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When the 49ers Were Kings: How Bill Walsh and Ed DeBartolo Jr. Built a Football Dynasty in San Francisco
by Gordon ForbesIn 1979, San Francisco was in turmoil attempting to recover from the assassination of two of its leaders: Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The troubled city was in need of an emotional boost to restore their pride. But as the year drew to a sad close, the city’s professional football team, the 49ers, endured its second straight 2–14 season and it, too, was in deep despair. Critics jumped on Eddie DeBartolo Jr., the new owner, along with rookie head coach Bill Walsh. The thirty-year-old DeBartolo, handed the team by his billionaire father, was the league’s youngest owner. Walsh had been passed over in Cincinnati when the Bengals made a coaching change. Yet there were promising signs that the 49ers were headed into a new era. The losses were closer. The player draft included an exciting quarterback named Joe Montana. The favorable signs proved prophetic. Over the next decade, the 49ers created a dynasty that was as unique as it was unexpected, winning four Super Bowls. The heroes were Walsh, the coach of speed and detail and long working hours, and Montana, who proved to be the perfect fit for Walsh’s fast-paced West Coast offense. In When the 49ers Were Kings , award-winning football writer Gordon Forbes examines how Walsh and DeBartolo assembled one of the greatest teams in pro football history featuring a legendary cast including Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott and unforgettable moments such as Dwight Clark and “The Catch,” a key goal-line stand in their first Super Bowl victory, and the last-minute drive capped by John Taylor’s Super Bowl-winning touchdown in Walsh’s final game. “The good old days, the days of Camelot,” 49ers executive John McVay called the exciting decade. It was a special time in a very special city when Walsh and DeBartolo made the 49ers kings of San Francisco.
When the Braves Ruled the Diamond: Fourteen Flags over Atlanta
by Dan SchlossbergFrom 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves did something no pro sports team can match, finishing in first place for fourteen consecutive seasons. <P><P>During that stretch, the Braves paired powerful pitching with potent hitting that produced under pressure. Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox won with veteran teams, young teams, slugging teams, and several times with teams that emphasized speed and defense. His teams captured on hundred wins in six different seasons. <P><P>In When the Braves Ruled the Diamond, now newly updated to include a discussion of the team's latest Hall of Fame inductees, former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg covers the record-breaking era that transformed Atlanta from the Bad-News Braves to America's Team. <P><P>With separate chapters on Cox, fabled pitching coach Leo Mazzone, and Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, this book also highlights the contributions of Andres Galarraga, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Brian Jordan, Javy Lopez, Terry Pendleton, and many more Braves stars. <P><P>It features year-by-year summaries, Opening Day lineups, and even oddball anecdotes that explain why the fourteen-year streak may never be duplicated. It is the perfect gift for fans of baseball history as well as fans of the Atlanta Braves!
When the Braves Ruled the Diamond: Fourteen Flags over Atlanta
by Dan Schlossberg Bobby CoxFrom 1991 through 2005, the Atlanta Braves did something no pro sports team can match, finishing in first place for fourteen consecutive seasons.During that stretch, the Braves parlayed powerful pitching with potent hitting that produced under pressure. Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox won with veteran teams, young teams, slugging teams, and several times with teams that emphasized speed and defense. His teams captured 100 wins in six different seasons.In When the Braves Ruled the Diamond, former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg covers the record-breaking era that transformed Atlanta from the Bad-News Braves to America's Team. With separate chapters on Cox, fabled pitching coach Leo Mazzone, and Hall of Fame pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, this book also highlights the contributions of Andres Galarraga, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Brian Jordan, Javy Lopez, Terry Pendleton, and many more Braves stars. It features year-by-year summaries, Opening Day lineups, and even oddball anecdotes that explain why the fourteen-year streak may never be duplicated. It is the perfect gift for fans of baseball history as well as fans of the Atlanta Braves!Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports-books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
When the Crowd Didn't Roar: How Baseball's Strangest Game Ever Gave a Broken City Hope
by Kevin CowherdThe date is April 29, 2015. Baltimore is reeling from the devastating riots sparked by the death in police custody of twenty-five-year-old African American Freddie Gray. <P><P>Set against this grim backdrop, less than thirty-six hours after the worst rioting Baltimore has seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox take the field at Camden Yards. It is a surreal event they will never forget: the only Major League game ever played without fans. <P><P>The eerily quiet stadium is on lockdown for public safety and because police are needed elsewhere to keep the tense city from exploding anew. <P><P>When the Crowd Didn’t Roar chronicles this unsettling contest—as well as the tragic events that led up to it and the therapeutic effect the game had on a troubled city. <P><P>The story comes vividly to life through the eyes of city leaders, activists, police officials, and the media that covered the tumultuous unrest on the streets of Baltimore, as well as the ballplayers, umpires, managers, and front-office personnel of the teams that played in this singular game, and the fans who watched it from behind locked gates. <P><P>In its own way, amid the uprising and great turmoil, baseball stopped to reflect on the fact that something different was happening in Baltimore and responded to it in an unprecedented way, making this the unlikeliest and strangest game ever played.
