Classic Derbies and Epic Rivalries
Andy Bollen explores the history, tradition and violent nature of football's biggest clashes.In unravelling the history of these infamous feuds, Bollen gets to the crux of each conflict, exploring why the fans dislike each other so vehemently.Football is often a search for political identity, as in Spain's El Cl獺sico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, while in Buenos Aires' Supercl獺sico, it's poverty and privilege at the heart of the rivalry between working-class Boca Juniors and bourgeois River Plate.Whether it's the Cairo derby with Al Ahly and Zamalek, the Croatian chaos of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split or Turkey's Intercontinental derby with Galatasaray and Fenerbah癟e, these clashes are a potent mix of fanatical zealot, political rally and crazed ultras preparing for war.Showcasing and detailing football's great games, names and most memorable moments, Bollen has penned an important work on classic derbies and epic rivalries.
The Umpire Is Out
Dale Scott's career as a professional baseball umpire spanned nearly forty years, including thirty-three in the Major Leagues, from 1985 to 2017. He worked exactly a thousand games behind the plate, calling balls and strikes at the pinnacle of his profession, interacting with dozens of other top-flight umpires, colorful managers, and hundreds of players. Scott has enough stories about his career on the field to fill a dozen books, but what makes Scott's book truly different is his unique perspective as the only umpire in the history of professional baseball to come out as gay during his career, after decades of maintaining a public facade of straightness. He navigated this obstacle course at a time when his MLB career was just taking off--and when North America was consumed by the AIDS epidemic. Scott's story isn't only about leading a double life, then opening himself up to the world and discovering a new generosity of spirit. It's also a baseball story, filled with insights and memorable anecdotes that come so naturally from someone who spent decades among the world's greatest baseball players, managers, and games. Scott's story is fascinating both for his umpiring career and for his being a pioneer for LGBTQ people within baseball and across sports.
Game, Set, Life
In 1969, tennis great Arthur Ashe, collaborating with others, founded the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. It aims to use tennis as a tool to teach young people how to be successful leaders, collaborative teammates, and productive citizens. In Game, Set, Life, author Albert Stark draws on his experiences as a national-level tennis player and then coach, mentor, and board member of NJTL of Trenton (New Jersey) to share personal stories from some of those most empowered by the organization. Each story in this history is a testament to how dedication can inspire dreams and unlock potential for every individual. Through the combined efforts of coaches, players, mentors, and volunteers, NJTL of Trenton has built a powerful community that makes a significant impact every day. Perfect for readers interested in sports, education, social justice, education, and the intersection of those, Game, Set, Life offers an example of an incredibly successful community effort: For the past fourteen years, every graduate from the NJTLT program has been admitted to a college or technical school, many with scholarships and grants. If you want to be both inspired and instructed about how to be a gift to the community, read this book.With Game, Set, Life as a blueprint, other NJTL chapters may also feel compelled to share their stories-or consider their own greater potential to fully realize the fundamental mission of NJTLT: to enrich the lives of under-resourced youth through innovative tennis, education, and mentoring programs.
Game, Set, Life
In 1969, tennis great Arthur Ashe, collaborating with others, founded the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. It aims to use tennis as a tool to teach young people how to be successful leaders, collaborative teammates, and productive citizens. In Game, Set, Life, author Albert Stark draws on his experiences as a national-level tennis player and then coach, mentor, and board member of NJTL of Trenton (New Jersey) to share personal stories from some of those most empowered by the organization.Each story in this history is a testament to how dedication can inspire dreams and unlock potential for every individual. Through the combined efforts of coaches, players, mentors, and volunteers, NJTL of Trenton has built a powerful community that makes a significant impact every day. Perfect for readers interested in sports, education, social justice, education, and the intersection of those, Game, Set, Life offers an example of an incredibly successful community effort: For the past fourteen years, every graduate from the NJTLT program has been admitted to a college or technical school, many with scholarships and grants.If you want to be both inspired and instructed about how to be a gift to the community, read this book.With Game, Set, Life as a blueprint, other NJTL chapters may also feel compelled to share their stories-or consider their own greater potential to fully realize the fundamental mission of NJTLT: to enrich the lives of under-resourced youth through innovative tennis, education, and mentoring programs.
