Table of Contents

Foreword by Bob CostasIntroductionA Yankee Doodle DandyAn American OriginalPerhaps the GreatestA Winning ChoiceA Meteor for the AgesLiving a DreamAn Uncommon ManThe Big ScoreCountry Comes FirstParting Thoughts

Promotional Information

Brief sketches of nine successful American leaders--coaches, politicians, businessmen, and athletes--by professor and former American League president Gene Budig

About the Author

Gene A. Budig was president of Major League Baseball’s American League from 1994 to 2000. He served as president of Illinois State University and West Virginia University and as chancellor at the University of Kansas. He is now co-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs. Bob Costas has been a sportscaster with NBC since 1980 and is the author of several books, including Fair Ball: A Fan’s Case for Baseball and, with Maury Allen, Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers.

Reviews

“From coaches to owners, from players to political leaders, we learn through Budig’s penetrating insight and personal acquaintance their characters and successes and the ways they deal with challenges. We come to know, in an almost intimate way, who they are. It is impossible to put this book down once you begin reading it.”—Myles Brand, president of the NCAA

“[Budig’s] masterful chapters in Grasping the Ring should be required reading for anyone with a serious interest in American sports. You will applaud the compelling contents.”—Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball

“Gene Budig provides an engaging narrative delving far beyond the outline of a basic biography. . . . The book is a profile of true leadership, tracing the journey to greatness, rich with life lessons for all of us.”—Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services

“The nine leaders that Gene Budig introduces in his book will inspire and enhance the lives of his readers. This book offers valuable lessons to all of us for our own lives. Through these chapters he captures the essence of leadership.”—Chuck Hagel, former U.S. senator from Nebraska