Sportsbiografier

Dozens of former players, friends, and associates recall the Stengel myth and the Stengel reality. They explore his managing style with great teams and with horrible teams, his pioneering techniques, his humor, his edginess, and his weaknesses. What emerges is a fascinating ride through baseball history. Photos.

James J. Corbett and Joe Choynski were destined to spill each other's blood.In the beginning, the boxing legends were simply two lads scratching and clawing to find their way in the world. They grew up a mile apart on San Francisco's mean streets during the 1880s, ran in rival neighborhood gangs, and earned tough reputations as teenagers for their fistic prowess.Corbett loved to play the role of the dandy, working as a bank teller and always dressing to the height of fashion. His gentlemanly appearance often deceived the brawlers he boxed in the gritty Barbary Coast saloons. From the start, he displayed a natural elusiveness and speed that would eventually revolutionize boxing and win him the World Heavyweight Championship.Yet Corbett's road to glory almost ended prematurely due to a feud with Choynski, who proved his equal in the ring. Choynski developed a brawny physique in those early days as a candy puller and blacksmith before entering the ring with raw power and energy that electrified crowds. Soon, San Francisco wasn't big enough for the two-up-and-coming pugilists. Locals clamored for an illegal "fight to the finish" to determine who was the city's best boxer. A parade of colorful socialites, gamblers, newsmen, and sporting hacks entered the scene as they tried to secure the match as they tried to outwit law enforcement. Along the way, tensions swirled around the hype from outside forces who saw the Irish Corbett or Jewish Choynski as representatives of their ethnic pride. Club bragging rights also played a part in the drama. For the boxers, however, the fight was simply a matter of pride. Losing was not an option.What ensued would captivate boxing fans for generations to come. The Corbett-Choynski feud resulted in arguably the most savagely contested fight in the annals of boxing history - an epic, twenty-seven round brawl under the blistering California sun on a barge anchored near the sleepy port town of Benecia.This is their legend . . .

How can you discover and exploit the ways you are unique and be able to accomplish great things? "A Walk with the Black Moses: Sandy Stephens' Inspiring Stories of Hope and Determination- How You Too Can Aspire to a Legacy of Greatness" gives insights into the background, attributes, belief system and approach to life of a legend. Sandy Stephens believed in himself and his ability to leave a legacy for others to follow. "A Walk with the Black Moses: Sandy Stephens' Inspiring Stories of Hope and Determination- ...." reveals practical ways for readers to transform their gifts and talents into tools for success. It helps the reader recognize the faith, hope, and determination needed for Sandy to set his sights on uncharted summits and spend a lifetime in pursuit of his dreams. Sandy's model of belief in self, hard work, and resistance to inequitable treatment fueled his legacy.

Life is a journey with many twists and turns. For John McAteer, they came in the form of mountains, rivers and streams. He has experienced many rewarding and truly fascinating moments in the great outdoors, and feels blessed to be able to work outside and deal with the natural world.In this book, John shares his experiences of hunting all over the world, the interesting people he met while doing this and some tasty recipes for the amazing animals he harvested.

This biography is a passionately executed demonstration of just how powerful football is in Africa. How football against all odds of apartheid, transformed a life of a youngster born in Soweto and thrust him into international stardom achieving world recognition through his God given talent.Written unapologetically from a fan's perspective, the fan who's also the author, for over twenty years, followed and studied the life of Doctor Khumalo who captivated and thrilled many people during his heyday. The book further demonstrates how Doctor Khumalo was able to make a name and a brand from which he continues to feed off even in retirement. This is an oddity in Africa. Many African superstars retire rich and immediately become poor in retirement despite having amassed preposterous amounts of wealth during their career. This is due to poor planning and lack of investment mechanisms, and hanging out with a wrong crowd. Doctor Khumalo remains a big name in Africa whose durability continues to lure corporates and organizations to his brand. This story is a remarkable illustration that indeed all our dreams are valid. That if we work hard and remain focused and determined, nothing is impossible. This football story is an unambiguous reminder that indeed football and sport in general have united people initially divided on political opionion, race and gender amongst others as was the case in South Africa during the political struggle against Apartheid. The Doctor Khumalo story is a cryptic demonstration of how football has evacuated many families from abject poverty. This is an unconditional celebration of an extra ordinarily talented soccer star whose football prowess turned him from a regular township celebrity into a global superstar. This story demonstrates how making a name and a durable brand has become an alternative source of income for Doctor Khumalo many years after his playing days.

