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Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Sport
A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm, which claimed five lives and left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-ridden disarray, would also provide the impetus for Into Thin Air, Krakauer's epic account of the May 1996 disaster.
No Irish rugby player has ever achieved more, or been a source of more
inspiration to teammates and fans alike, than Johnny Sexton.
For thirty-two years there was no finer example of excellence in college football than Coach Carm Cozza's program at Yale University. This engaging book is Cozza's story, the reminiscences of a caring and principled teacher whose course material was athletic competition, whose classroom was a football field, and whose final exam was The Game against Harvard, with tens of thousands on hand to grade the performance. Cozza brings us behind the scenes for the famous 29-29 "loss" against Harvard in 1968, he recalls the antiwar protesters in the 1970s who were less than enthusiastic about a combat sport, and he marvels over the courage of 1989 captain Jon Reese, who played a game against Cornell with a broken jaw, enabling Cozza to win his tenth and last Ivy League title. He tells stories about some of the outstanding men who played for him, among them Dick Jauron, Gary Fencik, Calvin Hill, Brian Dowling, Rich Diana, John Spagnola, Rudy Green, John Pagliaro, Kelly Ryan, Stone Phillips, and Jack Ford. He recounts how difficult it was to adhere to the highest standards of academic excellence and amateur purity while major college teams were lowering standards, abusing rules, and exploiting athletes in the quest for victories and revenue. And he offers thoughts on how Yale -- and similar elite schools -- can invigorate their football programs without succumbing to the excesses of the big-time conferences.
WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2021 WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF THE YEAR THE TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'The best book about racism I've ever read' Piers Morgan Through the prism of sport and conversations with its legends, including Usain Bolt, Adam Goodes, Thierry Henry, Michael Johnson, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Makhaya Ntini, Naomi Osaka and Hope Powell, Michael Holding explains how racism dehumanises people; how it works to achieve that end; how it has been ignored by history and historians; and what it is like to be treated differently just because of the colour of your skin. Rarely can a rain delay in a cricket match have led to anything like the moment when Holding spoke out in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter protests about the racism he has suffered and has seen all around him throughout his life. But as he spoke, he sought not only to educate but to propose a way forward that inspired so many. Within minutes, he was receiving calls from famous sports stars from around the world offering to help him to spread the message further. Now, in Why We Kneel, How We Rise, Holding shares his story together with those of some of the most iconic athletes in the world. He delivers a powerful and inspiring message of hope for the future and a vision for change, and takes you through history to understand the racism of today. He adds: 'To say I was surprised at the volume of positive feedback I received from around the world after my comments on Sky Sports is an understatement. I came to realise I couldn't just stop there; I had to take it forward - hence the book, as I believe education is the way forward.'
As Davis Love III walked the fairways of the Oakland Hills Country Club, in contention during the final round of the 1996 U.S. Open Championship, he had a powerful ally on his side. For the rest of the nation the day may have been Father's Day, but for Love every day on a golf course is father's day. It was Davis Love, Jr., master professional and legendary teacher, who taught his son the game in all its beautiful complexity. As a child, Davis III was encouraged just to play, to enjoy the game as he grew and developed his athletic skills, to find the pleasure in the game that can lead to the desire for improvement. But when, early in his teens, Davis III declared himself ready to take golf seriously, to put in the time to learn and understand the physical and mental components of the game that turn a golfer into a champion, his father was delighted, determined, and ready. With every shot he takes, Davis Love III provides a tribute to the strength and the value of his father's teachings. And in Every Shot I Take, he shares with us the lessons he learned about how to play golf with power, with skill, and with joy. Those lessons range widely, from the psychological ("Let your attitude determine your golf game; don't let your golf game determine your attitude") to the physical ("To hit the ball far, hit the ball straight; I try to hit the ball at 80 percent of my overall power, because at 80 percent I have a much better chance of hitting the ball with the center of the clubface") to the technical ("When you begin your downswing, and your left foot returns to the ground, put your cleats in the same holes they were in originally"). They include drills like the Hitchhike Drill, where you place your right hand behind your back and your left thumb on your right shoulder, then in a spinning motion move your thumb to your left shoulder -- that's the golf swing in miniature! There are the Ten Commandments of Putting, six steps to successful long bunker shots, and tips for playing in the wind and rain, on fast greens, or out of long rough. Yet all are ultimately about something more than golf. Golf was, for Davis, Jr., a way of being a father, of teaching his sons how to learn, how to approach whatever they might choose to do with knowledge and with care, how to overcome obstacles through dedication and understanding. It was the vehicle through which he taught the most important lesson of all: "Follow your dream, and enjoy the trip." Through this moving tribute to his father's love, Davis III passes along the benefits of those lessons in a gem of a book that will improve your golf game -- and enhance your life.
