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Identity and Nation in African Football
by Chuka Onwumechili Gerard AkindesThe 2010 South African World Cup launched African football onto the global stage. This volume brings together top scholars on African football to explore a range of issues such as gender, identity, nationalism, history, cyber-fandom, the media and fan radicalization.
Idiot: Beating “The Curse” and Enjoying the Game of Life
by Peter Golenbock Johnny DamonDear Baseball Fan: I know what you're thinking: Couldn't he have come up with a better title? My mother agrees with you, but unfortunately Genius just doesn't have the same ring. Let's get something straight right away. I may be an idiot, but I've tried to do more in this book than just revisit the Red Sox's Miracle Season. I want to give you a sense of what it's like to grow up with baseball dreams, to spend long years climbing the ladder, and then over the course of three years to see the building blocks of those dreams fall into place. In this book, you'll be reading about the son of an Army staff sergeant--a thrill-seeking Orlando kid who at age thirteen was gifted with a man's body, including rare speed and reflexes. It was some straight talk from my brother that kept me from abandoning that talent, which led to my eventually catching on with the Kansas City Royals and later the Oakland A's. Starting in 2002 with the Red Sox, I got to see what can happen when a determined front office decides to roll the dice and acquire players who, like me, leave the thinking out of it--who trust their instincts and play team baseball. Forget what you've read about the posse of long-haired rebels who eventually made up the 2004 Red Sox. I'll give you the straight dope, including who's got the biggest mouth (hint: his first name is Kevin); what Pedro Martinez was doing all those times when you couldn't find him on the bench; what game David Ortiz should never play; and why I sometimes question Curt Schilling's sanity. Memo to Curt: the statue of you is being erected. What's it like being responsible for the hopes of millions? In the fall of 2004 my teammates and I got to find out. What I've tried to do in these pages is bring you inside, show you the black humor that erupted when it seemed we could do nothing right, and the immense joy that followed when 25 guys took turns picking each other up, and by sheer force of will reached baseball's summit. Red Sox Nation (both natives and new arrivals), this one's for you. From Idiot by Johnny Damon... On what it takes to make the majors..."It's never about your talent. Everybody in the minor leagues has talent. If you're planning on building a career in baseball on just talent alone, you've got no chance. Most important, you need will. You've got to work harder than the next guy, and you have to want it more than the next guy. Guys who make it do so with their heart and mind." On Nomar... "It was virtually impossible for Nomar to go out in public. If he went, he needed a private room or he had to be shielded by the other players so the public wouldn't get to him. Nomar had to deal with his superstar status every day. If one fan wanted an autograph, there'd be a hundred behind him. Nomar spent much of his time in his room getting food delivered. It was the only way he could get to eat." On "The Curse"... When you got down toward the end of the season, that's all you heard about...'Do you believe in the curse?' 'Is the curse overtaking the team?'...Since Dan Shaughnessy is the guy who invented this curse nonsense in the first place, I find it kind of odd that he keeps talking about it. He's a bright guy. I can't believe he actually believes it. I guess the Curse of the Bambino has a better ring to it than the Curse of Dan Shaughnessy.
Idiots Revisited: Catching Up With the Red Sox Who Won the 2004 World Series
by David Ortiz Ian BrowneFor 86 years, the Red Sox labored under the Curse of the Bambino, never winning a World Series. Then in 2004, a group of self-proclaimed "Idiots" banished the curse in rare style, first defeating the Anaheim Angels 3-0 to win the division, then overcoming a 3-0 deficit to beat the infamous New York Yankees, and finally sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0. This book tells the story behind that amazing season through interviews with the men who changed Red Sox history forever.
