Baseball's Top 40 Comebacks profiles forty big leaguers who engineered remarkable comebacks to salvage fading baseball careers. Details of each comeback is provided along with a summary of the players career. The players profiled range from Hall of Famers like Ted Williams and Stan Musial; to near-greats like Tommy John and Luis Tiant; to journeyman performers like George McQuinn and Tony Cuccinello. In the absence of widely accepted statistical standards to evaluate comebacks, the selection and ranking of the top comebacks is compiled in accordance with the following criteria: Historical significance-The impact of the comeback on baseball's championship races, as well as individual player record and awards. Uniqueness-The human interest aspect of the comeback. Physical or emotional disabilities overcome, as well as the age of the player and the length of the road traveled back. Dramatic content-The excitement or publicity generated by the comeback and surrounding circumstances, as well as the event's contribution to baseball lore and legends. Degree of difficulty-The magnitude of the obstacle(s) the player had to overcome to re-establish himself. Player's stature-The comeback player's overall reputation and standing in terms of fame, popularity, and career accomplishments.

"Contemporary Leadership in Sport Organizations" blends research on leadership with practical application of the skills and knowledge that students will need on the job. This text provides sport management students with a comprehensive understanding of the complex topic of leadership in sport through a presentation of foundational and contemporary research, numerous practical examples and analytical exercises, and thought-provoking self-assessments and quotes.

More than leadership tips from a sport personality, "Contemporary Leadership in Sport Organizations" translates classic and contemporary research in leadership into leadership skills and behaviors that are useful in present-day sport settings. Synopses of research findings are presented in table format for an accessible approach to understanding the three Rs of leadership: relationships, results, and responsibility. In addition, a variety of learning features reinforce content:

- Practical examples provide opportunities to critically consider the concepts under discussion.

- Chapter-opening objectives, as well as pre- and postchapter self-assessments, help students measure their understanding of chapter content.

- Specific examples and case studies applicable to a broad range of sport leadership roles put research into practice.

- On the Sidelines stories, Your Thoughts boxes, and questions at the end of chapters are incorporated throughout the book to provide examples and stimulate discussions applicable to a broad range of sport leadership roles across youth, amateur, intercollegiate, professional, and commercial sport organizations.

Part I of the text offers a leadership primer, introducing the elements of business and educational environments in which sport organizations operate. Students will learn how leaders in sport organizations typically assume both managerial and leadership roles and how these roles integrate and diverge, and they will review the historical foundation and evolution of leadership theories from the academic literature. Part II covers applied leadership thought and action and how leaders can become more effective in addressing critical challenges of the present and future. Key topics such as decision making, organizational change, emotional intelligence, vision, strategic planning, and crisis management are discussed. Professional growth and development are the focus of part III, considering multiple approaches and tools for improving self-understanding, personal development, and leadership mentoring.

Contemporary Leadership in Sport Organizations provides a foundational and contextualized body of information regarding thought and practice in leadership to inform and inspire students of sport management. Whether preparing for leadership roles in sport organizations or preparing for teaching, research, and academic study in the field of sport leadership, students will gain a solid understanding of the theoretical foundations of leadership in sport and how it is applied to sport-related organizations of all types and sizes.

When China hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics - and amazed
international observers with both its pageantry and gold-medal
count - it made a very public statement about the
country's surge to global power. Yet, China has a much longer
history of using sport to communicate a political message. "Sporting
Gender" is the first book to explore the rise to fame of female
athletes in China during its national crisis of 1931-45 brought on by
the Japanese invasion. By re-mapping lives and careers of individual
female athletes, administrators, and film actors within a wartime
context, Gao shows how these women coped with the conflicting demands
of nationalist causes, unwanted male attention, and modern fame. While
addressing the themes of state control, media influence, fashion, and
changes in gender roles, she argues that the athletic female form
helped to create a new ideal of modern womanhood in China at time when
women's emancipation and national needs went hand in hand. This
book brings vividly to life the histories of these athletes and
demonstrates how intertwined they were with the aims of the state and
the needs of society.

