Often characterized as David facing Goliath on the tennis court, at 5'9" and 150 pounds Michael Chang is used to playing with the big hitters. What he lacks in stature, he makes up for in determination. A serious contender at any Grand Slam event, his bold statement of faith in God makes him a role model we can all look up to. "What's nice," Michael says, "is that, as long as my priorities are straight, I'm able to go out with the mentality to really leave the winning and losing up to the Lord." In Holding Serve readers get a unique glimpse at Team Chang, Michael's powerful family unit that he credits with much of his success. Michael also shares the story of how he became a Christian and the central role his faith has played in his achievements.

Everybody knows the record the stuff of almanacs, trade magazines and clipping services. A handful know the man. But only Muhammad Ali knows his life as he lived it. The Greatest is Ali's own story.

For six years he worked, traveled and talked with Richard Durham, a writer with a stunning talent, and the result is mesmerizing in its brilliance, drama, humanity and sheer entertainment. This is no documented scrapbook of wins and losses strung together with anecdotes; nor is it a thin potpourri of locker room gags. This book, like Ali who has incited every reaction except indifference goes straight to the place where responses to him have always been the gut.

When the history of the twentieth century is finally recorded, it must include Muhammad Ali. He is "The Greatest."

He is the larger-than-life figure who bounced back from rejection at 16 and graduated from parks pitches to become a Premier League goalkeeper, and later represent his country. Paddy Kenny's career was certainly not straightforward... just like his life. In his autobiography, Kenny lifts the lid on his time on and off the football field - including dressing-room rucks, being beaten for the Premier League's most famous goal and having his eyebrow bitten off in a curry house, just days before he faced Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Manchester United. This is Kenny's story... and the gloves are well and truly off.

"I've worked many soccer camps with Gibbo over the years and observed as he excites and empowers kids to reach their potential, my own included. His spirited passion for people translates to a great teacher and a great friend. This journal of his life gives us all occasion to absorb a bit more of his wisdom of the game and his philosophy of life. Paul Gibbons is a world class coach."

Darryl Butt, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Boise State University

"Paul, in a quiet, caring, and gracious spirit, simply falls into step and puts into place the missing pieces of the puzzle to make the parts of the whole come together. His eyes give away his warm heart and we are most grateful for what he brings to Botswana every year. We look forward once again to hear the chants of "Gib-bo, Gib-bo-""

Lesley Boggs, Director,
Coaching for Conservation
Botswana, Africa

"Driven, dedicated, and as passionate as a soccer coach could possibly be. GIBBO- In My Life, finds Paul sharing the story of what made him that way, and in so doing, he presents an excellent blueprint, not just for soccer coaches, but for all teachers." Bill Meredith,
"Palm Beach Post," Florida

"He is the greatest fighter alive today" Daily Express Tyson Fury is colossal - six feet nine inches tall and a whisker under 20 stones in weight. He is spectacularly fast. He has a punch that could knock over a rhino and he can dance and weave like no one since the great Muhammad Ali. When he destroyed the fearsome Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to become two-time world heavyweight champion in February 2020, the world held its breath. Fury was born in 1988 and named after Mike Tyson, who was then the world heavyweight champion. Tyson comes from a long line of gypsy bare knuckle fighters. His father, Gypsy John Fury and grandfather, Tiger Gorman, both fought as professionals. Tyson's success has not come easily, but he has fought the terrible battles of his personal life as bravely as those in the ring. In this extraordinary biography you will read how he overcame addiction to cocaine and alcohol and lost a staggering eight stone in weight to make his comeback. His bravery in talking about his mental health problems is an inspiration to many. Now he is happy and at the top of his game. There seems little doubt that, for Tyson Fury, Gypsy King of the World, the best is yet to come...

As the saying goes, "When life deals you lemons, make lemonade." Having a handicap of his own, the author tells his story of finding his niche in life after retirement with the creation of a community baseball program for children with disabilities. Awakened to the opportunity quite by accident, and aided in funding by Green Bay Packer great Brett Favre and wife Deanna, along with local philanthropist Dick Resch, his mission included building a handicap-safe, rubber surface, baseball field. Touched by the lives of special children, he describes, in detail, the labor of love that went into the development of the program. Relationships develop with parents and their children. After a while it feels like family. Nothing, however, can prepare a person for the loss of someone's child.
With the field completed he could sit back and turn over the program to be run by others. But no, he teamed up with the mother whose child passed away and went on to raise funds to develop a handicap accessible playground to add to the venue. His hope is that others may replicate his experiences and develop the same Miracle of joy and happiness for children in their communities.

An amazing and captivating story of how a kid on a farm in the depression years who never played the game rose to the pinnacle of the high school coaching profession in the basketball arena. Recognized as one of the best by his peers and former players, Dusty Carter wound his way from the hills of Clay County, Alabama into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Coaches Hall of Fame. During his journey, he endeared himself to those along the way--his family, his coaching colleagues, and his former players. This is his story of that pilgrimage, told through the mouths of those he touched along the way.

