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The Utility of Boredom: Baseball Essays
Par Andrew Forbes. 2016
Spitball literary essays on the off-kilter joys, sorrows and wonder of North America’s national pastime. A collection of essays for…
ardent seamheads and casual baseball fans alike, The Utility of Boredom is a book about finding respite and comfort in the order, traditions, and rituals of baseball. It’s a sport that shows us what a human being might be capable of, with extreme dedication—whether we’re eating hot dogs in the stands, waiting out a rain delay in our living rooms, or practising the lost art of catching a stray radio signal from an out-of-market broadcast. From learning about America through ball-diamond visits to the most famous triple play that never happened on Canadian soil, Forbes invites us to witness the adult conversing with the O-Pee-Chee baseball cards of his youth. Tender, insightful, and with the slow heartbreak familiar to anyone who’s cheered on a losing team, The Utility of Boredom tells us a thing or two about the sport, and how a seemingly trivial game might help us make sense of our messy lives.Khomeini's Ghost: The Iranian Revolution and the Rise of Militant Islam
Par Con Coughlin. 2010
Talking Irish: The Oral History Of Notre Dame Football
Par Steve Delsohn. 1998
An entertaining fusion of fact, legend, and lore, Notre Dame football has transcended the boundaries of the sport and the…
university to become a time-honored American tradition. For its legions of devoted fans and alumni, Talking Irish vividly captures it all: the exhilarating wins, the stunning defeats, the tumultuous coaching changes, and the celebrated mystique that surrounds this beloved football dynasty.With never-before-told anecdotes, this candid and revealing oral history -- the first ever written on Fighting Irish football -- is told in the words of more than 150 Notre Dame players, coaches, leading sports journalists, and school faculty. This rousing narrative begins in the 1940s, a decade after the death of the fabled Knute Rockne, and concludes five decades later, with the formidable exploits of Notre Dame football at the end of the twentieth century.Runnin' with the Big Dogs: The Long, Twisted History of the Texas-OU Rivalry
Par Mike Shropshire. 2006
Raucous, raw, and reliably remarkable, the century–old football riavlry between the state universities of Texas and Oklahoma stands as testimony…
that hate–based relationships are the most enduring. Texas and Oklahoma have been top–level programs for a long time, but in the last few years the rivalry has garnered ever more national attention. Mike Shropshire, an observer of this football war for more than 40 years, chronicles the long and colorful history of this fierce rivalry that has endured for more than a century. The teams have been playing at the Texas State fair since 1929–just a three–hour drive from each campus. This is the only football game in the country that is louder than a NASCAR race, because there's no place in the country that's more football–mad than Texas. Animosity runs deep in this relationship–but beyond the emotional urgency that the Texas–OU followers expend on this event, this is a union of like–minded spirits. They were brought up amid the simple mantra of the Red State road to success: "Get up early. Work hard. Find oil." Football would naturally become the spectator sports of preference in these parts. RUNNIN' WITH THE BIG DOGS is an account of that game and of the game and the events that lead up to the three–and–one–half hours when, deep in the heart of the heartland, it's the day the earth stands still. It will also chronicle the long and colorful history of this fiercest of football rivalries, and inundate the reader in the craziness of the week preceding the game. Year in, year out, the Texas–OU celebration equals or trumps any other rivalry in sheer excitement and entertainment value–and presently, these two teams more than any other pairing are consistently in the hunt for a national championship. The excitement is due in large part to the raw and dynamic history of the two states involved, from the Indian wars to the oil boom. Before statehood Oklahoma was known as Indian Territory, so this Red River Shootout is Cowboys and Indians all over again.The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, the Team, and the Cost of Greatness
Par Buster Olney. 2004
“Vivid, informed, and gracefully written, The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is sports writing at its very best.” —…
David Halberstam“The best and clearest view yet inside the secret society that is the New York Yankees.” — --John Feinstein, author of Season on The Brink and Caddy For LifeA well-mulled, highly atmospheric, and richly versed story of the Bronx Bombers’ great 1996-2001 ride. — Kirkus ReviewsThe definitive treatise on the great Yankee teams of the last seven years. — Peter Gammons, ESPN“A wonderful story about money, power, and baseball that will keep you reading until the bottom of the 9th.” — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News“The best contemporary book about baseball in several years. Yankee fans and haters alike will find it riveting.” — New York Sun“Buster Olney... has chronicled the definitive story of the Bronx Bombers at the end of the 20th century.” — New York Post“…An astonishing richness of detail here that you simply won’t find anywhere else.” — Boston GlobeWell-mulled, highly atmospheric, and richly versed …both subtle and opinionated... — Kirkus ReviewsA remarkably prescient work … Olney’s observations are eerily germane to … [2004’s] postseason meltdown. — Wall Street JournalThis is a Soul: The Mission of Rick Hodes
