The Essence of Muay Thai
​​A fascinating dive into the little-known spiritual dimensions of the popular martial art of Muay Thai, as well as its rich history, traditions, and esoteric practices. ​Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is considered by many to be the most effective martial art, and its popularity has only been heightened by its dominance in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) arena. But one little-known aspect of this potent self-defense system is its deep spiritual roots and meditative practices. In The Essence of Muay Thai, Nuakai Aru, a Muay Thai master and longtime practitioner of various other martial arts, offers a fascinating historical and philosophical view of Muay Thai--along with his personal insights and experiences on the path. Muay Thai--originally known in its purest fighting form as Muay Boran--was developed as a military fighting system during the 13th century to protect the Sukhothai Kingdom, the first independent--and Buddhist--Thai kingdom. Buddhism infused every aspect of life and society--from governance, to art and architecture, to military strategy--and the view of the Noble Warrior was central in Muay Thai and Muay Boran. The Muay Thai warriors were tasked with protecting the kingdom and its rulers using skillful, tactical, and enlightened action. Aru is a compelling guide into the enigmatic world of Thai martial arts--its history, legend, lore, esoteric practices, and spiritual aspects--and he shares his own fascinating personal story of physical and emotional healing through Muay Thai.
Hiking Southern California's Desert Parks
The region below Death Valley National Park in southern California's desert region contains a variety of public lands and unique hiking opportunities. East of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Palm Springs and south of Las Vegas lies a desert region home to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, and the Mojave Trails National Monument, just established in 2016. These parks and preserves offer a wealth of hiking opportunities, allowing hikers to enjoy the rare flora and fauna and incredible natural formations that are unique to these lands - from canyons and panoramic views of distant mountain ranges to springs and desert oases. This guide will cover 50 of the most scenic and worthwhile hikes across each of these parks, preserves, and monuments. Also included will be hidden gems in the area like hikes in the Mecca Hills Wilderness between Anza-Borrego and Joshua Tree, as well as the Indian Canyons Nature Preserve just south of Palm Springs.
The Weight I Carried
Steven C. Wright is a craftsman in every sense of the word. A lifelong outdoorsman, coppersmith, builder, and father, he has spent his life shaping metal, wood, and stone with his hands--bringing beauty, form, and function to life from raw material. But nothing shaped him more than love and loss.After the death of his beloved wife, Sandy, Steven turned to the Appalachian Trail--a dream they once shared--as a path toward healing. The 2,200-mile journey became more than a hike; it was a reckoning. With grief on his back, and silence at his side, he drug his past up and down each mountain until he could feel the ground again. Steven writes not as a poet, but as a man who has lived. His story carries the weight of sorrow and the hard-earned grace of a life marked by devotion, endurance, and grit. He is a man who builds things--homes, copper works, and stories etched in sweat and soil. From backwoods trails to mission sites across the globe, he's lived a life of showing up--offering his hands where words fall short, and leaving behind not monuments, but meaning.
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.
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.
LaFleur
A celebration of one of the most electric and magnetic hockey players of all time--the incomparable Guy Lafleur--in the words of his peers and admirers, from Joe Sakic to Chris Nilan. Foreword by Wayne Gretzky. Guy Lafleur. The name alone sizzles on the tongue, eliciting memories of Lafleur's tremendous flow (in Quebec he is nicknamed "The Demon Blond"), his on-ice flair, his fiery play, and his incredible touch. He was fast and furious, the modern-day version of the legendary Maurice "Rocket" Richard. Lafleur played for the Canadiens during the Habs's fabulous seventies era when they won multiple Stanley Cups. Lafleur was the '70s, from his wardrobe to his hairstyle to his sideburns. He not only fought for the league lead in scoring--he was known to go to discos and even put out his own disco album. He absolutely mesmerized a generation of fans, changed the culture, and has influenced future draft classes ever for a generation. For the first time, authors Steven Finn (who played with Lafleur) and Pierre Gince reveal an intimate portrait of Lafleur, the player and the man, in the words of those who enjoyed him, or who spent all their ice time pointlessly chasing him down the wing. Every chapter evokes different memories of the man nicknamed in English Canada as The Flower. Gilbert Perreault, who battled Lafleur at centre for almost two decades, is here. As is Scotty Bowman, who coached Lafleur, and Larry Robinson and Serge Savard, the Hall of Fame defencemen who skated behind him. Joe Sakic and Steven Finn recount their days playing with Lafleur when he was a Quebec Nordique. Lanny McDonald and Darryl Sittler share their thoughts on Lafleur's rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In all, there are forty profiles by forty prominent players, coaches, family, and media, all of whom admired le Demon Blond.