Idiots Revisited: Catching Up with the Red Sox Who Won the 2004 World Series
by David Ortiz Ian BrowneFor 86 years, the Red Sox labored under the Curse of the Bambino, never winning a World Series until a group of self-proclaimed "Idiots" banished the curse in 2004. Ten years later, MLB.com writer Ian Browne caught up with many of the men from that never-say-die squad and wove their memories of the season, the playoffs, and their subsequent lives with his own journalism to create a book that is both poignant and hugely entertaining. Woven around the 2004 memories and insights of Derek Lowe, Keith Foulke, Dave Roberts, Gabe Kapler, Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon, Mark Bellhorn, Tim Wakefield, Terry Francona, Theo Epstein, and others. A marvelous gift and profoundly satisfying read for Red Sox fans.
Iditarod (Images of Sports)
by Tricia Brown Jeff KingFor sled dog-racing fans worldwide, the most important calendar day is the first Saturday in March, when teams convene for the start of mushing's Superbowl--the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race®. Every year, as it has since 1973, this ultimate challenge begins in the state's most populated city, Anchorage, and then dives into the Alaska Bush on a historic trail that wends over mountain ranges, along frozen rivers, and onto the Bering Sea ice. The finish line lies 1,000-plus miles away in Nome, beneath a giant, burled archway. There, dogs and their drivers are greeted by masses of locals, vacationing fans, officials, media, and other mushers who intimately know what that team has just endured. To simply finish is the goal for entrants; to win is the accomplishment of a rare few. Indeed, more people have climbed Mount Everest than have finished the Iditarod®.
Iditarod Alaska: Life of a Long Distance Sled Dog Musher
by Burt BomhoffFor many, Alaska's golden years were at the turn of the last century when gold miners and fur traders plied the rivers and trails of this great Alaska in search of adventure and fortune. Men, tough guys who had character, traveled by foot, riverboat and dog team through a land where few could survive, much less thrive. It wasn't just the adventure; it was the grandeur of Alaska, the deep woods, the open tundra and the rugged mountains. And it was also the life that meant so much. The fellowship of friends sitting around a campfire talking of things simple but important, things of the deep woods where the wolves howled and the northern lights danced across a clear, black, star studded sky. This same life, these people and the husky sled dogs were found along the Iditarod race trail during the 1980s. Burt describes the life in a small wilderness cabin, the comradery of friends around a campfire, the dogs, the characters and the great Alaska wilderness. It brings back fond memories for us who lived it and tells in detail of these great times for others who want to know what it was really like.
Iditarod Dream: Dusty and His Sled Dogs Compete in Alaska's Jr. Iditarod
by Ted WoodFrom book jacket: Racing over icy mountain trails each March, mushers and their dogs battle severe conditions to participate in Alaska's world-famous Iditarod Trail Sled-Dog Race. Four years after the race was established, young competitors were given a chance to test their mettle when the Jr. Iditarod was created in 1977 for racers aged 14-17 years. Fifteen-year-old Dusty, one of only six students in his high school in remote Cantwell, Alaska, came in fourth in 1994-his first year in the race. He wants to be first in 1995. Dusty's log cabin home is surrounded by seventeen doghouses. Each one shelters a loyal friend who will run his or her heart out for Dusty. They train together three days a week, all year round, in all kinds of weather. Facing a challenge like the Jr Iditarod requires intense preparation and a steely determination. Follow Dusty and his dogs as they race across 158 miles of frozen lakes and windswept woods, dodging moose and snowmobiles, and fighting exhaustion and icy temperatures to reach for an often elusive dream.
Iditarod Memories: 30 Years of Poster Art from the Last Great Race
by Jona Van ZyleA collection of annual posters from the official artist of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Included are stories about how each of the first 30 posters came to be created, and the stories they tell about the race.
Idols of the Game: A Sporting History of the American Century
by Robert Lipsyte Peter Levine16 of America's major sports idols, both men and women, are studied in relationship to the politics and culture of their time. Although only 16 are named as chapter heads, each chapter includes many more sports heroes and their impact. Topics addressed include race, class, gender, sexual preference, ancestry, "fakelore", and others. Includes Notes and references for each chapter.
