{"product_id":"stars-and-strikes-paperback","title":"Stars and Strikes - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDan Epstein\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDan Epstein scored a cult hit with \u003ci\u003eBig Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s. \u003c\/i\u003eNow he returns with \u003ci\u003eStars and Strikes\u003c\/i\u003e, a riotous look at the most pivotal season of the decade.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmerica, 1976: colorful, complex, and combustible. It was a year of Bicentennial celebrations and presidential primaries, of Olympic glory and busing riots, of killer bees hysteria and Pong fever. For both the nation and the national pastime, the year was revolutionary, indeed. On the diamond, Thurman Munson led the New York Yankees to their first World Series in a dozen years, but it was Joe Morgan and Cincinnati's Big Red Machine who cemented a dynasty with their second consecutive World Championship. Sluggers Mike Schmidt and Dave Kingman dominated the headlines, while rookie sensation Mark The Bird Fidrych started the All-Star Game opposite Randy Junkman Jones. The season was defined by the outrageous antics of team owners Bill Veeck, Ted Turner, George Steinbrenner, and Charlie Finley, as well as by several memorable bench-clearing brawls, and a batting title race that became just as contentious as the presidential race. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom Dorothy Hamill's wedge haircut to Kojak's chrome dome, American pop culture was never more giddily effervescent than in this year of Jimmy Carter, CB radios, AMC Pacers, \u003ci\u003eThe Bad News Bears\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRocky\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTaxi Driver\u003c\/i\u003e, the Ramones, KISS, \u003ci\u003eHappy Days\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHotel California\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eFrampton Comes Alive!--\u003c\/i\u003eit all came alive in '76! \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMeanwhile, as the nation erupted in a red-white-and-blue explosion saluting its two- hundredth year of independence, Major League Baseball players waged a war for their own liberties by demanding free agency. From the road to the White House to the shorts-wearing White Sox, \u003ci\u003e Stars and Strikes\u003c\/i\u003e tracks the tumultuous year after which the sport--and the nation--would never be the same.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDAN EPSTEIN is an award-winning journalist, pop culture historian, and avid baseball fan who has written for \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSPIN\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMen's Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMOJO\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGuitar World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRevolver\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLA Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e and dozens of other publications. He is the author of the acclaimed \u003ci\u003eBig Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s\u003c\/i\u003e. He currently resides in Los Angeles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 416\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 09, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47444822753458,"sku":"9781250072542","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/391c5ef080b8be18ed48ff2cd39cc25f.webp?v=1778712273","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/stars-and-strikes-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}