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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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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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 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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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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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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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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Traditional Archery (Revised, Updated) (2ND ed.)

Now in full color, updated and revised throughout

Information on choosing a bow, setting up the bow and arrows, selecting tackle, and ordering a custom bow

Practical advice on storing and transporting bows and gear safely

The history of the bow and arrow and stories of the fathers of traditional archery

Includes a glossary of archery terms and advice for teaching beginning bowshooters

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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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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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