The Big 50: Cincinnati Reds
The Big 50: Cincinnati Reds is an amazing, full-color look at the 50 men and moments that made the Reds the Reds. Experienced sportswriters Chad Dotson and Chris Garber recount the living history of the Reds, counting down from No. 50 to No. 1. Big 50: Reds brilliantly brings to life the Reds remarkable story, from Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin to the roller coaster that was Pete Rose to the team's 1990 World Series championship and Todd Frazier's 2015 Home Run Derby win.
The Umpire Is Out
Dale Scott's career as a professional baseball umpire spanned nearly forty years, including thirty-three in the Major Leagues, from 1985 to 2017. He worked exactly a thousand games behind the plate, calling balls and strikes at the pinnacle of his profession, interacting with dozens of other top-flight umpires, colorful managers, and hundreds of players. Scott has enough stories about his career on the field to fill a dozen books, but what makes Scott's book truly different is his unique perspective as the only umpire in the history of professional baseball to come out as gay during his career, after decades of maintaining a public facade of straightness. He navigated this obstacle course at a time when his MLB career was just taking off--and when North America was consumed by the AIDS epidemic. Scott's story isn't only about leading a double life, then opening himself up to the world and discovering a new generosity of spirit. It's also a baseball story, filled with insights and memorable anecdotes that come so naturally from someone who spent decades among the world's greatest baseball players, managers, and games. Scott's story is fascinating both for his umpiring career and for his being a pioneer for LGBTQ people within baseball and across sports.
Game, Set, Life
In 1969, tennis great Arthur Ashe, collaborating with others, founded the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. It aims to use tennis as a tool to teach young people how to be successful leaders, collaborative teammates, and productive citizens. In Game, Set, Life, author Albert Stark draws on his experiences as a national-level tennis player and then coach, mentor, and board member of NJTL of Trenton (New Jersey) to share personal stories from some of those most empowered by the organization. Each story in this history is a testament to how dedication can inspire dreams and unlock potential for every individual. Through the combined efforts of coaches, players, mentors, and volunteers, NJTL of Trenton has built a powerful community that makes a significant impact every day. Perfect for readers interested in sports, education, social justice, education, and the intersection of those, Game, Set, Life offers an example of an incredibly successful community effort: For the past fourteen years, every graduate from the NJTLT program has been admitted to a college or technical school, many with scholarships and grants. If you want to be both inspired and instructed about how to be a gift to the community, read this book.With Game, Set, Life as a blueprint, other NJTL chapters may also feel compelled to share their stories-or consider their own greater potential to fully realize the fundamental mission of NJTLT: to enrich the lives of under-resourced youth through innovative tennis, education, and mentoring programs.
Game, Set, Life
In 1969, tennis great Arthur Ashe, collaborating with others, founded the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network. It aims to use tennis as a tool to teach young people how to be successful leaders, collaborative teammates, and productive citizens. In Game, Set, Life, author Albert Stark draws on his experiences as a national-level tennis player and then coach, mentor, and board member of NJTL of Trenton (New Jersey) to share personal stories from some of those most empowered by the organization.Each story in this history is a testament to how dedication can inspire dreams and unlock potential for every individual. Through the combined efforts of coaches, players, mentors, and volunteers, NJTL of Trenton has built a powerful community that makes a significant impact every day. Perfect for readers interested in sports, education, social justice, education, and the intersection of those, Game, Set, Life offers an example of an incredibly successful community effort: For the past fourteen years, every graduate from the NJTLT program has been admitted to a college or technical school, many with scholarships and grants.If you want to be both inspired and instructed about how to be a gift to the community, read this book.With Game, Set, Life as a blueprint, other NJTL chapters may also feel compelled to share their stories-or consider their own greater potential to fully realize the fundamental mission of NJTLT: to enrich the lives of under-resourced youth through innovative tennis, education, and mentoring programs.
Kingdom on Fire
In the tradition of Blood in the Garden and Three-Ring Circus comes a bold history of the iconic UCLA Bruins championship teams led by legendary coach John Wooden--set against the turmoil of American culture in the 1960s and '70s. Few basketball dynasties have reigned supreme like the UCLA Bruins did over college basketball from 1965-1975 (seven consecutive titles, three perfect records, an eighty-eight-game winning streak that remains unmatched). At the center of this legendary franchise were the now-iconic players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, naturally reserved personalities who became outspoken giants when it came to race and the Vietnam War. These generational talents were led by John Wooden, a conservative counterweight to his star players whose leadership skills would transcend the game after his retirement. But before the three of them became history, they would have to make it--together. Los Angeles native and longtime sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, Scott Howard-Cooper draws on more than a hundred interviews and extensive access to many of the principal figures, including Wooden's family, to deliver a rich narrative that reveals the turmoil at the heart of this storied college basketball program. Making the eye-opening connections between UCLA and the Nixon administration, Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, and others, Kingdom on Fire puts the UCLA basketball team's political involvement and influence in full relief for the first time. "Perceptive and exciting, this is a slam dunk for college hoops fans" (Publishers Weekly).
