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How to Really Stink at Golf
by Jeff Foxworthy Brian HarttAs a longtime golfer, Jeff Foxworthy has learned something important about the grand auld game: It’s not who has the highest score, it’s who has the least fun playing it. And now, in his hilarious primer How to Really Stink at Golf, Foxworthy shares his invaluable tips for a lifetime of horrible drives and putts. • Get into the right frame of mind to play truly awful golf. Food poisoning or a killer hangover might be just the ticket to a robust three-digit score. • Try to get to the course promptly at tee time to avoid the hassle of warming up: “You’re only gonna hit five good shots in the course of the day; why waste even one on the driving range?” • The surefire way to screw up a great drive? As you walk to the tee, keep telling yourself, “Don’t screw up your drive. ” If bad golf’s your goal, stress is your best friend. • Avoid fun. “Fun = relaxed = low scores . . . and that’s something we want to avoid at all cost. If you have a good hole, shake it off. ” • Perhaps the most important element: Embrace the fact that you do stink at golf. Cheating. Cursing. Avoiding fairways. Reckless cart driving. How to Really Stink at Golf covers it all, from selecting the correct putter to use on a 385-yard drive to prolonging your stay in the sand trap to picking the perfect foursome for spectacularly bad golf (“you, your ex-wife, your girlfriend, your wife”). With Jeff Foxworthy as your guide, even a scratch golfer can add ten, twenty, maybe thirty strokes to his or her score–and possibly more if you attempt to play the back nine, too. From the Hardcover edition.
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy
by Malcolm Gladwell Bill SimmonsForeword by Malcolm Gladwell Newly updated with fresh takes on LeBron, Kobe, the Celtics & more* *Including even more footnotes! Bill Simmons, the wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com's Sports Guy, has written the definitive book on the past, present, and future of the NBA. From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens--and then closes, once and for all--every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons's one-of-a-kind five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball. Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game's finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.
The Sure Thing: The Making and Unmaking of Golf Phenom Michelle Wie
by Eric AdelsonIn this parable for our times, an award-winning senior writer for "ESPN The Magazine" reveals the untold story of how money, fame, and outrageous expectations nearly destroyed 16-year-old golf phenom Michelle Wie.
A Team to Believe In: Our Journey to the Super Bowl Championship
by Tom Coughlin Brian CurtisAfter a tough 2006 season, the New York Giants appeared to be heading for more disappointment--and potential shake-ups--in the coming season. Instead, they fought their way to an unforgettable Super Bowl finish against the previously undefeated New England Patriots. In A Team to Believe In, head coach Tom Coughlin gives the ultimate insider's account of the Giants' 2007 campaign and reflects on the resilience and selflessness that allowed the team to succeed. Behind the saga of persistence and on-the-field triumphs, however, is the story of how Coughlin, a proud and intensely private man, often mischaracterized by the press as a strict disciplinarian, has continually made subtle adjustments to his approach to the game and to the new players. Whether giving the right speech for the right occasion, drawing media criticism away from his players, or fostering team unity with offbeat events and smartly timed relaxed curfews, Coughlin approached the season willing to make the necessary changes to his management style-and the team followed. In gripping detail, Coughlin takes us on the Giants improbable 2007 journey: the tough staffing and free-agency decisions; the early-season setbacks that again placed the team in the media's crosshairs; late-season near misses, comeback victories, and goal-line stands; the play-off march through Tampa Bay and Dallas and the overtime victory against Green Bay in the subzero cold of Lambeau Field; and the amazing two weeks that ended with Super Bowl XLII. Along the way, Coughlin explains what life experiences prepared him for the season's challenges and what lessons helped his team achieve a string of improbable victories. The 2007 New York Giants are an inspiring example of team and trust, hope and perseverance, and A Team to Believe In is the thrilling story of their astounding underdog season.