Diving Dream to Olympic Team is the fascinating story of 1968 Olympic diver Keith Russell. At the age of 20, Keith was the youngest athlete ever named the world's best diver by an international poll of coaches. Sports Illustrated named him to win the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, where he was the only American to qualify in both the springboard and platform events. But the controversial platform finals proved to be more of a test of inner strength than athletic skill. By the time he retired from competition after the 1976 Olympic Trials, Keith was a six-time National Champion, World University Games Champion, and World Championship medalist.

Since his retirement from diving, Keith has been coaching and grooming national champions and Olympians. The former President of the United States Professional Diving Coaches Association, Inc., Keith coached the U.S. National Teams at the 1999 and 2001 World Student University Games. He recently represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the only American diving judge.

This is a feel-good story that will leave readers deeply satisfied and uplifted as they learn about one man's incredible struggles and astonishing achievements in one of the world's favorite sports.

The Sunday Times bestselling autobiography from the greatest tennis player of his generation.

No tennis player since Andre Agassi has captivated the world like Rafael Nadal. He's a rarity in today's sporting arena - a true sportsman who chooses to let his raw talent, dedication and humility define him. Rapidly closing in on his friend and rival Roger Federer's record haul of 16 grand slam victories, Nadal is an extraordinary competitor whose ferocity on court is made even more remarkable by his grace off it. This book takes us to the heart of Nadal's childhood, his growth as a player, and his incredible career.

It includes memorable highs and lows, from victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final - a match that John McEnroe called the 'greatest game of tennis ever played' - to the injury problems that have frequently threatened his dominance of the sport, to becoming the youngest player of the open era to complete a career Grand Slam in 2010. It transports us from Nadal's lifelong home on the island of Majorca to the locker room of Centre Court as he describes in detail the pressures of competing in the greatest tournament in the world.

It offers a glimpse behind the racquet to learn what really makes this intensely private person - who has never before talked about his home life - tick. And it provides us with a story that is personal, revealing and every bit as exciting as Nadal himself.

Four-year-old Sam Payne can knock the baseball out of the park. That "the park" is only the back yard of his suburban home makes little difference to his mother, Martha Payne, who understands baseball a lot better than she understands parenting. She yearns to make her son a star on the Little League field, where promising young players are rewarded with a spot on the All-Star team.

Fueled by endless ambition but only a pinch of maternal instinct, Payne helps her son navigate through the thrilling but often heartless world of Little League baseball. While revealing a host of parental neuroses and coaching excesses, "Put Him In, Coach "delves into the inscrutable bond between mother and son-a bond sometimes forged in unlikely places.

As Sam progresses from tee-ball through years of strikeouts and wild pitches and up to the brink of adolescence, he and his mother discover as much about each other as they do about the perils of the game. Most importantly, Payne learns that in raising a son, sometimes less is more-even if your kid does have a shot at becoming the next Babe Ruth.

Put Him In, Coach A Mother's All-Star Memoir, is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honor excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The Awards esteemed panel of judges includes education and media experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, and scientists, including Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, creator of Baby Einstein and the Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling author; LeAnn Thieman, motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books, and Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. Martha Payne's memoir has been honored with this distinguished award.

In 1964, Dan Reilly landed the dream job of every New York Mets fan. Pulled from his humble position in Shea Stadium's ticket office to become the Mets' mascot-and Major League Baseball's first official mascot-Reilly donned the baseball-shaped, papier-mache head of Mr. Met and began a career rubbing elbows with some of the game's most illustrious players. "The Original Mr. Met Remembers" is packed with never-before-told anecdotes, detailed team history, and intimate glimpses of players on and off the field. With a cast of characters that include the inimitable Casey Stengel, the bumbling Marv Throneberry, and Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, Reilly delivers a rollicking ride from the Mets' celebrated first season in 1962 to their unexpected and thrilling 1969 World Series victory.

A must-read for baseball fans and sports historians alike, "The Original Mr. Met Remembers" recalls America's favorite pastime in all its glory, and is a devoted fan's personal tribute to one of New York's most celebrated teams.

Grabbing the Brass Ring is an epic Homeric tale of a complex and enigmatic man, Richard Mansan - a front-line fighter, an adventurer, and a natural leader. In a time close to ours...on a world not unlike our own...Mansan is either blessed or cursed with the ability to clearly see the inevitable consequences of mankind's actions, choices, and hubris - a vision shared by no one else. As a result of serendipity or design, he finds himself inextricably entwined with the major leaders of the day. Yet, despite the benefit of his friendship and counsel, as well as their own valiant efforts, they are unable to stem the tide of events as the world catapults madly to an unavoidable fate. A story of power, war, greed, ignorance, pride, and redemption, Grabbing the Brass Ring will give the reader a glimpse at the worst...and the best within all of us. After a phenomenal career as a legendary football player, record-setting track and field star, powerhouse wrestler and weightlifter, and multi-titled heavyweight boxing champion - Michael Earl Nolan joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1941. He fought at Guadalcanal, Bougainville with the famed Raiders, and Iwo Jima, rising from private to captain during the war, and retiring a major. With an amazing life that spanned hopping freight trains in the 1930s to becoming the highly respected civil engineer responsible for the massive Coronado National Forest, Nolan was a fascinating individual, a sensitive and prophetic novelist, a devoted family man and friend. To this day, he remains an inspiration, a real-life hero in every sense of the word.

