'He appeared, without a word, in the tent's entrance, covered in ice. He looked like anyone would after spending over twenty-four hours in a hurricane at over 8,000 metres. In winter. In the Karakoram. He was so exhausted he couldn't speak.' Of all the games mountaineers play on the world's high mountains, the hardest - and cruellest - is climbing the fourteen peaks over 8,000 metres in the bitter cold of winter. Ferocious winds that can pick you up and throw you down, freezing temperatures that burn your lungs and numb your bones, weeks of psychological torment in dark isolation: these are adventures for those with an iron will and a ruthless determination. For the first time, award-winning author Bernadette McDonald tells the story of how Poland's ice warriors made winter their own, perfecting what they dubbed 'the art of suffering' as they fought their way to the summit of Everest in the winter of 1980 - the first 8,000-metre peak they climbed this way but by no means their last. She reveals what it was that inspired the Poles to take up this brutal game, how increasing numbers of climbers from other nations were inspired to enter the arena, and how competition intensified as each remaining peak finally submitted to leave just one awaiting a winter ascent, the meanest of them all: K2. Winter 8000 is the story of true adventure at its most demanding.

At six feet, four inches and more than 220 pounds, Roger Clemens (1962- ) was a major figure in baseball for nearly a quarter century. The best pitcher of his generation, his 4,672 strikeouts rank third all-time. He dominates modern statistical analysis: all-time first in base-out runs saved, situational wins saved, win probability added and base-out wins saved. High strung and temperamental, Clemens got into a barroom brawl during his first semester at University of Texas and once was jailed for punching out a Houston police officer. He endured sports writers heckling his inarticulate English and hostile fans decrying his aggressive pitching style. He retired in 2007 amid the infamous Mitchell Report doping scandal. Questioned by a Congressional committee about his alleged use of steroids, Clemens was accused of perjury but later acquitted. This book covers his life and his sensational but controversial career.

The true story from which the inspirational movie Woodlawn starring Jon Voight, Sean Astin, and C. Thomas Howell, is based on African American running back Tony Nathan and his experiences on a mostly white team in 1970s Birmingham, Alabama, and how his courage and superb athletic ability helped heal a city, propelling him on to a successful football career as both a player and a coach in the NFL.When Tony Nathan got his hands on a football, it was like Superman putting on his cape. He stepped onto the field and became a different person--a hero destined to change the course of Alabama history. Somehow, when he held a football, he knew exactly what to do, and it was those instincts that helped him navigate life in one of the most tumultuous cities in America. In this powerful memoir, Tony reveals how he summoned the courage to "run with a purpose" during the times when racial tensions were at their highest as he grew from a boy trapped by the racial divide in Birmingham, Alabama, into a successful man and football hero. Tony's courage, character, passion, and strength contributed to his impressive career on the field--including two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins--and then as a coach who helped train other winning players. Inspirational and uplifting, Touchdown Tony is not only a behind-the-scenes look at a great football player's life and career, it is also a story of redemption and one man's hope to change the future.

This is a biography of Brian Robinson, racing cyclist. Brian Robinson, the first Englishman ever to complete the Tour de France, went on to make a career as a professional cyclist in what is generally regarded as one of the toughest eras in a very tough sport. He adapted to French life, the continental style of racing and the taxing demands of a long season with clear-headed tenacity. For all the British riders who later followed him to Europe - and there have not been many since his days as a lone coureur anglais, still a comparatively rare breed - he was, without dispute, the great pioneer.

In his own words Bob talks of his early life, his path to becoming a professional jump jockey and how it felt being at the top of his game only to have it come crashing down with a life-threatening diagnosis. The depths of despair going through the radical new cancer treatment he was offered and the heights of joy with that famous Grand National victory. This new biography also looks at the whirlwind adventure his life has been since that glorious spring day at Aintree and examines the tremendous fund raising efforts of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust. Today Bob is the face of that Trust, the UK's most successful small cancer fund that has been responsible for raising almost GBP15Million, money which has allowed research efforts that have all but eradicated testicular cancer death and furthered new research enquiries into prostate cancer. For the first time Bob shares his thoughts on his life so far, the highs, the lows, injuries, illness and of course just what it felt like to win 'the ultimate test of horse and rider.'

