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Books > Biography > Sport
In this first and only biography of light-heavyweight champion and
boxing legend Joe Choynski, author Chris LaForce chronicles the
life and career of a pioneer of the gloved era of pugilism. Joe
Choynski was one of the greatest, most courageous, brilliant, and
respected Jewish boxers in history. Born in San Francisco,
California in 1868, Joe Choynski fought nearly all of the greatest
heavyweights of that division s first Golden Age, despite weighing
less than 170 pounds. He was one of the few who did not draw the
color line. Included is a complete account of Joe s professional
fights. Come follow Choynski s boxing career in such legendary
matches as the battle on the Sacramento River barge with Gentleman
Jim Corbett, his war with Bob Fitzsimmons, the classic brawls with
Sailor Tom Sharkey, knockout of future heavyweight champion Jack
Johnson, and his 20-round draw with soon-to-be heavyweight king Jim
Jeffries. This book features over 180 photographs, many of them
rare and published here, for the first time, anywhere The book
includes a Foreword by Herbert G. Goldman, former Managing Editor
of Ring magazine and Editor-in-Chief of Boxing Illustrated, and a
testimonial by renowned boxing historian, Tracy Callis. Chris
LaForce has been a member of IBRO (the International Boxing
Research Organization) since 1984. He has written several articles
for the IBRO newsletter, and is a contributing writer for the Cyber
Boxing Zone, Western States Jewish History and other historical
societies.
'Poignant and compelling, an equine Bridget Jones.' - Racing Post
Being a stable lass is probably one of the hardest jobs in the
country, and yet for Gemma Hogg it is the most rewarding. She works
in the beautiful Yorkshire market town of Middleham and if her
colleagues are occasionally challenging, then the horses are
downright astonishing. Now, in Stable Lass, she takes us into the
closed world of a top racing yard, from the elation of having
several winners in one day to the almost indescribable grief of
losing a horse. Like most stable lads and lasses, Gemma arrived in
her yard as a teenager fresh out of racing college and had to cope
with living away from home for the first time, as well as adapting
to the brutal long hours, backbreaking work and often treacherous
weather. She describes falling in love with Polo Venture, the first
racehorse in her care, the pure exhilaration of riding him on
Middleham Gallops for the first time and what happens when a horse
takes against you, from the growling gelding Valiant Warrior to the
potentially lethal Broadway Boy. She brings to life the characters
around the yard, from straight-talking boss Micky Hammond to the
jockeys starving themselves to make weight, the wealthy owners and
the other stable lads and lasses who come from a range of different
places and backgrounds. Stable Lass by Gemma Hogg is a unique look
into the world of horse racing filled with heart-warming stories
and amazing thoroughbreds - some loveable, some cantankerous, all
impressive.
Est n todos los jugadores: - Con m?'s de 9000 turnos legales al
bat. - Con m?'s de 1900 carreras producidas. - Con m?'s de 500
jonrones conectados. - Con m?'s de 600 bases robadas. Al c tcher
suplemente de mi equipo ideal. Est n tambi n todos los p tcheres: -
Con m?'s de 4000 entradas lanzadas. - Con m?'s de 300 juegos
ganados. - Con m?'s de 3000 ponches recetados. - Con m?'s de 300
juegos salvados. Las siete ligas mayores que han existido.
An honest, end-of-career autobiography from widely adored Harlequins
and England rugby star Danny Care
They say everything happens for a reason, and I think my life is proof
of that. There have been a series of moments, some of them tough
setbacks, that have proved over time to be pivotal to the person – and
player – I am today. There was the time when my dreams of a football
career came to an abrupt end but opened the door for rugby in my life;
the ill-judged sledging outing that may have cost me the opportunity to
go on a Lions tour; the times when my name made the headlines for the
wrong reasons; the choice I made to miss an England tour, which led to
meeting the love of my life on a party island halfway across the world;
and the devastating moment when Eddie Jones dropped me from the England
squad and I thought my international career was over.
I sometimes wondered if it was meant to be but I kept on smiling and I
worked hard as I kept my focus on playing the game that I love, that I
owe everything to. And now, a little older and a little wiser – and
with over 100 England caps, three Six Nations championships and two
Premiership titles to my name, I want to tell you my story. The highs
and lows, the good and the bad and everything in between.
The compelling biography of Novak Djokovic, the greatest male tennis
player of all time - looking at past events, his beliefs and what has
made him one of the most enigmatic and successful sportsmen throughout
history.
No man or woman has won more Grand Slam singles titles than Novak
Djokovic, who took his 24th major at the 2023 US Open. Based on fresh
interviews with people close to Djokovic - including his friends and
mentors, along with his former coaches and his rivals - this is an
in-depth exploration of the psyche of one of the most fascinating and
controversial sporting characters ever. From a bomb shelter in Belgrade
to an immigration detention centre in Melbourne, and everywhere in
between, this book uncovers his relentless pursuit of perfection and
the unconventional beliefs that have propelled him to greatness.
