{"product_id":"the-secret-history-of-balls-the-stories-behind-the-things-we-love-to-catch-whack-throw-kick-bounce-and-bat-paperback","title":"The Secret History of Balls: The Stories Behind the Things We Love to Catch, Whack, Throw, Kick, Bounce and Bat - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJosh Chetwynd\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eYou may fancy yourself a sports fan, but chances are you don't know: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A fish eyeball was used as the center of some nineteenth-century baseballs \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The race to make better billiard balls led to the invention of plastics \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The Nerf ball was originally created to be part of a board game featuring cavemen \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Balls are the unsung heroes of sports. They are smacked, flung, dribbled, crushed, thrown, and kicked. They're usually only the subject of scrutiny when something goes wrong: a tear, the application of an illegal foreign substance, or a dent from overuse. Nevertheless, if you're watching nearly any major sporting event from around the world, you're likely following the ball wondering where it will go next... \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History of Balls\u003c\/i\u003e mines the stories and lore of sports and recreation to offer insight into 60 balls-whether they're hollow, solid, full of air, or stuffed with twine or made of leather, metal, rubber, plastic, or polyurethane-that give us joy on playing fields and in every arena from backyards to stadiums around the globe.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJosh Chetwynd\u003c\/b\u003e is a journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has served as a staff reporter for \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eHollywood Reporter\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eU.S. News \u0026amp; World Report\u003c\/i\u003e, and his writing has also appeared in such publications as the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eTimes \u003c\/i\u003e(London), the \u003ci\u003eHarvard Negotiation Law Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eVariety\u003c\/i\u003e. As a broadcaster, he has worked for BBC Radio, among other outlets. In terms of his sports bona fides, he primarily earned them on the baseball diamond, where he played at the NCAA Division I college level for Northwestern University and had professional stints in both the United States for the Zanesville Greys in the independent Frontier League, and abroad for Sweden's Oskarshamn BK in Europe. He is the author of six books, four of them about sports. His 2011 effort, \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History of Balls: The Stories Behind the Things We Love to Catch, Whack, Throw, Kick, Bounce, and Bat\u003c\/i\u003e, was named an NPR best book that year. He lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and two children.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 7.8 x 4.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 03, 2011\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42691711598655,"sku":"9780399536748","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/e906f0f33aa6046b5437d3958881ead6.webp?v=1764992968","url":"https:\/\/dhl-adrianne.myshopify.com\/products\/the-secret-history-of-balls-the-stories-behind-the-things-we-love-to-catch-whack-throw-kick-bounce-and-bat-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}