Generations of fighting Harris blood exploded through Roy Harris's veins that August night in 1958 as he stood in the boxing ring in Los Angeles. He was facing the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, Floyd Patterson, who, at the time, had earned that crown at an earlier age than any other man in history.

Roy faced a psychological handicap met by few other heavyweight challengers. How could a rustic backwoodsman turned gentleman-scholar-soldier cope with such a challenge? What strange events had conspired to create the meeting of such a contrast in pugilistic antagonists?

"Roy Harris of Cut and Shoot" is, in part, the story of how and why Roy Harris emerged from backwoods obscurity to the pinnacle of fistic heaven--a heavyweight title bout. But this is also the story of the rapidly vanishing breed that spawned and nourished him--the rugged individualistic frontiersmen from the oil-rich southeast Texas thicket country. Today, Cut and Shoot is a growing community northeast of Houston. Roy has retired from illustrious careers not only in boxing, but as an attorney, real estate mogul, and the county clerk of Montgomery County, Texas, for twenty-eight years.

Roy's personal memories are inserted throughout "Roy Harris of Cut and Shoot," adding authenticity to this dramatic saga.

Cantona the legend. Cantona the enigma. Cantona the King. Eric Cantona was at Manchester United for just five years, yet his legacy and influence endure. Over that period, he became the first foreigner to be voted best player by sports journalists, was crowned player of the century by the team's supporters, and voted the most emblematic player in the Premier League during its opening decade. The Frenchman fascinated both fans of the game and those who knew nothing about football - a hugely popular player who showed mercurial talent on the pitch, but one who remains almost unknown away from it. Claude Boli met Cantona at the very beginning of his playing career in France, when he was a teammate to Boli's brothers. They shared an apartment, passions for music, literature, art and, of course, football. In 1992 Cantona moved to Manchester, where Boli was studying at the university. They spent virtually all their free time together and Boli attended almost every match Cantona played at Old Trafford, rubbing shoulders with Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best, David Beckham, Roy Keane and others. Boli was there for the aftermath of the infamous kung-fu kick and then the court hearing, to hear Cantona's thoughts on his fellow players, how the club was run, his relationship with the manager, his hopes and fears. They walked the streets of Manchester together, enjoyed 1990s music and culture together, even learnt the trumpet together and remain close friends to this day. In The King and I Boli gives us unparalleled insight into Cantona the footballer, Cantona the friend, and Cantona the man.

When soon after I started to meditate, I seemed to find myself inside of the beautiful birds body, flying so free. It was a beautiful feeling, the feeling of free flight, and I was able to fly wherever I wished and when suddenly I returned to my own body, there underneath the tree, I felt like a new person. I felt as if I was one with all that surrounded me in nature.

The Fearless Falcon

Where time is lost and truth begins,
the chains are finally broken.
All without you find within,
once scarred and tangled, now silken.

The worldly lust that pained once so,
seems now just an ancient token.
The Fearless Falcon flies so high,
True love can never be broken.

I read "Cochise" and I congratulate John " "Cochise" is free, beautiful, interesting and full of surprises. It is sensitive and able to fully convey the spirit of an era, the hippie generation. An enjoyable universal crossroad, John Leslie Fultz, Cochise for European basketball fans, is a psychedelic author, who writes as creatively as he scored baskets. His college rivalry with the great Julius "Dr. J" Erving, adventures with the late, great John Belushi, his friendship with Italian singers Vasco Rossi and Lucio Dalla and his teammates, Claude English and Dino Meneghin are all included
Luca Maggitti- Journalist and Writer. Conducts basketball TV programs. Journalist for Il Tempo since 2001.

"They Called Me Kociss" is an intense, fast paced, vibrant story. It is pure, sincere and honest like the man who decided to write it always was both during happy and difficult times. A great and important message that should be beneficial to the new generation. It is story that is not only for those who love basketball Marco Tarozzi -Won Coni- USSI's Award as "Sports Writer of the Year" (2004)

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.'

St. Patrick High School, a small, no-frills Catholic institution located in a rough urban area of New Jersey, houses one of the nation's most storied high school basketball programs. Kevin Boyle, a leader who garnered multiple National Coach of the Year awards, cultivated that winning tradition, and brought the team to the top of its sport over the course of two decades.

In Celtic Pride, sportswriter and author Brian Fitzsimmons chronicles a group of teenagers forced to juggle friendship and the immense pressure of being on the nation's best team throughout the 2010-2011 season, while unmasking the man behind it all.

This biography narrates how, with the help of a close support system and famous alumni now making headlines at the collegiate and professional levels, Boyle orchestrated a rags-to-riches story. Despite being hampered by a budget shortfall strong enough to present a potential death blow to his school's existence, Boyle not only produced a number of high-achieving players but also earned the reputation of being one of the most respected high school basketball coaches in the United States.