Rage. Forgiveness. Shame. Pride. Love. Searching for Novak examines the
psychological and emotional side of rewriting tennis history.
In this first and only biography on the life and boxing career of
heavyweight boxing contender Joe Jennette, author Joe Botti
chronicles the life and career of this interracial athlete who
competed in the longest boxing contest of the twentieth century.
From 1904 to 1922 Jennette faced and defeated the most dangerous
fighters of his era, including Jack Johnson, Sam Langford, and Sam
McVea. Jennette was unable to secure a title shot due to the fact
that the world was fixated with finding a Caucasian boxer to defeat
Jack Johnson in the "great white hope" era. The story deals with
the struggles of interracial romance, racism, and the world of
boxing in the early twentieth century. Joe Botti is the Founder and
Head Coach of the Union City Boxing Club in Union City, N.J. He
studied at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. A former
amateur boxer, Botti has trained over 30 New Jersey Golden Glove
champions and currently manages and trains professional and amateur
boxers.
This book is a celebration of the life and adventures of Andy
Jackson, Scottish kayaking legend. In December 2004 the kayaking
community was stunned by the premature death of Andy Jackson. "Tall
Stories" collates accounts and photos of the tall man's adventurous
life. As we follow him around the world, Andy's gregarious good
humour comes across at every turn. From his native Scotland to
Nepal, New Zealand and North America on his 'World Tour' and on to
Iceland and Chile, Andy made a friend of everyone he met.Every
first weekend in September, kayakers from around the world gather
at the Wet West Paddlefest to celebrate his life and paddle two of
his favourite rivers. Andy will remain an inspiration for
generations to come.Ron Cameron first encountered Andy Jackson in
Tain, Easter Ross when Andy was 19 and he was 43 and kayaked, skied
and climbed with him regularly until the time of his death,
suffering no significant injuries as a result. He was stupid/smart
enough to rent Andy a house for about six years. Sometimes he
thinks he should have stuck to climbing but paddling and skiing
with Andy was a life enhancing experience.
Steve was born in Ely on 4 May 1960 and lived and worked in the
city for more than 40 years. He played football for Cambridge City,
Kings Lynn, Bury Town, Soham Town Rangers, Ely City, Ely Crusaders
and Ely Park Rangers (plus many other local teams) over four
decades, ending his career on the exact date of his 53rd birthday
in the colours of Littleport Town. In addition to representing the
Civil Service on one occasion, he made more than 50 Lewis Cup
appearances for the Inland Revenue Great Britain & Northern
Ireland team over 17 consecutive seasons and played for the Inland
Revenue Eastern Counties and Cambridge Taxes teams, leading from
the front to help all of those sides to unprecedented successes.
This book recounts his journey from a child to a veteran, and how
that journey impacted on his life.
In 1992, when Michael Rutter was just 20 years old, he followed in
his dad's footsteps and began a career as a professional motorcycle
racer. He has been racing ever since. This is his story of highs
and lows, survival, luck and persistence, set against the raw,
infectious atmosphere of the racing paddock. It is also a story of
growing up with a global superstar for a Father; Tony Rutter. Read
Michael's account of spending his childhood watching his dad's
career - from fighting for world championships to fighting for his
life after a devastating crash in 1985. Undeterred, Michael would
go on to build his own career and forge his own unique path. This
is the remarkable tale of how Michael has stayed competitive for 30
years, and stepped out of his 4-time world champion dads shadow to
add his own name to the list of all time greats of the sport.
Michael has started 431 British Superbike races, 20 World Superbike
races, and 16 MotoGP races while also competing in road racing,
where he has started 90 Isle of Man TT, 83 Northwest 200 and 24
Macau Grand Prix races. The Life of a Racer is a gripping journey
into the mind and life of someone who was born in to the race
paddock and who has been there ever since.
Queens of Pain tells the remarkable and largely unknown tale of
women's cycle racing from the 1890's to the early 1990's. From the
fin-de-siecle velodromes of North America to the glamour and chaos
of the first women's Tour de France, Queens of Pain offers a
sweeping panorama of female racing history. Told through the lives
of the great champions, its heroines include stuntwomen and speed
skaters, young mothers and teenage tearaways, shop assistants and
coal-delivery girls. When prejudice and officialdom denied them one
stage they found another: from six-day track racing to epic place
to place records, from 12-hour time trials to unofficial road
races. The greatly expanded women's racing scene of today is the
direct legacy of these pioneering riders whose stories form an
unbroken thread since the invention of the bicycle.
'One of the greatest mountaineering survival stories never told.' -
The Sunday Times Some mountains are high; some mountains are hard.