Yunxiang Gao is an associate professor of East Asian
history at Ryerson University.

"The Loyola Ramblers have too often been forgotten for their role in basketball's cultural history. They remain a significant, uplifting story." --Frank Deford

"If you're interested in the history of Chicago], interested in the history of college basketball in the city, and racial history in not just the city but the country then you should check out Ramblers]. " Laurence Holmes, WSCR-AM host and NBC5 anchor

In 1963, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 60 58 in the NCAA men's basketball championship, coming from behind to upset the two-time defending champions in a buzzer-beating overtime thriller. What elevated this particular game from one of Chicago's most memorable sports victories into one for the history books was the transgressive lineups fielded by both teams: the Bearcats started three African-American players, and the Ramblers had four. When Americans tuned in to watch the game (one of the first NCAA championships to be broadcast nationally), they saw for the first time a sight we take for granted today: most of the players on the floor were black. Ramblers tells the story of that game, and of the teams and players that helped change public perceptions of who could and couldn't succeed on the court.

Today basketball is played mostly "above the rim" by athletes of all backgrounds and colors. But 50 years ago it was a floor-bound game, and the opportunities it offered for African-Americans were severely limited. Ramblers is an entertaining, detail-rich look back at the unlikely circumstances that went into creating Loyola's championship squad. Along the way, author Michael Lenehan also explores the in-depth stories of two Loyola opponents: Mississippi State, the all-white team that defied state policy by sneaking out of Mississippi to play in the NCAA tournament; and Cincinnati, the two-time defending NCAA champions, who were heavily favored going into the championship game.

While on the surface this is a story about basketball, the book goes deeper to illuminate how sport in America both typifies and drives change in the broader culture. The social-historical realities of the 1950s and 1960s are brought to stark life in Lenehan's telling, illustrating the challenges all of these teams confronted in the effort simply to play their game against the worthiest opponents. At its heart, Ramblers is a profound story about American history, culture, and society at a dramatic crossroads."

On March 6, 2001, the top two women’s college basketball teams in the nation, UConn and Notre Dame, played what was arguably the greatest game in the history of the sport. When UConn’s Sue Bird hit a twelve-foot pull-up jumper at the buzzer over national player of the year Ruth Riley in the Big East Tournament championship game, it marked the end of an epic contest that featured five future Olympians and eight first-round WNBA selections.  Bird at the Buzzer re-creates this unique season with a detailed account of the games that led up to—and beyond—the tournament finale; profiles of the two coaches, UConn’s Geno Auriemma and Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw; close-ups of the players who made the year so memorable; and, finally, an in-depth recap of the game worthy of being designated ESPN’s first-ever women’s basketball “Instant Classic.� Author Jeff Goldberg shows us the drama on the court and behind the scenes as the big game pitted Riley and the upstarts from Notre Dame against what many believed was the most talented team in UConn history, under Hall of Fame coach Auriemma. A see-saw affair in which neither team led by more than eight points, the 2001 Big East championship game encapsulates the quintessential inside story of the individual talents and skills, team spirit and smarts, and the moment-by-moment realities of college athletics that made this season a snapshot of sports at its finest.

By the mid-1950s, New York had been the unrivaled capital of America’s national pastime for a century, a place where baseball was followed with truly fanatical fervor. The city’s three teams—the New York Yankees, the New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers—had over the previous decade rewarded their fans’ devotion with stellar performances: from 1947 to 1957, one or more of these teams had played in the World Series every year but one. Yet on opening day 1958, the Giants and the Dodgers were gone. Their owners, Walter O’Malley and Horace Stoneham, had ripped them away from their longtime home and from the hearts of millions of devoted and passionate fans and taken the teams to California. How did it happen? Who was to blame? The relocation of the Giants and the Dodgers, an event that transcended sports and altered the landscape of New York City, has never been addressed with the depth, detail, and insight offered here by Robert E. Murphy. As informed as it is entertaining, After Many a Summer is rich in baseball lore, civic history, and the wheeling and dealing, alliances and betrayals, and sharp-elbowed machinations of big-city business and politics.

