The Art Of Lawn Tennis
The art of lawn tennis offers guidance on mastering a sport that blends precision, control, and personal discipline. The book introduces tennis not only as a physical activity but as a craft that rewards patience, practice, and awareness. It explains that strong performance begins with understanding the basics, including footwork, grip, timing, and the ability to track the ball with complete focus. The opening emphasizes that progress comes from building a stable foundation, where every movement is intentional and shaped by purpose. The text encourages players to study their own habits, recognize weaknesses, and develop consistent form before attempting advanced strokes. It presents the game as a balance between strategic thinking and refined execution, suggesting that the path to improvement requires concentration and a steady mindset. Tennis becomes a way to cultivate mental clarity, resilience, and confidence. By encouraging steady practice and attention to detail, the book shows that skill grows naturally from disciplined effort. It inspires readers to treat the court as a space for growth, where persistence leads to mastery and enjoyment becomes deeper through understanding.
Willow The King
In the heart of the English countryside, where the crack of willow on leather echoes through the air, a cricket match unfolds with all the charm and tension of a bygone era. This cricket fiction novel, now republished by Alpha Editions after being out of print for decades, captures the essence of sportsmanship and rivalry that defines the classic British novel. As the village teams clash on the verdant pitch, the story delves into the intricate dynamics of team spirit themes, where camaraderie and competition dance in a delicate balance. Set in the early 20th century, this tale is a vivid portrait of sports literature, celebrating not just the game of cricket but the very fabric of English society. It appeals to cricket enthusiasts and sports history readers alike, offering a nostalgic journey to a time when the sport was as much about honour and tradition as it was about skill and strategy. The narrative, reminiscent of the PG Wodehouse style and the wit of Jerome K Jerome, is a delightful exploration of human nature and the quirks that accompany it. This edition is not just a reprint-it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, lovingly restored for today's and future generations. Immerse yourself in this cricket match story, where every ball bowled and every run scored is a testament to the enduring spirit of the game.
Big League Baseball - A History, Volume 1
Opening in 1871 with the founding of baseball's first professional league and closing in 1893 when the modern pitching distance was established at sixty feet six inches, this is the first volume of author Paul DeFonzo's epic illustrated history of Big League Baseball.
Top Tips for Football Mums & Great Sideline Chat!
"A lovely, fun-filled guide to life on the touchline - full of informative tips and suggestions" KitAid Charity From accidental spectator to sideline superstar - discover the ultimate survival guide for football mums. Tania Young cuts through the confusion with straight-talking advice on everything from decoding 'top bins' to choosing the perfect boots. Whether you're bewildered by match lengths or bamboozled by insiders' jargon, this no-nonsense handbook will become your secret weapon. Learn the unwritten rules of football parenting that no one tells you about, packed with tried and tested tips that transform weekend matches from mystery to mastery. Practical, witty and refreshingly honest, Top Tips for Football Mums & Great Sideline Chat is your passport to the beautiful game. Because when your child lives for football, you need more than just enthusiasm - you need know-how.
The Subway Series
For over a quarter century, the tradition of the modern-day Subway Series has featured epic moments and iconic players squaring off to capture ultimate New York baseball bragging rights. Following a 14-year hiatus in the area rivalry, the modern-day Subway Series took shape in 1997; conjuring up the same mystique and bad blood that existed in the late nineteenth century. Tag along on a memorable journey into New York baseball's celebrated past to relive the truly unforgettable milestones and legendary moments that built the Subway Series into the longstanding rivalry that it is today
Before They Wore Dodger Blue
The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers were always groundbreakers on the player-development front, and when MLB instituted an amateur player draft in 1965, the Dodgers were ready: by 1968, the disciplined front office and scouting department put together what is still considered today as the greatest draft class in pro baseball history.That year, the Dodgers drafted six future All-Stars-Doyle Alexander, Bill Buckner, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Tom Paciorek, who would be selected for a combined 23 All-Star games-plus Joe Ferguson, Bobby Valentine, and Geoff Zahn. Most of these draftees-joined at various stops by Tommy Hutton, Charlie Hough, and Bill Russell-would form the core of outstanding minor-league teams as well as Dodgers teams featuring a remarkably stable infield that would play together for eight years, highlighted by a 1981 World Series win. It's widely regarded as the best draft class ever, and the 1970 Spokane Indians-featuring most of that draft class, led by Tommy Lasorda-one of the greatest minor-league clubs ever.How the Dodgers put together that legendary draft class and how they were developed by Lasorda is told in Before They Wore Dodger Blue: Tommy Lasorda and the Greatest Draft Class in Baseball History, Eric Vickrey's exhaustively researched history of the development of the 1968 Los Angeles Dodgers draft class. Key to the development of this draft class: Lasorda, who worked his way through the minors as the manager of virtually all these draftees at stops in Pocatello, Ogden, Albuquerque, and Spokane, culminating in his appointment as Walt Alston's replacement as Dodger manager near the end of the 1976 season.Cey, Russell, Lopes, and Garvey proceeded to form an All-Star infield that would play together for an unprecedented eight and a half consecutive seasons. That foursome, along with other homegrown stars and pieces acquired through trades involving the '68 draft class, carried the Dodgers to three National League pennants in the 1970s and a World Series title in 1981 under Lasorda."[Tommy] Lasorda developed into a master," said Bobby Valentine, the leading light in the draft class before injuries cut his career short, in an interview with the author. "His baseball acumen, his ability to manage a game is always overshadowed by his persona. He was a spectacular in-game manager. He knew when to put on a hit-and-run. When a guy was in a slump, he'd give him a high-five when he came into the dugout. That would boost the guy's confidence for the next at-bat. He knew when to take a pitcher out, when to leave him in, when to challenge him, when to take a kid out for a private dinner, and when to scold a kid in front of the entire team."
My Greatest Day in Football
Great games remembered by legendary players and coaches "For folks who have been around for a while, this book will conjure up many a great memory. And for younger readers, it will provide a fine history lesson and some excellent insight into the way the sport has evolved."--From the foreword by Beano Cook First published in 1948, My Greatest Day in Football is a collection of reminiscences and stories from football's early stars. College football games were the most memorable moments for many of these players and coaches, though some highlight professional and even high school games. Sam "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh recounts the National League Championship game played at Wrigley Field during his rookie season; Felix A. "Doc" Blanchard, nicknamed "Mr. Inside" for his powerful running attack, describes the triumphant day when Army ended its thirteen-year losing streak to Notre Dame; and Glenn Scobie "Pop" Warner explains why a tough battle against Cal was his greatest day, even though his Stanford team was not victorious. George "the Gipper" Gipp, Knute Rockne, and Paul Brown, who perhaps provides the most surprising game of all, are all included in My Greatest Day in Football. While not all of the thirty-five contributors' names may be immediately recognizable, all their stories are entertaining and rich with nostalgia. Editors Goodman and Lewin introduce each subject with a brief summary of his career and provide the lineup and statistics of each great game. Football fans everywhere will enjoy this flashback to the game's early days.