Nfl: The Ultimate Fan's Guide
Everything you need to know about American Football From the draft to the Superbowl, via epic touchdowns and crunching tackles, American football is a fast and violent game of chess. This comprehensive handbook offers a deep dive into the NFL's greatest teams and moments. Covering key concepts such as the importance of field goals, quarterbacks and wide receivers, NFL: The Fan's Guide reveals the extreme athleticism and complex tactics needed to dominate the modern game. Whether you're a seasoned fan or new to the game, insights into all 32 NFL teams mean that this must-have guide will take your game day experience to new heights.
Become Unstoppable
Mental performance coach, Gilbert Enoka, has been a sports psychology pioneer for over 40 years. First breaking ground at a time when the practice was deemed taboo, his revolutionary techniques later helped transform the All Blacks into an all-conquering force, while enhancing the fortunes of professional teams around the world in rugby, cricket, football, basketball, and netball. Gilbert's work later contributed to the All Blacks becoming the greatest team of a generation, as they won two Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015, 21 consecutive Bledisloe Cups, seven Tri-Nations Series, and ten Rugby Championships. They claimed the Laureus World Team of the Year Award while spending 118 consecutive months at the top of the World Rugby Rankings between the years of 2009 and 2019. For the very first time, Gilbert's methods have been laid out in his debut book, Become Unstoppable -- a collection of psychological leadership strategies, cultural upgrades and game-changing mental skills that can be transferred from the world of elite sport and into work, home, and play. Gilbert's skills have since been sought out by a raft of market-leading companies and institutions looking to outpace their competitors. Now Become Unstoppable brings these ideas together and delivers a competitive advantage for anyone hoping to gain the edge in their field -- or life.
The Ultimate Guide to Diving in Indonesia
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is a true diver's paradise! The tropical seas around Indonesia's 17,000 islands span several ecological zones and host the greatest variety of marine life and biodiversity found anywhere on this planet. These warm, crystal-clear waters are home to stunning coral reefs, deep trenches and shipwrecks--not to mention majestic creatures ranging from seahorses to fish, whales, dolphins, sharks and manta rays. The Ultimate Guide to Diving in Indonesia is the first and only comprehensive guidebook dedicated entirely to Indonesia's unique and exciting dive sites and facilities. Seasoned dive instructor and long-time Bali resident Sarah Ann Wormald presents descriptions and photos for each major dive site, including recommendations for the best operators and services to use. Maps of each area, marine life and conservation stories, and detailed travel tips from a local expert help to guide you in planning your visit. This updated and expanded third edition features many new photos, dive operators and dive sites that have surfaced over the past few years. Unique highlights include the burgeoning night-time blackwater diving scene, wall diving around Selayar Island and whale and dolphin watching off the coast of Alor. Wormald covers each major region in Indonesia in detail, among them: Bali -- "The Island of the Gods," famous for its marine life and the USS Liberty shipwreck off TulambenNorth Sulawesi -- Where active volcanoes tower over lush plateaus and gorgeous coral reefsNusa Tenggara -- The vast region from Lombok to Timor featuring everything from submerged seamounts, walls and drop-offs to freshwater caves, slopes and sandy muck diving baysMaluku -- An often overlooked but unique sites that host the perfect combination of reefs and crittersRaja Ampat and West Papua -- Quickly becoming the "mecca" for Indonesian diving, with beautiful landscapes, white sand beaches and shallow water corals which make it the postcard trip of a lifetimeWhether you are a first-timer or an experienced diver, this book has everything you need to plan and fully enjoy the magic of Indonesia's tropical diving paradise.
