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So You Think You're a Boston Red Sox Fan?: Stars, Stats, Records, and Memories for True Diehards (So You Think You're a Team Fan)
by Bill NowlinSo You Think You’re a Boston Red Sox Fan? tests and expands your knowledge of Red Sox baseball. Rather than merely posing questions and providing answers, you’ll get details behind each-stories that bring to life players and coaches, games and seasons.This book is divided into multiple parts, with progressively more difficult questions in each new section. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the great Red Sox players and coaches of the past and present, from Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, and Roger Clemens to Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and so many more. Some of the many questions that this book answers include:What was the team nickname before it was the Red Sox?Who leads the Red Sox in ejections?Which Red Sox manager, who ran the team for at least 200 games, had the best winning percentage?Who holds the record for most stolen bases in a season?What former Red Sox player later became a candidate for President of the United States under the Rhinoceros Party ticket?This book makes the perfect gift for any fan of the BoSox!
So You Think You're a Duke Blue Devils Basketball Fan?: Stars, Stats, Records, and Memories for True Diehards (So You Think You're a Team Fan)
by Jim SumnerSo You Think You’re a Duke Blue Devils Basketball Fan? tests and expands your knowledge of Duke basketball. Rather than merely posing questions and providing answers, you’ll get details behind each-stories that bring to life players and coaches, games and seasons.This book is divided into multiple parts, with progressively more difficult questions in each new section. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the great Blue Devils players and coaches of the past and present, from Red Auerbach to Bernie Janicki, Billy King, Steve Wojciechowski, Bill Werber, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Trajan Langdon, Bobby Hurley, Jahlil Okafor, Christian Laettner, Mike Krzyzewski, and so many more. Some of the many questions that this book answers include: Who played the most minutes in a Duke uniform? Who are the three brothers who all played for NCAA championship teams at Duke? What is the greatest individual defensive performance in Duke history? Which Duke player’s father was a U.S. Olympic medalist in track and field? Who was the first Duke player to be named National Player of the Year?This book makes the perfect gift for any fan of the Blue Devils!
Peyton Manning: A Quarterback for the Ages
by Tony Dungy Jim Saccomano Craig KelleyIt's impossible to overstate Peyton Manning's football legacy. He holds every major record for an NFL quarterback, including most career touchdown passes, most touchdown passes in a single season, most passing yards in a single season, and most games with a perfect passer rating. On February 7, 2016, he capped his already incredible list of accomplishments by becoming the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl at the age of thirty-nine.Through words and images, this book commemorates the career of one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play professional football. Jim Saccomano and Craig Kelley trace Peyton Manning's legendary career from his early years as a high school star in New Orleans to his standout seasons at the University of Tennessee. The authors chronicle Manning's selection as the number one pick in the 1998 draft by the Indianapolis Colts, his stellar seasons with the blue and white, his MVP performance in the Colts' Super Bowl XLI victory, and his record-setting years with the Denver Broncos, which culminated in his second championship in Super Bowl 50.The authors celebrate Manning's career in a fully illustrated scrapbook-style album with passionate and vivid prose, supreme photographic images and memorabilia, call-out quotes, and dozens of personal anecdotes and recollections about Manning from prominent members of the NFL community. This unique collection captures the magic of Manning's career, making it an essential addition to every football fan's library and a fitting tribute to one of the game's greatest players.This book is a trip through the years of Manning's career as a quarterback who defined the game and his era.
