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Isaac murphy: The rise and fall of a black jockey (Black Lives)
Par Katherine C Mooney. 2024
The rise and fall of one of America's first Black sports celebrities Isaac Murphy, born enslaved in 1861, still reigns…
as one of the greatest jockeys in American history. Black jockeys like Murphy were at the top of the most popular sport in America at the end of the nineteenth century. They were internationally famous, the first African American superstar athletes-and with wins in three Kentucky Derbies and countless other prestigious races, Murphy was the greatest of them all. At the same time, he lived through the seismic events of Emancipation and Reconstruction and formative conflicts over freedom and equality in the United States. And inevitably he was drawn into those conflicts, with devastating consequences. Katherine C. Mooney uncovers the history of Murphy's troubled life, his death in 1896 at age thirty-five, and his afterlife. In recounting Murphy's personal story, she also tells two of the great stories of change in nineteenth-century America: the debates over what a multiracial democracy might look like and the battles over who was to hold power in an economy that increasingly resembled the corporate, wealth-polarized world we know todayUndisputed: A Champion's Life
Par Donovan Bailey. 2023
A memoir of Olympic glory, the value of mentorship and the courage to champion your own excellence, from the long-reigning…
world's fastest man, Canadian sprinting legend Donovan Bailey.From the lush fields of his boyhood in Jamaica, to the basketball courts of Oakville, where he came of age in one of Canada’s most thriving cultural mosaics, to his sprint toward double Olympic gold for Canada in Atlanta in 1996, Donovan Bailey got a long way on natural talent. But he also learned that in the bureaucratic world of Canadian sports, an athlete who didn't come up in the system needed to take charge of his fate if he was going to become the world’s best. As he ascended from outsider to dominant athlete, others didn’t always understand the rigour at work behind Bailey’s confident demeanour. He’d learned from watching Muhammad Ali that a champion needed to act like a champion. But media grew fixated on the sprinter’s immodesty, the likes of which they never saw from Canadian athletes, especially track athletes in the wake of the Ben Johnson doping scandal at Seoul in 1988. Bailey was having none of it, and when he called out Canada's subtle racism and contradicted the prevailing idea most Canadians had of their country, he left in his wake a media uproar and cracked wide open the nation’s moral complacency. In addition to his unforgettable 100-metre and 4x100 relay gold-medal sprints in Atlanta, Bailey's track career was a litany of records and rare accomplishments, including his audacious 1997 race in Toronto's SkyDome against American 200-metre Olympic champion Michael Johnson to determine who was really the world’s fastest man. There was no disputing the result. Bailey had been coached in success before he was seriously coached in athletics. Following the lead of his father, a machinist-turned-real estate investor, Bailey became a millionaire by the age of 21, an experience he continues to draw on as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Frank about his dominance on the track and unapologetic for expecting as much of those around him as he expects of himself, Undisputed is an athlete's story that refuses to settle for second best.The Heart of a Superfan: A memoir of grit, love, family and basketball
Par Nav Bhatia. 2024
The Raptors' story is an underdog story—and the same is true for their greatest superfan. This instant #1 bestselling memoir…
offers a courtside view into the extraordinary life of Nav Bhatia.You know him as the Raptors Superfan, but Nav Bhatia's story is bigger than basketball.Nav immigrated to Canada from India after experiencing many hardships—only to face a host of new challenges. Life as an immigrant was gruelling and grey . . . and then, a new basketball team came to town. As Nav cheered on the Toronto Raptors at game after game, as they lost, as they won, on the good days and the bad, he discovered inspiration and community in the greatest game on Earth, formed life-long bonds with many of the best players the sport has ever known, and solidified his own place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.In this memoir, Nav shares