Billyball 2009: The Road to the Phillies-yankees World Series

by Billy Staples, Rich Herschlag

When authors Billy Staples and Rich Herschlag are asked to write a baseball column for The Trentonian, they decide to put their own stamp on it. Covering primarily Philadelphia and New York, they forego the dirt and seek out baseballs role models, well known and not so well known. They sidestep the steroids and find the stories of courage, dedication and humanity the mainstream press so often misses.Shortly after the All-Star break, another storyline develops. In Philadelphia, the 2008 World Champions are beginning to reemerge. Up the turnpike in New York, the Yankees are showing shades of their former selves from a decade earlier. One by one, division rivals fall by the wayside, and on October 25 only the Yanks and Phils remain standing.The Phillies-Yankees World Series is a battle of baseball titans. For Staples and Herschlagwho in their first full year get to cover it from field levelit is the ultimate reward for doing it their way.

204 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2010

About the author

Strictly by chance my childhood was spent inside the Yankee and Phillies locker room where I rubbed shoulders on a weekly basis with Munson, Catfish, Reggie, Schmidt, and Carlton & Rose along with Stengel, DiMaggio, Mantle, Ford, Berra, Mays and Robin Roberts on “Old Timers’ Day”.

After high school I spent two years in New York and Los Angeles giving acting a shot and was in the movies: Hairspray, Coming to America, Gremlins II and a recurring role as the young Lt. Columbo.

I left a corporate position at AT&T World Headquarters to teach 7th grade English in the Pembroke Projects of Bethlehem for 13 years. During that time I was twice nominated for Disney’s National Teacher of the Year award. My groundbreaking work helping troubled kids better their lives and make it to college was featured in a five-part series on CNN.

I am featured in the book/video “The Secret” by Jack Canfield where he says:” Billy Staples, the teacher is and was a walking, talking example of “The Secret” before the Secret came out”.

I am the co-founder of the “BEST” College Scholarship Organization and has been responsible for tuition aid for over 100 inner-city kids.

I am also the co-author of the National Sports Best Seller, “Before the Glory”, printed by the Chicken Soup for the Soul publishers; which was ranked as high as #5 among sports books nationwide.

I currently travel the country giving motivational and educational presentations at hundreds of colleges, universities, high schools and middle schools, rotary’s and corporations where I share my teaching methods, experiences, stories and of course my “Secrets”……