Par Marilyn Berger. 2010
"Whoever Saves a Life, It Is Considered as If He Saved an Entire World"Dr. Rick Hodes arrived in Africa more…
than two decades ago to help the victims of a famine, but he never expected to call this extremely poor continent his home. Twenty-eight years later, he is still there.This Is a Soul tells the remarkable story of Rick Hodes's journey from suburban America to Mother Teresa's clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a boy, Rick was devoted to helping those in need, and eventually he determined that becoming a doctor would allow him to do the most good. When he heard about famine in Africa, that's where he went, and when genocide convulsed Rwanda, he went into the refugee camps to minister to the victims. When he was told that Ethiopia was allowing its Jews to emigrate to Israel, he went to help. While there, he was drawn to Mother Teresa's mission in Addis Ababa. It was there that Rick found his calling when he began caring for the sickest children in one of the world's poorest countries. But he did more than that—he began taking them into his home and officially adopted five of them. This Is a Soul is also a book filled with great joy and triumph. When Rick's kids return from surgery or life-saving treatments, he is exultant. "Seeing these people after surgery is like going to heaven," he says.Marilyn Berger went to Africa to write about Dr. Hodes, but while there, she became involved with the story. When she came upon a small, deformed, and malnourished boy begging on the street, she recognized immediately that he had the exact disease Rick could cure. She took him to Rick, who eventually arranged for the boy to have a complicated and risky surgery, which turned out to be incredibly successful. The boy's story—intertwined with Rick's, and Marilyn's as well—is unforgettable in its pathos and subtle humor. This Is a Soul is not just a story of the savior and the saved, it is a celebration of love and wisdom, and an exploration of how charity and devotion can actually change lives in an overcrowded, unjust, and often harsh world.“Ainsley is passionate about her relationship with Jesus and, as a cohost, waking you up each morning and giving you…
the story. While she’s living her dream, it hasn’t always been easy…Her transparency will both inspire and motivate you to believe in great things, while trusting God in the process.” — Tim Tebow, professional athlete“Ainsley invites us to meet the people who shaped her, the principles that sustain her, and, most of all, the faith that grounds her. In a day when so many public figures struggle to maintain balance, her story is a welcome breath of fresh air.” — Max Lucado, pastor and author“Very few public figures would ever be willing to be vulnerable and real by sharing their innermost thoughts and secrets. In The Light Within Me, Ainsley does just that, revealing the true secret to her success—her deep faith in God.” — Sean Hannity, Fox News Channel television host and nationally syndicated radio hostBaseball has always had its share of colorful characters, and over the years they have expressed themselves in eminently quotable…
ways. In this treasury of more than 5,000 quotations, noted baseball writer and observer Paul Dickson has captured the flavor of the game, in the words of its most important participants and onlookers.They are all here—from Aaron (Estella, Hank's mother) to Zoldack ("Sad Sack" Sam), and everyone in between. From the players, sportswriters, and politicians, to noted personalities in other fields (a very diverse group), everyone has his or her say on our nation's pastime. Dickson skillfully selects and annotates each remark, presenting the good, the bad, and the ugly of baseball lore. Included are extended lessons in Stengelese, Reggiespeak, Earl Weaverisms, and famous announcers' home run calls (who can forget Mel Allen's classic "Going, going, gone!"?).These and thousands of other cheerful, pithy, and memorable voices from the past through the present day are all captured in Baseball's Greatest Quotations.God and Starbucks: An NBA Superstar's Journey Through Addiction and Recovery
Par Vin Baker, Joe Layden. 2017
Vin Baker, an NBA all-star, Olympic gold medalist, and clean-cut preacher’s son, harbored a dark secret: a dependence on drugs…
