Love and Blood
Every four years the thirty-two-team, sixty-four-game World Cup captivates the planet's populace for a month. Work absenteeism skyrockets. Political campaigns grind to a halt. Fans mortgage their houses to buy tickets. And teams employ every means possible--even consulting witch doctors and astrologers--in their quest for national glory. Veteran soccer commentator Jamie Trecker traveled to Germany for FIFA World Cup 2006. Here, reported from the restaurants, trains, bars, town squares, hostels, press boxes, and brothels, is his unvarnished account of the games and parties, great plays and fistfights, gossip and tacky souvenirs that turn the largest sporting event on earth into a true world bazaar. With equal measures insight and irreverence, Trecker captures the passion, politics, controversies, and economics that make soccer a reflection of the world.
Gene Sarazen Shells World Golf
Behind-the-scenes story of this ground-breaking golf show from the birth of televised sports, as witnessed by the show's writer, Barkow, and host Sarazen's daughter. Includes 50 historical photos and 15 private letters to the legendary golfer Bobby Jones.
The Year of the Cat
Nineteen-ninety-six was a glorious season for the Carolina Panthers. They went 12-4, won all their home games at Ericsson Stadium, and in just the second season of their existence, beat the San Francisco 49ers twice and knocked the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys out of the playoffs. The Panthers' unprecedented playoff run was eventually derailed by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game, but not before Carolina had already established themselves as part of the NFL's elite. Nineteen-ninety-six was the year the Panthers made a name for themselves nationwide. It was the year of the cat. When Panthers' owner Jerry Richardson announced to the world in 1993 that Carolina would win a Super Bowl within ten years of their first season, many thought he was speaking out of turn. But after Carolina's stunning second-season success, his prediction seems conservative. With Richardson, general manager Bill Polian, and head coach Dom Capers, the Panthers have franchise-builders who can keep the team atop the NFC West for years to come. In Year of the Cat, award-winning journalists Scott Fowler and Charles Chandler go behind the scenes to explore Carolina's successful second season, and in doing so paint a vivid portrait of the players, the coaches, and the personalities that gave the team its identity and its first shot at winning an NFC championship: franchise player Kerry Collins, the Generation X, hard-throwing, hard-partying quarterback whose off-the- field behavior sparked controversy at a team meeting that turned the Panthers' season around; Kevin Greene and Lamar Lathon -- "Salt & Pepper" -- two ornery All-Pro linebackers whose distinct differences off the field translated into immediate success on it; Bill Polian, the fiery GM whose hard-nosed negotiations and astute football knowledge helped piece together a winning combination in the Carolinas; Wesley Walls, the good ol' southern boy from Pontotoc, Mississippi, whose lilting drawl and exciting play gave Carolina fans something to root for; Eric Davis and Sam Mills, the perceptive veterans and locker-room leaders whose defensive performances sparked many to emulate their inspired play; and Dom Capers, the meticulous, obsessive coach whose game strategy and leadership brought the fledgling franchise to the brink of the Super Bowl. Like any team and any franchise, the Carolina Panthers had their ups and downs: from the Reverend Billy Graham's inspiring dedication of Ericsson Stadium to the suspension of center Curtis Whitley for a drug-abuse problem that was never fully revealed until now, Fowler and Chandler chronicle the ins and outs of the Panthers' second season. From the sweltering heat of the Carolinas to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Year of the Cat is the inside story of the meteoric rise of the NFL's most beloved new franchise. Told with the wit, candor, and unflinching charm that have captivated the readers of The Charlotte Observer for two NFL seasons, Year of the Cat is a football fan?s dream and a Carolina fan?s keepsake.
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Seattle Seahawks documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining--and unsparing--fashion, this book sparkles with Seahawks highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infamous. Such moments include the Jim Zorn fake field goal and the heady play of Steve Largent, as well as the Brian Bosworth fiasco and the near move to Los Angeles. Whether providing fond memories, goose bumps, or laughs, this portrait of the team is sure to appeal to the fan who has been through it all.
As Hogan Said . . .
"Hit the ball up to the hole...You meet a better class of person there." --Ben Hogan No one knows exactly when the first golf quotation was spoken; nonetheless, we can be very sure it was unprintable. The game is a source of endless study, endless fascination, and endless frustration--which has led to an endless pursuit of wisdom about how to play it better. In the game's 500 years of history, it has drawn the attention of kings and commoners, pros and con men, stylists and butchers, bag-toters and sandbaggers. All have had something to say about the game, its implements, or the impossibility of ever plumbing its inner depths. Randy Voorhees has taken on the daunting task of choosing the best, most helpful, and most entertaining quotations about the game of golf. From Penick to Trevino, from Mackenzie and Wodehouse to Updike and McLean, all the greats of the game are here, with thoughts that will enlighten, entertain, and ensure lower scores. So read, skim, dip, and savor.