The Express
by Robert C. Gallagher"He could do it all, beat every opponent . . . except one."-plaque honoring Ernie Davis, in the lobby of Elmira Free AcademyErnie Davis was an All-American on the gridiron, and a man of integrity off the field. A multi-sport high school star in Elmira, New York, Davis went on to Syracuse University, where as a sophomore he led his team to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1959, and earned his nickname, the Elmira Express. Two seasons later, Davis had broken the legendary Jim Brown's rushing records, and became the first black athlete to be awarded the Heisman Trophy. The number one pick in the 1962 NFL draft, Davis signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns and appeared to be headed for professional stardom. But Davis never ended up playing in the NFL: He was diagnosed with leukemia during the summer before his rookie season and succumbed to the disease less than a year later. In battling his illness, Davis showed great dignity and courage, inspired the nation, and moved President John F. Kennedy to eulogize him as " an outstanding man of great character."An enduring story of a true scholar-athlete, The Express is a touching, impeccably researched, deeply personal portrait of Ernie Davis, and a vivid look at sport in America at the dawn of the Civil Rights era.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Resilience: Faith, Focus, Triumph
by Dan Wetzel Alonzo MourningMourning--NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, kidney disease survivor, and community activist--details the faith, focus, and determination that have carried him through life.
The 33-Year-Old Rookie
by Chris CosteCoste dreamed of playing major-league baseball from the age of seven, and at age 33, he was finally heading to the big time. "The 33-Year-Old Rookie" is a real-life "Rocky," an unforgettable and inspirational story of one man's unwavering pursuit of a lifelong goal.
90% of the Game Is Half Mental: And Other Tales from the Edge of Baseball Fandom
by Emma SpanLifelong baseball aficionado Span offers an irreverent, affectionate look at the frequently obsessive, often irrational, totally committed mindset it takes to be a true baseball fan (Johnette Howard, author of "The Rivals").
One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation
by Liz ClarkeFrom its raw beginnings on Southern dirt tracks, NASCAR smacked of a slightly depraved spectacle, as if nothing but trouble could come from the unbridled locomotion of a V8 engine. By the time NASCAR roared into the twenty-first century, it had grown into a billion-dollar sports and marketing colossus, its races attended by hundreds of thousands of fans on any given weekend from mid-February through mid-November, watched on television by the second-largest viewing audience in sports, and bankrolled by the marketing largesse of the Fortune 500's elite. One Helluva Ride, a full-throttle account of the rise and reign of NASCAR nation, is award-winning motorsports reporter Liz Clarke's chronicle of how stock car racing exploded from regional obsession to national phenomenon. In covering the sport for more than fifteen years, Clarke has developed a strong rapport with NASCAR's drivers, team owners, and hard-core fans. Through her reporting and analysis, we get to know the public and private sides of NASCAR's most iconic figures, including seven-time champion Richard Petty, who set the standard for treating fans with respect, and the late Dale Earnhardt, whose brazen, bullying tactics wreaked havoc on the track, but whose heart was as big as Daytona's infield. The sports world stopped in its tracks the day Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Some feared that NASCAR's soul would die with him. But it has raced on, steered by visionary promoters, the all-controlling France family (who founded the sport), and, above all, the next generation of drivers to stir fans' passions: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. , son of the NASCAR legend and now, like his father before him, the circuit's most popular driver; Jeff Gordon, the beloved but oft-maligned outsider, bred from the cradle to be NASCAR's winningest modern champion; and Kasey Kahne, a reluctant heartthrob whose confidence derives entirely from an accelerator pedal. Clarke also brings us inside NASCAR's most triumphant and tragic dynasties: the Pettys, the Earnhardts, and the Allisons--and reveals how faith, family, and a deep-seated love of their sport helps them cope with grief and loss. Clarke shows NASCAR to be at a crossroads. In pursuit of a broader audience, NASCAR has severed its sponsorship ties to Big Tobacco, abandoned racetracks in small markets in favor of speedways near glitzy major cities, and welcomed Japan's Toyota into a sport traditionally restricted to American-made sedans. As NASCAR races toward mass appeal, some suggest it is leaving its roots behind. To others, it is boldly extending its reach from the Southern workingman to every man, woman, and child in the world. Whether you're one of the die-hard NASCAR faithful or just a casual follower, nobody brings you closer to the sport and business of big-time stock car racing than Liz Clarke. This book, like the phenomenon it profiles, really is One Helluva Ride.
