"WORLD-CLASS CYCLIST"," "Tour de France stage winner, and time trial
specialist David Millar offers a vivid portrait of his life in
professional cycling--including his soul-searing detour into
performance-enhancing drugs, his dramatic arrest and two-year ban, and
his ultimate decision to return to the sport he loves to race clean--in
this arrestingly candid memoir, which he wrote himself.
As a
young Scottish expat living in Hong Kong with his father after his
parents' divorce, Millar showed early promise with mountain biking and
BMX. Two wise local cyclists took him under their wings, encouraging him
to concentrate on road racing. Millar proved a ready convert. "Racing
Through the Dark "offers the winning account of his climb through the
ranks--first as an amateur and then as a pro, riding for the French team
Cofidis. Among his early triumphs were several stage wins in the Tour
de France.
From the moment Millar turned pro, he began to see
hints of the unethical measures that many-- maybe most--of the other
pros were taking in order to race at the very tops of their games . . .
and beyond. At first, he felt that he was immune to temptation, that he
could win clean. But the ugly pervasiveness of performance-enhancing
drugs and the seemingly universal attitude that condoned it began to
corrode his willpower. "Racing Through the Dark "details his eventual
capitulation, his subsequent arrest and two-year ban from cycling, and
his remarkable comeback as a clean cyclist who is now doing his utmost
to keep performance-enhancing drugs out of the sport he so loves.
Filled
with thrilling descriptions of the world's most spectacular courses,
"Racing Through the Dark "captures the pure joy of cycling and includes
some of the most vivid accounts of racing ever written by a true
insider.
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
The Last Boys Picked: Helping Boys Who Don't Play Sports Survive Bullies and Boyhood
Boys who don't play sports are often the targets of bullying, but a
boy's worst bully may be the one he can't see: society's expectations
about how he should act, how he should relate, and how he should play.
Overlooked by a society that reinforces impossible standards of "masculinity," boys who are uninterested in competitive sports or have non-aggressive personalities are often vilified and bullied for being different as they grow up in the shadow of America's obsession with bigger, faster, richer, and stronger.
Through a fascinating assortment of in-depth interviews, clinical case studies, and examples from popular literature, Dr. Janet Sasson Edgette and Beth Margolis Rupp illustrate how these boys are relegated to a second-class social status simply because they can't make a free throw or because they can spell better than they can run.
Compassionate, empowering, and instructive, "The Last Boys Picked" will help parents, teachers, coaches, and caregivers identify the social and emotional hurdles that these boys face. It offers specific action steps to help any child build resilience and a healthy self-esteem-and tips for talking to them about their experiences and teaching them to face the schoolyard-and the world-with confidence.
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Overlooked by a society that reinforces impossible standards of "masculinity," boys who are uninterested in competitive sports or have non-aggressive personalities are often vilified and bullied for being different as they grow up in the shadow of America's obsession with bigger, faster, richer, and stronger.
Through a fascinating assortment of in-depth interviews, clinical case studies, and examples from popular literature, Dr. Janet Sasson Edgette and Beth Margolis Rupp illustrate how these boys are relegated to a second-class social status simply because they can't make a free throw or because they can spell better than they can run.
Compassionate, empowering, and instructive, "The Last Boys Picked" will help parents, teachers, coaches, and caregivers identify the social and emotional hurdles that these boys face. It offers specific action steps to help any child build resilience and a healthy self-esteem-and tips for talking to them about their experiences and teaching them to face the schoolyard-and the world-with confidence.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
On Par: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide
Bill Pennington, author of the beloved and widely read "On Par" golf
column for the "New York Times," knows how to interpret the experts and
pros for the rest of us. For years, he has traveled the globe in search
of golf's essentials--those basic principles, those elusive truths (and
who are we kidding, any trick or quick fix he can pick up along the way)
that will improve anyone's game. He has consulted the world's leading
golf instructors as well as countless caddies, groundskeepers, parking
lot attendants, and bartenders. He has played rounds with Tiger Woods,
Annika Sorenstam, and Justin Timberlake. He has sought the advice of
psychiatrists, physicists, economists, zen masters. And on a
particularly bad golf outing, he has even discussed the fickleness of
golf with a quite helpful raccoon.
"On Par "captures it all: From equipment and instruction, to the rules and language of golf, to camaraderie and psychology, to the short game/long game debate, Pennington informs and entertains as he gets to the essence of this mercurial game, including golf's holy grail, the hole in one.
Part instruction, part education, part therapy, and shot through with Pennington's trademark wit, this is a book for everyone who has ever felt the game's distinct pull--and slice.
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"On Par "captures it all: From equipment and instruction, to the rules and language of golf, to camaraderie and psychology, to the short game/long game debate, Pennington informs and entertains as he gets to the essence of this mercurial game, including golf's holy grail, the hole in one.
Part instruction, part education, part therapy, and shot through with Pennington's trademark wit, this is a book for everyone who has ever felt the game's distinct pull--and slice.
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Monday, December 3, 2012
Grizzly Bears: A Falcon Field Guide
"Grizzly Bears: A Falcon Field Guide" presents readers with
substantive yet easily digestible information on this most revered and
feared of large mammals. Where do grizzly bears live? What do they eat?
What type of predators might be capable of taking on a grizzly bear? How
do they communicate? What issues exist with the relationship between
grizzly bears and humans?
This book contains all the information you need to know to become familiar with these fascinating animals. Accompanied by numerous full-color photos of grizzly bears in their natural habitat, this handy field guide makes an excellent take-home souvenir and reference for anybody interested in the mighty grizzly.
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This book contains all the information you need to know to become familiar with these fascinating animals. Accompanied by numerous full-color photos of grizzly bears in their natural habitat, this handy field guide makes an excellent take-home souvenir and reference for anybody interested in the mighty grizzly.
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Saturday, November 24, 2012
Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail
Day One, and already she was lying in her journal. It was 1993,
Suzanne Roberts had just finished college, and when her friend suggested
they hike California's John Muir Trail, the adventure sounded like the
perfect distraction from a difficult home life and thoughts about the
future. But she never imagined that the twenty-eight-day hike would
change her life. Part memoir, part nature writing, part travelogue,
"Almost Somewhere" is Roberts's account of that hike.
John Muir had written of the Sierra Nevada as a "vast range of light," and this was exactly what Roberts was looking for. But traveling with two girlfriends, one experienced and unflappable and the other inexperienced and bulimic, she quickly discovered that she needed a new frame of reference. Her story of a month in the backcountry--confronting bears, snowy passes, broken equipment, injuries, and strange men--is as much about finding a woman's way into outdoor experience as it is about the natural world she so eloquently describes. Candid and funny and, finally, wise, "Almost Somewhere" is not just the whimsical coming-of-age story of a young woman ill-prepared for a month in the mountains but also the reflection of a distinctly feminine view of nature.
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John Muir had written of the Sierra Nevada as a "vast range of light," and this was exactly what Roberts was looking for. But traveling with two girlfriends, one experienced and unflappable and the other inexperienced and bulimic, she quickly discovered that she needed a new frame of reference. Her story of a month in the backcountry--confronting bears, snowy passes, broken equipment, injuries, and strange men--is as much about finding a woman's way into outdoor experience as it is about the natural world she so eloquently describes. Candid and funny and, finally, wise, "Almost Somewhere" is not just the whimsical coming-of-age story of a young woman ill-prepared for a month in the mountains but also the reflection of a distinctly feminine view of nature.
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Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Mastering the Ride: More Proficient Motorcycling
Following the success of Proficient Motorcycling in 2000, author David
L. Hough released a second book of motorcycling topics and lessons
called More Proficient Motorcycling in 2003. Now, a decade later, Hough
returns to overhaul the book for a new generation of riders with new
lessons, safety tips, illustrations, and full-color photos. A favorite
of safety courses and instructors, Mastering the Ride: More Proficient
Motorcycling, 2nd Edition will be the must-have guidebook to
motorcycling across the country. The 2nd Edition will be updated with
the tips and lessons that are most commonly asked of the author, with
answers conveyed through added text, illustrations, colorful graphics,
and recent statistics.
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day
When Edmund Hillary first conquered Mt. Everest, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay
was at his side. Indeed, for as long as Westerners have been climbing
the Himalaya, Sherpas have been the unsung heroes in the background. In
August 2008, when eleven climbers lost their lives on K2, the world's
most dangerous peak, two Sherpas survived. They had emerged from poverty
and political turmoil to become two of the most skillful mountaineers
on earth. Based on unprecedented access and interviews, Buried in the
Sky reveals their astonishing story for the first time. Peter Zuckerman
and Amanda Padoan explore the intersecting lives of Chhiring Dorje
Sherpa and Pasang Lama, following them from their villages high in the
Himalaya to the slums of Kathmandu, across the glaciers of Pakistan to
K2 Base Camp. When disaster strikes in the Death Zone, Chhiring finds
Pasang stranded on an ice wall, without an axe, waiting to die. The
rescue that follows has become the stuff of mountaineering legend. At
once a gripping, white-knuckled adventure and a rich exploration of
Sherpa customs and culture, Buried in the Sky re-creates one of the most
dramatic catastrophes in alpine history from a fascinating new
perspective.
