No ground in the world can compete with the Oval's illustrious sporting history. Not just the scene of some of cricket's greatest moments -- from the birth of the Ashes to Fred Trueman's 300th wicket -- the Oval also hosted the first-ever football and rugby internationals in England, and the first-ever FA Cup Final. This stunning 240 page coffee table book reflects back on the rich history that has unfolded under the shadow of the world's most famous Gasometer -- from Don Bradman's farewell innings to the rock concert by The Who. Meticulously researched and featuring some of the best sports photographs ever taken, Oval Reflections is a fitting tribute to the past, present and future of 'the people's ground'.

'Simply magnificent.' Mail on Sunday A massive audience in sitting-rooms, parks and pubs watched England in the 2018 World Cup. Yet as Duncan Hamilton demonstrates with style, insight and wit in Going to the Match, watching on TV is no substitute for being there. Hamilton embarks on a richly entertaining, exquisitely crafted journey through football. Glory game or grass roots, England v Slovenia or Guiseley v Hartlepool, he delves beneath the action to illuminate the stories which make the sport endlessly compelling. Along the way he marvels at present-day titans Harry Kane, Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Pogba, reflects on sepia-tinted magicians Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton and Pele, and assesses managerial giants from Brian Clough and Jose Mourinho to Arsene Wenger and Gareth Southgate. The odyssey takes Hamilton from Fleetwood to Berlin, via Glasgow and a Manchester derby, making detours into art, cinema, literature and politics as he explores the game's ever-changing culture and character. The result, like the L.S. Lowry painting that inspired the book, is a football masterpiece.

The hysterical story bestseller about one man's epic Celtic sojourn in search of ancestors, nostalgia, and the world's greatest round of golf
By turns hilarious and poetic, "A Course Called Ireland" is a magnificent tour of a vibrant land and paean to the world's greatest game in the tradition of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods." In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom Coyne was familiar with the last refuge of the adult male: the golfing trip. Intent on designing a golf trip to end all others, Coyne looked to Ireland, the place where his father has taught him to love the game years before. As he studied a map of the island and plotted his itinerary, it dawn on Coyne that Ireland was ringed with golf holes. The country began to look like one giant round of golf, so Coyne packed up his clubs and set off to play all of it-on foot.
"A Course Called Ireland" is the story of a walking-averse golfer who treks his way around an entire country, spending sixteen weeks playing every seaside hole in Ireland. Along the way, he searches out his family's roots, discovers that a once-poor country has been transformed by an economic boom, and finds that the only thing tougher to escape than Irish sand traps are Irish pubs.

Across the nation, stadiums and sports centers are a vital aspect of urban redevelopment. How do these projects affect the communities near the new facilities? Focusing on the controversies surrounding three major Chicago projects-the United Center, Comiskey Park, and lighting Wrigley Field-It's Hardly Sportin' suggests fresh ways for cities to coordinate the expansion of sports facilities with neighborhood life. Shared interest in the home team's triumphs and tragedies can unify a city. But when disputes arise over new and improved sports stadiums, who wins and who loses at the neighborhood level? Using Chicago as a case study, Spirou and Bennett show what happens to neighborhoods when cities use sports as a strategy for revitalization. They argue that stadiums serve as effective tools for urban revitalization only if community organizations and local conditions are closely involved in the planning process. Offering provocative insights into the challenges of contemporary urban economic development, It's Hardly Sportin' calls attention to the crucial role of sports centers in American culture.

In spring 1914, a new ballpark opened in Chicago. Hastily constructed after epic political maneuvering around Chicago's and organized baseball's hierarchies, the new Weeghman Park (named after its builder, fast-food magnate Charley Weeghman) was home to the Federal League's Chicago Whales. The park would soon be known as Wrigley Field, one of the most emblematic and controversial baseball stadiums in America.
In" Wrigley Field: The Long Life and Contentious Times of the Friendly Confines, "Stuart Shea provides a detailed and fascinating chronicle of this living historic landmark. The colorful history revealed in "Wrigley Field "shows how the stadium has evolved through the years to meet the shifting priorities of its owners and changing demands of its fans. While Wrigley Field today seems irreplaceable, we learn that from game one it has been the subject of endless debates over its future, its design, and its place in the neighborhood it calls home. To some, it is a hallowed piece of baseball history; to others, an icon of mismanagement and ineptitude. Shea deftly navigates the highs and lows, breaking through myths and rumors. And with another transformation imminent, he brings readers up to date on negotiations, giving much-needed historical context to the maneuvering.
"Wrigley Field" is packed with facts, stories, and surprises that will captivate even the most fair-weather fan. From dollar signs (the Ricketts family paid $900 million for the team and stadium in 2009), to exploding hot dog carts (the Cubs lost that game 6-5), to the name of Billy Sianis's curse-inducing goat (Sonovia), Shea uncovers the heart of the stadium's history. As the park celebrates its centennial, Wrigley Field continues to prove that its colorful and dramatic history is more interesting than any of its mythology.