Facing Kobe Bryant: Players, Coaches, and Broadcasters Recall the Greatest Basketball Player of His Generation (Facing)
by Jerry West Sean DeveneyWhen he entered the NBA in 1996 as a high-school star from Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, Kobe Bryant faced enormous expectations. No one can deny that he rose to the challenge. Nineteen years later, Bryant’s status as a Hall of Fame player is assured. During his stellar career, Bryant won five NBA championships; was a seventeen-time All-Star, NBA MVP, and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He led the league in scoring in 2006 and 2007.Now for the first time, hear stories from opponents, teammates, and players about what it was like to go against Kobe in Facing Kobe Bryant. Contributors include: Charles Barkley Grant Hill Reggie Miller And many more!Kobe Bryant was the greatest basketball player of his generation-a former schoolboy prodigy whose moves are now imitated in gyms and playgrounds around the world. Facing Kobe Bryant provides an unprecedented glimpse into what it was like to play against one of the best of all time.
Back on Top!: The Alabama Crimson Tide's 2015-16 Championship Football Season
by Mark MayfieldIt was fitting that Alabama and Clemson put on one of college's football's greatest ever championship games on a magical January night in Glendale, Arizona, with a dazzling display of athleticism, power and heart. When it was done, the Crimson Tide emerged with a jaw-dropping 45-40 victory and secured an almost unprecedented fourth national college football title in seven years. Only Notre Dame, which topped the Associated Press college football polls four times in seven seasons during the 1940s, has come close to the same feat. But that was in an era when the Irish didn't play in bowl games, college teams had shorter schedules, and there were no scholarship limits. Even the powerhouses of Miami in the 1980s, Nebraska in the 1990s, and Southern Cal in the early-to-mid 2000s, never won as many championships in as short a period of time.More astonishing, Nick Saban, who will enter his 10th season at Alabama this fall, is now being seriously compared to the most legendary coach in college football history, Paul "Bear" Bryant, who won six national championships with the Crimson Tide. Those titles, however, were spread over Bryant's 25-year tenure at Alabama. As great as Bryant was, Saban has now emerged out of his shadow and into a vaunted spot in college football history.Saban's latest team, the 2015 edition, will be remembered for a dominating front seven on defense, a remarkable resurgence after a turnover-filled early season loss, and a running back-Derrick Henry-who shattered the Southeastern Conference's 35-year-old single-season rushing record held by Herschel Walker. In the process, Henry became Alabama's second-ever Heisman Trophy winner, and finished with 2,219 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns-SEC records not likely to be broken anytime soon. Back on Top! takes an in-depth look back at the Crimson Tide's challenging 2015 season, beginning with the first game against Wisconsin on a neutral field in Dallas, and ending with the College Football Playoff's national championship game in the Arizona desert. It wall also pitch forward to examine what Alabama fans can expect during Nick Saban's 10th season in Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide reloads for another championship run.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports-books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Miracle Moments in Montreal Canadiens History: The Turning Points, The Memorable Games, The Incredible Records
by Jim HynesThe Habs, Les Glorieux, La Sainte Flanelle-the Montreal Canadiens have almost as many nicknames as they do Stanley Cup Championships: twenty-four. In Miracle Moments in Montreal Canadiens History, the first book of a new sports series, Montreal native Jim Hynes details twenty-four memorable moments in the history of hockey's oldest franchise.Over the course of three periods-the regular season, the playoffs, and off the ice-relive the highest of highs and lowest of lows of the National Hockey League's signature franchise, from their founding in 1909 for the enjoyment of Montreal's French Canadian population to their centennial season of 2009, and beyond. Rub shoulders with the legendary players, from "Rocket" Richard and Jean Béliveau to Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy, and the owners, managers, and coaches who pulled the strings, creating both dynasties and catastrophic failures along the way.From "Phantom" Joe Malone's five-goal night in the NHL's founding season of 1917 to Jacques Plante's debut of the goalie mask in 1959, Captain Saku Koivu's courageous battle with cancer in 2002, and much more, this book brings it all to life. Now hear the chants, sing the songs, feel the thunderous ovations, then stand and cheer (or mercilessly boo) along with those who came before, transfixed before their TV sets or in the shrines to hockey that are the legendary Montreal Forum and its successor, the raucous Bell Centre. Through the pages of this book, join those still watching, waiting, hoping, and praying for that elusive twenty-fifth Stanley Cup.
