life as sport | Da Capo Press

Beyond golf’s polished surface there lies a world not often seen by the average fan. The caddy sees everything – the ambition, the strategy, the rivalries, the jealousies – that occurs behind the scenes. Award-winning John Feinstein, America’s favourite sportswriter, got one of golf’s legendary caddies to reveal the secrets behind the most popular sport of our time.

Bruce Edwards was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in January 2003, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, but he dominated coverage of the 2003 US Open. This is a position not usually bestowed on a caddy, but Edwards was no ordinary caddy. In 1973, after forgoing college, Edwards walked on the course behind a young Tom Watson and never looked back. Watson would go on to win eight major titles with Bruce Edwards by his side. Edwards continued to do the job he had dedicated more than half his life to right up to his death in April 2004, aged 49. This is a moving, dramatic and thoughtful book about a life devoted to sports.

A revised and expanded edition of The New York Yankees: Legendary Sports Teams! The New York Yankees played their first game in the American League in 1903. Since then, they have become the best team in baseball, bar none. Now this action-packed and fact-filled volume brings the Yankee’s great history to life. From Babe Ruth’s called shot and Lou Gehrig’s tearful farewell speech, to Reggie Jackson’s three hits on three pitches and Derek Jeter’s game-saving catches, classic moments are recounted with such vivid description that readers will swear they can smell the popcorn and hear the crack of the bat. Updated content includes team records and post-season results from 1903 to 2011, as well as lists of Yankees inducted into the Hall of Famers and photos of the most memorable plays and people in Yankee history.

In the NFL there is only one certainty: that every day, someone will have to be the Next Man Up. Football is an unrelentingly punishing sport, played and practiced at undiminished intensity, and it devours its players. Confronting injuries, trades, and the grim reality of competition, every NFL team prepares constantly for the likelihood — the certainty — that even franchise players can go down at any time. And someone new must be ready, trained, and primed to step in at the highest level.

Bestselling sportswriter John Feinstein persuaded one NFL team to lift the extraordinary secrecy that shrouds the sport and let him see how a team operates at the closest level. One team let him join every practice, every coaches’ meeting, every players’ gathering, every strategy debate. From the give-and-take of draft day, into the grinder of summer training camps, and from 100-degree practice games to the last game in frigid conditions, Feinstein reveals how a football team works — or fails to work — as no writer has done before.

Next Man Up unveils rituals (what a coach tells a player at the moment he cuts him); rules (the inanities of league-appointed “uniform Nazis”); conflicts (the scouts vs. the coaches, the general managers vs. the agents, the offense vs. the defense, the special teams coaches vs. everybody); money (how much a journeyman makes, and how his life differs from the multi-million-dollar-a-year star players)-every nuance of a team’s life, from the owner’s goals to the coach’s day-to-day travails to the feeling of the sleet-soaked ball in the hands of a receiver on artificial turf.

The access John Feinstein enjoyed allows him to discuss with equal understanding the owner’s management strategy, the coaches’ and coordinators’ plans for each new game, and how it all affects the players themselves. Anyone who loves football — any team, in any era — will savor the thousands of details revealed here for the first time, and the extraordinary drama that goes into following week after week, the most sensational sport in America.

Don’t miss this action-packed and informative look at the life and achievements of a basketball legend!

Matt Christopher, the number one sports writer for kids, profiles basketball superstar Michael Jordan, covering his childhood, college career, rookie years, professional career highlights, and even his short stint in minor league baseball. Written in Matt Christopher’s easy-to-read style and complete with incredible photos and Michael Jordan’s key stats, this comprehensive biography will entertain and educate.

Anyone who has ever had the privilege of watching Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals knows the sound of a hit. It’s the sound his bat makes when it connects with the ball. It’s a sound that’s been heard countless times since his 2001 rookie season. That year, he took the league by storm by posting some of the most fantastic offensive stats of any rookie ever-and he’s been doing the same ever since, shattering records and helping his team win games, including the 2006 World Series, with clutch hits and amazing home runs.

This biography offers an up-close look at this superstar’s life and the most memorable moments of his outstanding career to date.