When the Fight Goes to the Ground
by Steve Hiscoe Jennifer Weintz Lori O'Connell[In a street defense scenario, the ground is a dangerous place to be. While it's a good idea to actively learn defensive strategies for ground fighting, it is important to put those skills into the context of how you want to use them. Whether you're an experienced submission-grappling competitor, a traditional martial artist training in a stand up striking style, or law enforcement professional, When the Fight Goes to the Ground provides you with an essential system of self-protection for street-oriented ground scenarios.]
When the Fight Goes to the Ground
by Jennifer Weintz Lori O'Connell Steve Hiscoe[In a street defense scenario, the ground is a dangerous place to be. While it's a good idea to actively learn defensive strategies for ground fighting, it is important to put those skills into the context of how you want to use them. Whether you're an experienced submission-grappling competitor, a traditional martial artist training in a stand up striking style, or law enforcement professional, When the Fight Goes to the Ground provides you with an essential system of self-protection for street-oriented ground scenarios.]
When the Game Stands Tall
by Neil Hayes Tony La Russa John Madden Bob LarsonDe La Salle High School in Concord, California, is home to perhaps the greatest dynasty in sports history. At age 23, Coach Bob Ladouceur launched a legend, "The Streak," with no teaching or head-coaching experience, and with his teams amassed the highest winning percentage in all of football history with 138 consecutive victories. This book takes readers behind the scenes, closely following individual players, as Ladouceur guides his team through the most daunting schedule in school history, the 2002 season. Numerous interviews with major-league coaches such as Bill Walsh, Steve Mariucci, and John Gruden show the depth of respect accorded to Ladouceur and his methods and philosophies. Written with full cooperation from the coach and including dozens of photographs, this book is perfect for anyone interested in the factors behind phenomenal team success.
When the Game Stands Tall, Special Movie Edition
by John Madden Neil HayesRevised and updated edition of the book to accompany the major motion picture directed by Thomas Carter and starring Jim Caviezel, Alexander Ludwig, Laura Dern, and Clancy Brown.This insider's account of the greatest winning streak in sports history brings to life the tragedies, triumphs, and unforgettable characters that inspired the major motion picture. Neil Hayes takes readers behind the scenes at De La Salle High School, where coaching legend Bob Ladouceur led his football team to a historic 13-year run of consecutive wins. A coming-of-age saga as well as an exciting sports story, When the Game Stands Tall provides a deft portrait of the enigmatic and visionary coach who instills in his players a discipline, commitment, and dedication to doing one's best that endure well beyond high school. This latest revised edition takes readers onto the film set for an introduction to the movie-making process, and includes an afterword updating storylines of many of the memorable characters and documenting Ladouceur's final year as head coach. As the story opens, the 2002 team, guardians of The Streak, is shaping up to be the most vulnerable in years. How the coaches and the players pull together throughout a difficult and challenging season to ultimately triumph is the thread of the book, with alternating chapters providing historical background on the school, past teams, stand-out players, and the dedicated coaching staff. Known and respected throughout the ranks of American football, the quiet and unassuming Ladouceur is among this country's all-time coaching greats, a man who has helped to define excellence in sports and mentorship. The book affords an inside look at the training techniques, off-season conditioning programs, scouting habits, and practice plans that produced such an outstanding team. It also introduces a cast of unforgettable characters such as Dan Shaughnessy of Salesian HS, "a fierce competitor who stormed up and down the sideline and swore more than a Catholic school coach should"; Brother Laurence, a much-loved teacher at De La Salle; Coach Eidson, a.k.a. "Cobra," and others. The weaving in of these characters illuminates the nature of the competition and says much about the spirit of De La Salle and the culture Lad has created.From the Trade Paperback edition.
