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The Power of Shaolin Kung Fu
by Ronald WheelerFrom its early beginnings in the ancient Shaolin Buddhist monasteries of China to its depiction in scores of contemporary martial arts films, the classical style of Shaolin Kung Fu continues to reign supreme as the original and most important body of martial arts techniques in the world. This dynamic martial form is by far the most effective in terms of combining blinding speed with devastatingly powerful strikes. This book offers readers a comprehensive course in the fundamental movements that have been practiced and perfected by warrior monks for centuries. It includes 300 color photographs along with detailed textual instructions and training tips. The included DVD clearly demonstrates all of the movements covered in the book.
The Power of Shaolin Kung Fu
by Ronald WheelerFrom its early beginnings in the ancient Shaolin Buddhist monasteries of China to its depiction in scores of contemporary martial arts films, the classical style of Shaolin Kung Fu continues to reign supreme as the original and most important body of martial arts techniques in the world. This dynamic martial form is by far the most effective in terms of combining blinding speed with devastatingly powerful strikes. This book offers readers a comprehensive course in the fundamental movements that have been practiced and perfected by warrior monks for centuries. It includes 300 color photographs along with detailed textual instructions and training tips. The included downloadable material clearly demonstrates all of the movements covered in the book.
The Power of Shaolin Kung Fu
by Ronald WheelerFrom its early beginnings in the ancient Shaolin Buddhist monasteries of China to its depiction in scores of contemporary martial arts films, the classical style of Shaolin Kung Fu continues to reign supreme as the original and most important body of martial arts techniques in the world. This dynamic martial form is by far the most effective in terms of combining blinding speed with devastatingly powerful strikes.This book offers readers a comprehensive course in the fundamental movements that have been practiced and perfected by warrior monks for centuries. It includes 300 color photographs along with detailed textual instructions and training tips. The included downloadable material clearly demonstrates all of the movements covered in the book.
The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture (Postmillennial Pop #23)
by Michael SerazioA provocative, must-read investigation that both appreciates the importance of—and punctures the hype around—big-time contemporary American athleticsIn an increasingly secular, fragmented, and distracted culture, nothing brings Americans together quite like sports. On Sundays in September, more families worship at the altar of the NFL than at any church. This appeal, which cuts across all demographic and ideological lines, makes sports perhaps the last unifying mass ritual of our era, with huge numbers of people all focused on the same thing at the same moment. That timeless, live quality—impervious to DVR, evoking ancient religious rites—makes sports very powerful, and very lucrative. And the media spectacle around them is only getting bigger, brighter, and noisier—from hot take journalism formats to the creeping infestation of advertising to social media celebrity schemes.More importantly, sports are sold as an oasis of community to a nation deeply divided: They are escapist, apolitical, the only tie that binds. In fact, precisely because they appear allegedly “above politics,” sports are able to smuggle potent messages about inequality, patriotism, labor, and race to massive audiences. And as the wider culture works through shifting gender roles and masculine power, those anxieties are also found in the experiences of female sports journalists, athletes, and fans, and through the coverage of violence by and against male bodies. Sports, rather than being the one thing everyone can agree on, perfectly encapsulate the roiling tensions of modern American life.Michael Serazio maps and critiques the cultural production of today’s lucrative, ubiquitous sports landscape. Through dozens of in-depth interviews with leaders in sports media and journalism, as well as in the business and marketing of sports, The Power of Sports goes behind the scenes and tells a story of technological disruption, commercial greed, economic disparity, military hawkishness, and ideals of manhood. In the end, despite what our myths of escapism suggest, Serazio holds up a mirror to sports and reveals the lived realities of the nation staring back at us.
The Practical Guide to Man-Powered Weapons and Ammunition: Experiments with Catapults, Musketballs, Stonebows, Blowpipes, Big Airguns, and Bullet Bows
by Richard MiddletonDavid slew Goliath with his slingshot: for millennia that was the norm, as men used a variety of non-explosive weapons to fire small stones and carefully rounded bullets of clay, glass, and even steel and lead. This unusual study explores in practical detail the many ways, old and new, in which man shot projectiles without recourse to gunpowder. They include the bow and arrow, a favorite for the last 10,000 years; pump-up air guns; blowpipes; catapults; and homemade lead musketballs. There's information on ammunition and velocity, as well as a lively personal narrative filled with humor and the spirit of experimentation.