Black and Blue
Baltimore 1966. Suffering through a summer of heated racial animosity, baseball fans look hungrily to the Orioles to bring new respect to their once-great city. Their young team of no-name kids and promising prospects appears to have been strengthened by the recent addition of veteran slugger Frank Robinson - but the former National League MVP is bad news (it is rumored), washed up and unreliable. To lay these rumors to rest, Robby must play harder than he's ever played before. In his first year in the league, against unfamiliar pitchers in new ballparks, he resoundingly proves his worth -- to his city, his team, and himself -- by delivering a Triple Crown performance. Aided by a hilarious and memorable cast of characters -- the gentlemanly southerner Brooks Robinson and the wickedly inventive prankster Moe Drabowsky, a pitching staff of unknown kids like Jim Palmer and Dave McNally, and a gargantuan yet nimble fielder called Boog" -- Frank Robinson delivers his new team to its first World Series. But before they take it all, the Orioles must unseat the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers. With America's cities in mounting turmoil, Los Angeles seems like another world altogether, a sunny land of surfers and movie stars. Comfortably dwelling in this higher plane is pitching ace Sandy Koufax, arguably the greatest lefthander in baseball history, behind whom the Dodgers have won two of the previous three World Series, replacing the Yankees as the sport's dominant team. Though battling agonizing arthritis throughout the season, the godlike Koufax has nonetheless persevered to win twenty-seven games in 1966, a personal best. Few outside Baltimore give the Orioles more than a fighting chance against such series veterans as Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills, Tommy Davis, and the rest. Experts are betting that the Dodgers can sweep it in four. "What transpires instead astonishes the nation, as the greatest pitching performance in World Series history is capped by a redemption beyond imagining." -- Book Jacket
Basketball Drills, Plays and Strategies
The Only Resource You Need for a Standout Season All basketball coaches can use some fresh ideas for practice drills, game plays and strategies. Whether you are coaching beginners who need a place to start, or a successful team that just needs polish, Basketball Drills, Plays, and Strategies is a resource you can trust to produce positive results on the court. With over 160 drills and plays, this book covers every aspect of your season. It will help you run efficient and effective practices and improve your game in live competition. Step-by-step instructions, accompanied by diagrams and illustrations walk you and your players through every step of the way. Areas of the game that are covered in detail include: - Fundamental skills like dribbling, shooting, passing, and rebounding - Offense and defense - Inbound and tip-off plays - Presses and press breaks - Conditioning drills Because each drill and play includes adjustments to make things easier for beginners and more difficult for advanced players, you will be able to rely on this resource throughout your coaching career no matter what level you are working with. So don't let time run out--start preparing for your next season today!
Coaching Kids to Play Soccer
COACHES AND PARENTS OF SOCCER PLAYERS OF ALL LEVELS, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! Revised and updated with new information, drills, diagrams, and photos, this friendly, easy-to-use, fully illustrated guide shows coaches how to run a successful soccer team -- no matter how much experience they have or what level of soccer they coach. From building a roster to making sure everyone has a ride home at the end of the game and everything in between: - SETTING UP THE FIRST PRACTICE - TEACHING THE BASICS - DEVELOPING SKILL THROUGH DRILLS AND EXERCISES - LEARNING THE RULES - ENCOURAGING FAIR PLAY AND HEALTHY COMPETITION Emphasizing that kids should have fun, stay active, and learn about team spirit and competition, win or lose, the authors detail every step of building a soccer team that plays well and plays healthy, while having a great time. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the game, Coaching Kids to Play Soccer has the answers to every coach's questions. Don't start the season without it!
Remember This Titan
Bill Yoast is the real-life hero of Remember the Titans, the hit movie that chronicled the struggles of black and white high school football athletes to create a championship season in 1972 Virginia. A World War II veteran, Yoast helped to mold the lives of hundreds of men and women through his inspirational coaching style. Yoast offers his personal recollections from that now-immortalized season as well as the coaching philosophy he developed in over 30 years of his career.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Minnesota Vikings
Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Minnesota Vikings documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining--and unsparing--fashion, this book sparkles with Vikings highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infamous. Such moments include the "Purple People Eaters," as well as the 41-0 loss to the New York Giants in the 2000 National Football Conference Championship. Whether providing fond memories, goose bumps, or laughs, this portrait of the team is sure to appeal to the fan who has been through it all.
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. A Note from the Editor, Jim Charlton: This is the first issue of The National Pastime devoted to articles on "individuals in the game." An all-biographical issue, if you will, though this is a leaky umbrella over the subject: there are interviews, slices of players' lives, and write-ups of big games by players. One SABR wag commented to me that he "thought every issue of TNP was all biographical," but that has not been the case. The journal has always published a wide variety of articles on pennant races, pitching tandems, umpire uniforms, Cuban baseball, fair-foul hitting, integration, stadiums, women's baseball, and dozens of other topics. Whew! It is not, of course, the first dedicated issue of the journal. John Thorn and Mark Rucker put together delightful all-pictorial issues in the 1980s that were on particular topcis, such as 19th-century ball. In 1992, the estimable Peter Bjarkman edited an issue of TNP devoted to baseball around the world. These are among my most cherished issues of the journal, and for newer members, these are well worth seeking out and acquiring. This issue of TNP has some wonderful pieces on some surprising subjects. One is Jeff Obermeyer's profile of major leaguer Jim Riley, who also played in the NHL. Dick Thompson's article on Cannonball Bill Jackman is an illuminating piece on this little-known New England star. James Smith provides a warm portrait of longtime PCL personality Lester Cook, while Pete Bjarkman persuasively speaks to Roberto Clemente's groundbreaking impact on Latin players and baseball. The late Smoky Joe Wood proves to be as outspoken and interesting an observer as he was a pitcher and hitter. The cover article, by Steve Bennett, introduces us to one of the game's great characters, George Kromer. One of my favorite pieces is by one of my favorite musicians, jazz pianist and lyricist Dave Frishberg, whose albums have been nominated four times for Grammy Awards. Dave is the composer and singer of the wry and amusing "My Attorney Bernie," Schoolhouse Rock favorites such as "I'm Just a Bill," and the iconic "Van Lingle Mungo." He shares with us the creative steps on the writing of that tribute. You'll be humming by the end.