If Football's a Religion, Why Don't We Have a Prayer?: Philadelphia, Its Faithful, and the Eternal Quest for Sports Salvation
by Jere LongmanThe last time a Philadelphia professional sports team won a championship, Ronald Reagan was in the White House and Return of the Jedi was number one at the box office. No city with all four major sports has gone longer without one. The local NFL franchise, the Eagles, has not won a title since 1960, putting its devoted fans through decades of futility and heartbreak.Peppered with riotous anecdotes about the grandstand brawlers and football lunatics who make Philadelphia one of the most entertaining places in America to watch a game, If Football's a Religion, Why Don't We Have a Prayer? is the hilarious day-by-day account of the operatic passion of Eagles fans in the buildup to the team's first Super Bowl appearance since 1981. With outrageous detail and beer-on-your-shoes reporting, New York Times sportswriter and longtime Philly resident Jere Longman reveals what happens when the losingest sports town in America finally has a shot at winning it all.
If God Invented Baseball
by E. Ethelbert MillerHere are poems that celebrate and interpret the game by one of America's finest poets. They are for everyone who has experienced the magic released when three holy things come together: bat, ball and glove. "Ethelbert Miller is one of the most significant and influential poets of our time." --Gwendolyn BrooksIf God Invented Baseball is a complete game of baseball poems, a full nine innings pitched by a “master twirler,” whose complete arsenal includes fastballs, curves and change-ups, and the occasional knuckler, to keep readers swinging for the fences, his full artistry on display. Ethelbert Miller's work captures the enjoyment of the game from childhood to old age. Baseball fans will place this book next to their scorecards, peanuts and beer. Poetry readers will equally be delighted. If God Invented Baseball is a book for the ballpark and the home. “Ethelbert's replay of baseball joys and sorrows is a must read. He brings us THE GAME with skill and grace. It is an inside the park home run” -- Clifford Alexander
If I Never Get Back: A Novel (If I Never Get Back)
by Darryl BrockContemporary reporter Sam Fowler, stuck in a dull job and a failing marriage, abruptly finds himself transported back to the summer of 1869. After a wrenching period of adjustment, he comes to feel rejuvenated by his involvement with the nation's first pro baseball players. He also finds his senses quickening and tastes changing as he faces life-threatening 19th-century challenges on and off the baseball diamond. Through his attachments to the ballplayers and the lovely Caitlin O'Neill, he might just regain the sense of family he desperately needs. Darryl Brock masterfully evokes post-Civil War America's smoky, turbulent cities, the new transcontinental railroad that takes passengers over prairies and mountains to California, the dance halls and parlor houses, the financial booms and busts, and historical luminaries like Mark Twain and Jesse James. Equally appealing to sports fans and anyone who likes a good read, If I Never Get Back well deserves the Cleveland Plain Dealer's judgment that it "hits a home run."
If I Ran the Horse Show: All About Horses (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)
by Bonnie WorthLaugh and learn with fun facts about horses including mustangs, Appaloosas, Icelandic ponies, and more—all told in Dr. Seuss&’s beloved rhyming style and starring the Cat in the Hat! &“The judges are waiting. It&’s time for the show. So pick up the reins . . . giddyup and let&’s go!&” The Cat in the Hat&’s Learning Library series combines beloved characters, engaging rhymes, and Seussian illustrations to introduce children to nonfiction topics from the real world! Take a trip to the Super-Tremendous Stupendous Horse Show and learn: • how horses are measured by hands• what different horses are used for around the world• how horse shoes are made• and much more! Perfect for story time and for the youngest readers, If I Ran the Horse Show: All About Horses also includes an index, glossary, and suggestions for further learning. Look for more books in the Cat in the Hat&’s Learning Library series!Clam-I-Am! All About the BeachMiles and Miles of Reptiles: All About ReptilesA Whale of a Tale! All About Porpoises, Dolphins, and WhalesSafari, So Good! All About African WildlifeThere's a Map on My Lap! All About MapsOh, the Lavas That Flow! All About VolcanoesOut of Sight Till Tonight! All About Nocturnal AnimalsWhat Cat Is That? All About CatsOnce upon a Mastodon: All About Prehistoric MammalsOh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? All About WeatherThe Cat on the Mat: All About Mindfulness
If Lin Can: How Jeremy Lin Inspired Asian Americans to Shoot for the Stars