The Practice of Freedom
by Wendy PalmerIn The Practice of Freedom, American sensei Wendy Palmer applies the basic principles of aikido to the conduct of everyday life. This fifth-degree black belt describes her own fascinating journey, one that includes caring for a mother with multiple sclerosis, teaching inmates in a women's federal prison, and the development her own method of meditation called Conscious Embodiment. In the process Palmer uses her many years of aikido practice to explore and respond to a simple but potent question: How? How can we maintain our vitality and integrity in times of stress? How do we transform our negativity into budo, or love? And how do we move from "stuckness" to freedom?
The Practitioner’s Essential Guide to Teaching Seated Dance Across the Lifespan: Take Your Seat! (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Samantha JenningsThis book is a seminal seated dance guidebook for global dance and health practitioners. Seated dance is an inclusive and diverse form of physical activity, suitable for all, regardless of age or disability.The book offers valid advice, inspiration and a wide range of tried and tested teaching and learning approaches to help practitioners succeed in the seated dance classroom, covering all ages and settings. This book introduces a potted historical journey of seated dance and subsequently guides the professional practitioner through the critical stages of setting up professional, safe and creative seated dance sessions. Research and evidence are gathered ‘in and on practice’ through the author’s dedicated dance career and teaching reflections as a Royal Academician of Dance (RAD) teacher and are underpinned by a theoretical background in mental health and wellbeing in education. It contains contributions by valued peers and professionals and extracts from research theorists in the field. ‘Take Your Seat’ is a career professional development Group-approved text (CPD) enabling the reader to claim personal and professional development points. The author places the art of seated dance at the centre of dance education, making it inclusive, diverse, accessible and justifiable in today's various dance arts and health settings.This book integrates the author's extensive experience in dance, contemporary mental health and wellbeing research and insights from esteemed peers. It empowers practitioners to embrace diverse perspectives, fostering an inclusive and forward-thinking dance environment.
The Precarity of Masculinity: Football, Pentecostalism, and Transnational Aspirations in Cameroon
by Uroš KovačSince the 1990s, an increasing number of young men in Cameroon have aspired to play football as a career and a strategy to migrate abroad. Migration through the sport promises fulfillment of masculine dreams of sports stardom, as well as opportunities to earn a living that have been hollowed out by the country’s long economic stalemate. The aspiring footballers are increasingly turning to Pentecostal Christianity, which allows them to challenge common tropes of young men as stubborn and promiscuous, while also offering a moral and bodily regime that promises success despite the odds. Yet the transnational sports market is tough and unpredictable: it demands disciplined young bodies and introduces new forms of uncertainty. This book unpacks young Cameroonians' football dreams, Pentecostal faith, obligations to provide, and desires to migrate to highlight the precarity of masculinity in structurally adjusted Africa and neoliberal capitalism.
The Precarity of Masculinity: Football, Pentecostalism, and Transnational Aspirations in Cameroon
by Uroš KovačSince the 1990s, an increasing number of young men in Cameroon have aspired to play football as a career and a strategy to migrate abroad. Migration through the sport promises fulfillment of masculine dreams of sports stardom, as well as opportunities to earn a living that have been hollowed out by the country’s long economic stalemate. The aspiring footballers are increasingly turning to Pentecostal Christianity, which allows them to challenge common tropes of young men as stubborn and promiscuous, while also offering a moral and bodily regime that promises success despite the odds. Yet the transnational sports market is tough and unpredictable: it demands disciplined young bodies and introduces new forms of uncertainty. This book unpacks young Cameroonians' football dreams, Pentecostal faith, obligations to provide, and desires to migrate to highlight the precarity of masculinity in structurally adjusted Africa and neoliberal capitalism.
The Predator and Varmint Hunter's Guidebook: Tactics, skills and gear for successful predator & varmint hunting
by Patrick MeitinTactics, skills and gear for successful predator and varmint hunting! If you are interested at all in predator and varmint hunting--whether it's your first season, or your 50th season--this is the book you need! Predators and varmints offer many fun and affordable ways to enjoy the shooting sports with almost year-round hunting opportunities. In an age of escalating costs and difficult access to quality big-game licenses and hunting properties, predator and varmint hunting keeps hunters and shooters engaged in their favorite pastimes. From small ground squirrels and prairie dogs to freezer-filling wild hogs and potentially lucrative coyotes and bobcats, nowhere else can the firearms enthusiast receive so much shooting opportunity. The Guidebook will teach you about the many different varmints and predators available to hunt around the country, in addition to the best tactics, rifles, handguns, optics, ammunition and more, to employ for hunting success. Features:Overview of the many species of varmints and predators in North AmericaProven hunting and shooting tactics for the most popular speciesLong-range shooting tips and tacticsInsights into the rifles, handguns, gear and optics used by top predator and varmint hunters, including suppressors and airgunsIn-depth discussion of the best cartridges for predator and varmint huntingExpert advice on handloading many popular cartridgesEquipment directory featuring the latest hunting and shooting gear
The Pregnancy Plan (Maybe Baby!)
