Before they acquired Babe Ruth or won a single championship, the New York Yankees (nee Highlanders) were a team that inspired the strongest of feelings in baseball circles. Stars such as Jack Chesbro, Hal Chase, and Brooklyner Willie Keeler drew loud followings, and the team made loyal fans of those who disliked the cross-town Giants or Dodgers. Even Ban Johnson prized the franchise, which gave his upstart American League a foothold in the nation's most populous city. Baltimoreans, on the other hand, nurtured an animus toward the team, which only a few years earlier had been called the Orioles. And former Orioles manager John McGraw hatched a plan, along with Giants owner Andrew Freedman, to sabotage the new club. This heavily illustrated volume combines a fully documented history of the deadball-era Yankees with 195 photos of the people, places, and events that figured prominently in the story.

"Deep into the Forest" is the story of Daniel Taylor's quest to track down those legendary figures who defined Nottingham Forest club's history. The book gathers the legends' first-hand accounts about the most exhilarating highs and the most excruciating lows, from the European Cups and Wembley triumphs to the relegations, cup shocks and controversies. It is a must read for any "Forest" fans! EVER SINCE HIS ADDICTION began with a 1-1 draw against Coventry City at the age of seven, "Guardian" sportswriter Daniel Taylor has been both blessed and cursed to be a Nottingham Forest fan. "Deep into the Forest" is the story of his quest to track down those legendary figures who defined the club's history and gather their first-hand accounts about the most exhilarating highs and the most excruciating lows, from the European Cups and Wembley triumphs to the relegations, cup shocks and controversies. In the most colourful book ever written about the club, we learn about the long-running feud between Kenny Burns and Trevor Francis, how Forest were cheated out of a European final by a 'dodgy' referee and how Brian Clough once punched Stuart Pearce in the dressing room. From the 'glory years' Garry Birtles, John Robertson, Viv Anderson and Larry Lloyd recall those magical days when unheralded, unfashionable Forest won the European Cup twice and could rightly claim to be the greatest football team in the world. Nigel Clough lifts the lid on what it was really like being the manager's son, the fiercely secretive Des Walker breaks the habit of a lifetime to offer his own personal insight and Pearce explains why a part of him will always hate Derby County and Liverpool. Add to that the stories of Ian Storey-Moore, Archie Gemmill, John McGovern, Roy Keane and Neil Webb and "Deep into the Forest" is the ultimate read for supporters of a club that has inspired so many emotions.

"Derby's Days" delves deep into the historic rivalry between Derby County and Nottingham Forest, to investigate just why it is so special to everyone involved - from players to managers to supporters. It offers legendary stories, looking back at the greatest clashes between the clubs. Derby County v Nottingham Forest is a rivalry steeped in history, drama, controversy, success, failure, and pretty much anything else football can throw at you. How about recovering from your goalkeeper being sent off after a couple of minutes to win on opposition turf, a double over your rivals on the way to winning your first title while they get relegated, or even beating them in European competition? Then again, it's not always been plain-sailing. Who can forget the two disallowed goals and a missed penalty in stoppage-time, or the publicly-paraded yet ultimately failed signing of the rivals' star player, and that's without even considering the FA Cup final between the two sides? "Derby's Days" delves deep into the rivalry to see just what makes it tick and why it is so special to everyone involved - from players to managers to supporters. And as the title suggests it's a look at all things great and good from a black and white perspective, celebrating the history of this most anticipated of fixtures and looking back in great detail over many of the Rams' greatest moments against their foes from along Brian Clough Way.

In "United - The Busby Era", Mike Prestage talks to players from each of the three great sides, and tells the story of the 25 years which established Manchester United for ever as the world's greatest club. Without the Busby influence it is doubtful whether United would today enjoy such dominance in world football. When Manchester United's directors appointed Matt Busby manager in 1945 they made probably the most significant decision in the club's history, Busby inherited a club with no home - Old Trafford had been badly damaged by German bombs during the war and United were playing their home games at Maine Road - but the former Scottish international wing-half began to rebuild from the ashes. He moulded his first great team under the captaincy of Johnny Carey, and they went on to win the FA Cup in 1948, in a Final of breathtaking entertainment. In 1952, his side, now containing the first flowerings of the 'Busby Babes', lifted the League championship for the first time in 41 years. In his first six years in charge, United never finished lower than fourth in the top flight. Then fresh talent began to emerge and with Roger Byrne as his captain, Busby took the club to consecutive League titles in 1956 and 1957, in the second of those years coming close to becoming the first modern manager to steer a team to the League and Cup double. By then his quest for European glory had begun as United were now one of the best sides in the world. The European dream was shattered at Munich where many of his young players died, including the England trio of Byrne, Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor. Busby himself fought a courageous battle against severe injuries and eventually, with assistant Jimmy Murphy - his first 'signing' in 1945 - assembled another great team. The FA Cup was won again in 1963 and the Championship in 1965 and again in 1967. Then the stage was set for the greatest triumph - the winning of the European Cup in 1968. It was the crowning glory for Busby and for players like George Best and Bobby Charlton.