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Monday, October 22, 2012
The Smart Guide to Bridge
Twenty million people in North America play bridge. If you are not one of them, you are missing out on the world's most popular card game. But that's not all. Bridge is a social game and a thinking game. It's a great way to keep your mind sharp. It's great mental exercise to follow the cards, count your points and plan your strategies. It's easy to learn the basics, but when you discover the endless variety of bridge - every hand you pick up is a new adventure - you will want to know more. You will learn that there are different ways to communicate with your partner in the bids that you make. You will learn new and exciting ways to manipulate the cards to come out on top. This book is designed to help you at all stages of your development - teaching you from scratch but adding the extra touches that will help you become a good player. It's all there: the mechanics of play, how to bid, how to relate to your partner, how to take those all-important tricks that make you a successful player. You will learn when to be aggressive and when to rein in your enthusiasm. To be sure, bridge can be a challenging game. This book will help you get the most out of the most fascinating card game ever. Don't wait - get started today.
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Monday, October 15, 2012
A Warrior's Heart: The True Story of Life Before and Beyond the Fighter
With the success of the critically-acclaimed, Academy Award-winning film "The Fighter," the world stood up and cheered for the inspiring true story of Micky Ward--a heart-and-soul warrior who overcame the odds to make history in the ring. But that was only part of the tale... Now, in his own words, "Irish" Micky Ward tells his inspirational life story as only he can. From his first bout at the age of seven, Micky Ward was known first and foremost for giving as good as he got, and for leaving absolutely everything he had in the ring. When he fought, quitting was never an option. It was that indomitable spirit that would allow him to survive, battle against, and overcome the harsh realities that he faced every day of his life. For it was outside the ring that Ward's heart would be most needed, from witnessing his idolized older half-brother Dicky fall from grace, to dealing with his wildly dysfunctional--if frighteningly loyal--family, to the darkest of secrets that he has never revealed until now, and the numerous setbacks and defeats that would have stopped a lesser man. Micky Ward has remained a fighter, through and through--both as a professional boxer, and as a man who finally found his greatest strength in friendship, family, and faith in himself From the rough streets of Lowell, Massachusetts, to the blood and sweat of the international fight game, to the bright lights and adulation of Hollywood, this is the rousing, moving, tragic, and humorous story of the one and only Micky Ward.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Tainted Glory: Marshall University, the NCAA, and One Man's Fight for Justice
In 1997, Dave Ridpath walked onto the campus of Marshall University as a
sports-loving athletic administrator with a career on the rise. Less
than five years later, Ridpath's quest to reform one of the most corrupt
athletic departments in college sports, while simultaneously standing
up to the behemoth governing body that is the NCAA, had all but
destroyed that career. While serving as assistant athletic director for
compliance and student services at Marshall University from 1997 through
2001, Ridpath unearthed violations of several NCAA rules. These
violations included overt academic fraud and impermissible,
booster-devised employment for members of the Marshall University
football team-a team had taken the nation by storm because of its
incredible success on the field. Ridpath now chronicles his experiences
through this trying time in Tainted Glory: Marshall University, the
NCAA, and One Man's Fight for Justice. Instead of being hailed as a
conquering hero determined to clean up an outlaw program, Ridpath had
the tables turned on him. He found himself out of a job when Marshall
University and the NCAA determined that the path of least resistance
would be to remove him rather than address the issues head-on. With this
action, they hoped to avoid damaging the university, the athletic
department, and the NCAA overall. This story is about more than the NCAA
or Marshall University. It is about the state of the business of
intercollegiate athletics told by someone on the inside who lived it-the
good and the bad.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure
When Trish Herr became pregnant
with her first daughter, Alex, she and her husband, Hugh, vowed to
instill a bond with nature in their children. By the time Alex was five,
her over-the-top energy levels led Trish to believe that her very young
daughter might be capable of hiking adult-sized mountains.
In" Up, " Trish recounts their always exhilarating--and sometimes harrowing--adventures climbing all forty-eight of New Hampshire's highest mountains. Readers will delight in the expansive views and fresh air that only peakbaggers are afforded, and will laugh out loud as Trish urges herself to "mother up" when she and Alex meet an ornery--and alarmingly bold--spruce grouse on the trail. This is, at heart, a resonant, emotionally honest account of a mother's determination to foster independence and fearlessness in her daughter, to teach her "that small doesn't necessarily mean weak; that girls can be strong; and that big, bold things are possible."
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In" Up, " Trish recounts their always exhilarating--and sometimes harrowing--adventures climbing all forty-eight of New Hampshire's highest mountains. Readers will delight in the expansive views and fresh air that only peakbaggers are afforded, and will laugh out loud as Trish urges herself to "mother up" when she and Alex meet an ornery--and alarmingly bold--spruce grouse on the trail. This is, at heart, a resonant, emotionally honest account of a mother's determination to foster independence and fearlessness in her daughter, to teach her "that small doesn't necessarily mean weak; that girls can be strong; and that big, bold things are possible."
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Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Appalachian Trail Visitor's Companion
A comprehensive naturalist's guide to the Appalachian Trail, the
Visitor's Companion contains all the essential information about the AT -
from the trail's fascinating history to detailed information on the
geology, trees, flowers, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals of the
Appalachian Mountains. Author Leonard M. Adkins even shares suggested
hikes. With this guide in hand on the trail, you'll be able to identify
certain flowers - and even know how they reproduce and why they grow in
select areas. You'll recognize piles of stone as reminders of days gone
by. Markings in the mud will become signs of nearby wildlife and the
relation of trees to other types of plants will become clear. After
reading this guide, you'll gain a greater appreciation and knowledge of
this spectacular national treasure and its importance in preserving the
natural world.
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Monday, August 27, 2012
Ray Eye's Turkey Hunter's Bible: The Tips, Tactics, and Secrets of a Professional Turkey Hunter
Legendary turkey hunter Ray Eye provides all of the information you need
to know to successfully hunt wild turkeys across the country: how to
scout, how and when to call, special tactics for the early season, how
to hunt pressured turkeys, how to hunt heavy timber or open fields, and
much, much more. Told in Ray s down-home, folksy manner, the book not
only informs, but entertains as well. There s also a bonus storytelling
section that will have you laughing in stitches as you read of some of
Ray s more ponderous exploits.
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Monday, August 20, 2012
National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States
Nominated for inclusion in this book by the 50 state parks directors,
this stunning group of 200-plus state parks presents the diversity and
beauty of these accessible gems. From Florida to Alaska, from the white
water at Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania to the dunes of Pink Coral
Sand Dunes, Utah, from the 6-acre Iao Valley to the 204,000-acre Baxter,
these parks represent the best cultural and natural areas protected
within our state parks' system. From free to affordable, the state parks
appeal to the day-visitor or the weekend escapist alike. Of the state
parks' 25,000 miles of trails and recreation, the authors have selected
favorites for hiking and biking, horseback riding, and wildflower gazing
as well as ample opportunities for the birdwatcher or rock climber, the
wildlife observer or the amateur archaeologist. The guide features more
than 200 gorgeous, color photographs that capture the spendor of the
parks, insider tips from state parks staff that are invaluable planning
tools, and 32 easy-to-use maps that highlight sites, trails and
campgrounds, as well as information on recreational activities, camping,
and lodging.
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Monday, August 13, 2012
Ozzie's School of Management: Lessons from the Dugout, the Clubhouse, and the Doghouse
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Monday, August 6, 2012
Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World's Most Loved (and Hated) Team
Everyone has an opinion about the Yankees. More than an opinion in most cases, but an opinion at the very least.
--From the Introduction
Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees have been an American institution for nearly a century. With their rich history and colorful cast of characters, the Yankees never fail to inspire or provoke. In this exciting compendium, some of today's most acclaimed writers--including Pete Dexter, Colum McCann, Roy Blount Jr., Dan Barry, Jane Leavy, Charles P. Pierce, J. R. Moehringer, Daniel Okrent, Frank DeFord, Bill James, and many more--step up to the plate to take their cuts. The result is a collection of original essays as idiosyncratic and expansive as the team that has inspired them: ruminations on Babe Ruth's gravestone, Derek Jeter's swing, and the upper-deck vantage of the Oldest Living Yankee; dual allegiances; mortal rivalries; and every other subject that spans from the hilarious (the Yankee wife-swap of the '70s) to the sublime (the grace of Catfish Hunter).
Superbly written, deeply insightful, and full of both passion and humor, "Damn Yankees" is a completely fresh look at baseball's most enduring franchise by a Murderers' Row of writers as stacked as that of the 1927 Yanks.
