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Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine
By Scott Gummer. 2009
The remarkable story of a curious genius whose lifelong quest to unlock the science behind the perfect golf swing changed…
the game forever. In 1939, an average Joe named Homer Kelley played golf for the first time and scored 116-a respectable score for a beginner, but frustrating for a science-minded perfectionist like Kelley. He did not play again for six months; then when he did, he carded a seventy-seven. Vexed, he grew increasingly obsessed and devoted over the next thirty years to solving the science behind the perfect golf swing, self-publishing his findings in 1969 in a book titled The Golfing Machine. This revolutionary book explainedgolf, unlike every other tome that merely describedit. Unfortunately, the majority of golfers dismissed the book because it was all but unreadable, too thick with physics and geometry and scientific vernacular. The Golfing Machineseemed doomed to obscurity until visionary teacher Ben Doyle and superstar-in-the-making Bobby Clampett brought Kelley's teachings to prominence-only to witness Clampett implode on golf's most public stage. Validation finally came seventy years after Homer Kelley's lifework began, and twenty-five years after his death, when a teenage prodigy named Morgan Pressel became the youngest golfer, male or female, ever to win a major championship. In Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine, veteran journalist Scott Gummer brings to light the untold story of golf's most curious genius. A colorful portrait of obsession and an enlightening look into the nuances of the game, Kelley's amazing journey illuminates an important but underappreciated chapter in the history of golf.Always By My Side
By Jim Nantz. 2008
The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback. America's most visible sports commentator recounts some of the most dramatic moments…
in American sports and pays tribute to the man who inspired him-his beloved father As vivid as an instant replay, Always by My Side gives readers an insider's look into an unprecedented sixty-three- day stretch from February through April of 2007, when Jim Nantz became the first broadcaster to call the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the Masters. Though Nantz was unable to share the voyage with his dad, the devoted son felt his father's presence every step of the way, and used this championship odyssey to celebrate the people, venues, and moments that tapped into all the goodness that his dad-and his dad's generation- represent. In recounting the highlights of more than two thrilling decades with CBS Sports, Nantz recalls legendary voices of his youth-such as Jim McKay, Chris Schenkel, Pat Summerall, Jack Whitaker, and Dick Enberg-who sparked his imagination and shaped his style. Always by My Side traces Nantz's life and career, and along the way readers are treated to an array of memories, including Nantz's special relationship with former president George H. W. Bush and his friendships with such sports royalty as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski, John Wooden, and many others. Always by My Side turns every day into Father's Day. .Bases Loaded
By Kirk Radomski. 2009
Game of Shadows meets Ball Four in this explosive inside account of baseball's steroid era On a quiet street on…
Long Island early on a December morning in 2005, more than fifty federal agents stood outside a lovely new home waiting for the front door to be opened. When it did, there stood the central figure in one of the biggest scandals in sports history: Kirk Radomski. Radomski was a regular New York kid who, from the age of fifteen had the amazing fortune of working in the Mets clubhouse. The focus of his job was to give the players whatever they wanted or needed-he got their uniforms ready, packed up their homes at the end of the season, cashed their checks, and helped them beat the drug tests that would have led to suspension. And at the end of the 1986 season he even led the World Champions down Broadway during their victory parade. Eventually, he graduated to helping in other ways: providing them with steroids and human growth hormones. By the time the Feds knocked on his door, he was the main clubhouse supplier of performance-enhancing drugs to almost three hundred baseball players. Under threat of a long prison sentence-and after being identified by players he'd helped-he cooperated with Senator George Mitchell to produce the Mitchell Report, providing names and dates. Now he's ready to tell the whole story to the world. Radomski made little money from these transactions, and in this stunning book he will recount what baseball knew about the problem, his life since the report came out, and who took what. This is the tale of a young man seeing his heroes turn into clay, and the degradation of a once great sport into the drug-addicted spectacle it has become.Grant Fuhr
By Bruce Dowbiggin, Grant Fuhr. 2014
The Hall of Fame story of Grant Fuhr, the first black superstar in the National Hockey League and the last…
