Bottom of the Ninth
In Bottom of the Ninth, Michael Shapiro brings to life a watershed moment in baseball history, when the sport was under siege in the late 1950s "A fascinating look at an almost forgotten era . . . One of the best baseball books of recent seasons." -Cleveland Plain Dealer Shapiro reveals how the legendary executive Branch Rickey saw the game's salvation in two radical ideas: the creation of a third major league--the Continental League--and the pooling of television revenues for the benefit of all. And Shapiro captures the audacity of Casey Stengel, the manager of the Yankees, who believed that he could remake how baseball was played. The story of their ingenious schemes--and of the powerful men who tried to thwart them--is interwoven with the on-field drama of pennant races and clutch performances, culminating in the stunning climax of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, when one swing of the bat heralds baseball's eclipse as America's number-one sport.
Soccer Against the Enemy
Soccer is much more than just the most popular game in the world. It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an international lingua franca. Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what makes different countries play a simple game so differently. Kuper meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to the Argentine general with his own views on tactics. He also illuminates the frightening intersection between soccer and politics, particularly in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, where soccer is obsessed over by the likes of Osama bin Laden. The result is one of the world's most acclaimed books on the game, and an astonishing study of soccer and its place in the world.
A Game of Inches
The only book ever to win both the Seymour Medal and the Casey Award as the best baseball book of the year, Peter Morris's magisterial encyclopedia of the national pastime will surprise, delight, and educate even the most knowledgeable fan. With its thousand-odd entries, A Game of Inches illuminates the origins of items ranging from catcher's masks to hook slides to intentional walks to baseball's reserve clause. Now with new material and completely redesigned in a one-volume paperback, the book remains endlessly fascinating, impeccably researched, and engagingly written.
The Glory of Their Times
"Easily the best baseball book ever produced by anyone." --Cleveland Plain Dealer"This was the best baseball book published in 1966, it is the best baseball book of its kind now, and, if it is reissued in 10 years, it will be the best baseball book." -- PeopleFrom Lawrence Ritter, co-author of The Image of Their Greatness and The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time, comes one of the bestselling, most acclaimed sports books of all time--a landmark oral history of the game.Baseball was different in the dead-ball era--tougher, more raw, more intimate--when giants like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb ran the bases. In the monumental classic The Glory of Their Times, the golden era of our national pastime comes alive through the vibrant words of those who played and lived the game. It is a book every baseball fan should read!Go inside the dugout during baseball's golden age to hear the firsthand accounts of: Baseball History Comes Alive: Go beyond the stats and feel what the game was like when it was tougher, more raw, and more intimate, told by the men who were there.First-Person Accounts: Listen to the vibrant, unforgettable voices of legends and journeymen alike as they share their personal stories of victory and defeat from baseball's golden era.Stories of the Greats: Sit down with icons like Rube Marquard, Tommy Leach, and Sam Crawford, who share candid memories of playing with and against titans like Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth.A Timeless Sports Classic: Discover for yourself why this meticulously researched book is considered by many to be the single best book on baseball ever written.
Beyond Belief
Josh Hamilton was the first player chosen in the first round of the 1999 baseball draft. He was destined to be one of those rare "high-character " superstars. But in 2001, working his way from the minors to the majors, all of the plans for Josh went off the rails in a moment of weakness. What followed was a 4-year nightmare of drugs and alcohol, estrangement from friends and family, and his eventual suspension from baseball. BEYOND BELIEF details the events that led up to the derailment. Josh explains how a young man destined for fame and wealth could allow his life to be taken over by drugs and alcohol. But it is also the memoir of a spiritual journey that breaks through pain and heartbreak and leads to the spectacular rebirth of his major-league career. Josh Hamilton makes no excuses and places no blame on anyone other than himself. He takes responsibility for his poor decisions and believes his story can help millions who battle the same demons. "I have been given a platform to tell my story" he says. "I pray every night I am a good messenger." Also, as part of the paperback edition of BEYOND BELIEF, Josh's journey has been updated to include developments in his recovery.
Safe at Home
In Safe at Home, Alyssa Milano--actress, blogger, and the mind behind the bestselling Touch sports-clothing line--tells the story about her lifelong obsession with baseball, revealing what the game has meant to her and why everyone should take a chance on nine innings. Her baseball story begins in Brooklyn, New York, where her father scorned the Dodgers for abandoning his beloved city. When he and his young daughter later moved out west for a fledgling TV show called Who's the Boss?, Alyssa learned one of the fundamental truths of the game: No matter where you are, no matter how old you are, baseball connects you to your past.From arguing about the importance of baseball history to criticizing Major League Baseball's response to the steroid scandal, Alyssa brings an intelligent, wry, and entertaining female voice to the world of baseball writing. The end result is a unique and unexpected book that is equal parts memoir, manifesto, and love letter to America's game.
The Leaderboard
Golf legend Amy Alcott talks with twenty-seven celebrated individuals about the one thing they have in common--the game they love. In this entertaining and fascinating collection of candid conversations, Amy Alcott offers a rare look at the personal lives and experiences--both on and off the golf course--of prominent entertainers, athletes, political leaders, and other influential figures. A fierce love of the game connects them all, but their varied anecdotes show how this magical sport has touched each of their lives in unique ways. Some highlights: Bill Clinton reveals why Hillary encouraged him to start playing again in his late twenties; Jack Nicholson explains how he began to play golf in his forties and became good enough to shoot a sixty-five; and Ben Crenshaw reminisces about his close relationship with Harvey Penick and about winning the 1995 Masters just days after serving as a pallbearer at Penick's funeral. At times poignant, illuminating, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Leaderboard is sure to inspire and capture the imaginations of golf fans everywhere.