Opening Day
"Opening Day offers great players, high stakes, and the hinge of history turning as a new era in Cleveland sports begins. Knight exhaustively chronicles the first game at Jacobs Field against the Mariners and it is clear that a whole different brand of Cleveland Indians has come to Cleveland."--Bill Livingston, Cleveland Plain Dealer "I thought I knew everything worth knowing about the first game at Jacobs Field. But Jonathan Knight surprised me with his exhaustively researched account. He also manages to weave in all sorts of Tribe history, such as a cool story about the first opening day at League park. Can't say I remember much about that one!"--Bob Dyer, Akron Beacon Journal Opening Day is sportswriter Jonathan Knight's inning-by-inning look at the opening game at Jacobs Field on April 4, 1994. New home to the Cleveland Indians, "The Jake" was for fans symbolic of the team's turnaround. For the regional community this ballpark marked the beginning of Cleveland's long-awaited renaissance. The redemption of the Indians began in 1986, when the Jacobs brothers, Richard and David, purchased the underfinanced and mismanaged franchise. And despite a devastating 1991 season, when the Tribe lost a record 105 games and finished in last place, 34 games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays, the team and its fans persevered. The Jacobs' legacy culminated in the opening of Jacobs Field, variously described as "a jewel" and Cleveland's "field of dreams," in the spring of 1994. The Indians made more postseason appearances in their first five years at Jacobs Field than in the previous ninety-three seasons of franchise history. Author Jonathan Knight skillfully recaptures memorable moments from opening days of the past, creating this story that shows how the fortunes of the team and the city converged. On that day in early April, the Indians and the City of Cleveland together experienced a true opening day--one in which the past was forgotten and the future was clear and bright.
America Tees Off
In 1887 a linen salesman from New York City visited the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, considered to be the oldest golf course in the world. While there, he visited the shop of golf legend Old Tom Morris. He purchased six clubs and some balls. Soon after his return home, this purchase triggered a golf explosion that would soon see America not only take up the game but also take it over. America Tees Off tracks golf's impact on the country and the game since this historic purchase, with dozens of wide-ranging stories from when the game first took hold in the United States to the present day. These stories cover both the great amateur and professional players, as well as the golf adventures of average players and the not-so-average, like U.S. presidents, athletes in other sports, Hollywood stars, and the mega-wealthy. You'll read about what was thought to be a highly questionable land purchase in the Sandhills of North Carolina in 1895 that led to the golf mecca of Pinehurst, how Babe Didrikson Zaharias's husband used his cigar to give her assistance during tournament play, and how the scientist who worked on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos helped President Eisenhower improve his game. America Tees Off also covers the effect of American ingenuity on the game's equipment and how the sport was televised. These lesser-known, behind-the-scenes true stories will entertain and inform the most serious golf enthusiasts as well as those just getting into the sport's colorful history.
The Parents' Guide to Raising a Lacrosse Player
The Parents' Guide to Raising a Lacrosse Player: A Mental Health Approach, helps parents and players to understand the impact that mental health issues have on an athlete. This book not only raises awareness but gives both parents and players concrete strategies to cope with these adversities. Erica Dixon is a licensed clinical professional counselor and a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor. She has over 29 years of experience treating a wide range of mental health and behavioral issues. She owns a private practice in Maryland where she resides with her husband, Mark and two sons. This book began as a way for Erica to process her own feelings after her oldest lacrosse player was hospitalized during his freshman season. She extended the book to include chapters about her own clients; other collegiate lacrosse players struggling with mental health issues. As a result, a short book took form. So, throw it in your bag and read it during halftime. Erica's sincere hope is that this book helps at least one reader.
Playing The Game
Who would win a penalty shoot-out between an elephant and the captain of Aylesbury United?Playing the Game reveals the answer - just one of the astonishing stories from the football club's early history, from its foundation in 1897 to the post-war years.For the first time author Mike Snell divulges the fascinating tales behind the players, the matches, the rivalries, and the trophies, as football fever started to sweep the country and the game became part of the national consciousness.Learn the circumstances and characters behind Aylesbury United's formation, the team that delivered the club's first silverware, the players that never returned from the two World Wars, as well as the two brothers who came to England to escape the holocaust and went on to represent both the Ducks and the USA as internationals - and much more.This book also includes individual player and team statistics from formation to the start of the Second World War.
Hoggy
The quintessential barking-mad Yorkshire cricketer, 'Hoggy's' record-breaking bowling exploits for England allied to his humorous, uniquely oddball yet hugely endearing attitude to sport and life makes this essential reading for all lovers of the game. More than just a line-and-length cricketer's biography, Hoggy offers an entertaining insight into the weird and wonderful world of one of cricket's true characters. From the pub to the wicket and everywhere in-between, the dogged nightwatchman and wicket-taker looks beyond the runs and wickets to reveal what cricketers really get up to on tour and in the dressing room ...
Only Golfers Can Understand
A classic volume of ruminations on the greatness of golf. This book is devoted to enjoying the ups and downs of the game. It is the perfect gift for anyone starting out, still going, or thinking about coming back home. It is sure to help readers enjoy their golf more.
I Can't Stop Thinking about Var
SHORTLISTED IN THE CHARLES TYRWHITT SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2025 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR Is it football any more? 'Fascinating and persuasive' The Herald 'Everyone involved in the VAR controversy should read this short, beautifully-written book and think again' Sir Michael Barber In 2019, the English Premier League introduced the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), a way of using technology to review and correct the on-field referee's decisions. It's been a disaster: players hate it, managers hate it, pundits line up to pour scorn on its decisions, and fans have coined the chant 'it's not football any more' to describe its effect on the game. Almost every other sport in the world has managed to integrate technology into its decision-making process. Why is football failing so badly? Is it a special case, or have the game's authorities got something wrong? And what does the controversy about VAR tell us about the nature of authority, rationality and technology in the 21st century?
The Soccer 100
A celebration of the beautiful game and its 100 greatest players, from the pre-World War II exploits of Dixie Dean to the modern-day genius of Kylian Mbapp矇 and Lionel MessiThese players left legacies, redefined the game with trademark skills, and grew into national icons. They have their stats--the goals, the wins, the trophies--but, more importantly, they have their stories. One World Cup winner owned a nightclub that briefly transformed a corner of industrial Germany into one of the hippest places around. An Austrian forward's death is still shrouded in mystery. A striker who might have become a telephone technician had he not been spotted playing soccer was eventually elected president of his country. And there are unanswered questions. How did Pel矇's Brazil shirt from the 1958 World Cup quarterfinal go missing in a Welsh school? Which goalkeeper was so good that one opponent considered scoring against him akin to "winning a trophy"?Through extensive research and interviews, The Athletic soccer staff, led by Oliver Kay and James Horncastle, discovered angles and tales that shine a new light on the sport's most compelling characters.They faced an impossible riddle, too: Of the thousands of players to hit the pitch, who is the best? Their efforts to find the answer took the foremost sports newsroom on a journey, and what emerges is more than a ranking. Through all-new, vivid portraits of each athlete, The Soccer 100 is a tribute to the greatest players to have ever graced the most popular sport on the planet.