and alcohol that began shortly after he turned pro. Eventually becoming a full-blown yet functional alcoholic, Vin convinced himself that he played better under the influence—until his addiction cost him his basketball career, his fortune, and his health. But Vin’s story isn’t a tragic fall from grace. It is an enthralling testimony of salvation. For Vin, hitting rock bottom was a difficult yet transformative experience that led him to renew his relationship with God and to embrace life. Howard Schultz of Starbucks and Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church offered Vin a helping hand and led him to find more security and happiness in his ordinary working life than he did in all of his years in the glamorous world of professional basketball.God and Starbucks is a wise, unflinching look at addiction and at the necessity of taking charge and claiming one’s blessings. It is a powerful memoir about reaching the top and beginning again from the bottom—an inspiring personal tale of humility and grace that reminds us of what is truly important.Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch
Par Tim Wakefield. 2011
"An incredibly intelligent, self-aware glimpse inside an admirable career. The preseason pick for best baseball book of the season." –Booklist…
(starred review) "A must-read." -- Boston Globe “Knuckler is a terrific book about one of baseball's most underrated pitchers, not to mention baseball's most misunderstood pitch. There are wonderful stories and anecdotes here, but it's also a portrait of a humble, caring man who has carved out a special niche for himself. If you love baseball (not just Red Sox baseball), Knuckler is for you. If you don't care a hang about baseball, but like stories about exceptionally talented people behaving decently, Knuckler is also for you. And if you're sick to death of sports stories about athletes behaving badly, Tim Wakefield's book is the perfect antidote.” –Stephen King“To read Knuckler is to appreciate that there is no gimmick, no fluke, no chance to Tim Wakefield approaching 200 wins and 20 major league seasons. This book is about resiliency, diligence and the tunnel vision required to live by what appears to be the most fanciful pitch thrown by man." –Peter Gammons, MLB baseball analyst and member of the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame"Tim Wakefield’s Knuckler is a fastball right down the middle of the plate. It is an honest, straightforward and very enjoyable account of the national pastime.” –Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner of Baseball"I have always admired Tim Wakefield, as he plays baseball with a great deal of integrity, the way the game should be played. Knuckler gives readers a rare glimpse at the man behind the baseball and his remarkable work on and off the field." –Carlton Fisk, Hall of Fame catcher "Competent and entertaining, Wakefield's book is one to savor, especially for the stat-obsessed baseball fan and the novice pitcher in search of a knuckleball to call his own." –Publishers Weekly"Provides valuable insights on perseverance, professionalism, and the ability to forget the last pitch." –Library Journal —From beanballs to basebrawls, the most important rules governing the game of baseball have never been officially written down—until now.They…
have no sanction from the Commissioner, appear nowhere in any official publication, and are generally not posted on any clubhouse wall. They represent a set of time-honored customs, rituals, and good manners that show a respect for the game, one's teammates, and one's opponents. Sometimes they contradict the official rulebook. The fans generally only hear about them when one is bent or broken, and it becomes news for a few days. Now, for the first time ever, Paul Dickson has put these unwritten rules down on paper, covering every situation, whether on the field or in the clubhouse, press box, or stands. Along with entertaining baseball axioms, quotations, and rules of thumb, this essential volume contains the collected wisdom of dozens of players, managers, and reporters on the secret rules that you break at your own risk, such as:1.7.1. In a Fight, Everyone Must Leave the Bench and the Bullpen Has to Join In1.13.3. In a Blowout Game, Never Swing as Hard as You Can at a 3-0 Pitch5.1.0. In Areas That Have Two Baseball Teams, Any Given Fan Can Only Really Root For One of ThemAmerica's Game: The NFL at 100
Par Jerry Rice, Randy O. Williams. 2019
“This book is an amazing compilation of the game’s history as seen through the eyes of my friend Jerry Rice,…
aka The GOAT. If you are a football fan, you are going to love this book almost as much as you loved watching Jerry play!” — Barry Sanders, Hall of Fame Class of 2004“Going back to our days together, Jerry Rice’s dedication to excellence has always been a trademark of his, and now it shines again with this highly entertaining book celebrating 100 years of the National Football League.” — Steve Young, Hall of Fame Class of 2005“Jerry played every snap, whether in practice or in games, as if it were his last. His new book reflects that same dedication to be the best.” — Brett Favre, Hall of Fame Class of 2016“It’s a daunting task to compress 100 years of history into just under 500 pages with any coherency, but Rice and Williams manage the task ably...a fun read and very informative.” — Booklist“A treat for gridiron fans.” — Kirkus ReviewsThe Best American Sports Writing 2016 (Best American Ser.)
