. . . Acquire and keep these traits and success should follow."--Coach John WoodenJohn Wooden's goal in 41 years of coaching never changed; namely, to get maximum effort and peak performance from each of his players in the manner that best served the team. Wooden on Leadership explains step-by-step how he pursued and accomplished this goal. Focusing on Wooden's 12 Lessons in Leadership and his acclaimed Pyramid of Success, it outlines the mental, emotional, and physical qualities essential to building a winning organization, and shows you how to develop the skill, confidence, and competitive fire to "be at your best when your best is needed"--and teach your organization to do the same.Praise for Wooden on Leadership"What an all-encompassing Pyramid of Success for leadership! Coach Wooden's moral authority and brilliant definition of success encompass all of life. How I admire his life's work and concept of what it really means to win!"--Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness"Wooden On Leadership offers valuable lessons no matter what your endeavor. 'Competitive Greatness' is our goal and that of any successful organization. Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success is where it all starts." --Jim Sinegal, president & CEO, Costco

    In words and pictures, Michael Jordan celebrates for the first time the mentors, teachers and role models who have helped shape his extraordinary life, career and personal philosophy.

    Coach Bob Hurley had been working miracles at St. Anthony High School for over thirty years, winning state and national championships and offering his players rescue from their surroundings through college scholarships, when he met his most dysfunctional team yet. In The Miracle of St. Anthony Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to these streets. In The Miracle of St. Anthony, acclaimed sports journalist Adrian Wojnarowski follows Hurley through a gripping and heartrending season, as he struggles to lead a troubled team to glory through his unparalleled understanding of the game and his ceaseless determination to see no more children lost to the city streets.

    But as this definitive new biography makes clear, Gehrig’s life was more complicated—and, perhaps, even more heroic—than anyone really knew. Drawing on new interviews and more than two hundred pages of previously unpublished letters to and from Gehrig, Luckiest Man gives us an intimate portrait of the man who became an American hero: his life as a shy and awkward youth growing up in New York City, his unlikely friendship with Babe Ruth (a friendship that allegedly ended over rumors that Ruth had had an affair with Gehrig’s wife), and his stellar career with the Yankees, where his consecutive-games streak stood for more than half a century. What was not previously known, however, is that symptoms of Gehrig’s affliction began appearing in 1938, earlier than is commonly acknowledged. Later, aware that he was dying, Gehrig exhibited a perseverance that was truly inspiring; he lived the last two years of his short life with the same grace and dignity with which he gave his now-famous “luckiest man” speech. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, Jonathan Eig’s Luckiest Man shows us one of the greatest baseball players of all time as we’ve never seen him before.

    They were the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered what Sports Illustrated called the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Their “Miracle on Ice” has become a national fairy tale, but the real Cinderella story is even more remarkable. Wayne Coffey casts a fresh eye on this seminal sports event, giving readers an ice-level view of the amateurs who took on a Russian hockey juggernaut at the height of the Cold War. He details the unusual chemistry of the Americans—formulated by their fiercely determined coach, Herb Brooks—and seamlessly weaves portraits of the boys with the fluid action of the game itself. Coffey also traces the paths of the players and coaches since their stunning victory, examining how the Olympic events affected their lives.Told with warmth and an uncanny eye for detail, The Boys of Winter is an intimate, perceptive portrayal of one Friday night in Lake Placid and the enduring power of the extraordinary.Also available as an eBook

    and to life.As coaches to some of golf's top players, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have designed and refined a revolutionary way of teaching the game, with phenomenal results. They don't believe in prescribing the same stance, grip, and swing to everyone, followed by hours of purposeless drilling. They don't even believe in beginning with physical technique. Their success has proven to them that a great game begins with a great vision.Unlike any other golf book, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose offers cutting-edge techniques for integrating the physical, technical, mental, emotional, and social parts of a player's game. The book's revolutionary pre-shot routine will improve your focus, leading to a golf swing that is not only successful but can be repeated under extreme pressure. Emphasizing the individual golfer rather than a rigid set of mechanics, their VISION54 method takes the frustration out of the game. Why 54? Because they believe it's possible to shoot a 54 (making a birdie on every hole of a par-72 course) if you have the right mind-set and well-honed intuitive power.An engaging read for the beginner or the seasoned golfer, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose is inspiration for life, not just the links.

    So it is a dream come true when a British scout sees him playing in the park and offers him a trial with one of England's top Premiership clubs. Determined to succeed, Santiago leaves behind his struggling family and his modest home, and flies halfway around the world to give it his best shot.But it's not smooth sailing when Santiago arrives in northern England. Team practices are intense, and in this place where people live and breathe the sport, many seem eager to find fault with the new Latino player from L.A. The pressure even spurs Santiago to keep a secret that could sabotage his performance. There is no doubt that Santiago has skill, flair, and dedication. But does he have the stamina he will need for the English game? Based on the action-packed movie, Goal! is a gripping tale of trial and tribulation set against the backdrop of the world's most popular and exciting sport.

    One of the most successful coaches in the history of professional basketball offers his own take on his turbulent 2003-2004 season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

    The Cleveland Cavaliers' star has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has had his high school jersey retired, and signed a $90 million contract with Nike. His future is truly bright.

    Buried beneath these parallel conflicts--one for the soul of baseball, the other for the soul of the city--was the subtext of race. Deftly intertwined by journalist Jonathan Mahler, these braided Big Apple narratives reverberate to reveal a year that also saw the opening of Studio 54, the acquisition of the New York Post by Rupert Murdoch, a murderer dubbed the "Son of Sam," the infamous blackout, and the evolution of punk rock. As Koch defeated Cuomo, and as Reggie Jackson rescued a team racked with dissension, 1977 became a year of survival--and also of hope.

    New York City newspapers reported his death on their front pages. ("Crimson Tears," read the headline in the New York Post, "Nation weeps over death of legendary Bear Bryant, 69.") Three days later, America watched in awe as an estimated quarter of a million mourners lined the fifty-five mile stretch from Tuscaloosa to a Birmingham cemetery to pay their respects as his three-mile long funeral cortege drove by.President Reagan and the three former American presidents sent flowers, as did people as diverse as Bob Hope, ABC's Roone Arledge, advice columnist Ann Landers and the Reverend Billy Graham. Scores of Bryant's former players, including Joe Namath, Lee Roy Jordan, Ken Stabler and Ozzie Newsome, were in attendance. So were Bryant's most distinguished colleagues, the greatest living football coaches, including Southern Cal's John McKay, who said, "It was like a presidential funeral procession. No coach in America could have gotten that. No coach but him. But then, he wasn't just a coach. He was the coach."Bryant's passing was noted with the kind of reverence our country reserved for statesmen or military leaders, though Paul "Bear" Bryant had insisted for much of his life that he was "just a football coach." For millions he was much more, he was the greatest coach the game ever saw, the heir to the tradition established by Knute Rockne. He took his Alabama Crimson Tide teams to an unmatched six national championships. But to the players, journalists and fans whose lives he touched in his more than half a century as a player and coach, he was the last symbol of values that transcended football—courage, discipline, loyalty, and hard work.To his critics, Bryant represented the dark side of big-time college football—brutality, fanaticism and blind adherence to authority. The real Bear Bryant was far more complex than either his admirers or detractors knew. While maintaining a public friendship with Alabama governor George Wallace, he continually sought ways to undermine the governor's segregationist policies, finally forcing a legendary football game in Birmingham with the University of Southern California that opened the floodgates to the integration of football at the University of Alabama, including its coaching staff. Old fashioned in his politics, he was nonetheless an admirer of Robert Kennedy, whom he planning to vote for in 1968.Allen Barra's The Last Coach traces Paul Bryant's rise from a family of truck farmers to recognition as the most successful and influential coach in the game's history. The eleventh of thirteen children, Bryant was born in tiny Moro Bottom, Arkansas in 1913 and grew up in nearby Fordyce—where his legend was born when he wrestled a live bear on the stage of a local theater. Paul was raised by his mother, who barely managed to keep him out of trouble and on the Fordyce High School Redbugs long enough to get a football scholarship at Alabama, where he would meet and marry the love of his life, campus beauty queen Mary Harmon Black.At the height of the Depression, football took Bryant to the Rose Bowl with Alabama's 1934 national champions and on to a career as an assistant and, finally, a head football coach, where he matched wit and grit with the greatest coaches of two generations, men like Tennessee's General Robert Neyland, Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson, Notre Dame's Ara Parseghian, Ohio State's Woody Hayes, and Penn State's Joe Paterno. Along the way, he stirred controversy with his infamous "Junction Boys" training camp in 1954, during which almost two-thirds of the Texas A football team quit; his legal battle with The Saturday Evening Post over the accusation that he had conspired to fix a college football game, a trial which rocked the sports world; and his pursuit of Amos Alonzo Stagg's all-time record for college coaching victories.Through it all, Bryant's influence has not only endured but prevailed as his former players and assistants continue to define the best in not only college but professional football. A USA Today and Washington Post Best Sports Book.