Elite Hockey Defense
Develop defensive hockey players at all levels.Defensive skills often receive less attention and recognition than their offensive counterparts. In Elite Hockey Defense: Skills and Strategies for the Modern Game, author Dave Cameron lays out the essential tools coaches need to create game-changing defensive players.Skills such as transitions, backward acceleration, and passing and receiving passes are fundamental to the position of defense but are often overlooked in exchange for simple shooting practice. By incorporating skating development and puck control along with instruction on positional play, strategy, communication, and specific zone play, coaches can foster more adaptable defensive players. Cameron also goes in-depth on the split-second decision-making that players encounter in game situations and offers guidance on developing players in a way that prepares them to assess scenarios as they arise.Elite Hockey Defense: Skills and Strategies for the Modern Game contains a drill finder that will help readers quickly locate the most appropriate drills for their players, and Coaching Tips note key points that coaches should focus on during each drill. These tips highlight why the drills are beneficial, what skills are being developed, and note technique tips and common player mistakes to look out for.Build an unstoppable defensive force on the ice. With expert advice that has been used at all levels, Elite Hockey Defense: Skills and Strategies for the Modern Game is the perfect tool for coaches looking to elevate the performance of their defensive players.
Squash
Updated and with a new afterword from the author, this definitive history of squash by journalist James Zug is a must-read for squash lovers and sports history buffs alike, capturing the evolution of one of America's greatest games. Step into the fast-paced world of squash with this ultimate deep dive into one of America's fastest-growing sports. This newly updated edition of Squash packs in fresh stories and insights, charting the racquet sport's evolution. From its scrappy beginnings in the 1850s, when English schoolboys invented the game in alleys and yards, to its arrival on US soil in 1884, squash has grown into a global phenomenon. Award-winning journalist James Zug takes readers on a fascinating journey, exploring defining moments like the pivotal shift in the 1990s from the one court size to another, a change that propelled the US to international squash dominance. The game has over 1.6 million players in this country, a growing presence in schools and colleges, and is on the brink of its next big milestone--making its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Packed with vibrant profiles of squash legends, Zug's narrative goes beyond the court. He uncovers the game's rich cultural roots, tracing its elite origins and its expansion into public and commercial clubs. Along the way, he captures the passion, drama, and camaraderie that make squash so much more than just a sport. In the tradition of iconic sports histories like David Halberstam's The Amateurs, Squash isn't just for players--it's for anyone who loves a great story. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or curious newcomer to the game, this is your definitive guide to the lasting legacy of squash.
The Why Is Everything
When Kyle Shanahan became the NFL's youngest offensive coordinator in 2008, he had one prevailing rule: Tell me the why. If a colleague couldn't justify his position by providing the unassailable reasoning behind it, he was told to get the hell out of Shanahan's office. Shanahan and the members of his coaching tree--including Sean McVay, Mike McDaniel, Raheem Morris, and Matt LaFleur--came up in a sport where innovation was the exception, not the rule. There had been brilliant football minds before, from Paul Brown to Bill Walsh to Bill Belichick. But for the most part, coaches learned a particular system and stuck to it no matter what--no matter the players on their team, no matter what the opponent might do.This group of young coaches would change all that. The Why Is Everything is the story of old dogmas falling before astonishingly creative new strategies and game plans. Drawing on unmatched access across the league, longtime NFL reporter Mike Silver takes us into the key moments in this still-unfolding revolution, from the education of Mike Shanahan, Kyle's father and a two-time Super Bowl champion, in the 1980s; to the Washington Redskins' football laboratory in the early 2010s, where the coaches first worked together, shocking the league with their cutting-edge scheme for rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III; to McVay's Super Bowl victory in 2022 and Kyle Shanahan's Super Bowl agony in 2019 and 2024.Less than a decade after their emergence, these men are the stars of their profession and have helped propel the NFL to new heights of viewership and drama. With The Why Is Everything, Silver reveals how it all happened, and in the process gives us a timeless account of friendship, rivalry, and the never-ending pursuit of perfection.
Lionel Messi - Fan Book
This book celebrates a once-in-a-lifetime genius and this dazzling career charting how Lionel Messi rewrote the record books and redefined how soccer should be played. Celebrated as the greatest soccer player in the history of the game, Lionel Messi's record-breaking career is a story of unprecedented goals and glory. The Inter Miami CF and Argentina superstar's remarkable achievements have made him one of the world's most famous athletes and a player who is always synonymous with entertainment, style and passion. When Messi joined MLS in the summer of 2023, his transfer to Inter Miami made headlines worldwide and with his first full league season starting in February, renewed Messi mania is set to sweep America. No one has been named FIFA World Player of the Year more than the eight times Messi has won the coveted award, while his seven Ballon d'Or triumphs are also a record. The scorer of more than 800 goals for club and country, he captained Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup and boasts more than 40 major domestic and international winner's medals in his extraordinary personal collection.
Ball Four, Take Your Base!
What do you do when death threats circulate against you in a prison, and the inmate baseball teams you coach as a volunteer push ordinary competition into the danger zone? Strike Three, You're Out! described Kent Philpott's experiences coaching baseball at San Quentin Prison during the 2010 season during rising turmoil among the team inmates. Ball Four, Take Your Base! continues the story into 2011 and 2012 of how a perfectly wonderful game can be both a joy and ruined by friendly and unfriendly competition and undercover activities. Stories from other visiting teams and photos from several seasons are included.Philpott's previous book, Strike Three, You're Out! took the reader through the making of a baseball team and the 2010 season inside San Quentin, one of the most infamous state prisons in the country. See further inside the thinking, emotions, and stresses that accompany the inmates' involvement in what is often the most important part of their entire incarceration. Understand why inmates will say and do almost anything to get a chance to play ball and how frustration and disappointment derails them. Find out what "payback" is, how power and authority work, why the sports teams are the only integrated groups, and how "reverse racism" plays a role. The payback part is foremost in Ball Four, Take Your Base! expressed through multiple death threats and manipulations and ending with Philpott being banned from the prison.
