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It Ain't Cheating If You Don't Get Caught: Scuffing, Corking, Spitting, Gunking, Razzing, and Other Fundamentals of Our National Pastime
by Dan Gutman Lew BurdetteStories of how people cheat at baseball.
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over: The Baseball Prospectus Pennant Race Book
by Steven Goldman Baseball ProspectusPennant races are arguably the most important aspect of baseball. Players, teams, and franchises are all after one goal: to win the pennant and get into the post-season. But what really determines who wins? Statistical analyses of baseball abound: different ways of breaking down everyone's individual performance, from hitters and pitchers to managers and even owners. But surprisingly, team success-what makes some teams winners over an entire season-has never been looked at with the same statistical rigor. In It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over, The Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts introduce the Davenport Method of deciding which races were the most dramatic-the closest, the most volatile-and determine the ten greatest races of modern baseball history. They use these key races (and a few others) to answer the main question: What determines who wins? How important are such things as mid-season trades, how much a manager overworks his pitchers, and why teams have winning and losing streaks? Can one player carry a team? Can one bad player ruin a team? Can one bad play ruin a team's chances? This fascinating and illuminating book will change your perception of the game.
It Happened!: A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television
by Art Chansky Jim LampleyFrom HBO&’s ringside face and voice of boxing, comes a first-person, blow-by-blow account of the evolution of sports television chock full of famous names, history-making events, and never-before-told stories from the world of sports.Jim Lampley&’s story is a 50-year travelog of an unlikely career that catalogs the evolution of sports television—from his emergence as the first sideline reporter, through hosting and covering 14 Olympics, to working with all major sports networks. It Happened! charts Jim&’s notable career, with highlights including: Becoming the first live reporter on the sideline of a nationally televised college football game Following in the footsteps of Jim McKay as host on ABC&’s Wide World of Sports and Howard Cosell as halftime host for ABC&’s Monday Night Football Partnering with ABC, CBS, NBC, Turner, and HBO Ascending to host of HBO&’s Wimbledon weekday telecasts Reaching &“icon&” status as the 30-year face and voice of HBO World Championship Boxing Learn how Jim&’s brilliance as an announcer and his revolutionary nature led to innovations in sportscasting, three sports Emmys, and induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Personal anecdotes and hard-earned lessons combine as Jim digs deep and shares celebrity stories from the upper echelons of superstar athletes and Hollywood hotshots, but also offers an introspective look at his personal life and trials.
It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium: Football and the Game of Life
by John Ed Bradley"The best sports book of the year." - Sports Illustrated. "John Ed Bradley says that all he ever wanted to do was to leave behind a pretty piece of writing. Here it is--a wonderful blend of honest introspection, passionate reporting, and superb storytelling. One of the best books I have read in years." - Jeffrey Marx, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Season of Life. Inspired by a classic essay about a visit to a dying coach, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium explores in gorgeous detail the inescapable pull of college football--the cocky smiles behind the face masks, the two-a-day drills, the emotionally charged bus rides to the stadium, the curfew checks, the film-study sessions, the locker room antics, and the yawning void left in one's soul the moment the final whistle sounds. To understand why it's so painful to give up the game, you must first understand the intimacy of the huddle. "It ends for everybody," writes John Ed Bradley, "and then it starts all over again, in ways you never anticipated. Marty Dufresne sits in his wheelchair listening to the Tiger fight song... Ramsey Darder endures prison by playing the games over in his head... Big Ed Stanton never took up the game of golf, and yet he rides the streets of Bayou Vista in a cart nearly identical to Coach Mac's, recalling the one time the old man invited him for a ride." Far more than a memoir, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium is a brutally honest, profoundly moving look at what it means to surrender something you love. An Amazon Editors' Best Book of 2007. "John Ed Bradley is a rare gem, a gifted writer trapped in the body of a football player. It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium will send chills down the back of anyone who loves the game and will echo in the minds of former players long after they've put it down." -Tim Green, best-selling author and member of the College Football Hall of Fame. "A mesmerizing read... achingly sentimental in some parts, brutally truthful in others..." - Chicago Tribune. "The best memoir I have ever read on how a particular game, win or lose, can linger with us." - Josh Levin, Slate. "An unsparing and often beautiful chronicle of [Bradley's] attempt to join polite society." - Play Magazine. "A lyrical memoir... about his teammates, his coaches, his parents and the magnetic power of football in Louisiana." - National Public Radio. "Heart-wrenching, honest, insightful and hard to put down."- The Franklin Sun.