Soccer Academy
The practices are designed to inspire and motivate the players in real game situations that give them freedom of choice and movement both in and out of possession. The basic techniques of passing, dribbling, shooting, tackling and heading will all be used but with use to solve a match problem rather than constant repetition. The sessions have goals and objectives for both the attacking and defending players in order to aid the tempo, competition and enjoyment of the practice.
Brett Favre
Brett Favre is one of the most popular athletes in America, in all sports and his jersey is the sixth all-time bestseller in league history, according to NFL.com. This revised and expanded edition of Brett Favre: A Packer Fan's Tribute is a fitting salute to an American hero. This revised and expanded edition of the book contains everything from the first edition and more. Its chapters are devoted to the distinctive aspects of his play that returned the Packers to glory in 1996 with their twelfth World Championship and third Super Bowl victory.
Spalding’s World Tour
In October of 1888, Albert Goodwill Spalding--baseball star, sporting-goods magnate, promotional genius, serial fabulist--departed Chicago on a trip that would take him and two baseball teams on a journey clear around the globe. Their mission, closely followed in the American and international press, had two (secret) goals: to fix the game in the American consciousness as the purest expression of the national spirit, and to seed markets for Spalding's products near and far. In the process, these first cultural ambassadors played before kings and queens, visited the Coliseumand the Eiffel Tower, and took pot shots with their baseballs at the great Sphinx in Egypt. This expedition to lands both exotic and familiar is chronicled with dash and wit in Mark Lamster's Spalding's World Tour, a book filled with larger-than-life characters often competing harder for love and money off the baseball diamond than for runs on it. Getting themselves into scrapes and narrowly escaping international incident all around the globe, these innocents abroad gave the world an early peek at the American century just around the corner. For anyone interested in the history of the game--or the history of brand marketing--Spalding's World Tour hits the sweet spot.
Under the Boards
The true story of basketball lives as much off the court as on the hardwood; it is about politics and race and cultural clashes as heated as a final-four buzzer-beater. This story unfolds in all its gritty and colorful detail in Under the Boards. From the birth of the Larry Bird legend to the ascendancy of a hip-hop-infused NBA to the backlash against bling and the contemporary American game, Jeffrey Lane traces the emergence of a new culture of basketball, complete with competing values, attitudes, aesthetics, and racial and economic tensions. The revolution Lane describes resonates in the way Latrell Sprewell's assault on his coach forever changed NBA power relations; in legendary coach Bob Knight's entanglement in high school basketball history; in the dramatic shift in attitude toward European players; in the impact of the deaths of two rappers on rookie Allen Iverson's career; and in conflicting cultural models rooted in ideals of black masculinity and white nostalgia. In these moments Lane's book documents a profound change in basketball and in American culture over the last thirty years.
Paper Tiger
"Think country-club clinic meets Navy Seals training. I will pay any price, bear any burden, leave my home to follow the seasons, build my own swing studio in the basement, construct a practice green in my backyard. . . . Everything the big boys have access to, I want double." Like most amateur golfers, Tom Coyne had often wondered whether the pros won because they were more talented or because they were more obsessed. Overweight and burdened by a 14 handicap, he decided to find out for himself what it takes to play like a pro.Charting his journey, which included hiring top golf gurus such as Dr. Jim Suttie--Paper Tiger takes readers from the Michelob tournament (a win for Tom) to the Australian Tour--where forty-mile-per-hour winds and a driving rain scare off his Japanese partners. With each chapter, he tracks his weight alongside his handicap, pursuing his dream with a reckless abandon that comes to involve hardcore diets, pricey technology, even psychologists. With echoes of Dead Solid Perfect and Who's Your Caddy? Tom brings his uniquely edgy, deeply human perspective to a game that can simultaneously bring out the best and the worst in everyone who tries to master it.
Players and Pretenders
Players and Pretenders tells the story of the flip side of basketball's "March Madness," where the game is played by average players for love, not for money. At the end of the 1970s at Bard College, where there was no pretense of institutional support, Charley Rosen gathered his hoops hopefuls and put together a basketball season whose impact reached far beyond the court. Writing with a humorous touch, Rosen details the Running Red Devils' season, simultaneously examining the lives of those who made it so memorable and providing a glimpse of how the team members existed off the courts as both players and pretenders. His book playfully depicts the 1979-80 basketball season at Bard College and the "sports for fun" side of the game.
