Golf: The Iconic Courses
Golf: The Iconic Courses invites you to explore the world's most spectacular and challenging golf courses, where history, beauty, and sport converge. From the ancient Swilcan Bridge at St Andrews to the dramatic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, this book takes you on a breathtaking tour of the places every golfer dreams of playing.Whether it's Augusta's Amen Corner, Pebble Beach's Pacific-kissed cliffs, or the perilous dunes of Carnoustie's Barry Burn, each course is a masterpiece of design and nature. Discover the wild Irish landscapes, the lush jungles of Vietnam, and the rugged cliffs of Mexico's Quivira, where the greens seem to defy gravity.Featuring stunning photography from two of the world's greatest golf photographers--David Cannon and aerial expert Gary Lisbon--Golf: The Iconic Courses captures the beauty, challenge, and spirit of the game like never before. This is more than a book; it's an invitation to walk the fairways of legends.A must-have for golf enthusiasts, this book is a visual celebration of the sport's most revered real estate--destined to inspire every golfer to pack their clubs and tee off on a new adventure.
Casey at the Bat
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer is a classic American poem about Mudville's baseball team, trailing in the final inning. With two outs, the crowd's last hope rests on the mighty Casey. Confidence fills the air as he steps up to bat. He lets the first two pitches pass, striking twice. On the final pitch, he swings-but misses! The crowd is left in stunned silence. This timeless narrative captures the drama of sports, the highs of hope, and the crushing weight of failure, making it a must-read for baseball fans and lovers of classic storytelling alike.Included on the inside cover is a link to a word-for-for audio read-along.
Above the Rim
Above the Rim: Basketball's Global Journey is a sweeping, in-depth chronicle of how a simple game invented in a Massachusetts gymnasium became one of the most electrifying and unifying sports in the world. From the playgrounds of Manila and the courts of Lagos to the arenas of Madrid and Tokyo, this book traces basketball's rise as a truly global phenomenon.Through richly detailed chapters, it explores the cultural, political, and economic forces that helped spread the game across continents. Readers will discover how players from Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, and Oceania have not only influenced the NBA but transformed it-bringing new styles, philosophies, and voices to the court. The narrative follows the evolution of international leagues, the rise of global scouting and academies, the merging of basketball with music and fashion, and the sport's role in diplomacy, youth empowerment, and social change.Featuring case studies, historical context, and vivid storytelling, Above the Rim offers an inspiring look at how basketball has transcended borders and become a shared global language-one that unites millions and redefines what it means to be part of the game.
Scotland 74
For a small footballing nation, Scotland boasts a proud record of having qualified for the World Cup Finals on eight occasions. But this fantastic record is also tarred with the glorious failure of never having reached the latter stages of the tournament. Scotland '74 is a bitter-sweet celebration of the closest Scotland has ever got--so far, at least--when a team of superstars managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the dying seconds. Forty years on, it still hurts. For Scotland, the World Cup Finals in West Germany in 1974 promised much. Group 2 had a talented Brazil side with Jairzinho, Rivelino, and Cesar, a hard-to-pronounce Yugoslavia line-up and group minnows Zaire. But the Scotland squad boasted household names like Billy Bremner, Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law, Peter Lorimer, and Joe Jordan. How could Scotland not get to the second phase of the tournament for the very first time? Well, this is the story of how, astonishingly, it just didn't happen--even though Scotland ended up as the only unbeaten team in the tournament. As history tells us, 1974 was a massive missed opportunity for Scotland, and Richard Gordon now reveals how it all went wrong in the days before the shambles of Argentina 1978 and the 3-0 humbling by Morocco in 1998. Drawing on archive reports and the memories of squad members, Scotland '74 relates the story of that big adventure, encompassing a shocking start to manager Willie Ormond's reign (a 5-0 beating by England), frequent player indiscipline, and, ultimately, the on-field heartbreak that left a nation in mourning for a lost opportunity.
Whispers of the Gods
"Anyone who has love for the game of baseball will enjoy this remarkable book." Library Journal, Starred Review. Like the classic The Glory of Their Times, this book is based on 100s of hours of interviews with the likes of Roy Campanella, Ted Williams, Phil Rizzuto, Jim Bouton, Stan Musial, and more baseball greats from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s.
Before the Blue Jays
Step up to the plate and discover the fascinating history of professional baseball in Toronto. Did you know that Babe Ruth, who hit his only minor league home run at Hanlan's Point in 1914, homered several times in Toronto as a member of the New York Yankees? Or that in the same year, the city was home to not one but two professional baseball teams - the Maple Leafs and the Beavers? How about that Toronto hosted a regular season big-league game in 1932 or that in 1943, the city's own All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Gladys Davis, made history as the league's first batting champion? In this captivating journey through Toronto's rich baseball past, you'll dive into these and other events, learning about the city's professional baseball scene and trailblazers before its major league team launched in 1977.
Baseball
Analytics, technology, and the most ambitious rewrite of the rulebook in fifty years have reshaped baseball. Benjamin G. Rader's account of the American pastime moves from diamonds scratched out of commons and corn fields to the multimedia theme parks doubling as today's baseball stadiums. The fifth edition follows the long arc of the game's history into the third decade of the twenty-first century, an era rich in innovation but even richer from revenue streams undreamt-of by the plutocrats of old. Rader brings readers up to date with looks at the Astros cheating scandal, on-the-field changes from power pitchers to ghost runners, data-driven player development and career rebirth, and the one-of-a-kind Shohei Ohtani. Engrossing and complete, Baseball, Fifth Edition, offers a comprehensive tour of the game and its place within American society and culture.
Sons of Baseball
A rare glimpse of professional ballplayers, not as pitchers, hitters, managers, and coaches, but as dads and grandads. Sons of major league baseball players grow up in a unique environment, not only because they are raised in part by professional athletes, but also because they are raised by the game itself. They come of age immersed in the distinct sounds and aromas of baseball. The locker rooms, the cinderblock-lined corridors beneath the stands, the dugouts, and the fields are the playgrounds of their youth. In Sons of Baseball, Mark Braff interviews 18 men who share their exclusive stories, ballpark memories, and the challenges and rewards of having fathers whose talents enabled them to reach the pinnacle of their profession. Each chapter is devoted to one son talking about his experiences, from the poignancy of one son's disclosure that his dad has not been able to acknowledge his son's sexuality as a gay man, to the humor of another son absconding with the groundskeepers' cart in Cleveland. With a foreword by Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and interviews with the sons of beloved players such as Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Roger Maris, Gil Hodges, and Larry Doby, Sons of Baseball provides a unique, well-rounded perspective on the lives of professional ballplayers and their families.