Ed Barrow
Before the feuding owners turned to Ed Barrow to be general manager in 1920, the Yankees had never won a pennant. They won their first in 1921 and during Barrow's tenure went on to win thirteen more as well as ten World Series. This biography of the incomparable Barrow is also the story of how he built the most successful sports franchise in American history. Barrow spent fifty years in baseball. He was in the middle of virtually every major conflict and held practically every job except player. Daniel R. Levitt describes Barrow's pre-Yankees years, when he managed Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox to their last World Series Championship before the "curse." He then details how Barrow assembled a winning Yankees team both by purchasing players outright and by developing talent through a farm system. The story of the making of the great Yankees dynasty reveals Barrow's genius for organizing, for recognizing baseball talent, and for exploiting the existing economic environment. Because Barrow was a player in so many of baseball's key events, his biography gives a clear and eye-opening picture of how America's sport was played in the twentieth century, on the field and off. A complex portrait of a larger-than-life character in the annals of baseball, this book is also an inside history of how the sport's competitive environment evolved and how the Yankees came to dominate it. Daniel R. Levitt is the coauthor of Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way, winner of the Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award. He has also published numerous baseball articles and biographical essays
Undertaker’s Son
Undertaker's Son is an eminently readable, inspirational, account of how he rose from an unmotivated student in small-town Beacon, New York, to a nationally known figure who attracts attention wherever he goes.
Playing in Shadows
While baseball may have long been considered an all-American sport in which a melting pot could celebrate ethnic heroes like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, Connie Mack, and Stan Musial, racial segregation excluded blacks from an otherwise democratic picture. Such was certainly the case in Texas, where, in the state's first professional matchup soon after the Civil War, the R. E. Lees faced the Stonewalls--and African Americans, not surprisingly, played no part. Drawing upon oral histories and mining such rare sources as rosters and box scores from black newspapers, Rob Fink situates the semiprofessional West Texas Colored League against the rise and decline of professional Negro Leagues. From the 1880s Galveston Flyaways through Dallas shortstop Ernie Banks's signing with the Chicago Cubs in 1953, Playing in Shadows brings to light an important but little-studied inning in American sport.
A Course Called Ireland
The hysterical story bestseller about one man's epic Celtic sojourn in search of ancestors, nostalgia, and the world's greatest round of golf By turns hilarious and poetic, A Course Called Ireland is a magnificent tour of a vibrant land and paean to the world's greatest game in the tradition of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom Coyne was familiar with the last refuge of the adult male: the golfing trip. Intent on designing a golf trip to end all others, Coyne looked to Ireland, the place where his father has taught him to love the game years before. As he studied a map of the island and plotted his itinerary, it dawn on Coyne that Ireland was ringed with golf holes. The country began to look like one giant round of golf, so Coyne packed up his clubs and set off to play all of it-on foot. A Course Called Ireland is the story of a walking-averse golfer who treks his way around an entire country, spending sixteen weeks playing every seaside hole in Ireland. Along the way, he searches out his family's roots, discovers that a once-poor country has been transformed by an economic boom, and finds that the only thing tougher to escape than Irish sand traps are Irish pubs.
Baseball for the Utterly Confused
Play Ball!Everything baseball--from the popular Utterly Confused SeriesWhat's a foul ball? Or a swinging third strike? New fans, parents, and first-time coaches need no longer be Utterly Confused about baseball, as the popular series introduces the basics of the sport in a fun and easy-to-follow guide. Peppered with big league interviews and examples, Baseball for the Utterly Confused cuts through the jargon and history to deliver a complete guide to everything baseball. From little league to the majors, this informative guide brings the most casual fan up to speed on what's going on on the field and off of it.Provides a foundation for understanding the game through strategy, rules and scoring, statistics, major league players and moreIncludes easy-to-reference icons throughout the book that walk you through the basics and highlight key situationsFeatures interviews with major league notables and a special chapter on baseball history: The Golden Age, Divisional Baseball, The Dead Ball Era and moreFrom the intricacies of the game, its rules, rivalries, strategies, and standings, those new to the game won't feel like they're in over their heads. This book will break it all down.
The Physics of Soccer
Whether it's called soccer, football, or the world's game, soccer is fun and has been deemed the most popular sport in the world. Soccer is about motion. Physics is about the laws of motion, and it can be applied to ball games. Combining soccer and physics is one way to appreciate the high-speed aspects of the sport. In The Physics of Soccer, author Deji Badiru introduces basic mathematics and science concepts in an interesting, useful, and engaging way to enhance how the game is played. The Physics of Soccer teaches both players and coaches how to look at soccer in a new way-beyond the physical undertaking it represents-to understand the marvels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics that give soccer its life, power, and thrills. With a background as both a scientist and soccer coach, Badiru also examines the science behind game scenarios, field-based decisions, the geometry of field play, and strategies for assessing the implications of directional motions of opponents and teammates on the field. The Physics of Soccer is an essential resource for any team looking for an advantage that can make the difference between just playing, and winning.
