Most Popular Books by Filip Bondy

Filip Bondy is a columnist for the New York Daily News and author of Tip-Off, among other books. He lives in New York.

Who were the best ballplayers of all time? It''s an endless question, but here''s something much more fun: Who was the worst of all time? Who was the lousiest pitcher? The biggest goat? The most despicable owner? The most over-paid bum? Finally, Filip Bondy answers these questions, wielding his own brand of formidable research, advanced sabermetrics and considerable wit to provide this indispensable guide to the less glorious side of our national pastime. Each chapter is filled with rich and colorful stories about the players unfortunate enough to be chosen in each category--like "Too Fat to Bat" or "Anyone Seen My Mitt." So welcome to the Hall of Shame. It''s awesome.

On July 24, 1983, during the finale of a heated four-game series between the dynastic New York Yankees and small-town Kansas City Royals, umpires nullified a go-ahead home run based on an obscure rule, when Yankees manager Billy Martin pointed out an illegal amount of pine tar, the sticky substance used for a better grip, on Royals third baseman George Brett''s bat. Brett wildly charged out of the dugout and chaos ensued. The call temporarily cost the Royals the game, but the decision was eventually overturned, resulting in a resumption of the game several weeks later that created its own hysteria. The Pine Tar Game chronicles this watershed moment, marking a pivot in the sport, when benign cheating tactics, like spitballs, Superball bats, and a couple extra inches of tar on an ash bat, gave way to era of soaring salaries, labor struggles, and rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs. Filip Bondy paints a portrait of the Yankees and Royals of that era, featuring two diametrically opposed owners, in George Steinbrenner and Ewing Kauffman; a host of bad actors and phenomenal athletes; and lots of yelling. Players and club officials like Brett, Goose Gossage, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Sparky Lyle, David Cone, and John Schuerholz offer fresh commentary on the events along with their take on a rivalry that culminated in one of the most iconic baseball tantrums of all time. Rush Limbaugh, employed by the Royals at the time as a promotions director, offers his own insider''s perspective. Through this one fateful game, the ensuing protest, and ultimate fallout, The Pine Tar Game examines a more innocent time in professional sports, as well as the shifting tide that gave us today''s modern iteration of baseball.

A revealing, behind-the-scenes account of the 1984 NBA draft, considered to be the greatest--and most controversial--ever, as general managers, coaches, and players describe what really went down.

Bleeding Pinstripes is a unique, anthropological view of this most dedicated tribe of rooters?their rituals, their personal tribulations, their uncanny commitment to the Bronx ball clu . and to each other. You will meet an assortment of Bleacher Creatures, characters of a very different sort: Tina Lewis, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Bleachers, a spirited cancer survivor, and the chief lobbyist for Section 39; Donald Simpson, a 9/11 victim and the bleachers? only known millionaire; Milton Ousland, the only bleacher fan authorized to bang the cowbell during Yankee games; Bald Vinny, the ultimate T-shirt entrepreneur and a good-natured hustler who has made a living off his passion; and Luis Castillo, the Yankee clubhouse attendant and the insider who started out as just another Creature in the bleachers.

Traces the career of champion skater Nancy Kerrigan, describes the attack aimed at keeping her out of the Olympics, and looks at the world of figure skating

Examines the sports dynasty whose spectacular successes on the court have often been overshadowed by a marketing strategy that plays to America''s latent racism