When the Game Was War: The NBA's Greatest Season
by Rich CohenThe gritty, no-holds-barred account of the 1987 NBA season, a thrilling year of fierce battles and off-the-court drama between Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan—from New York Times bestselling author Rich Cohen.&“Cohen brings new life to these athletes and their legendary rivalries.&”—Bob Ryan, sports columnist emeritus, The Boston GlobeFour historic teams. Four legendary players. One unforgettable season.The 1980s were a transformative decade for the NBA. Since its founding in 1946, the league had evolved from a bruising, earthbound game of mostly nameless, underpaid players to one in which athletes became household names for their thrilling, physics-defying play. The 1987–88 season was the peak of that golden era, a year of incredible drama that featured a pantheon of superstars in their prime—the most future Hall of Famers competing at one time in any given season—battling for the title, and for their respective legacies.In When the Game Was War, bestselling author Rich Cohen tells the story of this incredible season through the four teams, and the four players, who dominated it: Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons, and a young Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. From rural Indiana to the South Side of Chicago, suburban North Carolina to rust-belt Michigan, Cohen explores the diverse journeys each of these iconic players took before arriving on the big stage. Drawing from dozens of interviews with NBA insiders, Cohen brings to vivid life some of the most colorful characters of the era—like Bill Laimbeer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Danny Ainge, and Charles Oakley—who fought like hell to help these stars succeed. For anyone who longs to understand how the NBA came to be the cultural juggernaut it is today—and to relive the magic and turmoil of those pivotal years—When the Game Was War brilliantly recasts one unforgettable season and the four transcendent players who were at the center of it all.
When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks
by Harvey AratonIn the tradition of The Boys of Summer and The Bronx Is Burning, New York Times sports columnist Harvey Araton delivers a fascinating look at the 1970s New York Knicks—part autobiography, part sports history, part epic, set against the tumultuous era when Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and Bill Bradley reigned supreme in the world of basketball. Perfect for readers of Jeff Pearlman’s The Bad Guys Won!, Peter Richmond’s Badasses, and Pat Williams’s Coach Wooden, Araton’s revealing story of the Knicks’ heyday is far more than a review of one of basketball’s greatest teams’ inspiring story—it is, at heart, a stirring recreation of a time and place when the NBA championships defined the national dream.
When the Giants Were Giants: Bill Terry and the Golden Age of New York Baseball
by W. P. Kinsella Peter WilliamsThis is the story of a forgotten Giant--the man Baseball Magazine called in 1930 "baseball's greatest first baseman"--Bill Terry. Brought up from proverty and the obscurity of semipro ball in the South by the famed "Little Napoleon," manager John McGraw of the Giants, Terry developed into the team's key player in the 1920s. As America battled the Depression, the no-nonsense Terry replaced McGraw as manager of the Giants and led the team to three pennants and a world championship. In When the Giants Were Giants, author Peter Williams looks at the end of an era--a time before television, night baseball, player strikes, or free agents--through the lense of this Hall-of-Famer's career as a player and coach. Exclusive interviews with Bill Terry and other players bring to life the rich and color tapestry of Golden Age baseball when the big New York baseball teams were the biggest names in sports.
When the Men Were Gone: A Novel
by Marjorie Herrera Lewis“…Sublimely ties together the drama of high school football, gender politics, and the impact of war on a small town in Texas.” – Sports IllustratedA 2019 One of the Best Books So Far--Newsweek.comA cross between Friday Night Lights and The Atomic City Girls, When The Men Were Gone is a debut historical novel based on the true story of Tylene Wilson, a woman in 1940's Texas who, in spite of extreme opposition, became a female football coach in order to keep her students from heading off to war.Football is the heartbeat of Brownwood, Texas. Every Friday night for as long as assistant principal Tylene Wilson can remember, the entire town has gathered in the stands, cheering their boys on. Each September brings with it the hope of a good season and a sense of unity and optimism.Now, the war has changed everything. Most of the Brownwood men over 18 and under 45 are off fighting, and in a small town the possibilities are limited. Could this mean a season without football? But no one counted on Tylene, who learned the game at her daddy’s knee. She knows more about it than most men, so she does the unthinkable, convincing the school to let her take on the job of coach. Faced with extreme opposition—by the press, the community, rival coaches, and referees and even the players themselves—Tylene remains resolute. And when her boys rally around her, she leads the team—and the town—to a Friday night and a subsequent season they will never forget. Based on a true story, When the Men Were Gone is a powerful and vibrant novel of perseverance and personal courage.