    Most of the best players were white; the set shot and layup were the sport’s chief offensive weapons. But by the 1970s, the league ruled America’s biggest media markets; contests attracted capacity crowds and national prime-time television audiences. The game was played “above the rim”–and the most marketable of its high-flying stars were black. The credit for this remarkable transformation largely goes to two giants: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Russell, Chamberlain, and other stars from the NBA’s golden age onto a backdrop of racial tensions and cultural change. Taylor’s electrifying account of two complex men–as well as of a game and a country at a crossroads–is an epic narrative of sports in America during the 1960s.It’s hard to imagine two characters better suited to leading roles in the NBA saga: Chamberlain was cast as the athletically gifted yet mercurial titan, while Russell played the role of the stalwart centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Taylor delves beneath these stereotypes, detailing how the two opposed and complemented each other and how they revolutionized the way the game was played and perceived by fans. Competing with and against such heroes as Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Elgin Baylor, and playing for the two greatest coaches of the era, Alex Hannum and the fiery Red Auerbach, Chamberlain and Russell propelled the NBA into the spotlight. But their off-court visibility and success–to say nothing of their candor–also inflamed passions along America’s racial and generational fault lines. In many ways, Russell and Chamberlain helped make the NBA and, to some extent, America what they are today.Filled with dramatic conflicts and some of the great moments in sports history, and building to a thrilling climax–the 1969 final series, the last showdown between Russell and Chamberlain–The Rivalry has at its core a philosophical question: Can determination and a team ethos, embodied by the ultimate team player, Bill Russell, trump sheer talent, embodied by Wilt Chamberlain? Gripping, insightful, and utterly compelling, the story of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain is the stuff of sporting legend. Written with a reporter’s unerring command of events and a storyteller’s flair, The Rivalry will take its place as one of the classic works of sports history.From the Hardcover edition.

    James J. Braddock, dubbed "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash of 1929. With one good hand, Braddock was forced to labor on the docks of Hoboken. Only his manager, Joe Gould, still believed in him, finding fights for Braddock to help feed his wife and children. The diminutive, loquacious Jew and the burly, quiet Irishman made one of boxing's oddest couples, but together they staged the greatest comeback in fighting history. In twelve months Braddock went from the relief rolls to face heavyweight champion Max Baer, the Livermore Butcher Boy, renowned for having allegedly killed two men in the ring. A charismatic, natural talent and in every way Braddock's foil, Baer was a towering opponent, a Jew from the West Coast who was famously brash and made great copy both in and out of the ring. A ten-to-one underdog, Braddock carried the hopes and dreams of the working class on his shoulders. And when boxing was the biggest sport in the world, when the heavyweight champion was the biggest star in the world, his unlikely upset made Braddock the most popular champion boxing had ever seen. Against the gritty backdrop of the Depression, Cinderella Man brings this dramatic all-American story to life, evoking a time when the sport of boxing resonated with a country trying desperately to get back on its feet. Schaap paints a vivid picture of the fight world in its golden age, populated by men of every class and ethnic background and covered voluminously by writers who elevated sports writing to art. Rich in anecdote and color, steeped in history, and full of human interest, Cinderellla Man is a classic David and Goliath tale that transcends the sport.

    It reviews the crucial moments. classic match ups, the enduring dynasties and the one of a kind characters.

    In the championship game for the NCAA title that year, Don Haskins, coach of the then little-known Texas Western College, did something that had never been done before in the history of college basketball. He started five black players, and in the now legendary game, unseated the nationally top-ranked University of Kentucky. Broadcast on television throughout the country, the Miners victory became the impetus for the desegregation of all college teams in the South during the next few years. Now, for the first time, Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins tell his story. Beginning as a small-town high school basketball coach, Haskins was known for his tough coaching methods and larger-than-life personality. As a child growing up during the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, he developed a strong set of values and discipline that he would instill in his players throughout his coaching career. With recollections from his former players, including those of the 1966 team, along with Haskins's own Seven Principles for Success, Glory Road is the inspiring story of a living legend and one of the most respected coaches of all time. With a foreword by basketball legend Bobby Knight, and coinciding with the release of the film Glory Road, the story of Don Haskins and his championship team is sure to become a classic for sports fans and historians.

    On any given Saturday, in dozens of stadiums across America, you will find crowds in excess of 75,000 gathered to root on their teams. This book is their Bible???a rich and comprehensive reference guide to the game??'s history, tradition and lore. Based on three years of research by the nation??'s foremost football experts, the book features: ???? ???? ??Capsule histories for each of the 119 Division 1-A programs, the Ivy League schools and teams from the SWAC, MEAC and historically black colleges ??????????????Year-by-year schedules and records ??????????????Statistical leaders from every school ??????????????Fightsong lyrics ??????????????Box scores for every bowl game ever played ??????????????4-color insert illustrating the evolution of each school??'s helmet design ??????????????Weekly polls dating back to 1936 ??????????????Essays by the game??'s top wordsmiths (Dan Jenkins, Beano Cook, Chris Fowler, Gene Wojciechowski) ??????????????Plus a lively round table discussion with ESPN??'s popular Game Day Team (Fowler, LeeCorso and Kirk Herbstreit) Packed with tables and charts and designed in an easy-to-read style, the updated ESPN College Football Encyclopedia will continue to dazzle even the most knowledgeable fan.

    Although he had no money, Roberto Clemente practiced and practiced until—eventually—he made it to the Major Leagues. As a right-fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he fought tough opponents—and even tougher racism—but with his unreal catches and swift feet, he earned his nickname, "The Great One." He led the Pirates to two World Series, hit three-thousand hits, and was the first Latino to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. But it wasn't just baseball that made Clemente legendary—he was was also a humanitarian dedicated to improving the lives of others.

    Though standing an inch and a half short of six feet and just a shade over two hundred pounds, he led the beleaguered Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl title, broke Jim Brown’s career rushing record and won the unconditional love of millions of NFL fans.How did a small-town daydreamer in Mississippi end up taking the cellar-dwelling Bears from awful to awesome? Walter Payton simply worked harder and with more purpose than any football player in history. And he did it with a smile.PAYTON captures the life of an on-field superstar who wanted most to be the consummate team player. He was a man who left everything on the field, always put family first and committed himself to giving back to the community. Sweetness indeed.Includes a DVD with NFL Films' "Pure Payton," a collection of extraordinary highlights of Walter Payton's football career. This DVD--only available here--offers striking, never-before-seen footage of Payton both on and off the field, and completes any serious Bears fan's collection.

