Growing Up Colt: A Father, a Son, a Life in Football

You watched him vie for the Heisman and national championship, and earn a third-round NFL draft spot. Now meet Colt McCoy up-close and personal! "Growing Up Colt"--"A Father, a Son, a Life in Football "is a unique biography by both the Cleveland Browns quarterback and his father, Brad, a highly-respected football coach in his native Texas. Get a behind-the-scenes view of the formative events of Colt's football experience and the foundational principles of his family and faith life. "Growing Up Colt "promises an inspiring read for football fans of all ages--and don't miss the exciting full-color photo section!

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Fearless Swimming for Triathletes: Improve Your Open Water Skills (Ironman)

Are you afraid of mass swim starts, being pummeled by surf, eaten by sharks and swimming blindly off-course? Most triathletes learned to swim in a pool in nicely marked lanes, but they have to race in murky rivers, lakes and oceans with hundreds of adrenaline-filled athletes whose only thought is getting to the buoy first. For many the physiological and emotional reactions to racing in vast open water brings on disorientation, seasickness and anxiety that can make the triathlon swim the worst part of the day. This guide addresses more than a dozen fear factors including panic, cold water, bad memories, muscle cramps and water in the nose, and offers specific strategies to overcome each one. You will be given tools to help you calm your body and mind and the skills that will improve your competence in every kind of swim venue. Learn to deal with wind, currents, big surf, and even polluted water.
Fearless Swimming also discusses medical risks of triathlon swimming and suggests ways an athlete can be confidently prepared for the rigors of this even.
With this book and some practice any athlete can move confidently from pool to lake to river to sea and can become a fearless swimmer.
Former ocean lifeguard and triathlete coach, Ingrid Loos Miller, will take you step-by-step from pool to any water destination by teaching the skills you need to feel more confident in the open water.

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Branch Rickey

A bestselling author remembers the man who integrated baseball.
The idea of integrating baseball began as a dream in the mind of Branch Rickey. In 1947, as president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he defied racism on and off the field to bring Jackie Robinson into the major leagues, changing the sport and the nation forever. Rickey's is the classic American tale of a poor boy from Ohio whose deep-seated faith and dogged work ethic took him to the pinnacle of success, earning him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame and in history.
Bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Jimmy Breslin is a legend in his own right. In his inimitable anecdotal style, he provides a lively portrait of Rickey and his times, including such colorful characters as Dodgers' owner George V. McLaughlin ("dubbed George the Fifth" for his love of Scotch); diamond greats Leo Durocher, George Sisler, and Dizzy Dean; and Robinson himself, a man whose remarkable talent was equaled only by his resilience in the face of intolerance. Breslin brings to life the heady days when baseball emerged as the national pastime in this inspiring biography of a great American who remade a sport-and dreamed of remaking a country.
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Gaming the Game: The Story of the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen

In June 2007, the FBI informed the NBA that one of its referees, Tim Donaghy, was the subject of a probe into illegal gambling. Within months, the public knew the broad outlines of a scheme involving Donaghy betting on games he officiated with a co-conspirator, longtime Donaghy acquaintance and professional gambler Jimmy Baba Battista. They were joined in the scandal by a mutual childhood friend, Tommy Martino. By November 2008, each man had pleaded guilty to charges relating to the conspiracy, and was in federal prison. The story was over. Or so it seemed to be. Researched with dozens of interviews, court documents, betting records, referee statistics, and unique access to witness statements and confidential law enforcement files, GAMING THE GAME looks inside the FBI's investigation and beyond to provide the definitive account of the scandal. Jimmy Battista's remarkable decades-long bookmaking and betting career is examined, including and especially his role as architect of the widely publicized scandal. Battista, who - unlike his co-conspirators - never spoke with federal authorities, reveals for the first time the intricate details of the scheme, most of which only he knows.


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At the Fights: American Writers on Boxing

American writers have been fascinated by the ring, both the primal contest inside the ropes and the crazy carnival world outside them. From neighborhood gyms and smoke-filled arenas to star-studded casinos and exotic locales, they have chronicled unforgettable stories about determination and dissipation, about great champions and punch-drunk has-beens, about colorful entourages and outrageous promoters, and, inevitably along the way, about race, class, and violence in America. Like baseball, boxing has a vivid culture and language all its own, one that has proven irresistible to career journalists and literary writers alike.
The Library of America presents a gritty and glittering anthology of a century of the very best writing and reportage about the fights. Here are Jack London on the immortal Jack Johnson; H. L. Mencken and Irvin S. Cobb on Jack Dempsey vs. Georges Carpentier, dubbed "The Fight of the Century"; Richard Wright on Joe Louis's historic victory over Max Schmeling; A. J. Liebling's brilliantly comic portrait of a manager who really identifies with his fighter; Jimmy Cannon on the inimitable Archie Moore; James Baldwin and Gay Talese on the haunted Floyd Patterson; George Plimpton on Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X; Norman Mailer on the "Rumble in the Jungle"; Mark Kram on the "Thrilla in Manila"; Pete Hamill on legendary trainer and manager Cus D'Amato; Mark Kriegel on Oscar de la Hoya; and David Remnick and Joyce Carol Oates on Mike Tyson. National Book Award-winning novelist Colum McCann ("Let the Great World Spin") weighs in with a foreword.