his incredible personal story of triumphing over adversity, as well as the lessons that propelled him to success in all facets of life: as an entrepreneur, movie producer, humanitarian, son, father and husband, and the Raptors' most dedicated supporter. And woven throughout the book are intimate, colourful behind-the-scenes stories about the Raptors—from their very first game in 1995 to their 2019 Championship win, and beyond—that only the Superfan could know.This is a book about loyalty, perseverance and the power of sports to unite us across differences—and, most of all, about how following your passions can lead you to the most extraordinary places.Calling the Shots: Ups, Downs and Rebounds – My Life in the Great Game of Hockey
Par Kelly Hrudey, Kirstie McLellan Day. 2017
Few people have had a better front row seat to hockey history than Kelly Hrudey, whose former teammates include Mike…
Bossy, Denis Potvin, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky, among many others of the game’s greats. In 1987, he stood tall in net during the Easter Epic, the longest playoff game in Islanders history. Kelly made seventy-three saves (to this day an NHL record for most saves made in a playoff game) against the Capitals before Pat LaFontaine scored the winner in the fourth overtime period of Game Seven at two o’clock in the morning. Later that year, Kelly was in the Canada Cup lineup of one of the most talented teams ever assembled on ice. In 1989, he joined Wayne Gretzky and Marty McSorley on a team that took Los Angeles by storm: the Kings went all the way to the Stanley Cup final against the Canadiens in 1993. Hrudey is now a well-respected hockey analyst and broadcaster and has watched with a keen eye as the game continues to evolve. Through it all, he has seen greatness and missed opportunities, inspiring moments and outright craziness. Working with bestselling author Kirstie McLellan Day, Kelly delivers a lively and thoughtful memoir, rich in behind-the-scenes anecdotes, humour and insight.How to build a car: The autobiography of the world's greatest formula 1 designer
Par Adrian Newey. 2017
'Adrian has a unique gift for understanding drivers and racing cars. He is ultra competitive but never forgets to have…
fun. An immensely likeable man.' Damon Hill The world's foremost designer in Formula One, Adrian Newey OBE is arguably one of Britain's greatest engineers and this is his fascinating, powerful memoir. How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian's unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he's been involved. A true engineering genius, even in adolescence Adrian's thoughts naturally emerged in shape and form – he began sketching his own car designs at the age of 12 and took a welding course in his school summer holidays. From his early career in IndyCar racing and on to his unparalleled success in Formula One, we learn in comprehensive, engaging and highly entertaining detail how a car actually works. Adrian has designed for the likes of Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Mika Hakkinen, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, always with a shark-like purity of purpose: to make the car go faster. And while his career has been marked by unbelievable triumphs, there have also been deep tragedies; most notably Ayrton Senna's death during his time at Williams in 1994. Beautifully illustrated with never-before-seen drawings, How to Build a Car encapsulates, through Adrian's remarkable life story, precisely what makes Formula One so thrilling – its potential for the total synchronicity of man and machine, the perfect combination of style, efficiency and speedConflicted scars: An average player's journey to the nhl
Par Justin Davis. 2022
An indispensable guide to parents of hockey hopefuls At a time of great change in hockey, Justin Davis exposes the…