by Grace GreenDermid McTaggart faces the hardest decision ofhis life-he must find a surrogate mother to carryhis baby, or lose the chance of having children.The last person Dermid expects to help him isLacey Maxwell, his late wife’s sister...Lacey is determined: she’ll take one year offfrom her successful career to have their baby, thenshe’ll leave. Unless Dermid can convince her to stay?
The Pregnant Athlete: How to Stay in Your Best Shape Ever -- Before, During, and After Pregnancy
by Mcintosh Perry Brandi Dion Steven Dion Joel HellerWomen who are serious about sports-those who compete or perform as runners, triathletes, cyclists, swimmers, as well as those who are serious weekend warriors-often face concerns and misinformation when they want to maintain a high level of fitness throughout their pregnancy. The Pregnant Athlete offers a wealth of practical myth-busting information for these women.Written by Brandi Dion, a triathlete, personal trainer, and mom; Steve Dion, a university professor of health and exercise science; and Dr. Joel Heller, an obstetrician-gynecologist whose patients include marathoners, triathletes, and fitness instructors; this book includes details on physical changes per trimester and gauging your own limits, guidelines for specific sports and flexible workout plans for maximum health, nutrition facts and tips, reassuring medical insights, the truth about old wives' tales, and inspiring stories from other pregnant athletes.
The Premiership in Focus
by Martyn SmithThe Premiership in Focus celebrates 15 years that have changed the face of football. When Football Focus began life on BBC1 in 1968 as Football Preview, football in England was about old wooden terraces, grounds that were ankle deep in mud or covered in snow and a Bovril at half time. In 1992 came the Premier League and the sport changed forever. The Premier League was established as one of the most exciting, cosmopolitan and widely watched national sporting leagues in the world and fans are now able to watch hundreds of Premiership matches live as football has seemingly taken over much of national life. Why has this happened? How has it affected the clubs, fans, players and managers? How long can it be sustained? This book aims to examine these questions as well as celebrate 15 amazing years of football. It will look back at the great moments, outstanding matches, stunning goals, incredible saves, controversial decisions and the sheer excitement that has been the Premiership.
The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House
by Curt SmithThe Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith’s extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the “most American” sport, and the U.S. presidency. Smith, who USA TODAY calls “America’s voice of authority on baseball broadcasting,” starts before America’s birth, when would‑be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America’s pastime in the nineteenth century, such presidents as Lincoln and Johnson playing town ball or giving employees time off to watch. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Wilson buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic FDR saving baseball in World War II; Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; Reagan, airing baseball on radio that he never saw—by “re-creation.” George H. W. Bush, for whom Smith wrote, explains, “Baseball has everything.” Smith, having interviewed a majority of presidents since Richard Nixon, shares personal stories on each. Throughout, The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America’s leaders have treated baseball. From Taft as the first president to throw the “first pitch” on Opening Day in 1910 to Obama’s “Go Sox!” scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation.
