At a time when publishers are cutting back, thankfully Triumph Books in Chicago continues to produce sports books. Here’s the link to a catalogue of their wide array of offerings and some of the selections that stood out for me.

If you Love This Game…An MVP’s Life in Baseball, Andre Dawson with Alan Maimon; Foreword by Greg Maddux.

From the catalogue:

Reflecting on his accomplishments, his colleagues, and the future of baseball, Andre Dawson tells the story of his four-decade career as a player and executive in this intimate memoir. Seriously injured at a young age, Dawson struggled with chronic pain throughout his career and was only seriously scouted by the Montreal Expos during college. Overcoming these odds, he went on to be named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1977, earn eight All-Star appearances, seven Gold Gloves, and a Most Valuable Player Award. This behind-the-scenes look at a dedicated player’s journey from a segregated Miami neighborhood to the fabled halls of Cooperstown offers fans a window into the psyche of a fan favorite.

They Call Me Oil Can: Baseball, Drugs and Life on the Edge, Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd and Mike Shalin.

From the catalogue:

Speaking candidly to veteran sportswriter Mike Shalin for the first time about his often tumultuous career in Major League Baseball, Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd recounts a life that began in the Deep South of Mississippi, and the events that led him toward great heights atop the pitcher’s mound at Fenway Park. As part of a stellar rotation alongside Bruce Hurst and a young Roger Clemens, Boyd served a dazzling array of pitches to opposing batters, most notably during the Boston Red Sox ill-fated 1986 World Series run against the New York Mets; and while he was at once brilliant and focused on the mound, off the field—as he affectingly reveals here—Boyd was unraveled by the personal battles he waged with substance abuse and destructive mood swings. As one of the few African American starting pitchers in the history of baseball, Boyd offers a candid, insightful, and often funny portrait of an athlete with boundless passion for the game, his teammates, and the Boston Red Sox.

Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger, Steve Aschburner; Foreword by Jim Thome.

From the catalogue:

When Hall of Famer Harmon “Killer” Killebrew died in May 2011, the baseball world lost one of its best hitters and one of the finest ambassadors the game has ever known. Killebrew was second only to Babe Ruth in home runs by an American League slugger, and finished his career with 573 home runs and in 11th place for all-time Major League Baseball history. This book takes a look at the 22-year career of a perennial Most Valuable Player candidate and baseball powerhouse, reviewing his life in and out of baseball and peeling back the mystery surrounding this intensely private athlete. This biography is a look not only at Killebrew’s long career as a player, but his life as an announcer and businessman after his retirement from baseball.