So Much to Say - Dave Matthews Band--20 Years on the Road

—Tim Kurkjian, ESPN

As a major and not-so-major league pitcher, Dirk Hayhurst has learned to master more than striking out batters. While waiting for his name to be called in the bullpen, he honed his gifts as a storyteller, one the New York Times calls the “best writer in a baseball uniform.” In this often hilarious collection of adventures on and off the diamond, Dirk details the intricacies of pulling off an epic team prank, even if its at his own expense;the art of creating the perfect professional baseball nickname;his comically ineffective attempts at writing romance novels;and the bizarre tale in which a bear gets punched in the face (yes, really). No matter how wild his story, Dirk proves once again he knows that its all in the delivery.

“I find his writing both entertaining and thought provoking...unlike his fastball.”

—Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays All-Star

“Dirk Hayhurst writes about baseball in a unique way. Observant, insightful, human, and hilarious.”

—Bob Costas

“Hayhurst delivers an entertaining story for more than just sports fans.”

—Jordan Bastian, MLB.com

“Hayhurst explains life in the minors and the major leagues like you've never read it before.”

—J. J. Cooper, Baseball America

“Insight and humor from the pitchers mound.”

—Businessweek

• Twenty sure-fire negotiating gambits.
• How to negotiate over the telephone, by e-mail, and via instant messaging.
• How to read body language.
• Listening to hidden meanings in conversation.
• Dealing with people from other cultures.
• How to become an expert mediator.

In any sport, whenever an official takes the field, court, ice, ring, or pitch, they do so with a bright red bull's-eye on their backs. For even with their great accuracy and passion for the game, they do make errors—occasionally, great big fat ones—that change the tide of sports history.

In The Worst Call Ever, keepers of truth and enlightenment, sportswriters Kyle Garlett and Patrick O'Neal, expose the most injurious mistakes and desecrations, document their lasting damage—which to some wronged parties has evolved into a condition akin to post-traumatic stress disorder—and hopefully become the soothing balm of reconciliation.

Each piece details the play in question and examines the players and stakes involved, the scope of the injustice, and the path of change that was often its result. Garlett and O'Neal cover mishaps in all sports, from the four Major Leagues to golf and auto racing to even curling, in this fascinating look at the worst calls in sports history.