    Catch all the action from a courtside seat!LeBron James arrived on the NBA scene in 2004 with a lot of pressure riding on his shoulders. Could he live up to all the hype that surrounded him at the draft? He could, and he did--quickly establishing himself as a player to watch. Now, he's ready for the new season, ready to prove that he's not a one-year phenom. And you can get in on the action with all the inside facts on this NBA sensation.

    Pundits describes the subsequent tour, detailing the matches, the moods, the games and the players. More than merely that, though, it is also a book about the first major sporting encounter between India and Pakistan in 15 years - a period in which the two countries had fought one war and come close to another. What emerges is a fascinating contemporary account of a beautiful game in its most crucial setting, captured through the eyes of a young Indian discovering Pakistan.

    Advice & inspiration from the world's most successful women's soccer coach

    Nicknamed California Cool for his accuracy under pressure, Brady is one of the NFL's most gifted quarterbacks.

      When Stevie wins a writing contest for aspiring sports journalists, his prize is a press pass to the Final Four in New Orleans. While exploring the Superdome, he overhears a plot to throw the championship game. With the help of fellow contest winner Susan Carol, Stevie has just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of the star players . . . and why.   John Feinstein has been praised as “the best writer of sports books in America today” (The Boston Globe), and he proves it again in this fast-paced novel.   “A page-turning thriller and a basketball junkie’s bonanza.” —USA TodayFrom the Hardcover edition.

    Vick's dedication, training, and positive attitude ensure that he has many winning seasons ahead.

    That day, George landed the largest largemouth ever recorded--twenty-two pounds four ounces. The fish has inspired and frustrated hundreds of anglers for decades. They've dedicated their lives to the pursuit of "Sowbelly"--a nearly mythical fish, whose swinelike girth holds the key to their dreams.From an L.A. cop who came within ounces of besting the record to an Alabaman who has lost his marriage and his daughter to this pursuit, Burke takes readers along for the ride in this legendary race.

    But, much more than a local obsession, the Eagles are also one of football's most storied franchises.Amply illustrated with 200 photos of the players, coaches, fans, and the stadiums in which the team has played, The Eagles Encyclopedia recounts the greatest moments in the team's history, and brings to life the men who helped create modern football.Fans will read about: * Bert Bell's 1933 purchase of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, the city's first NFL franchise * The Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Steaglesduring WWII, which produced the team's first winning season * The 1960 NFL title victory over the Packers and the 1980 Super Bowl game * The sterling careers of Hall of Famers like Chuck Bednarik and Steve van Buren * The Duffel Bag Dynasty of 1947-1949, when the Eagles went to three consecutive NFL championships, including back-to-back championships * The thrilling 21st century, which has so far seen four consecutive NFC championship games and a second Super Bowl bid!But wait, there's more! The Eagles Encyclopedia also includes: * A year by year history of the teamOCofrom 1933 to the present, with stats from each season * Individual profiles of more than 100 Eagles playersOCofrom Swede Hanson to Donovan McNabb * A statistical chapter that provides all the Eagles recordsOCoa complete roster, and every draft pickWritten by Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger and local sports historian Robert S. Lyons, The Eagles Encyclopedia is the first comprehensive chronicle of the team's history and an indispensable guide for every Eagles fan.This book is not sanctioned by the NFL or its teams."

    LakersThe L.A. Lakers have long been one of the NBA's most exciting teams. In The Show, critically acclaimed sportswriter Roland Lazenby brings the story of this charismatic team to life in an unprecedented oral history, featuring such legendary players as Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, and Magic Johnson, along with current stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.Through in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and many other key figures, Lazenby follows the Lakers from their birthplace in 1946 Minneapolis to their eventual successes and failures in Los Angeles, using his flair for storytelling and eye for detail to show you exactly why the 14-time NBA champion Lakers are a celebrated favorite for sports fans all over America.

    But when some guys tell him he doesn't have a chance, Charlie feels he has to stand up for himself. Follow along as Charlie battles, both on and off the ice, for a spot on the team.

    

    Sure to become a classic, it is a treasure for every generation, for generations to come.

    It’s up to Babe Ruth to win back fans and save baseball! Can he do it, or will he strike out?

    Millions of spectators sat or stood in Leitch's structures, built for such famous clubs as Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Glasgow Rangers. But while his pedimented gables and criss-cross steelwork balconies formed a recognisable and much-admired style, Leitch remained virtually unknown during his lifetime. Moreover, following the modernisation of stadiums brought on by the Hillsborough disaster, only a handful of his buildings survive, the listed stand and pavilion at Fulham's Craven Cottage in London being perhaps the best known.

    Head coach Roy Williams had his work cut out for him: to piece the team back together and inspire the players to use their adversity as the surest path to victory. On April 4, 2005, Carolina defeated Illinois in the championship finals. "How else could it have ended?" reflected forward Jawad Williams. "We've been the lowest and now we're the highest."Led By Their Dreams, a celebration of the Tar Heels' 2005 season, features interviews with the players and coach Roy Williams. It also includes Williams's famous inspirational quotes--his "Thoughts for the Day"--which often foretold something about to happen and always served to push the team toward better teamwork and, ultimately, the NCAA championship.With full-color photographs throughout, postseason notes, a list of the honors and awards received by standout players, and a CD of the radio call of the championship game, this is the ultimate book for fans to remember the best team of 2005 and its return to glory.

    Bicycling was simply the method by which he chose to distract himself from his grief. But for Hancock, the 2,747-mile journey from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast became more than just a distraction. It became a pilgrimage, even if Hancock didn't realize it upon dipping his rear tire in the Pacific Ocean near Huntington Beach, California in the wee hours of a July morning. On his two-wheel trip, Hancock battled searing heat and humidity, curious dogs, unforgiving motorists and the occasional speed bump--usually a dead armadillo. Hancock's thoughts returned to common themes: memories of his son Will, the prospect of life without Will for him and his wife, and the blue moth of grief and depression.

    For this book Christy O'Connor has had unique and continuous access to twelve goalkeepers over one season and tracked their experiences through the highs and lows, the celebrations and rejections, the saves and the misses, resulting in an inside story never told before. The players talk frankly about the pressures, the passion, the trauma, the disappointments and glories, the utter despair at being dropped from the team and the long road back to re-selection. The brotherhood of goalies forms a kind of inner club within the hurling community -- here we are taken into its heart and spirit as never before. Includes: Donal Og Cusack (Cork); James McGarry (Kilkenny); Liam O'Donoghue (Galway); Brendan Cummins (Tipperary); Stevie Brenner (Waterford); Brian Mullins (Offaly); Timmy Houlihan (Limerick); Brendan McLoughlin (Dublin); Davy Fitzgerald (Clare); Graham Clarke (Down); DD Quinn (Antrim); Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford), as well as a wealth of stories and anecdotes about famous past teams and players."

    The arduous training, periodic weight cutting, and public arena for performing are challenges that intimidate all but a special breed of athlete. And that is not to mention the sport's very essence: facing off against an opponent who wants to do nothing less than dominate you physically, destroy you emotionally, and humiliate you mentally.Wrestling Tough is a unique look at the "stuff" that has characterized the greatest competitors to ever take the mat. Award-winning author Mike Chapman first presents the attributes that serve as a common link among wrestling champions through the decades. From there he details how and when these attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors manifest themselves in the training room and in competition.Even the best athletes and most successful coaches will find something new to add to their skill set. Let Wrestling Tough be your guide to a championship-level mindset.

    "Out of my Comfort Zone" is a frank look into a unique life in cricket, a journey into Waugh's life on and off the field. He opens up on his personal life in a way few would expect and reveals the controversies and scandals, the clashes with other players, the media and the cricket administrators. He also offers honest and perceptive portraits of many of the people who have shared his adventure. Many of the photographs included in the book were taken by Waugh, providing a rare peek behind the dressing room door as well as reflecting his passion for travelling.