dark underbelly of the journey from the minors to the big leagues Hockey culture: it's a commonly used phrase inside the game, glorifying sacrifice, toughness, loyalty, and a sense of identity. Justin Davis viewed this culture as something he was lucky enough to experience. After all, he'd won a Memorial Cup after leading the tournament in scoring, and he'd been drafted by the Washington Capitals. "In my mind," he says, "I was the normal one." Unfortunately, after stepping outside the game, he began to recognize the racism, sexual abuse and bullying that was so deeply ingrained in the sport. And then, as his own children grew into teenagers, the curtain was pulled back, the memories came rushing forward, and he was horrified: "Why was I naked in a bus bathroom for four hours with seven teammates? What happened to my brain, and why can't I remember the simplest things? How did I end up living in a basement where the strangers upstairs were clearly engaged in domestic abuse?" As it navigates the sport's darkest corridors, Conflicted Scars shares the story of the common Canadian player and offers a guide for parents who need to know how and why a typical teenager with NHL dreams, from a small town, now lives anxiously, introvertedly, and battling emotional detachmentUn Capitán: Autobiografía
Par Francesco Totti, Paolo Condò. 2018
La autobiografía oficial del futbolista italiano más importante del siglo XXI. Un retrato profundo y sincero, una oportunidad única para…
descubrir el lado más personal de Francesco Totti. Su niñez, las primeras patadas a un balón de fútbol, su miedo a la oscuridad, sus primeros años en un barrio romano que ya ni siquiera existe. Su debut en la Serie A con tan solo 16 años de edad, los comienzos repletos de obstáculos, y después, la gloria: capitán y profeta en su propio país, vistiendo durante 25 años la misma camiseta, un sinfín de títulos en el fútbol italiano (Liga, Copas, Supercopas, además de la victoria en el Mundial del 2006, en la que fue uno de los grandes protagonistas de la selección italiana. Y después su matrimonio con Ilary Blasi, la vida de jet-set que siempre vivió con una sonrisa, pero con esa expresión del niño al que una ciudad eligió como símbolo y estandarte. Totti se mantuvo en la Roma durante toda su carrera hasta el día de su retiro, cuando en ese último partido se despidió de su afición con un emocionante discurso que conmovió no solo a los fans de la Roma sino a todos los amantes del deporte alrededor del mundo. La crítica ha dicho...«Sus 25 años con la camiseta de la AS Roma y su vida como símbolo de su equipo y de su ciudad.»Europa Press «Totti es el rey de Roma. Es y será el mejor jugador que jamás haya visto.»Diego Armando Maradona «Un autoretrat que ens dibuixa la ment del futbolista, apropant-nos a labombolla en què viu permanentment una icona.» «Una lectura imprescindible pels romàntics del futbol.»Oscar Flores, Kodro.cat «A todos los que nos gusta el fútbol, nos gusta Totti.»Zinedine Zidane «Un artista del fútbol, un verdadero 10 dentro y fuera del campo.»Michel Platini «Totti es el Dios del fútbol. Le vi cuando tenía 16 años y ya era un fenómeno, sabía hacer bien todo.»Sandro MazzolaBig three. La mayor rivalidad de la historia del deporte
Par Carlos Báidez. 2022
Big Three es el único libro que narra la mayor rivalidad deportiva de la historia, la que enfrenta a los…
tres mejores tenistas de todos los tiempos: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal y Novak Djokovic. Durante dos décadas, los protagonistas de este libro han dominado con gran autoridad el circuito ATP, disputándose los Grand Slams, las grandes competiciones y el número uno del ranking mundial. En una batalla física y psicológica sin precedentes, han deleitado a los aficionados con duelos inolvidables que será difícil que volvamos a vivir. Carlos Báidez analiza en Big Three los entresijos de la ya legendaria rivalidad de los tres mayores genios de la raqueta. Un recorrido detallado desde su infancia hasta su lucha actual por ser el mejor tenista de siempre. En el camino, nos muestra el rostro más humano de Federer, Nadal y Djokovic, además de permitirnos revivir sus momentos de mayor gloria y sus derrotas más sonadas.Una obra imprescindible para cualquier aficionado al deporte, que aporta innumerables argumentos y datos para que el lector pueda decidir quién es, en su opinión, el mejor tenista de la historia. La crítica ha dicho:«Lectura obligada.»Conrado Valle, periodista «Báidez aporta gran cantidad de información desde un punto de vista novedoso: el de analizar a cada uno de ellos en relación con los otros dos para que el lector opine quién es el mejor de la historia. También para que sea consciente de la excepcionalidad de haber vivido y disfrutado de unos años estelares.»Pedro Zuazua, El País«Federer, Nadal y Djokovic frente a frente, para admirar esta rivalidad prolongada en el tiempo. Librazo de Carlos Báidez. ¿A qué esperáis para disfrutar de esta joya?»Deporte y libros «Quería ampliar la perspectiva que los aficionados tienen sobre los tres jugadores y lo he hecho entrecruzando