It Shouldn’t Happen to a Manager
by Harry RedknappAfter 40 years in football management, there’s not a lot I haven’t seen. There’ve been big highs, but a fair share of lows too. When I have to make difficult decisions, I make a point of avoiding newspapers, phone-ins, Twitter – all of it. But there’s always a load of armchair-pundits waiting to start on me. Being a manager has never been easy, but between the fans and the media it often feels impossible to get it right.In It Shouldn’t Happen to a Manager, I talk about how different the job is now from what it was like when I used to play. For one, managers used to drive up and down motorways all day to scout for players – now there’s so much analysis and global scouting. It’s a different thing, completely. In this book, I share everything I’ve learnt from a lifetime of both wins and losses, and wisdom from greats like Cloughie and Ferguson. I’ll tell you about what actually happens in the dressing room, including when Clough smashed the door off its hinges; the bust-ups at full-time, like when I kicked a tray of sandwiches on Don Hutchinson’s head; and the times when I had to swap an arm round a player’s shoulder for a boot up the arse. It’s my guide to being a manager, the Harry way.
It Started with a Diamond: The Maverick Fakes A Bride! Do You Take This Cowboy? It Started With A Diamond (Drake Diamonds #3)
by Teri WilsonAn heiress nabs a polo star in this scintillating romance from the USA Today–bestselling author of The Princess Problem and His Ballerina Bride.A Page Six Exclusive Report Stunning world-class equestrian Diana Drake has stayed out of the family business for decades. But now Diana has the inside track on a coveted diamond . . . not to mention a polo-playing partner in crime in Franco Andrade. And after mere weeks, the city’s most eligible bachelor is engaged to the jewelry heiress! Still, this whirlwind romance may not be as glittering as the jewels in Drake’s. After all, we hear that Franco’s first love has always been the polo team that unceremoniously sacked him. And Diana’s still recovering from the loss of the sport she’s always cherished. Can the handsome Argentine help his new fiancée capture the diamond of the century . . . and in the process repair her shattered heart?
It TAKES ALL SORTS: Celebrating Cricket’s Colourful Characters
by Peter RoebuckA personal selection of Peter Roebuck's favourite cricket characters past and present, written in his own inimitable style and from his vantage point as both player and commentator. In It Takes All Sorts, Peter Roebuck meanders through his 25-year career in reporting cricket, to reveal the people and the personalities who have touched his life and contributed to his life-long passion for the game. Roebuck provides warts-and-all insights into the comings and goings, greats and not-so-greats, debuts and retirements, the controversies of recent professional cricket and great innings in between. Roebuck has seen it all and isn’t afraid to comment: he’s interviewed Sir (or is that Saint?) Garfield Sobers’ mum, was on the scene (and on the front page) when Gilchrist walked, poked gentle fun at Inzamam’s fielding, and touched many with his account of young Sri Lankan boys playing cricket on a beach in Galle. Peter Roebuck pulls no punches - whether friend or foe, all his subjects are linked by the great and noble game of cricket and he is not afraid to tell it how he sees it.
It Takes More Than Balls: The Savvy Girls' Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Baseball
by Diedre Silva Jackie KoneyFor years, Deidre Silva and Jackie Koney figured that men simply knew more about baseball than they did. They tried to reconcile their love of baseball with their second-class fan status, but they finally realized that not getting in a tizzy over the 1952 World Series didn't mean that they weren't "real" fans. As loyal-but not insane or stat-obsessed-spectators, they simply had a different perspective. In It Takes More Than Balls they share their brand of baseball passion with lifelong fans and the "baseball curious" of either gender. Offering anecdotes and gossip from the ballpark, the book also explains the nuances of today's game that will help readers enjoy their next (or first) baseball outing.