One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation
by Liz ClarkeFrom its raw beginnings on Southern dirt tracks, NASCAR smacked of a slightly depraved spectacle, as if nothing but trouble could come from the unbridled locomotion of a V8 engine. By the time NASCAR roared into the twenty-first century, it had grown into a billion-dollar sports and marketing colossus, its races attended by hundreds of thousands of fans on any given weekend from mid-February through mid-November, watched on television by the second-largest viewing audience in sports, and bankrolled by the marketing largesse of the Fortune 500's elite.One Helluva Ride, a full-throttle account of the rise and reign of NASCAR nation, is award-winning motorsports reporter Liz Clarke's chronicle of how stock car racing exploded from regional obsession to national phenomenon. In covering the sport for more than fifteen years, Clarke has developed a strong rapport with NASCAR's drivers, team owners, and hard-core fans. Through her reporting and analysis, we get to know the public and private sides of NASCAR's most iconic figures, including seven-time champion Richard Petty, who set the standard for treating fans with respect, and the late Dale Earnhardt, whose brazen, bullying tactics wreaked havoc on the track, but whose heart was as big as Daytona's infield.The sports world stopped in its tracks the day Earnhardt was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Some feared that NASCAR's soul would die with him. But it has raced on, steered by visionary promoters, the all-controlling France family (who founded the sport), and, above all, the next generation of drivers to stir fans' passions: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., son of the NASCAR legend and now, like his father before him, the circuit's most popular driver; Jeff Gordon, the beloved but oft-maligned outsider, bred from the cradle to be NASCAR's winningest modern champion; and Kasey Kahne, a reluctant heartthrob whose confidence derives entirely from an accelerator pedal. Clarke also brings us inside NASCAR's most triumphant and tragic dynasties: the Pettys, the Earnhardts, and the Allisons-and reveals how faith, family, and a deep-seated love of their sport helps them cope with grief and loss.Clarke shows NASCAR to be at a crossroads. In pursuit of a broader audience, NASCAR has severed its sponsorship ties to Big Tobacco, abandoned racetracks in small markets in favor of speedways near glitzy major cities, and welcomed Japan's Toyota into a sport traditionally restricted to American-made sedans. As NASCAR races toward mass appeal, some suggest it is leaving its roots behind. To others, it is boldly extending its reach from the Southern workingman to every man, woman, and child in the world. Whether you're one of the die-hard NASCAR faithful or just a casual follower, nobody brings you closer to the sport and business of big-time stock car racing than Liz Clarke. This book, like the phenomenon it profiles, really is One Helluva Ride.From the Hardcover edition.
From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France
by David WalshFor eight years, the Tour de France, arguably the world's most demanding athletic competition, was ruled by two men: Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis. On the surface, they were feature players in one of the great sporting stories of the age-American riders overcoming tremendous odds to dominate a sport that held little previous interest for their countrymen. But is this a true story, or is there a darker version of the truth, one that sadly reflects the realities of sports in the twenty-first century?
The Worst of Sports
by Jesse Lamovsky Matthew Rosetti Charlie DemarcoTAKE THEM OUT OF THE BALL GAME–PLEASE! From star running back Bryon “Bam” Morris’s interesting (and totally illegal) sideline career to the 1950s Kansas City A’s sneaky relationship with the New York Yankees; from French golfer Jean Van de Velde’s epic choke on 18 at the 1999 British Open to the infamous Cleveland Ten-Cent Beer Night riot of 1974; from Hungary’s bloody 1956 Olympic water polo match with the Soviet Union to the definitive analysis of basketball coach Larry Brown’s sartorial evolution and...
Go Long! My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame
by Brian Curtis Jerry RiceJerry Rice has been called the best pro football player ever. In spite of Rice's legendary gridiron skills, or even his ability to transform himself into an instant ballroom-dance prodigy on ABC's hit TV series Dancing with the Stars, the surprising fact is, a guy like Jerry Rice is made and not just born. In Go Long!Rice shares the inspirational lessons and empowering practices that have helped him attain success, both on the football field and off.
Thursday-Night Poker
by Peter O. SteinerIntended for the serious biweekly or monthly player, this gaming guide devotes chapters to calculating probabilities, estimating odds, bluffing and being bluffed, reading your opponents' down cards, and more. Virtually everyone will learn from this clearly written, fully illustrated instructional book. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura HillenbrandLaura Hillenbrand, author of the runaway phenomenon Unbroken, brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story in this #1 New York Times bestseller.BONUS: This edition contains a Seabiscuit discussion guide and an excerpt from Unbroken.Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit’s fortunes: Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon.