sus vidas, como si se tratara de una película.»Entrevista a Carlos Báidez en La SER«Detalla con rigurosidad y precisión de cirujano, y apoyado en datos estadísticos, los logros de cada uno de estos fenómenos: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal y Novak Djokovic. Comparándolos entre ellos desde sus inicios en la infancia. Y siempre dando al lector la oportunidad de hacer su elección, o decantarse por uno según sus filias y sus fobias.»Las lecturas de Oscar «Recomendadísimo.Con una ilustración maravillosa y que te atrapa de principio a fin. ¡Todos a comprarlo ya mismo!»José Morón, redactor jefe de Punto de Break «Carlos Báidez recorre la vida de los tres desde sus inicios y aporta datos novedosos sobre estas leyendas.»MarcaIndurain: La historia definitiva del mejor corredor del Tour de Francia
Par Alsdair Fotheringham. 2017
La historia definitiva del mejor corredor del Tour de Francia: Miguel Indurain. Como el gran conquistador y heroe de los…
90s, Miguel Indurain rápidamente huyó de la fama y de las abrumaciones; manteniéndose humilde, tímido y muy cercano a sus raices y a su tierra. A través de su personalidad, su voluntad de hierro y sus soberbias habilidades para dominar la bicicleta, Indurain fue descrito muchas veces como una máquina perfecta del ciclismo. Todavía en 1996 se vió al mejor campeón del Tour de todos los tiempos, con una voluntad de hierro y una fuerza arrolladora, año en el que de manera abrupta decidió poner fin a su carrera profesional y a su supremacía. En este libro, Alasdair Fotheringham llega al corazón de este enigmático campeón, reviviendo sus logros históricos y explorando la dirección que siguieron varias generaciones de ciclistas españoles, llevando a su deporte a un nivel jamás antes conocido en España. A través de decenas de entrevistas con directores del Tour de Francia, ciclistas contemporáneos, compañeros de equipo y a Prudencio Indurain, el autor nos desvela en esta vibrante biografía, el lado más humano de uno de los mejores deportistas de la historia de España. La crítica ha dicho...«Un relato que retrata el lado más humano del pentampeón de la ronda francesa a través de entrevistas con su entorno familiar, entre ellos su hermano 'Pruden', directores y ciclistas más cercanos.»Europa Press«Alasdair Fotheringham, afincado en España, indaga en el lado más humano del único ciclista que ha sido capaz de vencer cinco consecutivas en el Tour de Francia.»El País «La apasionante historia de un campeón excepcional y cercano. Indurain, gran biografía, muy bien escrita y documentada.»Pedro Pablo Alonso«Consigue brillantemente hacernos llegar una imagen muy ajustada a la personalidad de Indurain.»Ciclismoylectura «El que ha vivido esa época dorada del ciclismo español, disfrutará de estas páginas.»Alberto López Escuer, Salesianos cooperadoresKings of the Road: How Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Alberto Salazar Made Running Go Boom
Par Cameron Stracher. 2013
A &“lively, informative history&” of distance running&’s 1970s heyday—including the famous Falmouth Road Race—written &“with a true fan&’s contagious enthusiasm&”…
(Newsweek). It was 1978. Jimmy Carter was president; gas prices were soaring; and Americans were hunkering down to weather the economic crisis. But Jim Fixx&’s The Complete Book of Running was a bestseller. Frank Shorter&’s gold medal in the 1972 Olympic marathon had put distance running on the minds of many Americans. The odd activity of &“jogging&” became &“running,&” and America was in love. That summer, a junior from the University of Oregon named Alberto Salazar went up against Shorter and Boston Marathon champion Bill Rodgers at the Falmouth Road Race. Though he lost to Rodgers&’s record-setting 32:21, the competition set the stage for an epic rivalry among the three greats. Each pushed the others to succeed and, in turn, inspired a nation of couch potatoes to put down the remote and lace up their sneakers. &“[A] lively, informative history.&” — Newsweek/The Daily Beast &“Essential reading for runners both competitive and casual.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“Kings of the Road is about marathon legends. It&’s about running Fast. It&’s about Will. It&’s about the Real. It&’s about drama of the finest kind.&” —Bernd Heinrich, author of Why We Run and Racing the Antelope &“A rollicking, informed account of . . . how distance running helped define a generation.&” —John Brant, author of Duel in the Sun and coauthor with Alberto Salazar of 14 MinutesIn 1987, Joe Parkin was an amateur bike racer in California when he ran into Bob Roll, a pro on…