What can possibly account for the strange state of affairs in professional sports today? There are billionaire owners and millionaire players, but both groups are constantly squabbling over money. Many pro teams appear to be virtual "cash machines," generating astronomical annual revenues, but their owners seem willing to uproot them and move to any city willing to promise increased profits. At the same time, mayors continue to cook up "sweetheart deals" that lavish benefits on wealthy teams while imposing crushing financial hardships on cities that are already strapped with debt. To fans today, professional sports teams often look more like professional extortionists.

In "Hard Ball, " James Quirk and Rodney Fort take on a daunting challenge: explaining exactly how things have gotten to this point and proposing a way out. Both authors are professional economists who specialize in the economics of sports. Their previous book, "Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports, " is widely acknowledged as the Bible of sports economics. Here, however, they are writing for sports fans who are trying to make sense out of the perplexing world of pro team sports. It is not money, in itself, that is the cause of today's problems, they assert. In fact, the real problem stems from one simple fact: pro sports are monopolies that are fully sanctioned by the U.S. government. Eliminate the monopolies, say Quirk and Fort, and all problems can be solved. If the monopolies are allowed to persist, so will today's woes.

The authors discuss all four major pro team sports: baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. "Hard Ball" is filled with anecdotes, case studies, and factual information that are brought together here for the first time. Quirk and Fort devote chapters to the main protagonists in the pro sports saga--media, unions, players, owners, politicians, and leagues--before they offer their own prescription for correcting the ills that afflict sports today. The result is an engaging and persuasive book that is sure to be widely read, cited, and debated. It is essential reading for every fan.

It used to be said that whenever a football (UK) manager needed a goal scorer, all he had to do was travel to the North East of England, call down a mineshaft and up would pop a centre forward. But while the careers of Alan Shearer, Raich Carter, Bobby Robson, Brian Clough and Jackie Milburn all attest to the famous description of the North East as 'the hotbed of football', the region's miners and shipbuilders were just as likely to be formidable boxers, rowers, runners, cricketers or pigeon-racers. In Played on Tyne and Wear, the 16th book in English Heritage's groundbreaking Played in Britain series, architectural historian Lynn Pearson guides the reader on an intimate tour of the area's sporting treasures, from the site of the celebrated Blaydon Races in Newcastle to a cockfighting pit in Tynemouth, and from the cantilevered heights of Sunderland's Stadium of Light to the homespun delights of Britain's only listed pigeon cree in Ryhope. On Newcastle's Town Moor - one of the great open spaces of urban Britain - Pearson traces the path of the Toon's old racecourse and the haunts of strong-armed pot-share bowlers (whose mathces drew tens of thousands of gamblers in the 19th century), while an echo from the other side of the Moor recalls the smoky clamour of the 5,000 capacity St James' Hall, where the likes of 'Seaman' Tommy Watson and Jack Casey 'the Sunderland Assassin' drew massive crowds between the wars. The River Tyne itself has witnessed many an epic rowing battle, not least featuring the legendary oarsman Harry Clasper, whose funeral drew an estimated 100,000 to the streets in 1870. More recently the likes of Brendan Foster and Steve Cram have continued the North East's reputation for great athletes and for great events, such as the Great North Run and the now annual Gateshead Grand Prix. Lesser known gems from the Victorian era include the Ashbrooke sports ground in Sunderland, a real tennis court at Jesmnd, and a handball wall in Wallsend, while the region is dotted with charming bowls and tennis pavilions, golf courses and cricket grounds. Profusely illustrated with archive images, specially commissioned contemporary photography and detailed mapping, Pearson's study may not get Geordies and Mackems to bury the past, but it shows they have sporting heritage aplenty to share as neighbours.