It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life
by Trevor Moawad Andy StaplesForeword by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell WilsonFrom a top mental conditioning coach—"the world’s best brain trainer” (Sports Illustrated)—who has transformed the lives and careers of elite athletes, business leaders, and military personnel, battle-tested strategies that will give you tools to manage and overcome negativity and achieve any goal.He knows how to win. More, he knows the many ways-subtle, brutal, often self-inflicted-we lose. As the most trusted mental coach in the world of sports, Trevor Moawad has worked with many of the most dominant athletes and the savviest coaches. From Nick Saban and Kirby Smart to Russell Wilson, they all look to Moawad for help finding or keeping or regaining their competitive edge. (As do countless business leaders and members of special forces.) Now, at last, Moawad shares his unique philosophy with the general public. He lays out lessons he's derived from his greatest career successes as well as personal setbacks, the game-changing wisdom he's earned as the go-to whisperer for elite performers on fields of play and among men and women headed to the battlefield. Moawad's motivational approach is elegant but refreshingly simple: He replaces hardwired negativity, the kind of defeatist mindset that's nearly everybody's default, with what he calls "neutral thinking." His own special innovation, it's a nonjudgmental, nonreactive way of coolly assessing problems and analyzing crises, a mode of attack that offers luminous clarity and supreme calm in the critical moments before taking decisive action. Not only can neutral thinking raise your performance level-it can transform your overall life. And it all starts, Moawad says, with letting go. Past failures, past losses-let them go. "The past isn't predictive. If you can absorb and embrace that belief, everything changes. You'll instantly feel more calm. And the athlete-or employee or parent or spouse-who's more calm is also more aware, and more times than not ... will win."
It Was Always a Choice: Picking Up the Baton of Athlete Activism
by David SteeleThe recent flashpoint of Colin Kaepernick taking a knee renews a long tradition of athlete-activists speaking out against racism, injustice, and oppression. Like Kaepernick, Jackie Robinson, Paul Robeson, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos—among many others, of all races, male and female, pro and amateur—all made the choice to take a side to command public awareness and attention rather than “shut up and play,” as O. J. Simpson, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods did. Using their celebrity to demand change, these activists inspired fans but faced great personal and professional risks in doing so. It Was Always a Choice traces the history and impact of these decisive moments throughout the history of U.S. sports. David Steele identifies the resonances and antecedents throughout the twentieth century of the choices faced by athletes in the post-Kaepernick era, including the advance of athletes’ political organizing in the era of activism following the death of George Floyd. He shows which athletes chose silence instead of action—“dropping the baton,” as it were—in the movement to end racial inequities and violence against Black Americans. The examples of courageous athletes multiply as LeBron James, Megan Rapinoe and the activist-athletes of the NBA, WNBA, and NFL remain committed to fighting daily and vibrantly for social change.
It Was Never About the Babe: The Red Sox, Racism, Mismanagement, and the Curse of the Bambino
by Jerry M. GutlonFor years, Red Sox fans were told that their team was cursed because the Sox sold Babe Ruth to the hated Yankees. But as Jerry Gutlon reveals in It Was Never About the Babe, there is much more drama to Red Sox history than the "Curse of the Bambino." The truth is more shocking than any myth. With the thorough research of a seasoned journalist and the zeal of a lifelong Red Sox fan, Gutlon explains why the Sox came up short season after season: ownership chose managers and players not based on their talent, but on whom they drank with; before and after baseball integrated, personal and institutional racism affected their decision-making; and their teams consistently lacked the talent, leadership, chemistry, and luck needed to win championships. Most fans don't know that Babe Ruth was sold not just to produce a Broadway play, bust also because commissioner Ban Johnson was trying to run Sox owner Harry Frazee out of baseball and because Ruth was a major disruption in the Sox clubhouse. They will be surprised to learn that Jackie Robinson tried out at Fenway Park and shocked to learn that much-admired Tom Yawkey, along with owning the Red Sox, also owned a brothel for decades. Covering the early Red Sox championship dynasty of Ruth, the never-good-enough teams of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Carlton Fisk and Curt Schilling, It Was Never About the Babe is an eye-opening read for every baseball fan, and a must-own book for every fan in Boston.