On a cold February day in 1979, when most of the Northeast was snowed in by a blizzard, NASCAR entered the American consciousness with a dramatic telecast of the Daytona 500. It was the first 500-mile race to be broadcast live on national television and featured the heroes and legends of the sport racing on a hallowed track. With one of the wildest finishes in sports history — a finish that was just the start of the drama — everything changed for what is now America’s second most popular sport.

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back is the story of an emerging sport trying to find its feet. It’s the story of how Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, A.J. Foyt, and Kyle Petty came together in an unforgettable season that featured the first nationally televised NASCAR races. There were rivalries — even the sibling kind — and plenty of fistfights, feuds, and frenzied finishes. Rollicking and full of larger-than-life characters, He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back is the remarkable tale of the birth of modern stock-car racing.

This will be the very last book you ever read. Because after you have read this book, you, Good Sir, will know how to be a pro athlete. And pro athletes don’t need books. Or strong family bonds. Or any of that stupid crap. Not when they have ready access to millions of dollars and scores of smoking hot chicks with questionable judgment.

This book will be all you require to cast aside your boring life as some jackass who cruises around bookstores hoping to score grad-school trim.

With Men with Balls, you will learn how to:

Showboat using classical pantomime techniques Figure out whether or not a stripper actually fancies you Emotionally cope from the emotional fallout of rookie year hazing games Find out which free locker room amphetamines will give you a shot of energy, and which will cause you to run down terrified schoolchildren with your Escalade (NOTE: Some do both) Avoid media scrutiny by directing beat writers and columnists to the nearest hot buffet

So grab your balls, bookboy. You’re about to become a home-run hitting, steroid-injecting, angry-orgy-having Turbostud. They’re gonna need a whole ocean just to wash your jock.

June 2008’s US Open produced one of the most unexpected and dramatic showdowns in golf history. Day after day the invincible Tiger Woods was challenged by Rocco Mediate, a respected journeyman. On Sunday, both ended play tied at par, forcing a playoff. Defying expectations, Mediate played Woods to yet another tie, losing only after forcing a sudden-death showdown.

Through it all, Rocco Mediate emerged as one of the most likable, open, and fascinating golfers. In Are You Kidding Me?, he tells the full story of these five life-changing days. With John Feinstein, whose insider knowledge of the golf world is unparalleled, Mediate relives one of sport’s greatest feats, how one man overcame every obstacle to challenge the game’s finest.

The honest and powerful autobiography from basketball legend Jerry West is a must-read for fans of the game.

He is one of basketball's towering figures: "Mr. Clutch," who mesmerized his opponents and fans. The coach who began the Lakers' resurgence in the 1970s. The general manager who helped bring "Showtime" to Los Angeles, creating a championship-winning force that continues to this day.

Now, for the first time, the legendary Jerry West tells his story — from his tough childhood in West Virginia, to his unbelievable college success at West Virginia University, his 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his relationships with NBA legends like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Unsparing in its self-assessment and honesty, West by West is far more than a sports memoir: it is a profound confession and a magnificent inspiration.

From acclaimed journalist Ben Bradlee Jr. comes the epic biography of Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams that baseball fans have been waiting for.

Williams was the best hitter in baseball history. His batting average of .406 in 1941 has not been topped since, and no player who has hit more than 500 home runs has a higher career batting average. Those totals would have been even higher if Williams had not left baseball for nearly five years in the prime of his career to serve as a Marine pilot in WWII and Korea. He hit home runs farther than any player before him — and traveled a long way himself, as Ben Bradlee, Jr.’s grand biography reveals. Born in 1918 in San Diego, Ted would spend most of his life disguising his Mexican heritage. During his 22 years with the Boston Red Sox, Williams electrified crowds across America — and shocked them, too: His notorious clashes with the press and fans threatened his reputation. Yet while he was a God in the batter’s box, he was profoundly human once he stepped away from the plate. His ferocity came to define his troubled domestic life. While baseball might have been straightforward for Ted Williams, life was not.

The Kid is biography of the highest literary order, a thrilling and honest account of a legend in all his glory and human complexity. In his final at-bat, Williams hit a home run. Bradlee’s marvelous book clears the fences, too.

Experience the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete.

Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics.

Then Babe attempted to conquer golf.

One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world.

A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, Wonder Girl is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.