The biggest single sports and television event in Canada marks its 100th championship in 2012. The Terrible Tripper of 1957, the 1962 Fog Bowl, Vic Washington's Fabulous Fumble in 1968, Tony Gabriel's Classic Catch in 1976, Henry "Gizmo" Williams's Wild Run in 1987, and Dave Ridgway's Magnificent Kick in 1989 are some of the legendary moments leading up to the 100th Grey Cup game in November 2012 in Toronto. You'll find all of them in Grey Cup Century and much more. Canadian football has had a long and storied history dating back to the 1860s. In 1909, Earl Grey, the governor general of Canada, donated a trophy to honour the best amateur rugby football club in the country. The first team to win a Grey Cup was the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. In 1954 the Canadian Football League, a professional organization, took over sole control of the Cup. Since then gridiron giants such as Sam Etcheverry, Norm Kwong, Jackie Parker, Russ Jackson, Ron Lancaster, Lui Passaglia, Doug Flutie, and Michael "Pinball" Clemons have dazzled fans in an annual championship that now attracts as many as six million television viewers.

The first fifty years of America's most popular spectator sport have been strangely neglected by historians claiming to tell the "complete story" of pro football. Well, here are the early stories that "complete story" has left out. What about the awful secret carried around by Sid Luckman, the Bears' Hall of Fame quarterback whose father was a mobster and a murderer? Or Steve Hamas, who briefly played in the NFL then turned to boxing and beat Max Schmeling, conqueror of Joe Louis? Or the two one-armed players who suited up for NFL teams in 1945? Or Steelers owner Art Rooney postponing a game in 1938 because of injuries? These are just a few of the little-known facts Dan Daly unearths in recounting the untold history of pro football in its first half century. These decades were also full of ideas and experimentation, such as the invention of the modern T formation that revolutionized offense, unlimited player substitution, and soccer-style kicking, as well as the emergence of televised pro football as prime-time entertainment. Relying on obscure sources, original interviews, old game films and statistical databases, Daly's extensive research and engaging stories bring the NFL's formative years--and pro football's folk roots--to life.

An inside look at how the battle off the field affects the competition on the field of america's most popular sport--from one of the Nfl's most successful and respected head coaches.

Fresh off the sidelines from a nine-year stint as one of the most successful leaders in pro football, Super Bowl-winning head coach Brian Billick has written a book about the sport he knows and loves, giving readers a fresh perspective on America's Game. Combining his own experiences with a wealth of new interviews gained through his unsurpassed access to pro football's most influential figures, Billick has written a vibrant, compelling account of the true state of the game today, and the dangers that it faces in the near future.

The National Football League stands as perhaps America's last great mass entertainment, the rare enterprise that brings together a broad cross-section of our increasingly niche-driven marketplace. But even as the game has grown more popular, so has the financial pressure and stakes for all concerned.

In this taut, lucid breakdown of the game's inner workings, Billick shows how dynasties are built and teams assembled, and he explains in detail how the economic pressures of the modern NFL can affect coaches and players alike. Billick welcomes fans into the locker rooms and the boardrooms for a revealing portrait of pro football and a penetrating look at the forces that will vie for control of America's most popular game in the future.

The importance of Sport Tourism as a developing science and Sport Events specifically is on the increase. This is especially true when experts say that sport tourism is big business. South Africa, like most other countries, hosts thousands of sport events each year. Therefore, destinations compete fiercely not only to host these events, but also to offer quality events. All this is happening despite the fact that there is a lack of properly trained sport and event managers. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to equip the reader with specific knowledge and skills about the sport and events tourism phenomenon. The book deals with a wide variety of topics, stretching from the history of sport tourism to new and globally important issues such as the greening of sport events. The book is a useful tool for both students and practitioners alike, since it also provides guidelines and case studies.