Par Glenn Stout. 2016
For more than twenty-five years, The Best American Sports Writing has curated the year&’s finest sports journalism. Continuing the tradition…
in a long line of notable guest editors is Rick Telander, acclaimed journalist, author, and champion of the written word. His choices are defined by one shared thread: effort, on the part of athletes and writers alike. The physical strength it takes to play professional hockey and football, or for a forty-two-year-old writer to learn how to dunk in six months. The mental and emotional toughness needed to turn around a losing team, or to speak out about a coach. The careful striving to make everything seem effortless. This edition encompasses it all.The Best American Sports Writing 2016 includes Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham, L. Jon Wertheim and Ken Rodriguez, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, Brett Popplewell, Alexandra Starr, Wright Thompson and othersRICK TELANDER is a Chicago Sun-Times senior sports columnist and the Basketball Evangelist for Slam magazine. He has also written for Sports Illustrated and ESPN: The Magazine, and has been featured seven times in The Best American Sports Writing. He is the author of eight books, including Heaven Is a Playground and From Red Ink to Roses.GLENN STOUT, series editor of The Best American Sports Writing since its inception, is the author of Young Woman and the Sea and Fenway 1912.Pennant Race: The Classic Game by Game Account of a Championship Season, 1961
Par Jim Brosnan. 1962
“Brosnan obviously knows his baseball, writes about it wittily, informally and with irony. He is a cynical, tough professional athlete…
and his book makes wonderful reading.”—New YorkerFrom the author of The Long Season—considered by many to be the greatest baseball book of all time—comes another classic sports memoir by legendary pitcher Jim Brosnan, which chronicles how his team, the Cincinnati Reds, went on to win the 1961 National League pennant.In Pennant Race, Brosnan—with his trademark wise-guy wit and plain-spoken practicality—once again offers a refreshingly candid alternative to hackneyed baseball mythologizing. Day by day, game by game, Brosnan reveals the real lives of professional ballplayers: their exhilaration and frustration, hope and despair, chronic worry over job security, playful camaraderie, world-weary cynicism, and boyish—if cautious—optimism. Although the Reds would ultimately lose the World Series to the Yankees, for Brosnan and his teammates, this was a winning season. Pennant Race vividly captures a remarkable year in the life of a ball club and the golden age of one of Major League Baseball’s most memorable eras.The Best American Sports Writing 2019 (Best American Ser.)