The Pressure Principle: Handle Stress, Harness Energy, and Perform When It Counts
by Dr Dave Alred MBE''If you are struggling with exams, vivers, job interviews, work presentations, with performing in a team or individual sport - or find it difficult to interact in social situations - then this is for you' - Amazon reviewThe book on how to handle pressure from the performance coach to Francesco Molinari and Jonny WilkinsonWhether it's the stress of hitting a deadline at work, passing an exam or an upcoming job interview, pressure is everywhere.So how can we turn this into our advantage?Dr Dave Alred MBE is widely acknowledged as one of the best coaches on the planet. A pioneer in performance psychology, he nurtured Jonny Wilkinson into rugby's most feared kicker, and has helped Premiership footballers, number one golfers and England cricketers deliver on the biggest stage.He believes that dealing with pressure is a skill like any other and in this book he shares his eight ground-breaking principles, distilling his life's work into an accessible and practical book with examples from the world of business, sport and the classroom.From writing down personal affirmations to understanding how to use language more effectively, The Pressure Principle will help you become your best self and stay calm when the heat is on.'Dave Alred is a genius. There is simply no-one around to match him in his field' Jonny Wilkinson CBE'Dave Alred is the coach who helped Jonny Wilkinson keep his cool. We can all learn from him' Matthew Syed, author of bestselling Black Box Thinking
The Pretenders Series eBook Bundle: Drive and Crash
by Tamara LushThis two-book bundle of Tamara Lush&’s The Pretenders Series includes DRIVE and CRASH, including a teaser for the final installment in the trilogy, BURN. "Fans of cocky heroes, angst, passion, and the enemies-to-lovers trope will find much to enjoy." ―Publishers Weekly on DRIVEDriveSparks fly on and off the track when enemies collide in this high-octane romance set in the world of Formula 1 racing.Determined to win. Destined to fall.Savannah &“Savvy&” Jenkins is no stranger to the crude comments and leering looks she gets in the pit. Out to prove that she can succeed in a man&’s world, she thinks she knows what to expect when she joins Formula World champion Dante Annunziata&’s crew.Dante is determined to finish his season on top. And Savvy is nothing but a distraction that threatens to get in the way. Convinced Savvy has no business on the team, Dante&’s prepared to do anything to get her off.But when a paparazzo catches the two in a compromising position, Dante and Savvy are in for a fauxmance for the ages. As their fake attraction turns real, they realize that there may be more to life than simply speeding through it. Crash An ambitious ex-motorcyclist and heir to billions fakes an engagement to claim his inheritance. But with a single kiss, everything changes.Alex Jenkins has a reputation: he's Atlanta's most eligible bachelor, a former competitive motorcycle racer, and a man who isn't afraid of a bit of a challenge. But when the off-limits marketing intern Evie Cooper catches his attention, self-control has a whole new meaning.Then Evie is drawn into an engagement-for-show with Alex so that he can secure his place as the company&’s successor. His reputation as a bad boy is not exactly on brand and a serious commitment could prove to his family that he is mature enough to take over.As Evie becomes immersed in the Jerkins clan, her humble origins come into stark contrast with the snobbery of the billionaire lifestyle. Awash in new-found lust and overwhelmed by a world of luxury, Evie struggles to decipher what is a ruse and what is real.Can Alex exchange his love of the chase for real love? Can Evie&’s spunk and personality win over Alex&’s family? Can their raw passion transform their fauxmance into a meaningful relationship?
The Price She Pays: Confronting the Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Women's Sports—from the Schoolyard to the Stadium
by Katie Steele Tiffany BrownTwo experts in mental health and sport lift the veil on the crisis in women&’s athletics, offering parents and coaches urgently needed advice and support and showing how female athletes can find joy in whatever sport they choose, at whatever level they compete. No matter the sport, the message to girls and women is the same: Be aggressive, but not too aggressive. Win at all costs, but be polite while doing it. Get strong, but not too big. Female athletes have long been conditioned to perform under these standards, gracefully and without complaints. Yet, behind the scenes, female athletes are suffering from disordered eating and substance use; depression and anxiety; emotional and sexual abuse; racism and discrimination; self-harm, and even suicide ideation. When global tennis star Naomi Osaka and gymnastics world champion Simone Biles took breaks from competing to tend to their mental health, many were compelled to ask: What is causing this mental health crisis in women&’s sports? In this urgent yet &“hopeful roadmap for systemic change.&” (Jessica Mendoza, Olympic medalist), Katie Steele and Dr. Tiffany Brown illuminate where we are going wrong—and how we can correct course. Through first-hand accounts, research, and reporting, they reveal the deep layers of trauma and mistreatment women experience in their pursuit of excellence in sport. They show parents, coaches, and athletes how to recognize the signs of mistreatment and mental health issues, and reveal how, by focusing on the wellbeing of the whole person—not just the athlete—we can provide women and girls with the support they need to thrive, in whatever sport they choose, at whatever level they compete.