the powerhouse Team 7-Eleven. "Lobotomy Bob" told Parkin that, to become a pro, he must go to Belgium. Riding along a canal in Belgium years later, Roll encountered Parkin, who he saw as "a wraith, an avenging angel of misery, a twelve-toothed assassin". Roll barely recognized him. Belgium had forged Parkin into a pro bike racer, and changed him forever. A Dog in a Hat is Joe's remarkable story. Leaving California with a bag of clothes, two spare wheels, some cash, and a phone number, Parkin left the comforts of home for the windy, rainswept heartland of European cycling. As one of the first American pros in Europe, Parkin was what the Belgians call "a dog with a hat on" -- something familiar, yet decidedly out of place. Parkin lays out the hard reality of the life--the drugs, the payoffs, the betrayals by teammates, the battles with team owners for contracts and money, the endless promises that keep you going, the agony of racing day after day, and the glory of a good day in the saddle. A Dog in a Hat is the unforgettable story of the un-ordinary education of Joe Parkin and his love affair with racing, set in the hardest place in the world to be a bike racer. It is a story untold until now, and one that you will never forget.Saving Lucy: A girl, A Bike, A Street Dog
Par Ishbel Rose Holmes. 2018
????? "This story grabs your heart and never lets go."Saving Lucy is the true and inspiring story of two creatures…
in need of healing and rescue—who find home in each other.Ishbel Rose Holmes was adrift and alone when she set out to bicycle across the world. She was pedalling across Turkey when a street dog, Lucy, crossed her path and changed her life forever.Ishbel did not want anything or anyone to slow her down, but when she witnessed Lucy attacked by other dogs, Ishbel rescued her—forming a deep bond between the pair. Ishbel recognized her own vulnerability in her new canine friend and launched a heartfelt mission to find Lucy a home and give her a happy life.Their adventures took them over 1,000 miles to the Syrian border and into the hearts of everyone who met them. People around the world who followed the story on Ishbel’s blog, World Bike Girl, watched as Lucy’s unconditional love broke down the wall around Ishbel’s heart.Surfacing: From the Depths of Self-Doubt to Winning Big & Living Fearlessly
Par Lindley Siri. 2016
In Surfacing, Siri Lindley opens up about her unique celebrity-dappled early life. When and NFL superstar notices her beautiful mother,…
her idyllic childhood is upended. Glitzy dinner parties and world travel pull her mother away, and Lindley grows up feeling alone and out of place. As her intense loneliness grows into anger, she lashes out against her New England life of privilege. Shy and painfully self-aware, Lindley finds solace in sports, playing field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse at Brown University. But when she misses the cut for the US lacrosse team after college, she is left directionless - until a friend invites her to watch a triathlon. Lindley's dream is reignited and she never looks back. Success doesn't come easily. Lindley fails early and often - brutal swim starts, bike equipment failures at key races, grueling workouts - but it's debilitating anxiety that still haunts her. She turns to unconventional Australian coach, Brett Sutton, who helps her tear up her script of self-doubt and transforms her into a world champion. Lindley retires from the sport at the peak of her success, intent on helping athletes realize their own dreams, and finally finds the courage to step out into her true self and find love as a gay woman. Surfacing is the breathtakingly honest book that shares Lindley's daring journey. She is proof that it's never too late to rewrite your own story and change the thoughts, habits and behaviors that hold you back. Surfacing will inspire you as it shows you how to stop being your own worst enemy and start uncovering your potential.An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age
Par Bingham John. 2011
Known by fans as "The Penguin" for his back-of-the-pack speed, John Bingham is the unlikely hero of the modern running…