by Richard HoThis biography of basketball superstar Jeremy Lin is an anthem of Asian American pride that speaks to any child who feels underestimated or misunderstood. If Lin can, you can!Have you ever been told that you CAN&’T? Growing up in the Bay Area, Jeremy Lin heard that over and over again. People made fun of his size and his race and wouldn&’t give him a chance. But Jeremy persevered until he became the first Taiwanese American to play in the NBA. And when his big moment came, he seized it!Jeremy&’s meteoric rise, dubbed "Linsanity," inspired the world and a whole generation of young Asian Americans. As author Richard Ho puts it, &“Jeremy&’s struggles were our struggles, so his triumphs were our triumphs. He made us believe that if he could succeed, so could we.&”
If Only You (The Bergman Brothers #6)
by Chloe LieseA longtime good girl and unapologetic bad boy score the love of their life when they least expect to in this swoony, slow-burn sports romance.Ziggy Bergman is tired of being underestimated. Sure, she&’s the youngest player on the National Soccer team and the baby of the family, but that doesn&’t mean she still deserves to be treated like a kid. It&’s time for her angelic image to get a makeover. What better way to do that than hanging out with trouble incarnate and her brother&’s best friend, Sebastian Gauthier?Sebastian has hit rock bottom. His hockey career and sponsorships are in jeopardy of ending if something doesn&’t give. Seb&’s not willing to actually change his destructive ways, but he&’s happy to pretend he&’s a reformed reprobate by faking a friendship for publicity with sweet, shy Ziggy Bergman.When faking starts to feel real, Ziggy and Seb discover an unexpected friendship they&’re happy to hold on to. At least, until their once-fake friendship becomes the most loving, empowering relationship they&’ve ever known, and the end goal—for both of them—changes.
If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Oakland A's Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box
by Ken Korach Susan Slusser Dennis EckersleyThroughout their history, the Oakland Athletics have been one of the most audacious and individual franchises in all of baseball. As the longtime radio voice of the A's, Ken Korach has called countless improbable, unforgettable moments. As the San Francisco Chronicle's veteran beat reporter, Susan Slusser has become the preeminent scribe of the A's modern era. Both have witnessed more than their share of team history up close and personal. In If These Walls Could Talk: Oakland A's, Korach and Slusser provide insight into the A's inner sanctum as only they can. Readers will gain the perspective of players, coaches, and front office executives in times of greatness as well as defeat, making for a keepsake no fan will want to miss.
If Wishes Were Horses
by W. P. KinsellaAn entertaining romp about love, loss, crime, and baseball, from the bestselling author of Shoeless Joe. Washed-up pitcher Joe McCoy, in a strange twist of fate, has wound up as a fugitive running from the FBI. Without many other options, Joe goes home to Iowa to try to seek out the only two men who just might be able to help him—Ray Kinsella and Gideon Clarke… &“Continuing his series of bestselling baseball sagas…W.P. Kinsella brings nomadic pitcher Joe McCoy to the role of protagonist. Romping from bed to bed, he flops through a career of eight wins and 23 losses, tries journalism without much success, kidnaps a diplomat&’s baby, helps stick up a burger joint, and comes to terms with his life as his teenage sweetheart lies dying in hospital…a good read…What makes the book complex and more than just a comedy is time shifting as Kinsella goes from present to past and on to dreams of what might have been. The technique gives the story depth, brings motivation into view, and reveals McCoy&’s character to be that of a man in fear of the world. Thus the struggle to break rules, his contempt for cleanliness, the law, and accountants.&”—Quill & Quire
If You Can't Take the Heat
by Michael RuhlmanFrom James Beard Award–winning author Michael Ruhlman, a coming-of-age story about finding a new life and love in the kitchen…and trying not to get burned along the way.When high school football star Theo Claverback breaks his leg just weeks after a devastating break-up, he&’s forced to call an audible on his summer plans and put his college ones on hold. He soon finds himself in the most unlikely of places for a jock on crutches: the kitchen of an upscale French restaurant, where he&’ll work as a prep cook while his heart and leg heal.But it&’s in the kitchen where Theo finds new purpose and a new romance. As he becomes a trusted employee to Chef and is welcomed into his inner circle, Theo begins to discover the true costs of running a restaurant—and what happens when you get into hot water with the wrong people.Set in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1980, If You Can't Take the Heat is a gritty look inside the belly of an upscale kitchen where love and danger boil behind closed doors.