Being too tall is both a blessing and a curse. From school to sports to dating and beyond, the land of the giants is a place rife with physical, social, racial and emotional struggles. A sense of humor is a must when confronting Lilliputians on your travels. This book is a light-hearted attempt to let the reader in on the secret world of seven footers. The author also touches on relevant social and racial issues such as white privilege and the National Anthem protest.

The dazzling sport of Formula One motor racing has an exciting but violent past. Global celebrities and glamorous locations have long been part of the Grand Prix scene, but all the bells and whistles cannot hide the bloody costs in its history. To step into the cockpit in the 1960s and 1970s was to risk everything, every time.Blood Sport brings you up close to the drivers of those days in 120 rare photographs and personal chapters by the author, who was there. Each of the 49 men in the book--Mario Andretti, Jack Brabham, Niki Lauda, Bruce McLaren, Carlos Reutemann, Pedro Rodriguez, Jackie Stewart and John Surtees, for example--has his own chapter. In addition, a compelling Bonus Section features five of the men who made the cars that so often killed the men who drove them.As a journalist, Heglar worked inside the sealed world of Formula One during the sport's darkest years. She offers details on the triumphs and tragedies of those in that exotic universe, as well as an overview of F1 as it developed and how it has changed (or not). She had access to the pits, drivers and teams that is impossible today.Road & Track published Heglar's earlier book, The Grand Prix Champions, which detailed the first World Driving Champions from Nino Farina through Emerson Fittipaldi. Like that book, Blood Sport is essential for any F1 enthusiast.

SHORTY and BIG BOY HOGUE blazed across the West Coast fight scene of the 1930s and 40s like twin comets. Crossing gloves with former and future world champions and oft-avoided dangerous contenders, such as Archie Moore, Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Eddie Booker, and other members of the infamous 'Murderers' Row', the Hogue twins took on all comers in a dual quest for world titles and sibling superiority.Just like comets, their spectacle was brief; they crashed and burned almost as soon as they arrived. Both lived and fought with passion and both died tragically young.This hard-hitting sports biography details the extraordinary rise and fall of Willis (Shorty) and Willard (Big Boy) Hogue, from their fistfights on the streets of Jacumba, Califonia, to national championship status and contention for world titles. From the bright glare of the ring lights to the dark corners of deteriorating mental health.Fully illustrated throughout, with complete amateur and professional career records, this book is a must for any fan of boxing history and the fight game in California.

'The Complete Guide To Rugby World Cup' is an essential companion for the pinnacle tournament of world rugby. This indespensible compilation is a collection of detailed information across the 32 year history of Rugby World Cup. The comprehensive guidebook details the history of the sport of rugby from its fragile beginnings through to the inception of the competition that was specifically designed to produce just one world champion, theRugby World Cup.'The Complete Guide To Rugby World Cup' lists every coach and every player from the past and present. The book reveals the tournament grounds and venues, from the most humble to the most magnificent. Search the results of each and every one of Rugby World Cup's matches, including all the pool matches, all the knock-out matches, and of course the drama and spectacle of the semi-finals, and finals of each of the tournaments to date. View the individual match statistics, the try scorers and kickers for each game, and the champions. 'The Complete Guide To Rugby World Cup' makes for compelling reading for all fans of rugby worldwide.

In the mid-1990s, the Onondaga Central Tigers were on the brink of extinction.Contemplating retirement, coach Paul Taylor faced the low point of his career. After years of decline, the football program at Onondaga Central High School in Upstate New York had so few eligible players that they couldn't finish the season. It took grit, commitment, and inspired leadership for the team just to hang on and start the long climb back.And then, in 2000, the miracle they needed arrived: an undersized ninth-grade transfer who already had a reputation as a standout running back-Michael Hart. Seven years later, Hart was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a contender for the Heisman Trophy, college football's most coveted award.Through the eyes of Hart's coach and mentor, When Tigers Streak follows the young running back as he sets more than a dozen state and national records during a stunning high school career. Along with Hart's rise, the memoir chronicles a coach's path from despair to victory, the resurgence of a football program in a tight-knit blue-collar community, and the individual triumphs, heartbreaks, and tragedies that unfold along the way. When Tigers Streak makes a case for Michael Hart as the greatest running back in the history of high school football-and serves as an inspirational tale for any young athletes aspiring to be their best.