When the Moon Comes
by Paul Harbridge Matt JamesIn this atmospheric story, a group of kids play hockey on a frozen lake by moonlight. At once nostalgic and timely, this is a gorgeous book that will speak to readers young and old.The beaver flood has finally frozen--perfect ice, without a bump or a ripple. For the kids in town, it's Christmas in November. They wait, impatiently, for the right moment. Finally, it arrives: the full moon. They huff and puff through logging trails, farms, back roads and tamarack swamps, the powdery snow soaking pant legs and boots, till they see it--their perfect ice, waiting. And the game is on. When the moon Comes is steeped in tradition and nostalgia: for hockey, for childhood, for a simpler time. The beauty of the text is matched by the brilliant, rich illustrations that wonderfully capture the magic of a moonlit night in winter.
When the Tuna Went Down to Texas
by Mike ShropshireBill Parcells had earned living-legend status after transforming the Giants, Patriots, and Jets into champions. But in the final weeks of the 2002 season, he found himself living in a self-imposed exile from the National Football League. His heart aching, the Tuna yearned for another lost cause. Enter Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Deep in the heart of Texas, Jones''s once-proud pro football powerhouse had suffered through three straight disastrous seasons. The Tuna and Jones needed each other in the worst kind of way. After a clandestine meeting, Parcells agreed to travel south to restore life to the Cowboys. Football pundits shouted, "Parcells and Jones can't stand each other! It'll never work!" As usual, the pundits were wrong. With Parcells applying his witchcraft, Dallas rolled to a 10-6 regular season record and shocked the NFL by making the playoffs.
When the Tuna Went Down to Texas: The Story of Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys
by Mike ShropshireBill Parcells was living in self-imposed exile from the National Football League sidelines. The Tuna had earned living-legend status after coaching the Giants, Patriots, and Jets from the skid-row district of the NFL and transforming those teams into champions. The final weeks of the 2002 season found Parcells working as an analyst at the ESPN studios. His heart aching, Parcells was like a televangelist with no cripples to heal. The Tuna urgently yearned for another lost cause.In Dallas, Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones—described by author Mike Shropshire as "a man involved in a heroic struggle to overcome what had been diagnosed as a terminal face-lift"—was suffering through sleepless nights. Although his once-proud pro football powerhouse traveled beneath a banner that read "America's Team," it had suffered three straight 5-11 seasons. This team was so sick, it had bedsores.After a clandestine meeting aboard Jones's private jet, parked at a New Jersey airport, Parcells agreed to abandon his East Coast roots and travel south to restore life to the Cowboys. The Tuna and Jones needed each other in the worst kind of way, so a shotgun wedding was performed. The pundits of the national media joined hands and shouted, "Parcells and Jones can't stand each other! They're too set in their ways! It'll never work!"As usual, the pundits were wrong. With Parcells the ultimate motivator and so-called Jock Whisperer applying his craft, Dallas rolled to a 10-6 regular-season record and shocked the NFL by making the playoffs. When the Tuna Went Down to Texas details the saga of how this unlikely partnership of men "too brittle for tango lessons, but not yet blind enough for assisted living" amazed the sports world and serves as absolute proof that while the truth is not always stranger than fiction, it's usually a lot funnier.
When the Water Closes Over My Head
by Donna Jo NapoliWhen his family goes on vacation to visit his grandparents in Iowa, nine-year-old Mikey is continually faced with his fear of drowning.