Don’t Ask What I Shot
"Golf . . . is a sport in which the whole American family can participate--fathers and mothers, sons and daughters alike. It offers healthy respite from daily toil, refreshment of body and mind." --President Dwight D. Eisenhower On January 24, 1953, four days after his inauguration, the New York Times reported that President Dwight D. Eisenhower had been spotted on the White House lawn practicing his short irons in the direction of the Washington Monument. This image of "The Golfing General" was one that the American public quickly became accustomed to, as Eisenhower is said to have played nearly 800 rounds during the course of his two-term presidency. He befriended the game's most beloved players, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, and Byron Nelson, and was the subject of hundreds of golf jokes and cartoons. The public's awareness of Eisenhower's obsession with golf led directly to the sport's mid-century surge in popularity. In Don't Ask What I Shot, noted historian Catherine M. Lewis offers a unique alternate portrait of Ike and this watershed period in American history. "Any time you have a person in the position of President Eisenhower, who was so enthusiastic about golf and had the press paying attention to his many excursions on the golf course, it was going to make people aware of the game and how much he enjoyed playing it." --Arnold Palmer "Don't Ask What I Shot is a fascinating examination of one of golf's pivotal decades, and the remarkable president who did more to popularize the game than any other in history." -Mark Frost, award-winning author of Grand Slam and The Greatest Game Ever Played "Whatever remained to be done to remove the last traces of the average man's carefully nurtured prejudice against a game originally linked with the wealthy and aloof was done by President Eisenhower." --Herbert Warren Wind, renowned golf writer
Ultimate Conditioning for Tennis
OVER 130 DRILLS AND EXCERCISES FOR STRENGTH, AGILITY AND QUICKNESS Tennis is a dynamic, explosive sport that requires a wide range of skills and a high level of fitness. To play your best, you must combine proper form with peak physcial ability. Ultimate Conditioning for Tennis offers a program for building a rock-solid physical foundation for developing a winning game. Including exercises for everyone from beginner to club pro, the book provides a complete program that incorporates aerobics, plyometrics and functional training. Each exercise is illustrated with step-by-step photos and explained in terms of how it will improve your game--from faster strokes to shaper volleys and perfectly placed passing shots. -Cover the court better-Add power to your shot-Hit perfectly placed winners
Playing a Round with the Little Pro
In the world of professional golf, everyone knows "The Little Pro," Eddie Merrins, the head professional emeritus at the Bel-Air Country Club. A living bridge between the Golden Age of the sport and the greatest champions of today, from Bobby Jones to Tiger Woods, Merrins is an embodiment of the highest principles of the game, both on and off the course. In Playing a Round with the Little Pro, Merrins shares, with his trademark wit and modesty, dozens of personal anecdotes about the decades he spent in the company of Hollywood stars, celebrated athletes and coaches, and countless lovers of the game seeking his advice and encouragement. He also offers, for the first time, all his insights into the mental, physical, technical, and spiritual aspects of the sport. Celebrating a wonderful life lived in and for the great sport of golf, this book is destined, like its author, to be a classic of the game.
Birth of a Dynasty
Following the crushing defeat to Seattle in the 1995 playoffs, the Yankees replaced Buck Showalter with Joe Torre as manager and sparked a championship run that would produce four World Series titles in five years. Teeming with revelations and glorious memories, Birth of a Dynasty celebrates the unforgettable 1996 Yankees season: the season that began one of the most respected team dynasties in sports history. Veteran New York Post columnist Joel Sherman, who has spent more time with the Bronx Bombers in the past 15 years than any other writer, draws on hundreds of interviews and years of on-the-spot reporting to re-create one of the Yankees' greatest years.
Soccerhead
Soccerhead is youth soccer coach Jim Haner's investigation into the origins of soccermainiaOn July 10, 1999, 100,000 Americans, mostly women, did something they had not done before, at least not in such numbers. They showed up to watch a soccer match. Their attendance at the 1999 Women's World Cup Final took the world by surprise, forcing it to recognize much about itself that it had been in denial of for quite some time. Who were these soccer fans? Where had they come from? Why had no one noticed them before? Award winning journalist Jim Haner asks these questions, and others, as he sets off in search of the origins of the American passion for soccer, uncovering the game's roots in an early industrial Northeast and following them up through the transcontinental suburban present. But Haner is by no means a passive historian of the game; he is the coach of the Hornets, a rag-tag team of ten nine-year-old boys and one determined little girl. Haner provides us with an intimate view of his team's struggles and successes over the course of season, and of his own transformation from reluctant soccer dad to authentic 'soccerhead'. Seamlessly weaving personal and historical narrative threads, Soccerhead is both an enticing memoir and a cultural inquiry of the first-order--enlightening, entertaining, and informative--shedding new light on a little known chapter of American history.
The Cheater’s Guide to Baseball
Ever see Mike Piazza block the plate? Or Derek Jeter slide hard into second? Illegal. But it happens every game. Baseball's rules, it seems, were made to be broken. And they are, by the players, the front office, and even sometimes the fans. Like it or not, cheating has been an integral part of America's favorite pastime since its inception. The Cheater's Guide to Baseball will show you how cheating is really done. In this lively tour through baseball's underhanded history, readers will learn how to cork a bat, steal signs, hurl a spitball, throw a World Series, and win at any cost!They'll also see the dirty little secrets of the game's greatest manipulators: John McGraw and Ty Cobb; Billy Martin and Gaylord Perry; Graig Nettles and Sammy Sosa; and, yes, even Barry Bonds. They'll find out how the Cleveland Indians doctored their basepaths to give new meaning to the term home field advantage. They'll delight in a hilarious examination of the Black Sox scandal, baseball's original sin. And, in the end, they'll come to understand that cheating is as much a part of baseball as pine tar and pinch hitters. And it's here to stay.