"Olympic Obsession" brings to life the personalities behind British rowing's incredible success story at the Sydney Games. Set to a compelling narrative, the book unfolds against the story of Martin Cross, himself an Olympic champion, turned BBC commentator. Cross' unique relationship with the sport over the last 30 years allows him to take us under the skin of the likes of Sir Steven Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, and Miriam Batten. What is Redgrave really like to be with? Cross, Pinsent and a resentful Andy Holmes have their say. Why was Foster the only one who seemed to smile during the BBC's fly-on-the-wall "Tales of Gold" documentary? How was it that the British eight's gold medal depended on a man given only a few months to live in March 1997? Cross answers all these questions and many more, through a fascinating story that begins over 25 years ago. With a foreword written by BBC Radio Five Live's controversial commentator Alan Green, "Olympic Obsession" will appeal to all sports lovers, as Cross takes us from the 'highs' of winning Olympic gold, through the depths of personal failure, to giving a flavour of the heady brew that results when sport and politics are mixed at the highest levels. But the Inside Story of Britain's Most Successful Sport is much more than just 'another book on sport'. The intensity, passion and depth of the many relationships sensitively described here by Cross will sound a powerful note in any reader's heart. As you turn the pages, take care: you may find the inspiration in this book infectious.

When Babe Ruth left the New York Yankees in 1935, some feared that the loss would cripple the club for years. However, the post-Ruth era Yankees continued to dominate until the start of World War II. Their forward-thinking administrative staff signed and developed top-flight talent like Joe DiMaggio and retained superstars like Lou Gehrig, who remained the greatest first baseman in the game until he succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This history of Yankees from 1936 to World War II details the team's swift recovery from losing Ruth, reintroduces unheralded players, examines the personal styles of the key men, and chronicles the team's remarkable achievements, including winning six American League pennants in eight years and five World Series, a time triumph and tragedy, of characters colorful and sorrowful.

Nottingham Forest On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's rollercoaster history, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable Forest diary - with an entry for every day of the year. From the early days of gentlemen hoofing "the leather" about on the Forest Recreation Ground, the club went on twice to become European champions under the irrepressible Clough and Taylor. Along the way, the Reds faithful have witnessed FA and League Cup final triumphs, hard-fought derby matches, and their club finishing bottom of the entire Football League - all featured here. All-time greats including Bob McKinlay, Trevor Francis, Grenville Morris, Nigel Clough and Peter Shilton loom large - while fans will yearn to discover who won the club's inaugural Players' Darts Tournament, and which goalie conceded 15 goals in a Reds career totalling just three appearances.

The history of Major League doubleheaders is presented in this volume, beginning with their inception as a way to make up missed games, to their current decline as a result of changes in society. The role of the doubleheader as a celebration of holidays and as a Sunday event is explained, as well as its crucial role in enabling Major League Baseball to survive as an economic entity during the Great Depression and World War II.

This chronicle of a year in the life of St Joseph's Doora-Barefield GAA club in Co. Clare - which won the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year award for 2010 - breaks new ground in Irish sportswriting. Christy O'Connor, a national GAA correspondent who has also been the St Joseph's senior team goalkeeper for 20 years, tells this story with unflinching honesty: a fly-on-the-wall tale of the effort, agony and struggles that define the journey undertaken every season by every club side. This is grassroots GAA at its purest and rawest, a great story brilliantly told.

Yorkshire County Cricket Club is by far the most successful county cricket club in history. Since the County Championship was constituted in 1890, Yorkshire has, in addition to one shared Championship, won it outright on 30 occasions and Yorkshire cricket supporters take great pride in the county's cricketing history. As well as the club's successes, there have been 42 Yorkshire players chosen as Wisden Cricketers of the Year. Many have been world-class cricketers such as Wilfred Rhodes, Len Hutton, Fred Trueman and Geoffrey Boycott, with distinguished England careers. Many thousands of Wisden pages have been filled with Yorkshire cricket, Yorkshire cricketers and Tests in Yorkshire. Wisden on Yorkshire is a fascinating journey mixing great matches, personalities, feats, controversies and unusual occurrences. Presenting the best Yorkshire info from the Almanack archives, Wisden on Yorkshire includes: Focus on the iconic Yorkshire players, such as Truman and Boycott Cricketers of the Year and Obituaries The County's history, highlighting significant years and extracts from reviews of those years Fascinating stories of both the highs and lows in the club's history colour plate section containing superb classic images Detailed records, match reports and scorecards

