You're the Ref: 156 Scenarios to Test Your Football Knowledge

Do you think you have what it takes to be a major college or pro football referee? Well now you can test your knowledge of the game with Wayne Stewart s You re the Ref. You re the Ref is divided into three exciting sections. Routine Calls deals with scenarios and rules which typically come up in games and deals with clear cut rules out of bounds calls, holding, pass interference. Basic Situations deals with matters and rules that are just a bit more unusual or, for the casual fan, more obscure illegal man downfield, for example, isn't a call you see every game, but it remains a rule that referees and many fans know quite well. In the final section, you can put your knowledge to the test. You ll be presented with what many football people call knotty problems. Here you will be asked questions involving the complex tuck rule, the difference between roughing and running into the kicker, and other arcane matters. Most of the situations in this book come from real games, but some scenarios are made up to illustrate specific points or rules. You re the Ref is the ultimate test of your refereeing skills and knowledge

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Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem and the Birth of the Indy 500

One hundred years ago, 40cars lined up for the firstIndianapolis 500. We are still waiting to find out who won.
The Indy 500 was created to showcase the controversial new sport of automobile racing, which was sweeping the country. Daring young men were driving automobiles at the astonishing speed of 75 miles per hour, testing themselves and their vehicles. It was indeed a young man's game: with no seat belts, hard helmets or roll bars, the dangers were enormous. When the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909, seven people were killed, some of them spectators. Oil-slicked surfaces, clouds of smoke, exploding tires, and flying grit all made driving extremely hazardous, especially with the open-cockpit, windshield-less vehicles. Most drivers rode with a mechanic, who pumped oil manually while watching for cars attempting to pass. Drivers sometimes threw wrenches or bolts at each other during the race in order to gain an advantage. The night before an event, the racers would take up a collection for the next day's new widows. Bookmakers offered bets not only on who might win but who might survive. Not all the participants in that first Indy 500 lived to see the checkered flag.
Although the 1911 Indy 500 judges declared Ray Harroun, driving a Marmon Wasp, the official winner, there is reason to doubt that result. The timekeeping equipment failed, and the judges had to run for their lives when a driver lost control and his car spun wildly toward their stand. It took officials two days to determine the results, and Speedway authorities ordered the records to be destroyed.
But "Blood and Smoke "is about more than a race, even a race as fabled as the Indianapolis 500. It is the story of America at the dawn of the automobile age, 29.99 a country in love with speed, danger, and spectacle. It is a story, too, about the young men who would risk their lives for money and glory, the sportsmen whose antics would thrill and outrage Americans in those long-ago days when the automobile was still brand new.

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Taking the Field: A Fan's Quest to Run the Team He Loves

In this fearless and half-crazy story, Howard Megdal decides that simply rooting isn't enough-it's time for fans to stand up and take charge. A lifelong and feverish New York Mets fan, he has been there through thick and (more often) thin. And yet, year in and year out, the Mets seem to find ways to disappoint him. The almost-victories, the mistakes, the lost years; it's all too heartbreaking. And so, mustering his energy, heart, and sportswriter's pedigree, Megdal decides to become the general manager of the Mets. It's not an elected office, but that doesn't mean you can't campaign for it.
Part baseball history and part personal narrative, "Taking the Field" is at heart the story of a fan who decides to take control. Staging public rallies to gain support, and hustling for interviews and opportunities, Megdal rewrites the rules for being a fan: If you want a championship so badly, maybe it's time for more than praying at the television and buying merchandise. Maybe it's time for action. As he tells his personal story, Megdal intersperses the narrative with a history of rooting for his team: the Tom Seaver trade, the Doc Gooden saga, the highs and lows, the mistakes, and the moments that made it worth the pain. At the same time, he learns the lessons of this history, outlining for the public his campaign pillars: logic, transparency, and passion.
With the unstinting passion of "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer," the humor and business smarts of "Moneyball," and the elbow-grease appeal of" Julie & Julia," "Taking the Field" is a love letter to baseball.

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Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets

Comprised of exclusive interviews with Jets players, coaches, and other figures surrounding the organization, this eye-opening account of a golden era in one team's history also takes a step back and looks at the state of the National Football League as a whole during the 1980s. From the events that shaped the 1980s Jets, such as the legacy of Joe Namath, to their four playoff appearances during the decade, each triumph and disappointment is chronicled and supplemented with insider information. Other highlights include examinations of the beginning of the Jets' rivalry with the Miami Dolphins; the controversial firing of head coach Walt Michaels; the defensive line, given the nickname "The New York Sack Exchange;" and steroid use by the players and throughout the NFL.

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