Press Box Revolution: How Sports Reporting Has Changed Over the Past Thirty Years
by Rich CoutinhoPress Box Revolution is a journey through the evolution of reporting in New York and around the nation by a reporter who has witnessed every second of it in the past three decades. Rich Coutinho, a New York-based reporter who has covered numerous major sporting events, will escort readers into corners of the press box and locker room they have never seen and discusses what the business will look like down the road. Coutinho gives an insider’s view of the evolving technology in the business, the growth of women in sports creating much needed diversity in the reporting landscape, the emergence of sports talk radio and the Internet, as well as the personalities on the New York sports scene that make it so challenging to cover. Press Box Revolution lifts the curtain on all the myths about how sports is reported and it will help fans realistically evaluate the information they read and hear that is labeled "Breaking News” or "Insider Report.” It is a must-read for all well-informed fans and aspiring sports journalists.
Looking at the Lights: My Path from Fan to a Wrestling Heel
by Adam Copeland Jon Robinson Pete Gas John LayfieldHow did an untrained former college football player end up in the middle of a ring, wrestling during the highest-rated segment during the WWE’s acclaimed Attitude Era?That’s the story behind Looking at the Lights. As a childhood friend of Shane McMahon, Pete Gas was given the opportunity most only pray for. Beginning with appearances to interfere in McMahon’s matches, his role blossomed into becoming a full-fledge wrestler and leading the Mean Street Posse to WrestleMania, becoming one of the most fascinating success stories of the era.From his humble upbringing and friendship with Shane (and the McMahon family as a whole), Gas shares how a 9-to-5 average Joe got the chance of a lifetime and made the most out of it.But getting your foot in the door is one thing; staying is a completely different animal. With all eyes on him, knowing his lack of training and meal ticket being the boss’s son, Gas knew he had to win over all those doubters: from the fans and announcers to the wrestlers themselves.Knowing he had to prove himself, Gas took beatings, chair shots, and additional training to not only show that he could wrestle, but that he belonged with such superstars as The Rock, "Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker.Featuring forewords by Edge and JBL, who famously nailed Gas in the head with a steel chair, readers will get an inside look into not only the training and sacrifice these athletes go through, but the behind-the-scenes workings of a day in the WWE.
So You Think You're a New York Mets Fan?: Stars, Stats, Records, and Memories for True Diehards (So You Think You're a Team Fan)
by Brett TopelSo You Think You’re a New York Mets Fan? tests and expands your knowledge of Mets baseball. Rather than merely posing questions and providing answers, this book will give you the details behind each-stories that bring to life players and coaches, games and seasons.This book is divided into multiple parts, with progressively more difficult questions in each new section. Along the way, you’ll learn more about the great Mets players and managers of the past and present, from Tom Seaver to Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Lee Mazzilli, Davey Johnson, Dave Kingman, Gil Hodges, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, John Stearns, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, Matt Harvey, David Wright, and so many more. The many questions that this book answers include: Who was drafted number one overall by the Mets in 1984? Who was on deck when Mookie Wilson hit his famous ground ball to Bill Buckner? There are two men enshrined in Cooperstown wearing Mets caps on their plaques, but there are 12 other Hall of Famers who played for the Mets at one point in their career. Name them. What do the Mets' World Series MVPs from 1969 and 1986 have in common? The two pitchers who were on the mound in 1969 and 1986 when the final out of each World Series was made were actually traded for each other. Name them.This book makes the perfect gift for any fan of the Amazin’s!
Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War
by Ron Kaplan"Hammerin’” Hank Greenberg was coming off a stellar season where he’d hit 40 home runs and 184 RBIs, becoming only the thirteenth player to ever hit 40 or more homers (and one of only four players to have 40 or more home runs and 175 or more RBIs in a season). Even with his success at the plate, neither Greenberg nor the rest of the world could have expected what was about to happen in 1938. From his first day in the big leagues, the New York-born Greenberg had dealt with persecution for being Jewish. From teammate Jo-Jo White asking where his horns were to the verbal abuse from bigoted fans and the media, the 6-foot-3 slugger always did his best to shut the noise out and concentrate on baseball. But in 1938, that would be more difficult then he could have ever imagined.While Greenberg was battling at the plate, his people overseas were dealing with a completely different battle. Adolf Hitler, who had been chancellor of Germany since 1933, had taken direct control of the country’s military in February of ’38. He then began his methodic takeover of all neighboring countries, spreading Nazism and the early stages of World War II and the Holocaust.Hank Greenberg in 1938 chronicles the events of 1938, both on the baseball diamond and the streets of Europe. As Greenberg’s bat had him on course for Babe Ruth’s home run record, Hitler’s "Final Solution” was beginning to take shape. Jews across the US, worried about the issues overseas, looked to Greenberg as a symbol of hope. Though normally hesitant to speak about the anti-Semitism he dealt with, the slugger still knew the role he was playing for so many of his people, saying "I came to feel that if I, as a Jew, hit a home run, I was hitting one against Hitler.”
Madness: The Ten Most Memorable NCAA Basketball Finals
by Mark Mehler Charles PaikertThe annual NCAA Basketball Tournament, which has become known as “March Madness” has emerged as a major sports event, matched only by the Super Bowl and the Olympics. In Madness, Mark Mehler and Charles Paikert tell the stories behind the ten most compelling and memorable championship games in tournament history, from North Carolina’s triple-overtime victory over Wilt Chamberlain’s Kansas Wildcats in 1957 to Duke’s heart stopping victory over underdog Butler in 2010. As a bonus, five more games that just missed the cut are also examined. Madness goes beyond the games to tell the the backstories of these classics, each entirely unique unto itself. For example, Jim Valvano taking his impossible dream of a national title and making it come true for the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpack; Rollie Massimino turning spaghetti and clam sauce into inspiration for his underachieving 1985 Villanova team; and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, breaking down in tears while taking a Broadway curtain call in front of a wildly-applauding audience who two hours earlier didn't know who these two guys were decades after their head-to-head matchup in 1979. Some of these stories also resonate far beyond the basketball court, including the 1966 triumph by the Texas Western Miners, which helped chisel away the college basketball color line and stamped their victory as "Glory Road." Over sixty years of college basketball history is brought to life in this must-have for all basketball fans.
Miracle Moments in Kansas City Royals History: The Turning Points, the Memorable Games, the Incredible Records
by Jeff DetersSince their founding in 1969, the Kansas City Royals have provided memorable moments to generations of fans in America’s heartland and beyond. Miracle Moments in Kansas City Royals History is the ultimate tribute book for die-hard fans of the team from the City of Fountains. Jeff Deters recounts the most memorable moments in Royals history, including: Steve Busby’s throwing two no-hitters in each of his first two season, a first for a big-leaguer; George Brett’s hitting .333 to win his first batting title while leading the Royals to the AL West championship in 1976; Brett’s second batting title in 1980 as he just misses batting .400 for the season; Dick Howser’s firing by the Yankees and revenge five years later as he manages the Royals to a championship in 1985; Bo Jackson’s electrifying but brief career as a Royal while starring for the Los Angeles Raiders; The Royals’ sweep of the Orioles in the 2014 ALCS to return to the World Series in 29 years; The magnificent 2015 season capped by a World Championship. Miracle Moments in Kansas City Royals History is much more than just a comprehensive resource. It recounts the hidden stories behind one of the most successful franchises in baseball..