boom. In his new book, the best-selling author and magazine columnist recalls his childhood dreams of athletic glory, sedentary years of unhealthy excess, and a life-changing transformation from couch potato to "adult-onset athlete." Overweight, uninspired, and saddled with a pack-and-a-half-a-day smoking habit, Bingham found himself firmly wedged into a middle-age slump. Then two frightening trips to the emergency room and a conversation with a happy piano tuner led him to discover running--and changed his life for the better. Inspiring, poignant, hilarious, and heartbreaking, An Accidental Athlete is a warm and engaging book for the everyday athlete. Bingham tells stories of the joys of running--the pride of the finisher's medal, a bureau-busting t-shirt collection, intense back-of-the-pack strategizing. An Accidental Athlete is about one man's discovery that middle age was not the finish line after all, but only the beginning.Susan and Carlos were unlikely friends. She was a young, overweight college professor and a bit of a trainwreckjuggling a…
divorce, a pack-a-day habit, and hiding empty boxes of wine under her bed. He was her boss, an Ironman triathlete, with life figured out. She was a whiner, he was a hard-ass. He had his shit together, she most assuredly did not.Trash-talking workouts, breakdowns, a devastating diagnosisthis heartwarming story of training buddies reveals a deep and abiding friendship that traversed life, sport, and everything in between. Their journey reveals the inspiring power of sports and friendship to change lives forever.Amusing and poignant, Life’s Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow is about running and triathlon, growth and heartbreak, and an epic friendship that went the distance.My World
Par Peter Sagan. 2018
In My World, Peter Sagan, one of cycling's greatest riders of all time, gives bike racing fans a glimpse behind…
the scenes of his cycling life, revealing the full extent of his dedication to competition and determination to win. With four Tour de France points jersey victories, three road race world championships, the 2018 Paris-Roubaix, and multiple spring classics among Sagan’s palmares, the world of cycling agrees that this intense yet fun-loving rider is among the most dominant and fun-to-watch riders of his generation. Inside My World, Sagan discusses his relationship with fellow riders, his heroes, and how he copes with the expectation of success. He also shares technical details about his preparation, dissects the art of the sprint, and analyzes the tactics that play out during a fiercely competitive stage or race.Bobke II
Par Roll Bob. 2003
Bob Roll is a former Tour de France racer, well-known scribe, and race announcer, and he's back to cause a…
ruckus! Bobke II (correctly pronounced "BOOB-kuh") revisits all of the original journals of Roll's wild rides and crazy tales about cycling's uncensored side. When Bobke retired from competition, his pen continued the crazed poetic commentary, and Roll's newest additions cover both topics held reverent in cycling and also those that are hardly related to the sport. Bobke tips his cap to the classic riders and races, takes us on a grueling week of training with Lance Armstrong, tells the sport as he sees it, and entertains us with plenty of ditties and rants in between. It's a zany, often absurd, yet compelling commotion.My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles That Made Us
Par Morgan Campbell. 2024
The debut memoir from award-winning journalist Morgan Campbell: an incredible history of a family&’s battles across generations, a hilarious and…
emotional coming-of-age story, and a powerful reckoning with what it means to be Black in Canada—particularly when you have strong American roots.Morgan Campbell comes from &“a fighting family,&” a connection and clash that reaches back to the south side of Chicago in the 1930s. His father&’s and mother&’s families were both part of the Great Migration from the U.S. rural south to the industrial north, but a history of perceived slights and social-class differences solidified a great feud that only intensified over the course of the century after the families came together in marriage and split up across the border.Morgan&’s maternal grandfather, Claude Jones—a legendary grudge-holder, as well was an accomplished musician, peer of Oscar Peterson, and fixture of the Chicago jazz scene—was recruited to play some shows in Toronto, fell in love with the city, and eventually settled in Canada in the mid-1960s, paving the way for Morgan&’s parents to join him amid the tumult of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. Morgan&’s