Sideline CEO
From ESPN's correspondent Marty Smith-- a book of key leadership principles learned from championship coaches he's interviewed over the past two decades. Sideline CEO delves into the unique psychology and daily preparation and gameplan execution of some of America's most respected leaders--the coaches who have led hugely successful programs to win it all. In talking to these sideline CEOs, Marty develops a set of leadership pillars that include: Building vital TRUST within the organization. Creating open lines of COMMUNICATION. DELEGATING responsibility--and thereby empowerment--to your coaches and players. Establishing and sustaining the RIGHT CULTURE in your program. MANAGING CRISES and adversity. EVOLVING with the game, the players and society, and always challenging your team. Packed with insight, candor and keen storytelling from some of the greatest coaches of all time, Sideline CEO offers valuable takeaways that go beyond the game and can help set intentions for winning in our daily lives.
Every Day Is Sunday
From veteran New York Times Business & NFL reporter, Ken Belson, a deeply-reported account of how the NFL's Commissioner, Roger Goodell, and its two most powerful owners, Jerry Jones & Robert Kraft, turned the league into a cultural phenomenon. On February 11, 2024, NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, & the league's two most powerful owners, Jerry Jones & Robert Kraft, looked down at the spectacle before them. What they saw was the sport's championship game, the Super Bowl--now a de facto national holiday--being played in a shiny new $2B stadium, home to the first franchise based in Las Vegas, after the league's embrace of nationwide gambling. The moment was over 30 years in the making. As one of Goodell's colleagues said: "Roger doesn't view the other leagues as competition. He wants to be mentioned with Disney and the Vatican, these massive institutions." In Every Day is Sunday, Ken Belson traces the evolution of the league from "one of the four US professional sports," to the superpower it is today. Belson illustrates how the league's rise coincided with the arrival of Jones & Kraft in the early 90's. He provides an inside look on how these two men reshaped the league, taking readers into the secretive owner's meeting, how they decided Goodell was the right man to place as Commissioner, and how the three built, wielded, and held on to their collective power. Perfect for fans of The Dynasty and Big Game, Belson provides a unique peek behind the curtain of how America's favorite sport achieved its status--and how these three men let nothing stand in their way.
Bruins 365
Now you can cheer for the Bruins every day of the year.The Boston Bruins are America's oldest NHL team, so there's no shortage of history with this storied franchise. For many, the Bruins have come to personify hard-nosed hockey, and while the team has evolved over the years, that tough approach to the game has been woven into the fabric of the team and embodied by its players.While the Bruins' stronghold is unques - tionably in New England, they have supporters around the world. And even if you're not a fan, you'll love reading about how the club has been part of some of hockey's fiercest rivalries from the Habs to the Leafs to the Canucks. With Bruins 365, you can relive memorable moments from more than a century of Bruins hockey with one short story for every day of the year. From the team's origins in 1924 to Bobby Orr's gravity-defying championship-clinching goal in 1970 to some of the milestones from the record-breaking 2022-23 season, Bruins 365 has something for every Boston fan.
101 Fascinating Basketball Facts
101 thought-provoking basketball stories and trivia to delight fans. Author provocateur Dalton Higgins provides 101 reasons why basketball has captured the imagination of sports enthusiasts around the globe. Higgins unpacks the myths and realities behind the world's second most popular sport, breaking down with precision all kinds of wildly interesting and obscure basketball facts tied to height, gender, geography, race, economics, and everything in between. From sneakers to salacious tidbits, Higgins offers takes on ageold issues and debates: Can white men jump now? Have three-pointers become the new layup? Should traditional ten-foot rims be raised? Who is the GOAT? Why is Canada a basketball hot spot? Is the WNBA the next big thing? Are hip hop and hoops kissing cousins?