This book is about me and my world of omnipresent football. It is about my team, my Dad, my mates. However, it could easily be about you, because the game is 'ours'. This book holds up a mirror to our world of football and asks whether football still belongs to us? If so, what can we do to keep it 'ours'?

Austin 'Clarence' Farrar saw an opportunity for innovation in almost everything. Although not a well known public figure, he was known and respected by those who met him and worked with him. His work on dinghy design and building, and subsequently as one of the leading sailmakers of his day, stays with us today. His work on the design of spinnakers and wing rigs is still current and many of today's sailmakers learnt the trade under Austin.Coming from a family where invention was encouraged, Austin was fortunate to be yacht and dinghy racing in the heyday of the 1930s. He worked on the design of cutting edge offshore racers and developed torpedo nets to guard ships during the war. Later he was the most successful of the designers of the International 14 class and Seahorse Sails became synonymous with excellence and design development. This book tells the story of a fascinating man.

In this personal look at Bear Bryant, the legendary college coach, dozens of his contemporaries, former players, childhood friends, family, competitors, opponents, and his ""boys"" offer in their own words their favorite memories of this man they loved so much. Illustrations.

I Like To Watch includes sports-watching adventures and experiences from across the globe: Football in Argentina, England, Scotland, Spain and Poland, cricket in India and Sri Lanka, running with the bulls in Pamplona, Aussie rules football and a quest to see a game at all Major League Baseball stadiums in North America all feature.

Be inspired by the life of a late blooming world champion, with coloured photos, and some of Earl's pertinent poetry, in 20 entertaining chapters describing his life from 1929 to 2018. Highlights in this book are Earl's:- Valuable detailed running workouts and methods from age 57 to age 88.- Experiences at 17 World Masters Championships from 1987 to 2014. (But more to come.) - Quotations and spiritual reflections (e.g., gratitude, helping others, love, empathy, etc.). - Anti-aging lifestyle and his secret to athletic success- aging slower than his rivals. - Thirty-five pioneering years in the Canadian (CANDU) nuclear power industry. - Detailed descriptions of interesting friends, characters and five legendary athletic friends.Compared to Earl's anti-aging lifestyle, and lifestyle descriptions herein of his legendary athletic friends the late Ed Whitlock and Olga Kotelko ...it may appear like your daily habits are not productive-or you are not making the most of your remaining valuable time. This book is bound to increase your motivation and rejuvenate your dreams.

No sporting venue has been subject to more lies, distortions and half-truths than the Berlin Olympics of 1936. In this diligently researched and annotated work, the author sets the record straight. The first matter tackled by the author is the international campaign to boycott the Games. This was a failure because, as the President of the International Olympic Committee said at the time, it had no significant support among the athletes themselves. In fact, despite the US led boycott campaign, more nations than ever, 12 more (or 32% more) participated than in the previous Games at Los Angeles.New ideas adopted at the Games, which became standard features of future Games, are highlighted: the Olympic Torch, the Olympic Bell and the direct relay of television. The traditional Olympic Salute is also discussed, though it has now been effectively banned from the Olympics by the tyranny of political correctness.Controversies relating to the following participants are investigated: Gretel Bergmann, the Jewish athlete dropped from the German team less than three weeks after equalling the German women's high jump record; Dora Ratjen, the German high jumper later exposed (by the Germans) as a man; two Jewish sprinters replaced by the US team (by two African-Americans) in the men's relay; and the Peruvian football team, required to replay a match with Austria.In particular, the author deals at length with the Jesse Owens saga, establishing that it was President Roosevelt, not Hitler, who snubbed the great athlete and showing that African-American athletes were treated far better in Germany than in their own country.Includes over 60 original photographs.

The Fencers is the third volume in a trilogy of autobiographical Cold War Escape stories. It is both an immigrant's narrative of seeking a better life and a brighter future and a sports memoir focusing on two Olympic fencers, one representing Canada, the other Romania. Most of all, it is the account of the author's friendship with Paul Szabó, a Romanian-Hungarian epée fencer, Szabó's love for a young woman he married and her tragic death. In Romania, the country Paul represented in the 1976 Olympics, Nicolae Ceaüescu was then President. Mismanagement, rampant corruption, mass surveillance, brutality and human rights abuses were rampant. Ceaüescu's Stalinist secret police, the Securitate, was particularly notorious for purges, oppression and restrictions of freedom of the almost two million Hungarians, like Szabó, who had lived in Romania for centuries. And it was in this context that Paul, only twenty-one at the time takes the difficult decision to stay in Canada, with the prospect of never seeing his parents and homeland again. He approaches his friend, Tatrallyay, who against all odds helps him defect to Canada and start a new life in his chosen country. The Fencers is an exciting true story of courage, friendship, love, happiness, success and tragedy.