Combines the business acumen of Ernst & Young with the inside knowledge of renowned sports writer, Skip Rozin, for a unique behind-the-scenes look at how sports have evolved from games to big business. Explains the business reasons behind why popular players are traded, why teams move from cities full of loyal fans, the importance of TV in sports and the real value of advertising to sports teams. Features interviews with sports enterprise figures including Victor Kiam, Jerry Jones and Red Auerbach.

Wimbledon has long stood at the pinnacle of British and world tennis. But, as Kevin Jefferys shows in this ground-breaking new study, Britain has a rich history of international standard play beyond SW19, in top-level tournaments and Davis Cup competitions at iconic venues such as Queen's Club, Eastbourne and Edgbaston. The book traces the fluctuating fortunes of a dozen or so tournaments that have brought the world's finest players to English shores during the 140-year history of lawn tennis. Taking a tour around different regions of the country, the author sheds fresh light on the best-known events and on largely forgotten but once high-profile tournaments held in Bristol, Torquay and Scarborough. Both a record and a celebration of England's tennis heritage, the book is packed with stories about memorable players and matches, full results for singles finals and anecdotes about quirky or controversial incidents, ranging from the courtside fire that halted a tournament final to the anti-apartheid protests that disrupted a Davis Cup tie.

Generations after its demise, Ebbets Field remains the single most colorful and enduring image of a baseball park, with a treasured niche in the game's legacy and the American imagination. In this lively story of sports, politics, and the talented, hilarious, and charming characters associated with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Bob McGee chronicles the ballpark's vibrant history from the drawing board to the wrecking ball, beginning with Charley Ebbets and the heralded opening in 1913, on through the eras that followed. McGee weaves a story about how Ebbets Field's architectural details, notable flaws, and striking facade brought Brooklyn and its team together in ways that allowed each to define the other. Drawing on original interviews and letters, as well as published and archival sources, ""The Greatest Ballpark Ever"" explores the struggle of Charley Ebbets to build Ebbets Field, the days of Wilbert Robinson's early pennant winners, the ears of the Daffiness Boys, Larry MacPhail, and Branch Rickey, the tumultuous field leadership of Leo the Lip, the fiery triumph of Jackie Robinson, the golden days of the Boys of Summer, and Walter O'Malley's ignominious departure. With humor and passion, ""The Greatest Ballpark Ever"" lets readers relive a day in the raucous ballpark with its quirky angles and its bent right-field wall, with the characters and events that have become part of the nation's folklore.

This is the definitive, unique account of the disaster in which 96 men, women and children were killed, hundreds injured and thousands traumatised. It details the appalling treatment endured by the bereaved and survivors in the immediate aftermath, the inhumanity of the identification process and the vilification of fans in the national and international media. In 2012, Phil Scraton was primary author of the ground-breaking report published by the Hillsborough Independent Panel following its new research into thousands of documents disclosed by all agencies involved. Against a backdrop of almost three decades of persistent struggle by bereaved families and survivors, in this new edition he reflects on the Panel's in-depth work, its revelatory findings and their unprecedented impact - an unreserved apology from the Prime Minister; new criminal investigations; the Independent Police Complaints Commission's largest-ever inquiry; the quashing of 96 inquest verdicts; a review of all health and pathology policies. Paving the way for truth recovery and institutional accountability in other controversial cases, he details the process and considers the impact of the longest ever inquests, from the preliminary hearings to their comprehensive, devastating verdicts. Powerful, disturbing and harrowing, Hillsborough: The Truth exposes the institutional complacency that led to the unlawful killing of the 96, revealing how the interests of ordinary people are marginalised when those in authority sacrifice truth and accountability to protect their reputations.