Expensive Basketball
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - One of Barnes & Noble's Best Sports Books of 2025 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Rap Year Book and Basketball (and Other Things), a clever and inventive examination of some of basketball's most iconic players, moments, games, and more, with original illustrations by Ian Klarer. Everything in basketball is measured. Everything in basketball is counted, and quantified, and computed. And yet, no matter how expansive the list of various pinpoint-specific statistical categories gets, some basketball things remain uncountable, and unquantifiable. Some moments are more poetry than calculation; more art than numerical value; more feeling than data processing. And thus: Expensive Basketball. From the final 196 seconds of Kobe Bryant's playing career to the Sue Bird backpedal, from the erosive terror of Tim Duncan to the Larry Bird memory carousel, Expensive Basketball is an affirmation of feelings.
Kingdom on Fire
In the tradition of Blood in the Garden and Three-Ring Circus comes a bold history of the iconic UCLA Bruins championship teams led by legendary coach John Wooden--set against the turmoil of American culture in the 1960s and '70s. Few basketball dynasties have reigned supreme like the UCLA Bruins did over college basketball from 1965-1975 (seven consecutive titles, three perfect records, an eighty-eight-game winning streak that remains unmatched). At the center of this legendary franchise were the now-iconic players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, naturally reserved personalities who became outspoken giants when it came to race and the Vietnam War. These generational talents were led by John Wooden, a conservative counterweight to his star players whose leadership skills would transcend the game after his retirement. But before the three of them became history, they would have to make it--together. Los Angeles native and longtime sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, Scott Howard-Cooper draws on more than a hundred interviews and extensive access to many of the principal figures, including Wooden's family, to deliver a rich narrative that reveals the turmoil at the heart of this storied college basketball program. Making the eye-opening connections between UCLA and the Nixon administration, Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, and others, Kingdom on Fire puts the UCLA basketball team's political involvement and influence in full relief for the first time. "Perceptive and exciting, this is a slam dunk for college hoops fans" (Publishers Weekly).
Talking Baseball with Major League Stars
Talking Baseball with Major League Stars explores a wide range of entertaining, timely, and illuminating topics about Major League Baseball-including cheating, intimidation, racism, and the players' biggest fears--through the words of the ballplayer themselves.
Justice Batted Last
On May 1, 1951, Orestes "Minnie" Mi簽oso took the field for the Chicago White Sox and broke the color line for Chicago major league baseball. Ernie Banks integrated the Chicago Cubs two years later. The future Hall of Famers began their Chicago baseball careers against the backdrop of a 1951 race riot in suburban Cicero, where a white mob abetted by local police attacked a building that had rented to Black tenants. Don Zminda's account looks at these interconnected events alongside the little-known chronicle of Chicago's slow track to integrating major league baseball. By the early 1950s, the Cubs and White Sox organizations had become rich in Black and Afro-Latino stars and talented prospects. Unlike Mi簽oso and Banks, however, most of these minor leaguers never advanced to the majors or, if they did, it was for little more than a cup of coffee. Zminda also profiles these players, from Charles Pope, the Cubs' first Black signee, to larger-than-life fireballer Blood Burns. Essential and dramatic, Justice Batted Last uses the lives and careers of two Chicago legends to tell a story of integration on and off the diamond.
Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Art Shamsky, 1969 New York Met and noted author, shares with readers stories and anecdotes from his 50-year association with the New York Mets. Through stories of varying lengths, readers will be privy to behind-the-scenes and first-hand accounts of the New York Mets from lovable losers to impossible winners in 1969, and beyond, including stories about today's players. We witness the leadership of Tom Seaver, the steady hand of manager Gil Hodges, what it was like to share right field with charismatic Ron Swoboda, what it was like to grace a magazine cover with 1960s supermodel Lauren Hutton, in addition to a wealth of stories about the Mets, the organization, and its star players over the past half century.