'In many ways Jimmy Hill was football. He was a true great of the game.' - Greg Dyke, Chairman of the Football Association Jimmy Hill died on 19th December 2015 but very much remains a household name. Renowned for his outspoken views, recognised the world over by his famous profile, only he saw football from every side: as player, coach, manager, chairman, television executive and broadcaster. A versatile player with Brentford and Fulham in the fifties, he was a qualified coach by the age of 24. In the sixties his innovative management technique took Coventry from the bottom of the Third to the First Division, where they stayed for 32 years. For over twenty years, at different times, he was a director and chairman of Coventry, Charlton and Fulham. As chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association he took on the authorities and successfully fought for freedom of contract and the abolition of the maximum wage. But it is as a TV presenter that Jimmy became best known. After five years as Head of Sport at LWT, he moved to the BBC to become a national institution in the seventies and eighties on Match of the Day. Tragically Jimmy Hill succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease in his last few years, A moving epilogue has been included which reflects on Jimmy's remarkable life. Jimmy tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to distinction both on and off the field with modesty and humour.
Gunner: My Life in Cricket is the revealing and absorbing autobiography of Ian Gould, the former England cricketer who became one of the best umpires in the world. During a 13-year career as an elite umpire, 'Gunner' was centre stage for some of the biggest controversies in world cricket, including the infamous 'sandpaper' Test in 2018. As a former international, he appreciated the pressures players were under and formed a rapport with some of cricket's biggest stars, although he always had the integrity of the game at heart. In this candid story of his life in cricket, he is refreshingly honest about the characters and controversies, and he opens up about his battle with depression, after the introduction of DRS technology made the pressure on him intolerable. There are colourful tales too from his days as a player and coach with England, Middlesex and Sussex, and about how he nearly became a professional footballer instead of a cricketer. This included a stint at Arsenal which earned him the nickname 'Gunner'.
David 'Bumble' Lloyd is one of cricket's great characters - hilarious, informative and insightful, and filled with boundless enthusiasm for the game. Now, in Cricket Characters, he tells the stories of the most important, influential, talented and entertaining characters he has come across in sixty years in the game. Following on from the bestselling successes of Last in the Tin Bath and Around the World in 80 Pints, in his new book Bumble looks back at the cricketers who have had the greatest impact on him throughout his career. From the gnarly veterans he first played against as a teenager in the Lancashire League, through the old pros he met on the county circuit while at Lancashire on to a revealing insight into life alongside Mike Atherton, Ian Botham, Nasser Hussain and Shane Warne in the commentary box, this book reveals Bumble at his best: telling great stories about his favourite people. Along the way, the reader not only learns who have been the funniest or most dangerous players to be around, but also gets an insight into what makes a team gel and players to perform at their very peak. It's the perfect gift for any cricket fan who loves the game and needs something to keep them amused as the autumn draws in and winter takes over.