Bill Hartack won the Kentucky Derby five times, and seemed to hate every moment of it. ""If only Bill could have gotten along with people the way he got along with horses,"" a trainer said. His tragic, impoverished upbringing didn't help: his mother was killed in an automobile accident; the family home burned down; his father was murdered by a girlfriend; and he was estranged from his sisters. Larry King, his friend, said it was just as well the termperamental Hartack never married, because it wouldn't have lasted. Hartack became one of racing's most accomplished jockeys. But he was inveterate grouch and worked at giving the press a hard time. At 26, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Whenever the media tried to bury him, he would win another Derby. At the end of his life, he was found alone in a solitary cabin in the Texas hinterlands. Drawn from dozens of interviews and conversations with family members, friends and enemies, this book provides a full account of Hartack's turbulent life.

Willie Mays' career bridged eras in baseball history, from the Negro Leagues to expansion to free agency. Through it all, his all-around ability and his love of the game set him apart. His career accomplishments include 660 home runs, 2 MVPs, Rookie of the Year, and the first 30-30 season. No other player is cited by so many of his peers as the best they have ever seen. From his childhood growing up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama to becoming the first black team captain in baseball, Mays' life is described in detail. Readers will learn of his early life, his career with the Giants and the Mets, his induction into the Hall of Fame, understanding why he is regarded by many today as baseball's greatest living player.

This book is the story of baseball pioneer J.L. Wilkinson (1878-1964) and the team he founded and owned, the famed Kansas City Monarchs. A white man, Wilkinson earned respect throughout the world of African American baseball by treating his players with fairness and respect. Wilkinson began his baseball career in Iowa as a player and later organizer of a traveling women's team in 1908 and the groundbreaking multi-racial All-Nations club in 1912. When he founded the Monarchs in 1920, Wilkinson was the only white owner of a Negro National League (NNL) team. Wilkinson led the Monarchs to great success, winning two Negro Leagues World Series championships and numerous pennants in the NNL and then the Negro American League. During the Great Depression Wilkinson developed an ingenious portable lighting system for night games that is credited with saving black baseball. He resurrected the career of legendary pitcher Satchel Paige in 1938. In 1945 Wilkinson signed a rookie named Jackie Robinson to the Monarchs and played a key role in the integration of major league baseball. J.L. Wilkinson was posthumously inducted in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, joining fourteen Monarchs players in the Hall.

This book tells the story of how Kris Meeke and Peugeot UK won the Intercontinental Rally Championship in their rookie year, from the disastrous opening round in Monte Carlo, to the ecstasy of winning the San Remo rally and the championship in the same weekend. This is the gripping tale of how Kris and Peugeot defied expectations and made their mark on this highly competitive championship. There are those who felt that Kris was quick but lacked the consistency to succeed at the highest level - but the man from Dungannon proved them wrong in the style of his mentor and rally legend, Colin McRae. The best of Kris is still to come.

The fighting McAteers: that's how the McAteer family of title-winning boxers were known throughout Birkenhead, across the Mersey from Liverpool. But for eleven-year-old Jason McAteer, growing up in the shadow of Liverpool FC, football became the dream. After signing with Bolton Wanderers at the age of twenty-one, the call to the international scene followed with the Republic of Ireland and, soon after, to his beloved Liverpool FC. The dream had become a reality. From his time with the Irish World Cup squad of 1994 to those tumultuous days in Saipan in 2002; on through his decision to leave Liverpool for Blackburn Rovers; his move to Sunderland, and the depression he fell into after finishing his professional career with Tranmere Rovers, Jason McAteer looks back with characteristic honesty and humour on his life - the jokes, the matches, and the personalities. This is the real Jason McAteer: a little bit bruised, a little bit battered. But still fighting.

