The Dad Coach
The New York Times bestselling author of The Matheny Manifesto offers the definitive guide to coaching youth baseball and instilling positive values on and off the field. Long before he became manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals, Mike Matheny grasped the core values of what really mattered when it came to playing baseball. It wasn't attention from fans or the trophy at the end of a season that guided his morals, but the hard-won discipline, labor, and humility that he incorporated into every game he played. Now, in The Dad Coach, Matheny puts his philosophy into action and provides a step-by-step template for coaches and parents to develop solid fundamentals and a strong sense of character in their players, including: Age-specific drills and exercises to develop skills, along with practice plans to help young ballplayers improveGame preparation and evaluation techniques to help coaches stay on track and keep kids engagedAdvice on making coaching a meaningful experience and investment of timeMore than seventy QR codes leading to instructional videos featuring Matheny and other Dad Coach advocates Drawing on Matheny's playing and coaching expertise at every level of the game, The Dad Coach is an engaging and essential resource for anyone, regardless of experience, who wants to coach their players to success in baseball and life.
The Wonder Boy
ESPN's Tim MacMahon chronicles the career of the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic and examines the pressure of building an NBA team around a prodigy. In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks landed the most hyped European teen prospect in basketball history--Luka Doncic, who has proven to be a generational NBA talent with a flair for sensational playmaking. But that's only half the story. With The Wonder Boy, MacMahon takes us beyond the highlights to the madness that ensues as the Mavericks try to avoid blowing their golden opportunity. From the internal power struggles in owner Mark Cuban's front office during the early years of Doncic's career, to the new regime's effort to earn Doncic's loyalty and put the ruthless competitor in position to win, readers will learn never-before-reported details about the saga's biggest moments, including: the blockbuster deal for Kristaps Porzingis that blew up in the Mavs' faces the divorces with coach Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson Jalen Brunson's exit after a run to the Western Conference finals the new pairing with the mercurial Kyrie Irving the improbable journey to the 2024 Finals As the clock ticks on the Mavs' quest to win it all with their irreplaceable young star, The Wonder Boy pulls back the curtain on a dilemma every NBA team would love to have.
Field Work
Roger Angell meets Hanif Abdurraqib meets Bull Durham in this sharp new collection of baseball writing by Andrew ForbesBaseball is a sport, a pastime, an obsession, a dream--and for some, it's also a day job. A poetic survey of baseball's rich history, Field Work shines a light on the people who make the game happen, from major-league stars and little-league coaches to gamblers, ballpark operators, and minor leaguers forging lives outside the dugout. With sharp-eyed observations and beautiful digressions, these essays portray the complex relationship between work and play--both on and off the field--to demonstrate how baseball is more than just a game.
Cricket in the 21st Century
This book examines the ways in which cricket has reflected and reproduced some of the social and political tensions of the twenty-first century.Cricket's struggle for global recognition and the shifting concerns about cricket's perceived 'character' provide two of the most significant meta-narratives to shape the game's historical and future development. However, in contrast to the degree of continuity these narratives appear to support, the game is currently undergoing a particularly rapid and radical phase of change. This book illustrates some of these dominant processes, that can be broadly categorized as the changing political economy of the game, the nation-specific manifestations of cricket's political-economic landscape, and the intro- and retrospection within the English game. Cricket is not only thriving across the world, its global spread reveals narratives of migration, national and international politics, astute governance, empowerment of people, and cultural practices of everyday life. New ethical, political, and identity-related concerns have arisen with the reworking of the objectives and methods of playing and watching cricket. The chapters in this volume employ cricket as a useful conceptual tool to analyse the dynamics underwriting interactions between races, sexes, classes, and polities.Cricket in the 21st Century will be a fascinating read for students, scholars as well as general readers with an interest in the sociology and history of sport and global political economy. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.