    It will help you to learn properly without other help and give you a solid foundation on which to start playing this absorbing game.Work at your own paceUnderstand the key basic principlesLearn about the Acol system of biddingDiscover how to play a hand, both as declarer and in defence

    The dynasty quickly crumbled, however, and the team found itself in a seemingly never-ending freefall.One embarrassing episode after another befell the once-mighty Islanders: Kirk Muller balked at being traded to the team; the team's classic logo was replaced with one that was vehemently ridiculed, earning the team the nickname "Fish Sticks"; a slick con artist managed to buy the team with nothing more than his charm; the team failed to make the playoffs seven seasons in a row as miserly owners purged players salaries; Hall of Fame great Bryan Trottier feuded with the team and blocked the retirement of his jersey; embattled general manager "Mad Mike" Milbury couldn't do anything to get himself fired.Yet, having finally hit bottom after enduring countless trials and near-unbelievable tribulations, the team has begun its climb to the top. New owner Charles Wang has brought not only a desire to return the Islanders to their place of pride, but also the money to do it. The team experienced a remarkable resurgence during the 2001–'02 season. Ticket sales have skyrocketed since that breakthrough success, with the team expecting to fight its way back into the playoffs for a second straight season.

    Where can fans and fantasy players get this same inside intelligence that’s revolutionizing Major League front offices? Baseball Prospectus. “ The best book of its kind”—Rob Neyer, ESPN.com “ If a general manager hasn’t read Baseball Prospectus, he should be fired for incompetence.”—Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball“ Baseball Prospectus has become the standard by which all scouting guides should be measured.”—Billy Beane, Oakland Athletics General Manager “ I never cease to be blown away by the geniuses at Baseball Prospectus.” —Jayson Stark, ESPN “ The best book for preparing for a rotisserie draft”—USA Today Packed with statistics, analysis, and attitude, Baseball Prospectus is the essential season-long companion for the millions of fans and fantasy baseball players who are looking to understand the inside game. Includes extensive performance analysis of 1,600 players—covering the majors, the minors, top 40 prospects, draft choices, and rookie ball—plus in-depth, insightful essays on all 30 Major League clubs and gimlet-eyed evaluations of their top 50 players. With ballpark-adjusted stats, a deadly accurate system for forecasting a player’s performance, and more, Baseball Prospectus hits it out of the park every year.

    Now with 26, yes 26, World Series titles to their name, the Yankees are baseball's most successful team, and their devoted fans have a multitude of reasons to cheer them on year after year. "101 Reasons to Love the Yankees" is a rousing celebration of the Bronx Bombers, from the days of Hilltop Park to the present, told through historic and contemporary photos, baseball cards, trivia, sports lore, and memorabilia. The book captures 101 highlights of this baseball dynasty: the pinstripes, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yankee Stadium, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi-isms, Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, the subway series, legendary closer Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, George Steinbrenner, the World Series wins, and more. Also included are ten bonus reasons to hate the rival Red Sox. "101 Reasons to Love the Yankees" is an irrefutable reminder of how the Yankees captured the hearts of past generations, and continue to do the same for the newest generation of baseball lovers.

    Baseball As America is the official companion volume to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's unprecedented national traveling exhibition. Features more than 200 original and archival photographs that bring the game to life on its pages. Perfect for every baseball fan, indeed every American, Baseball As America is a comprehensive panorama of the game America has grown up with.

    One of history's most famous yachts, and the giants who made it.

    This collection of writing by world-class writers including Frank Deford, Peter Gammons and Tom Verducci brings together the stories of football's greatest heroes and villains, legendary quests and pennant races.

    Photographer Lourdes Grobet's penentrating study of Mexican professional wrestling culture features more than 500 photographs of luchadores like Blue Demon, Santo, The Witch, Adorable Rub', El Solitario and Hurricane Ramirez, as well as pictures of their families, friends and fans--onstage, backstage and even at home. Lucha Libre also includes photographs of stickers, flyers, postcards, stills from Mexi-lucha-cinema, interviews with the wrestlers, essays and much, much more! In this comprehensive 20-year study, Grobet has put together the definitive look at Mexico's masked superstars. Viva la Lucha Libre! Now in its second printing.

    From the award-winning author of "Night Hoops" and "Painting the Black" comes this suspenseful, psychologically astute novel with themes of terrorism and patriotism, fear and courage.

    Carr sums it up best, If you have an interest in the history of college football and especially University of Michigan Football, Dr. Robert Soderstrom has written a well-researched story about Fielding H. Yost, college football in the 1920's and the building of Michigan stadium. I love this book and think you will too. The book spans the years 1922-1927, the period in which Yost conceived and saw through the building of Michigan stadium, while serving as a successful coach. The 368-page, hard cover, begins with the season of 1922 that laid the cornerstone and concludes with the stadium dedication game in 1927 that pit Michigan against its infamous rival, Ohio State. With consideration for historical context, Soderstrom covers the issues facing Mr. Yost including persuading the Michigan Board of Regents to support a new stadium. There are newspaper excerpts, quotes from Yost's files, and photos from the Bentley Historical Library.

    His phenomenal first year continued as he helped the Yankees win the World Championship while also claiming the Rookie of the Year award. In 1998, 1999, and 2000, Jeter went on to lead the Yankees to three more World Championships.

    With numerous statistical measures that go far beyond standard NFL stats, Pro Football Prospectus assesses the DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) of every single skill player and determines how many points better a starting player is over the average bench player; measures special teams; offers advanced offensive line statistics; analyzes teams’ abilities to convert draft picks into quality players; and much more. And like its sister publication, Baseball Prospectus, it’s written with a knowing dry wit that gets under the skin of America’s most popular spectator sport. Compared by The New York Times Magazine to Bill James, the baseball statistics guru, Aaron Schatz is revolutionizing the world of football statistics. In just two years his Web site, FootballOutsiders.com, is “by a huge margin, the Web’s best independent football site,” writes Gregg Easterbrook of NFL.com. Salon calls it “a must for anyone interested in going beyond ‘This guy has more yards, so he must be better.’” Now Schatz and his team of Football Outsiders are continuing their groundbreaking work with a comprehensive, authoritative book of sophisticated statistical analysis. It also offers solid predictions: in 2004, the Outsiders predicted six of eight division winners, including the Steelers’ champion season; the fading year of Ahman Green and Jamal Lewis; and the breakout of the New York Jets.

    With 99 regular-season wins, the Sox brought the second-best record in baseball to the postseason. Only one loss to the Angels prevented a complete sweep in every phase of their postseason play (Division, ALCS, and World Series) to win with an impressive 11�1 record. Believe It! celebrates the White Sox�s championship season, its players, its manager, and its rich history. This book features the writing of Tribune columnists John Kass, Rick Morrissey, and Mike Downey, who provide a narrative of the season and World Series win. There are exclusive interviews with key contributors�Guillen, Konerko, Buerhle, and more�in which they talk about baseball and life with the Sox. And for the statistician fans, the not-to-be-missed numbers behind the season and throughout White Sox history are included. To paraphrase the words of Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson, "Put this World Series on the board . . . yes!"

    A biography of the major league baseball slugger Hank Aaron, who finished the 1973 season within a few home runs of breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record.