Despite his outstanding pitching record, James Francis ""Pud"" Galvin (1856-1902) was largely forgotten after his premature death. During his 17-year career pitching for Pittsburgh, Buffalo and St. Louis, he was one of the best-paid players in the game. He died penniless. The diminutive hurler was the first to reach 300 wins, long before that statistic was considered a benchmark of excellence. Only four pitchers have amassed more victories. But because he played in two leagues today not considered ""major,"" not all of his wins have been counted by the baseball establishment. Through the efforts of a determined researcher, Galvin's record was documented decades after his death and he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1965 with 365 wins. This book offers the first comprehensive telling of Galvin's story, covering his complete record and his use of a testosterone-based concoction-with eye-popping results-which earned him criticism as a pioneer of performance enhancing drugs.

Cincinnati Reds leadoff hitter Johnny Temple batted over .300 three times between 1954 and 1959. A tobacco chewing, tough-talking hustler, he had a fiery disposition on the field which led many sportswriters, teammates and opposing players to refer to him as a throwback to baseball's early days-an Eddie Stanky or Enos Slaughter type who would challenge anyone to a fight. He and Milwaukee Braves shortstop Johnny Logan engaged in one of the Major League's longest-running feuds. Temple was an expert glove man, forming one of the premier double play combinations of the 1950s with shortstop Roy McMillan. Following his retirement in 1964, making ends meet became a daily struggle. Temple's life ended in disappointment and disgrace.

Brian Kinchen was a thirty-eight-year-old father of four and seventh-grade Bible teacher whose professional football career had been over for three years when he received the call of a lifetime. The New England Patriots needed him to fill in for their injured long snapper for the remainder of the 2003 season and the playoffs. In the hands of Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffrey Marx, Brian's remarkable true story becomes a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. For all lovers of the game of football, "The Long Snapper" reveals the grit and glory of America's favorite sport.

The history of baseball is filled with players whose careers were defined by one bad play. Mike Torrez is remembered as the pitcher who gave up the infamous three-run homer to Bucky ""Bleeping"" Dent in the 1978 playoffs tie-breaker between the Red Sox and Yankees. Yet Torrez's life added up to much more than his worst moment on the mound. Coming from a vibrant Mexican American community that settled in Topeka, Kansas, in the early 1900s, he made it to the Majors by his own talent and efforts, with the help of an athletic program for Mexican youth that spread through the Midwest, Texas and Mexico during the 20th century. He was in the middle of many transformative events of the 1970s-such as the rise of free agency-and was an ethnic role model in the years before the ""Fernandomania"" of 1981. This book covers Torrez's life and career as the winningest Mexican American pitcher in Major League history.

Part sports star, part antihero, part hip-hop icon, Allen Iverson has managed to cross over into the mainstream of American culture -- without compromise. Defiantly tattooed, with his hair in cornrows, the six-foot Philadelphia 76ers point guard is one of the most recognizable and controversial stars of the sports world. His meteoric rise from a troubled childhood in the ghetto to NBA superstardom has been marked by five straight playoff appearances, including a finals berth in 2001 and an MVP award. From his rap sheet to his rap album, fans and journalists alike hound his every move. But never before has a biographer presented a full portrait of this complicated and intensely private star -- a man whose loyalty to his family, the streets, and his friends trumps any other concern. Filled with exclusive interview material and unprecedented access to many of Iverson's inner circle, Only the Strong Survive is the first in-depth look at the truth behind this newly minted legend.

Set against the background of the Great Depression, this book looks at the life of Ralph Guldahl, who for a brief period in the 1930s was recognized as the best golfer in the world. From 1936 to 1940, he won two successive U.S. Opens, one Masters title and three successive Western Opens, held the best scoring average award and was a Ryder Cup player with a 100 percent record. After this memorable run, he ""lost his game"" and almost disappeared from view. This biography is the first to trace the rise and decline of his career and answer the question: ""What happened to Ralph Guldahl?