It Wasn't Me
by Dana Alison LevyWhen Theo's photography project is mysteriously vandalized at school there are five suspected students who all say "it wasn't me." <p><p> Theo just wants to forget about the humiliating incident but his favorite teacher is determined to get to the bottom of it and has the six of them come into school over vacation to talk. She calls it "Justice Circle." The six students—the Nerd, the Princess, the Jock, the Screw Up, the Weirdo, and the Nobody—think of it as detention. AKA their worst nightmare. <p> That is until they realize they might get along after all, despite their differences. But what is everyone hiding and will school ever be the same?
It's All In The Name (Hey L'il D! #1)
by Bob Lanier Heather GoodyearLittle Apple shoots and scores with these new early chapter books! Loosely based on NBA all-star Bob Lanier's childhood adventures, the series teaches valuable life lessons through amusing stories. L'il Dobber has big feet. The other kids may laugh and call him nicknames, but L'il Dobber doesn't care. In fact, he's totally cool with his shoe size. He knows that one day he'll grow tall to match, and then his dreams of pro basketball will be solid. In book #1, L'il Dobber and his friends all join together to help the new kid, Gan, find a cool nickname of his own. But when Gan gets stuck with a name he doesn't like, the gang's got trouble - until an unexpected twist turns everything around. Gan ends up a schoolyard hero, and he's found the best nickname of all.
It's All in How You Fall
by Sarah HenningA contemporary young adult romance about moving on, finding your place, and recovering after life falls apart. Gymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can&’t do—and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college. But when one epic face-plant changes all that and Caroline&’s back pain goes from chronic to career-ending, her dreams are shattered and her life is flipped upside down. Enter Alex Zavala, a three-sport athlete who&’s both incredibly cute and incredibly off-limits. He offers to give Caroline a crash course in all the sports she&’s missed, and she has an offer for him in return: For every sport Alex teaches her, she&’ll play matchmaker for him. Deal done, Caroline &“dates&” new sports with Alex for the rest of the summer, which is loads more fun than wallowing in despair. Just as Caroline starts to see herself as more than her past athletic successes, she picks up something she didn&’t bargain for: a big fat crush on Alex. Turns out life was way easier when it was just layout-fulls and beam burns....
It's Always Summer Somewhere: A Matter of Life and Cricket
by Felix White*****THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER"Felix White's beautifully, elegantly and passionately written book reminds me why I love cricket so much. And reading, come to that." - Stephen Fry"The love of cricket is both communal and individual. Felix has a wonderful knack of evoking both in a book full of life, joy and resilience." - Gideon Haigh"Whether you love cricket or are still confused by the rules of the game, you'll love this. Felix's writing is warm and witty. A joy to read." - Cariad LloydFelix White, for reasons often beyond him, has always been deeply in love with cricket. His passion for the game is at the fore on the BBC 's number one cricket podcast and 5Live show, Tailenders, which he co-presents with Greg James and Jimmy Anderson. It's Always Summer Somewhere is his funny, heartbreaking and endlessly engaging love letter to the game.Felix takes us through his life growing up in South West London and describes how his story is forever punctuated and given meaning by cricket. Through his own exploits as a slow left arm spinner of 'lovely loopy stuff', to the tragic illness of his mother, life with The Maccabees and his cricket redemption, Felix touches on both the comedic and the tragic in equal measure. Throughout, there's the ever-present roller coaster of following the England cricket team. The exploits of Tufnell (another bowler of 'lovely loopy stuff'), Atherton, Hussain et al, are given extra import through the eyes of a cricket-obsessed youth. Felix meets them at each signposted moment to find out what was really behind those moments that gave cricket fans everywhere sporting memories that would last forever, sending the book into an exploration of grief, transgenerational displacement and how the people we've known and things we've loved culminate and take expression in our lives. It's Always Summer Somewhere is an incredibly honest detail of a life lived with cricket. It offers a sense of genuine empathy and understanding not just with cricket fans, but sports and music fans across the world, in articulating our reasons for pouring so much meaning into something that we simply cannot control. Culminating in the heart-stopping World Cup Final in 2019, the book finally answers that question fans have so often asked... what is it about this game?
