Bøger af David Finoli

Draft Nation ranks the top 75 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system and provides analysis, draft history, and in-depth scouting reports on all of your favorite players from Indianapolis to Bradenton. Track the emerging "young Bucs" as they rise through the farm system, striving to play at PNC Park.This guide is a must-have resource for draftniks, super-fans, and amateur statisticians alike. If you are a fan of the Pirates and crave insider insights on players like Paul Skenes, Termarr Johnson, and more, Draft Nation's experts have prepared the ideal reference material for all the future call-ups, potential trade capital, and newest draft picks for your favorite team.

On April 25, 1950 Boston Celtics Owner Walter Brown got up at the table and declared he was taking Chuck Cooper with the fourteenth pick in the draft. When someone reminded him that Cooper was black Brown declared "I don't care if he is striped, plaid, or polka dot, Boston takes Charles Cooper." Thus began the odyssey of Chuck Cooper as the Jackie Robinson of the NBA, as he was the first African American that the league drafted. Along with Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, and Earl Lloyd they cleared the lane for all who followed. The Cooper story begins though in 1926 and builds to his All-American career at Duquense University. It was there that he became the second player to score a 1,000 points in his career, set the school single season scoring record and became only the second African American to be named to a consensus All-American team before beginning his historic NBA career with the Boston Celtics. As impressive as his basketball career was, it was his second act in life that was even greater. He broke barriers as the first African American department head for the city of Pittsburgh and also as an urban affairs officer for Pittsburgh National Bank where he had the opportunity to help those in need. The story of Chuck Cooper is incredible and the pages written by David Finoli and Chuck Cooper III tell the complete story of this iconic figure in American sports history.

Half a century ago there were many old neighborhood breweries that dotted the landscape of western Pennsylvania. It was a family tradition to drink the local beers. In Westmoreland County, which is about 15 miles outside Pittsburgh, there were several choices, but one of the most popular came from the Jones Brewing Company in Smithton and their family of beers. The House of Jones, as it was referred to, produced four of the area's most popular brands. Esquire, the brewery's premium beer, Fort Pitt, Old Shay Ale and the main style named after its owner, Stoney's Beer. All four found their way into the refrigerators of local patrons and were enjoyed by local families for decades. The story of the House of Jones and their fabulous products is certainly very fascinating. The story goes that a brewery was won by William B. "Stoney" Jones in a poker game in Sutersville, Pa. and was originally named the Eureka Brewing Company. In 1907 he built a brewery in Smithton where the immigrants who settled in the area had a difficult time saying Eureka so they simply asked for one of "Stoney's" beers. After prohibition, the name of the company was changed to the Jones Brewing Company and its headline beer renamed after the owner. Stoney's Beer was now an official brand. Through the 20th century the story took many unimaginable twists and turns. Some of the highlights include the many championship baseball, soccer, football and bowling teams in the area that it sponsored. In 1934 the family welcomed Shirley Jones to Smithton, granddaughter of Stoney and one of this county's most celebrated actresses. Today she remains Smithton's most cherished and famous citizen. During the early part of the 1920s, Stoney had an embarrassing episode as he was slipped a "Mickey" (for those of you too young to know that's a drink someone laced with a drug that is intended to incapacitate another. It was named after a 19th century bar keeper in Chicago who allegedly drugged and robbed his patrons. The bar keeps name: Mickey Finn.) in Cincinnati and was swindled out of $50,000. In 1930 the government took over the brewery after they fined it for producing beer with alcohol during prohibition. It wasn't returned until the steep fines were paid. There were also tense labor negotiations with the workers, the sale of the brewery by the family, a push towards turning the brewery into a contract brewer, the tragic death of its new owner Gabby Podlucky and the scandalous trial of their son Greg Podlucky, owner of LeNature beverages, that not only rocked the family, but hurt the financial outlook of Stoney's itself. Finally, after the beer became irrelevant the story came full circle with the Jones family coming to the rescue in the name of Jon King, the great-grandson of Stoney, and his business partners John LaCarte, Rich Boyer, and Bob Matthews, who bought the rights to the iconic brand in 2017 with the hope of making Stoney's Beer a staple in this area once again. The tale may read like a soap opera at times, but in the end the beer meant a lot to the people of this area in the past and hopefully will in the future. This is the story of the path it took to get to this point.

It was a program that was down on its luck, in the midst of a 23-game losing streak that would eventually stretch to 24; enter Coach Tony Mitchell. Mitchell used a combination of disciplines both on the field and off to set the foundations for the players, not only turning this team from a doormat to a WPIAL playoff participant in two seasons, but helped his players become more successful in the classroom, giving them hope for a successful future that previously most could not have imagined. In the process, Mitchell also took a school with no track into a team that finished fourth at the 1999 PIAA Track Championships, the highest point total out of all WPIAL Class AA schools. Foundations tells this amazing story of hope, belief and hard work and how it affected this school and this community at the end of the 20th century.

"Pittsburgh was the only city with two Negro League teams, fielding such future Hall of Famers as Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, and Satchel Paige. Local high school basketball stars Chuck Cooper, Bill Nunn, Jr., Dick Ricketts, Maurice Stokes, and Jack Twyman held integrated pick-up games at local parks such as Mellon Park in Shadyside in the 1950s. In college football, Connellsville native Jimmy Joe Robinson became the first African American player on Pitt's football team in 1945 as the school continued to integrate its squad ahead of federal desegregation. The Association of Gentleman Pittsburgh Journalists present the ... history of how Pittsburgh's integration of sport helped lead the nation"--

In 1909, Pittsburgh Pirates president Barney Dreyfuss began construction on a new facility for his team in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Dreyfuss decided to call his palace--the first concrete and steel facility built in the National League--Forbes Field, after the British general John Forbes, a hero in the French and Indian War. Opened on June 20, 1909, Forbes Field was a hit from the onset; the venue hosted large crowds that came to watch the Pirates win in their first World Series against the Detroit Tigers that year. As the years went on, Forbes Field became synonymous with the greatest sports memories in the city's history. Patrons saw the trials and tribulations of the Steelers as well as some of the greatest collegiate football teams in the history of the game. The University of Pittsburgh won three collegiate football national championships, and Duquesne University and Carnegie Tech also fielded many winning teams while calling Forbes Field home. Alongside football, boxing was a constant event at the famed facility, hosting some of the most memorable pugilists this city has ever produced. Above all else, it was a baseball mecca. While the field is no longer in use, the wall remains intact, reminding Pittsburghers of the field's rich history.

Combining career stats, common sense, and a host of intangibles, veteran sportswriter Dave Finoli imagines an embarrassment of riches and sets the all-time All-Star Pirates lineup for the ages.

In Classic Pens, author David Finoli's tour of the best moments in the Pittsburgh Penguins' long history will evoke special memories from long time fans and delight those who currently follow the team.

Examines the entire 1909 regular season of both the Tigers and the Pirates, but pays special attention to the seven games of the World Series. Each player is given his due, with a complete biographical sketch. It includes 60 photographs, complete club statistics, box scores for each game, and tables on the acquisition of each player.