Par Glenn Stout. 2019
"Outstanding . . . This great mix of essays shines a spotlight on all aspects of the human condition .…
. . The quality of the writing and diversity of the subjects will delight readers and inspire and enlighten the next generation of writers." --Publishers Weekly "First-rate . . . As ever, a must for the sports collection." --Booklist —Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero
Par Ashley Smith, Stacy Mattingly. 2005
“This is a woman who understands grace.” — Rick Warren, author of A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, quoted in Christianity Today“...a…
newly minted author and celebrity.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution“A remarkable tale of redemption.” — Augusta Chronicle“Smith leads the reader through the long, dangerous night, minute-by-minute.” — The Sunday Oklahoman“...could serve as a companion volume to The Purpose-Driven Life. — Publishers Weekly“...required reading.” — Publishers Weekly“Smith’s revelations offer a new wrinkle to a story that...captivated the country.” — NewsweekCaptive: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero
Par Ashley Smith, Stacy Mattingly. 2005
In March 2005, Ashley Smith made headlines around the globe when she miraculously talked her way out of the hands…
of alleged courthouse killer Brian Nichols after he took her hostage for seven hours in her suburban Atlanta apartment. In this moving, inspirational account—now a motion picture from Paramount—Ashley shares the details of her traumatic ordeal and expands on how her faith and the bestselling book The Purpose Driven Life helped her survive and bring the killer's murderous rampage to a peaceful end.Like her captor, Smith too had faced darkness and despair. Seeking a new life, she moved to Atlanta, got a job, enrolled in a medical assistant training program, and was beginning to find her way to becoming the kind of mom she wanted her little girl to have. Then Brian Nichols took her hostage. Just hours earlier, he'd allegedly shot to death a judge, a court reporter, a deputy, and a federal agent and escaped in a stolen vehicle. Now she found herself face-to-face with Nichols, a desperate, heavily armed man with nothing left to lose.Juxtaposing the minute-by-minute tale of her experience with the tragedies and triumphs of her own life, Captive is a riveting story that will leave no reader untouched.“It’s How You Play the Game tells us what [athletes] were looking for when they started and what they found.”…
— Teddy Atlas, boxing trainer and commentator“Really gets at the heart of what sports is all about. …Great read for anyone who ever played a sporyt.” — Tommy Lasorda, former Los Angeles Dodgers manager“I’ve watched many great players, but this is the first book that shows me how they became great people. ” — Joe Buck, Fox Sports“Brian does a masterful job laying out the values that have made America great.” — Gen. Tommy R. Franks, U.S. Army (Retired)“This is essential reading for sports fans and sports parents everywhere.” — Rick Wolff, host, “The Sports Edge” WFAN Radio“It’s How You Play the Game is a great read—insightful and well written.” — Donald J. Trump“…Humanizes our icons in a way that makes their success seem achievable and their life lessons invaluable.” — Jake Steinfeld, Chairman & CEO, Body by Jake Global“Helps to understand the value of sports and how it prepares you to deal with the stresses of everyday life.” — Bob Ferraro, President of the National High School Coaches Association“Like having a library of motivational books by successful people…a book you’ll refer to the rest of your life.” — Lou Holtz, former college football coach“This book taught me more about some of my favorite leaders than any profile of them I had ever read…” — Don Yaeger, Sports Illustrated writer, New York Times bestselling authorFly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis
Par Howell Raines. 2006
“A sweet narrative of friendship, fathers and sons, aging and of course, fishing.” — Washington Post Book World“What a wonderful…
book Howell Raines has wrought... as lovely as a stream.” — Pat ConroyWhen Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World Series of 1906
Par Bernard A. Weisberger. 2006
In 1906 the baseball world saw something that had never been done. Two teams from the same city squared off…
against each other in a World Series that pitted the heavily favored Cubs of the National League against the hardscrabble American League champion White Sox. Now, more than a century later, noted historian Bernard A. Weisberger tells the tale of a unique time in baseball, a unique time in America, and a time when Chicago was at the center of it all.When Chicago Ruled Baseball brings to life a dazzling epoch in a land of the self-made man—where A. G. Spalding helped establish baseball as both a national pastime and a thriving business, where Mordecai “Three-Finger” Brown overcame a horribly disfiguring injury and pitched his way into the Hall of Fame . . . and Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance proved that you could use teamwork to stand out as stars. Weisberger brings to life an unforgettable story of how a city that had rebuilt itself from the ashes of the Great Fire thirty-five years earlier became the focal point of an entire baseball-loving country, and one grand sporting contest staked its claim as one of the most remarkable and electrifying World Series ever to be played. Some images that appeared in the print edition of this book are unavailable in the electronic edition due to rights reasons.