Reeds Nautical Almanac 2026
Reeds Nautical Almanac is the indispensable trusted annual compendium of navigational data for yachtsmen and motorboaters. Known as the Yachtsman's Bible, Reeds provides all the information required to navigate Atlantic coastal waters around the whole of the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands and the entire European coastline from the tip of Denmark right down to Gibraltar, Northern Morocco, the Azores and Madeira. The 2026 Almanac continues the tradition of year-on-year improvement and meticulous presentation of all the data required for safe navigation. Now with an improved layout for easier reference and with over 45,000 annual changes, it is regarded as the bible of almanacs for anyone going to sea. The 2026 edition is updated throughout and includes: 700 harbour chartlets; tide tables and tidal streams; buoyage and lights; 7,500 waypoints; invaluable passage notes; distance tables; radio, weather and safety information; first aid section. Also includes a free Reeds Marina Guide. Also available: free supplements of up-to-date navigation changes from January to June at: www.reedsnauticalalmanac.co.uk
Yoga for Footballers
Written by former Arsenal FC physio and yoga teacher, this is a guide for all ages and abilities to help you play soccer better for longer. Yoga has now become a standard part of soccer training with players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo practising regularly. Sharon Heidaripour is a former professional soccer and Arsenal physio turned yoga instructor and knows all too well that the contact sport can lead to damaging injuries. However, many of them can be prevented if you can spot areas getting fatigued, overloaded, imbalanced or to become inflexible. In this step-by-step guide, Sharon teaches you routines that can be integrated into your daily life - on and off the pitch - and weekly training to help prevent injury and support recovery. Exercises focus on hip mobility, hamstring prehab and rehab, lower back mobility, relaxation and breathwork through morning, evening, pre-training and pre-match, post-training and post-match routines. With full-colour photographs, Sharon shares more than 70 yoga poses and routines with clear instructions, top tips and options to suit all levels and ages, whether you are a casual, amateur or professional soccer player.
Apr癡s Ski
A celebration of the skiing lifestyle on and off the slopes, written by a lifelong lover of the sport and cofounder of skiwear brand Erin Snow. Skiing is more than just a sport. It's a lifestyle. A way of life. Apr癡s-ski typically refers to the time of day right after skiing, but can extend into the evening and early morning hours. It's cocktails enjoyed at the famed Palace Hotel ice rink bar in St. Moritz, and a game of snow polo in Aspen; a dip in the Manza Onsen (one of Japan's highest-altitude hot springs) and dancing on tables at La Folie Douce in Val d'Is癡re, France. Traditions vary by region and even by neighboring resort. No matter where or how you unwind after a day on the mountain, what happens around the actual skiing has helped shape the culture of the sport for decades. This book is a visual celebration of all things apr癡s-ski: the best spots to visit around the globe, a survey of the fashion and style of ski, and even food and drink recipes for the quintessential apr癡s-ski menu.
The Pocketbook Guide To Sports Coaching
Do you want to know what makes a sports coach successful?This straightforward guide for sports coaches answers exactly that.Tom Lally - founder of Leadershipandsport.com, PE teacher, and sports coach - has created this comprehensive pocketbook, packed with powerful theories and practical tips on what makes a coach successful and how you can apply these principles yourself.Whether you are studying for a coaching qualification and want to be a grassroots coach, or are already an experienced coach, this book is designed for you. It combines research, proven techniques, and practical experience to help you put theory into practice.Discover what makes a successful coachLearn how to develop and motivate your athletesUnderstand how to build a winning teamWith over 90,000 readers accessing Leadershipandsport.com for coaching advice in 2024, this guide is a trusted companion to use before, during, and after your coaching sessions - helping you master the key theories behind success.