Shattering the Glass
American women's basketball has reached new peaks of interest and popularity, thanks to spellbinding athletes, exhilarating games, and a vibrant, empowered vision of womanhood. Shattering the Glass stands as the definitive history of the sport. Combining extensive historical research with dozens of oral history interviews, Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford bring life and depth to stories of the many generations of female athletes who have fought for liberation on and off the court.In this new and substantially expanded edition, Grundy and Shackelford provide a fresh view of the sport that extends to the present. They chart the expanding visibility of college programs, the growing dynamism of the WNBA, and players' courageous leadership on social issues such as sexuality and race, drawing on the actions and reflections of stars such as Seimone Augustus, Kim Mulkey, Brittney Griner, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Breanna Stewart, Dawn Staley, and Caitlin Clark. The result is a compelling story of women's empowerment through sport over the past century.
Why We Love Baseball
NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Winner of the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year National Sports Media Association Sports Book of the Year An NPR "Book of the Day" #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski is back with a masterful ode to the game: a countdown of 50 of the most memorable moments in baseball's history, to make you fall in love with the sport all over again. Posnanski writes of major moments that created legends, and of forgotten moments almost lost to time. It's Willie Mays's catch, Babe Ruth's called shot, and Kirk Gibson's limping home run; the slickest steals; the biggest bombs; and the most triumphant no-hitters. But these are also moments raw with the humanity of the game, the unheralded heroes, the mesmerizing mistakes drenched in pine tar, and every story, from the immortal to the obscure, is told from a unique perspective. Whether of a real fan who witnessed it, or the pitcher who gave up the home run, the umpire, the coach, the opposing player--these are fresh takes on moments so powerful they almost feel like myth. Posnanski's previous book, The Baseball 100, portrayed the heroes and pioneers of the sport, and now, with his trademark wit, encyclopedic knowledge, and acute observations, he gets at the real heart of the game. From nineteenth-century pitchers' duels to breaking the sport's color line in the '40s, all the way to the greatest trick play of the last decade and the slide home that became a meme, Posnanski's illuminating take allows us to rediscover the sport we love--and thought we knew. Why We Love Baseball is an epic that ends too soon, a one-of-a-kind love letter to the sport that has us thrilled, torn, inspired, and always wanting more.
More Amazing Mets Trivia
Born out of expansion in 1962, the New York Mets have more than filled the void left by the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. They have provided baseball fans in New York and around the baseball world with more than sixty years of memories including Casey Stengel's lovable losers, the improbable 1969 miracle, another world championship in 1986, and National League pennants in 1973, 2000, and 2015, with many unforgettable moments through the years. Building on the success of Amazing Mets Trivia, published in 2003, More Amazing Mets Trivia tests the memories of Mets fans of all ages with almost five hundred new questions about such Mets stars as Tom Seaver, Cleon Jones, Willie Mays, Rusty Staub, Dave Kingman, Lee Mazzilli, Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, David Wright, Jacob de Grom, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and many others.
A Time for Reflection
A fascinating look back at the incredible lives and careers of baseball Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Billy Williams.Professional baseball has featured a bevy of superstars over the past century and a half, but only a few of them have impacted their sport and cities as deeply as Willie McCovey and Billy Williams. Born just a handful of miles apart in 1938, they grew up in and around one of the sport's true cradles, Mobile, Alabama, on their way to producing two iconic careers in Major League Baseball. In A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams, Jason Cannon examines these two legends of the game. Overcoming the heinous racism of the Jim Crow South as part of the second generation of African American major leaguers who followed in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, they became two of baseball's all-time greatest players. Off the field, they took impactful stands for racial progress that continue to resonate today. Their personal resolve, leadership in the clubhouse, and dedication to their baseball communities endeared them to teammates and fans alike.Featuring original interviews with family members, friends, teammates, and Williams himself, A Time for Reflection brings to life their monumental accomplishments on the diamond, while also detailing how McCovey and Williams grew into pillars of San Francisco and Chicago and inspired future generations of ballplayers.