The Physics of Soccer
Whether it's called soccer, football, or the world's game, soccer is fun and has been deemed the most popular sport in the world. Soccer is about motion. Physics is about the laws of motion, and it can be applied to ball games. Combining soccer and physics is one way to appreciate the high-speed aspects of the sport. In The Physics of Soccer, author Deji Badiru introduces basic mathematics and science concepts in an interesting, useful, and engaging way to enhance how the game is played. The Physics of Soccer teaches both players and coaches how to look at soccer in a new way-beyond the physical undertaking it represents-to understand the marvels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics that give soccer its life, power, and thrills. With a background as both a scientist and soccer coach, Badiru also examines the science behind game scenarios, field-based decisions, the geometry of field play, and strategies for assessing the implications of directional motions of opponents and teammates on the field. The Physics of Soccer is an essential resource for any team looking for an advantage that can make the difference between just playing, and winning.
Advances in Functional Training
In the seven years since the publication of his first book, Functional Training for Sports, new understanding of functional anatomy created a shift in strength coaching. With this new material, Coach Boyle presents the continued evolution of functional training as seen by a leader in the strength and conditioning field.
Tennis Shots
Juan Bracho has improved the module system of shots with more than 14,000 hours of on-court testing. The shots that were explained on DVD are now given to the student in this easy to follow manual. Thousands of students have improved their game using this system and now you can too! Coach Bracho is also the inventor of Griplock, the grip design with the bump at the end cap of the handle. This grip accessory gives you additional control and power to your shots. This manual gives the student a quicker understanding of the shot system than the DVD's. Here the student has the view of all the shots at once and in his mind, he can integrate what he has with what he does not have. Enjoy it!
The 1923 New York Yankees
The 1923 Yankees started the dynasty. With stars like Babe Ruth, Wally Pipp, Joe Dugan and Bob Meusel, they won the pennant by 16 games before claiming the franchise's first World Series title. Five Yankee pitchers won 16 games that year, led by Sam Jones (21-8), and the team finally defeated McGraw's Giants after losing to them in the Series two years in a row. This book covers that first Yankees championship team in great detail, taking the reader through the entire season, game-by-game.
Open 公開：阿格西自傳
From Andre Agassi, one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court, a beautiful, haunting autobiography. A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century Agassi's incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. He dyes his hair, pierces his ears, dresses like a punk rocker. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his lightning-fast return. And yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world's best, his greater confusion as he starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon. Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target. Agassi brings a near-photographic memory to every pivotal match and every relationship. Never before has the inner game of tennis and the outer game of fame been so precisely limned. Alongside vivid portraits of rivals from several generations--Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer--Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. He reveals a shattering loss of confidence. And he recounts his spectacular resurrection, a comeback climaxing with his epic run at the 1999 French Open and his march to become the oldest man ever ranked number one. In clear, taut prose, Agassi evokes his loyal brother, his wise coach, his gentle trainer, all the people who help him regain his balance and find love at last with Stefanie Graf. Inspired by her quiet strength, he fights through crippling pain from a deteriorating spine to remain a dangerous opponent in the twenty-first and final year of his career. Entering his last tournament in 2006, he's hailed for completing a stunning metamorphosis, from nonconformist to elder statesman, from dropout to education advocate. And still he's not done. At a U.S. Open for the ages, he makes a courageous last stand, then delivers one of the most stirring farewells ever heard in a sporting arena. With its breakneck tempo and raw candor, Open will be read and cherished for years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi's game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed, and power.
Doc
The definitive biography of basketball genius Julius Erving--the icon who transcended his sport and defined an era Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, was a wizard with the basketball, performing feats the world had never seen before: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks, which he was the first to glamorize. In a career that lasted from the 1970s well into the 1980s, he was one of the first players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that has prevailed ever since. He's also long been respected as a gracious, dignified, and disciplined man. As there are great men of history, there are great men of sports, and Dr. J is just such a man.This book tells Dr. J's amazing story, following his basketball journey from his Long Island childhood to the street games of New York City to a college career as his skills, reputation, and character grew. It follows his entrance into the ABA, where he revolutionized the game by glamorizing the dunk, and his conquering of the NBA, where he was Michael Jordan before there was a Jordan. It relates the family struggles he's had since leaving the game and charts the transformation of the man into myth.The first complete biography of one of the greatest and most popular basketball players of all timeDraws on interviews with Dr. J's childhood friends and his family to teammates and coaches at all levelsWritten by a New York Times sports journalist and author of Asphalt Gods: An Oral History of the Rucker TournamentIncludes Erving's years as a player with the Virginia Squires, New York Nets, and Philadelphia 76ersRead Doc and follow the incredible journey of the basketball genius who elevated the game off the hardwood and helped make it America's passion.
Geno
Controversial, confrontational, and driven, Coach Geno Auriemma is a force to be reckoned with -- and the most accomplished male coach in women's basketball today. In his relentless quest for excellence at the University of Connecticut, he has led the Huskies to five national championships. Yet his soul never rests. For Auriemma, life affords only the briefest moments of happiness -- a good round of golf, forty minutes of great basketball, a day at the beach with his family, a nice glass of wine -- while disaster is seemingly always waiting to strike. It's a fatalistic philosophy, a remnant of his hardscrabble early years, but it's an outlook that has driven him to unparalleled success. In this deeply personal memoir, Geno Auriemma reveals for the first time the man behind the legend. He talks candidly about his coaching style, famed for being one of the most demanding in all the sports world. He spills the beans about his stormy dealings with other coaches such as his archrival, Pat Summitt, of the University of Tennessee. And with warmth and a genuine love for his champions, he writes openly about Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Nykesha Sales, Rebecca Lobo, Swin Cash, and all of his other UConn stars who have gone on to stellar WNBA careers. You get a courtside seat to all of the action -- including an epilogue on the 2004-05 season, as well as interviews with the team's most celebrated players. A rare look inside the soul of a true competitor, GENO is the story of how one passionate man overcame his own fears to achieve an extraordinary record of success.
