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The Racer: Life on the Road as a Pro Cyclist
by David MillarWhat is it really like to be a racer?What is it like to be swept along at 60kmh in the middle of the pack? What happens to the body during a high-speed chute? What tactics must teams employ to win the day, the jersey, the grand tour? What sacrifices must a cyclist make to reach the highest levels? What is it like on the bus? In the hotels? What camaraderie is built in the confines of a team? What rivalries? How does it feel to be constantly on the road, away from loved ones, tasting one more calorie-counted hotel breakfast? David Millar offers us a unique insight into the mind of a professional cyclist during his last year before retirement. Over the course of a season on the World Tour, Millar puts us in touch with the sights, smells and sounds of the sport. This is a book about youth and age, fresh-faced excitement and hard-earned experience. It is a love letter to cycling.'Cycling has always been about a great deal more than its winners, and The Racer is quite a ride' Spectator
The Racers
by Deno ChapmanPaddy Doherty, a young English twenty-something, has loved motorbikes for as long as he could remember, almost as long as his best pal, “Mucka” O’Neal. But a chance conversation over a pint, on a sunny summer’s afternoon, buys him a one-way ticket into the insane world of motorcycle racing. Stoically partnered by “Mucka”, the pair embark on an adventure into the adrenaline-packed life of motorcycle racers. Rivalry, romance, disaster and success pave the track of this gritty, earthy, humorous adventure around the motor-racing circuits of the UK. From the cold winter’s morning of their nervous first race at Mallory Park, the racers progress through the ranks, making colourful friends, and dangerous enemies along the way. Paddock parties, crashes, tears and above all, laughter run rich throughout this genuinely funny and heartfelt adventure. But how will it end for them, on a podium with champagne, or in a hospital bed? The Racers unfolds in a climax of burnt rubber, all the way to the chequered flag.
The Racers: How an Outcast Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Challenged Hitler's Best (Scholastic Focus)
by Neal BascombThe heart-pounding story of an unlikely band of ragtags who took on Hitler's Grand Prix driver.In the years before World War II, Adolf Hitler wanted to prove the greatness of the Third Reich in everything from track and field to motorsports. The Nazis poured money into the development of new race cars, and Mercedes-Benz came out with a stable of supercharged automobiles called Silver Arrows. Their drivers dominated the sensational world of European Grand Prix racing and saluted Hitler on their many returns home with victory.As the Third Reich stripped Jews of their rights and began their march toward war, one driver, Rene Dreyfus, a 32-year-old Frenchman of Jewish heritage who had enjoyed some early successes on the racing circuit, was barred from driving on any German or Italian race teams, which fielded the best in class, due to the rise of Hitler and Benito Mussolini.So it was that in 1937, Lucy Schell, an American heiress and top Monte Carlo Rally driver, needed a racer for a new team she was creating to take on Germany's Silver Arrows. Sensing untapped potential in Dreyfus, she funded the development of a nimble tiger of a new car built by a little-known French manufacturer called Delahaye. As the nations of Europe marched ever closer to war, Schell and Dreyfus faced down Hitler's top drivers, and the world held its breath in anticipation, waiting to see who would triumph.