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Sports Psychology for Dummies

Acquiring the winning edge in sports-the mental edge
Mental conditioning is now seen by many to be as critical to sports success as physical conditioning. And for parents eager to ensure their children have a winning edge-as well as a future college scholarship-nothing could be more critical to success. This book offers readers a comprehensive program to gain that winning edge, providing training tips and techniques along with helpful advice to keep in mind while competing. With practical advice on how to strengthen concentration (and when you "shouldn't" concentrate), talk yourself into winning, and develop routines that will lead to consistent improvement, the book's full personalized program will help any athlete gain over time the winning edge in any sportWith tips on how to regulate your energy to avoid exhaustion; and how to enhance your team's chemistry through sports psychologyLoaded with real-world examples from amateur and professional sports of all kinds
Applicable to not only sports-but business as well-"Sports Psychology For Dummies" will enhance any competitor's motivation, focus, and will to win, when facing life's toughest challenges.

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Wizardry: Baseball's All-Time Greatest Fielders Revealed

he systematic analysis of baseball statistics, often called "sabermetrics," has evolved in recent years to resemble something of a science, attracting fans from diverse professional and educational backgrounds, all fascinated by the analysis itself and its insights into the game. But one problem has defied solution: estimating runs saved by fielders throughout history. Traditional statistics include errors and plays made, but not hits that could or should have been prevented. The latter can now be estimated using records of the location of every batted ball, but the underlying data exists only for recent seasons and has generally been withheld from the public.
Now, in Wizardry, comes the long-awaited breakthrough. Drawing solely on freely available baseball statistics, Michael A. Humphreys shows how to apply classic statistical methods to estimate runs saved by fielders going back to 1893. Humphreys tests his results against other fielding measures, including published ratings based on proprietary batted ball location data, and explains their respective strengths and limitations. He also introduces a method for adjusting historical player ratings for increased competition due to population growth, integration, and international recruitment. Position by position, Humphreys identifies and profiles the greatest fielders of all time with anecdote-rich essays.
Sabermetrics changed baseball and introduced a generation to the art of statistical inference. Wizardry makes the case for the most significant changes in historical player valuation in decades, while opening up new approaches for further exploration.

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Nobody's Perfect: Two Men, One Call, and a Game for Baseball History

The perfect game is one of the rarest accomplishments in sports. No hits, no walks, no men reaching base. In nearly four hundred thousand contests in more than 130 years of Major League Baseball, it has only happened twenty times. On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga threw baseball's twenty-first perfect game. Except that's not how it entered the record books.
That's because Jim Joyce, a veteran umpire with more than twenty years of big league experience, the man voted the best umpire in the game in 2010 by baseball's players, missed the call on the final out at first base. "No, I did not get the call correct," Joyce said after seeing a replay. But rather than throw a tantrum, Galarraga simply turned and smiled, went back to the mound and took care of business. "Nobody's perfect," he said later in the locker room.
In "Nobody's Perfect," Galarraga and Joyce come together to tell the personal story of a remarkable game that will live forever in baseball lore, and to trace their fascinating lives in sports up until this pivotal moment. It is an absorbing insider's look at two lives in baseball, a tremendous achievement, and an enduring moment of sportsmanship.

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When the Red Sox Ruled: Baseball's First Dynasty, 1912-1918

In the years before the Curse of the Bambino descended on New England, the Boston Red Sox rode major league baseball like a colossus, capturing four World Series titles in seven seasons. Blessed with legendary players like Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, and Smokey Joe Wood, and a brand new, thoroughly modern stadium, the Red Sox reigned as kings of the Deadball Era. Just in time for the centenary of baseball's hallowed Fenway Park and the dawn of the Red Sox dynasty, Thomas J. Whalen gracefully recounts the rise and fall of one of baseball's greatest teams.

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Woodall's North American Campground Directory (2011)

The 2011 Woodall's North American Campground Directory has been completely updated from the 2010 edition, with over 300,000 changes and updates. Plus, 2011 marks Woodall's 75th anniversary, and each copy of the North American Directory includes a commemorative edition mark and an entry form into Woodall's 75th Anniversary Sweepstakes. The 2011 Edition includes complete listing information for over 14,000 locations including both public and privately owned campgrounds and RV parks. Woodall's 2011 edition marks parks that meet our strict "green" criteria and now includes full color state and provincial maps for every state and province. Here's what's inside the 2011 edition: - Complete Green RVing information for campgrounds and RV parks- GPS coordinates and physical addresses for many campgrounds- Full color maps for every state and province- Over 14,000 locations- 75th Anniversary commemorative mark, plus an entry form to Woodall's 75th Anniversary sweepstakes!- Exclusive Woodall's "One-Tank Trips" editorial which features over 70 all-new RV trips for campers to enjoy- At-a-glance charts which tell if a campground welcomes big-rigs, is Internet-friendly (including wi-fi info) and allows pets - Privately-owned campgrounds are rated and inspected with Woodall's strict 5W-5W rating system- Rules of the road for every state and province, plus special information for RVers crossing into Canada- Over 2000 pages cover the U.S., Mexico and Canada Campground and RV park listings include facility and recreation descriptions, including driving directions, camping fees, seasonality, full campground contact information, pet restrictions, site RV capacity, handicap accessibility, internet access at sites, and much more. It is the Campground Directory most commonly sold in Bookstores and camping retailers around the United States and Canada.

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