Urban's Way
"Members of the 'Gator Nation' are going to burn the midnight oil turning these pages because Buddy Martin will be boldly taking them where no Florida fan has gone before." --Tony Barnhart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/CBSTo write the Urban Meyer story, Buddy Martin enjoyed a vantage point rarely afforded authors in constructing the authorized biography of the University of Florida's high-profile coach. Martin takes the reader where no other journalist has gone before as he reports the most intimate details about one of the nation's top college football programs and its coach. During the show-and-tell story of the 2007 Gator season, Martin listened on the headsets in the coaching booth, monitored Meyer's locker room speeches, conducted in-depth interviews with assistant coaches and support personnel, ran on Florida Field with the team prior to the Gators game against Tennessee, and gave Tim Tebow his first Heisman Trophy quiz while having dinner together just weeks before he was named as the winner. Urban's Way, however, is much more than a look at the 2007 season. Martin dug deep into Meyer's background, from his growing-up days in Ashtabula, Ohio, under the strict guidance of his father; to his tumultuous days as a young assistant when he almost quit the profession; to the dynamics of his close relationship with mentors Earle Bruce and Lou Holtz; to the ultimate prize as coach of the 2006 national champion Florida Gators. Readers learn how Meyer was encouraged by his father and his wife, Shelley, to keep going; how his career took off at Notre Dame and then as a head coach at Bowling Green and Utah; how the Falcons came together after their historic "Black Wednesday"; and the impressive manner in which he championed diversity among players in Salt Lake City. Florida fans will be surprised to discover how close Meyer came to choosing the Notre Dame job over the one in Gainesville, despite his yearnings as a small boy to someday coach the Fighting Irish. Through his intense research--and talks with Urban himself--Buddy Martin provides an amazingly detailed look into how a football coach is made. This is not simply the authorized biography of one of college football's top coaches; Buddy Martin also gives fans the inside scoop on the 2006 National Championship. In the chapter "The Joy of Winning It All," players and coaches share their stories of that championship season that produced the middle leg of the "Gator Slam," leading to the good life on the so-called Cul de Sac of Champions, which Urban shares with Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan. It is rare that fans get inside the head of a top coach, but here full disclosure is offered about Urban's personal faith, his Plan to Win, and the inner workings of the Spread offense. Readers are also treated to Meyer's own breakdown of the national championship tape, including his Six Key Plays of the game. Buddy Martin shines a bright light on Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and one of the top programs in the country. This is a must-have for Florida Gator football fans and one of the most insightful books ever written on college football.
Putting My Way
The last word on putting from one of the greatest golfers-and putters-everJack Nicklaus is considered the greatest player of all time by countless golf fans around the world. His astounding tournament achievements (including a record eighteen professional major championship victories, among them six Masters), along with the powerful legacy he has built as a golf-course designer and golf book author, give him both an unrivaled grasp and multifaceted understanding of the game.Nicklaus's classic Golf My Way-the sport's all-time worldwide instructional bestseller--has helped millions of players improve their all-around game. In Putting My Way, Nicklaus presents his clear and cohesive approach every element of the craft of superb putting, from finding the right putter to the mechanics of stroking the ball, to the strategies involved in the most neglected part of golf by amateurs, despite it representing at least 45 percent of their play.Whether you're new to golf or have been playing for years, Putting My Way will help you take charge of your putting technique, practice, and execution and see results that lift your game.Explains every mental and physical element of putting, from equipment through greens-reading and stroking techniques to productive practice and foolproof strategizingReveals Nicklaus's own lifelong putting "musts," along with highly successful practice systemsIncludes 29 b/w illustrations and eight color paintings to help you understand Jack's concepts and better apply them personallyPacked with inside pointers and "how-to's" from one of the greatest putters ever to play the game, this book is the one you'll turn to again and again for the advice you need on how to become a permanently lower-scoring golfer through vastly improved greens work.
Top of the World
I'm on top of the world!" shouted Kevin Garnett after the Boston Celtics demolished the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers for a league-leading seventeenth NBA championship. Peter May chronicles the amazing run of the team, who went from having the second-worst record in 2007 to leading the pack in 2008.Drawing on interviews with the players, Coach Doc Rivers, and General Manager Danny Ainge, May charts the pivotal moments of the Celtics' magical season. From rebuilding the team to capping off their stunning year with another championship, Top of the World brings readers every key moment of the Celtics' wild ride.
The King and I
Howdy and Arnold's friendship began with a rather ordinary encounter nearly 50 years ago when Howard Giles snapped a simple photograph of his hero passing in a parade; it has since grown into a remarkable friendship between an American legend and his most ardent fan. Since that time, Giles has conservatively snapped more than a quarter-million photographs of Palmer. Sharing never-before-seen images of Palmer on and off the golf course over the past four decades, The King and I explores one of the most charismatic figures in the history of the game, from intimate private moments to extraordinary public events. The book is told with refreshing candor and wit by perhaps the ultimate fan of the man and also includes entertaining commentaries from Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, former President George H.W. Bush, Gov. Tom Ridge, and a host of colorful former and current PGA Tour stars.
Positive Impact Golf
This is the golf book anyone who plays the game must read. It will declutter your mind and free you to develop your own potential at whatever level you play, weekend amateur through to young aspiring tour player. Brian Sparks, a British PGA Pro since 1967, helps you to demystify all of the standard golfing jargon and show you how easily you can swing a golf club and hit a ball. This book is the natural antidote to the over-complex, mechanical way that most golf teachers now think you need to be able to improve. Scientific research now proves that this is not the way we learn. After showing you the power of traditional misconceptions about the golf swing Brian goes on to give you simple advice about how to cope with the bad shots this game will always throw your way. It is easy to understand and will prove to be the best purchase you ever made for your game. Although essential reading for all golfers it is particularly valid for women and for any man in the senior division. For you, it will take a lot of the unnecessary effort away from your game and leave you able to play 18 holes and go on to play another 9 with a smile on your face!