Black Man vs. The World: Jack Johnson's Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs, by Adam J. Pollack, tells the complete story of Jack Johnson, the first black man to fight for and win the world heavyweight championship. In a thorough, detailed, and unique fashion, Johnson's life and fights are recounted based on multiple local next-day primary sources, archival documents, as well as a multitude of rare photographs, cartoons, and advertisements. You will follow his path from a poverty-stricken struggling unknown, to contender battling against the color line, lobbying for a title shot which he had earned but for his race, all the way to the championship, his reign, and the great efforts to find a white fighter capable of dethroning him. Throughout, both black and white-owned newspapers offer their plethora of perspectives and substantial context about race, both inside and outside of the ring, better enabling the reader to understand Johnson's struggles and symbolic significance both to whites and blacks throughout the world. Like never before, boxing fans, sociologists, and historians will obtain knowledge and insight into Jack Johnson's life and world from which he emerged and endured. The book includes racial incidents, lynchings and riots, analysis of the significant racial impact of Johnson's achievements, religious and racial objections and arguments, and legal battles and obstacles Johnson and the sport of boxing faced, including fight film bans, his criminal trial for violation of the White-Slave Traffic Act (based on the actual trial transcript), and even battle for the right to defend his crown in England. This is a revised and condensed version of In the Ring With Jack Johnson: Parts I and II combined. Adam J. Pollack is a boxing judge and referee, attorney, and member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

In Painted Mountains, Stephen Venables - the first Briton to climb Everest without oxygen - details the stories of two very different expeditions: the first ascent of 6,000-metre Kishtwar-Shivling in the Indian Himalaya alongside Dick Renshaw, before embarking on an Indo-British Expedition led by Harish Kapadia to Rimo: the Painted Mountain.

June 17, 1986: Len Bias, the best college basketball player in the country, achieves his dream and is drafted by the NBA Champion Boston Celtics. Less than forty-eight hours later, he dies.It's the end of innocence at the University of Maryland, and it's The Beginning. The shocking death of a superstar is national news and unleashes a tidal wave of coverage, condemnation and legislation so punitive that some have called it a great stain on the American justice system. Legendary coach "Lefty" Driesell leaves, his replacement, Bob Wade is forced out under a cloud, and alumnus Gary Williams is hired to resurrect Maryland Basketball. The student-athletes who stay must deal with the crippling grief of losing an icon and a friend while struggling with public contempt, criminal investigations, NCAA sanctions-a seemingly endless nightmare for these young men who fight to keep playing, trying to return Maryland to greatness.LESSONS FROM LENNY, an inspiring story of survival, rebirth and the constant search for a better self is told by two of these young men.In 1986, Tony Massenburg is a freshman teammate of Bias. He came from Stony Creek, Virginia to learn to play "like Len" and the death of his idol shook him to his core. In Temple Hills, Maryland, sixteen-year-old Walt Williams can't stop crying, his dream of following Len's footsteps to Maryland torn away in an instant. Losing the hometown hero crushed the hope from his teenage world.To ball players, Len Bias was "The Man," a shining symbol of achievement, a teacher of the game at the highest level and the model of the life they wanted to live.The nation saw Len Bias' death as a moral failure and all of Maryland as guilty by association. But Tony and Walt focused on the gifts in the lessons from Len's life, and that hard-won education molded them into pillars of support in Maryland's revival, courageous and unrelenting professionals in the NBA, and outstanding examples of triumph over tragedy.

 I grew up in Jamaica in the district of Burnt Savannah, St. Elizabeth, between Lacovia and Mountainside. That’s about a twenty-minute drive from Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth. Life was tough for me as a child. While we lived in poverty, my parents did the best they could for my siblings and me. I was often called names and ridiculed. Join me as I journey from the rocky playgrounds of Burnt Savannah to Boys Champs, Carifta Games, NCAA. The Olympic Games and winning a Commonwealth Games Gold medal. My experiences traveling the world will tell you how I finally realized that true happiness is not all about winning medals or accomplishing your goals. In pursuing athletic supremacy, I came to realize that it did not provide the satisfaction I envisioned. I finally understood that fame from athletic pursuit only left me wanting and empty at times. In the end, on the hills of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece. I finally discovered the truth about happiness.