It's Always Summer Somewhere: A Matter of Life and Cricket - A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLE
by Felix White*****A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER"Felix White's beautifully, elegantly and passionately written book reminds me why I love cricket so much. And reading, come to that." - Stephen Fry"The love of cricket is both communal and individual. Felix has a wonderful knack of evoking both in a book full of life, joy and resilience." - Gideon Haigh"Whether you love cricket or are still confused by the rules of the game, you'll love this. Felix's writing is warm and witty. A joy to read." - Cariad LloydFelix White, for reasons often beyond him, has always been deeply in love with cricket. His passion for the game is at the fore on the BBC 's number one cricket podcast and 5Live show, Tailenders, which he co-presents with Greg James and Jimmy Anderson. It's Always Summer Somewhere is his funny, heartbreaking and endlessly engaging love letter to the game.Felix takes us through his life growing up in South West London and describes how his story is forever punctuated and given meaning by cricket. Through his own exploits as a slow left arm spinner of 'lovely loopy stuff', to the tragic illness of his mother, life with The Maccabees and his cricket redemption, Felix touches on both the comedic and the tragic in equal measure. Throughout, there's the ever-present roller coaster of following the England cricket team. The exploits of Tufnell (another bowler of 'lovely loopy stuff'), Atherton, Hussain et al, are given extra import through the eyes of a cricket-obsessed youth. Felix meets them at each signposted moment to find out what was really behind those moments that gave cricket fans everywhere sporting memories that would last forever, sending the book into an exploration of grief, transgenerational displacement and how the people we've known and things we've loved culminate and take expression in our lives. It's Always Summer Somewhere is an incredibly honest detail of a life lived with cricket. It offers a sense of genuine empathy and understanding not just with cricket fans, but sports and music fans across the world, in articulating our reasons for pouring so much meaning into something that we simply cannot control. Culminating in the heart-stopping World Cup Final in 2019, the book finally answers that question fans have so often asked... what is it about this game?
It's Always Summer Somewhere: A Matter of Life and Cricket - A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLE
by Felix White*****A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK & SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER"Felix White's beautifully, elegantly and passionately written book reminds me why I love cricket so much. And reading, come to that." - Stephen Fry"The love of cricket is both communal and individual. Felix has a wonderful knack of evoking both in a book full of life, joy and resilience." - Gideon Haigh"Whether you love cricket or are still confused by the rules of the game, you'll love this. Felix's writing is warm and witty. A joy to read." - Cariad LloydFelix White, for reasons often beyond him, has always been deeply in love with cricket. His passion for the game is at the fore on the BBC 's number one cricket podcast and 5Live show, Tailenders, which he co-presents with Greg James and Jimmy Anderson. It's Always Summer Somewhere is his funny, heartbreaking and endlessly engaging love letter to the game.Felix takes us through his life growing up in South West London and describes how his story is forever punctuated and given meaning by cricket. Through his own exploits as a slow left arm spinner of 'lovely loopy stuff', to the tragic illness of his mother, life with The Maccabees and his cricket redemption, Felix touches on both the comedic and the tragic in equal measure. Throughout, there's the ever-present roller coaster of following the England cricket team. The exploits of Tufnell (another bowler of 'lovely loopy stuff'), Atherton, Hussain et al, are given extra import through the eyes of a cricket-obsessed youth. Felix meets them at each signposted moment to find out what was really behind those moments that gave cricket fans everywhere sporting memories that would last forever, sending the book into an exploration of grief, transgenerational displacement and how the people we've known and things we've loved culminate and take expression in our lives. It's Always Summer Somewhere is an incredibly honest detail of a life lived with cricket. It offers a sense of genuine empathy and understanding not just with cricket fans, but sports and music fans across the world, in articulating our reasons for pouring so much meaning into something that we simply cannot control. Culminating in the heart-stopping World Cup Final in 2019, the book finally answers that question fans have so often asked... what is it about this game?