The Slot Swing
Top golfing instructor Jim McLean shares the secret to a better swing and a better gameIt's what every great golfer knows and every struggling player wants to know: how to find ""the slot,"" the perfect channel through which the shaft and club head can meet the ball on the downswing for a more powerful, accurate, and consistent swing.Great ball-strikers like Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, and Jack Nicklaus were slot swingers. Today, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk provide dramatic examples. Now leading golf instructor Jim McLean shows you how to find the slot to take your game to the next level. With step-by-step instructions and more than eighty illustrations by leading golf illustrator Phil Franke, The Slot Swing makes it easy.Shows you how to find the perfect channel for a more powerful and consistent swingShares McLean's secrets from more than twenty years as a top instructor to the greatest prosFeatures stunning two-color art by Phil Franke and a full-color foldout showing how the dramatically different swings of Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Bruce Lietzke and Jim Furyk all end up in the slotWritten by the author of the classic book The 8-Step Swing, named one of the 20th Century's top 15 golf instructionals by Sports IllustratedThis book helps you get out of a golfing rut, get locked in to your slot, and find the sweet spot in your game.
The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills
COACH YOUR TEAM TO PLAY BETTER, FASTER, AND WIN, WITH INNOVATIVE DRILLS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE"Simply fantastic! The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills is a treasure trove of information from around the world. I can honestly say that I have not seen nor read a more complete drill book on one topic that is better than this. Giorgio Gandolfi has outdone himself."- Kevin Sutton, Head Coach, Montverde Academy, and Assistant Coach for the Gold Medal USA Jr. National TeamAll coaches look for an edge that will help put their team over the top against their rivals. The Complete Book of Offensive Basketball Drills helps you take your team to the next level with the most effective offensive drills from the world's best coaches. Run practice sessions that can produce dominant players using these elite instructional workouts taken from around the globe. You'll bring a fresh perspective on the game to your players, all while teaching solid fundamentals, improving offensive performance, and driving up the score with teams at any level.Covering everything from basic footwork to fast breaks, with advanced variations for more experienced players and teams, author Giorgio Gandolfi has collected more than 150 drills from the best-of-the-best to equip you with the necessary skills to: Decide which drills are appropriate-and adapt them to meet each team's needsTeach fast breaks, screens, post play, and reboundingPrepare teams to shoot, pass, play the boards, and runTrain players to shoot and score under pressure"Gandolfi offers a truly global sampling of the finest thinking on how to attack the basket or get a shot off against a tough defender. . . . If it's effective in helping a player improve his pull-up jump shot or make a power move to the basket, it's here. Gandolfi has done the game a huge service--and made Planet Basketball a more intimate place--with this timely and invaluable book." --Alexander Wolff, Sports Illustrated senior writer and author of Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure, from the Introduction"Simply fantastic! This is a treasure trove of information from around the world. I can honestly say that I have not seen nor read a more complete drill book on one topic that is better than this book. Giorgio Gandolfi has out done himself with this book. . . . Great job!" --Kevin Sutton, Head Coach at Montverde Academy and Assistant Coach for the Gold Medal USA Jr. National Team "This book is one of the best. . . filled with valuable basketball information that has been tested and proven to help coaches and players alike. Giorgio Gandolfi has dedicated his life to helping improve the game and this is just another part of his continuing journey to provide the best basketball information out there!" --Kevin Eastman, Assistant Coach, Boston Celtics, 2008 NBA World Champions
War As They Knew It
The Vietnam War . . . Nixon . . . Kent State . . . The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time of total turmoil in America-the country was being torn apart by a war most people didn't support, young men were being taken away by the draft, and racial tensions were high. Nowhere was this turmoil more evident than on college campuses, the epicenters of the protest movement. The uncertain times presented a challenge to two of the greatest football coaches of all time. Woody Hayes, the legendary archconservative coach of Ohio State, feared for the future of America. His prot矇g矇 and rival, Bo Schembechler of the University of Michigan, didn't want to be bothered by these "distractions." Hayes worshipped General George S. Patton and was friends with President Richard Nixon. Schembechler befriended President Gerald Ford, a former captain and team MVP for the Wolverines. In this enthralling book, Michael Rosenberg dramatically weaves the campus unrest and political upheaval into the story of Hayes and Schembechler. Their rivalry began with Schembechler arriving in protest-heavy Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the height of the Vietnam War. It ended with Hayes wondering what had happened to his country. War As They Knew It is a sobering and fascinating look at two iconic coaches and a different generation.