    Like the popular first edition, it continues to integrate the science of anatomy and injury mechanisms with the practice of athletic taping and bracing. The new edition is updated to reflect changes in the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Education Council's "Competencies in Athletic Training" and the fourth edition of the NATA Board of Certification's "Role Delineation Study." Both students and professionals will use this text time and again as a reliable reference.Athletic Taping and Bracing, Second Edition, has been significantly improved with the addition of more than 450 full-color illustrations and photos. These include 60 superb three-dimensional anatomical images from Primal Pictures. The photos that illustrate taping sequences feature tape with darkened edges that enable readers to distinguish the layers and patterns of the tape applied in each step.With its concise anatomical descriptions and detailed anatomical illustrations similar to those normally found in advanced texts on anatomy, the book clearly highlights the mechanisms of injury that are crucial for understanding effective taping and bracing. The text thoroughly discusses and illustrates the general principles of taping and bracing for each major joint and body region. It also contains step-by-step instructions for 36 taping and wrapping procedures, some of which are broken down into as many as 16 steps. It illustrates procedures for fabricating protective pads and orthotics, and it details the dos and don'ts of taping and bracing.To emphasize rehabilitation as well as prevention, Athletic Taping and Bracing, Second Edition, also presents basic stretching and strengthening exercises for injury rehabilitation. These exercises, presented and illustrated for each body part, focus on flexibility, strength, and proprioception. Combined with the taping and bracing procedures, the exercises will help rehabilitated athletes maintain strength and flexibility and safely return to play.Through Athletic Taping and Bracing, Second Edition, readers will learn the foundations and techniques of taping and bracing. Taping and bracing are presented as adjuncts to, rather than panaceas for, the athlete's total rehabilitation. The emphasis on rehabilitation as well as prevention will help readers become more effective health care providers for athletes and other active people with musculoskeletal injuries and problems.Athletic Taping and Bracing, Second Edition, captures the art and science of taping and bracing through detailed explanations and spectacular images. It stays in step with current NATA competencies and practices, and it offers top-quality instruction. With all this, Athletic Taping and Bracing, Second Edition, is the premier text in its field.

    After transferring from Leicester, in 1970 he led Arsenal to a famous victory in the Fairs Cup and followed this up with even greater glory a year later, winning an historic league and FA Cup double. He left Arsenal in 1973 after being controversially dropped, and enjoyed four successful years at QPR. He retired from playing in 1977, to make an ill-conceived and hasty move into management. Following this difficult period he entered the often shady world of agents, and faced perhaps his worst moment in the game, becoming involved in the infamous bungs scandal over Teddy Sherringham's transfer from Forest to Spurs. Frank continues to retain a high profile in the game, appearing weekly as a Sky pundit. His is a captivating football story spanning 45 years during which he achieved fabulous success and faced shattering lows, all told with enthusiasm, humour, honesty and intense passion.

    He was the first true power hitter, a strong pitcher, and in the outfield made some amazing game-saving catches. His love of the sport shined through in the way he laughed while jogging around the bases, in how he kidded and horsed around with teammates, and in his overall determination to win. But there was a darker side to Babe, one that nearly ruined his career - and his life. In the end, however, Ruth managed to overcome his personal demons, recapture his health, and go on to lead his beloved Yankees to championship status. Simply put, there has never been another player like the Babe. This comprehensive biography of one of baseball's most memorable legends also comes with photos.

    This text tells the story of the author's quest to track down those legendary figures who defined Nottingham Forest's history and gather their first-hand accounts about the most exhilarating highs and the most excruciating lows, from the European Cups and Wembley triumphs to the relegations and controversies.

    For the past two decades, he's been writing about the game for newspapers, in books, and, since the start of the Tiger era, as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated." This Golfing Life is the story of Bamberger's golf journey, from a young man trying to find a home in golf to a middle-aged man whose best friendships, and best times, come out of the game. It brings together Bamberger's celebrated and intimate reporting on Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Annika Sorenstam, and Michelle Wie, and portrays the behind-the-ropes golf people who give the game its texture: the caddie-yard lifers, golf bums, iconoclastic architects, powerful TV executives, swing gurus, desperate parents, eager rookies, and wistful veterans. They're all here, culled from the best of the author's work over the past twenty years. Bamberger has rewritten these stories and woven them, and his own golf experiences, into one single, seamless, and exhilarating narrative. It will remind golfers why they fell in love with the game in the first place, and alert nongolfers to what they are missing.

    Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World's Finest Private Collections celebrates the abiding passion for our national pastime, as witnessed by the dedication of the sport's most devoted collectors.The first book of its kind, Smithsonian Baseball features revealing stories and lavish photography highlighting 21 of the best private collections of baseball memorabilia in existence. From a rare copy of the first written rules of the game (1848) to Mark McGwire's record-shattering home-run ball (1998), these impressive collections span baseball's entire history. Some of the game's most historically significant artifacts are part of these private collections, yet most have never before been seen by the public. Marvel at the memorabilia as you read about the historical background of the objects and get to know each collector's passions and motivations. Some of the collections are all-encompassing; others focus on a specific era or type of memorabilia -- game-used bats, for example, or folk art, or celluloid pin-back buttons. One collection features only relics and memorabilia from the grand old ballparks of the past; another comprises items from overseas exhibition tours of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of the most valuable vintage photographs and advertising displays as well as the most sought-after baseball cards are in these collections, including the famous T206 Honus Wagner, the highest professionally graded set of 1915 Cracker Jacks, and a gem-mint condition 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. A father-daughter collecting duo has an impressive collection of World Series scorecards and programs, dating back to the inaugural series in 1903.The book also includes seven "tips" essays. The hobby's leading experts offer advice on collecting and authenticating artifacts, and show how to build and organize your own impressive 19th-century memorabilia or baseball card collection. Weigh the benefits of having a general collection versus a very narrow one. Find out how to store and display your collectibles. Learn to distinguish between an original first-generation photograph versus a wire photo, a vintage jersey worn at home games as opposed to one worn on the road, a player's game-used bat and one made for retail sale -- and much, much more. It's the perfect gift for any baseball fan, young or old, a baseball collectible in its own right.

    Former Steeler Rocky Bleier not only wrote the foreword but will be handing all the extensive media.

    This volume brings together Wiley's best feature stories from Sports Illustrated, columns from ESPN.com, his 'Parting Shots' from the ESPN television show The Sports Reporters, and excerpts from his books and screenplays.

    The first professional golfer to make his living playing the game rather than teaching it, Hagen won eleven major professional tournaments over his long career -- two U.S. Opens, four British Opens, and five PGA Championships (including an amazing streak of four consecutive PGA wins) -- a record surpassed only by Jack Nicklaus. Hagen was also influential in helping to found the Ryder Cup and was the first American golfer to top $1 million in career earnings -- a figure equivalent to over $40 million today. Award-winning sportswriter Tom Clavin has penned a thrilling biography that vividly recalls Hagen's dazzling achievements and the qualities that made him a star. Energetic, witty, and one of the best putters ever to walk the green, Hagen was a man who loved to party, was extraordinarily generous to his friends, and golfed the world over, giving exhibitions. He preferred to travel by limousine, and if he intended to stay awhile he'd bring a second limo just to transport his clothes, which were nothing but the finest. On his many trips across the Atlantic to compete in the Ryder Cup or British Open, Hagen was known to throw parties that lasted days, ending only when the ship reached the shore. He was also the first professional golfer to admit to playing not only for the love of the game, but also for the love of the winner's purse. Walter Hagen, forerunner of today's sports superstars, is as dynamic a character as can be found in American sports history. Bringing Hagen to life with incredible detail and countless anecdotes, Sir Walter is the authoritative biography of the man who helped create professional golf as it's known today.

    They are twins, they are each other’s best friends and biggest fans, and they play on the same football team in this picture book based on a true story.Tiki has had seven long touch-down runs this season, and Ronde is proud of his brother, but he can’t help feeling a little down when Tiki gets all the glory. If Ronde hadn’t been leading the way with his blocks, Tiki wouldn’t have been clear to score. Ronde thinks nobody notices the guy who blocks; they only notice the guy who scores. Will the day ever come when Ronde will get his chance? Written by two NFL superstars, this story of perseverance and teamwork will inspire. Barry Root’s glowing illustrations bring to life all the excitement and energy of a great game and a team working together.