Ralph Kiner (1922-2014) was one of the most feared power hitters of his era. Babe Ruth predicted Kiner would be the slugger most likely to break Ruth's single season home run record. While the left fielder from New Mexico missed that mark, he did break one of the Babe's records, leading his league in home runs for seven consecutive seasons-a record unbroken since. Kiner set his records while playing for some of the worst teams ever to take the field. With little support in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup, pitchers were often able to pitch around Kiner, walking him dozens of times per season. Despite this, Kiner made them pay for their mistakes, sending towering flies over the fences. After just 10 years in the league, Kiner's career on the field was cut short by chronic back pain. At retirement, his 369 home runs placed him sixth on the all-time list. He didn't leave baseball, however, serving as general manager of a minor league team and later announcing for the newly formed New York Mets in 1962, where he would be the voice of the team for more than 50 years. This is his story.

In 1976, young Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Graham Tutt had the world at his feet. Then in an instant his dreams were shattered by a career-ending collision seen by millions on TV. What happened next has never been told before. Persistent double vision scuppered a comeback attempt, leading to hurt, depression and bitterness. Moving to South Africa, Tutt witnessed the horrors of apartheid while playing in the country's first mixed league. After surviving some hair-raising experiences, he settled in America and played professional soccer, ran soccer camps for thousands of young people and was inducted into the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame. He also found love and contentment along with forgiveness after tracking down a figure from his distant past. Never Give Up: The Graham 'Buster' Tutt Story is both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-achingly sad. It speaks not just to athletes but to anyone who has suffered a major setback in their life.

At the 1984 Olympics, American Scott Hamilton skated into the history books when he claimed a gold medal in Sarajevo. Beside him the entire time was his coach, Don Laws. A member of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame and a U.S. Junior Champion, Laws is one of the most respected and admired ice skating coaches in the world. In addition to Hamilton, Don was the coach of champions Michael Weiss and Patrick Chan. This authorized biography tells the story of Law's exemplary life and chronicles his singular dedication to figure skating. Don Laws: The Life of an Olympic Figure Skating Coach recounts Don's youth, from his childhood in Washington, D.C. to his Junior Men's Figure Skating Championship to his triumphs as a coach on the international stage. Featuring personal interviews with many of his former pupils, this humorous and enlightening biography captures Don's dedication to the sport and to his students. In addition, this book goes behind the scenes of the controversial new judging system-for which Laws was one of only four coaches worldwide to take part in its creation-as well as touches upon the break between Don Laws and his star pupil, Patrick Chan. Including exclusive interviews with Scott Hamilton, Michael Weiss, premier Russian coach Tamara Moskvina, former International Skating Union member Sonia Bianchetti, and current ISU President Ottavio Cinquanta, this book is a one-of-a-kind look at a man who never broke from his beliefs and ideals and never wavered in his love for the sport. A chapter devoted to skating techniques laid out by Laws will be a helpful tool for figure skating coaches; but for the figure skater, and for any fan of the sport, it will be the stories, interviews, photographs, and history that make this book entertaining and inspiring.

Richard Parks has what must be one of contemporary sport's most extraordinary and inspirational stories. Soon after he turned thirty, the professional career in rugby that had been his life for over a decade was cut short by injury, leaving him faced with an uncertain future. But unlike many other young athletes, Richard decided to tackle his fears, anxiety and depression head on, taking inspiration from Ranulph Fiennes and a line from his grandmother's eulogy - "The horizon is only the limit of our sight" and setting out on challenges that have become part of his everyday life. Richard created history with his first endeavour - the 737 Challenge - by becoming the first person to conquer the highest mountain on each of the world's continents and venture to both the North and South Poles within seven months. Then in 2013 he tackled three hugely challenging events - an ultramarathon through the Peruvian jungle, the world's highest mountain bike race, and a double iron man triathlon in Snowdonia - in preparation for an even more extraordinary challenge: to record the fastest solo, unsupported and unassisted journey to the South Pole. These three challenges and the Antarctic speed record quest that saw Richard ski 11 hours a day enduring perishing conditions, broken skis and spending Christmas and New Year alone on the ice, were all filmed for a major four-part series to be broadcast on Channel 5 later this year. Beyond the Horizon is an amazing, inspiring, and exciting story for armchair adventurers, extreme sports and mountaineering fans alike.