Stories from on and off the pitch by two legendary Welsh Rugby World Cup referees. -- Welsh Books Council

**THE ONLY DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST RACE - FULL OF EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH NIKI LAUDA, ROSS BRAWN, DAMON HILL, DAVID COULTHARD, SIR JACKIE STEWART, OLIVER PANIS AND 2016 WORLD CHAMPION NICO ROSBERG** Circuit de Monaco. Monte Carlo. The ultimate race in the Formula One calendar. When you think of Formula One, you think of Monaco. Once a year, yachts jam the harbour, celebrities fill the stands and luxury sports cars litter the streets as of thousands of people gather from across the world to watch the greatest, and one of the oldest, races in motorsport. Monaco is glamorous, prestigious and seductive. But for the drivers, it is the most demanding race of the year. The narrow streets, tight corners and sharp elevations make it the ultimate test of driving skill. It is physically draining and mentally exhausting. Proposed today, the race would not exist but it remains the jewel in the crown for every Formula One driver. There is simply no other race like it. Win at Monaco and your name is etched in history. You will join the likes of Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. With exclusive interviews and insight from drivers and a wealth of F1 insiders, award-winning sportswriter Malcolm Folley goes behind the scenes to discover what it's really like to drive and live and breathe this iconic circuit. He reveals along the way a unique and definitive portrait of the circuit, and recreates in thrilling detail its most extraordinary weekend, when only three cars finished.

'Hillsborough will be remembered as one of the biggest injustices of the twentieth century, because those who were there to protect the public turned against them in their hour of need. The power of print media was at its absolute peak at that time, before the internet and mobile phones, so they had huge power but no accountability as we found out with Hillsborough. It was a one-way street. The media basically set opinion.' Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary Hillsborough used to be known simply as a suburb of Sheffield and the home of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. After Saturday 15 April 1989, the meaning of the word changed forever for an entire generation and the date remembered as the worst sporting disaster in British history. Many thousands of men, women and children set off to support Liverpool in the semi-final of the FA Cup with hope in their hearts but, tragically, 96 never came home. A human crush on the Leppings Lane terraces ended the lives of those 96, injured hundreds of others and traumatised thousands more. Documenting eyewitness accounts from before, during and after the disaster, with statements from the bereaved families and fans of other clubs, and a foreword by Margaret Aspinall, Chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, The Hillsborough Disaster: In Their Own Words is the story of those whose lives changed forever on that bright, sunny day in Sheffield. This book is their truth.

Described by famed baseball scribe Roger Angell as looking like "a festive prison yard" during the 1962 World Series, Candlestick was loved and hated by sports teams and fans alike for its 43 years of existence. Built on a landfill above a garbage dump in a city rocked by an 8.6 earthquake only 54 years earlier, it was notorious for the tornadic winds that came off the bay, probably costing Willie Mays at least 100 career home runs. The fogs that rolled in looked like something God sent to pass over His Chosen people. And of course, there was the famous 1989 World Series earthquake that postponed the opening game for 10 days. But it was also home to the greatest run of sustained excellence in pro football history: the 1981-1994 49ers, as well as the exploits of baseball stars such as Mays and Juan Marichal.

West Ham's final season at the Boleyn Ground was always going to be memorable. It featured a new manager in Slaven Bilic, the arrival of a French magician called Dimitri Payet and away wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City - not to mention an unexpected tilt at the top four and an epic last game at the Boleyn against Man United.But a new beginning is around the corner and, as he and his fellow Hammers prepare to swap the gritty East End streets of E13 for the shiny shopping centres of Stratford, lifelong supporter Pete May reflects on the special place the Boleyn Ground has occupied in the hearts of generations of Irons fans.Whether it's the infamous chants of the Bobby Moore Stand, the pre-match fry-ups at Ken's Cafe or the joys of sticky carpets, rubbish ale and blokes singing on pool tables in the pubs around Upton Park, Pete's memories are sure to resonate with legions of the claret-and-blue army as they say farewell to the Boleyn and enter a new era at the London Stadium.

Over the years, I have seen more than a thousand football matches at locations across Britain and Europe, from grounds that were little more than park pitches to some of the world's best stadia. This volume details my initial visit to the second hundred of these grounds, with background information about the home club in each case. The visits cover the period from late 1999 to 2001, as I completed the ninety-two in England and the forty-two in Scotland.