We the Raptors
INSTANT BESTSELLER We the Raptors: Thirty Players, Thirty Stories, Thirty Years is about the grinders, glue guys, bench heroes, and more. Alvin Williams, Jos矇 Calder籀n, T. J. Ford, Jonas Valanciunas, Danny Green--whether regular or part-time starters, role players, key cogs, or even short-term stars--all of them felt blessed to call Canada home. Foreword by Kyle Lowry Amir Johnson immediately fell in love with the diversity of the country. From special events with fans to Zombie Walks down Yonge Street, few players connected with Toronto--on and off the floor--more than Amir. At the age of thirty, Anthony Parker--known as the "Michael Jordan of EuroLeague"--finally found his place in the NBA with the Raptors, a role that had eluded him as a young draftee and during his six seasons overseas. NBA vet and Toronto native Jamaal Magloire mentored younger players in the shadow of his brother's murder in Regent Park. Bismack Biyombo, a fan favourite for his big, burly play and endless energy, couldn't decide which team to sign with as a free agent, until a phone call from Masai Ujiri made the choice easy. The Junkyard Dog, Jerome Williams, drove himself to Toronto in a snowstorm, becoming in the process one of the most recognizable players in franchise history. Matt Bonner, dubbed the Red Mamba by none other than Kobe Bryant, emerged as a national hero after going toe to toe in the post with Kevin Garnett. Jorge Garbajosa, a superstar in Italy and his native Spain, gambled on a second career at the age of twenty-eight, becoming the hustle and heart of a playoff-bound Raptors squad only to see his NBA dreams crumble in a career-ending on-court injury. Every team has unheralded but dogged players but none more so than the expansion-era Raptors, a team that many NBA players and free agents often ignored--until the Raptors became one of the most interesting and winningest teams in the league. This rich tapestry comes alive in We the Raptors, as told by Raptors radio voice Eric Smith and Andrew Bricker through thirty exclusive interviews with former and current Raptors. Every bounce, every rebound, every elbow to the face--this is a rare view of the NBA through the eyes of those who made it to the pinnacle of their profession.
We Breed Lions
A hard-hitting and powerful look at hockey's moment of reckoning in Canada, and the ways in which a game that is so universally loved has been rocked in recent years by court cases involving sexual assault and startling incidents of hazing and abuse throughout junior hockey. The allegations read like a scene out of a horror movie. Five National Hockey League players, all of them 18 to 20-year-old Canada World Juniors at the time, were alleged to have sexually assaulted a young woman in a London, Ontario, hotel room in June 2018 over several hours. When the players learned that the alleged victim had reported the incident to the police, they allegedly coerced her to drop the complaint and colluded to make sure their stories lined up. Hockey Canada kept the details of the case out of the spotlight and came to a confidential financial settlement with the plaintiff, paid out of a secret slush fund worth millions of dollars that the organization kept on hand to settle such complaints quietly. On May 26, 2022, TSN investigative reporter Rick Westhead broke the story surrounding the Team Canada junior players and Hockey Canada's handling of the case, immediately sending shock waves throughout all levels of the hockey world. Charges of sexual assault were made against the players; all of whom entered pleas of not guilty. Once the story went live on the TSN website, Westhead's inbox on X filled with messages from people who wanted to share their personal stories on how they had been impacted by hockey's toxic culture. For over three years the story ignited an enormous amount of debate and discussion across the country. Even after the players were acquitted of all charges in July, 2025, the conversation about how broken the national game had become only intensified. In We Breed Lions, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Rick Westhead does a deep-dive into the state of hockey in Canada today. He gives voice to those who have been sexually assaulted by hockey players, revealing the struggles they've had with local police officials in their efforts to seek justice. He also goes inside the dressing room to find out how attitudes of misogyny and homophobia continue to flourish, and speaks to former players who were forced to perform degrading acts of initiation in order to "be one of the guys." Looming large in Westhead's extraordinary reporting are the gatekeepers of the game--league officials, team owners and members of the sport's governing bodies--who are reluctant to impose change from the outside and willing to sacrifice the well-being of their players and the community for profit. Westhead offers hope for hockey's future, profiling those individuals and organizations who are committed to educating players around issues of consent, putting an end to hazing and redefining what it means to be a man on and off the ice. Featuring a Foreword by bestselling author Stephen Brunt, We Breed Lions is must-reading for parents, players and all of those who love the game of hockey and want to see it get to a better place.
War Year Champions
The fact professional football was even played during World War II was a feat unto itself. Teams throughout the NFL struggled to field enough quality players for the 1944 season because of war-caused manpower shortages. Green Bay Packers star Tony Canadeo was a case in point as he played in only three games while on leave from the army for the birth of his son.Former Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter and editor Tony Walter guides you through 1944 month by month as the residents of Green Bay, Wisconsin, attempt to live as "normal" of a life as possible during the height of the war. The Packers provided a few months of uplifting distraction as the populace dealt with the stresses of loved ones serving in the military, rationing of essential foods and materials, and the continuing effects of the Great Depression.Highlighted by more than fifty historical photos, War Year Champions combines news of the Packers, local happenings, politics, and excerpts from the detailed military diaries of the author's father in his position as a communications officer for the US Army. The result is a comprehensive view of one of the most important years of the twentieth century.
Baseball from Providence to Prominence
Dan's second book on baseball is an outgrowth of his passion to educate people and keeping the game of Baseball alive through his writings.Baseball: From Providence to Prominence is broken down into three sections: first, baseball quotes; second, all original baseball stories on ballplayers from 1880 to 1970; third is Dan's own poems on baseball and the men that brought the game to life. Dan grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a proud graduate of Central High School. He also graduated from Rhode Island Junior College and the Community College of Rhode Island. He has one son, Richard Mickey D'Alessio, in California and a granddaughter named Alice. Dan was a sportswriter for Sports Journal magazine in Rhode Island in 2006-07. Some of his work was published by the Providence Journal, Rhode Island, College Anchor Newspaper and the Valley Breeze. Dan is a member of the Nap Lajoie chapter of the Society of American Baseball Research. He has received letters from Bud Selig and Robert Manfred on his poem titled "Dear Mr. Commissioner" about Shoeless Joe Jackson.
And Then There Was Football Merseyside Football, A History
In this landmark book, Philip Ross delivers an exhaustive chronicle of football's evolution across Merseyside, from its Victorian origins through to the present day. This meticulously researched work traces the story of the beautiful game in one of its great heartlands, capturing the social, economic and cultural forces that shaped football in Liverpool, the Wirral and surrounding areas.Ross charts the transformation of a nascent sport in the nineteenth century into a global entertainment business that puts the region on TV screens worldwide every weekend, while also detailing how the grassroots game at every level across Merseyside feeds this cultural and economic behemoth.Central to the story are the founding of iconic clubs: Everton's evolution from St. Domingo Methodist Church team in 1878, Liverpool's dramatic birth from the Anfield boardroom split of 1892, and the emergence of several other professional clubs and dozens of amateur sides across the region. Ross illuminates lesser-known tales and the countless works teams, church sides and amateur leagues that formed football's grassroots foundation. From Goodison Park's construction to Anfield's Spion Kop, from Sunday morning kickabouts to European Cup nights, every level of the game receives attention. The narrative is supplemented with detailed summaries of clubs at every level and the grounds they play on, as well as extensive appendices of competition winners - from the Premier League to the I Zingari League - published together in a single volume for the first time.With unprecedented detail on forgotten clubs, obscure competitions, as well as the characters who built the game, this definitive account reveals football as both cultural phenomenon and community cornerstone, making it essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Merseyside's unique place in football history.This is more than sports history - it's the story of how football became embedded in Merseyside's DNA.