Rainmaker
NATIONAL BESTSELLER From his work with Tiger Woods and Greg Norman to his thoughts on golf's current money-grab era, golf superagent Hughes Norton presents a rollicking tell-all that "takes you inside the room with some of golf's biggest personalities for some never-before-heard stories" (Chris Solomon, host of No Laying Up). When twenty-one-year-old Tiger Woods stunned the world by winning The Masters by a mind-blowing twelve strokes, the first thing he did was embrace the three most important people in his life: his father, his mother, and Hughes Norton. At the peak of his career, agent Norton earned a million-dollar salary, flew to all corners of the world in first class, and enjoyed a lifestyle nearly as lavish as his A-list clients. That dizzying success, however, came at a high price. The seventy-hour work weeks, constant travel, and intense pressure--both from his players and their corporate partners--took Norton away from his family and ultimately led to divorce. At the same time, to protect his players and his career, he found himself making ethical and moral choices he would later regret. Soon, he realized he had made as many enemies as friends. Now, in Rainmaker, Norton offers "the most amazing 'behind the curtain' view ever written about the world of sports management" (Jim Nantz, CBS Sports). With exclusive insights, he discusses what it was like being Tiger's first agent, his time representing the narcissistic Greg Norman, and shining a bright light on his sudden--and controversial--ouster as the head of IMG's Golf Division--a juggernaut he helped build. This is an engaging and unforgettable memoir that explores golf as never before.
Tennis for Dummies
Learn the basics of tennis so you can hit the courts, improve your game, and follow the pros This updated edition of Tennis For Dummies takes you into the world of tennis today. You'll learn the history of the game, the rules, the latest gear, the hottest strategies, and everything else you need to know to get into this popular racquet sport. This easy-to-understand guide shows you what it takes to improve each time you step on the court, and puts you in the middle of the pro tennis action so you can enjoy the matches everyone is talking about. You'll learn to equip yourself with the right apparel, racquet, and accessories, so you're ready to play. Get tips for perfecting your strokes and shaping up with physical conditioning, plus dealing with common tennis injuries. You'll also explore the finer points of tennis etiquette, both on the court and as a spectator. Discover how the game of tennis is played, with helpful illustrations and court diagrams Master the mental game so you can get the most out of yourself each and every time you pick up a racquet Understand the rules of tennis, the varieties of the game, and the scoring system Learn about the most prominent players, matches, and tournaments This is a great Dummies guide for readers who want to learn the basics of tennis, so they can go out and play, or enjoy watching tournaments in person or on television. Beginners who need a general introduction and current players who want to take their game to the next level will love the quick-and-easy tips inside.
Banner Year
As Banner 18 ascended to the TD Garden rafters in October 2024, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the Boston Celtics' reigning championship squad were in very good company. They were surrounded not only by a sell-out crowd of ardent supporters but by Celtics legends of previous eras, symbolizing the franchise's continued, unwavering commitment to greatness. Cedric Maxwell was among the former players commemorating the achievement, and he was present as a broadcaster throughout the dominant journey to the NBA title; from the offseason shake-ups that dispatched Marcus Smart while welcoming Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, to the final buzzer against the Dallas Mavericks. Banner Year is the definitive chronicle of the Celtics' 2023-2024 season and their quest for that long-elusive 18th championship. Through exclusive insights and firsthand accounts, Maxwell and Mike Isenberg offer a behind-the-scenes look at the dynamics that fueled the team's success, including keen observations on prominent figures such as Tatum, Brown, Al Horford, and coach Joe Mazzulla. Boston fans will delight in this captivating account that captures the spirit of a franchise determined to rise once more.