Few are both. On the afternoon of 13 July 1977, having become the
first climbers to reach the summit of the Ogre, Doug Scott and
Chris Bonington began their long descent. In the minutes that
followed, any feeling of success from their achievement would be
overwhelmed by the start of a desperate fight for survival. And
things would only get worse. Rising to over 7,000 metres in the
centre of the Karakoram, the Ogre - Baintha Brakk - is notorious in
mountaineering circles as one of the most difficult mountains to
climb. First summited by Scott and Bonington in 1977 - on
expedition with Paul 'Tut' Braithwaite, Nick Estcourt, Clive
Rowland and Mo Anthoine - it waited almost twenty-four years for a
second ascent, and a further eleven years for a third. The Ogre, by
legendary mountaineer Doug Scott, is a two-part biography of this
enigmatic peak: in the first part, Scott has painstakingly
researched the geography and history of the mountain; part two is
the long overdue and very personal account of his and Bonington's
first ascent and their dramatic week-long descent on which Scott
suffered two broken legs and Bonington smashed ribs. Using newly
discovered diaries, letters and audio tapes, it tells of the heroic
and selfless roles played by Clive Rowland and Mo Anthoine. When
the desperate climbers finally made it back to base camp, they were
to find it abandoned - and themselves still a long way from safety.
The Ogre is undoubtedly one of the greatest adventure stories of
all time.
One of the most talked-about and bestselling books of last year,
this is the no-holds-barred autobiography of a sporting legend
driven to the brink of self-destruction The bestseller that has
everyone talking. In this, his first, autobiography, 'Iron' Mike
Tyson pulls no punches and lays bare the story of his remarkable
life and career. Co-written with Larry Sloman, author of Antony
Keidis's best-selling memoir 'Scar Tissue', this is a visceral, and
unputdown-able story of a man born and raised to brutality, who
reached the heights of stardom before falling to crime, substance
abuse and infamy. Full of all the controversy and complexity that
you would expect from a man who delighted as much as he shocked,
this is a book that will surprise and reveals a fascinating
character beneath the exterior of violence. If you think you know
all about Mike Tyson, read this book and think again.
With 363 victories, Warren Spahn is the winningest lefty in
baseball history. Over 21 years, he won 20 or more games 13 times,
was a 17-time All Star, won a Cy Young-award, then, of course, was
elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Spahn was also a war
hero, serving in World War II and awarded the Purple Heart. To say
Spahn lived a storied life is an understatement. In Warren Spahn,
author Lew Freedman tells the story of this incredible lefty. Known
for his supremely high leg kick, Spahn became one of the greatest
pitchers in baseball history. However, the road wasn't as easy as
it would seem. Struggling in his major-league debut at age twenty,
manager Casey Stengel demoted the young left. It would be four
years before Spahn would return to the diamond, as he received a
calling of a different kind--one from his country. Enlisting in the
Army, Spahn would serve with distinction, seeing action in the
Battle of the Bulge and the Ludendorff Bridge, and was awarded a
battlefield commission, along with a Purple Heart. Upon his return
to the game, he would take the league by storm. Spahn dominated for
over two decades, spending twenty years with the Braves (both
Boston and Milwaukee), as well as a season with the New York Mets
and San Francisco Giants. Pitching into his mid-forties, he would
throw two no-hitters at the advanced ages of thirty-nine and forty.
From his early days in Buffalo and young career, through his time
and the military and all the way to the 1948 Braves and "Spahn and
Sain and Pray for Rain," author Lew Freedman leaves no stone
unturned in sharing the incredible life of this pitching icon, who
is still considered the greatest left-handed pitcher to ever play
the game.
Once the opinionated, party-going socialite, complete with
celebrity girlfriends and ridiculous haircuts, Kevin Pietersen has
developed into the biggest crowd pleaser in English cricket, some
would say modern sport. This fascinating and well-researched
biography draws on interviews with Pietersen and those who know him
best, including many of his mentors, team-mates and opponents. As
Pietersen prepares for his biggest challenge yet - leading
England's attempt to regain the Ashes from Australia - this unique
appraisal tells, for the first time, the full story behind
Britain's most exhilarating and successful sportsman.
Riley Gaines has been called many things: Collegiate athlete.
All-American. Champion. But in 2022, everything changed. The narrative
shifted. Now, critics smeared her as: Transphobic. Narrow-minded. Evil.
What changed? Riley gave the truth a voice. She stood up, spoke out,
and dared to ask questions -- not just for herself, but for all female
athletes who refuse to accept an ideology where "inclusivity" for
trans-identifying male athletes now means treating women unfairly.
Riley Gaines is changing minds in the process, and this highly
anticipated, fearless, pro-woman book takes on controversial but
critical questions we must confront about women (and sports) in
America. Can't we embrace policies that give everyone the chance to
compete but still protect women and ensure they have a fair shot at
success?