Shortened Seasons
Shortened Seasons recounts the stories of some of the baseball players who never made it back for the next game, who died with the suddenness of a walk off homerun. For them, there was no next year. From Hall of Fame caliber players such as Roberto Clemente, Thurman Munson and Ed Delahanty to players who were still finding their niche in the game like Ken Hubbs, Lyman Bostoc and Darryl Kile, Baseball's Shortened Seasons explores the lives and deaths of ball players of all categories and abilities, who were struck down at the height of their careers.
The Draft
An explosive look at the NFL Draft from the inside out that exposes the multilayered feeding frenzy that swarms around America's top college players.The Draft follows a handful of NFL hopefuls through the ups and downs of the 2004 college football season and the predraft process, culminating with the 2005 draft. Among the prospects are Virginia defensive end Chris Canty, who overcomes a devastating early-season knee injury to reestablish himself as a top draft hopeful, only to suffer a detached retina in a nightclub skirmish; and Fred Gibson, a talented but rail-thin Georgia wide receiver who struggles to put on the weight needed to go over the middle in the NFL. It's a complex environment, with college coaches attempting to protect their "student-athletes" from exploitation (while fully aware that they can only remain competitive if they attract NFL-caliber players to their schools), along with sports agents and NFL scouts trying to stay a step ahead of their competition. These parties provide a multi-angled view of the world of emerging NFL talent. The reader follows the season through the eyes of a host of power players and scouts, from veteran agent Pat Dye Jr. to Jerry Maguire clone Jack Scharf, to the coaching divisions of Florida State University and the University of Virginia--headed by longtime Bill Parcells disciple Al Groh. Also central to the narrative are the Atlanta Falcons and former executives Rich McKay and Tim Ruskell, who use a character-based evaluation system to set their draft board. These parallel stories weave together, culminating in draft weekend, to create a gripping and fascinating look at a world few see from the inside.
How to Coach Youth Baseball
How to Coach Youth Baseball is the perfect guide for parents and coaches of youth baseball teams. Whether you are new to the coaching game or looking for ways to improve your techniques, Beverly Breton Carroll and the father-son combination of Fran and Kevin O'Brien offer everything you'll need to keep growing - and keep your players enthusiastic and excited.
Love Me, Hate Me
From acclaimed sports writer and bestselling author Jeff Pearlman, a searing and insightful look into the life and career of Barry Bonds, one of the most celebrated, contradictory and controversial sports figures of our timeNo player in the history of baseball has left such an indelible mark on the game as Barry Bonds. In his twenty-year career, Bonds has amassed an unprecedented 7 Most Valuable Player awards, 8 Gold Gloves, and more than 700 home runs (and counting), an impressive assortment of feats that has earned him the consideration as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Equally deserved, however, is his reputation as an insufferable braggart, whose mythical home runs are rivaled only by his legendary ego. From his staggering ability and fabled pedigree (father Bobby played outfield for the Giants; cousin Reggie and godfather Willie are both Hall of Famers), to his well-documented run-ins with teammates and his alleged steroid abuse, Bonds inspires a like amount of passion from both sides of the fence. For many, Bonds belongs beside Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in baseball's holy trinity; for others, he embodies all that is wrong with the modern athlete: aloof; arrogant; alienated.Drawing on extensive interviews with Bonds himself, members of his family, former and current managers, teammates, opponents, trainers, outspoken critics, and unapologetic supporters alike, Pearlman reveals, for the first time, a wonderfully nuanced portrait of a prodigiously talented--and immensely flawed--American icon, whose controversial run at baseball immortality forever changed the way we look at our sports heroes.
The Lost Babes
A moving story of how a legendary football team was lost to tragedy - and how this disaster irrevocably altered the lives of the survivors and the bereaved families, and ultimately brought shame on the biggest football club in the world. The Manchester United team Matt Busby had built in the fifties from the club's successful youth policy seemed destined to dominate football for many years. Such was the power of the 'Busby Babes' that they seemed invincible. The average age of the side which won the Championship in 1955-56 was just 22, the youngest ever to achieve such a feat. A year later, when they were Champions again, nothing, it seemed, would prevent this gifted young team from reigning for the next decade. But then came 6 February 1958, the day that eight Manchester United players died on a German airfield in the 'Munich Air Disaster' - a date to be forever etched in the annals of sporting tragedy. Duncan Edwards, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Roger Byrne...the names were already enshrined in legend before the air crash, but Munich in many ways earned them immortality. They have never grown old. Jeff Connor traces the rise of the greatest Manchester United side of all time, alongside a vibrant portrait of England in the 1950s, but he also paints a dark picture of a club that enriched itself on the myth of Munich while neglecting the families of the dead and the surviving players. The repercussions and the toll the disaster took on so many linger to the present day. Drawing on extensive interviews with the Munich victims and players of that era, The Lost Babes is the definitive account of British football's golden age, a poignant story of the protracted effects of loss and a remorseless dissection of the how the richest football club in the world turned its back on its own players and their families.