The Price of Fame (Thoroughbred #64)
by Joanna CampbellChristina saved Star from a stalker, but can she protect him from Brad Townsend?When Christina first moved Star to Townsend Acres to keep him safe from his stalker, she couldn't stand the thought of keeping him under Brad's roof. But now that they've settled in, she can't complain: the facilities are great and Brad is keeping a polite distance. But just when Christina begins to let down her guard, she makes a shocking discovery . . . Ages 8+
The Price of Gold: The Toll and Triumph of One Man's Olympic Dream
by Marty Nothstein Ian DilleThe harrowing, triumphant tale of a cyclist's journey to Olympic victory and the price he paid to achieve greatness. Marty Nothstein, one of the greatest cyclists of all time, arrived at the 1996 Olympic Games a heavy favorite. In the match sprint at the Atlanta Olympics, an event akin to prizefighting on a bicycle, he raced around a banked, oval track. Nothstein lost by a hair's width on the finish line and vowed to win the gold at the next Olympics, saying, "I didn't come here for a silver medal." In The Price of Gold, Marty Nothstein eloquently and honestly tracks his journey to the games in Sydney and the events that molded him into the world's fastest man on a bicycle—from his tough-love upbringing in a blue-collar, split home, to the "borderline outlaw" cast of cycling characters who helped guide him through the ranks. "I had to become the worst, to become the best," Nothstein says of the single-minded determination that turned him into a veritable monster on his bike, but often forced him to neglect his own family. Sure to become a sports classic, this book will be published in time for the 2012 Olympics, when the world's eyes are trained on London and international conversation will turn to the question of what it takes to win the gold.
The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities
by William D. CohanA Duke alumnus whose work has been hailed as “authoritative” (The Washington Post), “seductively engrossing” (Chicago Tribune), “riveting” (The Economist), and “masterful” (Los Angeles Times), presents a stunning new account of the infamous Duke lacrosse team case.Despite it being front-page nationwide news, the true story of the Duke lacrosse team rape case has never been told in its entirety. It is more complex and profound than all the reporting to date would indicate. The Price of Silence is the definitive account of what happens when the most combustive forces in American culture—unbridled ambition, intellectual elitism, athletic prowess, sexual and racial bias, and absolute prosecutorial authority—collide and then explode on a powerful university campus, in the justice system, and in the media. Deeply reported and brilliantly written, The Price of Silence shines a bright light on the ever-widening gap between America’s rich and poor, and how the powerful protect themselves, even at the price of justice.
The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football's Era of Chaos
by Armen Keteyian John TaltyTwo of the nation’s most respected sports journalists team up for a vital, hard-hitting investigation into the tumultuous state of big-time college football. We are living in the Wild West of college sports. Name, Image and Likeness endorsements, the transfer portal, collectives, conference realignment, the powerful influence of media companies have all rendered the notion of amateur athletics a quaint relic of the past, replaced by a Brave New World where money and self-interest rule.The Price is a sweeping, in-depth, thought-provoking look at an inflection point in big-time college football. Six time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian and award-winning national college football reporter John Talty conducted more than two hundred wide-ranging interviews with head coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners, administrators, politicians, power brokers, agents and media executives from one corner of the sport to the other. They reveal never-before-reported details on major players such as Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, and Lane Kiffin. Keteyian and Talty’s reporting also lays bare the machinations that destroyed the historic conference that was the Pac-12, purely in the name of greed.As the sport’s premier coaches race for the exits, Keteyian and Talty reveal deep, dark truths about a beloved game under siege—and the financial, physical, emotional and psychological toll taken on everyone whose dreams and fortunes often depend on the final score on a Saturday afternoon.
The Pride and the Pressure: A Season Inside the New York Yankee Fishbowl
by Michael MorrisseyThe New York Yankees began the 2006 season with baseball’s highest payroll and sky-high expectations—and more challenges than other any Yankee team in history. From owner George Steinbrenner right on down, the team took an urgent, almost militaristic, approach toward winning their twenty-seventh world championship. Morrissey had full access, chronicling the ups-and-downs on the field and the public and private skirmishes that defined their season: ·Why manager Joe Torre and general manager Brian Cashman chose to stay on for another season, despite chafing under Steinbrenner in 2005 ·The saga of Alex Rodriguez: his peculiar relationship with the fans and the media and the crushing scrutiny that shaped 2006 ·How Johnny Damon, the fun-loving, former Red Sox superstar, assimilated into the Yankee line-up and clubhouse ·How Jason Giambi quietly overcame a steroid scandal and became a reliable, formidable power once again ·How the acquisition of Bobby Abreu at the trade deadline redefined the Yankees, attempting to overcome serious injuries to Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui that nearly derailed the team’s prospects ·An unexpected role for Bernie Williams, a huge fan favorite whose Yankee career seemed to be over until team injuries drew the aging star back into the line-up ·Why the Yankee pitching rotation never felt bulletproof – from inconsistencies by Randy Johnson to the embarrassing injury streak suffered by Carl Pavano ·How Yankee superstar and captain Derek Jeter handled relentless expectations to win the World Series, guided the team through disastrous injuries, and faced stinging accusations of not supporting teammate Alex Rodriguez Nothing in sports compares to the prestige and weight of wearing the pinstripes. THE PRIDE AND THE PRESSURE takes Yankees fans behind the scenes and brings it all to life.