Playing Dirty
Greed and self-preservation have overtaken professional golf, with factions battling to buy and control its ecosystem without accounting for the cost and collateral damage of their ambitions. As the top level of golf threatens to tear itself in two, Golf Digest senior writer Joel Beall travels to Scotland, the birthplace of golf, to see if the soul of the sport is intact. Here, far from the boardroom battles, the game still breathes as it was meant to-pure and democratic. Links and life intertwine without ceremony: fairways spill into village squares, first tees lurk behind bus stops, flagsticks wave to fishermen. Duck into any pub and you'll find half the day's tee sheet has preceded you, scorecards spread across tables like battle maps, pints marking the spots where glory was found or lost. This is golf's last pure kingdom, where wealth is measured not in gold but in twilight rounds, where every weary wanderer can find refuge. Where the past feels present and the game never gets old, because good things never do. Not perfect, mind you; nothing wrapped in human hands ever is, yet Scotland golf is as unadulterated of a product as we get. It reminds us that all that is good with this beautifully dumb sport can continue in the face of the unknown. Whatever happens ... well, professional golf tournaments come and go, but Scotland golf is forever. With a hyper focus on the towns and courses and people that ensure the game of golf remains a game of the people, Beall examines golf's roots hoping to find an answer to where the sport is headed, who decides its fate, and if the game can truly be bought ... before golf swallows itself whole.ADVANCED PRAISE"There is a deep contrast in modern golf between the sacred and the profane, and though many writers have explored the gulf, none have done it with such eloquence and insight as Joel Beall in his tremendous work Playing Dirty. This is a masterful examination of where golf went wrong at the professional level, and how salvation must come from its historical roots. This book is the reckoning we needed, and it comes with a bold and bracing refusal to let the mistakes of the past define the future. Like so many fans, I have spent the last few years wondering where golf's heart has gone. I don't have to wonder anymore-Joel Beall has found it." -Shane Ryan, New York Times-bestselling author of Slaying the Tiger "Nobody in golf marries world class reporting and storytelling as well as Joel Beall. He hunts down facts that nobody else has discovered and weaves them together with the aplomb of a novelist. In a world where everything in golf hurtles toward uniformity, Joel's writing stands out as supremely unique. He is truly a one of one in the modern golf media landscape, and his hunt for golf soul amid all the chaos reflects this reality."-Kyle Porter, Founder of Normal Sport, formerly with CBS Sports "This here is an act of love. Joel Beall was meant to write this book, what amounts to a journey of how we square all the realities of a game that's ours to play, but controlled by forces beyond our grasp. Beall approaches golf from two directions. He's the gifted journalist covering the game's civil war. And he's the player looking to believe there's still some good in something that's gone so far awry. You will join him for the ride, from frontline coverage of the PGA Tour and LIV, to the shorelines of Scotland, and maybe see things differently in the end." -Brendan Quinn, Senior enterprise writer for The Athletic/New York Times
L.A. Story
The definitive portrait of Shohei Ohtani's momentous debut season in Dodger blue Baseball has never seen a player like Shohei Ohtani. After six seasons establishing himself as a once-in-a-century two-way star but making zero playoff appearances, Ohtani's record-shattering $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers paired the sport's most prominent global celebrity with one of it's crown-jewel franchises, located in the entertainment capital of the world. "You might have played with other teams -- that's the big leagues," Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda used to say about his beloved team. "But when you come to the Dodgers, it's the major leagues." L.A. Story is a multifaceted, insider's portrait of a debut season for the ages. Veteran baseball scribe Bill Plunkett deftly captures the phenomenon of baseball's "unicorn", with storylines including Ohtani's offensive explosion while recovering from Tommy John surgery, his first flirtations with postseason glory, and the gambling scandal involving his longtime interpreter and close friend that nearly upended everything before he could take his first at-bat at Dodger Stadium. Built on daily reporting and conversations, this is an insightful, intriguing ride for Dodgers fans and keen baseball observers.
One More for the White Rat
Despite being picked to finish dead last in the National League's Eastern Division, the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals astounded the sports world by winning 101 regular-season games, capturing the pennant, and playing in the World Series. With expectations greatly elevated going forward, manager Whitey Herzog and his team subsequently endured a rash of injuries and poor performances from key players that sent the 1986 season into a tailspin. The veteran skipper had never seen the likes of it before in his professional baseball career, and he even considered tendering his resignation midyear to team owner August A. Busch Jr. Herzog was uncertain which version of the ball club would surface entering 1987, as their clash for divisional honors with the New York Mets was rekindled once again. Though observers at the start of the 1987 season once again gave them no chance to win their division, the Cardinals chased victory. Herzog's style of play, nicknamed "Whiteyball," terrorized opponents with its daring baserunning led by Vince Coleman and Ozzie Smith. Veteran players and newcomers, including Jack Clark and Tony Pe簽a, returned the Cardinals to contention. One More for the White Rat features contemporary interviews with members of the 1987 Cardinals and compelling stories and colorful insights into that incredible summer. Veteran Cardinals author Doug Feldmann takes the reader inside the St. Louis locker room and onto the field for the daily struggles and triumphs that made the 1987 baseball season unlike any other.