The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports
by Kenneth L. Shropshire Collin D. Williams Jr.The student-athlete’s life: practice, gym, weight room, film review, repeat. Simply put, sports come first. Academics is a distant second. As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., argue that ”student” has to come first in student-athlete: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education.In The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, Shropshire and Williams draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people. Given that fewer than 2% of all college men’s basketball and football players will play at the professional level, the other 98% of student-athletes must be prepared to find and perform well in jobs outside of their respective field of play.In this bold call to action, Shropshire and Williams explain how we got here and what can be done about it. They lay out The Student-Athlete Manifesto, a roadmap to increase the likelihood that student-athletes can succeed both on and off the field. They also offer a Meaningful Degree Model, which ensures education pays for everyone, along with stories of success that show it is possible to be both a student and an athlete.A critical read for student-athletes, sports leadership, policy makers, and anyone who loves college sports, The Miseducation of the Student Athlete has the potential to disrupt college sport and create lasting change.
The Box Wine Sailors: Misadventures of a Broke Young Couple at Sea
by Amy McCulloughAmy and Jimmie were not sailors. Their experience included reading a few books, watching a couple of instructional videos, and sailing once a week for a year. They were land-lubberly, middle-class twentysomethings, audacious and in love. All they wanted was to be together and do something extraordinary. They quit their jobs, bought a boat that was categorically considered "too small" for ocean sailing, and left Portland, Oregon for the Sea of Cortez.The Box Wine Sailors tells the true story of a couple's ramshackle trip down the coast, with all the exulting highs and terrifying lows of sailing a small boat on the Pacific. From nearly being rammed by a pair of whales on Thanksgiving morning and the terrifying experience of rounding Punta Gorda—hanging on to the mast for dear life and looking about at what seemed like the apocalypse—to having their tiller snap off while accidentally surfing coastal breakers and finding ultimate joy in a $5 Little Caesar's pizza. It also tells the story of two very normal people doing what most people only dream of, settling the argument that if you want something bad enough you can make it happen.
Cyclopedia: It's All About the Bike
by William FotheringhamThe essential A-Z compendium of everything there is to know about the bicycle, this sports reference is full of amazing facts and enthralling anecdotes. A world of death-defying feats and obscure mechanical oddities, the nature of cycling is both heroic and geeky, and the perils of vicious dogs are given the same attention as the perils of drug and sex scandals. From the history of the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong's fabled career to the origins of the quick-release system and Chris Hoy's dominance of the Beijing Velodrome, no element is omitted from this exploration of the bicycle and its faithful riders. Cyclopedia has all the equipment, the races, and the faces needed to convert any amateur cyclist into a fully fledged bike expert.
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
by William FotheringhamThe thrilling life of France's finest cyclist Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time. He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion. Three decades after his retirement, Hinault remains the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France and his victory in 1985 marks the turning point for a nation who had dominated the first eight decades of the race they had invented. In this biography, bestselling author William Fotheringham details how Hinault, nicknamed the "Badger" for his combative style, was the last old-school champion: a larger-than-life personality from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major tours, and one-day classics. A full portrait of this fascinating character, The Badger also explores the reasons why France, the nation that considers itself cycling's home, has found it so hard to produce another champion.
Alexandra the Great: The Story of the Record-Breaking Filly Who Ruled the Racetrack
by Deb AronsonWhen a little foal with a white upside-down exclamation point on her forehead was born one morning in Kentucky, the heart of America's horse racing region, problems mounted quickly. Rejected by her mother, the filly would need to be accepted and nursed by another mare. As she grew, the tall, knock-kneed girl remained skinny and scruffy, with paltry muscles. Considered an "ugly duckling," she was unsuitable as a champion racehorse, her owner proclaimed, and must be sold. But two days before the sale, an examination revealed a medical condition—now she was impossible to sell! What would become of this problem filly?Alexandra the Great tells one of the greatest underdog tales in American sports—the story of Rachel Alexandra, who grew up to become one of the most remarkable racehorses in history. Despite dominating every filly her age, her owner refused to let her compete against male horses. When a new owner saw her potential and raced her against bigger, stronger males, Rachel Alexandra thrived and went on to win the Preakness, the first filly to do so in 85 years, and the Woodward, a feat never before achieved by a filly. Having grown into a strong, muscular, dominating athlete, Rachel Alexandra was named 2009 Horse of the Year, broke records, graced the pages of Vogue magazine, and showed people around the world exactly what it means to "run like a girl." Including vivid details gleaned from interviews with Rachel Alexandra's owners, veterinarian, beloved jockey Calvin Borel, and more, Alexandra the Great gives readers an exciting and emotional look at both the humans and horses who pour their hearts and souls into the world of Thoroughbred training and racing.