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--From the Introduction
Love them or hate them, the New York Yankees have been an American institution for nearly a century. With their rich history and colorful cast of characters, the Yankees never fail to inspire or provoke. In this exciting compendium, some of today's most acclaimed writers--including Pete Dexter, Colum McCann, Roy Blount Jr., Dan Barry, Jane Leavy, Charles P. Pierce, J. R. Moehringer, Daniel Okrent, Frank DeFord, Bill James, and many more--step up to the plate to take their cuts. The result is a collection of original essays as idiosyncratic and expansive as the team that has inspired them: ruminations on Babe Ruth's gravestone, Derek Jeter's swing, and the upper-deck vantage of the Oldest Living Yankee; dual allegiances; mortal rivalries; and every other subject that spans from the hilarious (the Yankee wife-swap of the '70s) to the sublime (the grace of Catfish Hunter).
Superbly written, deeply insightful, and full of both passion and humor, "Damn Yankees" is a completely fresh look at baseball's most enduring franchise by a Murderers' Row of writers as stacked as that of the 1927 Yanks.
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Monday, July 30, 2012
Toproping ( Falcon Guides How to Climb )
"Toproping" is rock climbing with the rope anchored at the top of the
climb, as opposed to "lead" climbing, whereby a climber places
protection as he or she goes. Having a top anchor lessens the potential
distance of a fall and creates a more controlled situation in which to
hone your climbing technique. Toproping is at the heart of learning to
climb, and being able to safely set up and manage toprope situations is a
critical component in the development of any climber. While it seems
simple on the surface, topropes must be rigged and configured properly
in accordance with sound safety principles--and that's where this book
comes in.
Inside this book you'll find everything the beginning climber needs to know about toproping: knots to use, basic and advanced anchor set-ups, belay techniques, lowering from fixed anchors, site management, and more. All new color photos help guide the reader through complex toproping situations. Rescue skills and risk management are also covered, along with a section on teaching novices how to toprope. And there's nobody better to teach these skills than author Bob Gaines, an American Mountain Guides Association certifed Rock Instructor and longtime Joshua Tree climbing guide. Inside you'll find information on: Site selectionEquipmentKnots and hitchesAnchoringToprope systemsBelayingRappellingLoweringAssistance/Rescue SkillsRisk managementGroup managementTeaching Novices.
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Inside this book you'll find everything the beginning climber needs to know about toproping: knots to use, basic and advanced anchor set-ups, belay techniques, lowering from fixed anchors, site management, and more. All new color photos help guide the reader through complex toproping situations. Rescue skills and risk management are also covered, along with a section on teaching novices how to toprope. And there's nobody better to teach these skills than author Bob Gaines, an American Mountain Guides Association certifed Rock Instructor and longtime Joshua Tree climbing guide. Inside you'll find information on: Site selectionEquipmentKnots and hitchesAnchoringToprope systemsBelayingRappellingLoweringAssistance/Rescue SkillsRisk managementGroup managementTeaching Novices.
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Monday, July 23, 2012
Making the Masters: Bobby Jones and the Birth of America's Greatest Golf Tournament
Contested the second weekend in April each year since 1934, the
Masters is the world 's most prestigious golf tournament and
most-watched tournament on television. Tickets are in such demand that
even the waiting list is closed, and players value the title above all
others. In Making the Masters, award-winning golf writer David Barrett
focuses his attention on how the Masters was conceived, how it got off
the ground in 1934, and how it fully established itself in 1935.
The key figure in the tournament 's creation and success was Bobby Jones, who was a living legend after winning the Grand Slam in 1930 and immediately retiring at the age of twenty-eight. He went on to found Augusta National and sought a high-profile tournament for his new course. But nearly as important was Clifford Roberts, a banker friend of Jones who not only embraced Jones 's vision but became his right-hand man in working to bring that vision to reality.
Barrett explores how Jones and Roberts built the Masters from scratch, creating a golf institution embellished by the often surprising details of what that entailed as they were trying to establish a golf club and golf tournament in tough economic times. It also vividly chronicles the events of the 1934 and 1935 Masters, with Gene Sarazen 's spectacular victory in 1935 providing the climax. Set against the backdrop of golf, and America, in the 1930s, the book provides an informative and entertaining read for fans of the Masters and students of golf history.
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The key figure in the tournament 's creation and success was Bobby Jones, who was a living legend after winning the Grand Slam in 1930 and immediately retiring at the age of twenty-eight. He went on to found Augusta National and sought a high-profile tournament for his new course. But nearly as important was Clifford Roberts, a banker friend of Jones who not only embraced Jones 's vision but became his right-hand man in working to bring that vision to reality.
Barrett explores how Jones and Roberts built the Masters from scratch, creating a golf institution embellished by the often surprising details of what that entailed as they were trying to establish a golf club and golf tournament in tough economic times. It also vividly chronicles the events of the 1934 and 1935 Masters, with Gene Sarazen 's spectacular victory in 1935 providing the climax. Set against the backdrop of golf, and America, in the 1930s, the book provides an informative and entertaining read for fans of the Masters and students of golf history.
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Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Emerald Diamond: How the Irish Transformed America's Greatest Pastime
The history of the Irish in baseball is much richer than anyone
realizes. From early discrimination to later domination, from Mike
Kelly, a society star in the 1880s, to the managerial fame of Connie
Mack (nE McGillicuddy), early Irish players and managers helped shape
the game of baseball in every way. From the first curveball to the first
players' unions, Irishmen took America's national pastime and made it
their own, turning it into the glorious game we know today, as more
recent players have kept alive the Irish tradition of setting records.
A wild, fun, fact-filled celebration of the Irish in baseball, "The Emerald Diamond" intersperses interviews with current players with tales of such players as Dan Brouthers, who at 6'2" and well over 200 pounds, was the game's home-run king until Babe Ruth came along; and includes lively anecdotes about such colorfully nicknamed ballplayers as Tony "the Count" Mullane, Mike "King" Kelly, James "Pud" Galvin, Hugh "One-Arm" Daily, Frank "Silk" O'Loughlin, and "Iron Man" Joe McGinnity. Just a few of the great Irish athletes featured as well are Mickey Cochrane (for whom Mickey Mantle was named); Charles Comiskey; Ed Walsh, the last pitcher to win 40 games in a single season; and Ed Delahanty, whose prodigious life and mysterious death continue to be a source of intrigue. With decade-by-decade profiles of exciting Irish figures on the field and off, "The Emerald Diamond" also offers important discussion on cultural and political themes relevant to their times.
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A wild, fun, fact-filled celebration of the Irish in baseball, "The Emerald Diamond" intersperses interviews with current players with tales of such players as Dan Brouthers, who at 6'2" and well over 200 pounds, was the game's home-run king until Babe Ruth came along; and includes lively anecdotes about such colorfully nicknamed ballplayers as Tony "the Count" Mullane, Mike "King" Kelly, James "Pud" Galvin, Hugh "One-Arm" Daily, Frank "Silk" O'Loughlin, and "Iron Man" Joe McGinnity. Just a few of the great Irish athletes featured as well are Mickey Cochrane (for whom Mickey Mantle was named); Charles Comiskey; Ed Walsh, the last pitcher to win 40 games in a single season; and Ed Delahanty, whose prodigious life and mysterious death continue to be a source of intrigue. With decade-by-decade profiles of exciting Irish figures on the field and off, "The Emerald Diamond" also offers important discussion on cultural and political themes relevant to their times.
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Monday, July 9, 2012
Wrestling for Dummies
The fast and easy way to pin down the sport of wrestling
Wrestling is a fast-paced sport with many technicalities, rules, and ways to score points--making it difficult for spectators to follow the score and understand whistles and restarts. In "Wrestling For Dummies," author and 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Henry Cejudo explains the scoring system and unique rules of wrestling to new competitors, confused parents, and fans of this ancient and captivating sport.
"Wrestling For Dummies" also explains the rich history of the sport and covers the six styles of competitive wrestling and their distinction from the modern entertainment-based "pro wrestling."Covers Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlingPlain-English explanations of wrestling rulesDetails the history of wrestling
Whether you're just getting started as a wrestler or enjoy it as a spectator sport, "Wresting For Dummies" makes this sport accessible and easy to understand.
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Wrestling is a fast-paced sport with many technicalities, rules, and ways to score points--making it difficult for spectators to follow the score and understand whistles and restarts. In "Wrestling For Dummies," author and 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Henry Cejudo explains the scoring system and unique rules of wrestling to new competitors, confused parents, and fans of this ancient and captivating sport.
"Wrestling For Dummies" also explains the rich history of the sport and covers the six styles of competitive wrestling and their distinction from the modern entertainment-based "pro wrestling."Covers Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestlingPlain-English explanations of wrestling rulesDetails the history of wrestling
Whether you're just getting started as a wrestler or enjoy it as a spectator sport, "Wresting For Dummies" makes this sport accessible and easy to understand.
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Monday, July 2, 2012
Turning Two: My Journey to the Top of the World and Back with the New York Mets
Only one man, Bud Harrelson, can say he was in uniform for both New York
Mets world championships: as the shortstop who anchored the infield of
the 1969 "Miracle Mets" and then as the third-base coach for the storied
1986 team. In "Turning Two," Harrelson delivers a team memoir as he
takes fans through the early seasons, sudden success, lean years, and
return to glory.