If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat?: Misadventures in Hunting, Fishing, and the Wilds of Suburbia (Laugh Lines Ser.)
by Bill HeaveyA hilarious collection of essays dedicated to life in the great outdoors from Field & Stream’s acclaimed Sportsman’s Life columnist. For nearly a decade, Bill Heavey, an outdoorsman marooned in suburbia, has written the Sportsman’s Life column on the back page of Field & Stream, where he does for hunting and fishing what David Feherty does for golf and Lewis Grizzard did for the South. If You Didn’t Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat? is the first collection of Heavey’s sidesplitting observations on life as a hardcore (but often hapless) outdoorsman. Whether he’s hunting cougars in the desert, scheming to make his five-year-old daughter love fishing, or chronicling his father’s life through a succession of canine companions, Heavey brings his trademark wit to a wide-range of outdoor enthusiasms, running the gamut from elite expeditions to ordinary occupations. In turns hysterical and poignant, entertaining and educational, this is an irresistible addition to the collection of any avid outdoorsman—or any suburbanite intrigued by the call of the wild.
If You Want to Ride a Horse
by Amy NoveskyCarson Ellis' Home meets Carter Higgins' Everything You Need for a Treehouse in this poetic, open-ended testament to the power of imagination, through the prism of horses.In lovely, lyrical fashion, If You Want to Ride a Horse introduces young readers to the joys of owning, riding, and caring for horses. It only starts with imagination—from there, the possibilities are endless.Beginning with a daydream, our young rider goes from dreaming about a horse, choosing the ideal kind of horse, meeting the horse, cleaning the horse, tacking up in preparation to ride, soothing their horse through a hard moment, triumphantly getting on, and finally riding gloriously off down the beach.Is it the best dream ever or a dream come true? It hardly matters: Gael Abary&’s art makes even the most incredible fantasy feel possible, and award-winning author&’s Amy Novesky&’s unforgettable language is an ode to the power of dreams and self-belief to change any young child&’s life. The book includes an author&’s note, an illustrator&’s note, and tantalizing fun facts about horses and horseback riding.A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
If You're Proud To Be A Leeds Fan
by Tom PalmerWhen the Gelderd End sings 'If you're proud to be a Leeds fan clap your hands' you clap your hands . . . but should you?Leeds United Football Club have one of the worst reputations in the country. For years the fans and players - fairly or unfairly - have been associated with thuggery. In If You're Proud to be a Leeds Fan Tom Palmer tries to work out just why he claps and why, when he has to miss a home game for work, he feels so bad.Set in the 2001-02 Premiership season, the author follows Leeds United at stadiums home and away, in bars watching satellite, listening to Radio Leeds and Radio Five Live and watching the pages of Ceefax. He focuses as much on the fans as on the action on the pitch and tries to establish whether Leeds fans and players are really so bad.The book examines the highs and lows of the club's recent history and their impact on the supporters - from the Paris riot in 1975 to relegation in 1982 and the glory of the 1992 League win. Palmer discusses the Bowyer-Woodgate trial, the board's plans to take Leeds United away from Elland Road, the controversial replacement of manager David O'Leary with Terry Venables, and the club's persistent hooliganism problems, especially the fans' unceasing hatred of Manchester United.If You're Proud to be a Leeds Fan tries to explain why, in the face of so many reasons why you shouldn't, you still find yourself clapping.The book includes Leeds poet Tony Harrison's poem 'v.'.