The Pride of Minnesota: The Twins in the Turbulent 1960s
by Thom HenningerThe 1960s were a heady time to come of age. The British Invasion transformed pop music and culture. The fledgling space program offered a thrilling display of modern technology. The civil rights movement and Vietnam War drew young people to American politics, spurring them to think more critically about the state of the nation. And the assassinations Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968 shook the United States to the core. During these turbulent times the Minnesota Twins were the pride of the North Star State—an elite team that advanced to the World Series in 1965 and played in dramatic pennant races in the years thereafter. After an uneven 1964 season the Twins set themselves up for a turnaround that would last the rest of the decade. At the end of his playing career with the Twins, Billy Martin was hired as third base coach in 1965, giving them a more aggressive base-running style. Mudcat Grant became the first African American pitcher to win at least twenty games in the American League, and Tony Oliva won his second batting title to help lead the Twins to the World Series, which they lost in seven games to the Dodgers. In 1967 rookie Rod Carew joined the Twins as they engaged in a historic pennant race but finished second to the Red Sox during their &“Impossible Dream&” season. In 1969 Martin took over as manager, and both Carew and Harmon Killebrew led the Twins to the American League Championship Series, only to lose to the Orioles, after which Martin was fired in part for a now-legendary bar fight. Bill Rigney took the helm in 1970 and steered the Twins to a second-straight division title and ALCS loss to the Orioles. In The Pride of Minnesota Thom Henninger details these pennant races, from the key moments and games to the personalities of the players involved, in the context of state and world events. Although the Twins won only one AL pennant in this stretch and failed to win the World Series, these memorable seasons, played in remarkable and compelling times, made for an important first decade in the team&’s early history.
The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic
by Richard SandomirOn July 4, 1939, Gehrig delivered what has been called "baseball's Gettysburg Address" at Yankee Stadium. There is, for now, no known, intact film of Gehrig's speech, but instead, just a swatch of the newsreel footage has survived, incorporating his opening and closing remarks: "For the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth," the last line, of course, having become one of the most famous, invoked, and inspiring, ever, anywhere. The New York Times account, the following day, called it "one of the most touching scenes ever witnessed on a ball field", that made even hard-boiled reporters "swallow hard." The scene and the story would likely have been largely lost to history, altogether, were it not for the film, Pride of the Yankees, best known for Gary Cooper, as the dying Lou Gehrig, movingly describing himself as "the luckiest man on the face of the earth," even as his body was being ravaged by the disease that was soon named after him. Here, now, in THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic by Richard Sandomir, New York Times sports columnist, is, for the first time, the full story behind the pioneering, seminal movie. Filled with larger than life characters and unexpected facts, Iron Hero shows us how Samuel Goldwyn had no desire to making a baseball film but he was persuaded to make a quick deal with Lou's widow, Eleanor, not long after Gehrig had passed; Hollywood icon Cooper had zero knowledge of baseball and had to be taught to play; unknown parts of the screen treatment and screenplay that will be written about for the first time; and dishy letters to Eleanor from Christy Walsh, the pioneering business manager who represented the Gehrigs, from the Los Angeles set. Nostalgic, breezy and fun, THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES captures a lost time in film and sports history.
The Prince of Fenway Park
by Julianna BaggottIt's been eighty-six years since the Red Sox won a World Series. Eighty-six years cursed. Twelve-year-old Oscar Egg be-lieves he is cursed, just like the Red Sox. His real parents didn't want him, and now his adopted mom has dumped him off to live with his strange, sickly dad. But there's something Oscar doesn't know. The Boston Red Sox really are cursed, and not just because they sold Babe Ruth in 1919. Someone deliberately jinxed the team, and the secret to breaking the Curse lies deep below Fenway Park, with Oscar's dad and the Cursed Creatures, a group that has been doomed to live out their miserable lives below Fenway until the Curse is broken. Oscar knows he can be the one to break the Curse, allowing the Red Sox to finally win the World Series and setting the Cursed Creatures free. But some of the creatures are angry. Some don't want the Curse broken. Some want Oscar, and the Red Sox, to fail and remain cursed forever.