The Racket: Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2024
by Conor NilandWINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2024A darkly funny memoir about the strange and fascinating world of professional tennis.'As elegant and powerful as a Federer backhand ... It’s Kitchen Confidential for tennis.' Ed Caesar'Well worth a read if you want the inside track on life on the lower rungs of the tennis circuit. Warts and all.' Judy Murray----Conor Niland knows what it's like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room ('Ciao, bonjour, hello!'), and he has had the exquisitely terrible experience of facing Novak Djokovic in the world's biggest tennis stadium - while suffering from food poisoning. But he never reached the very top.The Racket is the story of pro tennis's 99%: the players who roam the globe in hope of climbing the rankings and squeaking into the Grand Slam tournaments. It brings us into a world where a few dozen super-rich players - travelling with coaches and physios - share a stage with lonely touring pros whose earnings barely cover their expenses.Painting a vivid picture of the social dynamics on tour, the economics of the game, and the shadows cast by gambling and doping, The Racket is a witty and revealing underdog's memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world.----‘An entertaining behind-the-scenes glimpse at life on the global tour’ Telegraph Best 50 Books of the Year‘Fascinating’ The New York Times'Conor Niland may only have managed a career-high ranking of 129 – only? that is some achievement in itself! – but The Racket, his account of how he managed this, is up there with the best half-dozen books on tennis ever written.' Geoff Dyer'Blending a passion for his chosen sport with a realistic study of the traumas of the tour, The Racket offers a brilliant insight from Ireland’s greatest ever tennis player.’ John Boyne'A brilliant, unvarnished look at a brutal sporting life.' Michael Foley, Sunday Times‘One of the best Irish sports books of the last decade’ Kieran Shannon, Irish Examiner‘A stone-cold classic’ Malachy Clerkin, The Irish Times‘Outstanding’ Paul Kimmage, Sunday Independent‘A thoughtfully constructed memoir … plenty of self-deprecating humour, poignancy and insight to make this a page-turner’ The Times'Niland writes about the loneliness and absurdity of life on tour with an elegance and immediacy that makes readers feel as if they are alongside the battered pro trying so hard to reach a better life for himself.' Donald McRae, The Guardian‘Outstanding … brutally honest, brilliantly crafted’ Irish Independent
The Radioactive Boy Scout: The Frightening True Story of a Whiz Kid and His Homemade Nuclear Reactor
by Ken SilversteinThrowing caution to the wind, David Hahn plunged into a new project: building a model nuclear reactor in his backyard garden shed. Posing as a physics professor, David solicited information on reactor design from the U.S. government and from industry experts. Following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation. His wholly unsupervised project finally sparked an environmental emergency that put his town's forty thousand suburbanites at risk. The EPA ended up burying his lab at a radioactive dump site in Utah. This offbeat account of ambition and, ultimately, hubris has the narrative energy of a first-rate thriller.
The Rambler's Handbook: A Seasonal Guide to the Best Walking Routes in Britain
by The Ramblers' AssociationDiscover the best of Britain's rambles, all year round.Britain is brimming with stunning walks, and this go-to guide sets out our 40 favourite routes around the UK. Arranged by season, each walk includes detailed route instructions, a map, and notes about landmarks and wildlife to keep an eye out for.Amble through bluebell-carpeted West Country woodlands in spring, and explore North Yorkshire's limestone slopes ablaze with wildflowers in early summer. Experience the fiery autumnal hues of the Wye Valley forest, or take a winter walk to see the fallow deer in Richmond Park.We've included a beautiful selection of varied walks all over the UK, from short country strolls to challenging hill hikes, gentle woodland wanders to breathtaking cliff-path adventures, there are routes to cater for all levels of fitness and experience.So, pack your bag, grab your boots and join us for a ramble around our beautiful landscape.
The Rambler's Handbook: A Seasonal Guide to the Best Walking Routes in Britain
by The Ramblers' AssociationDiscover the best of Britain's rambles, all year round.Britain is brimming with stunning walks, and this go-to guide sets out our 40 favourite routes around the UK. Arranged by season, each walk includes detailed route instructions, a map, and notes about landmarks and wildlife to keep an eye out for.Amble through bluebell-carpeted West Country woodlands in spring, and explore North Yorkshire's limestone slopes ablaze with wildflowers in early summer. Experience the fiery autumnal hues of the Wye Valley forest, or take a winter walk to see the fallow deer in Richmond Park.We've included a beautiful selection of varied walks all over the UK, from short country strolls to challenging hill hikes, gentle woodland wanders to breathtaking cliff-path adventures, there are routes to cater for all levels of fitness and experience.So, pack your bag, grab your boots and join us for a ramble around our beautiful landscape.
The Range Bucket List: The Golf Adventure of a Lifetime
by James DodsonFrom beloved golf writer James Dodson, author of Final Rounds and American Triumvirate and a two-time winner of the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Award for best golf book of the year, The Range Bucket List is a funny, intimate, nostalgic journey of self and sport in which the legendary author completes his golfing “bucket list.”Many years ago, when James Dodson was thirteen years old, he wrote himself a list titled “Things to Do in Golf.” It included the golfing aspirations of a young boy who had no idea where life would take him. A few years ago, now in his sixties and one of the most respected golf writers of all time, Dodson rediscovered the piece of paper in an old trunk. Realizing that he had yet to achieve many of his thirteen-year-old dreams, and pondering the things he’d add to the list if he wrote it today, he expanded the list into a golfing “bucket list” of the people and places he had yet to meet and see in the golf world. In this tribute to the game he loves, Dodson takes readers on a journey around the world and into the lives of characters large and small. From an interesting lunch with Donald Trump to rounds with John Updike and intimate conversations with Arnold Palmer, from scoring a memorable thirteen on a hole at St. Andrews to revealing the real reason The Masters has always been broadcast on CBS, The Range Bucket List is simultaneously an exhilarating armchair adventure and one man’s love letter to a game that has fundamentally shaped him and his life, filled with unforgettable characters, untold history, and lots of heart.