America's Ballparks
Nothing stirs the soul of a baseball fan like the crack of a bat against a ball . . . or the sight of a fielder leaping high into the air to snatch that ball out of play. What would these fans be without their favorite sport, and what would baseball be without those high-tiered, impossibly beautiful temples to the sport called ballparks? North Americans have treasured some wonderful venues from bygone eras, but sadly lost so many as well. Within the pages of this book readers can revel in the new builds--the retro-modern fields inspired by Baltimore's Camden Yards, while looking fondly back at the older, more traditional ballparks often referred to as Jewel Boxes. In America's Ballparks all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums are covered in detail, along with a brief history of their teams and background on any previous ballparks in which they played. Special features throughout the book include: - the design evolution and anatomy of ballparks - the home fields of the Negro Leagues - the top venues of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. - There is even a section that examines the long partnership between baseball and corporate branding. - Each ballpark entry provides cumulative team stats, as well as lists of stadium firsts and club achievements.
The Last One Out of Town Turn Out the Lights
The Last One Out Of Town Turn Out The Lights tells the inspiring untold story of how a soul-crushing school district consolidation changes the fate and fortunes of two rural Maine high schools. That controversial school merger allows Foxcroft Academy to finally establish a winning basketball team and claim its one and only Gold Ball, the trophy of the Maine High School Basketball Championship. Bitter feelings and personal struggles are revealed, as are stories of admiration and light-hearted moments. Through a turbulent time in America, this book examines the impact of a winning high-school basketball team on two rival schools and their towns. The book marks the 50th anniversary season of Foxcroft Academy's lone state basketball championship in the school's 200-year history. It weaves unpopular decisions to cut popular players from the team, fights with hated rivals, and a phantom foul that should never have been called and that lead to the kind of championship season that all small towns, coaches, players, and fans across the country covet, embrace, and treasure for a lifetime.
Selling Baseball
A fascinating look back on baseball's humble beginnings and its transformation into the national pastime, told through the lives of two men who dominated the game.The nineteenth century was a time of rapid growth and development for the game of "base ball," and players George Wright and Albert Spalding were right in the thick of it. These two young men, the first superstars of the professional game, won the hearts of a country in search of a unifying spirit after a devastating civil war.Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America breathes fresh energy into baseball's beginnings with this captivating tale of two vibrant personalities whose friendly rivalry was integral to the rise of the professional game. While they came from starkly different backgrounds--Albert was a young, gangly pitcher from the country's rural heartland and George the consummate athlete from the New York City area--their captivating performances on the field, along with their promotion of the game and of sports equipment, fed the public's insatiable appetite for leisure-time pursuits and helped grow professional baseball to unprecedented heights.George Wright and Albert Spalding's stories are masterfully woven together to paint a sweeping picture of the early days of professional baseball, the evolution of sports as a business, and the advancement of sports equipment and the sporting goods industry. Their rise as players and businessmen mirrored the rise of a nation that would lead the world in the coming century.
Baseball Prospectus 2025
The 2025 edition of The New York Times Bestselling Guide. PLAY BALL! The 30th edition of this industry-leading baseball annual contains all of the important statistics, player predictions and insider-level commentary that readers have come to expect, along with significant improvements to several statistics that were created by, and are exclusive to, Baseball Prospectus, and an expanded focus on international players and teams. Baseball Prospectus 2025 provides fantasy players and insiders alike with prescient PECOTA projections, which The New York Times called "the 羹berforecast of every player's performance." With more than 50 Baseball Prospectus alumni currently working for major-league baseball teams, nearly every organization has sought the advice of current or former BP analysts, and readers of Baseball Prospectus 2025 will understand why!