Albert Quixall
Albert Quixall was a pioneer of the modern game. His quiff and Billy Fury looks made him identifiable to that new phenomenon: the teenager. He was literally one of the first poster-boys of the game, his face adorning many a bedroom wall. He had a rebel streak, wore his shorts shockingly short compared to the old guard, styled his hair as opposed to slicking it down with Brylcreem. Like a Beckham of his day, his name filled column inches and his "golden-boy" footballing career fuelled speculation and sold newspapers. His record transfer fee of 瞿45,000 in 1958 brought him under an intense spotlight, and added pressure to a star who never quite lived up to the hype.But as well as the stardom and glamour, tragedy is woven into the life of Albert Quixall, from both a personal and professional viewpoint.
Out of This World
THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS ARE BACK-TO-BACK WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSIf the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers were on top of the world, the 2025 team went interstellar. Out of This World chronicles their historic run to a second consecutive World Series, featuring stunning action photography, stories and analysis from the Los Angeles Daily News. It was an unforgettable journey that kicked off in Tokyo and finished in Toronto. Despite regular-season ups and downs, the Dodgers entered October ready to attack the postseason, anchored by a healthy pitching staff in rare form. Relive dominant playoff performances against the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, a Championship Series sweep against the Milwaukee Brewers and a World Series comeback for the ages against the Toronto Blue Jays. This commemorative book also includes feature stories on popular figures like Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and more.
100 Mind-Blowing Hockey Facts
Discover more mind-blowing books and audiobooks at FelixGrayson.com100 Mind-Blowing Hockey Facts: 100 Incredible Stories from Hockey's Most Unbelievable MomentsHockey isn't just a sport-it's a fast-paced, unpredictable, and mind-blowing spectacle filled with legendary plays, bizarre moments, and records that seem impossible. Whether you're a die-hard fan, a trivia lover, or just someone who enjoys the unexpected, this book brings you 100 incredible hockey stories that will leave you speechless.Inside, you'll discover: The time a Zamboni driver stepped in as an NHL goalie-and wonA game that had to be stopped due to thick fog covering the iceThe shocking moment a team scored on their own empty net... by accidentThe longest game in NHL history, stretching an unbelievable 176 minutesA goalie who scored a goal on himself in overtimeThe player who managed to score five goals-each in a different wayThe time a Stanley Cup-winning team left the trophy at the airportA game where the puck vanished inside a goalie's pads for nearly a minuteFrom record-breaking feats to hilarious mishaps, this book is perfect for: Hockey fans who love the sport's rich history and unforgettable momentsSports trivia lovers looking for fascinating, little-known factsCasual readers who enjoy fun, surprising true storiesAnyone who loves a great conversation starterWhether you read it cover to cover or flip to a random page, each fact is guaranteed to entertain, surprise, and make you see hockey in a whole new way.Get ready to lace up your skates and experience the craziest, wildest, and most mind-blowing moments in hockey history. A must-have for any sports lover's collection!
100 Mind-Blowing Soccer Facts
Discover more mind-blowing books and audiobooks at FelixGrayson.com100 Mind-Blowing Soccer Facts: 100 Unbelievable Stories That Prove Soccer is the Craziest SportSoccer isn't just a game-it's a global spectacle filled with unbelievable moments, legendary plays, and jaw-dropping events that defy explanation. Whether you're a lifelong fan, a trivia enthusiast, or just someone who loves the unexpected, this book is packed with 100 incredible soccer stories that will leave you speechless.Inside, you'll discover: The time a goalkeeper scored with his backside in a bizarre twist of fateThe referee who gave a red card to a chair-yes, really!The match that was stopped by a drone flying over the fieldThe player who got sent off for winking at an opponentThe shortest soccer match ever, lasting just 2 secondsThe unbelievable time a stray dog saved a goal mid-gameThe player who changed his name because he believed he was cursedThe ridiculous moment when a fan snuck onto the field and actually playedFrom record-breaking feats to bizarre red cards, hilarious mistakes, and mind-blowing coincidences, this book is a must-read for: Soccer fans who love the sport's wildest and most unpredictable momentsSports trivia lovers looking for fascinating, little-known factsCasual readers who enjoy fun, unexpected true storiesAnyone who loves a great conversation starterWhether you listen from start to finish or jump to a random chapter, each fact is guaranteed to entertain, surprise, and keep you coming back for more.Get ready to dive into the craziest, most unbelievable moments in soccer history. Perfect for fans of all ages, this book is a must-have for every soccer lover's collection!
100 Mind-Blowing Golf Facts
Discover more mind-blowing books and audiobooks at FelixGrayson.com100 Mind-Blowing Golf Facts: 100 Epic Stories from Golf's Most Unbelievable MomentsGolf isn't just a sport-it's a game full of unbelievable shots, legendary feats, and jaw-dropping moments that defy logic. Whether you're a lifelong golfer, a trivia enthusiast, or someone who loves the unexpected, this book is packed with 100 incredible golf stories that will leave you amazed.Inside, you'll discover: The longest drive in tournament history-a staggering 515 yardsThe time a golfer played an entire round barefoot-and wonA hole-in-one on a par-4 that bounced off another player's putterThe unbelievable moment a golf ball landed in a fan's lap mid-tournamentThe golfer who played 18 holes on top of a skyscraperThe time a player aced a hole using a 100-year-old hickory clubThe wild story of a golfer who hit a perfect shot from a trash canThe mind-blowing feat of a golfer who played 1,000 holes in just 10 daysFrom record-breaking achievements to bizarre coincidences and hilarious mishaps, this book is a must-read for: Golf fans who love the sport's rich history and hidden gemsSports trivia lovers looking for fascinating, little-known golf factsCasual readers who enjoy fun and surprising true storiesAnyone who loves a great conversation starterWhether you read it cover to cover or flip to a random page, each fact is guaranteed to entertain, surprise, and keep you coming back for more.Get ready to tee off into the most mind-blowing moments in golf history! Perfect for fans of all ages, this book is a must-have addition to any golf lover's collection.