Born on D-day 1944, the Alameda County, California, native made his Major League debut with the Mets in 1965. At 147 pounds he was the team's Everyman---a Gold Glove, All-Star shortstop who won the hearts of fans with his sparkling defensive skills and trademark brand of gritty, scrappy baseball.
Harrelson recalls how the gentle yet firm guidance of manager Gil Hodges shaped a stunning success story in '69. Bud remembers the game's legends he played with and against, including Hall of Famers Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson (against whom he compiled a .333 career batting average), and his idol, Willie Mays---Harrelson's teammate on the 1973 "Ya Gotta Believe" team. Harrelson writes of his famous fight with Pete Rose in the playoffs that autumn as the Mets upset the Cincinnati Reds to win the National League pennant and squared off against the mighty Oakland A's in a dramatic seven-game World Series. After retiring as a player, Bud returned to Shea Stadium as Davey Johnson's third-base coach in 1985 and waved Ray Knight home for the winning run in the unforgettable Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
Harrelson takes us in the dugout and on the field as he tells thrilling tales from his career and speaks candidly of the state of the game today. "Turning Two" is the ideal souvenir from the first half-century of the New York Mets---and from the pre-steroid era when players played the game the right way and did the little things to help their teams win.
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Born on D-day 1944, the Alameda County, California, native made his Major League debut with the Mets in 1965. At 147 pounds he was the team's Everyman---a Gold Glove, All-Star shortstop who won the hearts of fans with his sparkling defensive skills and trademark brand of gritty, scrappy baseball.
Harrelson recalls how the gentle yet firm guidance of manager Gil Hodges shaped a stunning success story in '69. Bud remembers the game's legends he played with and against, including Hall of Famers Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson (against whom he compiled a .333 career batting average), and his idol, Willie Mays---Harrelson's teammate on the 1973 "Ya Gotta Believe" team. Harrelson writes of his famous fight with Pete Rose in the playoffs that autumn as the Mets upset the Cincinnati Reds to win the National League pennant and squared off against the mighty Oakland A's in a dramatic seven-game World Series. After retiring as a player, Bud returned to Shea Stadium as Davey Johnson's third-base coach in 1985 and waved Ray Knight home for the winning run in the unforgettable Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.
Harrelson takes us in the dugout and on the field as he tells thrilling tales from his career and speaks candidly of the state of the game today. "Turning Two" is the ideal souvenir from the first half-century of the New York Mets---and from the pre-steroid era when players played the game the right way and did the little things to help their teams win.
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Monday, June 25, 2012
The Juju Rules: Or, How to Win Ballgames from Your Couch: A Memoir of a Fan Obsessed
From an award-winning humorist, a touching memoir and manifesto that reveals the deep secrets of fan jinxes, hexes, and charms
Did you know there is a secret to winning ballgames? It's not the players, managers, money, or luck. It's juju, and no one knows it better than Hart Seely. Seely has spent a lifetime practicing the art of juju from his living room. "And winning ballgames for the New York Yankees." He paces floors. He yells at defenseless TVs. He rallies the team like Churchill addressing the collective British soul. But what he is really doing is harnessing juju energy to influence the outcome of games. "And it works."
In this uproarious, unforgettable fan confessional, Seely shares the basics of juju for the beginner--"Setting the Table," asking for a called strike instead of a walk-off homer--to advanced juju--"Bringing the Neg," predicting bad events to keep them from actually happening--to the deepest, darkest formulas of this age-old art. Along the way readers come to know Hart and his hilarious band of fellow juju practitioners, a secret club of friends whose fandom bonds them across decades, not to mention won/loss columns.
Nostalgic, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny, "The Juju Rules" is a memoir of a life well-lived in service to one's team that shows how love can be a powerful passion in the best way.
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Did you know there is a secret to winning ballgames? It's not the players, managers, money, or luck. It's juju, and no one knows it better than Hart Seely. Seely has spent a lifetime practicing the art of juju from his living room. "And winning ballgames for the New York Yankees." He paces floors. He yells at defenseless TVs. He rallies the team like Churchill addressing the collective British soul. But what he is really doing is harnessing juju energy to influence the outcome of games. "And it works."
In this uproarious, unforgettable fan confessional, Seely shares the basics of juju for the beginner--"Setting the Table," asking for a called strike instead of a walk-off homer--to advanced juju--"Bringing the Neg," predicting bad events to keep them from actually happening--to the deepest, darkest formulas of this age-old art. Along the way readers come to know Hart and his hilarious band of fellow juju practitioners, a secret club of friends whose fandom bonds them across decades, not to mention won/loss columns.
Nostalgic, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny, "The Juju Rules" is a memoir of a life well-lived in service to one's team that shows how love can be a powerful passion in the best way.
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Monday, June 18, 2012
Traditional Archery (Revised, Updated) (2ND ed.)
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Monday, June 11, 2012
Train Like a Mother: How to Get Across Any Finish Line - And Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity
Since the publication of their first book, "Run Like a Mother," the
authors have built up an engaged, vibrant tribe of women runners--more
than 10,000 fans on Facebook and an average of 2,500 daily visitors to
anothermotherrunner.com--who are clamoring for another book. At its
core, "Train Like a Mother" will comprehensively cover how to train for a
race, including training plans for four race distances (5K, 10K,
half-marathon, and marathon) for both beginner and more experienced
runners; the importance of recovery; pre- and post-race nutrition;
strength training; injury prevention (and rehab); and everything busy
women need to know to add racing to their multitasking schedules. It is
all presented with the same wit, empathy, and tone the avid fans connect
and identify with.The book is divided into 13.1 chapters--the
distance of a half-marathon, the sweet spot for many mother
runners--narrated by both Sarah and Dimity. Like the first book, "Train
Like a Mother" chapters have plenty of sidebars, including Practical
Motherly Advice (helpful information about training- and race-related
advice), Take It from a Mother (advice and answers from the growing
tribe of running moms), and Racy Talk (entertaining, race-related
stories from the authors and other moms). The .1 sections are
entertaining "commercial breaks" celebrating the sport of running and
the added thrill of racing.
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Monday, June 4, 2012
Adirondack Peak Experiences: Mountaineering Adventures, Misadventures, and the Pursuit of "The 46"
"A wonderfully written and compiled anthology of hiking and
mountaineering adventures in the Adirondacks. This book is an
invitation, as the pages fly by; you cannot escape the growing desire to
get out there, to be part of it. To appreciate nature, especially the
mountains, you must embrace them. You must experience them in all of
their glory, their dangers and moods. This then is a book about men and
women who venture out in all seasons and in all weathers to explore the
mountains. This is a book of true accounts, of real adventures and yes,
some misadventures. All the accounts are instructive." Neil F.
Woodworth, Executive Director and Counsel, Adirondack Mountain Club
"In this extensive collection of writings about Adirondack adventures past and present, ranging from tales of disaster avoided (or not) to meditations on why we are attracted to wilderness, Carol White has presented us with a veritable kaleidoscope of impressions that one would never be able to experience on one's own." Tony Goodwin, editor of Adirondack Trails: High Peaks Region and author of Ski and Snowshoe Trails in the Adirondacks
"Ordinary people face extraordinary challenges in this incredible collection of true tales of trials, tribulations, tumbles, and triumphs. There's a wealth of experience contained in this book, much of it learned the hard way. Truly, some of the hikers are lucky to have made it out of the woods. If this book doesn't get your heart pounding, then you need to check your pulse for signs of life." Russell Dunn, author of Adirondack Waterfall Guide and coauthor of Adirondack Trails with Tales
Includes photos and map, foreword by Neil Woodworth, background on the geology, forest ecology, and climate of the Adirondacks, and the histories and programs of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Adirondack 46ers.
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"In this extensive collection of writings about Adirondack adventures past and present, ranging from tales of disaster avoided (or not) to meditations on why we are attracted to wilderness, Carol White has presented us with a veritable kaleidoscope of impressions that one would never be able to experience on one's own." Tony Goodwin, editor of Adirondack Trails: High Peaks Region and author of Ski and Snowshoe Trails in the Adirondacks
"Ordinary people face extraordinary challenges in this incredible collection of true tales of trials, tribulations, tumbles, and triumphs. There's a wealth of experience contained in this book, much of it learned the hard way. Truly, some of the hikers are lucky to have made it out of the woods. If this book doesn't get your heart pounding, then you need to check your pulse for signs of life." Russell Dunn, author of Adirondack Waterfall Guide and coauthor of Adirondack Trails with Tales
Includes photos and map, foreword by Neil Woodworth, background on the geology, forest ecology, and climate of the Adirondacks, and the histories and programs of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Adirondack 46ers.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball
The campaign to desegregate baseball was one of the most important civil rights stories of the 1930s and 1940s. But most of white America knew nothing about this story because mainstream newspapers said little about the color line and less about the efforts to end it. Even today, as far as most Americans know, the integration of baseball revolved around Branch Rickey's signing of Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers' organization in 1945. This book shows how Rickey's move, critical as it may well have been, came after more than a decade of work by black and left-leaning journalists to desegregate the game. Drawing on hundreds of newspaper articles and interviews with journalists, Chris Lamb reveals how differently black and white newspapers, and black and white America, viewed racial equality. He shows how white mainstream sportswriters perpetuated the color line by participating in what their black counterparts called a "conspiracy of silence." Between 1933 and 1945, black newspapers and the Communist" Daily Worker" published hundreds of articles and editorials calling for an end to baseball's color line. The efforts of the alternative presses to end baseball's color line, chronicled for the first time in "Conspiracy of Silence," constitute one of baseball's--and the civil rights movement's--great untold stories.