Ring the Bell
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, "It's not the destination, it's the journey." He must've been a Phillies fan. The Philadelphia Phillies, a franchise nearly 150 years old, has only reached its grand destination twice (World Series wins in 1980, 2008), but it harbors the most fervent fan base in baseball. How? Well, Olive Garden famously said, "When you're here, you're family." The Phillies, warts and all, have been an inextricable part of the city, and the lives of the fans who cheered them on. The team's story is part of our story. This book is an encyclopedia of sorts, but it's more of a family history. We won't get too deep into the really old stuff-- Let's face it... while I'm sure the 1915 World Series loss was painful, no one's calling local sports talk radio to curse the name of Eppa Rickey. We'll mostly delve into the memories that formed this generation's deep bond with its ball club; the kinds of happenings, good and bad, that somehow manifested an unrivaled home field advantage. At any game, in any city, a stadium media crew can ask its fans to scream as loudly as possible... but they can't make them care. The Phillies have the best home edge in baseball because, through it all, the fans never stopped caring. This book will cover the moments and emotions of being a Phillies fan, from every perspective-- the players, coaches, front office, fans, etc. Phillies fandom is a family, and this is our collective story.
Forward Progress
A cinematic celebration of college football's exploding influence and a rigorous look at how and why the sport may look totally new once again College football in 2025 would look unrecognizable to a fan, player, or coach from even the recent past. Between massive influxes of television money, dramatic conference realignments, a restructuring of how the game crowns its national champion, and even a full revision of what it means to be an "amateur" athlete, America's most popular sport is rupturing, evolving, destroying itself, or getting with the times--depending who you ask. And the dramatic changes won't be stopping any time soon. A complex media landscape, a transfer portal and endorsement money for players, and coaches carrying themselves like branded celebrities unto themselves are just a few reasons why the game will continue transform at a breakneck pace. Forward Progress is the definitive and most comprehensive examination of how we got to this wild era in college football and what's in store for the game's future. Rather than offer easy or trite predictions about the game's future, renowned sports-data journalist Bill Connelly examines the crucial factors and forces that will drive these changes, showing fans how factors like influxes of private capital or a shift toward actually paying the game's players the money they are worth could lead college football in new directions. Travelling from the pivotal 2006 Rose Bowl--a game so loaded with stars and money it felt silly calling any part of it "collegiate"--to the present day, Connelly's compelling storytelling and trademark data distillations illuminate the many moving parts that compose this shifting landscape.
The Franchise: St. Louis Blues
In The Franchise: St. Louis Blues, take a more profound and unique journey into the history of an extraordinary 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 got to prominence in the modern NHL landscape, and how it'll continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come. Blues fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at hockey history.
The Game of Squash
Squash can become very addictive but what a wonderful addiction! This book was written to help beginners as well as advanced players get more out of their game and discover new ways to win more matches. Most players strive to improve, but the lack of discipline or knowledge can hold them back. That's why we designed this book to give you an easy resource for all things squash. - Who can play squash? - A basic understanding of the rules - How to choose the best squash racket - Advanced Tips and tricks for improving your game - Nutrition ideas to improve your health and energy levels - The importance of injury prevention ...and a whole lot more! If you've ever felt even mildly interested in playing squash, this is the resource for you. It will tell you absolutely everything you need to know, and encourage you to make squash a valuable part of your life. And for those of you who are seasoned players, here's a positive goldmine of secrets to help you take your game to the next level.
