Cal Ripken Jr. Livres

Robbie Hammond is the hardest throwing pitcher in the Babe Ruth League. But what good is all that heat when he can't seem to find the plate? With Robbie struggling, the Orioles are suffering through a nightmare season, still looking for their first win. Robbie's teammates are whispering that the only reason he's even pitching is because he's the coach's kid. They've even given him a new nickname: Ball Four. What the other Orioles don't know is that Robbie is still haunted by a fastball that got away from him and injured a batter in last year's All-Star Game. Now, with the pressure mounting, he's willing to try anything to get his control back, including listening to a mysterious boy who just might hold the key to helping Robbie'and the Orioles'save their season. This third action-packed book in Cal Ripken Jr.'s All-Star series will have readers on the edge of their seats as they root for Robbie's comeback.

Connor Sullivan is too humble to admit it, but he's the Orioles' best player. Lately, though, Connor hasn't been so good-natured. Even his best friend, Jordy, starts to avoid him. Coach Hammond is ready to bench him indefinitely. Will Connor be able to get his act together in time to help the team win championship?

Corey Maduro and his team, the Orioles, are going to the Grand Slam Tournament, but Corey's in a hitting slump, is being hassled by Katelyn Morris, and is embarrassed by his dad's temper at his games.

One of the most successful dealmakers in the sports industry presents his unique negotiating strategies "Ron Shapiro's new book is insightful and entertaining. The lessons he learned and the methods he uses should be required reading for anyone whose business relies on the art of negotiation. Ron never forgets that treating people with respect and fairness is the key to success. Ron and Mark have been helping our company for many years-I guess we won't need them anymore-they put it all in their book." --Charles M. Cawley, Chief Executive Officer, MBNA America Bank, N.A. "In the field of negotiation Ron Shapiro has always been regarded as the quintessence of class and integrity. Predictably, he and Mark Jankowski have written a compelling book filled with anecdotes and insights. "The Power of Nice" is a fascinating and useful book that is a must read for anyone who wants to build long-term mutually profitable relationships." --Herb Cohen, Author, "You Can Negotiate Anything" "This book taught me everything I ever wanted to know about negotiation-and I use it everyday." --Kirby Puckett, Former All-Star Center Fielder and Executive Vice President, Minnesota Twins "Negotiation is not war. Negotiation is not a science. Negotiation is the commerce of information for ultimate gain." --from "The Power of Nice" Though not a science, negotiating is an art, and in this eye-opening new book, a true master shares his secrets and strategies for success. Ron Shapiro is a corporate lawyer, teacher, and, in what is almost a contradiction in terms, one of today's most respected sports agents. He has worked with baseball's biggest names: Cal Ripken, Jr., Kirby Puckett, Brooks Robinson, Dennis Martinez, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, and many others. Rising to-and remaining at-the top of a competitive pool filled with smooth-talking, "sleazeball" sharks, he has succeeded by being, of all things, a nice guy. Now, along with his business partner, lawyer, lecturer, and negotiations expert, Mark Jankowski, Shapiro reveals how anyone who sits down to make a deal can get what they want by exercising the surprising "power of nice." Together, Shapiro and Jankowski have shared their negotiation insights with Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, universities, and government agencies. Though the name of the game in negotiating is to obtain desired results, how you get them is just as important. While many dealmakers play hardball by assuming a winner-take-all, scorched-earth attitude, they do so at the risk of alienating the party opposite them at the negotiating table, thereby losing out on future opportunities. This approach is, as Shapiro and Jankowski tell us, a major strike against effective negotiating, and can-and should-be avoided. By using a kinder, gentler approach that focuses on forming-and keeping-strong business connections, ultimate gain can still be yours: "You can be 'a nice guy' and still get what you're after. In fact, you often get better results, achieve more of your goals, and build longer-term relationships with even greater returns." Drawing on their vast experience in win-win negotiating, as well as such essentials as managing tough situations, handling difficult negotiators, and unlocking deadlocks, the authors take you, step-by-step, through a systematic approach that, when repeated and mastered, will maximize results. Based on "the three Ps," it consists of: preparing better than the other side; probing so you know what they want and why; and proposing, ideally without going first and revealing too much, but still achieving what you want. Supported by invaluable "portable" negotiation summaries-so you can take the "power of nice" with you-this is must reading for anyone who has to make a deal, whether it's negotiating with a customer, setting a curfew with a teenager, or getting the last seat on an over-sold airplane.

The bases are loaded with potential runs, but Charlie Brown’s head is loaded with irksome questions: Will he throw the ball right? Is the little red-haired girl watching? Will Lucy call him Blockhead? It doesn’t help that the seasoned pro at the plate, Peppermint Patty, is staring him down. So Charlie Brown shuffles, winds up, and lets the pitch fly. . . .Though we all know how the score will add up for Charlie Brown and his team (not quite as high as they expected), with the Peanuts gang, the fun is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game!