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Monday, May 21, 2012
This is magnificent. Appel, a veteran writer and PR person (longtime for the Yankees), manages the near-impossible: a huge, incredibly detailed history of the New York Yankees that never bogs down or spends too long in any one place. The style is as smooth as can be, as Appel moves from the team's murky beginnings in money, politics, and graft and on to Sunday baseball, the Titanic benefit (who knew?), the first Yankee no-hitter, the first World Series win. The Yankees, always conservative, came late to radio, night games, field lighting, and fan promotion. The DH, free agency, the Red Sox rivalry all show up, along with every player you want to remember and some whom fans might not. There were very good years (1927) and bad stretches (1965-75), and Appel rolls right through, chronologically, with a nugget on almost every page: a 17-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell struck out Ruth and Gehrig on six pitches in an exhibition game in Chattanooga in 1931; no exact transcript exists of Lou Gehrig's luckiest man speech; Yogi Berra comes to spring training every year, and former All-Star Ron Guidry drives him about, wearing his Driving Mr. Yogi cap. Yogi himself and Bernie Williams wrote a foreword and a preface respectively; Frank Graham Jr., whose father wrote the first major history of the Yankees, contributes the introduction. Indispensable for any fan and for historians of the game of baseball.
by Marton Appel (Find the Book)
This is magnificent. Appel, a veteran writer and PR person (longtime for the Yankees), manages the near-impossible: a huge, incredibly detailed history of the New York Yankees that never bogs down or spends too long in any one place. The style is as smooth as can be, as Appel moves from the team's murky beginnings in money, politics, and graft and on to Sunday baseball, the Titanic benefit (who knew?), the first Yankee no-hitter, the first World Series win. The Yankees, always conservative, came late to radio, night games, field lighting, and fan promotion. The DH, free agency, the Red Sox rivalry all show up, along with every player you want to remember and some whom fans might not. There were very good years (1927) and bad stretches (1965-75), and Appel rolls right through, chronologically, with a nugget on almost every page: a 17-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell struck out Ruth and Gehrig on six pitches in an exhibition game in Chattanooga in 1931; no exact transcript exists of Lou Gehrig's luckiest man speech; Yogi Berra comes to spring training every year, and former All-Star Ron Guidry drives him about, wearing his Driving Mr. Yogi cap. Yogi himself and Bernie Williams wrote a foreword and a preface respectively; Frank Graham Jr., whose father wrote the first major history of the Yankees, contributes the introduction. Indispensable for any fan and for historians of the game of baseball. --Booklist
This is magnificent. Appel, a veteran writer and PR person (longtime for the Yankees), manages the near-impossible: a huge, incredibly detailed history of the New York Yankees that never bogs down or spends too long in any one place. The style is as smooth as can be, as Appel moves from the team's murky beginnings in money, politics, and graft and on to Sunday baseball, the Titanic benefit (who knew?), the first Yankee no-hitter, the first World Series win. The Yankees, always conservative, came late to radio, night games, field lighting, and fan promotion. The DH, free agency, the Red Sox rivalry all show up, along with every player you want to remember and some whom fans might not. There were very good years (1927) and bad stretches (1965-75), and Appel rolls right through, chronologically, with a nugget on almost every page: a 17-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell struck out Ruth and Gehrig on six pitches in an exhibition game in Chattanooga in 1931; no exact transcript exists of Lou Gehrig's luckiest man speech; Yogi Berra comes to spring training every year, and former All-Star Ron Guidry drives him about, wearing his Driving Mr. Yogi cap. Yogi himself and Bernie Williams wrote a foreword and a preface respectively; Frank Graham Jr., whose father wrote the first major history of the Yankees, contributes the introduction. Indispensable for any fan and for historians of the game of baseball. --Booklist
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Memoirs of a Rugby-Playing Man: Guts, Glory, and Blood in the World's Greatest Game
If all sports are really about war, then rugby is a heart-thumping epic
of bayonet charges and hand-to-hand fighting. In "Memoirs of a
Rugby-Playing Man," bestselling author Jay Atkinson describes his
thirty-five year odyssey in the sport-from his rough and rowdy days at
the University of Florida, through the intrigue of various foreign
tours, club championships, and all star selections, up to his current
stint with the freewheeling Vandals Rugby Club out of Los Angeles. Jay
has played in more than 500 matches, for which he's suffered three
broken ribs, a detached retina, a fractured cheekbone and orbital bone,
four deadened teeth, and a dislocated ankle. Written in the style of
Siegried Sassoon's Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Atkinson's book
explains why it was all worth it--the sum total of his violent
adventures, and the valuable insights he has gained from them.
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Monday, April 30, 2012
Eclipse: The Horse That Changed Racing History Forever
A chestnut with a white blaze is scorching across the turf towards the
finishing post. His four rivals are so far behind him that, in racing
terms, they are "nowhere." Watching Eclipse is the man who wants to buy
him. An adventurer and rogue who has made his money through gambling,
Dennis O'Kelly is also companion to the madam of a notorious London
brothel.
While O'Kelly is destined to remain an outcast to the racing establishment, his horse will go on to become the undisputed, undefeated champion of his sport. Eclipse's male-line descendants include Secretariat, Barbaro, and all but three of the Kentucky Derby winners of the past fifty years.
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While O'Kelly is destined to remain an outcast to the racing establishment, his horse will go on to become the undisputed, undefeated champion of his sport. Eclipse's male-line descendants include Secretariat, Barbaro, and all but three of the Kentucky Derby winners of the past fifty years.
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Monday, April 23, 2012
Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915-1931
The Philadelphia Athletics dominated the first
fourteen years of the American League, winning six pennants through 1914
under the leadership of their founder and manager, Connie Mack. But
beginning in 1915, where volume 2 in Norman L. Macht's biography picks
up the story, Mack's teams fell from pennant winners to last place and,
in an unprecedented reversal of fortunes, stayed there for seven years.
World War I robbed baseball of young players, and Mack's rebuilding
efforts using green youngsters of limited ability made his teams the
objects of public ridicule.
At the age of fifty-nine and in the face of widespread skepticism and seemingly insurmountable odds, Connie Mack reasserted his genius, remade the A's, and rose again to the top, even surpassing his earlier success. Baseball biographer and historian Macht recreates what may be the most remarkable chapter in this larger-than-life story. He shows us the man and his time and the game of baseball in all its nitty-gritty glory of the 1920s, and how Connie Mack built the 1929-1931 champions of Foxx, Simmons, Cochrane, Grove, Earnshaw, Miller, Haas, Bishop, Dykes--a team many consider baseball's greatest ever.
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At the age of fifty-nine and in the face of widespread skepticism and seemingly insurmountable odds, Connie Mack reasserted his genius, remade the A's, and rose again to the top, even surpassing his earlier success. Baseball biographer and historian Macht recreates what may be the most remarkable chapter in this larger-than-life story. He shows us the man and his time and the game of baseball in all its nitty-gritty glory of the 1920s, and how Connie Mack built the 1929-1931 champions of Foxx, Simmons, Cochrane, Grove, Earnshaw, Miller, Haas, Bishop, Dykes--a team many consider baseball's greatest ever.
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Monday, April 16, 2012
2012 Minor League Baseball Analyst (7TH ed.)
The first book of its kind to fully integrate
sabermetrics and scouting, the "2012""Minor League Baseball Analyst"
provides a distinctive brand of analysis for more than 1,000 minor
league baseball players. A one of a kind analysis, this resource is
ideally suited for baseball analysts and those who play in fantasy
leagues with farm systems.
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Monday, April 9, 2012
Building Outdoor Gear, 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded: Easy-To-Make Projects for Camping, Fishing, Hunting and Canoeing
Outdoor people don’t make their own gear to save money. The fly
fisherman who ties his own flies or makes her own rods will readily
admit, if they are honest, that they have more money tied up in
inventory and tools than they would ever have spent on store-bought
flies or fly rods. Economy isn’t the objective; it is the satisfaction
of making something and then seeing it do what it was designed to do.
And, they will argue, what they make is better than what they can buy.
They are right!