If You're Reading This (Arthur A Levine Novel Bks.)
by Trent ReedyFrom the author of Words in the Dust and Divided We Fall: A heartwarming book about a son reconnecting with the father he lost in Afghanistan.Mike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister Mary feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family," Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life. Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father -- the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son on the eve of Mike's 16th birthday. As the letters come in, Mike revels in spending time with his dad again, and takes his encouragement to try new things -- to go out for the football team, and ask out the beautiful Isma. But who's been keeping the letters all these years? And how did Dad actually die? As the answers to these mysteries are revealed, Mike and his family find a way to heal and move forward at last.
If You're a Duffer You're OK in My Book: Getting the Most Out of a Round, Even If You'll Never Break 80 or 90
by Mike PavlikThis book is for the golfer who just enjoys getting out with friends once or twice a week for a round of golf and for the golfer whose skills may need improvement. Basically, this book is for every non-pro golfer who plays the game because, as we know, golf never ceases to frustrate. The author, Mike Pavlik, wrote If You’re a Duffer, You’re OK in My Book to deliver the message that it’s all right to be a duffer. In other words, it’s fine if you don’t burn up the course and you don’t play like Fred Couples or Jack Nicklaus. If You’re a Duffer, You’re OK in My Book encourages fellow golfers to be honest in evaluating their game, even if their skill levels are subpar. Building on his own experiences, Mike Pavlik highlights that although golf is a sport and a competition, a bad round should not mean a bad day, nor should it discourage us from enjoying a day with friends and exploring the great outdoors. If You’re a Duffer, You’re OK in My Book includes a description of experiences and definitions describing a duffer, plus a round-by-round depiction of a duffer (the author himself) and how he plays and approaches each hole. While this book won’t make you a better golfer, at least not in the sense of lower scores, it will help you enjoy each round a little more, even if you don’t break a hundred. A section of the book allows you to record the memorable shots and best efforts that you have already achieved.
Iga and Koka Ninja Skills: The Secret Shinobi Scrolls of Chikamatsu Shigenori
by Antony Cummins Yoshie Minami‘A retainer of our domain, Renpeido Chikamatsu Hikonoshin Shigenori, each morning washed his face and hands, dressed himself in Hakama and prayed in front of the kamidana alter … His prayer was thus: “Please afford me success in war.” He kept to this routine all through his life.’ Through patient and scholarly detective work, Antony Cummins and the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team have unearthed a Shinobi treasure. The 18th-century military historian Chikamatsu recorded the oral traditions of the Ninja and passed on those skills in lectures he gave at his Renpeido school of war in Owari domain during the early 1700s. Chikamatsu wrote specifically about the Shinobi of Iga and Koka, regions from which warriors were hired all over the land in the days of war. The lost scrolls are filled with unknown Shinobi teachings, skills that include infiltration, assassination, explosives, magic and commando tactics, including an in depth commentary on Sun Tzu’s famous 13th chapter, ‘The Use of Spies’.
Ignite: Unlock the Hidden Potential Within
by Andre De GrasseInsightful, practical lessons on life, on and off the track, from an Olympic and world championNot only is Andre De Grasse blazingly fast on the track, he’s also incredibly popular with his fans. His beaming smile and magnetic personality have won over millions of people around the world. Who could forget De Grasse’s friendly rivalry with sprinting legend Usain Bolt? Or when he became the first Canadian to capture medals in all three sprint events during a single Olympics? His gold medal victory in the 200-metre race at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics captivated Canadians witnessing a feat not accomplished by any other Canadian in close to a century. In Ignite, De Grasse shares important lessons from his improbable journey to becoming an Olympic champion. As one of the fastest humans alive, De Grasse has demonstrated what it takes to perform at your best under enormous pressure and to continue to push the limit of what seems impossible. De Grasse shares inspirational stories and lessons about the determination, resilience and perseverance it takes to become the best. Readers will gain from his insights from the track and beyond to unlock their own hidden potential and stare down life’s challenges whether at work, at home, or in pursuit of their dreams.