It's Better to Be Feared: Inside The New England Patriots Dynasty
by Seth WickershamNOW WITH A NEW EPILOGUE ON THE 2021 SEASON AND TOM BRADY’S BRIEF RETIREMENT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR National Sports Media Association • Book of the Year Kirkus Reviews • Best Nonfiction of the Year “Seth Wickersham has managed to do the impossible: he has pulled off the definitive document of the Belichick/Brady dynasty.” —Bill Simmons, The Ringer The explosive, long-awaited account of the making of the greatest dynasty in football history—from the acclaimed ESPN reporter who has been there from the very beginning. Over two unbelievable decades, the New England Patriots were not only the NFL’s most dominant team, but also—and by far—the most secretive. How did they achieve and sustain greatness—and what were the costs? In It's Better to Be Feared, Seth Wickersham, one of the country’s finest long form and investigative sportswriters, tells the full, behind-the-scenes story of the Patriots, capturing the brilliance, ambition, and vanity that powered and ultimately unraveled them. Based on hundreds of interviews conducted since 2001, Wickersham’s chronicle is packed with revelations, taking us deep into Bill Belichick’s tactical ingenuity and Tom Brady’s unique mentality while also reporting on their divergent paths in 2020, including Brady’s run to the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raucous, unvarnished, and definitive, It’s Better to Be Feared is an instant classic of American sportswriting in the tradition of Michael Lewis, David Maraniss, and David Halberstam.
It's Coming Home: The Ultimate Book for Any Football Fan – Puzzles, Stats, Trivia and Quizzes to Test Your Football Knowledge
by Dan BridgesAre you ready for the World Cup? It’s time to warm up for another roller coaster ride…Calling all footie fanatics! Put your knowledge of the beautiful game to the test with this quiz book, packed full of puzzles, stats and little-known facts.Whether it’s chatting to a mate on a pre-match pub trip or to keep calm during a tense half time in front of the TV, every football fan loves a bit of trivia. Use this fact-packed quiz and puzzle book to gen up on World Cup legends such as Ronaldo and Messi and prepare to impress your friends with your fantastic football knowledge. Featuring brain-teasing puzzles, tricky true-or-false questions and hilarious “what happened next?” scenarios, this quiz book is guaranteed to keep you entertained until the final whistle.Have a go at guessing the top ten most expensive football playersDiscover who scored the worst-ever World Cup own goalFind out which World Cup match saw the same player booked three timesPrepare yourself for penalties with stats on perfect shootouts and miserable misses
It's Good to Be Gronk
by Jason Rosenhaus Rob "Gronk" GronkowskiFrom the national bestselling author and &“one of the best tight ends the game has ever seen&” (New York Post), beloved NFL star and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Rob &“Gronk&” Gronkowski offers you an exclusive front row seat of his life from the locker room to the VIP room.From hamming it up at Super Bowl Media Day, to spicing up interviews with “Gronk-esque” dance moves, to cuddling with kittens in the pages of ESPN The Magazine, to christening a used party bus his ride of choice, Gronk’s good humor and playful persona make it seem like other players are “living in black and white, and Gronk is in color” (CBS Sports). But it hasn’t all been fun and games. After his near career-ending injury, Gronk astonished his fellow players and fans by returning to the game he loved by making an incredible comeback in the 2015 Super Bowl XLIX, solidifying his legacy in American football. Now, discover the highs and lows in his superstar life off the field and his astonishing, game-changing plays in this fascinating memoir.
It's Hard for Me to Live with Me: A Memoir
by Seth Davis Rex ChapmanA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A powerful memoir from the University of Kentucky basketball legend, NBA veteran, and social media influencer about his recovery from addiction.He is considered by many the greatest basketball player ever produced by the hoops-crazy state of Kentucky. In two years at the University of Kentucky, he scored over 1,000 points, led the Wildcats to a Sweet Sixteen appearance, and was nicknamed &“King Rex.&” The first player ever drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, he spent twelve seasons in the NBA, dazzling in dunk contests and sinking one of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in league history. But by the end of his career, Rex Chapman was harboring a destructive secret. Years before America&’s opioid crisis would become national news, Chapman developed a dependency on Vicodin and Oxycontin, ultimately ingesting fifty painkillers a day. In addition, he developed a severe gambling addiction, once nearly losing $400,000 at a Las Vegas blackjack table. All this would cost him his family as well as most of the $40 million fortune he&’d made in basketball, leaving him to live in his car and shoplift to support his addictions. Only when he was arrested—and his mugshot made national news—did he finally commit to getting clean. In It&’s Hard for Me to Live With Me, Chapman—who has amassed millions of social media followers for his relatable and uplifting posts—tells the story of his addiction and recovery in unflinching detail. With equal frankness, he describes his history with depression; the racism he witnessed growing up and how that shaped his outspokenness on matters of social justice; and his complex and volatile relationship with his father, also a former professional basketball player. Cowritten with New York Times bestselling author Seth Davis, Chapman&’s memoir is an equally devastating and inspiring story about the human struggle for self-acceptance.