100 Mind-Blowing Basketball Facts
Discover more mind-blowing books and audiobooks at FelixGrayson.com100 Mind-Blowing Basketball Facts: 100 Jaw-Dropping Moments That Changed the Game ForeverBasketball isn't just a sport-it's a game of unbelievable moments, record-breaking performances, and jaw-dropping surprises that keep fans on the edge of their seats. Whether you're a lifelong basketball lover, a trivia enthusiast, or someone who enjoys the unexpected, this book is packed with 100 of the craziest, most mind-blowing stories in basketball history.Inside, you'll discover: The NBA player who played for two teams in the same gameThe time a game was delayed because of a bat invasionThe player who scored 50 points without hitting a single threeA bizarre moment when a player was ejected before the game even startedThe NBA Finals MVP who never started a single gameThe fastest disqualification in NBA history, when a player fouled out in just three minutesThe unbelievable time a game ended in a tie-because both teams ran out of players!A record-breaking dunk so powerful that it destroyed the entire backboardFrom legendary performances to bizarre rule changes and game-stopping chaos, this book is perfect for: Basketball fans who love the sport's history, records, and unbelievable momentsSports trivia lovers looking for fascinating, little-known factsCasual readers who enjoy fun and surprising true storiesAnyone who loves a great conversation starterWhether you read it cover to cover or flip to a random page, each fact is guaranteed to entertain, surprise, and leave you in awe.Get ready to take a courtside seat to the most mind-blowing moments in basketball history. This book is a must-have for basketball lovers of all ages and the perfect gift for any sports fan!
100 Mind-Blowing Football Facts
Discover more mind-blowing books and audiobooks at FelixGrayson.com100 Mind-Blowing Football Facts: 100 Insane Tales from Football's Most Shocking Plays and RecordsFootball isn't just a game-it's a spectacle of unbelievable moments, record-breaking plays, and shocking stories that defy explanation. Whether you're a die-hard fan, a trivia buff, or someone who loves the unexpected, this book is packed with 100 jaw-dropping football facts that will leave you in awe.Inside, you'll discover: The longest game-winning field goal ever made-and how it barely cleared the crossbarThe NFL game that ended 2-0, the rarest score in football historyThe time an NFL player ran the wrong way and scored for the other teamThe Super Bowl that had to use emergency lighting after a power outageThe player who won a championship without playing a single snapThe time an NFL game was delayed by a skydiver landing on the fieldA team that forgot to bring their helmets and had to borrow them before kickoffThe wildest last-second comebacks, impossible plays, and rule quirks you've never heard ofFrom record-breaking feats to hilarious blunders and impossible comebacks, this book is perfect for: Football fans who love the game's rich history and unbelievable momentsSports trivia lovers looking for mind-blowing facts to impress their friendsCasual readers who enjoy fun, surprising true storiesAnyone who loves a great conversation starterWhether you read it cover to cover or flip to a random page, each fact is guaranteed to entertain, surprise, and keep you coming back for more.Get ready to relive the most mind-blowing moments in football history. This book is a must-have for any sports lover's collection!
Why Can't This Team Just Find a Quarterback?
For Cleveland Browns fans who want to know why things keep going so wrong for their team... For 25 years -- since the return of the franchise in 1999 -- Browns fans have been more consistently frustrated, befuddled, and disappointed by their team than any other fans in pro sports. Why? Sports columnist Terry Pluto (cleveland.com / The Plain Dealer) shares answers. With insight and insider details gained from decades covering the team, Pluto looks closely at 2014 to 2024 and also back with fresh insight on earlier years of the new franchise: The drafts, the deals, the coaching and front-office changes ... the onfield disappointments ... rare bright spots and moments of optimism. Above all there has was the ongoing, fruitless, endless search for the right starting quarterback -- from Tim Couch to Johnny Manziel to Baker Mayfield (and so many others!) ... And then Deshaun Watson came to town -- in one of the most disruptive and disastrous deals in the team's history ... "Browns fans deserve better," Pluto says. If you've lived through years of disappointing football with the Cleveland Browns, this book will change how you understand the team. By long-time Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto, based on decades covering the Browns 40+ starting quarterbacks(!) -- from Tim Couch to Johnny Manziel to Baker Mayfield to Deshaun Watson. Explores the heartbreak, hope, and chaos of Browns' QB decisions. Includes some rare bright spots, such as Nick Chubb and Myles Garrett. Explains key turning points, big trades, and what went wrong (or occasionally right). Features thoughts from fans -- including why they still stick with this team.
Rucked Up Ruse
She's faking it to save her job. He's faking it to save himself. Falling for each other? Not part of the game plan.Finn Lennox is the Stirling Rebels' resident bad boy. Fast on the field, faster in a nightclub, and fastest to seduce the ladies. But after vanishing on a bender, he returns with a scandal that could end his career.The press is circling. The sponsors are furious. And if Finn doesn't clean up his act, he'll lose the only thing holding him together: rugby.Theodora MacMickin rebuilt her life after her narcissistic ex destroyed her confidence and career. But when the agency's future - and her dream job - are at risk, she agrees to fake a relationship with the most notorious player in Scottish rugby.Convince the press he's changed. Convince the sponsors he's in love. Convince themselves this isn't getting complicated.Theo was only meant to run his social media, not move in with him to sell the lie. And definitely not fall for the man beneath the swagger.But Finn's hiding more than a scandal. And Theo's still learning how to trust herself - and her heart - again. When past wounds start bleeding into the present, they'll have to decide what's worth fighting for. Because if they fall for the lie, they might lose everything that's real.----------Tropes & Vibes: Fake datingSports romance (Rugby!)Forced ProximityGood girl, bad boyPast wounds and hidden griefSlow burn & High heatSet in ScotlandFOR FANS OF sports romance with sizzling chemistry, fabulous banter, and fake dating tension that burns in the best way. Come for the thighs, stay for the emotional damage.
The Eagles Encyclopedia
Fly, Eagles, Fly! They did it again. The Eagles routed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX to claim their second NFL championship in the Jeffrey Lurie era. Author Ray Didinger has done it again too, revising and updating his best-selling The Eagles Encyclopedia: Champions Edition to celebrate the latest victory. Quarterback Jalen Hurts described the city's love for the Eagles as "a Philly thing," and no one understands that better than Didinger, who has followed the team since the 1950s. In Champions II, he brings that history up to date by writing about the Tush Push, Saquon Barkley's reverse hurdle, and other milestones of the 2024 season. This new edition includes: More than 60 new photographs plus a 16-page color insert. Dozens of new player, coach and front-office profiles. Tributes to the team's newest Hall of Fame inductees: Eric Allen, Dick Vermeil and Harold Carmichael. An expanded chapter on the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry. An updated statistics and records section. The Eagles Encyclopedia: Champions II is a must have for any E-A-G-L-E-S fan who wants to relive the Big Game and all the drama that led up to it.
If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers
A behind-the-scenes perspective on Pittsburgh Steelers history from franchise legend Craig Wolfley As a longtime presence with the Pittsburgh Steelers as both a player and broadcaster, Craig Wolfley knew what it meant to live and breathe Steelers football. In If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Steelers, Wolfley opens up about his life and career in Pittsburgh and provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can. Featuring conversations with players and coaches past and present as well as off-the-wall anecdotes only Wolfley could tell, this indispensable volume is your ticket to Steelers history.