Hockey Rants and Raves
The hottest takes and biggest beefs about hockey from the wildly popular podcaster and YouTuber Who would be on the Mount Rushmore of goalies?Is Gretzky the Greatest Player of All Time (a.k.a. GOATzky)?What are the most embarrassing Leaf losses of all time?Why would you choose to play in a small market?Steve "Dangle" Glynn was already a popular talking head on Sportsnet the night the Leafs lost to their own back-up goalie (and Zamboni driver), but his fandom skyrocketed after his rant following the hilarious mishap gained one million views on YouTube. Dangle is well known as a long-suffering Leafs fan, but he is more than just that. He shares his rants and opinions about all teams across the NHL, directing his laser focus onto hockey's greatest arguments, from the best players of all time, to the worst trades, to the most embarrassing Leafs losses. From one of the most unique voices in hockey, Hockey Rants and Raves is packed with passionate, honest and often humorous takes on all things hockey--required reading for all fans of the game.
Golf Crazy by Gary Patterson 2026 12 X 12 Wall Calendar
TEE-RIFIC HUMOR - Celebrate the ups, downs, and hilarious hazards of the game with this whimsical calendar featuring Gary Patterson's charming golf illustrations. Each month brings a new cartoon that perfectly captures the fun and frustrations every golfer knows too well.
Fishing Cartoon-A-Day by Jonny Hawkins 2026 5.4 X 6.2 Box Calendar
REEL LAUGHS - Reel in daily doses of angling humor with the Fishing Cartoon-A-Day calendar.
The Team That History Forgot
While the Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL's newest dynasty, winning three Super Bowls since 2020, most fans don't recall the team's earliest successful years before decades of futility. What about the underdog losers of that very first Super Bowl? When the Kansas City Chiefs played the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I in 1967, they had only been in existence for seven seasons and were tasked with the monumental burden of representing the still-fledgling American Football League against the NFL's team of the decade. The Chiefs won their first AFL Championship in 1962, as the Dallas Texans, when owner Lamar Hunt decided the Dallas market couldn't support two pro football teams--it could barely support one. After just three seasons, the Texans relocated to Kansas City, where they became the Chiefs. Under future Hall-of-Famers Len Dawson, Buck Buchanan, and Johnny Robinson, they were the winningest AFL team and helped integrate pro football more than any other team in the 1960s. In The Team That History Forgot, Rick Gosselin explores the team's struggles and triumphs in its early years, the competition created by the AFL in player signing wars, the recruitment of athletes from historically Black colleges and universities, the loss of the franchise identity with the move from Texas to Kansas City, the first Super Bowl and the humiliating loss against the Packers, and the moves the Chiefs made to recover from that loss and win Super Bowl IV, the last game before the two rival leagues finally merged in 1970. The early Chiefs set a bar for excellence that the team continues to pursue today.
Ultra
The first ever atlas of ultra marathons. 50 of the world's greatest ultra marathons alongside stunning artworks, maps, elevation profiles and inspiring photography. In this ultimate guide to ultrarunning, dive into 50 of the world's most breathtaking and brutal ultramarathons - from the icy tundras of Sweden to the sun-scorched deserts of the USA, and the rugged mountains of Europe. Whether you're a seasoned marathoner in search of your next challenge or an aspiring runner eager to tackle your first ultra, each race is meticulously detailed with all the essential information: where to start, how to get there, and what it takes to reach the finish line. Packed with insightful interviews with world-renowned runners and the visionary founders of these epic races, alongside detailed maps, stats, and stunning photography, this is the definitive guide to the world of ultrarunning, crafted by adventurers and authors Jen and Sim Benson.
Keegan
From the author of Klopp: My Liverpool Romance, another funny and insightful look at one of Britain's greatest and strangest soccer figures. He was stranger than he knew - than any of us knew. Liverpool legend. England captain. Mercurial competitor. Pop star manqu矇. The Face of Brut 33. Pioneer of the footballers' perm. Twice winner of the Ballon d'Or. Kevin Keegan owned the 1970s. We had never seen his like before. There appeared to be nothing he could fail at. Tracking his career from youth-team player at Scunthorpe to the England manager's job, by way of Liverpool, Newcastle and Hamburg, Keegan considers the extravagant highs of a football man who touched the game with genius, who was never sacked and who came within an ace of triumph as a manager. A story of almost and maybe, of excellence and of failure, it is a story too, perhaps, of the fans' quixotic search for a messiah.