John Rigg has been an 'ordinary spectator' - not only of rugby but of football and cricket and other sports - for 50 years. This is a warm and engaging memoir of half a century of sports spectating - from Yorkshire to London to Scotland via New York and Sydney (and Minsk!). It presents a unique perspective on why live sport is compulsive viewing.

After dominating the world of golf from 2000 to 2002, Tiger Woods struggled with his game in 2003, allowing four relative unknowns to win major championships. Mike Weir triumphed in the Masters, becoming the first Canadian to win a major. Jim Furyk emerged victorious in the U.S. Open. In the British Open, Ben Curtis became the first player since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win while playing in his first major championship. And Shaun Micheel prevailed at the PGA Championship with the first tour victory of his career.
How does one moment of glory affect the unsung underdog for years to follow? John Feinstein chronicles the golfers' experiences and brings his unique insights to the ways their success has changed--and haunted--their lives forever.

This work focuses on the Norfolk team (nicknamed the Mary Janes), which played in the Virginia, Eastern and Atlantic leagues. Much attention is given to the players, coaches and teams of the Virginia League and the local news coverage from 1884 through 1928 as well as the business of baseball, the relations between major and minor league teams, and the controversy over hosting professional baseball games on Sundays. Photographs of the players, cartoons, and an appendix of league statistics are included.

Development and Dreams: The urban legacy of the 2010 Football World Cup considers the effects of South Africa's hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is held that here lies the greatest potential benefit of the 2010 World Cup - a repudiation of Afropessimism and an assertion of a contemporary African identity both at home and on a global stage. The contributors to this volume, both academics and practitioners, provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the probable consequences of the World Cup for the economy of South Africa and its cities, on infrastructure development, and on the projection of African culture and identity. Attention is given to a range of topics including the management, costs and benefits associated with the 2010 World Cup, the uncertain economic and employment benefits, venue selection, and investment in infrastructure, tourism and fan parks. The contributors then explore the less tangible hopes, dreams and aspirations associated with the 2010 World Cup and interrogate what it means to talk about an African Cup, African culture and identity. Academics, policy-makers and the reading public will find this title an invaluable companion as South Africa prepares to host the world's largest sporting event.

For fans of sports and just plain great writing, this absorbing collection, featuring twenty-eight of the finest pieces from the past year, has something for everyone. Guest editor David Maraniss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, has assembled a fresh crop of the people and stories that dominated the sports world in 2006.
Michael Lewis gives a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary football coach Bill Parcells. Bob Hohler delves in the murky waters of modern amateur basketball, where teams blatantly dole out cash to players and shoe companies set their sights on prospects as young as twelve. William Rhoden traces the fate of an unknown filly injured on the racetrack. Jeff MacGregor describes the unforgettable Friars Club roast of boxing's provocative promoter Don King. Daniel Coyle follows a forty-year-old Slovene soldier who might be the world's best ultra-endurance athlete. L. Jon Wertheim tells of a young pro-basketball player who found himself wrestling the shoe bomber Richard Reid to the ground during a transatlantic flight. And Derek Zumsteg provides a hilarious and utterly original in-depth account of the baseball career of Bugs Bunny, "the greatest banned player ever."
These pieces and many more go beyond the spotlight, revealing the people and issues that make sports so relevant and important to all of us.

For fans of sports and just plain great writing, this collection of twenty-seven of the finest pieces from the past year features "outstanding sports reporting on a wealth of different topics" (Booklist). Guest editor Michael Lewis, the best-selling author of Moneyball and Coach, has assembled a compelling look at the sports stories and issues that dominated 2005.
Pamela Colloff reports from the politically and sexually charged world of competitive cheerleading in Texas. Paul Solotaroff meets the star of the University of Georgia wrestling team, a nineteen-year-old world-record weightlifter who was born with no arms or legs. Ben Paynter travels the gay rodeo circuit. Pat Jordan profiles the world's greatest poker player, a boyish thirty-year-old whose mom still packs him a brown bag lunch. Jeff Duncan travels to Florida, where a New Orleans high school and its football program are picking up the pieces in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We also discover Linda Robertson reporting on the supersizing of NFL players. S. L. Price profiles the most famous U.S. Paraolympian. Katy Vine introduces a girl who can dunk -- in eighth grade -- and more.
The pieces in this outstanding volume show the true reach and impact of sports, its importance often extending far beyond the playing field. As Lewis writes in his introduction, "What's reassuring about great sports writing is what's reassuring about great sports performances: facing opposition, and often against the odds, someone, at last, did something right."

