Aces: The Last Season on the Mound with the Oakland A's Big Three: Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito

San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller

"From the speedy rise of the Big Three to their stunning breakup, Urban's book says it all." -John Shea, National baseball Writer, San Francisco Chronicle

During the 2004 season, each of Oakland's Big Three aces had something to prove. Tim Hudson was determined to demonstrate his recovery from a recurring injury. Barry Zito had to show the world that after a ho-hum 2003, his 2002 Cy Young Award was not a fluke. Mark Mulder missed the 203 playoffs entirely with a stress fracture, but the way he saw it, he simply needed to be himself--the natural-born pitcher.

Given unprecedented access to the Big Three, Mychael Urban recreates their tumultuous season through their eyes. he explores the nuts and bolts of major league pitching, examining each player's unique approach to this craft while revealing how three very different personalities cope with the demands, rewards, and challenges of sports stardom.

Now with a new afterword on the 2005 season

Urban traces the fortunes of the Big Three after Hudson was sent to Atlanta and Mulder to St. Louis, trades which held the dramatic promise of them being reunited again-as opponents-in the playoffs.

"Written with great color, style, humor, and grace, Aces takes readers on a captivating ride." --Mike Silver, Sports Illustrated
"Mychael Urban's book is a fabulous read... This is hardly just a baseball book. It's about life, and he tremendous burden each pitcher carried while trying to lead the Oakland A's to the playoffs. I absolutely loved it." --Bob Nightengale, Senor Writer/Columnist, USA Today Sports Weekly
"From the southern fried heat of Tim Hudson to Mark Mulder's cool aloofness to Barry Zito's cerebral wanderings, Urban captures the engine of Oakland's Little Engine That Could of a team with grace and aplomb." --Scott Miller, National Baseball Columnist, CBS.SportsLine.com


About the Author
MYCHAEL URBAN is a national writer for MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and has covered the A's since 2001. He talks about baseball regularly as a fill-in host on KNBR-680 (AM) in San Francisco and as a guest on FOX Sports Northwest TV, ESPN radio, and MLB radio.