Growing up, Pat Brown had two dreams: to play baseball and to attend college. She was told she couldn't play baseball because she was a girl and couldn't attend college because she had no money, but in spite of the obstacles, she achieved both of these dreams, playing for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1950 and 1951 and going on to attend college. She is among the few women professional baseball players to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. ""As the only former AAGPBL player to have written about the League,"" Brown says, ""I feel like I have finally pitched my no hit game."" This is a memoir of playing on the sandlot, discovering and playing in the AAGPBL, and playing baseball in college. Brown shares her thoughts on the League's history, including what Philip K. Wrigley sought to do by creating the AAGPBL, what happened after Wrigley left to give more attention to the Chicago Cubs, and why the League ended; and considers the future for women's professional baseball. Brown also presents interviews with former AAGPBL players Helen Hannah Campbell, Patricia ""Pat"" Courtney, Madeline ""Maddy"" English, Lenora ""Smokey"" Mandella, Jacqueline ""Jackie"" Matson, Jane Moffet, Mary ""Sis"" Moore, and Janet ""Pee Wee"" Riley.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Crammed full of funny stories, below-the-belt banter and amusing observations, it's gold' Rugby World Once described as rugby's answer to Ant & Dec, David Flatman and Mark Durden-Smith are the oddest of odd couples. Now this hugely popular rugby broadcasting double act have turned to dissecting and celebrating rugby union in book form. And, as you'd expect, it's a brilliant combination of in-depth knowledge and hilarious stories. Flats and Durders Offload covers every facet of the game, from surviving the front row, what it takes to be a leader, referees both good and bad, mind games, tournaments and, of course, what really happens on a rugby tour. They talk about the highs, including Flats not missing a tackle in his 90-second Six Nations appearance, and the lows, including Flats not making a tackle in his 90-second Six Nations appearance. Familiar to millions of fans through their television work, they provide fascinating and entertaining insight into the sport they love. They reveal the hardest players, the greatest characters and the intimate secrets of the front row. They address key issues facing the sport, such as injury, retirement and the future of the game. Nothing is off limits and no quarter is given - to anyone. With insightful analysis, unforgettable stories and the occasional food reference, Flats and Durders Offload is an unmissable read for all rugby fans.
The Waner brothers, Paul and Lloyd--also known as "Big Poison" and "Little Poison"--played together for fourteen seasons in the same Pittsburgh outfield in the 1920s and 1930s. More than half a century after retiring, they still rank as the best-hitting brothers in major league history with a combined 5,611 hits--517 more than the three Alou brothers, 758 more than the three DiMaggio brothers, and 1,400 more than the five Delahanty brothers. And both Waners are in the Hall of Fame, the only playing brothers so honored. This work tells the story of the Waner brothers from their early lives in Oklahoma through their playing days. It is also the story of two American eras: the Roaring Twenties and the Depression years. The Waners experienced the excitement of playing in the World Series, but they also encountered the pressures of having to perform in order to keep their jobs, and they struggled to overcome health problems. Both put up impressive numbers individually: Paul amassed 3,152 hits, and his .333 lifetime average ranks among the highest ever in the game. Lloyd, a lifetime .316 hitter, collected 2,459 hits, and had it not been for health problems, he might have cleared the 3,000 hit milestone as well. Together, they were baseball heroes.
Miguel Indurain will pass into history not just as the first cyclist to win five straight Tours de France, but also as the standard-bearer for a whole nation. While Spain lived through the dream of his repeated victories the country came to a standstill, for Indur?!in stole people's hearts not just by the number, but by the manner of his victories. Seeing him on the road or away from the action, the gallant loser or the strong, calm victor, the Spanish gained hope, and then faith. And so did many others, for it was the dignity and modesty that Miguel Indur?!in invariably displayed, in victory and defeat, that endeared him to us all. A farmer's son from a small village in Navarra, he never strayed far from his roots, nor did he allow his extraordinary success to go to his head. Javier Garcia Sanchez is a prize-winning novelist with a passion for cycle racing. In this biography of Miguel Indur?!in he takes us on an emotional journey through Indurain's prodigious career. He recounts his exploits and great battles in the saddle, the glory moments and the disappointments, and describes his passions, his ideas, and his land.
Nearly half a century ago, Filbert Bayi revolutionized how the middle-distance races were run. During that heyday of athletics competition before pacemakers were hired to take the lead, the unheralded Tanzanian served as his own 'rabbit'. The innovative Bayi set a blistering pace that dared formidable challengers from around the globe to, as his autobiography suggests, Catch Me If You Can. After an inspiring career that included two world records and an Olympic medal, Bayi took the same assertive approach into post-racing life as an educator, entrepreneur and sports administrator. Today, he still embodies excellence in a school and foundation that bear his name as he strives to improve his country and community. In telling his long-awaited story, Bayi recounts hardships, including his mother's encounter with hyenas while he was still in the womb, bouts of malaria and an Olympic boycott, as well as enduring friendships with John Walker and other great rivals. Over nearly 70 years, his experiences consistently reflect the three values he treasures most - sacrifice, commitment and confidence - resulting in an unforgettable example for anyone, anywhere to follow.
Hailed by critics as a long-overdue portrait of Sugar Ray Robinson, a man as elusive outside the ring as he was magisterial in it, Pound by Pound is a lively and nuanced profile of an athlete who is arguably the best boxer the scene has ever seen. But the same discipline that Robinson brought to the sport eluded him at home, leading him to emotionally and physically abuse his family. Exposing Robinson's flaws as well as putting his career in the context of his life, this book tells for the first time the full story of a truly complex man.