Child Welfare in Football
Sport and those who run it have an important duty to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young participants. This text presents the findings of a unique research project into the experiences of a wide range of stakeholders in contemporary youth soccer, exploring crucial issues of child protection, social policy, and the culture and governance of sport. It covers: The youth soccer context - twenty-first century family life, the sports policy background, and the organisation, governance and culture of the English game Research findings - the experiences of children and young people, parents and carers, coaches, teachers, referees, Child Protection Officers, Football Development Officers, and those involved in women's, disability and professional soccer Issues in social policy research - methodological, ethical and management challenges Conclusions and implications - the benefits and limitations of different approaches to the protection of children and young people in sport. For researchers, professionals and decision-makers, this text provides important new insight into the impact of child protection policies, and into the potential for evidence-based practice in youth sport.
A Mathematician at the Ballpark
In A Mathematician at the Ballpark, professor Ken Ross reveals the math behind the stats. This lively and accessible book shows baseball fans how to harness the power of made predictions and better understand the game. Using real-world examples from historical and modern-day teams, Ross shows: - Why on-base and slugging percentages are more important than batting averages - How professional odds makers predict the length of a seven-game series - How to use mathematics to make smarter bets A Mathematician at the Ballpark is the perfect guide to the science of probability for the stats-obsessed baseball fans--and, with a detailed new appendix on fantasy baseball, an essential tool for anyone involved in a fantasy league.
Golf Heroes
For millions of people around the world Peter Alliss is the 'voice of golf'. In a long and distinguished career as a player and then broadcaster he has become synonymous with the sport. Now fully updated with brand new material this is his fascinating personal tribute to the fine players and wonderful characters who have stimulated his love affair with the game of golf for more than half a century. Featuring stars of yesteryear such as Bobby Jones Arnold Palmer Jack Nicklaus Gary Player and Tony Jacklin; charismatic crowd-pleasers like Lee Trevino and Seve Ballesteros; modern legends Tiger Woods Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie; and the pioneering women who have moved the ladies' game to new heights this is a highly entertaining collection and a must for all golf fans.
Mental Toughness
Working from a vast combined experience in professional baseball, the authors have broken down the elements of mental toughness into an easily understood package. Not only baseball players but other athletes as well as managers, coaches, and parents can learn how elements like attitude, confidence, and the ability to focus and make adjustments are built and how they can help players reach their maximum performance. With a Foreword by Tony La Russa. "A must-read for future athletes and non-athletes alike."-Mark McGwire.
The Last Banner
From Simon & Schuster, The Last Banner by Peter May is the story of the 1985-1986 Celtics--the NBA's greatest team of all time. The Last Banner offers a behind the scenes look at this team with up close and personal profiles of the unforgettable players, coaches, and opponents that made the 1985-1986 Celtics truly unique.
The Best Show in Football
For ten years the Cleveland Browns compiled a better record and won more championships than any team in pro football history. In their first game they set an all-time attendance record and consistently drew the largest crowds of the post-World War II era. They dominated an upstart league and then silenced their detractors by doing the same to the NFL. The Browns were led by Paul Brown, a football visionary who changed pro football. Most important among his innovations was the leading role the franchise played in the integration of pro sports. While much of their competition continued with the racial exclusion of the past, the Browns featured some of the greatest black players of all-time, men who were an integral part of the Cleveland dynasty. The Best Show in Football: The 1946-1955 Cleveland Browns, Pro Football's Greatest Dynasty tells the story of those players and that dynasty. Included in that story is the construction of the Browns as well as accounts of the team's many victories. Dozens of interviews bring to life the exploits of Otto Graham, Bill Willis, Marion Motley, Lou Groza, Mac Speedie, Len Ford, Dante Lavelli, Frank Gatski, and so many others. In rich detail, The Best Show in Football demonstrates why Cleveland's dynasty was the greatest ever, greater even than several teams that are usually accorded that honor. The conclusions may be surprising but the evidence is all here. And along the way author Andy Piascik provides a wonderful trip back to football's golden age.
How Good Do You Want to Be?
The winning philosophy for creating and inspiring success that will help you triumph at work and in life from renowned football coach Nick Saban--with a foreword by Bill Belichick Excellence doesn't happen overnight. It comes from hard work, consistency, the drive to be the best, and a passion for what you do. Few understand this better than Nick Saban. With more than three decades of experience as a player and coach, Saban has worked alongside some of the game's legends and has seen firsthand how great leaders encourage greatness in others. In this candid and thoughtful guide, he shares his unique wisdom: - Organization, Organization, Organization: Create an environment where everybody knows his or her responsibilities--and each is responsible to the entire group.- Motivate to Dominate: Understand the psychology of teams and individuals, and use that knowledge to breed success.- No Other Way than Right: Practice ethics and values--and demand the same from your team.- Look in the Mirror: Maintain an understanding of who you are by knowing your strengths and your weaknesses. How Good Do You Want to Be? is more than the story of how Nick Saban motivates his staff and players to excel--it is also the memoir of one of America's most successful coaches. Filled with instructive anecdotes and illuminated by never-before-told stories of his life and career, this is a book that challenges and inspires us all to be our best.