In this book, you’ll find a variety of fun and functional projects for the outdoor enthusiast. From a canoe paddle to a pack frame to a reflector oven—you’ll find the instruction you need to for items to keep you safe and comfortable on your adventures. Besides the great outdoor equipment you can build from this book, there is detailed information on the use of epoxy technology—the greatest boon to the outdoorsman since the birch bark canoe. And a generous collection of hints, tips, ideas, and recipes will make your days outdoors more enjoyable and productive.
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In this book, you’ll find a variety of fun and functional projects for the outdoor enthusiast. From a canoe paddle to a pack frame to a reflector oven—you’ll find the instruction you need to for items to keep you safe and comfortable on your adventures. Besides the great outdoor equipment you can build from this book, there is detailed information on the use of epoxy technology—the greatest boon to the outdoorsman since the birch bark canoe. And a generous collection of hints, tips, ideas, and recipes will make your days outdoors more enjoyable and productive.
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
Fenway Park: A Salute to the Coolest, Cruelest, Longest-Running Major League Baseball Stadium in America
Fenway Park. The name evokes a team and a sport that have become more
synonymous with a city's identity than any stadium or arena in the
country. Since opening in the same week of 1912 that the Titanic sank,
the park's instantly recognizable confines have seen some of the most
dramatic happenings in baseball history, including Carlton Fisk's "Is it
fair?" home run in the 1975 World Series and Ted Williams's perfectly
scripted long ball in his final at-bat. For 100 years, the Fenway
faithful have been tested. They have known triumph and heartbreak,
miracles and curses--well, one curse in particular--to such a degree
that an entire nation of fans heaved a collective sigh of relief when
Dave Roberts stole a base by a fingertip in 2004, triggering the most
amazing comeback in the game's annals. To sit and watch a game at Fenway
is to recognize that the pitcher is standing on the same mound where
Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth pitched, that a hitter
is in the same batter's box where Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron and Shoeless
Joe Jackson dug in to take their swings. This is a ballpark that has
embraced its odd construction quirks, including the bizarre triangle out
in center field and the Green Monster that looms above the left
fielder, and today--for better and for worse--it remains largely
unchanged from the day it opened.In its long history, Fenway has hosted
football, hockey, soccer, boxing, and so much more. It has provided a
backdrop to hundreds of historic events having nothing to do with
sports, including concerts, religious gatherings, and political rallies.
It was the site of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's final campaign address,
as well as visits by music luminaries from Stevie Wonder to Bruce
Springsteen to the Rolling Stones. Through it all, the Boston Globe has
been the consistent, respected chronicler of every important moment in
park history. In fact, the newspaper played a remarkable role in
Fenway's creation and evolution: the Taylor family--founders and
longtime owners of the Globe--owned the ballclub in 1912, helped finance
the new stadium, and renamed the team the "Red Sox." It is the Globe's
insider perspective, combined with more than a century of exemplary
journalism, that makes this book the definitive narrative history of
both park and team, and a centennial collectors' item unlike any other.
Its pages offer a level of detail that is unmatched, with exceptional
writing and hundreds of rarely seen photographs and illustrations.
This is Fenway Park, the complete story, unfiltered and expertly told.
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This is Fenway Park, the complete story, unfiltered and expertly told.
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Monday, April 2, 2012
Heart of Iron: My Journey from Transplant Patient to Ironman Triathlete
Throughout his life, Kyle Garlett hated nothing 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 his love of life pushed him
over his health hurdles--including a bone marrow transplant, hip
replacement, and heart transplant--and into the greatest challenge of
his life: the Ironman World Championship. Kyle tells his amazing life
story with clear-headed optimism and a winning sense of humor, beginning
with his first diagnosis of lymphoma as a teenager and continuing
through years of chemotherapy that destroyed his joints and weakened his
heart. Not just about his health crisis but also about forging a
remarkable life around cancer and his career as a sportwriter, the
amazing friends and family who supported him, and finding love. After
five and half years on the organ transplant waiting list then being
gifted with a new heart, Kyle embarks on a challenge of his own making:
to compete in the Ironman Triathlon, in which he competed not once but
twice. His miraculous recovery and athleticism are recounted, along with
the story of how he became an Olympic torch bearer, a devoted Lymphoma
& Leukemia Society spokesperson, a motivational speaker, and an
author. "Heart of Iron" is an invaluable companion for those affected by
cancer and a breathtaking memoir about one man's unstoppable spirit and
success against all odds.
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Monday, March 26, 2012
The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods
The Big Miss "is Hank Haney's candid and surprisingly insightful account
of his tumultuous six-year journey with Tiger Woods, during which the
supremely gifted golfer collected six major championships and rewrote
golf history. Hank was one of the very few people allowed behind the
curtain. He was with Tiger 110 days a year, spoke to him over 200 days a
year, and stayed at his home up to 30 days a year, observing him in
nearly every circumstance: at tournaments, on the practice range, over
meals, with his wife, Elin, and relaxing with friends.
The relationship between the two men began in March 2004 when Hank received a call from Tiger in which the golf champion asked him to be his coach. It was a call that would change both men's lives.
Tiger--only 28 at the time--was by then already an icon, judged by the sporting press as not only one of the best golfers ever, but possibly the best "athlete "ever. Already he was among the world's highest paid celebrities. There was an air of mystery surrounding him, an aura of invincibility. Unique among athletes, Tiger seemed to be able to shrug off any level of pressure and find a way to win.
But Tiger was always looking to improve, and he wanted Hank's help.
What Hank soon came to appreciate was that Tiger was one of the most complicated individuals he'd ever met, let alone coached. Although Hank had worked with hundreds of elite golfers and was not easily impressed, there were days watching Tiger on the range when Hank couldn't believe what he was witnessing. On those days, it was impossible to imagine another""human playing golf so perfectly.
And yet Tiger "is "human--and Hank's expert eye was adept at spotting where Tiger's perfection ended and an opportunity for improvement existed. Always haunting Tiger was his fear of "the big miss"--the wildly inaccurate golf shot that can ruin an otherwise solid round--and it was because that type of blunder was sometimes part of Tiger's game that Hank carefully redesigned his swing mechanics.
Hank's""most formidable""coaching challenge, though, would be solving the riddle of Tiger's personality. Wary of the emotional distractions that might diminish his game and put him further from his goals, Tiger had developed a variety of tactics to keep people from getting too close, and not even Hank--or Tiger's family and friends, for that matter--was spared "the treatment."
Toward the end of Tiger and Hank's time together, the champion's laser-like focus began to blur and he became less willing to put in punishing hours practicing--a disappointment to Hank, who saw in Tiger's behavior signs that his pupil had developed a conflicted relationship with the game. Hints that Tiger hungered to reinvent himself were present in his bizarre infatuation with elite military training, and--in a development Hank "didn't "see coming--in the scandal that would make headlines in late 2009. It all added up to a big miss that Hank, try as he might, couldn't save Tiger from.
There's never been a book about Tiger Woods that is as intimate and revealing--or one so wise about what it takes to coach a superstar athlete.
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The relationship between the two men began in March 2004 when Hank received a call from Tiger in which the golf champion asked him to be his coach. It was a call that would change both men's lives.
Tiger--only 28 at the time--was by then already an icon, judged by the sporting press as not only one of the best golfers ever, but possibly the best "athlete "ever. Already he was among the world's highest paid celebrities. There was an air of mystery surrounding him, an aura of invincibility. Unique among athletes, Tiger seemed to be able to shrug off any level of pressure and find a way to win.
But Tiger was always looking to improve, and he wanted Hank's help.
What Hank soon came to appreciate was that Tiger was one of the most complicated individuals he'd ever met, let alone coached. Although Hank had worked with hundreds of elite golfers and was not easily impressed, there were days watching Tiger on the range when Hank couldn't believe what he was witnessing. On those days, it was impossible to imagine another""human playing golf so perfectly.
And yet Tiger "is "human--and Hank's expert eye was adept at spotting where Tiger's perfection ended and an opportunity for improvement existed. Always haunting Tiger was his fear of "the big miss"--the wildly inaccurate golf shot that can ruin an otherwise solid round--and it was because that type of blunder was sometimes part of Tiger's game that Hank carefully redesigned his swing mechanics.
Hank's""most formidable""coaching challenge, though, would be solving the riddle of Tiger's personality. Wary of the emotional distractions that might diminish his game and put him further from his goals, Tiger had developed a variety of tactics to keep people from getting too close, and not even Hank--or Tiger's family and friends, for that matter--was spared "the treatment."
Toward the end of Tiger and Hank's time together, the champion's laser-like focus began to blur and he became less willing to put in punishing hours practicing--a disappointment to Hank, who saw in Tiger's behavior signs that his pupil had developed a conflicted relationship with the game. Hints that Tiger hungered to reinvent himself were present in his bizarre infatuation with elite military training, and--in a development Hank "didn't "see coming--in the scandal that would make headlines in late 2009. It all added up to a big miss that Hank, try as he might, couldn't save Tiger from.
There's never been a book about Tiger Woods that is as intimate and revealing--or one so wise about what it takes to coach a superstar athlete.