Talking Baseball with Major League Stars
An entertaining and illuminating inside look at Major League Baseball through the words of the players themselves. Imagine you had the opportunity to sit down with ballplayers such as Hank Aaron, Greg Maddux, Joe Torre, and Nolan Ryan. You might ask them about their star teammates and hated opponents. You might talk about the obstacles they overcame and the strategies that led to their success. Or you might just talk about life in the majors. In Talking Baseball with Major League Stars, Wayne Stewart provides readers with all that and more. Featuring over 45 years of interviews, Stewart details the history, tactics, and inside stories of the national pastime with unique perspectives that only the players, coaches, and managers could provide. They discuss the most difficult pitchers they faced, the unwritten rules, the game's wildest characters, cheating, intimidation, the players they most admire, racism in and around the sport, and their fears and doubts, along with candid stories never heard before. Including exclusive insight from more than fifty Hall of Famers and countless award winners, and covering nearly one hundred different topics, Talking Baseball with Major League Stars is a fascinating behind-the-scenes journey into the world of professional baseball.
Shattering the Glass
American women's basketball has reached new peaks of interest and popularity, thanks to spellbinding athletes, exhilarating games, and a vibrant, empowered vision of womanhood. Shattering the Glass stands as the definitive history of the sport. Combining extensive historical research with dozens of oral history interviews, Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford bring life and depth to stories of the many generations of female athletes who have fought for liberation on and off the court.In this new and substantially expanded edition, Grundy and Shackelford provide a fresh view of the sport that extends to the present. They chart the expanding visibility of college programs, the growing dynamism of the WNBA, and players' courageous leadership on social issues such as sexuality and race, drawing on the actions and reflections of stars such as Seimone Augustus, Kim Mulkey, Brittney Griner, Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Breanna Stewart, Dawn Staley, and Caitlin Clark. The result is a compelling story of women's empowerment through sport over the past century.
Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Art Shamsky, 1969 New York Met and noted author, shares with readers stories and anecdotes from his 50-year association with the New York Mets. Through stories of varying lengths, readers will be privy to behind-the-scenes and first-hand accounts of the New York Mets from lovable losers to impossible winners in 1969, and beyond, including stories about today's players. We witness the leadership of Tom Seaver, the steady hand of manager Gil Hodges, what it was like to share right field with charismatic Ron Swoboda, what it was like to grace a magazine cover with 1960s supermodel Lauren Hutton, in addition to a wealth of stories about the Mets, the organization, and its star players over the past half century.
Why We Love Baseball
NEW YORK TIMES bestseller Winner of the CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year National Sports Media Association Sports Book of the Year An NPR "Book of the Day" #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski is back with a masterful ode to the game: a countdown of 50 of the most memorable moments in baseball's history, to make you fall in love with the sport all over again. Posnanski writes of major moments that created legends, and of forgotten moments almost lost to time. It's Willie Mays's catch, Babe Ruth's called shot, and Kirk Gibson's limping home run; the slickest steals; the biggest bombs; and the most triumphant no-hitters. But these are also moments raw with the humanity of the game, the unheralded heroes, the mesmerizing mistakes drenched in pine tar, and every story, from the immortal to the obscure, is told from a unique perspective. Whether of a real fan who witnessed it, or the pitcher who gave up the home run, the umpire, the coach, the opposing player--these are fresh takes on moments so powerful they almost feel like myth. Posnanski's previous book, The Baseball 100, portrayed the heroes and pioneers of the sport, and now, with his trademark wit, encyclopedic knowledge, and acute observations, he gets at the real heart of the game. From nineteenth-century pitchers' duels to breaking the sport's color line in the '40s, all the way to the greatest trick play of the last decade and the slide home that became a meme, Posnanski's illuminating take allows us to rediscover the sport we love--and thought we knew. Why We Love Baseball is an epic that ends too soon, a one-of-a-kind love letter to the sport that has us thrilled, torn, inspired, and always wanting more.