In Swimming Against the Current: Fighting for Common Sense in a World
That's Lost It's Mind, Riley scrutinizes the perspectives of athletes
on the opposing side of this debate, deconstructing their arguments
with science, facts, and logic. She also asks what has happened to free
speech and dissent in this country, where it now seems nearly
impossible to have a well-reasoned debate. And in telling her story,
Riley reveals what’s at stake if the truth-seekers remain silent about
the injustices women face from radical agendas.
Mountain running ranks up there as one of the toughest sports.
Having the ability and athleticism to race up and down Britain's
highest peaks takes stamina, peak fitness and years of specialised
training. So how did a teenage punk rocker from Yorkshire,
seemingly existing on a diet of cider, parties and loud music,
become the British Champion fell runner? The history of mountain
running is peppered with legendary feats and characters, ultra-hard
men and women who can run seemingly non-stop over our highest and
toughest peaks and skylines. Flicking through the black-and-white
photographs telling the story of these past champions of the sport
you're struck by how wiry, super-fit and disciplined they look.
Then, from nowhere, along comes Gary Devine. A maverick who jogged
onto the scene sporting spiky dyed pink hair and a tatty running
vest, hungover from the previous night's party, smiling and joking
at the start line as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes - before
showing everyone a muddy pair of heels and running off to win. This
is the fascinating story of how an unlikely and eccentric runner
became, against all expectations, the British Champion. It's a tale
that focuses on the races that made up Devine's victorious 1990
season, while opening out to understand how the unruly, fearless
ethos at the heart of punk could chime perfectly with the spirited,
gutsy and dauntless root of mountain running; how the elements of
surprise and daring are central to both. It's a near-perfect
underdog narrative, a drama that traces one boy's life from
ordinary schoolkid to extraordinary winner - all against a backdrop
of alcohol, fights, arrests and extreme guitar noise. Following
Devine from his roots as a punk rock convert to his years racing
alongside the world's elite mountain runners, this is both a tale
of implausible triumph to match that of comic book hero Alf Tupper
and at the same time a compelling narrative of how running - like
life - can be a wonderful and unexpected adventure. "Faster!
Louder! is a great combination of different mad energy - punk and
fell running. I knew nothing about the cult of fell running. Now I
want to know more. The story has a unique take on music and running
as a life force and is also a love letter to the fell running
landscape." Richard Jobson, THe SKIDS "A stirringly evocative,
riveting, hilarious, nostalgic, important book about two opposing
worlds that aren't so different after all." Damian Hall, author and
elite ultra-runner "With the lifestyle Gary led, it's amazing how
the hell he was able to run races - never mind win so many. A bit
of a wayward lad but I'm full of admiration for him - he did it his
way!" Billy Bland, legendary fell runner "A strange, exhilarating
blast of a book, throbbing with energy and sweaty authenticity.
FASTER! LOUDER! celebrates fell-running as it used to be, rough and
untamed, through the story of a maverick hero whose remarkable
athletic triumphs are achieved against a grubby backdrop of brawls
and hangovers, squats and drug-busts, and very loud music." Richard
Askwith, author of 'Feet In The Clouds' "A most enjoyable look at
fell running with a punk soundtrack and attitude. At school I was
the one at the back of the pack sneaking off for a cig. Reading
this book has made me wish it had been different. The challenge and
exhilaration of the love of running in itself; the weather; the
fells and the personal challenge - it all makes for a great read
and I'm happy that Killing Joke may have been along for the ride."
Big Paul Ferguson, Killing Joke
Warren Edward Armstrong Jabali was my hero. In the hearts of his
family and friends across the country, he was a superstar. Known
for his basketball feats at Central High School (1962-1964),
Wichita State University (1964-1968), and in the American
Basketball Association (ABA) 1968-1976, this book presents an
uplifting story of how a man, labeled as "one of the two meanest
men in the ABA," overcame the vilification of his character. By
positively channeling his energy on the educational empowerment of
African American youth, he became an extraordinary role model and
father figure for many in South Florida. Divided into two sections,
the first part of the book is Warren's incomplete manuscript. He
described the wide ranging cultural attitudes, political
environment and social conditions which motivated his actions and
profoundly affected his basketball career. it is supplemented by
newspaper articles and interviews in which he discussed various
controversial topics and elaborated on the skills and legacies of
his contemporaries. The last half is written by the "love of his
life." A very complex and private person, the section illustrates
multiple aspects of his personality which portray an intimate
understanding of him that only someone he cherished could ever
reveal. This narrative validates the strength of his character as
he boldly faced personal challenges. It demonstrates his unwavering
commitment to education as he persevered in his lifelong pursuit
for equality. Additionally, it highlights how benevolent his
interpersonal relationships were as he journeyed along the road
less traveled
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