The Nba's Global Empire
During the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the Dream Team, a collective of the National Basketball Association's top talent led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley, shook up the world as they amazed spectators and opponents on their way to winning gold. Their success introduced the world to the NBA's charismatic superstars and their artistic brand of basketball. Over the next two decades, youth outside of America dreamed of becoming the next Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. The NBA took advantage of its popularity in China by forming lucrative television and streaming deals and opening training academies. By the 2022-23 NBA season, there were 109 international players from 39 countries, a Canadian franchise, and a league in Africa. Today's best players are Africans, Canadians and Europeans like Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. This book presents the history of the NBA's ascension to a billion-dollar global empire, analyzing the globalization of American sports since the end of the Cold War and the dawn of the millennium. How essential is globalization for the NBA to thrive in the 21st century? Do the benefits outweigh the geopolitical controversies associated with being a global brand? Is globalization responsible for a decline in American-born NBA players and declining domestic popularity? These questions and others are answered in this first treatment of the NBA's global reach.
Golf's Sacred Journey, the Sequel
Golf is more than a game. Behind every stroke and ace, there are hours of practice. Before every trophy, there is sacrifice. At every driving range, there are successes and failures. And inside every golfer, there is a story.In Golf's Sacred Journey, the Sequel, the book that follows bestselling Golf's Sacred Journey, professional golfer Luke Chisholm returns to his winsome and wise mentor, Johnny Crawford, for what he's best at: advice. This time, Luke needs help of a different sort. He needs guidance on playing in the most difficult golf tournament in the world: the U.S. Open. Victory is in sight.From bestselling author and performance psychologist Dr. David Cook, Golf's Sacred Journey, the Sequel, is the fascinating byproduct of counseling thousands of athletes over the decades--from PGA Champions to Olympic athletes. His expertise weaves throughout this suspenseful and memorable sequel.Luke's story unfolds from the practice course of Utopia, Texas, to the fairways of the U.S. Open. It's there that T.K., Luke's rival, re-enters the picture. Their rivalry comes to a head at the U.S. Open. Their clash is epic, the payoffs and costs are great.In this memorable book, readers will acquire lessons about golf and life that they never expected as Luke and T.K. overcome gripping fears, trials, and brokenness as they pursue their God-given dreams. Golf's Sacred Journey, the Sequel will deeply inspire readers both on and off the green.This is a story of two golfers. This is a story of redemption. And in the end, it's not just about a game.
Blue Chippers from the Emerald Isle
This book is the first to examine the careers of Irish male and female soccer players who undertook soccer scholarships in the USA in the late twentieth century. It draws on oral testimony as well as documentary evidence and focuses on their recruitment, scholarship and post scholarship playing and educational experiences.
Blue Is the Colour
This beautiful coffee-table book takes readers through the history of the famous west London's club kit and in doing so also tell the story of the club, the famous matches and of course the iconic players who wore the shirt with pride and distinction. Compiled using stunning photographs of match worn shirts actually donned by many of the football clubs greatest players, the book presents a stunning timeline of Chelsea's history and of their emblematic shirt. This deluxe edition brings together the rarest and most iconic blues shirts ever seen and includes: - A player shirt example from virtually every one of the home and away shirt variations worn by Chelsea over the last 70 years - A player shirt from every major cup final Chelsea have played in - Shirts worn by many of Chelsea's greatest players. Blue Is The Colour is a breathtaking and historic record of the greatest collection of blues match worn shirts that have ever been seen together, and through these classic and iconic shirts the history of one of the world's most famous football clubs comes to life.