American Coach
Award-winning sportswriter Ivan Maisel brings the forgotten legend of Notre Dame head football coach Frank Leahy back to life, based on rare and complete access to Fighting Irish football historical archives and the Leahy family. When Frank Leahy retired from Notre Dame after the 1953 season, he had the second-best record in the history of the game (107-13-9, .864), second only to Knute Rockne, his college coach and mentor. Seven decades later, he still does. Rockne created the image of Notre Dame, then a small Catholic university in a remote town in northern Indiana, as the premier college football program in the nation. But it was Leahy who secured that image, with six undefeated seasons and four national championships in an 11-season span. By achievement alone, Leahy should be as beloved as Rockne, who nearly a century after his tragic death remains a legend. Yet Leahy is virtually forgotten today, in many ways a victim of his own insatiable need to compete and win. The University of Notre Dame granted Ivan Maisel rare and complete access to its voluminous cache of historical material, and Maisel has the cooperation of Leahy's family, enabling him to tell the rich story of an archetypal coach who was a celebrity in his day. Leahy made the cover of Time magazine and befriended presidents and movie stars alike. Leahy brought innovation to a program reluctant to change anything Rockne had done. But Leahy rankled opposing coaches and clashed with the priests at Notre Dame who sought to make the university as elite in academia as it had become on the field. These conflicts, coupled with the toll that Leahy's innate drive demanded of his health, brought his career to a premature end, hampering his legacy in the years to come. And what a legacy: only Nick Saban and Bear Bryant have won more national titles. The records of iconic coaches such as Bobby Bowden, Woody Hayes, and Eddie Robinson pale in comparison. Not only the Notre Dame fanbase but all college football fans will be hungry to rediscover a man and an era, the story of how Frank Leahy cemented Notre Dame's status as the defining program of college football.
The Power and the Glory
A definitive new history of the world's most watched sporting event--just in time for the 2026 tournament​ "Wilson is the game's pre-eminent popular historian."--Observer (UK) An Irish Times Best Sports Book of the Year Since 1930, the World Cup has become a truly global obsession. It is the most watched sporting event on the planet, and 211 teams competed to make it into the 2022 tournament. From its inception, it has also been a vehicle for far more than soccer. A tool for self-mythologizing and influence-peddling, The World Cup has played a crucial role in nation-building, and continues to, as countries negotiate their positions in a globalized world. The Power and the Glory is a comprehensive history of the matches and goals, the tales of scandal and triumph, the haggling and skulduggery of the bidding process, and the political and cultural tides behind every tournament. Jonathan Wilson details not merely what happened but why, based on fresh interviews and meticulous research. The book is as much about the legends of the sport, from Pel矇 to Messi, as it is about the nations that made them, from Mussolini's Italy to partitioned Germany to controversy-ridden Qatar. Brimming with politics, heart, and drama, on and off the pitch, The Power and the Glory is the definitive story of the greatest cultural event of our time.
Fight to the End
Ohio State entered the 2024 season with a championship-caliber roster and sky-high expectations. Newcomers Caleb Downs, Will Howard and Jeremiah Smith joined experienced Buckeyes Emeka Egbuka and Jack Sawyer to make good on that promise, battling their way to the title game where they vanquished Notre Dame and were crowned college football's best. Fight to the End chronicles the Buckeyes' legendary run to their first national championship in a decade and the seventh in their illustrious history. This commemorative book showcases memorable stories and in-depth analysis from The Columbus Dispatch alongside stunning action photography, tracing each step on the path to glory. Featuring every regular-season match-up as well as extensive coverage of the thrilling Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl victories, this is the definitive story of a championship for the ages.
Baseball for Dummies
Learn the basics of baseball as a player, spectator, or coach Baseball For Dummies gets you started learning about this popular sport. You can improve your fundamentals as a player, inspire your team as a coach, or enjoy watching baseball as a superfan. The book includes helpful illustrations and diagrams that make it easy to understand the rules. You'll learn about offensive and defensive strategies, hitting and pitching techniques, the roles of each player on the team, what managers and coaches do, and how to understand baseball statistics. In beginner-friendly terms, this guide also covers the differences between the Minor and Major Leagues, T-Ball, college baseball, and leagues around the world. Batter up! Get a handle on the basic rules, strategies, and skills of baseball Learn about the different baseball leagues--including recent changes to the rules--so you can have fun following the sport Improve your technique with tips on pitching, hitting, and fielding Delve into statistics and advanced concepts that will help you understand pro play This book is for baseball fans of every level, from beginners to loyal fans who want to know even more. Players and coaches will also love this book's advice on how to sharpen their skills.