    The Monsters of the Midway did not only demolish the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, they dominated the NFL that season the way few teams have in the history of the sport. The Bears finished the regular season with a gleaming 15-1 record, perfect but for a slip-up on Dec. 2 in Miami. In a span of three games in November, the Bears defeated Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta by a combined score of 104-3. In Reflections on the 1985 Bears, fans get a revealing look at Chicago's last Super Bowl champion through the eyes of the team's head coach. Coach Ditka vividly describes the emotion, humor, and inner turmoil of his team from quarterback Jim McMahon's arrival in training camp with a Mohawk haircut through the team's hit single, "The Super Bowl Shuffle" through their eventual Super Bowl triumph in New Orleans. Along the way, Ditka shares his memories of such characters as McMahon, Walter Payton, William "Refrigerator" Perry, Richard Dent, Wilbur Marshall, Otis Wilson and others. He reflects on his power struggles with both the front office and assistant coach Buddy Ryan. In the end, football fans will gain a new appreciation for one of the best teams assembled in the history of the sport, the 1985 Chicago Bears.

    He loves to play basketball. He loves to hang out with his friends. He loves to laugh. Andre has skills, brains, and heart. He also has a dream. Then he is viciously attacked. Now everything he ever believed about the world has been called into question. Even his deadly jump shot. How can a man get up when he has been unjustly beaten down? Andre is about to find out. Andre is The Hoopster.

    Some facts about women's basketball today: - Globally, basketball is the most popular sport among female teens, according to the International Basketball Federation- The women's college championship game in 2003 was the most watched sporting event in the history of ESPN- According to the NCAA, 31% of all consumers between the age of 9 and 55 follow women's college basketball- In the 1990s, the number of girls playing on interscholastic basketball teams increased by 40%, to nearly 3 million players

    This comprehensive account walks through a century of soccer, highlighting the club’s star players past and present, the key games, and its rise to prominence. The controversies are addressed as well, including the club’s near collapse in the 1970s from lack of funds, its handling of issues relating to racism, and the recent crackdown on the fans’ rampant hooliganism.  Updated to include a discussion of the club’s recent seasons and its purchase by tycoon Roman Abramovich, this is the ultimate resource on the team in blue.

    One woman's personal and triumphant journey through "Tinseltown" and into the loving arms of a Savior.

    But his journey to America—like that of his forgotten foil, 7‘1" Wang Zhizhi—began long before he set foot on the world’s brightest athletic stage.Operation Yao Ming opens with the story of the two boys’ parents, basketball players brought together by Chinese officials intent on creating a generation of athletes who could bring glory to their resurgent motherland. Their children would have no more freedom to choose their fates. By age thirteen, Yao was pulled out of sports school to join the Shanghai Sharks pro team, following in the footsteps of Wang, then the star of the People’s Liberation Army team. Rumors of the pair of Chinese giants soon attracted the NBA and American sports companies, all eager to tap a market of 1.3 billion consumers.In suspenseful scenes, journalist Brook Larmer details the backroom maneuverings that brought China’s first players to the NBA. Drawing on years of firsthand reporting, Larmer uncovers the disturbing truth behind China’s drive to produce Olympic champions, while also taking readers behind the scenes of America’s multibillion-dollar sports empire. Caught in the middle are two young men—one will become a mega-rich superstar and hero to millions, the other a struggling athlete rejected by his homeland yet lost in America.

    The former heavyweight champion is one of the most recognized and beloved sports figures of the past century. In the ring, he made an impact with his powerful fists and lightning quick feet. Outside the ring, he earned a reputation as a good-natured, free-spoken personality who liked to make up poems about how he planned to beat his next opponent. Yet Muhammad Ali was much more than a boxer and a braggart. He emerged during the tumultuous 60s as a man with strong spiritual convictions and an unwavering belief in the importance of the Civil Rights movement. Today he continues to support charitable causes and peace efforts even as he fights a new and more daunting opponent-a debilitating syndrome that has impaired his speech and motor control. Though he can no longer ``dance like a butterfly'' or ``sting like a bee,'' to sports lovers everywhere, he is still ``the greatest.'' Get to know a true legend.

    Every year, the dream grew larger, only to fade away. Yet every year, his gallery of fans grew in support of his quest. Then, on April 11, 2004, for the most beloved golfer of the decade, everything changed. It is a moment ingrained in the hearts and minds of millions, a moment of epic triumph and destiny fulfilled that will be remembered for the ages. But for Phil Mickelson, winning the 2004 Masters was merely another step in an odyssey that began many years ago. Born into a sporting family, with a putter drawn on his birth announcement, Phil knew early on that golf would always be his passion. His parents embraced and nurtured that dream, but they taught him that winning isn't everything. In One Magical Sunday, Phil Mickelson takes us on a magical journey inside a life few have seen up close, but a life whose lessons can be cherished forever. As we travel hole-by-hole through that triumphant Sunday at the Masters, Phil looks back at the influences that made him the man he is today: his mom and dad, who mentored him on the balance between family and golf; his wife, Amy, who has given him so much happiness and fulfillment; and their three children, who remain their top priority. With personal insights from Phil's family and never-before-seen photos of his most treasured moments, One Magical Sunday is a book not only for Phil's millions of fans, but for everyone who finds inspiration in reading about a champion on and off the course.

    Surf’s Up has it all, including• what to look for when buying a surfboard• how to find the right waves• how to paddle out, catch waves, stand up, and turn your board• a colorful history of women’s surfing, from Gidget to Beachley• where to find North America’s dream surfing spots Writing with the passion that comes from living the surfing life for more than fifteen years, Louise Southerden brings her love of surfing to every page, offering a glimpse of surfing subculture, surf lingo, the rules of the waves, and helpful tips from other surfer girls who have survived the learning-to-surf journey. Surf’s Up is encouraging and empowering: a book no surfer girl should be without!

    This work is a meticulously researched history of professional baseball as told through the stories of the 124 franchises that have comprised the major leagues since 1871.

    Published by CFPA and edited by our own Ann Colson, this is the 19th edition of the guidebook that was first released more than 75 years ago.Includes detailed two-color topographic maps that are crisp, clear, and easy to read. Complete trail descriptions accompany the maps

    Finally, in 2001, he took over as the starting QB for the New England Patriots and took the team all the way to victory in the Super Bowl in 2002. Two years later, he took the Pats all the way back to the big game once more, winning it all again in 2004. In this cool biography, the life and career of this remarkable athlete is examined.

    Vince Dooley had the perfect view of the bedlam, riding atop the shoulders of his players, and he had the perfect view of everything that happened in 1980 that led up to the ultimate climax. They played with the tenacity of Bulldogs all year, yet it might have been the purloined pig that united the team. It was also the year the silver britches returned. It was the last year for the fans on the railroad tracks. And on the eve of a national championship, Vince Dooley almost left Georgia to return to Auburn to coach his alma mater. One year removed from a mediocre 6-5 season, Georgia certainly got a boost from freshman tailback Herschel Walker, the most sought-after schoolboy athlete in the state's history. It was so important that Georgia sign Walker, in fact, that backfield coach Mike Cavan moved to Wrightsville, Georgia--100 miles south of the Athens campus from Christmas to Easter--when divine intervention seemingly moved Walker to a decision. But Walker alone was not enough. That became clearly evident when a dramatic comeback was needed to overcome Florida, and a wide receiver who had lost his scholarship for disciplinary reasons and suffered an offseason injury in a car accident resurrected his college career with the most incredible play in Georgia's history. Yet the championship season was almost derailed before it started in the season opener, when Nate Taylor, Pat McShea, and even punter Jim Broadway epitomizedthe roles of the unsung heroes in a onepoint win. From beginning to end, it was a year of unusual drama, sprinkled with generous doses of humor. And when it was all done, the 1980 team had reached a place no Bulldog team had ever gone before.

    and Hayes visited local hospitals, donated his time, money, and advice, and insisted that his players graduate.   More than just a standard biography, A Fire to Win explores the psychological motivations of one of the most complex of coaches.      First and foremost, Woody Hayes was a coach--and his achievements are stunning.   While at Ohio State, he won five national titles, and thirteen Big Ten Conference championships, made eight Rose Bowl appearances, and earned two national Coach of the Year awards.   His killer instincts, honed in the navy, where he commanded a destroyer escort in the Pacific during World War II, helped him lead his teams to a 30-9 winning average.   Moreover, Hayes's lifetime coaching record, 238-72-10, puts him in the first rank of college coaching immortals.   No other coach has won more games in a shorter period.      John Lombardo uses his extensive sports writing experience to craft an accurate portrait of one of the most complex and fascinating figures in football.   Countless interviews of former players, assistant coaches, administrators, faculty, associates, and friends shape the image of Hayes and his career, which spanned the mid-1940s to the late 1970s during a tremendous period of change in American society.   A Fire to Win is an honest and revealing biography of Hayes, a man who ranks in the pantheon of football coaches.

