The Best American Sports Writing (2011)

Well established as the premier sports anthology, The Best American Sports Writing brings togther the finest writing on sports to appear in the past year. Edited by the award-winning Jane Leavy, author of Sandy Koufax and The Last Boy, the pieces in this volume embrace the world of sports in all its drama, humanity and excitement.

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Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football

"Three and Out" tells the story of how college football's most influential coach took over the nation's most successful program, only to produce three of the worst seasons in the histories of both Rich Rodriguez and the University of Michigan. Shortly after his controversial move from West Virginia, where he had just taken his alma mater to the #1 ranking for the first time in school history, Coach Rich Rodriguez granted author and journalist John U. Bacon unrestricted access to Michigan's program. Bacon saw it all, from the meals and the meetings, to the practices and the games, to the sidelines and the locker rooms. Nothing and no one was off limits. John U. Bacon's "Three and Out" is the definitive account of a football marriage seemingly made in heaven that broke up after just three years, and lifts the lid on the best and the worst of college football.

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Mental Training for Runners: How to Stay Motivated

Generations of exercisers and athletes have struggled with the motivation to get out the door, to continue on tough days, or to push through the final barrier of discomfort to the long awaited goal. This book describes the source of problems, how to diffuse them, with methods that can keep one motivated. The unconscious process of stress build-up often sends body and mind on separate missions. Galloway provides a series of mental training methods which can bring body, mind, and spirit into a powerful team. Each major area of low motivation is noted with proven ways of overcoming the problems. Many runners have applied these methods to work through other low motivation challenges at work, in the family and in other areas of life.

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Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery

In his book, Richard discusses the ins and outs and dos and don'ts of buying lottery tickets to increase your chances of winning. He has created a method that he and members of his family use that has enabled them to WIN several lottery game GRAND prizes. This is a very easy to use method and will work with any type lottery games (scratch tickets or number games) in any state or country. Here are some quotes from people who have used his method: "My husband and I used Richard Lustig's lotto method and within months of starting the method we hit a Mega Money jackpot for 2 million dollars! It was really easy to follow. You only play what you can and you can still win! Shaun and I will only play lotto from now on using these strategies."-Jennifer and Shaun, Florida "Since we've been using your method, we have definitely been winning more that we used to. It's easy to follow"-Dale, Florida "I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I read through your lottery method last night. It seems great. It seems to be just simple logic and makes sense."-Kate, Illinois.  


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Table Tennis: Tips from a World Champion

Werner Schlager stands for a successful individual and self confident player. That is exactly what he wants to get across in his interviews: individuality, determination, endurance and the belief in yourself. Table Tennis- Tips from a World Champion" is a practical training book for successful table tennis. The aim is not to copy Werner Schlager as a player but to use his tips to find your own way to use them successfully. Numerous picture series explain technique and tactic. This book is meant to encourage individuality in technique and game. All in all this is a different table tennis teaching book for players and coaches who are keen to progress further.

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DeathClutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival

He is the biggest pay-per-view attraction in the world.
He is "the Baddest Dude on the Planet."
He is Brock Lesnar.
For countless fans of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, Brock Lesnar has long been known for his freakish athleticism, mind-blowing speed, and meteoric rise to the top. Yet despite the fame and fortune that have come with his enormous success, Brock has shunned the media, choosing instead to remain intensely private about his life and his accomplishments.
Now, for the first time, he tells his remarkable story in his own words, describing the journey from his South Dakota farmboy roots to becoming the most popular pay-per-view attraction in the world. From the small-town amateur wrestling where he honed his skills to taking on The Rock at "SummerSlam," Brock discusses how his natural athletic talent combined with the dark side of the wrestling business to make him the youngest-ever WWE World Champion.
Epic as it was, Brock's overnight rise to fame came with a price, as he saw firsthand the toll that life on the road and in the ring could take on a pro wrestler's body and mind. Weary of the punishing lifestyle and backstabbing politics, he chose to do the unthinkable: walk away from professional wrestling at the peak of his career and break all ties with the organization that made him a star on the global stage. It was a move that stunned WWE executives and fans alike, and one that Brock himself has never fully explained--until now.
Not one to stay quiet for long, Brock was soon back in the spotlight: this time in the UFC--home of the most dangerous mixed martial arts fighters in the world. Here he offers a behind-the-scenes look at his shocking decision to leave the wrestling entertainment business for a legitimate combat sport. From training to be a real fighter, to immediately being thrown into the Octagon against the UFC's best heavyweights, to the psychology behind his legendary trash-talking, Brock opens up about what it takes not only to succeed in the world's fastest-growing sport but to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. He also speaks candidly about the illness that nearly killed him, how it changed him as a fighter and a man, and how it shaped his will to survive.
In the end, Brock holds nothing back. A revealing, raw, and ultimately redemptive tale of Brock's determination and domination, "DeathClutch" is the untold true story of becoming one of life's true champions.

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Beckett Football Card Price Guide (2011-2012)

Complete Checklists and Pricing for every important football set from 1894 to present. More than 75,000 new cards now priced since last year's guide. Over 1 & 1/2 million cards priced altogether. More than 1,200 sets priced. Includes cards from NFL, CFL, USFL, college sets.

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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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