More Amazing Mets Trivia
Born out of expansion in 1962, the New York Mets have more than filled the void left by the departure of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. They have provided baseball fans in New York and around the baseball world with more than sixty years of memories including Casey Stengel's lovable losers, the improbable 1969 miracle, another world championship in 1986, and National League pennants in 1973, 2000, and 2015, with many unforgettable moments through the years. Building on the success of Amazing Mets Trivia, published in 2003, More Amazing Mets Trivia tests the memories of Mets fans of all ages with almost five hundred new questions about such Mets stars as Tom Seaver, Cleon Jones, Willie Mays, Rusty Staub, Dave Kingman, Lee Mazzilli, Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, David Wright, Jacob de Grom, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and many others.
A Time for Reflection
A fascinating look back at the incredible lives and careers of baseball Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Billy Williams.Professional baseball has featured a bevy of superstars over the past century and a half, but only a few of them have impacted their sport and cities as deeply as Willie McCovey and Billy Williams. Born just a handful of miles apart in 1938, they grew up in and around one of the sport's true cradles, Mobile, Alabama, on their way to producing two iconic careers in Major League Baseball. In A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams, Jason Cannon examines these two legends of the game. Overcoming the heinous racism of the Jim Crow South as part of the second generation of African American major leaguers who followed in the footsteps of Jackie Robinson, they became two of baseball's all-time greatest players. Off the field, they took impactful stands for racial progress that continue to resonate today. Their personal resolve, leadership in the clubhouse, and dedication to their baseball communities endeared them to teammates and fans alike.Featuring original interviews with family members, friends, teammates, and Williams himself, A Time for Reflection brings to life their monumental accomplishments on the diamond, while also detailing how McCovey and Williams grew into pillars of San Francisco and Chicago and inspired future generations of ballplayers.
The Golf Scorecard
Improve your swing, note down every hole-in-one, and keep score of all your games in this handsome, compact, vegan leather-bound scorekeeping journal. With a handy 3.5" ? 5.5" size that tucks neatly into your pocket or bag, The Golf Scorecard keeps your golfing progress organized in one easy-to-access place. Complete with a year-round calendar, practice log, My Goals page, and game score and stats sheets, every game can be remembered or used to improve each new drill. Record your practice times, scores, stats, and overall experience with the practice log, including up to 52 practice sessions with 19 drills per session. Reach every goal by planning, tracking progress, and including a timeline for every achievement. From the putting green to the golfing range, The Golf Scorecard is your personal companion for whatever you strive to achieve. With this engaging and organized scorekeeper, you can note down every play, including: Distance GoalMinutes PracticedNumber of Balls ShotShots MadeSuccess Ratioand more!Improve your golf game with each entry and find the tools to achieve your goals. The Golf Scorecard is here for every birdie, par, and hole-in-one!
101 Fascinating Golf Facts
Tee off your season with 101 delightful trivia on the greatest game.Did you know a Canadian coined the term "mulligan" -- a noun meaning "do-over" -- which many recreational golfers take on the first tee after an errant drive? Or that the creators of one of the greatest board games ever, Trivial Pursuit, also built a devilish golf course north of Toronto? How about this fact: the world's most expensive public golf course will set you back $1,000 to play just one round. Here's one more: Scotland, where golf was invented in the Middle Ages, later banned the sport -- not just once, but three times.In 101 Fascinating Golf Facts, author, historian, and award-winning golf journalist David McPherson shares these stories and 97 more fascinating and fun tales that illustrate the sport's rich history, entertaining both golf lovers and trivia buffs alike.
The Last One Out of Town Turn Out the Lights
The Last One Out Of Town Turn Out The Lights tells the inspiring untold story of how a soul-crushing school district consolidation changes the fate and fortunes of two rural Maine high schools. That controversial school merger allows Foxcroft Academy to finally establish a winning basketball team and claim its one and only Gold Ball, the trophy of the Maine High School Basketball Championship. Bitter feelings and personal struggles are revealed, as are stories of admiration and light-hearted moments. Through a turbulent time in America, this book examines the impact of a winning high-school basketball team on two rival schools and their towns. The book marks the 50th anniversary season of Foxcroft Academy's lone state basketball championship in the school's 200-year history. It weaves unpopular decisions to cut popular players from the team, fights with hated rivals, and a phantom foul that should never have been called and that lead to the kind of championship season that all small towns, coaches, players, and fans across the country covet, embrace, and treasure for a lifetime.