When War Played Through
by John StregeThe New York Timesbestselling author pays tribute to the golfers who rallied for an Allied victory during World War II-and shows how the Greatest Generation kept golf alive, despite equipment shortages, bombings, and even captivity. World War II transformed the American home front, and golf was no exception. The world-famous Masters course at Augusta National became a farm to ease food shortages. Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were drafted, and Bobby Jones enlisted. Rubber rationing forced pros and amateurs alike to play with well-worn golf balls-and created a black market for new ones. The 1942 U. S. Open was canceled, replaced by the Hale American Open-whose winner, Ben Hogan, was awarded $1,000 in war bonds-while golfers across the country raised millions of dollars for the war effort. When War Played Throughbrings to life these little-known aspects of an endlessly fascinating period in golf's history. Bestselling golf author John Strege's narrative extends overseas to captured soldiers in Germany who constructed golf courses in a POW camp and English golfers who devised rules for playing around bomb craters and shrapnel during the Blitz (from the Richmond Gold Club in London: "A player whose stroke is affected by the simultaneous explosion of a bomb may play another ball. Penalty one stroke. "). Many golfers returned home from battle with commendations for valor, finding unmatched solace on the links after a dark time. When War Played Throughis the compelling story how an elite sport became a selfless one-and how golf became, for a nation at war, much more than a game.
When War Played Through
by John StregeWorld War II transformed the American home front, and golf was no exception. The world-famous Masters course at Augusta National became a farm to ease food shortages. Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were drafted, and Bobby Jones enlisted. Rubber rationing forced pros and amateurs alike to play with well-worn golf balls--and created a black market for new ones. The 1942 U.S. Open was canceled, replaced by the Hale American Open--whose winner Ben Hogan was awarded $1000 in war bonds--while golfers across the country raised millions of dollars for the war effort. When War Played Through brings to life these little-known aspects of an endlessly fascinating period in golf's history. Bestselling golf author John Strege's narrative extends overseas, to captured soldiers in Germany who constructed golf courses in a POW camp and English golfers who devised rules for playing around bomb craters and shrapnel during the Blitz. Many golfers returned home from battle with commendations for valor, finding unmatched solace on the links after a dark time. When War Played Through is the compelling story of how an elite sport became a selfless one--and how golf became, for a nation at war, much more than a game.
When Women Played Hardball
by Susan E. JohnsonThe years between 1943 and 1954 marked the magical era of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League - which proved beyond doubt that women can play hardball. The book briefly traces the history of professional women's baseball, and offers profiles of seven players.
When Women Rule the Court: Gender, Race, and Japanese American Basketball
by Nicole WillmsFor nearly one hundred years, basketball has been an important part of Japanese American life. Women’s basketball holds a special place in the contemporary scene of highly organized and expansive Japanese American leagues in California, in part because these leagues have produced numerous talented female players. Using data from interviews and observations, Nicole Willms explores the interplay of social forces and community dynamics that have shaped this unique context of female athletic empowerment. As Japanese American women have excelled in mainstream basketball, they have emerged as local stars who have passed on the torch by becoming role models and building networks for others.
When You Can Swim
by Jack WongA reverent celebration of learning to swim among a diverse cast of children and families who each experience the mysterious joys of water in nature. <P><P> In this exploration of what it truly means to swim, expansive vignettes introduce sandpipers, tannin-soaked lakes, and the feeling of a small waterfall on sun-soaked shoulders. But what about those who are afraid of the water's mysterious ways and resist learning to swim? Painting a compelling picture of the many joys and surprises that the water holds, artist and author Jack Wong has delivered an empowering, poetic journey that invites children to discover their confidence within to receive the warmth and wonder of the natural world. <P><P><i>Advisory: Bookshare has learned that this book offers only partial accessibility. We have kept it in the collection because it is useful for some of our members. Benetech is actively working on projects to improve accessibility issues such as these.</i>
When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes
by Yogi Berra Dave KaplanAn exciting new collection of sublimely simple wisdom from a bestselling author, celebrated athlete, and a true American hero. Three-time MVP and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra hit home runs twice in a row with his two previous books, The Yogi Book and It Ain't Over. Now, his winning streak will continue with this latest work--a collection of appealing, funny, and surprisingly moving essays on life, happiness, and getting through the slumps. Filled with another delightful helping of Yogi's inimitable and unwittingly wise aphorisms, these reflections focus on the valuable lessons he's learned on and off the field. From his early years as an immigrant's son who dropped out of the eighth grade through his triumphant career as a player and manager who played in a record seventy-five World Series games, Yogi illustrates his homespun philosophies with apt analogies to his trove of baseball stories. He expounds on such topics as Patience (Waiting for your pitch); Sacrifice (Laying down a bunt); Trusting Others (Taking direction); and Staying Focused (Keeping your eye on the ball), to show how the rules of life and baseball are uncannily similar. And, in the tradition of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and All I Really Need to I Know I Learned in Kindergarten, he explains his recipe for fulfillment and happiness with life lessons that are profoundly simple, simply profound--and classic Yogi to the core. Following on the heels of two New York Times bestselling books and filled with memorable photos, this new collection of Yogi wisdom will undoubtedly expand his growing legion of fans. When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! is a wise, humble, touching book that's a guaranteed winner. In short, it's déjà vu all over again. A baseball legend reflects on the following lessons... "A nickel ain't worth a dime any more." "It ain't over til it's over." "You can't think and hit at the same time." "I didn't really say everything I said." "The future ain't what it used to be." . . . and many more.