The Rational Practitioner: The Sport and Performance Psychologist’s Guide To Practicing Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy
by Martin TurnerSport and exercise psychology has grown exponentially as an academic discipline and profession in the past decade. The dominant approach to sport and exercise psychology practice is the cognitive-behavioural approach that stems from cognitive behavioural therapies (CBTs). CBTs are the most widely used counselling approaches in the world. Through this approach developed rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT), a cognitive-based theory and therapy that incorporates many of the techniques that defines CBTs to this day (e.g., cognitive restructuring, rehearsal, imagery, self-talk). The Rational Practitioner: The Sport and Performance Psychologist’s Guide to Practicing Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy develops innovative concepts that are particular to the performance milieu, whilst sticking rigorously to core theory. This book is fundamental to applied practice and offers practitioners, scholars, and researchers of sport psychology and REBT, theoretical and detailed practical information from an experienced and qualified sport and exercise psychologist. This book provides a comprehensive portrayal of REBT applied within sport and performance and is key reading for current and trainee sport and exercise psychologists, but also to psychologists from other disciplines who wish to work with athletes and other performers.
The Real All Americans
by Sally JenkinsSally Jenkins, bestselling co-author ofIt's Not About the Bike,revives a forgotten piece of history inThe Real All Americans. In doing so, she has crafted a truly inspirational story about a Native American football team that is as much about football as Lance Armstrong's book was about a bike. If you’d guess that Yale or Harvard ruled the college gridiron in 1911 and 1912, you’d be wrong. The most popular team belonged to an institution called the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Its story begins with Lt. Col. Richard Henry Pratt, a fierce abolitionist who believed that Native Americans deserved a place in American society. In 1879, Pratt made a treacherous journey to the Dakota Territory to recruit Carlisle’s first students. Years later, three students approached Pratt with the notion of forming a football team. Pratt liked the idea, and in less than twenty years the Carlisle football team was defeating their Ivy League opponents and in the process changing the way the game was played. Sally Jenkins gives this story of unlikely champions a breathtaking immediacy. We see the legendary Jim Thorpe kicking a winning field goal, watch an injured Dwight D. Eisenhower limping off the field, and follow the glorious rise of Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner as well as his unexpected fall from grace. The Real All Americansis about the end of a culture and the birth of a game that has thrilled Americans for generations. It is an inspiring reminder of the extraordinary things that can be achieved when we set aside our differences and embrace a common purpose.
The Real Hoosiers: Crispus Attucks High School, Oscar Robertson, and the Hidden History of Hoops
by Jack McCallumThe true story behind Crispus Attucks High School and the all-Black basketball team loosely depicted as the championship opponent in the beloved classic sports movie Hoosiers. For far too long the mythology of Indiana basketball has been dominated by Hoosiers. Framed as the ultimate underdog, feel-good story, there has also long been a cultural debate surrounding the film. The Real Hoosiers sets out to illuminate the narrative that the film omits, the story of the unheralded Crispus Attucks Tigers, playing the game at the highest level in the 1950s in a racially divided Indiana. After a crushing loss to Milan High School in the 1954 semifinal, which was the game that the final scenes in Hoosiers are based on, Attucks went on to win back-to-back Indiana state championships. That team was led by a young Oscar Robertson and coached by Ray Crowe, who fully recognized the seemingly insurmountable challenges of playing basketball in a state that was a bastion for not only the game but also the Ku Klux Klan. Veteran sportswriter and the bestselling author of Dream Team, Jack McCallum, pulls back the curtain on that history, which is rich, far beyond the basketball court. The Real Hoosiers replaces a lacuna in the history of Indiana while dissecting the myths and lore of Hoosier hoops; placing the game in the context of migration, segregation, and integration; and enhancing our understanding of this country&’s struggle for civil rights.