Nineteen-twenty was a crucial year not just for the Chicago White Sox but for the game of baseball, in the aftermath of the 1919 World Series scandal. This work is both a collective biography of four individuals whose careers in baseball were forever altered in 1920 and an examination of the 1920 baseball season as a whole. It highlights four legendary personalities--Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the longtime commissioner of Major League Baseball; Babe Ruth, the great pitcher and slugger who changed the game forever; Buck Weaver, the true lone innocent among the Black Sox players who threw the 1919 World Series; and Rube Foster, the fine pitcher, imaginative manager, and great administrator of blackball who founded the Negro National League. Key events that affected the season and the history of baseball are discussed. Nineteen-twenty was the year that Ruth shattered his own home run record and began a hitting spree that brought in record numbers of fans to the ballparks. It was the year that Rube found a way for large numbers of African-Americans to play the game meaningfully, before loyal crowds, despite Jim Crow laws that kept them out of the majors and minors.
Approaching his middle forties, Gavin Boyter wondered what his life was all about. A Scot living in London, single and with no kids, he was living for the job and the dwindling hope of a career in film. He had been a club runner all his life, pretty good but not at the front all that often. He was what he called an ordinary runner and he came to wonder just what an ordinary runner might be capable of. How about John O'Groats to Land's End, the longest linear run in Britain, and how about making a film of it? And how about writing a book? As usual, Gavin was neither the first nor the quickest but Downhill from Here is his real triumph, written in such an engaging and witty voice the reader accompanies him every step of the way.
The start of a love affair: 'I kicked off my shoes and prepared to climb in stocking feet, aware of an enormous sense of occasion as I laid hands on the rock and stepped up on the first rounded hold. It was not a hard climb but that was unimportant. I felt instinctively at home and at the finish experienced such a surge of happy elation that I knew then I was committed to climbing.' Martin Boysen's passion for crags and mountains springs from his deep love of nature and a strong sense of adventure. From his early days on rock as a Kent schoolboy after the war, he was soon among the most gifted climbers of his or any generation, famed for his silky technique. Boysen made a huge contribution to British rock climbing, especially in North Wales; he discovered Gogarth in the 1960s and climbed some of the best new routes of his era: Nexus on Dinas Mot, The Skull on Cyrn Las and the magisterial Capital Punishment on Ogwen's Suicide Wall. For more than two decades, Boysen was also one of Britain's leading mountaineers. A crucial member of Sir Chris Bonington's team that climbed the South Face of Annapurna in 1970, Boysen was also part of Bonington's second summit team on the South West face of Everest. In 1976 he made the first ascent of Trango Tower with Joe Brown. Along the way, Boysen climbed with some of the most important figures in the history of the sport, not just stars like Bonington and Brown, but those who make climbing so rich and intriguing, like Nea Morin and the brilliant but doomed Gary Hemming. He joined Hamish MacInnes hunting gold in Ecuador, doubled for Clint Eastwood on the North Face of the Eiger and worked on director Fred Zinnemann's last movie. Wry, laconic and self-deprecating, Martin Boysen's Hanging On is an insider's account of British climbing's golden age.
Shoeless" Joe Jackson was one of baseball's greatest hitters and most colorful players. Born Joseph Jefferson Wofford Jackson on July 16, 1888, in Pickens County, South Carolina, Jackson went to work in a textile mill when he was around six years old, and got his start in baseball playing for the Brandon Mill team at the age of 13 earning $2.50 a game. He emerged as the star of the team and a favorite of fans with his hitting and throwing abilities, and moved up to play in the Carolina Association, where he received his nickname "Shoeless" because the blisters on his feet forced him to play in his stockings. He then made his move to the major leagues, signing on with the Philadelphia Athletics and rising to fame. This work chronicles Jackson's life from his poor beginnings to his involvement in the scandal surrounding the 1919 World Series to his life after baseball and his death December 5, 1951, with most of the work focusing on his baseball career.