In the 1973/74 season, Bristol Rovers clinched promotion to the old 'Second Division' in one of the club's most memorable campaigns. Thanks largely to the prolific goalscoring partnership between Bruce Bannister and Alan Warboys, dubbed 'Smash and Grab' by the national press, and a superb team spirit, manager Don Megson's side went unbeaten for thirty-two games, setting a new club record. This is the story of that remarkable season, featuring many previously unpublished photographs, statistics and reports of every match. It also includes biographies of the full squad and interviews with all the players involved. Also included is a chapter on Rovers' only major cup success, the Watney Cup victory in 1972, plus their two successful League Cup runs which led them to quarter-final glory in the early 1970s. Anyone who witnessed this exciting period in the club's history will enjoy reliving some of the magic through the memories and images collected here, while all those fans who are too young to remember it for themselves can also gain some idea of just what made this season so special.

The Butler Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA National Championship basketball game against Duke University upon defeating Michigan State on April 3, 2010. With only 4,500 students, Butler was the smallest school to play for a national championship since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Coached by Brad Stevens just three years into his position as head basketball coach the undefeated Bulldogs were a hometown team, playing before a hometown crowd on the national stage. Two days later, Butler lost narrowly to Duke, 61 59, but their run for the championship had become a national phenomenon. From her vantage point as a Butler professor, acclaimed writer Susan Neville observed (and participated in) Hoosier Hysteria firsthand. In Butler's Big Dance, she intertwines her recollections of the events with interviews, anecdotes, and photographs to bring readers a taste of the on-campus and courtside excitement of the Bulldogs David-and-Goliath bid for the national title."

"There Is A Bonny Fitba Team" is the story of one fan's journey as he follows Hibernian FC through the highs and lows of fifty years on the Hibee highway. The story starts in April 1958 when eleven-year-old Ted Brack left Hampden in tears after Hibs had lost the Scottish Cup Final. Between that day and watching Hibs win the CIS Cup nearly fifty years later, Ted Brack has been to over 1,000 games and has dedicated a major part of his life to the club. During that time he got to know many of the club's legendary players, its officials and supporters and was a regular contributor to the Hibs fanzine. "There Is A Bonny Fitba Team" is a funny, affectionate and honest account of the trials and tribulations of a devoted Hibs fan as well as a history of the club over the last fifty years and a must-read book for all the fans who have lived through good times and bad with Hibernian FC.

This ambitious study of major league managers through the entire history of baseball since the formation of the National League applies a sabermetric approach to gauging the performance and tendencies of such men as Connie Mack, John McGraw, Tommy Lasorda and scores of others. Rather than focusing solely on in-game tactical decisions, it also analyzes broader, off-the-field management issues such as handling players, fans, and media, enforcing team rules, working with the front office, and balancing pressure versus performance to develop a fuller appraisal of each manager's effectiveness and stature among his peers.

Over the years, the mobs of Preston North End have fronted up to infamous football firms such as the Chelsea Headhunters, the Birmingham City Zulus and the Leeds Service Crew, to name just a few. Although the Preston lads were often lacking in big numbers, they were always prepared to stand their ground and have a go, knowing that it was quality, not quantity that would count when standing toe to toe with their rivals. In this brutally honest book, staunch PNE fan Bill Routledge recalls the days when the dawn of Saturdays signalled a rush of adrenalin and a wave of anticipation; a time for the lads to put aside the worries of the working week and experience the buzz of mayhem on the terraces. He describes a time when music and fashion were vital to the identity of the firms, as well as examining the history of violence at Preston North End, the roots of the different factions and how they got their names. Together with other faces from the PNE firms, he details hair-raising tales of violent clashes with other mobs, as well as the fans' misdemeanours on foreign soil. This fascinating insight into life on the frontline is as shocking as it is exciting - but it's not short of laughs either. It is a truthful account of the highs and lows of being a devoted, passionate football fan waiting for glory.

Organized in 1845, the New York Knickerbockers were the first fully organized base ball club to play the game with written rules similar to those used today. While the Knickerbockers did not invent the game, they played an unparalleled role in stabilizing the playing rules and maintaining standards of conduct in a way that fostered the astonishing proliferation of players and clubs which helped to shape the early development of baseball. Based on years of research and told in the style of oral history, this fictional work features all the principal figures from the Knickerbocker club, including Doc Adams, James Whyte Davis, Alexander Cartwright, William Wheaton, and, Duncan Curry.

A comprehensive history of the oldest surviving rugby club in Bristol. Founded in 1872 by Masters and former pupils of Clifton College, its roots go back to Rugby School itself. This all started with www.cliftonrfchistory.co.uk which has now become the largest rugby club history website in the world.