The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue, & Ian Fleming
by Jim WrightFirst book to research the intriguing backstory of the real James Bond, a Philadelphia ornithologist An adventure story for armchair travelers, fans of 007, and birdwatchersDiscover how naturalists named new species after Bond, leveraging his fame to build awareness
The Real Lucky Charm
by Eric Velasquez Charisse RichardsonMia Robinson has always cheered for her twin brother, Marcus, at his rec center basketball games. But this year Mia is getting the chance to have Marcus cheer for her. Marcus's team, the Titans, has just become coed!<P><P> Mia is thrilled to be playing on the team and wearing a team uniform, and she's even more excited when her dad gives her a basketball charm for her charm bracelet. When Mia does well on the court, she starts to believe that her basketball charm is really a lucky charm. Mia's got it made! After all, who needs to practice when they have a real lucky charm on their side?
The Real Madrid Handbook: A Concise History of Real Madrid
by Rab MacWilliamThe ultimate guide to Real Madrid. The Real Madrid Handbook is an entertaining compendium of fascinating facts, match coverage, stories, personalities and trivia from the biggest club team on the planet. Rab MacWilliam traces the history of Real Madrid from the early 20th century, examining its progress in the domestic cup and league, and analyses the impact that the Republic, the Spanish Civil War and the repressive authoritarian aftermath had on the club. He relates how the stunning success in European football in the mid-1950s to the early 1960s was one of the factors that helped to ease Spain’s integration into Europe and explores the club’s rise to become one of the most skilful and dominant teams in the global game over the last thirty years. Fascinating, informative, irreverent and insightful, The Real Madrid Handbook is the perfect guide to the history of this extraordinary club.
The Real Madrid Revolution: How the World's Most Successful Club Is Changing the Game—for Their Team and for Football
by Steven G. MandisReal Madrid&’s innovative, modern strategies may not only keep them on top—but save soccer itself. Featuring behind-the-scenes coverage and expert analysis, this book gives fans an up close and personal look at one of the world&’s most legendary teams during a major crossroads for the sport. Former Columbia Business School adjunct professor Steven G. Mandis, who analyzed Real Madrid&’s path to success in The Real Madrid Way, returns to examine how the club is coping with systemic changes in the sport of soccer and innovating the sport in the process. Founded in 1902 and granted a royal title by the king of Spain in 1920, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol went onto become the world&’s most valuable sports team (by revenue), most popular sports team (by social media followers), and most successful sports team (by number of trophies). But today, this legendary, member-owned soccer team faces significant challenges, including: Soccer losing the global entertainment battle against other sports and platforms The proliferation of closely government-related, private equity, and multi-club ownership models—while Real Madrid are a not-for-profit club owned by 92,000 members The financial dominance and further separation of the English Premier League, the so-called &“NBA of football&” The conflicts of FIFA and UEFA being both regulators and hosts of tournaments A more congested schedule, leading to a glut of matches and more player injuries Players who earn more from endorsements than from playing the game An explosion of media platforms that enable a young generation of global fans to watch and engage with sports and entertainment in new and nontraditional ways With their top-tier status, not to mention the supremacy of their sport, hanging in the balance, Real Madrid&’s trademark passion and values have never been more important. The Real Madrid Revolution showcases what it takes to stay on top when external forces are not working your favor—and how to innovate to be stronger than ever.
The Real Madrid Way: How Values Created the Most Successful Sports Team on the Planet
by Steven G. MandisThe untold story of Real Madrid: one of the most incredible turnarounds in sports and business history. Real Madrid is the most successful sports team on the planet. The soccer club has more trophies than any other sports team, including 11 UEFA Champions League trophies. However, the story behind the triumph goes beyond the players and coaches. Generally unnoticed, a management team consisting mostly of outsiders took the team from near bankruptcy to the most valuable sports organization in the world. How did Real Madrid achieve such extraordinary success? Columbia Business School adjunct professor Steven G. Mandis investigates. Given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, Mandis is the first researcher to rigorously ana- lyze both the on-the-field and business aspects of a sports team. What he learns is completely unexpected and challenges the conventional wisdom that moneyball-fueled data analytics are the primary instruments of success. Instead, Real Madrid's winning formula both on and off the field, from player selection to financial management, is based on aligning strategy with the culture and values of its fan base. Chasing the most talented (and most expensive) players can be a recipe for a winning record, but also financial disaster, as it was for Real Madrid in the late 1990s. Real Madrid's management believes that the club exists to serve the Real Madrid community. They discovered that its fans care more about why the team exists, how their club wins, and whom it wins with versus just winning. The why, how, and whom create a community brand and identity, and inspire extraordinary passion and loyalty, which has led to amazing marketing and commercial success—in turn, attracting and paying for the best players in the world, with the values the fans expect. The club's values and culture also provide a powerful environment for these best players to work together to win trophies. The Real Madrid Way explains how Real Madrid has created and maintains a culture that drives both financial and on-the-field success. This book is an engrossing account of the lifetime of one of the greatest clubs in the most popular sport in the world, and for business and organization leaders, it's an invaluable inside look at a compelling alternative model with lasting competitive advantages that can deliver superior and sustainable returns and performance.