Unbreakable Golf
Are you tired of inconsistent rounds, missed putts, and self-doubt sabotaging your game?Unbreakable Golf is your ultimate guide to conquering the mental and physical challenges of golf-so you can play with confidence and precision every time you step on the course. This is more than a golf book. It's your roadmap to: Silencing self-doubt: Learn to stay calm under pressure and turn frustration into focus.Recovering like a pro: Master the mental reset to bounce back from bad shots and bad holes.Transforming your practice: Discover drills and strategies that create lasting improvement.Achieving peak performance: Unlock the secrets of flow, focus, and playing your best golf when it matters most.Whether you're a beginner struggling with nerves, an intermediate golfer looking for consistency, or an advanced player under tournament pressure, Unbreakable Golf will help you transform your mindset and your game. Why This Book? Written by J.M.M.Berggren, a mental game expert, this book draws from the strategies of the world's greatest players and sports psychologists. Packed with real-life stories, actionable drills, and motivational wisdom, Unbreakable Golf is as inspiring as it is practical. Call to Action: Get ready to conquer the course, silence self-doubt, and play your best golf with unbreakable confidence.Start your journey today!
The Game of Squash
Squash can become very addictive but what a wonderful addiction! This book was written to help beginners as well as advanced players get more out of their game and discover new ways to win more matches. Most players strive to improve, but the lack of discipline or knowledge can hold them back. That's why we designed this book to give you an easy resource for all things squash. - Who can play squash? - A basic understanding of the rules - How to choose the best squash racket - Advanced Tips and tricks for improving your game - Nutrition ideas to improve your health and energy levels - The importance of injury prevention ...and a whole lot more! If you've ever felt even mildly interested in playing squash, this is the resource for you. It will tell you absolutely everything you need to know, and encourage you to make squash a valuable part of your life. And for those of you who are seasoned players, here's a positive goldmine of secrets to help you take your game to the next level.
Reimagining Talent Development in Sport
Reimagining Talent Development in Sport takes a fresh look at the processes, systems and fundamental beliefs about talent. It brings together researchers, practitioners and former Olympic athletes to re-imagine the way talent development programmes work and the foundational values they are built on. This book imagines an environment that is able to achieve both sporting success and long-term athlete wellbeing.Talent development systems are now part and parcel of all effective high performance sport systems in Olympic and professional sports. Talented young athletes are being recruited into programmes at ever younger ages as sports are looking to identify and attract athletes who they perceive have potential to become senior elite performers. However, there are fundamental challenges for talent systems in the way that they treat the young athletes within them. Just the 'mathematics' of talent development means that there will always be higher numbers of young athletes who are rejected by a system than ever become elite adult performers. So, we need new ways of thinking that allow us to find ways of nurturing athletic potential at the same time as developing the person. Reimagining Talent Development in Sport examines new ways of conceptualising talent programmes so that the young athlete is seen as a whole person first and an athlete second. The book touches upon a wide range of topics encompassing sociological perspectives, philosophical thinking and new ideas on re-defining 'success', as well as discussing programmes that are already being implemented in pursuit of creating more ethical and positive approaches to talent development. Accessible to both academics and practitioners, Reimaging Talent Development in Sport is key reading for practitioners and academics who have an interest in talent development, skill acquisition and coaching programmes.
The Caribbean Series
The Caribbean Series is a unique regional baseball event, the oldest of its kind. After starting in 1949 and enduring a decade-long sabbatical for political reasons in the 1960s, it was resurrected in 1970 and continues to this day. With seven countries competing, the Caribbean Series represents a source of pride for team owners, general managers, players, and fans alike. This book presents first-hand accounts from over 200 past players and managers, including details on 66 CS tournaments. With many details presented for the first time in English, this history presents the exciting Latin American baseball event in rich historical and personal context.
Baseball for Dummies
Learn the basics of baseball as a player, spectator, or coach Baseball For Dummies gets you started learning about this popular sport. You can improve your fundamentals as a player, inspire your team as a coach, or enjoy watching baseball as a superfan. The book includes helpful illustrations and diagrams that make it easy to understand the rules. You'll learn about offensive and defensive strategies, hitting and pitching techniques, the roles of each player on the team, what managers and coaches do, and how to understand baseball statistics. In beginner-friendly terms, this guide also covers the differences between the Minor and Major Leagues, T-Ball, college baseball, and leagues around the world. Batter up! Get a handle on the basic rules, strategies, and skills of baseball Learn about the different baseball leagues--including recent changes to the rules--so you can have fun following the sport Improve your technique with tips on pitching, hitting, and fielding Delve into statistics and advanced concepts that will help you understand pro play This book is for baseball fans of every level, from beginners to loyal fans who want to know even more. Players and coaches will also love this book's advice on how to sharpen their skills.
Let’s Play Two
Ernie Banks was the first African American to play for the Cubs, and he quickly became one of the best players in baseball. His brilliance on the field made him a Hall of Famer, but it was his boundless optimism that made him an icon. This book presents for the first time a complete portrait of the ballplayer, the public persona, and the man.