Man City: 50 Classic Matches brings together, for the first time, all the Blues' finest hours. Revel in the glory and relive some of the best moments from the early twentieth century right up to today. Featuring detailed reports sourced from news clippings of the day, complete with teams, attendance and other statistical data and interspersed with players' quotes, this book is an entertaining read and attractive to City fans of all ages. From the first game ever played at Maine Road in 1923, to the last in 2003, and from belters at the City of Manchester Stadium to Wembley classics, relegation deciders and thrilling derbies against bitter rivals Manchester United, this book has all the drama you could ever want, and more if you can bear it. Encapsulating City's reputation for doing things the hard way, this book has a generous smattering of gallows humour and ten mini-entries of 'games to forget'. All in all, a unique and entertaining read.

Huddersfield's importance to the game of Rugby League is immeasurable. Prior to the formation of the Northern Union in 1895, Huddersfield Cricket and Athletic Club had an active and ever-honourable life of thirty years or so.Then came the glorious era of the 1914/15 'Team of All Talents' as the Fartowners captured 'All Four Cups', the combination of unrivalled individualism enabling the Claret and Gold to sweep all before them. Other successes were enjoyed in the 1920s, '30s and '40s, with major trophies collected post-war until the early 1960s, although the club did secure divisional titles and promotions through into the 1990s. Success for a rugby club such as Huddersfield comes in many guises, it is not only cups, nor leagues won, or international caps gained - although these things are vitally important - it is a reputation for sportsmanship on or off the field, despite the trials and tribulations that come along. This book represents a pictorial journey of a great rugby league club through to the Super League era and Huddersfield's return to top-flight rugby league.

I n 1945 the most famous curse in sports was placed on the Chicago Cubs when Bill Sianis and his goat were ejected from Wrigley Field. Though Sianis purchased two tickets for the fourth game of the World Series against Detroit, the goat's stench led to the pair's ouster. The indignant Sianis allegedly cursed the Cubs, promising that they'd never again play in the World Series at Wrigley Field.

More than six decades later, the team has yet to win a pennant. There were years when fortune seemed to pluck defeat from the wings of sure victory. The book focuses on the attitudes of players and fans, as well as attempts to exorcise the curse. It features photographs and interviews of former Cub players, as well as a foreword by Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks.

When the 1949-1953 New York Yankees won an astounding five consecutive World Series, they did it without the offensive firepower that characterized so many of their championship teams before and after. The franchise came to rely instead on three aging pitchers, an unlikely trio that won 255 games during the five-year championship run.This book focuses on the close relationship and quiet achievement of Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi and Eddie Lopat. Soon after Robinson and the cross-town Dodgers had publicly confronted the issues of race and ethnicity, these men from very different backgrounds - Creek Indian, Italian and Polish - established a deep communion with each other, became lifelong friends, and over a handful of years re-wrote baseball history.This entry refers to the Large Print edition.

With a line-up that included future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Pete Rose, the "Big Red Machine" powered its way to six division titles, four pennants, and two World Series, all in the 1970s. Three other times in that decade they finished second in their division to the eventual pennant winner.

While much has been written about the players and manager Sparky Anderson, no book until now has given adequate attention to the man behind the Machine, general manager Bob Howsam. From his hire in 1967 through the end of his first stint with the Reds in 1978, Howsam brought about a remarkable change in fortune for the Reds, who had claimed only one pennant in the 26 years before his arrival. This detailed history of baseball's last dynasty shows not only how the team performed but why, delving into the off-field strategy and moves behind the Reds' success.

This work, which picks up where the author's previous book, ""The Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s"" (McFarland, 2005), left off, covers the Dodgers' final eight years in Brooklyn. Chapters carry the reader from the 1951 playoffs, when a late season collapse and Thomson's ""Shot Heard Round the World"" dealt Brooklyn a heartbreaking blow, through the 1955 World Series title, and finally to Walter O'Malley's controversial decision to move the team to Los Angeles. The author covers each season in-depth and assesses popular perceptions of the Dodgers, their players and owners, and considers O'Malley's culpability in the team's departure, which ended a string of 74 years in which Brooklyn had major league baseball.

Nothing evokes the glory days of Negro Leagues baseball like the name of star pitcher Satchel Paige. This collection of essays and papers based on the 9th Annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference focuses on Paige and on the Kansas City Monarchs, the team he led to the Negro Leagues World Series in 1942 and 1946. Essays discuss such topics as the people Paige encountered in his career; Paige's effect on the Jim Crow era; and Paige in myth and reality - do we gain or lose by separating the two? Also considered is how the image of the Negro League was shaped in its day by newspaper coverage, and later in the popular film ""Bingo Long and the Traveling All-Stars"". A biography of Paige, highlights of his career, and a history of the Monarchs are all included, along with Kansas City rosters and other team information.