The Real Slam Dunk
by Charisse RichardsonMarcus Robinson is psyched! Tomorrow, his class is going on a field trip to a professional basketball arena to meet the one and only Jason Carter, Marcus's hero. Marcus usually ignores everything except for basketball, but this time he studies for hours to win the math contest-for the prize of being the official Jason Carter greeter! But when Jason tells Marcus some things he didn't expect to hear about professional basketball, Marcus is confused. He thought that all he'd ever need in life was basketball. Thanks to Jason, Marcus is about to learn the meaning of a real slam dunk.
The Real Win: A Man's Quest for Authentic Success
by Colt Mccoy Matt Carter"I can't speak highly enough about the way this book addresses manhood in our culture. Biblically challenging and radically applicable, it honestly addresses the deepest longings and fears a man faces." --Matt ChandlerPrepare for a paradigm-shifting view of biblical manhood.Every man wants to succeed. But for so many, life seems to get in the way. We all have friends--good men, followers of Christ even--who start out well but before long, they're failing at relationships, bending ethical standards, or driving themselves so hard at work they're losing the hearts of their wife and kids.In The Real Win, Colt McCoy and Matt Carter wrestle deeply and personally with this challenge, then deliver down-to-earth, biblical answers. Based on their personal experiences and a close study of Scripture, McCoy and Carter show men:* Why so much depends on who you trust and who you serve* Why every man is called to lead and why every man can* How to man up to temptation--and conquer it* How to fi nd the "win" even in your biggest failure"The real win means trusting the Lord and walking with Jesus no matter what," write Matt and Colt. "That kind of faithfulness is possible for any man who follows God with all his heart. No matter what circumstances threaten him, a faithful man is the most truly confi dent man in the room."COMPLETE WITH PRACTICAL STUDY GUIDE FOR PERSONAL OR SMALL GROUP USE.From the Hardcover edition.
The Real Wolf: The Science, Politics, and Economics of Coexisting with Wolves in Modern Times
by Ted B Lyon Will N. GravesThe Real Wolf is an in-depth study of the impact that wolves have had on big game and livestock populations as a federally protected species. Expert authors Ted B. Lyon and Will N. Graves, sift through the myths and misinformation surrounding wolves and present the facts about wolves in modern times. Each chapter in the book is meticulously researched and written by authors, biologists, geneticists, outdoor enthusiasts, and wildlife experts who have spent years studying wolves and wolf behavior. Every section describes a unique aspect of the wolf in the United States. The Real Wolf does not call for the eradication of wolves from the United States but rather advocates a new system of species management that would allow wolves, game animals, and farmers to coexist with one another in a way that is environmentally sustainable.Contributors to this groundbreaking environmental book include:Cat Urbigkit, award-winning wildlife author and photographerDr. Valerius Geist, foremost expert of big game in North AmericaMatthew Cronin, environmental researcher and geneticistRob Arnaud, president of Montana Outfitters and Guides Association
The Really Useful Physical Education Book: Learning and teaching across the 11-16 age range (The Really Useful)
by Gary Stidder Sid HayesThe Really Useful Physical Education Book offers support, guidance and practical ideas for effective, innovative and imaginative physical education lessons. Underpinned by easy-to-understand theory, this second edition is fully updated in line with the National Curriculum for Physical Education at Key Stages 3 and 4 and provides a wide range of high-quality lessons alongside engaging teaching examples and methodologies. With an emphasis on inclusive physical education, it highlights the ways in which schools can re-design the curriculum to ensure maximum enjoyment for all pupils. Key topics covered include: • Planning, progression and assessment• Health and safety issues• Inclusive track and field athletics• Adapting activities to support SEND • Swimming and water-based activities• Alternative activities including street-surfing and combat sports • Introducing dance into the curriculum • Enjoyable gymnastics for physical literacy• On-site adventurous activities• Values-based teaching• Teaching accredited awards• Using new and emerging technologies The Really Useful Physical Education Book offers essential advice and inspiration for both trainee and practising teachers responsible for the 11–16 age range. It is a must-read for all those who want to make their lesson inclusive and fun whilst promoting a healthy lifestyle and enthusiasm for lifelong activity.