The Saga of Sudden Sam
The candid autobiography of all-star pitcher "Sudden Sam" McDowell, whose alcohol-fueled life quickly and famously spiraled out of control, and his ultimate redemption as a counselor for other athletes suffering from addiction.
Don Drysdale: Up and in
The definitive biography of Dodgers legend Don Drysdale Larger than Life. In the history of American sports, rare is the athlete who fits that description better than Don Drysdale. On the mound, the towering 6-foot-5 righthander intimidated National League hitters for more than a decade, amassing career totals of 209 wins, 2,486 strikeouts...and hitting 154 batters, a stat he lead the major leagues in four times. Off the field, Drysdale's personality dominated every room he walked into. With a smile as immense as the sun, Drysdale's contemporaries included Frank Sinatra and Howard Cosell. In Up and In, longtime Orange County Register sportswriter Mark Whicker takes readers on a remarkable journey through Drysdale's life and career. Featuring exclusive interviews with Drysdale's teammates, broadcasting, and colleagues, this new biography paints a complete portrait of an unparalleled baseball life - from Drysdale's early years in Van Nuys to his sudden passing in 1993 at age 56.
Ken Morrow
All hockey players dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup and winning a gold medal for their home country. Ken Morrow was the first to accomplish both feats in the same year, playing for the United States in the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980 at Lake Placid, then following that up by claiming the Cup with the New York Islanders at the conclusion of his rookie season. Morrow would go on to win three more consecutive titles with that Islanders dynasty and play his entire 10-season NHL career on Long Island as an elite, steadfast defenseman. In a new memoir, Morrow gives hockey fans a front-row seat to one of the most remarkable stretches of dominance in NHL history. Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995, Morrow has been director of pro scouting for the Isles since 1992 and shares more than 40 years of hockey lore in this fascinating chronicle of a legendary life in hockey. Co-authored by longtime hockey writer Allan Kreda, this autobiography is a must-read for fans of the Blue and Orange.
What You’re Made for
"I'm proud to call George a mentor and a friend." --Michael Jordan Orphaned at just thirteen in a still-segregated Washington, D.C., George Raveling was introduced to a relatively unpopular sport--basketball--in high school. The rest, as they say, is history. Raveling went on to become one of the winningest coaches of all time, a mentor to legendary athletes, and a confidant of the sport's greatest coaches, including Bob Knight and John Wooden. He convinced Michael Jordan to collaborate with Nike on the Air Jordan. He led the 1984 U.S. men's Olympic team to their ninth gold medal. He even once owned the original, handwritten copy of Dr. King's most famous speech after an unlikely stint as a bodyguard during the famous March on Washington. Here, Coach Raveling tells the story of his extraordinary ascent, sharing incredible behind-the-scenes stories of his days working with the best in the game. But this book is more than a memoir--it's a manual for life that presents surprising methods for harnessing your potential from a man who shaped the careers of so many legends. Raveling imparts lessons learned from his grandmother, his long career in basketball, and his lifelong habit of reading--to which he credits all his success. Whether you're an athlete, a leader, a parent, a student, or simply seeking to mold your raw talent into greatness, What You're Made For is a blueprint for your life.
Magic in the Air
"Who doesn't wanna read an entire book about the slam dunk? I love basketball." - Ann Patchett "The definitive dunking dissertation." - Jack McCallum, Wall Street Journal From the author of the bestselling Kobe Bryant biography The Rise comes the legend of the most powerful shot in basketball: the slam dunk. The evolution of basketball, and much of the social and cultural change in America, can be traced through one powerful act on the court: the slam dunk. The dunk's history is the story of a sport and a country changed by the most dominant act in basketball, and it makes Magic in the Air a rollicking and insightful piece of narrative history and a surefire classic of sports literature. When basketball was the province of white men, the dunk acted as a revolutionary agent, a tool for players like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell to transform the sport into a Black man's game. The dunk has since been an expression of Black culture amid the righteous upheaval of the civil-rights movement, of the threat that Black people were considered to be to the establishment. It was banned from college basketball for nearly a decade--an attempt to squash the individual expression and athleticism that characterized the sport in America's cities and on its playgrounds. The dunk nevertheless bubbled up to basketball's highest levels. From Julius Erving to Michael Jordan to the high flyers of the 21st century, the dunk has been a key mechanism for growing the NBA into a global goliath. Drawing on deep reporting and dozens of interviews with players, coaches, and other hoops experts, Magic in the Air brings to life the tale of the dunk while balancing sharp socio-racial history and commentary with a romp through American sports and culture. There's never been a basketball book quite like it.