Many books exist on various aspects of event management, reflecting growing academic and professional interest, but there has not been a book written on Event Studies until now. As the event management field expands, there is a growth in demand for advanced texts, particularly with a multidisciplinary research and theoretical orientation. Event Studies is the first text to embrace this new direction in the field of event management providing:
* Students and practitioners with an explanation of why planned events are important from a social/cultural, economic and environmental perspective.
* Readers with an understanding of how various disciplines and other professional fields view planned events, and the contributions they make to understanding events.
* Research students with a detailed evaluation of research issues and challenges, and of methodologies and theories applicable to event studies. The bibliography is extensive and numerous research examples are provided.
* Professionals with a tool to expand their knowledge well beyond the art and science of producing events to include the philosophical and scientific foundations of event studies.
For the event management student, and for professionals, Event Studies provides the necessary body of knowledge and theoretical /methodological underpinnings on the subject of planned events.
* The only comprehensive text on event studies, which includes theoretical and methodological discussion
* Provides a detailed overview of published research, an evaluation of research themes pertinent to events, disciplinary perspectives, and identification of research questions
* Provides a framework for understanding andcreating knowledge about special events

No one gave James "Buster" Douglas much of a chance when he faced "Iron" Mike Tyson on February 11, 1990, in the Tokyo Dome. Tyson was Godzilla, and Buster wasn't expected to be anything more than a moth for Tyson to swat away, much less Mothra. Douglas had four losses already and 42-1 odds against him in this bout. One reporter, going through Japanese customs, announced he was in town for business. When asked how long he would be working, he laughed and responded "Oh, about a minute." The match lasted longer than that, though. When it was over, it was the greatest upset in boxing history. Buster Douglas was the new heavyweight champion of a shocked, surprised, and stunned world. Here is the inside story of just how the biggest of underdogs, dealing with the recent death of his mother, dethroned the invincible Tyson. John Johnson, Douglas's manager for this slugfest and most of his career, takes the reader into the ring in Tokyo and details the beginning of Douglas's career - how he positioned himself to be the champ - as well as the post-fight fall that started with a loss in his first defense of the title. Johnson and coauthor Bill Long interviewed people who were in the ring, at ringside announcing the match, and in the crowd both covering the bout or just watching it for the expected devastation. Announcers Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, and Sugar Ray Leonard discuss their memories, and men in both corners detail the in-fight machinations for both Tyson and Douglas. Mike Tyson's loss to Buster Douglas truly rocked the world and threw heavyweight boxing into a tumult that still resonates today.

At the 2002 World Cup the United States stunned the world by advancing to the Quarterfinals. From the shocking games to the outrageous victory parties, author, Andy Gustafson, recounts it all.

In "Payne at Pinehurst", veteran sports writer Bill Chastain crafts the dramatic story of the 1999 U.S. Open by combining extensive research with interviews of those who made it a unique and compelling event. There was nothing simple about Payne Stewart's task. Tiger Woods was the hottest golfer on the Tour, and Stewart's conquest of Pinehurst, while fending off Woods and others in an epic battle where every swing counted, is the stuff golf legends are made of. From the compelling action on the course to the tournament's dramatic conclusion, "Payne at Pinehurst" shows readers why the 1999 U.S. Open is regarded by many as the best U.S. Open ever played.