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Monday, March 19, 2012
Brave Dragons: A Chinese Basketball Team, an American Coach, and Two Cultures Clashing
The wonderfully original story of a struggling Chinese basketball team
and its quixotic, often comical attempt to right its fortunes by copying
the American stars of the NBA--a season of cultural misunderstanding
that transcends sports and reveals China's ambivalent relationship with
the West.
When the Shanxi Brave Dragons, one of China's worst professional basketball teams, hired former NBA coach Bob Weiss, the team's owner, Boss Wang, promised that Weiss would be allowed to Americanize his players by teaching them "advanced basketball culture." That promise would be broken from the moment Weiss landed in China. Desperate for his team to play like Americans, Wang--a peasant turned steel tycoon--nevertheless refused to allow his players the freedom and individual expression necessary to truly change their games.
Former "New York Times" Beijing bureau chief Jim Yardley tells the story of the resulting culture clash with sensitivity and a keen comic sensibility. Readers meet the Brave Dragons, a cast of colorful, sometimes heartbreaking oddballs from around the world: the ambitious Chinese assistant coach, Liu Tie, who believes that Chinese players are genetically inferior and can improve only through the repetitious drilling once advocated by ancient kung fu masters; the moody and selfish American import, Bonzi Wells, a former NBA star so unnerved by China that initially he locks himself in his apartment; the Taiwanese point guard, Little Sun, who is demonized by his mainland Chinese coaches; and the other Chinese players, whose lives sometimes seem little different from those of factory workers.
As readers follow the team on a fascinating road trip through modern China--from glamorous Shanghai and bureaucratic Beijing to the booming port city Tianjin and the polluted coal capital of Taiyuan--we see Weiss learn firsthand what so many other foreigners in China have discovered: China changes only when and how it wants to change.
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When the Shanxi Brave Dragons, one of China's worst professional basketball teams, hired former NBA coach Bob Weiss, the team's owner, Boss Wang, promised that Weiss would be allowed to Americanize his players by teaching them "advanced basketball culture." That promise would be broken from the moment Weiss landed in China. Desperate for his team to play like Americans, Wang--a peasant turned steel tycoon--nevertheless refused to allow his players the freedom and individual expression necessary to truly change their games.
Former "New York Times" Beijing bureau chief Jim Yardley tells the story of the resulting culture clash with sensitivity and a keen comic sensibility. Readers meet the Brave Dragons, a cast of colorful, sometimes heartbreaking oddballs from around the world: the ambitious Chinese assistant coach, Liu Tie, who believes that Chinese players are genetically inferior and can improve only through the repetitious drilling once advocated by ancient kung fu masters; the moody and selfish American import, Bonzi Wells, a former NBA star so unnerved by China that initially he locks himself in his apartment; the Taiwanese point guard, Little Sun, who is demonized by his mainland Chinese coaches; and the other Chinese players, whose lives sometimes seem little different from those of factory workers.
As readers follow the team on a fascinating road trip through modern China--from glamorous Shanghai and bureaucratic Beijing to the booming port city Tianjin and the polluted coal capital of Taiyuan--we see Weiss learn firsthand what so many other foreigners in China have discovered: China changes only when and how it wants to change.
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Friday, March 16, 2012
Backpacker Outdoor Hazards: Avoiding Trouble in the Backcountry
"Backpacker magazine's Outdoor Hazards" brings you essential mind gear
from two of the most respected and reliable publishers of
outdoor-related information. Discover how to be safe in the outdoors
when hiking and backpacking and how to plan for--and avoid--outdoor
hazards. This volume covers all the essentials, including poor planning,
stinging insects, poisonous plants, large mammals, steep terrain,
lightning storms, avalanches, river crossings, hypothermia, and
psychological hazards. Perfect for pack or pocket, this book breaks down
its subject into the essential topics, providing practical and portable
information useful in the field. Full-color photos complement concise,
clear text, introducing you to basic and intermediate skills needed to
safely and successfully get by in the outdoors. Also available:
Backpacker magazine's Campsite Cooking
Outdoor Survival
Predicting Weather
Trailside Navigation
Backpacking Basics
Outdoor Knots
Trailside First Aid
Using a GPS
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Outdoor Survival
Predicting Weather
Trailside Navigation
Backpacking Basics
Outdoor Knots
Trailside First Aid
Using a GPS
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Friday, March 9, 2012
Out of My League: A Rookie's Survival in the Bigs
After six years of laying
it on the line in the minors, pitcher Dirk Hayhurst hopes 2008 is the
year he breaks into the big leagues. But every time Dirk looks up, the
bases are loaded with new challenges, on and off the field: a wedding
balancing on a blind hope, a family in chaos, and paychecks that beg
Dirk to answer, “How long can I afford to keep doing this?”
Then it finally happens—Dirk gets called up to the Majors, to play for the San Diego Padres. A dream comes true when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants, kicking off forty insane days and nights in the Bigs—with a big paycheck, bigger-than-life personalities, and the biggest pressure he’s ever felt.
Like the classic games of baseball’s illustrious history, Out of My League entertains from the first pitch to the last out, capturing the gritty realities of playing on the big stage, the comedy and camaraderie in the dugouts and locker rooms, and the hard-fought, personal journeys that drive our love of America’s favorite pastime.
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Then it finally happens—Dirk gets called up to the Majors, to play for the San Diego Padres. A dream comes true when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants, kicking off forty insane days and nights in the Bigs—with a big paycheck, bigger-than-life personalities, and the biggest pressure he’s ever felt.
Like the classic games of baseball’s illustrious history, Out of My League entertains from the first pitch to the last out, capturing the gritty realities of playing on the big stage, the comedy and camaraderie in the dugouts and locker rooms, and the hard-fought, personal journeys that drive our love of America’s favorite pastime.
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Monday, February 27, 2012
The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer
Athlete. Runner. Marathoner. Are these words you wouldn't exactly use to
describe yourself? Do you consider yourself too old or too out of shape
to run a marathon? But somewhere deep inside have you always admired
the people who could reach down and come up with the mental and physical
strength to complete such a daunting and rewarding accomplishment? It
doesn't have to be somebody else crossing the finish line. You can be a
marathoner. "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer" is based on the highly
successful marathon class offered by the University of Northern Iowa,
which was featured in a "Runner's World" article titled "Marathoning
101." The class has been offered five times over 10 years, and all but
one student finished the marathon. That is approximately 200 students --
all first time marathoners and many with absolutely no running
background. This book follows the same 16-week, four-day-a-week workout
plan. What makes the success rate of this program so much higher than
any other? The special emphasis on the psychological aspects of
endurance activities. You don't have to love to run -- you don't even
have to like it -- but you have to realize that you are capable of more
than you have ever thought possible. One participant in the program
explained it like this: "I'm doing this for me -- not for others or the
time clock. I just feel better when I run, plus it helps me to cope with
things in general. The skills we've learned in this class don't apply
just to marathoning -- they apply to life! Just like you never know what
the next step in a marathon will bring, so too, you never know what
will happen next in life. But if you don't keep going, you're never
going to find out. By staying relaxed, centered, and positive you handle
just about anything that comes your way." This is marathon running for
real people, people with jobs and families and obligations outside of
running. "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer" has proven successful for
men and women of all ages. Now let it work for you.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Flyfisher's Guide to New York
Flyfisher's Guide to New York written by Eric Newman and published by
Wilderness Adventures Press is the most comprehensive guide about New
York available to the long rod angler. With 526 pages and 135 maps and
35 hatch charts, it s filled with more information than most people will
ever use. Newman has recommended places I haven t heard of but will try
this season as a new adventure with fur and feather. --Finger Lakes
Times
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Monday, February 13, 2012
Room for Improvement: Notes on a Dozen Lifelong Sports
From the author of the novel "Spartina, " which won the National Book
Award and has established itself as a modern classic, comes a collection
of essays that describe with tenderhearted candor and humor a
lifetime's worth of addiction. No, not an addiction to booze or drugs,
but an addiction to a more natural gratification: the joy of sport,
exercise, and the sheer elation of being ready and willing to say yes to
a challenge. Want to run a marathon? "OK." Climb Mount Katahdin?
"Sure!" How about canoeing the entire length of the Delaware River? "Why
not?"
Spanning more than fifty years of ambitious and sometimes peculiar endeavors, these essays take us along on some of Casey's greatest adventures: a twenty-six-day Outward Bound course in Maine during the dead of winter; being pinned by a two-hundred-pound judo instructor whose words, "Come on, white boy. Don't give up," encourage at least one more attempt at escape; leading a lost couple on a yacht through the rocky waterways of Narragansett Bay by a simple rowboat; and completing--on his seventieth birthday--a 70K marathon of his own devising that included rowing, bicycling, skating, Rollerblading, and finally, trotting the dog out for a mile.
Be it a preoccupation with health, vanity, or just an indomitably playful sense of adventure, John Casey's "Room for Improvement" is a joyful self-portrait of a writer who loves going to extremes, just to find out what it's like once he gets there.