It's How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America's Finest
by Brian KilmeadeIn life as in sports, it's how you play the game that mattersYou don't have to be a star athlete to take away valuable lessons from the world of sports, whether it's learning how to get along with others, to never give up, or to be gracious in victory and defeat. In this companion volume to his New York Times bestseller, The Games Do Count, Brian Kilmeade reveals personal stories of the defining sports moments in the lives of athletes, CEOs, actors, politicians, and historical figures—and how what they learned on the field prepared them to handle life and overcome adversity with courage, dignity, and sportsmanship.
It's Marty!
by Marty MorrisseyMarty Morrissey - GAA broadcaster extraordinaire and one of the hardest-working people in show business - has been to every corner of Ireland (and a few interesting ones further afield) in his illustrious career. Everywhere he goes, he makes friends and hears terrific stories - and sometimes he becomes a character in them. Now he's sharing them with us, in a book full of his trademark warmth, wit and energy.Starting with his childhood in the Bronx and west Clare, Marty introduces us to the people and places that have mattered most to him. He takes us through his adventures as a Gaelic footballer and hurler, schoolteacher, and coach of schools teams and underage sides for his beloved club, Kilmurry Ibrickane. And he tells the story of his remarkable rise as a broadcaster, from the back of tractors and trailers flatbed trucks to Croke Park on All Ireland finals days - despite having being told by RTÉ Sport that his voice on an early audition tape was 'too thin, too high-pitched'.Now, having established himself as a beloved figure across the full spectrum of the Irish airwaves, Marty is ready to show us who he really is. It's Marty! is an invitation to join the Marty Party, a rollicking ride through contemporary Irish life and sport, from a true national treasure._______________________'There's a lot of craic and a lot of warmth in it' Newstalk'Fantastic!' 2FM Breakfast'A really good read . . . honest and really funny' Miriam O'Callaghan
It's My State! Arizona
by Kathleen DerzipilskiAn easy-to-use source of quick and reliable information, It's My State! helps young readers identify what is common to and unique about individual states across America. Fully illustrated with captioned photographs and easy-to-read icons, each book in the series provides a broad overview of the state in question, from a concise geography and detailed history to a discussion of its government and economy. Also provided are abundant key facts, figures, people, and dates; information about plants and animals as well as products and resources; a calendar of events; an historical time line; and much more.
It's Not About Perfect: Competing For My Country And For My Life
by Danny Peary Shannon Miller"When the odds were against me, I was always at my best." When she retired at age 19, Shannon Miller did so as one of the most recognizable gymnasts in the country. The winner of seven Olympic medals and the most decorated gymnast, male or female, in U.S. history, Shannon tells a story of surviving and thriving. A shy, rambunctious girl raised in Oklahoma, Shannon fell in love with gymnastics at a young age and fought her way to the top. In 1992 she won five Olympic medals after breaking her elbow in a training accident just months prior to the Games. Then, in 1996, a doctor advised her to retire immediately or face dire consequences if she chose to compete on her injured wrist. Undeterred, Shannon endured the pain and led her team, the "Magnificent Seven," to the first Olympic team gold medal for the United States in gymnastics. She followed up as the first American to win gold on the balance beam. Equally intense, heroic and gratifying is the story of her brutal but successful battle with ovarian cancer, a disease from which fewer than fifty percent survive. Relying on her faith and hard-learned perseverance, Shannon battled through surgery and major chemotherapy to emerge on the other side with a miracle baby girl. Her story of trial, triumph and life after cancer reminds us all that its life's bumps and bruises that reveal our character. From early on in her career, Shannon knew that life wasn't about perfection. In this incredible and inspirational tale, Shannon speaks out so as to be seen and heard by thousands as a beacon of hope.