When You Find Out the World Is Against You: And Other Funny Memories About Awful Moments
by Kelly Oxford“Kelly is part geek, part freak. When You Find Out The World Is Against You shows us ourselves: our sensitivities, our awkward moments, our strange desires. She takes us through summer camp, dating, rape culture, Trump, death . . . Kelly Oxford c’est moi.” — James Franco“Two things I’m grateful for: how imperfect Kelly Oxford is at life and decision-making, and how terrific she is at writing about what a goddamn mess she is.” — Patton Oswalt“Kelly Oxford’s writing is hilarious and fearless. She’s the badass Canadian sister I never had.” — Mindy Kaling“I have worshipped the mind of Kelly Oxford for eons. Kelly Oxford’s concise, whip-smart observations feel eerily universal. When You Find Out the World is Against You shows that there is something to be learned from even the most absurd or devastating moments of life.” — Jill Soloway“Kelly Oxford is a beautiful writer. She finds beauty in the mundane and humor in everyday eccentricities. She is our present-day, funny Joan Didion.” — Gia Coppola
When Your Back's Against the Wall: Fame, Football, and Lessons Learned through a Lifetime of Adversity
by Michael Oher Don YaegerThe NFL champion whose life inspired the hit movie The Blind Side is back with an inspiring and motivating book on overcoming any obstacle, no matter how tough the oddsMillions of people became part of Michael Oher&’s story when they watched a version of him on the big screen; read his memoir, I Beat the Odds; or cheered him on from the stands. After speaking to so many of them over the years, Oher knows that more than anything, people want to believe great things can happen, even when the situation looks bleak. His story of overcoming the toughest of odds serves as their hope. Oher&’s life has had a lot of unexpected highs: a college degree; four beautiful, healthy children and a happy marriage; drafted in the first round; a Super Bowl victory; and a second chance to play in the &“big game.&” He&’s also run up against quite a few walls: poverty, hunger, homelessness, struggles in school, bullying, job loss, brain injury, anxiety, and depression. What he knows now is that your wall can be your opportunity. In When Your Back&’s Against the Wall, he offers encouragement and shows readers how to get back up—again, and again, and again.
When Your Wife Has Tommy John Surgery and Other Baseball Stories: Poems
by E. Ethelbert MillerMuch-honored Washington, D.C. poet activist E. Ethelbert Miller delights and surprises us with his deft imaginings and portraits. Ethelbert&’s poems play out in baseball rhythm and express the joy of living, despite the bitter challenges in today&’s world. These poems define our time and allow us to see ourselves as human through the lens of baseball, family and music. When Your Wife Has Tommy John Surgery and Other Baseball Stories is Miller's second book of baseball poems. Here he touches new bases. There are poems about Marcel Duchamp and Ornette Coleman as well as Whitey Ford and Don Larsen. Miller's poems move the outdoor game indoors where there are moments of disappointment and despair. Baseball can be a blues game. Tommy John surgery is a way of holding onto hope. Many of these poems were written during the Covid pandemic. They beckon fans back to the ballpark. They remind us to enjoy a game that is precious and maybe even essential to our wellness. Coming after If God Invented Baseball, Miller seems to emerge from a literary dugout after a brief rain delay, ready to celebrate the American pastime again.