    The Olympic motto conjures images of heroes whose achievements transcended their athletic prowess, but also of tragedy and disgrace. By 1980, the modern Olympic movement was gasping for breath, bankrupt financially, politically, and culturally. But under the leadership of Juan Antonio Samaranch, and, subsequently, Jacques Rogge, the Olympics began a journey back from the brink. Michael Payne, who served as the International Olympic Committee's top marketer for over twenty years, offers unprecedented access to the people and negotiations behind one of the most dramatic turnarounds in business or sports history. Through a multi-pronged strategy, the IOC managed to secure lucrative broadcasting commitments, entice well-heeled corporate sponsors, and parlay the symbolism of the Olympics into a brand for which cities around the world are willing to invest billions of dollars. Packed with previously untold stories from the high-octane world where business, sports, politics, and media meet, Olympic Turnaround is a remarkable tale of organizational renewal and a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of the world's most iconic brand.The 2008 Games in Beijing, for example, are expected to involve over 10,000 athletes from 200 countries, draw 20,000 media representatives, and generate over $4 billion in sponsorships and broadcasting rights. Packed with previously untold stories from the high-octane world where business, sports, politics, and media meet, Olympic Turnaround is a remarkable tale of organizational renewal and a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of the world's most iconic brand.

    . . how integration has come to baseball and how it can be achieved in every corner of the land.”—Jackie RobinsonBack in print for the first time since its initial publication in 1964, Baseball Has Done It is an oral history of baseball and racial integration as told by its greatest players to the man who broke the color line, Jackie Robinson. This one-of-a-kind classic features rare and candid interviews conducted by Robinson with ballplayers who played and lived through the first generation of racial integration in baseball. A who’s who of baseball legends—Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Roy Campanella, Alvin Dark, Larry Doby, Carl Erskine, Elston Howard, Monte Irvin, Don Newcombe, Frank Robinson and Bill White—share the spotlight with players from the Negro Leagues, baseball executives like Branch Rickey and Ford Frick and Jackie Robinson himself to create a diverse look at the effects of integration on baseball and society. Much more than a sports book, Baseball Has Done It is an important document of the struggle for civil rights in the United States, one that speaks to the past while looking toward the future, with the belief that if baseball has done it—achieve integration—the rest of society can too. As Jackie Robinson said, “The ballplayers who have spoken in these pages have told the truth. They reveal that total integration is the only cure for the disease of hatred which is afflicting our America!”This first-ever reprint edition will feature an introduction from the Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee as well as a selection of vintage photographs that were specifically selected for this new edition.

    In addition to his own personal reflections, stories, and anecdotes from his playing days at the University of Pittsburgh and the Miami Dolphins, Marino shares some of his most private moments with his family, friends, and behind-the-scenes of some of the more exciting and unusual moments that he has enjoyed. Hundreds of vibrant, full-color photographs accompany a specially-produced DVD that is available only with this book. The exclusive DVD that contains never-before-seen footage of Marino's high school and college playing days in addition to interviews with former teammates and coaches that aims to explain the genesis of Marino's amazing talent. With unprecedented access to the Hall of Fame quarterback's life—from hearing stories directly from Marino to seeing how the quarterback lives with his family and friends—no other book offers the insight into Marino's life that this one does.

    By detailing individual experiences, Anderson shows how these athletes are emerging from their athletic closets and contesting the dominant norms of masculinity. From the locker rooms of high school sports, where the atmosphere of don't ask, don't tell often exists, to the unique circumstances that gay athletes encounter in professional team sports, this book analyzes the agency that openly gay athletes possess to change their environments.

    This comprehensive look at one of the most fascinating aspects of the sport of wrestling is an entertaining journey through the world of tag teams, exploring their essential role in wrestling promotions both large and small. With detailed historical and insider information based on hundreds of extensive interviews with well-known wrestlers, promoters, and managers, even casual fans will be anxious to see where their favorite twosome stacks up on the list of top tag teams of all time.

    Complemented by dozens of vintage and archival photographs, an entertaining look at golf during its golden era celebrates the seventy-fifth anniversary of Bobby Jones's 1930 Grand Slam win and offers biographical sketches of such golfing greats as Walter Hagan, Chick Evans, Tommy Armour, and Walter Travis, among others.

    For the past 25 seasons, Keady's Purdue Boilermakers were among the Big Ten Conference's most difficult opponents, winning 512 of 772 games, including six Big Ten championships and a pair of trips to the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight. While many know Keady for his fiery sideline demeanor and classic fist pump in a moment of athletic passion, this former national coach of the year has a softer side, which includes an honest respect for the media and a terrific sense of humor. Within the pages of The Truth and Nothing But the Truth, the recently retired Purdue coach talks about everything from his relationship with Texas Tech coach Bob Knight, who was Keady's rival for 20 seasons at Indiana, to how the Boilermakers were able to successfully recruit 1994 National Player of the Year Glenn Robinson out of Gary Roosevelt High School in Lake County, Ind.Keady, 68, explains details how his father—a boxer turned wholesale florist—instilled a deep—seeded love for athletics, which Keady parlayed into a successful playing career at Larned High School, Garden City (Kan.) Junior College and then Kansas State University. Keady was signed by the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers in the summer of 1958, but a knee injury cut his pro football career short. He returned to Kansas, accepting a teaching/coaching position at Beloit High School, where basketball—not football—was the only coaching post available. The rest is history. In April, 1980, Keady accepted then—Purdueathletic director George King's offer to replace Lee Rose, who left West Lafayette for a South Florida job. Keady rolled up his sleeves and put Purdue on the college basketball map in a state where Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers were the high—profile targets. It took Keady only four seasons to win his first Big Ten title. From there, he became one of college basketball's icons, while never losing the common touch he learned from his hardworking father in western Kansas.

    Meet NASCAR's top drivers from past and present and see the high-tech gear they use to thrill millions of fans. Discover the history of this awesome sport, see the biggest, coolest racetracks in America, and find out how NASCAR pit crews help drivers win races. Discover teh speed, power, and drama of exciting stock-car racing action.

    I Love Gymnastics follows the progress of a group of young gymnasts as they learn simple balances and other basic techniques before moving on to more challenging moves on the beam and bars.

    Nearly 200 humorous drawings guide you step-by-step to avoid common pitfalls and learn innovative stretching techniques. 108 pages. 8.25 x 11". By sports medicine specialist Dr. Jolie Bookspan, named "St. Jude of the Joints" by Harvard Medical School clinicians.

    Compiled are accounts from sportswriters over the past century that document the most memorable games, profile coaching and playing legends, uncover the mystique of Fighting Irish football, and explain the Notre Dame phenomenon.