Reimagining Talent Development in Sport
Reimagining Talent Development in Sport takes a fresh look at the processes, systems and fundamental beliefs about talent. It brings together researchers, practitioners and former Olympic athletes to re-imagine the way talent development programmes work and the foundational values they are built on. This book imagines an environment that is able to achieve both sporting success and long-term athlete wellbeing.Talent development systems are now part and parcel of all effective high performance sport systems in Olympic and professional sports. Talented young athletes are being recruited into programmes at ever younger ages as sports are looking to identify and attract athletes who they perceive have potential to become senior elite performers. However, there are fundamental challenges for talent systems in the way that they treat the young athletes within them. Just the 'mathematics' of talent development means that there will always be higher numbers of young athletes who are rejected by a system than ever become elite adult performers. So, we need new ways of thinking that allow us to find ways of nurturing athletic potential at the same time as developing the person. Reimagining Talent Development in Sport examines new ways of conceptualising talent programmes so that the young athlete is seen as a whole person first and an athlete second. The book touches upon a wide range of topics encompassing sociological perspectives, philosophical thinking and new ideas on re-defining 'success', as well as discussing programmes that are already being implemented in pursuit of creating more ethical and positive approaches to talent development. Accessible to both academics and practitioners, Reimaging Talent Development in Sport is key reading for practitioners and academics who have an interest in talent development, skill acquisition and coaching programmes.
The Caribbean Series
The Caribbean Series is a unique regional baseball event, the oldest of its kind. After starting in 1949 and enduring a decade-long sabbatical for political reasons in the 1960s, it was resurrected in 1970 and continues to this day. With seven countries competing, the Caribbean Series represents a source of pride for team owners, general managers, players, and fans alike. This book presents first-hand accounts from over 200 past players and managers, including details on 66 CS tournaments. With many details presented for the first time in English, this history presents the exciting Latin American baseball event in rich historical and personal context.
Let’s Play Two
Ernie Banks was the first African American to play for the Cubs, and he quickly became one of the best players in baseball. His brilliance on the field made him a Hall of Famer, but it was his boundless optimism that made him an icon. This book presents for the first time a complete portrait of the ballplayer, the public persona, and the man.
Auston Matthews
INSTANT BESTSELLER He shoots, he scores! From Arizona to Toronto, the definitive unauthorized biography of hockey's hottest sniper, Auston Matthews. For those growing up in the American southwest, playing football, basketball, and baseball are the stuff of childhood dreams. For Auston Matthews, however, the unlikeliest of desert sports--ice hockey--captured his imagination. From the first time he watched professional players when he could barely stand up on skates himself, he was completely mesmerized by the speed and action on the ice. No one could have predicted his unorthodox journey to the NHL, from Arizona to Switzerland to Toronto. The first pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft, Matthews is quite simply a scoring phenom. It's almost as if he can't not score. In his first NHL game he scored a record four goals against the Leafs' mortal enemies, the Ottawa Senators. He's been scoring at a torrid pace ever since, breaking records as he blasts pucks past startled goalies. The red light has become his good friend, a beacon to the success of one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the league. What he wants more than any scoring record, however, is a championship win, something all Leafs' fans have pleaded for since their last Stanley Cup win in 1967. Veteran sports reporter Kevin McGran, who covers the Leafs for The Toronto Star, talks to Matthews just about every day in the dressing room and at practices. McGran has spoken to dozens of Matthews's coaches, rivals, friends, teammates, and others in Auston Matthews, the first book about the sometimes enigmatic star of hockey's most storied franchise.
The Saga of Sudden Sam
The candid autobiography of all-star pitcher "Sudden Sam" McDowell, whose alcohol-fueled life quickly and famously spiraled out of control, and his ultimate redemption as a counselor for other athletes suffering from addiction.