Badger's Rugby Compendium
The essential handbook for all rugby fans that leaves nothing on the paddock!"Outstanding! Who'd have thought a dictionary could be useful and very funny? A book for all rugby fans.' Will Greenwood, England World Cup WinnerBadger's Rugby Compendium is a humorous glossary of over 500 terms, slang and jargon, all the lingo jackaled and cleaned out from the inner world of rugby and delivered on a plate with razor-sharp, amusing definitions and illustrations to entertain the dedicated fan and enlighten the rugby-curious.If you had never seen a rugby match, say you were born and bred on Pluto, but you were fluent in English, on tuning into a game, you might ask yourself three questions: i) Why are all these people rolling around in the mud? ii) Why are they so cross with each other? iii) Why is the commentator talking in Klingon?Many people let rugby pass them by, as they do cricket and other sports built upon a complex set of rules. To understand the rules, to take some pleasure from a sport, as with anything else in life, you must understand the language by which it is described. To go one level deeper and take joy from the sport and immerse yourself in its culture, traditions and nuances, you must have a working knowledge of its jargon and slang. What do they say? The limit of my world is the limit of my words.'He's hoisted a bomb there, buried him with a snotter, gone in for the jackal, hands all over the egg, given him a facial, and kicked off the handbags. He's getting pinged here, and he's got himself ten minutes riding the pine or I'm Bill Beaumont.'There's only one reaction a rugby stranger might have to that: 'You what?' I mean, no wonder the rugby-curious viewer keeps flicking the remote.This packed little glossary puts you 'in the pocket' to understand and enjoy all the slang and vernacular, fun for the devoted fan, and enlightenment for the uninitiated and baffled.If you are Pluto-born and bred, I hope you find this book a helpful introduction to the ancient game loved by millions around our funny little planet and who knows? You might even be eligible to play for Scotland.
The Comprehensive Guide to Team Sports
The Comprehensive Guide to Team Sports provides an all-encompassing look at the history of team sports.This unmatched guide provides information on all of the most popular team sports worldwide, and includes complete rulebooks for each sport, full colour diagrams, detailed historical information about the origin and creation of each sport, and complete results for all major competitions.Also included in this guide are: breakdowns of team sizesbreakdowns of the fastest sportsmost popular leagues and attendanceslists of the most viewed/played sportslists of national/unofficial national sportshistorical timelines for the origin of sportslist of most successful nations at Olympicsand much, MUCH more!
The Franchise: Philadelphia Eagles
In The Franchise: Philadelphia Eagles, take a more profound and unique journey into the history of an iconic team. This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans' history of the franchise, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the team's iconic identity. Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where the organization has been, how it came to prominence in the modern NFL landscape, and how it'll continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come. Eagles fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at team history.
In the Japanese Ballpark
Baseball is the national pastime of both the United States and Japan, but the two countries approach and play the game differently both on the field and away from it. To shed light on these differences and help fans gain a greater appreciation for Nippon Professional Baseball, Robert K. Fitts turns to the true experts, the people who play, oversee, promote, and watch the game, to find out what makes Japanese baseball special. In the Japanese Ballpark features engaging interviews with twenty-six baseball personalities to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the game. Fitts speaks with participants in the games such as players, managers, and an umpire; support staff including an interpreter, trainer, and data analyst; front office personal such as an owner, general and assistant managers, and marketing directors; ballpark workers including cheerleaders, a mascot, beer vendor, and usher; and professionals who surround the sport, such as baseball writers, a player agent, and a sports card dealer; as well as a league commissioner. Through their personal experiences, these individuals reveal the inner workings of the Japanese game and explain the cultural aspects that make Nippon Professional Baseball different from Major League Baseball. In the Japanese Ballpark features interviews with Bobby Valentine, Trey Hillman, Matt Murton, Robert Whiting, Marty Kuehnert, Tomoko Namba, Ambassador Ryozo Kato, and many others. Their experiences and insights provide inside knowledge to make the fan experience more enjoyable, for both those watching a Japanese game for the first time and well as for seasoned followers.