    And there appeared to be little chance that 05 would be any different for the American League franchise and its long-suffering fans. But thanks to resourceful ownership, the ability of general manager Ken Williams to put together a cohesive team, the fiery leadership of manager Ozzie Guillen and player who know how to play the game the right way, the White Sox captured the A.L. Central crown and played almost flawless ball (11 victories in 12 games) in the postseason.The Result: a storybook world title on the South Side of Chicago."The Pride of Chicago" commemorates the White Soxs first World Series championship since 1917 and includes:Foreword by Ozzie GuillenGame-by-game review of 2005 seasonHighlights of the regular seasonDivision, Championship, and World Series stories and photos all in full colorReview of other White Sox title teams

    One of the oldest and most storied franchises in the National Football League—born in 1925 in New York City—the Giants have one of the most colorful, entertaining, and successful histories in the world of sports. This fascinating portrait on the team captures, in captivating words and dynamic vintage and modern photography, the entire history of this New York and football institution.

    

    Instead, the game was dominated by men like Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner, players who sprayed the ball around the park, stole bases and mastered the hit and run. In fact, only one player entered the baseball mythology for his slugging: Frank Home Run Baker. Born in Trappe, Maryland, in 1886, Baker earned his moniker by hitting two game-changing homers in the 1911 World Series. That was the also the first year he led the American League in home runs, with the grand total of 11. Altogether, he led for four consecutive years (1911-1914), though he never hit more than 12 dingers in a single season. Playing third base for the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees, Baker led the way for the more Ruthian totals to come in the Roaring '20s. His is the story of a young player who at the height of his career risked throwing it all away in a contract dispute with the legendary Connie Mack. It is the story of the deadball era and the transition to the game we know today.

    Readers are given the inside story on the Trojan's downward spiral and long road back through stories such as why Coach Pete Carroll wasn't the Trojan's first choice as head coach, the history of how losing became the norm, how Carson Palmer went from disappointing to Heisman Trophy winner, recaps of key victories that sent the Trojans on a remarkable winning streak, and the sweet victory in the 2005 Orange Bowl vs. the Oklahoma Sooners.

    Showing how a myriad of techniques originate in the guard, including sweeps, reversals, and submissions, these drills demonstrate how small changes in hip position and weight distribution can make the difference between success and failure in submission combat. Extraordinarily detailed with tips from leading black belts and down-to-earth advice on what to think about during a match, this guide is instructive reading for even advanced belts seeking to refine their game.

    Steve Smith is not a well-adjusted adult. He’s a Nebraska football fan, and this is his rollicking account of what it’s like to be one of those legendary enthusiasts whose passion for the Cornhuskers is at once alarming and hilarious. A journey into an obsessed Nebraska fan’s soul, Forever Red immerses readers in the mad, mad world of Cornhusker football fandom—where wearing the scarlet-and-cream Huskers gear has its own peculiar rules; where displaced followers act as the program’s ambassadors, finding Cornhusker subculture beyond the pale; and where the team’s performance can barely keep pace with its followers’ expectations but sometimes exceeds their wildest dreams. Blending wit and insight, Smith’s story of twenty-plus years following the team takes readers back to memorable game moments from 1980 to the new era under coach Bill Callahan, offering the uninitiated and the fellow fanatic alike a window on the world where fantasy and football meet, where dreams of glory and gritty gridiron realities forever join.

    A few months after sending a blind application letter to George Steinbrenner, on Opening Day 1992 Matt found himself walking into the legendary Yankee clubhouse. There, amid the chaos and excitement, he was greeted by none other than his idol Don Mattingly — who promptly played a prank on him.Thus began two years of adventures and misadventures, from being set up on a date by the bullpen to playing blackjack on the team plane to studying for an exam at 3 am in Yankee Stadium. Through these often hilarious experiences, and especially through his friendships with the ballplayers, Matt learned priceless lessons about honor, responsibility, and the importance of believing in oneself. A magical tale of what happens to a young man when his fondest dream comes true, Bat Boy wonderfully evokes that twilight time just before adulthood, ripe with possibility, foolishness, and hard-won knowledge.

    Duke and Carolina will be here forever." ---Mike KrzyzewskiFor 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.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. 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."You can see the beads of sweat on coaches' and players' faces as the tale by this former sports editor for the Durham Morning Herald unfolds."---News & Record (Greensboro, NC)"A book on this rivalry was long overdue, and Chansky does it justice. This is sure to become a staple of every Tar Heel or Blue Devil fan's library."---InsideCarolina.com"A holy text for both sides of the rivalry. . . . This book is a coffee table necessity for anyone that claims to have a background in college basketball . . . you need to read this book cover to cover as many times as possible until you can recite from it."---The East Carolinian"I'm biased, but I think this is the greatest rivalry, not just in college basketball, but in all of sports."---Dick Vitale, ESPN"Art Chansky has more than learned what Duke-Carolina is all about; he's lived it for more than thirty years. His columns, commentaries, and characterizations have long been on the money, and Blue Blood puts them all together in an anticipated and entertaining work that reads more like a novel. But truth is stranger than fiction, and Chansky tells it just like it is."---Curry Kirkpatrick, who has covered Duke-Carolina for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and ESPN the Magazine

    Who was the first NHL player to torpedo his million-dollar contract? Which player scored the fastest hat trick on one power play? Who was the only goalie to score a power-play goal? Weekes cherry picked more than 800 of his most compelling trivia questions and records to create this vast and quirky compendium. Irreverent, captivating, and even bizarre, these amazing stories, historic milestones, and informative stats capture the essence of the game today. It’s all here, the good, the bad, and the ugly, in a riveting, jam-packed read that hockey hounds will devour from cover to cover.

    Shero could not have been more prophetic. Thirty years later, members of those Cup teams are still revered in the city of Philadelphia and throughout the hockey world, for that matter. In Walking Together Forever: The Broad Street Bullies Then and Now author Jim Jackson wants to bring people back to those glorious days of the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup championships through the telling of so many of the incredible anecdotes that emanated from the many memorable characters that created the glory: Walking Together Forever: The Broad Street Bullies Then and Now will follow the major principals of the Cup wins, taking readers through the remainder of those heroes' hockey careers, into retirement, and up to the present. Many of the stories of their personal trials, travails, and successes since hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup are as compelling as those from the championship years themselves. In the eyes of hockey fans, members of those teams have indeed "walked together forever."

    Written by real experts in fantasy play, it has won league champions for 8 consecutive seasons, a total of 12 titles, and 5 second-place finishes since 1998. It is the first guide to develop sabermetric applications for fantasy league play and includes accurate projections that are fully supported and intuitively logical. Ron Shandler’s Baseball Forecaster is the source used by Major League GMs, the media, and other fantasy services.

    A star for the Chicago Bears from 1974 to 1987, Payton rushed for a National Football League career record of 16,726 yards. Known to football fans everywhere as "Sweetness," he helped lead the Bears to a Super Bowl victory following the 1985 season and over the years established himself as one of the sports world's most popular and personable role models. Payton was beloved by his teammates, idolized by his fans, and embraced by business partners. He captured the heart of the Windy City with a graciousness complimented by a spirit of humility and a wonderful sense of humor. Millions mourned in early November 1999 when Payton, a youthful 45, succumbed to cancer after a nearly year-long battle with various health problems. Even in his dying days, however, Payton maintained his dignity, a spirit of community charity, and a legendary ability to pull off practical jokes that would send friends and family reeling with laughter. Before he passed away, he reportedly also renewed his commitment to his Christian faith. His death on November 1 coincided with the day known as All Saints Day in many Christian quarters. In Walter Payton, dozens of his contemporaries, former teammates, coaches, childhood and college chums, business partners, fans, and friends offer in their own words their favorite memories and anecdotes of this man they loved so much. Walter Payton is a warm, entertaining, and inspiring book about a man whose fame transcended the sport in which he competed into the widest realms of life itself.

    Presents an annual reference guide of facts and records for each team in the National Football League, including information on all-time results, team directories, and draft summaries.