The "Indy 500" is the most exciting auto race, on the most famous track, before the largest in-attendance audience for any sporting event ever in history. Every driver wants to win this event, assuring him or her fame forever and probably a huge amount of money as well. Drivers at Indy seem willing to take that "extra chance" to win, such as Rick Mears did in his chapter in this book by going high into even more danger instead of the low, less risky line on the track. The author has driven on the track at the Speedway in a race car, and has covered the race more than forty times as a reporter. The 500 is, he admits, one of his favorite topics about which to write in his over 200 book career, and he has written several books on this subject. He always looks forward to it every year on Memorial Day, either at the track or on television. He advises that everyone should see this great race in person at least one time, but that it is possible you can see more of the event on television.

Over the years, I have seen more than a thousand football matches at locations across Britain and Europe, from grounds that were little more than park pitches to some of the world's best stadia. This volume details my initial visit to the first hundred of these grounds, with background information about the home club in each case. The visits cover the period from the early 1960s to almost the turn of the Millennium, as I have relished being a spectator at the wonderful game.

Though the players make the highlight reels, for fans of Major League Baseball the actual ballparks are often the seat of affection and team loyalty. Players come and go, get traded, retire, but the parks remain for decades. This work recounts the histories of the classic parks, those that were built between 1909 and 1923, and the last games that were played in them when their teams finally moved on.

"Field of Schemes" is a play-by-play account of how the drive for new sports stadiums and arenas drains $2 billion a year from public treasuries for the sake of private profit. While the millionaires who own sports franchises have seen the value of their assets soar under this scheme, taxpayers, urban residents, and sports fans have all come out losers, forced to pay both higher taxes and higher ticket prices for seats that, thanks to the layers of luxury seating that typify new stadiums, usually offer a worse view of the action. The stories in "Field of Schemes," from Baltimore to Cleveland and Minneapolis to Seattle and dozens of places in between, tell of the sports-team owners who use their money and their political muscle to get their way, and of the stories of spirited local groups--like Detroit's Tiger Stadium Fan Club and Boston's Save Fenway Park!--that have fought to save the games we love and the public dollars our cities need. This revised and expanded edition features the first comprehensive reporting on the recent stadium battles in Washington DC, New York City, and Boston as well as updates on how cities have fared with the first wave of new stadiums built in recent years.

'The Grounds of Manchester City' concentrates on all eight of the club's homes since its formation as St Marks (West Gorton) in 1880. It contains many previously unpublished photographs, along with maps, plans of venues, and attendance records. The concise format details each ground and explains how the club has progressed to play at one of the worlds finest club stadia. 'The Grounds of Manchester City' is for supporters of all ages who have a place in their heart for this very special football club.

¡AHORA EN ESPAÑOL! Traducido de la versión inglés que era un bestseller, este recurso único provee información práctica y al día sobre todos aspectos del manejo diario de cursos de golf. Presentado en un formato que es fácil de usar, este libro esencial abarca tales temas como la mantención y manejo de greens y trampas de arena, topeado y aireación, químicos y fertilizántes, manejo de equipo de mantención, riego, y mucho más. Los autores han presentado conferencias alrededor del mundo, y ahora comparten su sabiduría valiosa con usted.

NOW IN SPANISH–Translated from the bestselling English edition, this one-of-a-kind resource provides practical, up-to-date information on every aspect of the day-to-day maintenance operations for golf courses. In an easy-to-follow format, this essential book covers such topics as greens maintenance and management, sand bunker care, topdressing and aeration, chemicals and fertilizers, equipment management, irrigation and water management, and much more. The authors have given seminars all over the world, and now they pass on their considerable expertise to you.

A vivid history of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium and how it helped transform Los Angeles When Walter O'Malley moved his Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1957 with plans to construct a new ballpark, he ignited a bitter half-decade dispute over the future of a rapidly changing city. For the first time, City of Dreams tells the full story of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium and how it helped create modern Los Angeles. In a vivid narrative, Jerald Podair tells how the city was convulsed over whether, where, and how to build the stadium. Eventually, it was built on publicly owned land from which the city had uprooted a Mexican American community, raising questions about the relationship between private profit and "public purpose." Indeed, the battle over Dodger Stadium crystallized issues with profound implications for all American cities. Filled with colorful stories, City of Dreams will fascinate anyone who is interested in the history of the Dodgers, baseball, Los Angeles, and the modern American city.