As a football-mad young boy growing up in rural Shropshire, within sight of the Welsh border, Dave Edwards dreamt of playing the game professionally and perhaps, one day, of wearing the red shirt of his father's homeland - Wales. Living My Dream is the frank and fascinating story of just what it took for Edwards to achieve his life's ambition, and describes how his dedication and commitment to the game he loves has enabled him to enjoy a successful 16-year career with over 400 club appearances for Shrewsbury, Luton, Wolves and Reading, spanning the top five English divisions from the Conference to the Premier League. Woven into the story of his club career, Living My Dream is also a behind-the-scenes account of Dave's brave recovery, after a serious injury in January 2016, to make the starting line-up in Wales' opening game at that summer's European Championships, and his magical month inside the Welsh camp when the team exceeded all expectations to reach the semi-finals. The first member of the Welsh squad to tell the inside story of life at the Euros, Edwards reveals how the players thrived within the camp's 'bubble' and forged an unbreakable team spirit, how Chris Coleman managed his squad with meticulous planning and inspirational leadership, and how the Together Stronger ethos was spurred on by the passion and pride of an entire nation.
It's a tennis story. It's a family story. It's a teamwork story. It's the story of how I got to where and who I am today. I'm only in my mid-twenties, and some might think that's young to write a memoir. But it's important to reflect on every part of the journey, especially the end. The timing is perfect to share my story, from the first time I picked up a racquet as a five-year-old girl in Ipswich to the night I packed up my tennis bag at Melbourne Park after winning the 2022 Australian Open. Now I can look back at the 20 years in between and think carefully through the work and the play, the smiles and the tears, and all the people who helped along the way, be it my first ever coach, Jim Joyce, or my longtime one, Craig Tyzzer. My Dream Time follows me on my path to being the best I could be, not just as an athlete but as a person. How do you conquer nerves and anxiety? How do you deal with defeat, or pain? What drives you to succeed - and what happens when you do? The answers tell me so much, about bitter disappointments and also dreams realised - from injuries and obscurity and self-doubt to winning Wimbledon and ranking number 1 in the world. My story is about the power and joy of doing that thing you love and seeing where it can take you. It's about the importance of purpose - and perspective - in our lives.
A senior editor of "Golf World" magazine captures the legacy of the late Payne Stewart--loving husband and father and a great golf champion--through testimonials from dozens of people who knew him best. Illustrations.
Branch Rickey was one of the most important and charismatic figures in all of baseball, the archetype for all general managers who would follow. His contributions to the game were both numerous and highly significant; they include the desegregation of the majors, airline travel to road games, and the innovation of the minor league "farm" system. This work focuses on Rickeys tenure as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, from 1950 through 1955. In addition to contemporary accounts, Rickeys personal correspondence and interoffice memorandums are used to document his struggle to revamp the fate of a small-market team.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR. FROM THE JUDGES: 'Rick Reilly lets Donald's Trump relationship with his favourite sport speak for itself. Commander in Cheat is full of astonishing 'you could not make it up' detail delivered in full knowledge that nothing revealed would embarrass the President one jot. You will be howling with laughter and gasping in disbelief in equal measure so be careful when reading this fascinating book in public.' SHORTLISTED FOR THE GENERAL OUTSTANDING SPORTS WRITING AWARD AT THE 2020 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS. THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. 'An eye-watering account of the president's abuse of the rules of golf' The Sunday Times 'Reilly pokes more holes in Trump's claims than there are sand traps on all his courses combined. It is by turns amusing and alarming' The New Yorker Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump is a fascinating on-the-ground and behind-the-scenes survey of Donald Trump's ethics deficit on and off the golf course.Renowned sports writer Rick Reilly transports readers onto the greens with President Trump, revealing the absurd ways in which he lies about his feats, and what they can tell us about the way he leads off the course in the most important job in the world. 'Golf is like bicycle shorts. It reveals a lot about a man.' Reilly has been with Trump on the fairways, the greens and in the rough, he has seen how the President plays - and it's not pretty. Based on his personal experiences, and interviews with dozens of golf pros, amateurs, developers, partners, opponents, and even caddies who have first-hand involvement with Trump out on the course, Reilly takes a deep and often hilarious look at how Trump shamelessly cheats at golf, lies about it, sues over it, bullies with it, and profits from it. 'Somebody should point out that the way Trump does golf is sort of the way he does a presidency, which is to operate as though the rules are for other people.' From Trump's ridiculous claim to have won eighteen club championships, to his devious cheating tricks, to his tainted reputation as a golf course tycoon, Commander in Cheat tells you everything you need to know about the man. 'You could write a book about what Trump's golf reveals about him. Here it is.' |
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