Better The Devil
Plunge into the potted history of a little-known football rivalry between Crawley Town and Wimbledon, in all their guises, as Steve Leake, a life-long Red Devils fan, peels back the decades to reveal the similarities and differences of both clubs that have stirred up a melting pot of emotions both on and off the pitch. Ivan Noel, Crawley town fan, provider of book titles, and all-round good eggWhen it comes to Crawley Town and Rivalries, AFC Wimbledon is the team that always springs to mind. A rivalry that started in our 2010/11 Conference winning season, when we pipped them to the title by some distance. Since then, we've had many a good ding-dong and the fact we have won on both our League visits so far to the Cherry Red Records Stadium, goes a long way to show how serious we take this fixture. Then, of course, there is the club that gave them the reason to be born, Mk Dons nee Wimbledon FC. This book, published at the start of his 70th year supporting Crawley Town, compares the history of the three clubs and also looks at the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons and compares them to other standout seasons in the history of Crawley Town.Steve Herbert, Crawley Town fan (with an affinity for West Ham Utd) and supplier of very useful travel information.Royalties will be donated towards the work of Crawley Town Community Foundation for their work in and around the hometown of the only Football League Club in West Sussex (as at the beginning of the 2025/2026 season)
The Next One
Behind the scenes to hockey's hidden superstars, the scouts who chase teenage prodigies and might-never-bes across North America and around the world. If you attend any junior, minor, or professional hockey game and you'll spot them, often up in the rafters, alone, busily taking notes and calling their general managers. These are the scouts, the men and women who have made the job into a lifestyle, chasing players across borders, working the locals, chatting with retired hockey people, and visiting remote communities in hopes of finding "the next one." Yes, they scout the likes of Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard and even Wayne Gretzky, but scouts really make their mark by finding players who will fit in up and down the lineup: the scorer having trouble finding the net; the goalie who stands on her head to keep her team in the game; the quiet winger who arrives at the rink first and leaves last. Scouts don't just birddog talent, they evaluate character and grit and drive, looking for players who can play even a handful of games in the bigs. Hockey's favourite raconteur, Ken Reid, tells us all about this secret club. One scout found himself squeezed into a small car with a bunch of other scouts, including Hall of Fame goalie Glenn Hall. Former NHLer and pro scout Rick Knickle followed Jordin Tootoo of remote Rankin Inlet, even though Tootoo didn't start playing the game until he was eleven years old. One scout worked at a maximum-security prison, only to find himself as a pro scout. Another scout went from a farmer who tried his hand at scouting to being a scout who happened to own a farm. And Reid takes us behind the scenes at the nascent PWHL, where teams furiously scouted their starting lineups with only a few weeks before the season began. Always entertaining, often illuminating, and sometimes hilarious, The Next One is the ideal book for anyone who wants to understand hockey beyond the ice.
A Hollywood Ending
NBA journalist Yaron Weitzman lays out the high stakes drama happening inside the Lakers' organization as they try to juggle the warring priorities between LeBron James and the Buss family. When LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, it looked like a match made in heaven. Here was the preeminent athlete of his generation, fresh off ending Cleveland's 50-year title drought and in need of a new challenge to help further burnish his legacy, joining forces with one of the most iconic teams in all of sports. And here were the Lakers, in the midst of their worst stretch in franchise history and reeling from the death of the legendary owner Dr. Jerry Buss, in need of a savior. The script wrote itself. A little over two years later, LeBron and Dr. Buss' daughter, Jeanie, were standing shoulder to shoulder, hoisting the NBA finals trophy into the air. Having won their record-tying 17th NBA title, the Lakers had reclaimed their accustomed perch on top of the basketball world. It looked to be the birth of a new dynasty. But this was a new Lakers' franchise, one beset by infighting and years removed from Kobe's prime. And this was LeBron James, the catalyst of the "player empowerment" era, an athlete chasing things greater than Michael Jordan's ghost. The two parties were too big to peacefully coexist under one roof. The 2020 title would represent the pinnacle of their pairing, and the beginning of a precipitous decline. Drawing from over 250 interviews, Yaron Weitzman takes readers on a riveting, behind the scenes journey of this fraught partnership. From the Succession-like power struggle between the Buss children, to the rise of LeBron's landscape-altering talent agency and its attempts to assert its own power within the Lakers' walls, to the evolution of LeBron's priorities and political voice, "A Hollywood Ending" is the definitive story of an American icon's final years on stage, one portraying him, a fabled NBA franchise, and the world of modern professional sports in a light never seen before.
100 Mind-Blowing Baseball Facts
Discover more mind-blowing books and audiobooks at FelixGrayson.com100 Mind-Blowing Baseball Facts: 100 Wild Stories from Baseball's Most Unpredictable MomentsBaseball isn't just a game-it's a treasure trove of unbelievable moments, legendary plays, and jaw-dropping records that defy logic. Whether you're a lifelong fan, a trivia buff, or someone who loves the unexpected, this book is packed with 100 incredible baseball stories that will leave you amazed.Inside, you'll discover: The longest baseball game in history, stretching an astonishing 33 inningsThe time a player hit a home run without ever leaving the batter's boxA game that was played with two baseballs on the field at the same timeThe moment a baseball hit a fan and sent him to the hospital-twiceThe fastest pitch ever recorded and the pitcher who threw itHow a game was once delayed by a snake on the fieldA player who managed to steal all four bases in a single playThe unbelievable time a game ended with a ball hitting the umpire in the faceFrom record-breaking feats to bizarre coincidences and hilarious mishaps, this book is a home run for: Baseball fans who love the sport's rich history and hidden gemsSports trivia lovers looking for fascinating, little-known factsCasual readers who enjoy fun and surprising true storiesAnyone who loves a great conversation starterWhether you read it cover to cover or flip to a random page, each fact is guaranteed to entertain, surprise, and keep you coming back for more.Get ready to step up to the plate and experience the most mind-blowing moments in baseball history. Perfect for fans of all ages, this book is a must-have addition to any sports lover's collection!