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Spanning more than fifty years of ambitious and sometimes peculiar endeavors, these essays take us along on some of Casey's greatest adventures: a twenty-six-day Outward Bound course in Maine during the dead of winter; being pinned by a two-hundred-pound judo instructor whose words, "Come on, white boy. Don't give up," encourage at least one more attempt at escape; leading a lost couple on a yacht through the rocky waterways of Narragansett Bay by a simple rowboat; and completing--on his seventieth birthday--a 70K marathon of his own devising that included rowing, bicycling, skating, Rollerblading, and finally, trotting the dog out for a mile.
Be it a preoccupation with health, vanity, or just an indomitably playful sense of adventure, John Casey's "Room for Improvement" is a joyful self-portrait of a writer who loves going to extremes, just to find out what it's like once he gets there.
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Monday, February 6, 2012
Sailing for Everyone
Builder, designer, and sailor Simon Watts has written a friendly, straight-forward how-to, geared for the "novice of any age." He provides you with practical, clear text and drawings, woven through the chapters.
Table of Contents:
# About the Wind
# Too Much Wind
# Arrivals and Departures
# When Things Go Wrong
# Rules of the Road plus some basic knots, nautical terms, and more.
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Table of Contents:
# About the Wind
# Too Much Wind
# Arrivals and Departures
# When Things Go Wrong
# Rules of the Road plus some basic knots, nautical terms, and more.
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey's Original Million-Dollar Man Became the Game's Lost Legend
An award-winning writer sets the record straight on hockey's forgotten golden boy--Bobby Hull
In his prime, few could dispute Bobby Hull's athletic brilliance--the first to have five 50-goal seasons, the highest scorer on the 1976 Canada Cup team, the first to use the slapshot as a scoring weapon, and the first hockey player to sign a million-dollar contract. With his body-builder torso, and his 100 mph volleys across a rink, the world of hockey glory was his to lose. And he did. With his publicized marital troubles and his defection from the NHL to the WHA, Hull's star began to fall, leaving him broke and in exile from the game. In "The Devil and Bobby Hull, " this once great hockey player and pioneer is finally given his due.
Not only are Hull's remarkable on-ice achievements finally put in perspective, so, too, are his achievements off the rink--including endorsements for a wide array of products (rare for an NHL player) and his appearance on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" a record four times. And the book details how Hull's battle with the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks--challenging the reserve clause in his contract, a move that enabled him to move to the WHA--helped other players follow him.The author places Hull squarely in the pantheon of other hockey greats, including Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Gretzky--and makes the case that he is the game's most influential and important playerThis is the full, unauthorized story of Hull's life--that doesn't sidestep the controversies (including the domestic violence tainting his private life)Details Hull's recent reconciliation with the Chicago Blackhawks
A candid look at one of hockey's most gifted and controversial figures, "The Devil and Bobby Hull" tells the story of his extraordinary career and life--and why this remarkable man has not faded into oblivion.
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In his prime, few could dispute Bobby Hull's athletic brilliance--the first to have five 50-goal seasons, the highest scorer on the 1976 Canada Cup team, the first to use the slapshot as a scoring weapon, and the first hockey player to sign a million-dollar contract. With his body-builder torso, and his 100 mph volleys across a rink, the world of hockey glory was his to lose. And he did. With his publicized marital troubles and his defection from the NHL to the WHA, Hull's star began to fall, leaving him broke and in exile from the game. In "The Devil and Bobby Hull, " this once great hockey player and pioneer is finally given his due.
Not only are Hull's remarkable on-ice achievements finally put in perspective, so, too, are his achievements off the rink--including endorsements for a wide array of products (rare for an NHL player) and his appearance on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" a record four times. And the book details how Hull's battle with the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks--challenging the reserve clause in his contract, a move that enabled him to move to the WHA--helped other players follow him.The author places Hull squarely in the pantheon of other hockey greats, including Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, and Wayne Gretzky--and makes the case that he is the game's most influential and important playerThis is the full, unauthorized story of Hull's life--that doesn't sidestep the controversies (including the domestic violence tainting his private life)Details Hull's recent reconciliation with the Chicago Blackhawks
A candid look at one of hockey's most gifted and controversial figures, "The Devil and Bobby Hull" tells the story of his extraordinary career and life--and why this remarkable man has not faded into oblivion.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
The Timeless Swing
Tom Watson, a few months short of his sixtieth birthday, led the 2009 British Open with one hole to play and came within an unlucky bounce of winning it for the sixth time. His stunning performance electrified the golf world and showcased a swing that has endured as a model of good mechanics, rhythm, and repeatability.
In "The Timeless Swing, "Watson draws on all the knowledge and expertise he has accumulated over the course of his extraordinary career, imparting lessons that will help golfers of any age play to the best of their abilities and enjoy the game more. From fundamentals like learning the proper grip to advanced shotmaking techniques such as swinging in wind, he breaks down the full swing into all its parts and explains with his trademark easy voice the most effective ways for mastering each.
Watson complements these lessons with time-tested drills and also offers a variety of tips and exercises to help golfers continue to swing well as they get older. And for the first time ever, he reveals the two key concepts he considers the most important of all--concepts that can enable players of all levels to attain a timeless swing.
"The Timeless Swing "is illustrated with stunning photographs by award-winning "Golf Digest "photographer Dom Furore, and Watson carefully draws the reader's eye to what is essential in each photo, providing the kind of easy-to-understand guidance usually found only in private lessons.
With a foreword by Jack Nicklaus and archival highlights of Tom Watson's most memorable shots and tournaments, this is an indispensable guide from a consummate teacher and one of the most respected and admired players in the game.
Special Bonus: Each chapter includes an easy-to-access video via your smartphone of Tom Watson teaching key lessons. See details in the book's introduction.
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In "The Timeless Swing, "Watson draws on all the knowledge and expertise he has accumulated over the course of his extraordinary career, imparting lessons that will help golfers of any age play to the best of their abilities and enjoy the game more. From fundamentals like learning the proper grip to advanced shotmaking techniques such as swinging in wind, he breaks down the full swing into all its parts and explains with his trademark easy voice the most effective ways for mastering each.
Watson complements these lessons with time-tested drills and also offers a variety of tips and exercises to help golfers continue to swing well as they get older. And for the first time ever, he reveals the two key concepts he considers the most important of all--concepts that can enable players of all levels to attain a timeless swing.
"The Timeless Swing "is illustrated with stunning photographs by award-winning "Golf Digest "photographer Dom Furore, and Watson carefully draws the reader's eye to what is essential in each photo, providing the kind of easy-to-understand guidance usually found only in private lessons.
With a foreword by Jack Nicklaus and archival highlights of Tom Watson's most memorable shots and tournaments, this is an indispensable guide from a consummate teacher and one of the most respected and admired players in the game.
Special Bonus: Each chapter includes an easy-to-access video via your smartphone of Tom Watson teaching key lessons. See details in the book's introduction.
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Canoe Camping: An Essential Guide
Learn how to plan, pack for and do a fun canoe camping trip - whether your plan is to go on a weekend trip with friends or family, or to head out on a multi-day wilderness experience.This comprehensive guide by senior guide and World Champion paddler Mark Scriver makes canoe camping fun and safe for both new and experienced canoe trippers. Canoe Camping" ""gives you all the information you need to have a great canoe trip."
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Football Scouting Methods
2011 reprint of the 1962 edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "Considered the bible of scouting techniques" according to the Los Angeles Times, Football Scouting Methods explains the basic scouting strategies and insights of author Steve Belichick. He was widely viewed as the ablest football scout of his time and coached at the U.S. Naval Academy for 33 years; his son is New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, a three-time Super Bowl winner. When Steve Belichick died in November 2005, the New York Times headline cited him as "Coach Who Wrote the Book on Scouting," and quoted Houston Texans General Manager Charley Casserly calling Football Scouting Methods "the best book on scouting he had ever read." Joe Bellino, Navy's Heisman Trophy winner in 1960, told the Times that Steve Belichick "was a genius. On Monday nights, he would give us his scouting reports, and even though we were playing powerhouses, I always felt we were prepared because he found a way for us to win." In recent years Football Scouting Methods has been one of the top ten most sought out-of-print books; used copies have been quite scarce. This reissue edition makes the original 1962 text available once again in exact facsimile. The book covers how to scout opponents, recognize defenses, analyze offenses, discover "tip-offs" that reveal the opponent's plays, compose a useful report, self-scout, and conduct postgame analysis. "Steve Belichick taught many younger men how to scout and how to watch film and how to prepare their teams for the next week's game," David Halberstam noted in the Washington Post, and his best student was his own son Bill Belichick, "one of whose greatest skills as a coach to this day remains his ability to analyze other teams, figuring out both their strengths and their vulnerabilities, and shrewdly deciding how to take away from them that which they most want to do." When CBS asked Bill Belichick to name his favorite book, he replied "Well, I've got to go with my dad's. Football Scouting Methods. I'd have to go with that."
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