The Reappearing Act: Coming Out as Gay on a College Basketball Team Led by Born-Again Christians
by Kate FaganIt's hard enough coming out, but playing basketball for a nationally ranked school and trying to figure out your sexual identity in the closeted and paranoid world of big-time college sports--that's a challenge.Kate Fagan's love for basketball and for her religious teammates at the University of Colorado was tested by the gut-wrenching realization that she could no longer ignore the feelings of otherness inside her. In trying to blend in, Kate had created a hilariously incongruous world for herself in Boulder. Her best friends were part of Colorado's Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where they ran weekly Bible studies and attended an Evangelical Free Church. For nearly a year, Kate joined them and learned all she could about Christianity--even holding their hands as they prayed for others "living a sinful lifestyle." Each time the issue of homosexuality arose, she felt as if a neon sign appeared over her head, with a giant arrow pointed downward. During these prayer sessions, she would often keep her eyes open, looking around the circle at the closed eyelids of her friends, listening to the earnestness of their words.Kate didn't have a vocabulary for discussing who she really was and what she felt when she was younger; all she knew was that she had a secret. In The Reappearing Act, she brings the reader along for the ride as she slowly accepts her new reality and takes the first steps toward embracing her true self.
The Reason I Run: How Two Men Transformed Tragedy into the Greatest Race of Their Lives
by Christopher SpriggsRich with insights and inspiration, personal discoveries and unforgettable encounters, The Reason I Run is an astonishing story that will make you laugh, weep and wonder. Join Chris on an incredible journey that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
The Reason I Run: How Two Men Transformed Tragedy into the Greatest Race of Their Lives
by Christopher SpriggsRich with insights and inspiration, personal discoveries and unforgettable encounters, The Reason I Run is an astonishing story that will make you laugh, weep and wonder. Join Chris on an incredible journey that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association
by Ed WillesThe wildest seven years in the history of hockey! The Rebel League celebrates the good, the bad, and the ugly of the fabled WHA. It is filled with hilarious anecdotes, behind the scenes dealing, and simply great hockey. It tells the story of Bobby Hull's astonishing million-dollar signing, which helped launch the league, and how he lost his toupee in an on-ice scrap.It explains how a team of naked Birmingham Bulls ended up in an arena concourse spoiling for a brawl. How the Oilers had to smuggle fugitive forward Frankie "Seldom" Beaton out of their dressing room in an equipment bag. And how Mark Howe sometimes forgot not to yell "Dad!" when he called for his teammate father, Gordie, to pass. There's the making of Slap Shot, that classic of modern cinema, and the making of the virtuoso line of Hull, Anders Hedberg, and Ulf Nilsson.It began as the moneymaking scheme of two California lawyers. They didn't know much about hockey, but they sure knew how to shake things up. The upstart WHA introduced to the world 27 new hockey franchises, a trail of bounced cheques, fractious lawsuits, and folded teams. It introduced the crackpots, goons, and crazies that are so well remembered as the league's bizarre legacy.But the hit-and-miss league was much more than a travelling circus of the weird and wonderful. It was the vanguard that drove hockey into the modern age. It ended the NHL's monopoly, freed players from the reserve clause, ushered in the 18-year-old draft, moved the game into the Sun Belt, and put European players on the ice in numbers previously unimagined.The rebel league of the WHA gave shining stars their big-league debut and others their swan song, and provided high-octane fuel for some spectacular flameouts. By the end of its seven years, there were just six teams left standing, four of which - the Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, and Hartford Whalers - would wind up in the expanded NHL.
The Rebels' Assault #4
by James David Grimstone De La RueDecimus Rex has escaped Arena Primus in the company of a fellow slave, Olu Umbika. Together, they manage to board a slave ship and sail away from the trials and Slavious Doom. But now their four friends are being used as bait to get them to return. Can Decimus and Olu get to the Suvius Tower in time to rescue them from Slavious Doom's devoted servant's evil plans?