Cole Richards has been training in karate for four years. He’s on the brink of advancing to his next belt level, but as he prepares for his test, new challenges come his way. First, his dojo announces a “create-your-own kata” contest to take place the same day as his belt test. Now he’s torn between practicing for the test and making up a series of moves that will knock his sensei’s socks off. But before he even begins with either challenge, he lands in trouble with a group of local teens — and then with his best friends, too! How will Cole handle the mounting pressure?

With themes of jealousy, competition, and bullying, Matt Christopher brings together important life lessons and the thrill of karate.

The star running back of the NFL. The All-Star center leading his team to the championship. Matt Christopher delves into the life of both of these sports stars, exploring the paths they have traveled, the hardships they have overcome, and the highs and lows of their careers. Each book contains exciting black-and-white action photos, the player’s stats, and a list of his career highlights. Real-life sports action plus Matt Christopher’s easy-to-read style equals a series not be missed.

The 24th title in this bestselling sports series reviews the life, history and stats of baseball superstar Alexander Rodriguez. 10 photos.

Even before Tiger Woods stunned the world with his amazing victory al Augusta, he was impressing the golfing community with his perfect swing and pleasing crowds with his mile-wide smile and enthusiasm for the game. Readers will relish learning the details of this superstar’s life and career.

Matt Christopher, the number one sports writer for kids, covers the childhood experiences, college careers, rookie years, and current professional standing of this outstanding athlete. It provides exciting play-by-play action of key games and insightful information on the people and events that enfluenced Young’s life. Photos show Young doing what he does best.

There is no football game more exciting than the Super Bowl, the match that pits the best AFC team against the best NFC in a battle for the NFL championship. THrilling last-second victories, curshing defeats, jaw-dropping touchdown catches-and misses!-the Super Bowl has it all. In this action-packed volume, young readers can relive forty years of Super Bowl history. It chronicles the rise of such dynasties as the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots as well as the agony felt by the all-time loser, the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. Photos and quotes from superstar players bring the games to life. And with a complete list of all the Super Bowl results from I to XL, this book has everything a young football fan needs to know.

Twelve-year-old Seth Pender thinks his life came to an end when he suffered a spinal injury that left him confined to a wheelchair. Seth, an athlete who loves basketball, is sure he’ll never play again. He grows sullen and silent, unresponsive when his family urges him to try to adjust. Then one day he sees an older boy who, like himself, is wheelchair bound. But this boy is playing basketball! How is that possible? Over the course of three years, Seth (and the reader) learns about the sport of wheelchair basketball: the similarities and differences between it and regular basketball, the skills one needs to excel at it, and the camaraderie that grows amongst the players. By the end of the story, Seth is better adjusted to his life, and ready to reach out a hand to help others find their way.

Matt Christopher, the #1 sports writer for kids, focuses on Andre Agassi, the controversial tennis phenomenon whose image is as hard-hitting as his playing. Real-life sports action plus the author’s easy-to-read style equals a sports biography not to be missed.

The star running back of the NFL. The All-Star center leading his team to the championship. Matt Christopher delves into the life of both of these sports stars, exploring the paths they have traveled, the hardships they have overcome, and the highs and lows of their careers. Each book contains exciting black-and-white action photos, the player’s stats, and a list of his career highlights. Real-life sports action plus Matt Christopher’s easy-to-read style equals a series not be missed.

Provides a fact-filled biography of Greg Maddux, covering the baseball superstar’s life as a pitcher, his character as a player, and the special achievements of his career, such as winning four Cy Young Awards and six Gold Glove Awards.

Examines the personal life and football career of the quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Reviews the life of the talented slugger Mo Vaughn.

Describes the life and skating career of the young woman who won a gold medal in figure skating at the 1998 Olympics.

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Caddy for Life

The New York Yankees

Next Man Up

Michael Jordan

Albert Pujols

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back

Men with Balls

Are You Kidding Me?

West by West

The Kid

Wonder Girl

Karate Kick

On the Court With... Hakeem Olajuwon

On the field with ... Alex Rodriguez

Randy Johnson

Steve Young (In the Huddle with )

The Super Bowl

Wheel Wizards

Andre Agassi

Emmitt Smith

Greg Maddux

In the Huddle with... John Elway

Mo Vaughn

On the Ice with...Tara Lapinski

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