Blood Feud
In Blood Feud, Colorado Avalanche beat writer Adrian Dater not only submits that the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry was the most feverish match-up in recent years, but also that there was none better played.
Crossing the Line
From 1947, when Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, through 1959, when the Boston Red Sox became the last Major League team to integrate, more than a hundred African American baseball players crossed the color line and made it to the Major Leagues. Each of these players is profiled in this comprehensive book, which includes their statistics and capsule biographies, their triumphs and trials. Some of these players became superstars of the game and eventual Hall of Famers--Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Roy Campanella, and Bob Gibson; most were average players. All were pioneers, facing down the enormous difficulties of integrating organized baseball. The authors provide a new preface and appendix for this Bison Books edition.
Ahead of the Game
More and more people are realising that, as with all areas of life, your results in sport depend crucially on your ability to use your mind effectively. Certainly many elite sports performers say that the mental aspects of the sport make the difference between being a champion or not. The way you use your mind determines the level of success and fulfilment you gain from sport, whether at professional or recreational level. Ahead of the Game is written for sports coaches, athletes and players of all levels who want to learn some leading edge yet tried and tested techniques and approaches to using your mind more effectively, and helping others to do the same. It draws on many of the techniques from Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), proven methods to achieve success. Ahead of the Game takes you through the techniques and approaches step by step, and is full of practical exercises and examples of how these techniques have been used with athletes so that you can adapt the techniques to suit you.
Beyond the Boys of Summer
"Roger Kahn has spun everyday sports stories into gilded literature."--San Diego Union Tribune"Kahn's fly-on-the-wall style brings to life players most of us knew only from their bubblegum cards."--Dallas Morning NewsFrom the greatest sportswriter of his generation, Beyond the Boys of Summer features the best of Roger Kahn's newspaper and magazine work, plus selected excerpts from his celebrated books.
The Conscience of the Game
Baseball once evoked all that was wholesome and sound in the world of sports: team spirit and fair play. But recently the national pastime has exemplified much of what is wrong with the American sporting scene, from steroid abuse and conflicts of interest to antitrust maneuvers and gambling scandals. In one fan's journey across the often unforgiving and frequently mysterious terrain known as "the best interests of the game," this book examines the office of the commissioner of baseball and offers a fair and original assessment of how--or whether--the commissioner truly acts as the conscience of America's game. Written in a style at once conversational and provocative, and informed by the history of the game, the office, and the nine men who have held it, The Conscience of the Game looks at the office of baseball commissioner from its beginnings in 1920 to the present. Throughout, Larry Moffi addresses the fundamental issues of the office's relevance and effectiveness today. He responds to a critical question: With the office a mere arm of the corporation that operates major league baseball and the present commissioner vilified as no predecessor has been, what can be done now to return the office to the game--and to the fans--it purports to serve?
The Wow Boys
In 2002 ESPN rated football's shift to the modern T-formation offense as the second best sports innovation of all time--just behind baseball's free agency. The story behind the move to the T-formation is also the story of a season unparalleled in the annals of college football--the year Stanford's new coach, fresh from seven dismal seasons with the University of Chicago, deployed an out-of-favor offense to take a team of talented underdogs to a Rose Bowl victory. The Wow Boys (the title refers to the nickname the team earned at its very first game) chronicles Stanford's miraculous 1940 season, from the surprise hiring of coach Clark Shaughnessy and his marshalling of the previously untapped talents of left-handed quarterback Frankie Albert, runners Hugh Gallarneau and Pete Kmetovic, and fullback Norm Standlee, to his reintroduction of the T-formation and its profound and enduring effect on football. James W. Johnson gives a game-by-game rundown of this dramatic season as well as an in-depth account of Shaughnessy's accomplishment in the face of overwhelming criticism and skepticism. This story is one of tenacity, character, and radical ideas prevailing against formidable odds--a sports revolution engineered one play at a time.
Blue Blood
Blue Blood is a thrilling chronicle of the Duke-Carolina rivalry as it has evolved over the last fifty years. With unparalleled insider access, veteran journalist and author Art Chansky details the colorful, revered, and respected rivalry--for the first time ever."It's not about me versus Dean, or me against Roy or Dean against Vic Bubas. Duke and Carolina will be here forever."--Mike Krzyzewski For fifty years the rivalry between Duke and Carolina has featured famous brawls, endless controversy, long-nurtured hatred--and some of the best basketball ever played in the history of the sport. For Duke and UNC players and fans, the competition is not about winning a prize, trophy or title--it's about bragging rights and raw pride. The Duke-Carolina rivalry has fostered more than thirty former players from the two schools playing or coaching in the NBA; it has enchanted a nation of spectators to watch games between the archrivals--garnering some of the highest regular-season TV ratings in history. Blue Blood celebrates the history of this rivalry, the traditions, the heritage, and, most importantly--spectacular basketball.