In between Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan there was Joe Namath, one of the few sports heroes to transcend the game he played. Novelist and former sports-columnist Mark Kriegel's bestselling biography of the iconic quarterback details his journey from steel-town pool halls to the upper reaches of American celebrity-and beyond. The first of his kind, Namath enabled a nation to see sports as show biz. For an entire generation he became a spectacle of booze and broads, a guy who made bachelorhood seem an almost sacred calling, but it was his audacious "guarantee" of victory in Super Bowl III that ensured his legend. This unforgettable portrait brings readers from the gridiron to the go-go nightclubs as Kriegel uncovers the truth behind Broadway Joe and why his legend has meant so much to so many.

The Boston Red Sox's loss to the New York Yankees in the final game of last year's playoffs has been called ?the game of the century, ? evidence that the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is hotter than ever. In the wake of that defeat, author and "Boston Globe" sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy has updated his bewitching story of the curse that has lain over the Red Sox since they sold Babe Ruth to the hated Yankees in 1920. Here he sheds light on classic Sox debacles?from Johnny Pesky's so- called hesitation throw, to the horrifying dribbler that slithered between Bill Buckner's legs, to last year's stunning extra-inning home run that kept the Sox without a World Championship for yet another year. Lively and filled with anecdotes, this is baseball folklore at its best.

On December 6, 1969, the Texas Longhorns and the Arkansas Razorbacks met in what many consider the game of the century. Both teams were undefeated; both featured devastating and innovative offenses; both boasted stingy defenses; and both were coached by superior tacticians and stirring motivators, Texas's Darrell Royal and Arkansas's Frank Broyles. Moreover, President Richard Nixon was on hand to present his own national championship plaque to the winners. Even if it had been just a game, it would have been memorable today. But it was much more, because nothing was so simple in December 1969. In Horns, Hogs, & Nixon Coming, Terry Frei deftly weaves the social, political, and athletic trends together for an unforgettable look at one of the landmark college sporting events of all time.

" On the first Saturday in May every year in Louisville, Kentucky, shortly after 5:30 PM, a new horse attains racing immortality. The Kentucky Derby is like no other race, and its winners are the finest horses in the world. Covered in rich red roses, surrounded by flashing cameras and admiring crowds, these instant celebrities bear names like Citation, Secretariat, Spectacular Bid, and Seattle Slew. They're worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But in 1992, a funny thing happened on the way to the roses. The rattling roar of 130,000 voices tailed off into a high, hollow shriek as the horses crossed the finish line. Lil E. Tee? ABC broadcasters knew nothing about him, but they weren't alone. Who knew about Lil E. Tee? A blacksmith in Ocala, Florida, a veterinary surgeon in Ringoes, New Jersey, a trainer a Calder Race Course, and a few other people used to dealing with average horses knew this horse -- and realized what a long shot Lil E. Tee really was. On a Pennsylvania farm that raised mostly trotting horses, a colt with a dime-store pedigree was born in 1989. His odd gait and tendency to bellow for his mother earned him the nickname "E.T." Suffering from an immune deficiency and a bad case of colic, he survived surgery that usually ends a horse's racing career. Bloodstock agents dismissed him because of his mediocre breeding, and once he was sold for only $3,000. He'd live in five barns in seven states by the time he turned two. Somehow, this horse became one of the biggest underdogs to appear on the American sporting landscape. Lil E. Tee overcame his bleak beginnings to reach the respected hands of trainer Lynn Whiting, jockey Pat Day, and owner Cal Partee. After winning the Jim Beam stakes and finishing second in the Arkansas Derby, Lil E. Tee arrived at Churchill Downs to face a field of seventeen horses, including the highly acclaimed favorite, Arazi, a horse many people forecast to become the next Secretariat. A 17-to-1 longshot, Lil E. Tee won the Derby with a classic rally down the home stretch, and finally Pat Day had jockeyed a horse to Derby victory. John Eisenberg draws on more than fifteen years of sports writing experience and a hundred interviews throughout Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Florida, and Arkansas to tell the story almost nobody knew in 1992. Eisenberg is a sports columnist for the Baltimore Sun and has won more than twenty awards for his sports writing, including several Associated Press sports editors' first places."