Nice Guys Finish Last
"I believe in rules. Sure I do. If there weren't any rules, how could you break them?" The history of baseball is rife with colorful characters. But for sheer cantankerousness, fighting moxie, and will to win, very few have come close to Leo "the Lip" Durocher. Following a five-decade career as a player and manager for baseball's most storied franchises, Durocher teamed up with veteran sportswriter Ed Linn to tell the story of his life in the game. The resulting book, Nice Guys Finish Last, is baseball at its best, brimming with personality and full of all the fights and feuds, triumphs and tricks that made Durocher such a success-and an outsized celebrity. Durocher began his career inauspiciously, riding the bench for the powerhouse 1928 Yankees and hitting so poorly that Babe Ruth nicknamed him "the All-American Out." But soon Durocher hit his stride: traded to St. Louis, he found his headlong play and never-say-die attitude a perfect fit with the rambunctious "Gashouse Gang" Cardinals. In 1939, he was named player-manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers-and almost instantly transformed the underachieving Bums into perennial contenders. He went on to manage the New York Giants, sharing the glory of one of the most famous moments in baseball history, Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world," which won the Giants the 1951 pennant. Durocher would later learn how it felt to be on the other side of such an unforgettable moment, as his 1969 Cubs, after holding first place for 105 days, blew a seemingly insurmountable 8-1/2-game lead to the Miracle Mets. All the while, Durocher made as much noise off the field as on it. His perpetual feuds with players, owners, and league officials-not to mention his public associations with gamblers, riffraff, and Hollywood stars like George Raft and Larraine Day-kept his name in the headlines and spread his fame far beyond the confines of the diamond. A no-holds-barred account of a singular figure, Nice Guys Finish Last brings the personalities and play-by-play of baseball's greatest era to vivid life, earning a place on every baseball fan's bookshelf.
The Original Curse
IN THE GRAND TRADITION OF EIGHT MEN OUT . . . the untold story of baseball's ORIGINAL SCANDAL Did the Chicago Cubs throw the World Series in 1918-and get away with it? Who were the players involved-and why did they do it? Were gambling and corruption more widespread across the leagues than previously believed? Were the players and teams "cursed" by their actions? Finally, is it time to rewrite baseball history? With exclusive access to surprising new evidence, Sporting News reporter Sean Deveney details a scandal at the core of baseball's greatest folklore-in a golden era as exciting and controversial as our sports world today. This inside look at the pivotal year of 1918 proves that baseball has always been a game overrun with colorful characters, intense human drama, and explosive controversy. "The Original Curse is not just about baseball. It is a sweeping portrait of America at war in 1918. . . . In the end, the proper question is not, 'How could a player from that era fix the World Series?' It's, 'How could he not?'" -Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports, from the Introduction "Sean Deveney plays connect-the-dots in this intriguing account of a possible conspiracy to throw the 1918 World Series. Thoroughly researched and well written, The Original Curse is a must-read for baseball fans and anyone who loves a good mystery. Is Max Flack the Shoeless Joe of the 1918 Cubs? Deveney lays out the case and let's readers decide if the fix was in." -Paul Sullivan, Cubs beat writer, Chicago Tribune "This book gives the reader a fun and honest look at baseball as it used to be-- the good guys, the gamblers, the cheaters, the drunks, the inept leaders. But, more than that, it puts those characters into the context of Chicago, Boston and America at the time of World War I, and you wind up with a unique way to explain the motivations of those characters." -David Kaplan, host, Chicago Tribune Live and WGN's Sports Central "Deveney's painstaking study of the 1918 World Series between the Cubs and Red Sox argues that the Black Sox scandal was not an aberration and might have had an antecedent. Deveney's scholarship does not detract from his ability to spin a good tale: his tendency to imagine players' conversations will remind readers of Leigh Montville's The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth.... A welcome companion to Susan Dellinger's Red Legs and Black Sox: Edd Roush and the Untold Story of the 1919 World Series, Deveney's book contributes greatly to our understanding of this decisive period in baseball and American morals." -Library Journal
The Baffled Parent’s Guide to Great Basketball Plays
From one of the most highly respected college coaches in the nation, the only book to show how to teach winning basketball plays to kids age 14 and underLike no other, The Baffled Parent's Guide to Great Basketball Plays gives you a total playbook for coaching middle and junior-high schoolers through the ins and outs of on-the-court tactics. NCAA coach Fran Dunphy provides 75 winning plays complete with easy-to-follow instructions on how to execute each move for maximum scoring.
The National Pastime
The National Pastime offers baseball history available nowhere else. Each fall this publication from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) explores baseball history with fresh and often surprising views of past players, teams, and events. Drawn from the research efforts of more than 6,700 SABR members, The National Pastime establishes an accurate, lively, and entertaining historical record of baseball.
Boys Will Be Boys
New York Times bestsellerFrom celebrated sports writer Jeff Pearlman, author of The Bad Guys Won, a rollicking, completely unabashed account of the glory days of the legendary Dallas Cowboys 1990s dynasty.They were called America's Team. Led by Emmitt Smith, the charismatic Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin--and lorded over by swashbuckling, power-hungry owner Jerry Jones and his two hard-living coaches, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer--the Cowboys seemed indomitable on the football field throughout the 1990s. Off the field, this inside story reveals the 'Boys were a dysfunctional circus, fueled by ego, sex, drugs, and jaw-dropping excess. What they achieved on game day was astonishing; what they did the rest of the week was unbelievable.Boys Will Be Boys is the story of the Dallas Cowboys in their prime--a team of wild-partying, out-of-control glory-hounds that won three Super Bowls in four years and earned their rightful place in sports lore as the most beloved and despised dynasty in NFL history.This gripping work of sports journalism reveals the whole story: The Dynasty's Rise and Fall: Go inside the locker room and front office, from the unceremonious firing of Tom Landry to the back-to-back Super Bowl victories and the bitter divorce between owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson.Unforgettable Hall of Fame Talent: Relive the on-field brilliance of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, and the off-the-field chaos that followed them, Deion Sanders, and the rest of America's Team.Sex, Drugs, and Pro Football: An unflinching, behind-the-scenes look at the rampant partying, drug use, and jaw-dropping excess that defined the 'Boys when they weren't on the gridiron.Definitive NFL History: Based on hundreds of interviews, this is the definitive account of how the most dominant--and notorious--team of the '90s was built and how it all came crashing down.