paternal grandmother, Granny Mary, however, remained stateside, a distance her schemes and resentments would only grow to fill. That fighting spirit wasn&’t limited to the family&’s own squabbles, though—it animated the way every generation moved through the world. From battling back as a group against white supremacist newcomers who violently resisted Black neighbours, to Morgan&’s pre-teen mother burnishing her own legend by cold-cocking some racist loudmouth bullies, the lesson was clear: sometimes words weren&’t enough.In Canada, the Campbells started a family of their own, but the tensions between in-laws never ceased, even as divorce and disease threatened the very foundations of the life they&’d built. Bearing witness to all of this was young Morgan, an aspiring writer, budding star athlete, and slow-jam scholar, whose deep American roots landed him an outsider status that led to its own schoolyard scraps and exposed the profound gap between Canada&’s utopian multicultural reputation and the very different reality. Having grown up bouncing between these disparate identities and nationalities, real or imagined—Black and Canadian, Canadian and American, Campbell and Jones—My Fighting Family is a witty, wise, rich, and soulful illumination of the journey to find clarity in all that conflict.Rafa: My Story
Par Rafael Nadal, John Carlin. 2011
The Sunday Times bestselling autobiography from the greatest tennis player of his generation'A winner' Independent 'A terrific sporting memoir, full…
of memorable anecdotes' New Statesman 'As exciting as Rafa himself' Woman's OwnNo tennis player since Andre Agassi has captivated the world like Rafael Nadal. He's a rarity in today's sporting arena - a true sportsman who chooses to let his raw talent, dedication and humility define him. With a remarkable 16 grand slam victories under his belt, and with friend and rival Roger Federer's record haul of 20 in his sights, Nadal is an extraordinary competitor whose ferocity on court is made even more remarkable by his grace off it.This book takes us to the heart of Nadal's childhood, his growth as a player, and his incredible career. It includes memorable highs and lows, from victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final - a match that John McEnroe called the 'greatest game of tennis ever played' - to the injury problems that have frequently threatened his dominance of the sport, to becoming the youngest player of the open era to complete a career Grand Slam in 2010. It transports us from Nadal's lifelong home on the island of Majorca to the locker room of Centre Court as he describes in detail the pressures of competing in the greatest tournament in the world. It offers a glimpse behind the racquet to learn what really makes this intensely private person - who has never before talked about his home life - tick. And it provides us with a story that is personal, revealing and every bit as exciting as Nadal himself.3 Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager
Par Buzz Bissinger. 2005
This inside view with the Cardinals&’ Tony La Russa by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Friday Night Lights…
&“should appeal to any baseball fan&” (Publishers Weekly). A Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year &“Plenty of books have taken us inside baseball, but August takes us directly inside players&’ heads.&” —Entertainment Weekly 3 Nights in August captures the strategic and emotional complexities of baseball&’s quintessential form: the three-game series. As the St. Louis Cardinals battle their archrival, the Chicago Cubs, we watch from the dugout through the eyes of legendary Tony La Russa, considered by many to be the greatest manager of the modern era. In his thirty-three years of managing, La Russa won three World Series titles and was named Manager of the Year a record five times. He now stands as the third-winningest manager in the history of baseball. A great leader, La Russa built his success on the conviction that ball games are won not only by the numbers but also by the hearts and minds of those who play. Drawing on unprecedented access to a major league skipper and his team, Buzz Bissinger portrays baseball with a revelatory intimacy that offers many surprisingly tactical insights—and furthers the debate on major league managerial style and strategy in his provocative afterword. &“Superb . . . Will be devoured by hard-core strategists.&” —The New York Times Book Review