Baseball Research Journal (Brj), Volume 54 #2
With this issue of the Baseball Research Journal, SABR welcomes new editor Elizabeth Roscher. The cover features an illustration of Lou Gehrig in his Columbia University baseball uniform by artist Gary Cieradkowski. Among this issue's featured articles: Lou Gehrig's Three "Lost" Columbia Home Runs Robert Muldoon It only took a few months at Columbia for Lou Gehrig, 19-year-old hitting prodigy, to be compared to the greatest slugger in the game. One publication said Gehrig "lived up to his reputation as the Babe Ruth of Columbia." But his college baseball career didn't have such an auspicious start. In his first official college game on April 3, Gehrig was ejected. "NYU Wins Weird Encounter" read the Columbia Spectator headline as Columbia, using five pitchers, was trounced 12-4. Relieving in the eighth, Gehrig was tossed for protesting a pitch. Batting third, he had one hit in three tries. The Disappearance of the Nippon Cup: Early Japanese Participation in Australian Baseball Ray Nickson After 1941, the Nippon Cup disappeared from the records. It is not mentioned in subsequent baseball reports by state associations, internet searches provide no details on its existence, and enquiries with the last club to win the Nippon Cup have gone unanswered. The Nippon Cup vanishes.The absence of the Nippon Cup in Australian baseball after 1941 reflects the limited recognition of the role Japanese players and the Japanese expatriate community played in Australian baseball in the first two decades of the twentieth century, history that was actively erased during and immediately after World War II. The major but forgotten element of that history is the Nippon Baseball Club, who played in Sydney from 1917 to 1919. Their players gave the NSW Baseball Association and its members the Nippon Cup as a gesture of the positive relations that existed between the Japanese residents and the wider baseball community. The 1915 Army Baseball Team at West Point: Five Future Generals and an 18-3 Record Stephen V. Rice The United States Military Academy was established at West Point, New York, in 1802, and it has fielded a baseball team every year since 1890. The 1915 team, with an 18-3 record, was arguably the greatest in the school's history. This team is also remarkable because five of the nine starters went on to serve as Army generals during World War II. The most prominent of these was Omar Bradley, a left fielder with a rifle arm, who commanded US ground forces invading Germany and rose to the rank of five-star general. Swifts, Slows, and Batteries: A Chronology of the 1868 Championship Season David Rader It may be helpful to think of the championship like it was an unsanctioned boxing title. The championship could change hands multiple times during a season, as it did in 1868. Any club was allowed to challenge the champion club, who then chose which challenges they accepted. Only the social norms of the era served as oversight. Championship matches were determined in a best-of-three series colloquially known as "home- and-home" series, so named because each club hosted one of the first two matches (and took the gate receipts). A third match, if necessary, was to be held at a neutral ballfield. The championship could change clubs at any point during a season, with some home-and-home series even beginning late in one season and ending early in the next. The End of the Spitball: Sloppy, Dirty, Disgusting...and Almost Impossible to Get Rid Of Mike Lackey Like the spitball itself, its last legal purveyors were long-running throwbacks to deadball days. Frank Shellenback was typical; he won nine games for the Chicago White Sox as a 19-year-old rookie in 1918. But when two of the Sox top pitchers returned from World War I service--Red Faber from the Navy and Lefty Williams from war-related work in a shipyard--Shellenback figured less prominently in the team's plans. Then, just as baseball was moving to ban the spitball, the White Sox decided they didn't
Routledge Handbook of Coaching Children in Sport
The Routledge Handbook of Coaching Children in Sport provides a comprehensive and extensive range of critical reflections of key areas impacting on children's sport and coaching up to the age of 16. With coaching related chapters authored by academic across various disciplines, including nutrition, psychology, pedagogy, medicine, youth development and sociology, the text provides detailed reviews of the existing state of research and consideration of the implications of these particular factors upon parents, coaches, administrators and clearly the young people themselves as well as recommendations for future research. This new volume provides in-depth investigation to key topics of coaching topics such as Learning and Child Development, Protecting Young Athletes, Talent Identification and Development and Inclusive Coaching and finally introduce a broad array of contextual considerations for coaches from considering professional learning through to coaching in particular contexts. This book is more than simply an academic text and it offers insights that will further inform practice in children's sport coaching. The handbook is relevant for students (UG, PG), researchers, academics, parents, coaches and administrators, as well as those interested in children's sport coaching and the related topics therein.Martin Toms, PhD is a senior lecturer (associate professor) in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham, UK. A former professional sports coach with an MPhil and PhD exploring the sociological issues of young people in junior sport, Martin has been heavily involved in juniors sport all of his adult life. He has published widely and presented extensively around the world on youth sport, including working on international projects and for NBGs/Federations and National Governmental organisations. He has gained European and SCUK funding for youth and coaching related projects as well as being involved in international consultancy. He is a co-editor of the European Journal for Sport and Society as well as the current Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Golf Science. Ruth Jeanes, PhD is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, Australia. Ruth's research examines inclusion and exclusion within youth sport, particularly examining how sport can be used to achieve broader social policy objectives targeted at young people. Within this, she is particularly interested in the role of coaches in facilitating broader social outcomes for young people. Ruth has published extensively in these areas with over 100 publications across journal articles, book chapters and books. She is widely cited and has been successful in securing extensive funding for her research including two highly competitive Australian Research Council grants.