Frantic Francis
When Francis Schmidt, a bow tie-wearing law school graduate with a bombastic personality, got started as a volunteer high school coach, football still followed Victorian tenets of caution and simplicity and often employed fewer than fifty plays. By the time "Frantic Francis" had risen through the ranks of small colleges on the plains to one of the top coaching jobs in America--head coach at Ohio State University in the 1930s--football was a wild, wide-open game, largely because of Schmidt's own daring style. With a mind that never stopped thinking about football, he created a playbook ten times larger than those previously used during his era and filled it with daring, complex plays that broke all the decades-old golden rules of offense. This book tells the little-known story of the man who forever changed the way football is played--and whose coaching lineage can be traced to such current names as Bill Walsh, Al Davis, and Mike Holmgren. Frantic Francis offers an unforgettable portrait of an eccentric character whose paranoid, manic, brusque, and profane ways shocked and confused even his players, but whose speedy, deceptive, and imaginative plays remade the sport of football. Although Schmidt's mania eventually sabotaged his career, his legacy was secure and the style he introduced continues to make football one of the most popular spectator sports in America.
Willie's Boys
The story of Willie Mays's rookie year with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, the Last Negro World Series, and the making of a baseball legendBaseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays is one of baseball's endearing greats, a tremendously talented and charismatic center fielder who hit 660 career homeruns, collected 3,283 hits, knocked in 1,903 runs, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and appeared in 24 All-Star games. But before Mays was the ""Say Hey Kid"", he was just a boy. Willie's Boys is the story of his remarkable 1948 rookie season with the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons, who took a risk on a raw but gifted 16-year-old and gave him the experience, confidence, and connections to escape Birmingham's segregation, navigate baseball's institutional racism, and sign with the New York Giants. Willie's Boys offers a character-rich narrative of the apprenticeship Mays had at the hands of a diverse group of savvy veterans who taught him the ways of the game and the world.Sheds new light on the virtually unknown beginnings of a baseball great, not available in other booksCaptures the first incredible steps of a baseball superstar in his first season with the Negro League's Birmingham Black BaronsIntroduces the veteran group of Negro League players, including Piper Davis, who gave Mays an incredible apprenticeship seasonIlluminates the Negro League's last days, drawing on in-depth research and interviews with remaining playersExplores the heated rivalry between Mays's Black Barons and Buck O'Neil's Kansas City Monarchs, culminating in the last Negro League World SeriesBreaks new historical ground on what led the New York Giants to acquire Mays, and why he didn't sign with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, or Boston Red SoxPacked with stories and insights, Willie's Boys takes you inside an important part of baseball history and the development of one of the all-time greats ever to play the game.
A Game That Forged Rivals
From their founding, the Massachusetts communities of Leominster and Fitchburg have shared the same river. More than that, they have long shared a special football competition that has sometimes spilled beyond the field. In A Game That Forged Rivals, author and historian Mark Bodanza captures the human drama of one of the nation's oldest football rivalries; the high schools of Leominster and Fitchburg have met on the gridiron for 114 years. This long-standing competition has weathered many challenges, including major developments in the sport, wars, economic turmoil, an epidemic, and technological and social change not imagined when the teams first met in 1894. Through all the years and contests, thousands of athletes have competed for pride and a belief that this game was the pinnacle of their football days. A Game That Forged Rivals shares the stories, dramatic clashes, and challenges that tested these young men both on and off the field. Compiled from newspaper articles, school yearbooks, game programs, eyewitness accounts, letters, photos, and archival records, A Game That Forged Rivals not only chronicles the development of football from its earliest days, but also tells the story of two communities that saw, in football, a way to grasp civic pride.
A Game That Forged Rivals
From their founding, the Massachusetts communities of Leominster and Fitchburg have shared the same river. More than that, they have long shared a special football competition that has sometimes spilled beyond the field. In A Game That Forged Rivals, author and historian Mark Bodanza captures the human drama of one of the nation's oldest football rivalries; the high schools of Leominster and Fitchburg have met on the gridiron for 114 years. This long-standing competition has weathered many challenges, including major developments in the sport, wars, economic turmoil, an epidemic, and technological and social change not imagined when the teams first met in 1894. Through all the years and contests, thousands of athletes have competed for pride and a belief that this game was the pinnacle of their football days. A Game That Forged Rivals shares the stories, dramatic clashes, and challenges that tested these young men both on and off the field. Compiled from newspaper articles, school yearbooks, game programs, eyewitness accounts, letters, photos, and archival records, A Game That Forged Rivals not only chronicles the development of football from its earliest days, but also tells the story of two communities that saw, in football, a way to grasp civic pride.