"This book will touch the veins of your heart." -Bengie Molina, World Series Champion and author of New York Times Bestseller MolinaIn the mid-1990s, a band of baseball-loving boys from the small town of Chester, Illinois, on the banks of the Mississippi River, pursue their dreams of state and national championships. Their fathers, guards in the local penitentiary that houses some of the worst criminals in US history, are their coaches. One dream comes true-the other doesn't.This is the story of the dreams and of the town that made them possible. Filled with unforgettable anecdotes from perhaps the last (nearly) innocent age in America, The Sons of Chester recalls a childhood that in some sense is the twentieth century's version of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

When she first began show jumping, Scarlet Rosalie Biedron didn''t enjoy the sport at all. It wasn''t until her love for horses and competitive spirit collided that Scarlet became a passionate show jumper. In fact, she not only loved the sport-she was enthralled. In a fascinating narrative, Biedron reveals how she transformed from a little girl who loved feeling the wind in her hair while riding her pony, Peaches, around the family farm into a show jumper who competed in her first major equestrian show at age twelve and shockingly won her class. While providing a chronological glimpse into the early years of her riding career, Biedron shares insight into what it was like to compete in a show with six different horses, gallop into the ring with a fearless attitude, and find the strength to move forward despite failures. By openly sharing her lessons learned, Biedron inspires others to find the courage to continue in the face of fear, get back up on the horse, and persevere through life''s greatest challenges. Fado is the true story of a girl''s exciting experiences and valuable lessons learned as she set out on a determined quest to become a competitive show jumper.

What Doesn't Kill You is not a football story. It's not a cancer story. It's a compelling thought provoking glimpse into the life of Lyle Bauer, a multiple Grey Cup Champion, CFL executive and a cancer survivor. What Doesn't Kill You is about fight, hope, inspiration and that a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. It is also about how profoundly everyone is changed when this beast kicks your door down without an invitation and turns lives upside down. The human spirit may be the most powerful energy on earth. The will to live, love, and survive makes us all miracles.

»Vielleicht war Bolt deshalb überall so beliebt, weil er eine Zeitlang völlig konkurrenzlos war und gar nicht gegen seine Gegner lief. Er war nicht der Jamaikaner, der sich mit Amerikanern und Kanadiern mass. Er war der Mensch, der sich mit der Zeit mass. Er war einer von uns allen, der schnellste unter uns Menschen, und wir wünschten uns, dass er unsere Art weiterbrachte. Wenn es um Weltrekorde geht, spielen Nationen keine Rolle mehr. Das Streben nach menschlichen Bestleistungen eint die Völker und Länder - mehr kann man vom Sport oder von einem einzelnen Sportler doch nicht verlangen, oder?«Eine kleine Dokufiktion über einen Jahrhundertsportler.

God's 1st String is a true story of unconditional love, life changing redemption and a joyous victory over the addiction fueled life of a professional linebacker. He had everything earthly you could want, but also alcohol and drug addictions which nearly cost him everything, including his soul. From a young age, she had always loved him through thick and thin, no matter what. And when God's power was unleashed during his redemption, there was nothing preventing a surrender which ensured his entrance into heaven after fighting cancer. But it was the joint battle this husband and wife sacrificed through a pure love for God and each other that will change your heart, deepen the way you view redemption and infuse the raw power of living in the moment into your life.

Discover how legends lived during the birth of freestyle. Eric Hymans was Australian skiing's original bad boy who won two Australian mogul championships after starting Falls Creek's iconic Team Red with a bunch of talented athletes. His story from skibum to number one to recluse uncovers secrets formally reserved only for the elite. Team Red was instrumental to the explosion of freestyle skiing during the 1980s. Establishing the Summit Masters they planted the seed of freedom. This tale takes you inside the circumstances that made game-changing performers. Plus the relationships that saw an enigmatic character refine his art and ultimately fall from grace. Wild times at the forefront of extreme, along with the perils that exist. This story also covers the early days of Falls Creek when Bob Hymans built the first chair lift. Laced with historical significance and a refreshing candour, this tale delivers wisdom and humour from the pioneering days of skiing. Nostalgic memorial edition featuring 68 black and white images.