-0671865023
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,873,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.