Queen of the Mountaineers: The Trailblazing Life of Fanny Bullock Workman
by Cathryn J. PrinceFanny Bullock Workman was a complicated and restless woman who defied the rigid Victorian morals she found as restrictive as a corset. With her frizzy brown hair tucked under a topee, Workman was a force on the mountain and off. Instrumental in breaking the British stranglehold on Himalayan mountain climbing, this American woman climbed more peaks than any of her peers, became the first woman to map the far reaches of the Himalayas, the first woman to lecture at the Sorbonne and the second to address the Royal Geographic Society of London, whose members included Charles Darwin, Richard Francis Burton, and David Livingstone. Her books, replete with photographs, illustrations and descriptions of meteorological conditions, glaciology and the effect of high altitudes on humans, remained useful decades after their publication. Paving the way for a legion of female climbers, her legacy lives on in scholarship prizes at Wellesley, Smith, Radcliffe and Bryn Mawr.Author and journalist Cathryn J. Prince brings Fanny Bullock Workman to life and deftly shows how she negotiated the male-dominated world of alpine clubs and adventure societies as nimbly as she negotiated the deep crevasses and icy granite walls of the Himalayas. It's the story of the role one woman played in science and exploration, in breaking boundaries and frontiers for women everywhere.
Heart of Iron: My Journey from Transplant Patient to Ironman Triathlete
by Kyle GarlettThroughout his life, there was nothing Kyle Garlett hated more than losing, and he knew early on that four diagnoses of cancer could not match his spirit of competition. His appetite for victory and success and his love of life pushed him past his health hurdles--including a bone marrow transplant, hip replacement, and a heart transplant--and into the greatest challenge of his life: the Ironman Triathlon World Championship. Kyle tells his amazing life story, beginning with his diagnosis of lymphoma and continuing through years of chemotherapy that destroyed his joints and weakened his heart, leading up to his journey to the Ironman Triathlon, in which he competed not once but twice. His miraculous recovery and athleticism are recounted, along with his becoming an Olympic torch bearer, a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society spokesperson, and a motivational speaker.
The Upset: Jack Fleck's Incredible Victory over Ben Hogan at the U.S. Open
by Al Barkow"Al Barkow, golf's leading historian and story-teller, unfolds the improbable Ben Hogan-Jack Fleck tale, and the results are as wondrous as the golf itself." --Peter Kessler Jack Fleck had the slimmest of resumes as a professional tournament golfer. He had never even come close to winning on the PGA Tour, and was in the mere qualifier category when it came to playing in the 1955 U.S. Open at the Olympic Golf Club in San Francisco. Yet Fleck got himself into a playoff with Ben Hogan, one of the greatest players in golf history, for the game's most prestigious title. And when Fleck defeated Hogan, it was not just surprising, it was incredible. This book presents a thrilling play-by-play, shot-by-shot recounting that brings back to life the look and feel of the entire tournament. Relying on first-hand sources, it reveals the players' mental processes as they strategized their game and handled their emotions. And it finally offers a convincing explanation for Fleck's mind-boggling victory, which was considered at the time and remains to this day one of the most unexpected outcomes in all sports history. Al Barkow is a veteran golf reporter, formerly editor-in-chief of both Golf and Golf Illustrated magazines, and recipient of the 2005 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. His books include Gettin' to the Dance Floor and Sam: The One and Only Sam Snead.
Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport
by Matthew AlgeoStrange as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America's most popular spectator sport wasn't baseball, football, or horseracing--it was competitive walking. Inside sold-out arenas, competitors walked around dirt tracks almost nonstop for six straight days (never on Sunday), risking their health and sanity to see who could walk the farthest--more than 500 miles. These walking matches were as talked about as the weather, the details reported in newspapers and telegraphed to fans from coast to coast. This long-forgotten sport, known as pedestrianism, spawned America's first celebrity athletes and opened doors for immigrants, African Americans, and women. But along with the excitement came the inevitable scandals, charges of doping and insider gambling, and even a riot in 1879. Pedestrianism chronicles competitive walking's peculiar appeal and popularity, its rapid demise, and its enduring influence.
Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter
by Charles Fleming Frank Shamrock Mickey RourkeBefore Frank Shamrock became known professionally as "The Legend"--winning almost every mixed martial arts title in existence--he endured a childhood marred with abuse, neglect, and molestation that led to an equally troubled young adulthood. This riveting book tells his whole story: his neglect as a child by his hippie mother and absentee father, his salvation under the foster father who took him in when no one else would, his desperate act of armed robbery and subsequent incarceration in state prison, and his eventual rebirth as a cage fighter who would go on to dominate the entire sport for the next two decades. Detailing his fights inside and outside of the ring, it discusses the people and events that enabled him to become a champion as well as his problems with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the reasons behind his retirement. With eye-opening depictions of the world of mixed martial arts fighters and refreshing candor, this thrilling story of sex, violence, crime, and redemption reveals the numerous pitfalls a famous fighter encountered in his life and how he successfully overcame them to become a champion in every sense of the word.
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
by Ben MontgomeryEmma Gatewood was the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person--man or woman--to walk it twice and three times and she did it all after the age of 65. This is the first and only biography of Grandma Gatewood, as the reporters called her, who became a hiking celebrity in the 1950s and '60s. She appeared on TV with Groucho Marx and Art Linkletter, and on the pages of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction. Author Ben Montgomery was given unprecedented access to Gatewood's own diaries, trail journals, and correspondence. He also unearthed historic newspaper and magazine articles and interviewed surviving family members and hikers Gatewood met along the trail. The inspiring story of Emma Gatewood illustrates the full power of human spirit and determination.
Half Man, Half Bike: The Life of Eddy Merckx, Cycling's Greatest Champion
by William FotheringhamLeading cycling writer William Fotheringham presents the biography of the greatest cyclist in history, Eddy Merckx--the extraordinary man who is to cycling what Muhammad Ali is to boxing. This definitive history chronicles his life, examining both the ups and the downs. Throughout his professional career Merckx amassed an astonishing 445 victories and exhibited a remorseless sense of domination that created his legend. But his triumphs only tell half of a story that includes horrific injury, a doping controversy, and tragedy. To discover the background of the Belgian cyclist's former invincibility, the author spoke with those who were there at the time and those who knew Merckx best. This is the singular tale of a man whose fear of failure would drive him to reach the highest pinnacles before ultimately destroying himself.
Baseball History for Kids: America at Bat from 1900 to Today, with 19 Activities
by Richard PanchykA fascinating journey through the history of America's favorite pastime With this interactive book, kids will discover how the game of baseball has changed over the years by reading about topics such as the dead ball era, World War II, segregation and integration, free agency, and the designated hitter. Along the way, young readers will enjoy quotes, stories, and amusing anecdotes from more than 175 former major leaguers and get an intimate look at the game's greatest legends--including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, and Willie Mays. With the 21 included activities, children will learn how to calculate a player's batting average and ERA, throw a palmball, design a logo for their favorite team, cook a bowl of Cracker Jack, and more. A time line of the sport's history and lists of books, websites, and places to visit are also included.