A Tale of Two Seasons
A Tale of Two Seasons contrasts two very different seasons from Naismith Hall-of- Famer Paul Westphal's span of five decades in professional basketball.One season covers his time as the head coach of the NBA Seattle SuperSonics while the other offers insight into his first coaching job at Southwestern College (now Arizona Christian University.) One paid the highest salary he'd ever earned, while the other paid him nothing. Yet, that one special season with Southwestern is the season he said was his best year in basketball.His stories about life and basketball, both as a player and a coach, are intertwined with humor, insight, hindsight, and his genuine love for the game.An Arizona Christian University Press & End Game Press publication
The Golden Generation
Discover the untold story of Canadian men's basketball, from Steve Nash's breakthrough at the 2000 Olympics to two decades of struggle, controversy, and missed opportunity. The Golden Generation follows the Canadian basketball journey from obscurity to resurgence as NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a new generation of stars propel Canada back to international glory. When Steve Nash led an underdog Team Canada to the 2000 Olympics, many assumed the golden age of Canadian basketball was at hand. Instead, it took 24 years for the Canadian men to get back to international basketball's biggest stage, with a wave of immigration pushing the sport into every corner of the country and a new generation of superstars blossoming into household names. How did we get here? And why did it take so long? In The Golden Generation, basketball journalist Oren Weisfeld uncovers the growth of Canadian basketball through the lens of Team Canada and its most influential figures, alternating between key moments in the rise of the Canadian men's national team, innovations in the grassroots community, and profiles of Canada's top players. Through over 100 original interviews, The Golden Generation explores the role racism played in the national team's early struggles, how pioneers like Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson paved a new path for high schoolers to follow, the enigma that is Andrew Wiggins, and the backstories of the core group of players that brought Canada back to the Olympics, including superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Canadian basketball has come a long way over the past 25 years, with a record number of NBA players, a sophisticated grassroots infrastructure, and a top-ranked national team. But many trailblazers had to take their hits to lay the foundation for the current players to thrive. The Golden Generation puts all the pieces and players together to explain how Canada became a basketball country with a bright future ahead.
The Emerald Evertonian
From Dalkey to Dalymount and on to Goodison Park, Peter Farrell left an enduring mark on football for both club and country. With eight minutes remaining at Goodison Park on 21 September 1949, wearing the green of Ireland, Farrell surged towards the Gwladys Street goal and calmly lofted the ball over the England goalkeeper. His strike sealed England's first-ever home defeat to a foreign nation - etched forever into Irish and Merseyside football folklore. That it came on the turf of his beloved Everton made it all the sweeter. It was a defining moment in a distinguished career in blue and green. Like his modern-day compatriot S矇amus Coleman, Farrell is revered as one of Ireland and Everton's greatest captains - leader of character, courage and sportsmanship through testing times. In The Emerald Evertonian, Rob Sawyer charts Farrell's journey from junior football in Dalkey to silverware with Shamrock Rovers and on to post-war England with Everton, where he arrived alongside lifelong friend Tommy Eglington. Drawing on meticulous research and previously unseen sources, Sawyer also explores Farrell's later life in management - on Merseyside, in North Wales and back home in Ireland - and his dignified 25-year struggle with dementia, sustained by the devotion of his family and community. This is a compelling portrait of a remarkable footballer and gentleman, and a vivid window into the game during a transformative era.
Foot-Ball
A sweeping journey through centuries of sport discover how the ball rolled from medieval streets to the modern pitch. Montague Shearman s Foot-Ball: Its History for Five Centuries offers a richly researched, vividly told chronicle of the origins and evolution of football. Tracing early football games, village customs, schoolboy contests and the codification that birthed modern soccer, Shearman maps five centuries of football culture history with rare clarity and passion. Readers encounter the drama of grassroots play, the legal and social battles that shaped rules, and the regional traditions that fed today s global game. This Montague Shearman book is a landmark historical football analysis: part scholarly excavation, part narrative celebration. It situates football history within social change, giving both casual readers and classic literature collectors insights into the evolution of football and the sport s cultural resonance. You ll gain historical football insights on how medieval mob-foot games, public-school adaptations, and early organized clubs led to the football development we know today. Out of print for decades and now lovingly republished by Alpha Editions, this restored edition is prepared for today s and future generations. More than a reprint, it is a collector s item and a cultural treasure carefully edited, annotated, and presented for preservation. Essential for anyone curious about football through the ages, soccer history, and the enduring story of sport s place in society.
Basketball Now!
The greatest players in the NBA ... NOW! Basketball Now! has earned its place as an anticipated release, giving fans the inside stories about their favorite superstars. This fully rewritten and redesigned fourth edition is packed with over 130 action images and 50 player profiles, including a fresh crop of young players whose swagger and skills have launched them to league-wide stardom. Bona fide superstars and clutch game-changers, plus the all-stars of tomorrow, the best defenders and the proven winners -- they're all here. Look out for elite names like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler and dozens more of your NBA favorites. Author Michael Grange gives readers an inside tour of all things NBA, including essays on the changing of the guard (the end of the LeBron, Steph and KD era), the new age of parity, the impact of international stars and the three-point revolution. The book also includes a summary of MVPs (regular season, All-Star Game and Finals) up to the end of the 2024-25 season. Mind-boggling athleticism, career-changing plays and pure magic, Basketball Now! has it all -- straight from the hardwood.
Sports Illustrated the Boston Red Sox
Celebrate the championship glory, Hall of Fame personalities, and passionate fans that make the Boston Red Sox one of the most historic franchises in baseball Once an intrepid expansion club, the Boston Red Sox have now thrilled their loyal fans for well over a century. Sports Illustrated(TM) celebrates the franchise with The Boston Red Sox, an extraordinary collection of classic stories and photographs from the pages of SI. This commemorative book recalls the most memorable pennant races and World Series victories while spotlighting legendary stars like Ted Williams, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Carl Yastrzemski, and Carlton Fisk. Red Sox fans will unearth countless gems from their team's past on each page of this celebration.
A Big Mess in Texas
The incredible, untold true story of the 1952 Dallas Texans--the most dysfunctional team in the craziest season in NFL history. Rattlesnakes on the practice field, barroom brawls between teammates, bounced checks, paternity suits, house bombings by the Ku Klux Klan, stadium fields covered in circus-elephant dung, one-legged trainers, humiliating defeats, miraculous wins, All-Pro quarterbacks getting drunk at halftime, strip poker with groupies, and even a future Hall of Fame coach stealing a cab. Nearly lost to history, this singular season in the most football-mad region of the world is a kaleidoscope of every larger-than-life, fictionalized Texas football folktale ever written or filmed, with one incredible twist: it's all true. Over a fascinating, ten-month rollercoaster ride in 1952, in the waning Wild West days of the NFL, before television turned the game into a corporation, the forgotten Dallas Texans would go down in history as one of the worst (and, wildest) teams of all time and the last NFL team to fail. But not before defying the Jim Crow South, pulling off a Thanksgiving Day miracle against George Halas's famed Chicago Bears and then celebrating with an even more infamous bender that would make Jimmy Johnson's Dallas Cowboys blush. A year later, the NFL buried all traces of the most loveable, dysfunctional, entertaining team in history by secretly rebranding the train wreck Texans as the wholesome, all-American Baltimore Colts, the team that would go on to save pro football. A Big Mess in Texas tells the Texans' tale with all the humor, drama, game action, colorful characters, villains, world-class athletes, civil rights trailblazers, and incredible plot twists of that legendary season.