Football for the Utterly Confused
"There is something here for anyone who wants to coach or have a better understanding of the game. . . . It fills the gaps in many areas that aficionados may not even think about."--Jon Gruden, Super Bowl winning coach of the Tampa Bay BuccaneersIf you're new to football or share the couch with a die-hard fan, this is the book that tackles your toughest questions about what's happening on the field. Football for the Utterly Confused provides in-depth coverage of the rules, the positions, the scoring, the jargon, and the players on each side of the ball. Don't just walk by while others talk about last night's game. Join the fun with what you learn in this play-by-play guide.Let these Utterly Simple icons guide you!What to Watch ForClues you in to key points in the game and on the fieldFrom the PlaybookDefines all the terms you'll need to know to talk the talkHistorically SpeakingPuts all the details of how the game works in context, with stories of the greatest coaches, players, and games ever played
Six Good Innings
Summertime in Toms River, New Jersey, means two things: Tourists and Little League champions. The Toms River dynasty began in the 1990s, when its team made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, three times in five years, finally bringing home a historic world championship victory in 1998. But with each passing summer in Toms River comes renewed pressure, as the latest collection of twelve-year-old All-Stars strives to leave its mark on the town's imposing baseball legacy. In Six Good Innings, acclaimed sportswriter Mark Kreidler deftly illuminates the sometimes tense relationship between the town and the team that carries its hopes and dreams. With empathy, incisive reporting, and intimate access, Kreidler follows the most recent juggernaut through one tumultuous All-Star season, weaving the stories of the coaches, the parents, the fans, and the true "boys of summer" into an unforgettable tableau.
44 Years With the Same Bird
There have been football books which have told their tale through the partisan heart of a besotted fan, and those that have dissected their subject through the scientific mind of an objective writer. But rarely does one fuse the blind passion of a lifelong supporter with the cold eye of an award-winning journalist in the way 44 Years With The Same Bird does.That bird is the Liver Bird, and on the surface this book is a pitch-side view of the entire modern era of Britain's most successful football club. It is Brian Reade's take on the extraordinary stories behind the 48 trophies he has seen Liverpool lift since watching them en route to their first ever FA Cup win in 1965, right through to the Champions League defeat in Athens in 2007. It takes in all of the big nights that propelled the club to five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, twelve titles, countless domestic cup triumphs, bitter failures, the tragic disasters in Sheffield and Brussels, as well as the barren years of the late 60s and the 90s.But the book goes far deeper than that. It's about how football allowed a father who was separated from his son to forge a precious bond. How a football club can make a city that is dying on its knees keep believing in itself. How you should never, as a professional, get too close to your heroes. How being part of a disaster at a football match (Hillsborough) can leave you a mental wreck, unwilling to carry on, but how witnessing a miracle on a football pitch (Istanbul) makes you realize that no matter how low you sink, you should never give in.
A Champion's Mind
In A Champion's Mind, the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people "inside his head" finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this determination led to tennis domination, success didn't come without a price. Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about the personal trials he faced--including the death of a longtime coach and confidant--and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book's most riveting scenes are the devastating early loss that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to the game; fierce on-court battles with Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete's career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open. "A thoroughly compelling read that really probes the hard drive of a champion...All the emotion and insight that Sampras seemes reluctant to express during his playing days come spilling forth." --Jon Wertheim, senior writer, Sports Illustrated
The Putting Prescription
Voted One of Golf Spy's Top 25 Golf Books of All-TimeThe doctor is on the golf course!Dr. Craig Farnsworth has helped more than 125 Tour pros improve their putting games from good to outstanding. Now, you can raise the level of your game using the same innovative techniques that have helped Nick Faldo, Annika S繹ouml;renstam, Bernhard Langer, and many others become masters of the green. Whether you suffer from sloppy setup, tight grip, pushing, pulling, or "the yips," The Putting Prescription will cure what ails you!
Cincinnati’s Crosley Field
This illustrated book is a tribute to Cincinnati's Crosley Field and the history of the Reds.
Dare to Dream
The charismatic basketball coach at the University of Connecticut reveals the victorious secrets behind his team's breathtaking journey to the 1999 NCAA Division I National Championship--and along the way shares his philosophy for winning. It was one of those games that basketball fans will talk about for years. Here was the seemingly unbeatable Duke Blue Devils pitted against the first-time finalist Connecticut Huskies, and at stake was the ultimate crown: the National Championship. On that unforgettable night in St. Petersburg, Jim Calhoun and his amazing team wrote a new chapter in the storied history of the UConn Huskies program, putting the perfect exclamation point on a season to remember. But behind the high drama that fateful night in Florida lay an even more fascinating tale of one man's rise to college basketball preeminence. In Dare to Dream, the Huskies iron-willed coach, Jim Calhoun, for the first time shares his own story about his inspirational family and the tragedies they faced; about his early successful years at Northeastern, where he began to compile the first half of a unique double (he's the only coach to have won at least 250 games at two different Division I schools); and about his assumption of ultimate responsibility at the sleeping giant in Storrs, Connecticut. Along the way, Jim Calhoun paints fascinating portraits of the players who have done battle for him, and of the unsung heroes behind the scenes whose hard work and dedication to Connecticut basketball have kept the dream alive. In just thirteen years, Jim Calhoun has turned the Huskies into one of the leading basketball programs in the country, and in this moving, funny, and inspiring book, he takes us behind the scenes to show us just how he did it.
The Best Game Ever
On December 28, 1958, the New York Giants and Baltimore Colts met under the lights of Yankee Stadium for the NFL Championship game. Played in front of sixty-four thousand fans and millions of television viewers around the country, the game would be remembered as the greatest in football history. On the field and roaming the sidelines were seventeen future Hall of Famers, including Colts stars Johnny Unitas, Raymond Berry, and Gino Marchetti, and Giants greats Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, and assistant coaches Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry. An estimated forty-five million viewers—at that time the largest crowd to have ever watched a football game—tuned in to see what would become the first sudden-death contest in NFL history. It was a battle of the league's best offense—the Colts—versus its best defense—the Giants. And it was a contest between the blue-collar Baltimore team versus the glamour boys of the Giants squad. The Best Game Ever is a brilliant portrait of how a single game changed the history of American sport. Published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the championship, it is destined to be a sports classic.