The Game Within the Game
Walt Frazier, one of the greatest guards ever to play the game, writes about "old school ball" and his ideas for reinvigorating the sport In The Game Within the Game, basketball legend Walt Frazier looks at basketball from both a historical and personal viewpoint. When Frazier first started playing the game, discipline and strategy were more highly valued than in today's game, which he describes as having devolved into "a playground fest of dunks and threes." The old-school style of Frazier's past emphasized substance over style, contrary to the current state of the game, where celebrity and flashy moves dominate. In lively and accessible language, Frazier writes about how important "the game within the game" really is. He emphasizes timing and mental skill, far more than dazzling moves, as the strengths that today's players need to hone in order to achieve success. Frazier makes some controversial points, aimed at new basketball players."The game within the game starts with players respecting their coaches, their teammates, and the opposing team. The Indiana Pacers had a good chance of winning the NBA championship last year before Artest erupted. They had a record of 16 wins and only 8 losses at the time the brawl occurred and were touted as the team with the best chance of dethroning the Pistons in the East.Artest had been out of control for a long time. The Pacers tried to rein him in by suspending him earlier in the season, but Artest didn't learn his lesson. He is a product of his times. Basketball is a microcosm of life. Walking down the street today, guys want their props. If you bump into a young guy, he might go off. It's carried over into the NBA. The guys in the league today are young and they often have a similar mindset."
Sacred Hoops
With a new introduction, Phil Jackson's modern classic of motivation, teamwork, and Zen insight is updated for a whole new readership "Not only is there more to life than basketball, there's a lot more to basketball than basketball." --Phil Jackson Eleven years ago, when Phil Jackson first wrote these words in Sacred Hoops, he was the triumphant head coach of the Chicago Bulls, known for his Zen approach to the game. He hadnt yet moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he would bring his total to an astounding nine NBA titles. In his thought-provoking memoir, he revealed how he directs his players to act with a clear mind--not thinking, just doing; to respect the enemy and be aggressive without anger or violence; to live in the moment and stay calmly focused in the midst of chaos; to put the "me" in service of the "we" -- all lessons applicable to any person's life, not just a professional basketball player's. This inspiring book went on to sell more than 400,000 copies. In his new introduction, Jackson explains how the concepts in Sacred Hoops are relevant to the issues facing his current team--and today's reader.
Next Man Up
In the NFL there is only one certainty: that every day, someone will have to be the Next Man Up. Football is an unrelentingly punishing sport, played and practiced at undiminished intensity, and it devours its players. Confronting injuries, trades, and the grim reality of competition, every NFL team prepares constantly for the likelihood -- the certainty -- that even franchise players can go down at any time. And someone new must be ready, trained, and primed to step in at the highest level. Bestselling sportswriter John Feinstein persuaded one NFL team to lift the extraordinary secrecy that shrouds the sport and let him see how a team operates at the closest level. One team let him join every practice, every coaches' meeting, every players' gathering, every strategy debate. From the give-and-take of draft day, into the grinder of summer training camps, and from 100-degree practice games to the last game in frigid conditions, Feinstein reveals how a football team works -- or fails to work -- as no writer has done before. Next Man Up unveils rituals (what a coach tells a player at the moment he cuts him); rules (the inanities of league-appointed "uniform Nazis"); conflicts (the scouts vs. the coaches, the general managers vs. the agents, the offense vs. the defense, the special teams coaches vs. everybody); money (how much a journeyman makes, and how his life differs from the multi-million-dollar-a-year star players)-every nuance of a team's life, from the owner's goals to the coach's day-to-day travails to the feeling of the sleet-soaked ball in the hands of a receiver on artificial turf. The access John Feinstein enjoyed allows him to discuss with equal understanding the owner's management strategy, the coaches' and coordinators' plans for each new game, and how it all affects the players themselves. Anyone who loves football -- any team, in any era -- will savor the thousands of details revealed here for the first time, and the extraordinary drama that goes into following week after week, the most sensational sport in America.
Inside Pitch
From the spark of ambition to play baseball professionally to the necessity of reinventing life after baseball, the anthropologist and former Minor Leaguer George Gmelch describes the lives of the men who work at America's national game. Twenty-four years after his own final road trip as a minor leaguer, Gmelch went back on the road with ballplayers, this time with a pen and pad to record the details of life around the diamond. Drawing on more than one hundred interviews with Major and Minor League players, coaches, and managers, Gmelch explores players' experiences throughout their careers: being scouted, becoming a rookie, moving through or staying in the Minors, preparing mentally and physically to play day after day, coping with slumps and successes, and facing retirement. He examines the ballplayers' routines and rituals, describes their joys and frustrations, and investigates the roles of wives, fans, and groupies in their lives. Based on his own experience as a player in the 1960s, Gmelch charts the life cycle of the modern professional ballplayer and makes perceptive comparisons to a previous generation of players. George Gmelch is a former first baseman in the Detroit Tigers farm system and a professor of anthropology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He is the author of nine books, including Baseball without Borders: The International Pastime (Nebraska 2006) and In the Ballpark: The Working Lives of Baseball People (with J. J. Weiner), available in a Bison Books edition.
Glory Days
Buck Buchanan was the beloved equipment manager for the Dallas Cowboys for twenty-five years, during which time the Cowboys won four of their five Super Bowls led by such legendary stars as Roger Staubach, Hollywood Henderson, Randy White, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Bob Hayes, Lee Roy Jordan, and of course larger-than-life coach Tom Landry. In these pages Buchanan provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at America's Team, from the logistics of moving equipment for away games, to the proclivities and needs of individual players.