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura HillenbrandSeabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest news maker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail. Three men changed Seabiscuit's fortunes: Charles Howard was a onetime bicycle repairman who introduced the automobile to the western United States and became an overnight millionaire. When he needed a trainer for his new racehorses, he hired Tom Smith, a mysterious mustang breaker from the Colorado plains. Smith urged Howard to buy Seabiscuit for a bargain-basement price, then hired as his jockey Red Pollard, a failed boxer who was blind in one eye, half-crippled, and prone to quoting passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over four years, these unlikely partners survived a phenomenal run of bad fortune, conspiracy, and severe injury to transform Seabiscuit from a neurotic, pathologically indolent also-ran into an American sports icon. Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race.
Rookies: Squeeze Play
by Mark Freeman"Clutch Hitter! It was the bottom of the eighth, the Elmira Sox down 3-0 to the St. Catherines Blue Jays. With two outs and the bases loaded, the Sox dugout was alive, screaming for a rally. "Now batting for the Sox . . . David Green!" the PA. announced. David dug in at the .plate and waited. The pitcher went into his stretch and fired low and away. Ball one. The next pitch was wildly high, forcing the catcher to reach over his head to grab it. Ball two. "They're gonna walk him with the bases loaded and give us a token run," gasped the Elmira coach, "rather than risk a grand slam!" David saw the next pitch coming, a waist-high fastball almost a foot off the outside corner of the plate. For anyone else it would be another ball. But it looked good enough to David. He went into his power swing and connected with a solid crack!"
Rocky IV
by Sylvester StalloneTHE MOST EXPLOSIVE CHAPTER YET IN THE GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHT STORY OF ALL TIME! Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang-Rocky Balboa came a long way from the slums of South Philly before he said good-bye to Goldmill's Gym and settled down to a quiet family life with Adrian and their son, Rocky Junior. But now he receives a challenge no American can ignore-from Ivan Drago, a mammoth Cuban-trained fighter from the Soviet Union, nicknamed the "Siberian Express." Drago and his magnificently beautiful wife, Ludmilla, arrive in the USA ready to take all comers. So the Italian Stallion returns to the ring. Can Rocky win in Leningrad? Can the American Champion beat the Russian Champion in what is being touted as World War III?
What to Do After You Turn Off the TV: Fresh Ideas for Enjoying Family Time
by Frances Moore LappeInspiring and intimate glimpses into the many activities the author and her family developed as alternatives to watching TV.
The New Atoms' Bombshell
by Robert BrowneThe Line-up: Matt Paradise - pitcher, William Whitehead - lead batter, Dennis Valentine - star fielder, Judith Norris - pinch hitter extraordinaire. These were the Atoms' key players for the 2002 season. Nobody but a madman or a genius would use these oddballs to turn a losing team into a pennant contender. As it happened, Dr. Norbert was both!
Belly Flop
by Morris GleitzmanMitch Weber believes there's only one way to stop everyone in town hating him. Become a champion diver. It's a risky plan, but Mitch also believes in a guardian angel called Doug. He hopes Doug is listening...
Aiming High: Junko Tabei's Daring Climb (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, Guided Reading Grade 5)
by Michael Love Catherine JohnFOR THE LOVE OF CLIMBING No woman had ever climbed to the peak of Mt. Everest. Dozens of men had died trying. Yet Junko Tabei decided it was time for her to face the dangers and try to reach the top. NIMAC-sourced textbook
Emma Gatewood's Long Walk (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, Guided Reading)
by Dave Shephard J. C. KaneNIMAC-sourced textbook. ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER. Emma Gatewood told her children and grandchildren that she was going for a walk. She didn't tell them that the trail she intended to hike was more than 2,000 miles (3,218 km) long or that she wouldn't be back for months.
On The Edge (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom, Guided Reading Grade 6)
by Sean Petrie Judit TondoraA DANGEROUS EXAGGERATION? Micah wants to impress Melody. So when she gets a chance to join Melody climbing the Jagged Giant, she eagerly joins, hiding the fact that she's never been rock climbing before. What if she goes too far—and fails? NIMAC-sourced textbook