line of defense for the Edmonton Oilers dynasty, told through Fuhr's 10 most important games.Grant Fuhr was the best goalie in the league at a time when hockey was at its most exciting. Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers were arguably the greatest team in league history, and during the 1980s arguably the most popular team across the United States, even if many had little idea where Edmonton was. They were that good. And so was Fuhr: Gretzky called him the best goaltender in the world.Fuhr broke the colour barrier for NHL goaltenders when he played his first game for the Oilers in 1981, and was an inspiration for later players including future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla. But in addition to their dynastic run of Stanley Cup championships, the Oilers were also synonymous with the excesses of the decade: Fuhr himself was suspended for substance use, a discredit he had to fight back from--and did, going on to set career records and earning election to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.Frederick Barbarossa: The Prince and the Myth
By John Freed. 2016
Frederick Barbarossa, born of two of Germany’s most powerful families, swept to the imperial throne in a coup d’état in…
1152. A leading monarch of the Middle Ages, he legalized the dualism between the crown and the princes that endured until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. This new biography, the first in English in four decades, paints a rich picture of a consummate diplomat and effective warrior. John Freed mines Barbarossa’s recently published charters and other sources to illuminate the monarch’s remarkable ability to rule an empire that stretched from the Baltic to Rome, and from France to Poland. Offering a fresh assessment of the role of Barbarossa’s extensive familial network in his success, the author also considers the impact of Frederick’s death in the Third Crusade as the key to his lasting heroic reputation. In an intriguing epilogue, Freed explains how Hitler’s audacious attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 came to be called “Operation Barbarossa.”The Sainte-Chapelle and the Construction of Sacral Monarchy
By Meredith Cohen. 2015
This book offers a novel perspective on one of the most important monuments of French Gothic architecture, the Sainte-Chapelle, constructed…
in Paris by King Louis IX of France between 1239 and 1248 especially to hold and to celebrate Christ's Crown of Thorns. Meredith Cohen argues that the chapel's architecture, decoration, and use conveyed the notion of sacral kingship to its audience in Paris and in greater Europe, thereby implicitly elevating the French king to the level of suzerain, and establishing an early visual precedent for the political theories of royal sovereignty and French absolutism. By setting the chapel within its broader urban and royal contexts, this book offers new insight into royal representation and the rise of Paris as a political and cultural capital in the thirteenth century.The Lure and Legacy of Music at Versailles
By John Hajdu Heyer. 2014
Louis XIV and his court at Versailles had a profound influence on music in France and throughout Europe. In 1660…
Louis visited Aix-en-Provence, a trip that resulted in political and cultural transformations throughout the region. Soon thereafter Aix became an important center of sacred music composition, eventually rivaling Paris for the quality of the composers it produced. John Hajdu Heyer documents the young king's visit and examines how he and his court deployed sacred music to enhance the royal image and secure the loyalty of the populace. Exploring the circle of composers at Aix, Heyer provides the most up-to-date and complete biographies in English of nine key figures, including Guillaume Poitevin, André Campra, Jean Gilles, François Estienne, and Antoine Blanchard. The book goes on to reveal how the history of political power in the region was reflected through church music, and how musicians were affected by contemporary events.The Princess Problem: Guiding Our Girls Through The Princess-obsessed Years
By Rebecca C. Hains. 2014
Cartoon royalty, beware! A practical, solutions-based approach to navigating the perilous world of princesses Little girls love everything about princesses:…
the dolls, the love stories, the play clothes. But pop culture princesses are part of a powerful marketing machine, encouraging obsessive consumerism and delivering negative stereotypes about gender, race, and beauty to young girls. Princess Problem features stories and advice from parents, educators, psychologists, and children's industry insiders-including former Disney employees-to equip every parent with skills that will help them navigate their daughters' princess-saturated worlds.Chris Paul
By Aurelia Jackson. 2015
After being chosen as Rookie of the Year in 2006, Chris Paul has done a lot to show fans he's…
one of the NBA's most talented players. A six-time NBA All-Star, Chris even won the All-Star Game MVP award in 2013. Whether playing with the Hornets or with the Clippers, Chris has done amazing things in his years in the NBA. Learn more about one of the NBA's best players. Discover how he became the impressive player he is today!Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy
By Mark Schlabach, John M Heisman. 1973
The first authorized and definitive biography of the man whose life has been memorialized by the eponymous Heisman Trophy, written…
by his great-nephew.To the select fraternity of men who have won the Heisman Trophy since its inception in 1935, the award is so much more than just a football trophy. The Heisman is a national symbol of collegiate football experience and competitiveness. Over time, it has become the single most celebrated individual award in all of American sports. Although the Heisman Trophy is old, it does not age. If anything, its impact gets stronger every year. No other individual award captures the country's imagination like the Heisman does. From the very first time toe meets leather to kick off a college football season, fans across the country begin debating which players will be the top Heisman Trophy candidates. While the Heisman Trophy is the most famous individual award in sports, very little is known about John W. Heisman, the man the Downtown Athletic Club of New York chose to honor in 1936 by naming its national player of the year award for him. In Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy, John M. Heisman, the legendary coach's great-nephew, and New York Times bestselling author Mark Schlabach offer college football fans across the country the first authorized and definitive biography of the man whose life has been memorialized by the Heisman Trophy. After combing through thousands of pages of Heisman's personal documents, writings, playbooks, and never-before-published correspondence with some of college football's most famous coaches, the authors have chronicled Heisman's life from a young boy growing up on the oil fields of northwest Pennsylvania to eventually becoming one of the sport's most innovative and successful coaches.The Timeless Swing
By Tom Watson, Nick Seitz. 2011
Tom Watson, a few months short of his sixtieth birthday, led the 2009 British Open with one hole to play…
and came within an unlucky bounce of winning it for the sixth time. His stunning performance electrified the golf world and showcased a swing that has endured as a model of good mechanics, rhythm, and repeatability. In The Timeless Swing, Watson draws on all the knowledge and expertise he has accumulated over the course of his extraordinary career, imparting lessons that will help golfers of any age play to the best of their abilities and enjoy the game more. From fundamentals like learning the proper grip to advanced shotmaking techniques such as swinging in wind, he breaks down the full swing into all its parts and explains with his trademark easy voice the most effective ways for mastering each. Watson complements these lessons with time-tested drills and also offers a variety of tips and exercises to help golfers continue to swing well as they get older. And for the first time ever, he reveals the two key concepts he considers the most important of all--concepts that can enable players of all levels to attain a timeless swing. The Timeless Swing is illustrated with stunning photographs by award-winning Golf Digest photographer Dom Furore, and Watson carefully draws the reader's eye to what is essential in each photo, providing the kind of easy-to-understand guidance usually found only in private lessons. With a foreword by Jack Nicklaus and archival highlights of Tom Watson's most memorable shots and tournaments, this is an indispensable guide from a consummate teacher and one of the most respected and admired players in the game.Special Bonus: Each chapter provides a url address to a web-based video of Tom Watson teaching key lessons.Will and Kate's Big Fat Gypsy Wedding: Photos from our big day, like
By Alex Rory. 2011
In Will and Kate's Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, the Royal couple take us behind-the-scenes with exclusive photos of their engagement,…
the hen night, the wedding day and more! Featuring comments from the future King and Queen, as well other less-interesting Royals, this unique photo album tells: . How Wills first 'grabbed' Kate at an Edinburgh fashion show: 'I had to get my hands on that see-through dress!' . Why Kate believes a Princess belongs in the caravan: 'It's not like Wills is going to be working either...' . Of Prince Harry's love of bare-knuckle boxing: 'It's just rahlly traditional, like' . And what the Queen thinks of anti-Royal/Gypsy prejudice: 'One is actually starting to get pi**ed off!'The King and the Cowboy
By David Fromkin. 2008
The story of the unlikely friendship between King Edward the Seventh of England and President Theodore Roosevelt, which became the…
catalyst for an international power shift and the beginning of the American century. In The King and the Cowboy, renowned historian David Fromkin reveals how two unlikely world leadersEdward the Seventh of England and Theodore Rooseveltrecast themselves as respected political players and established a friendship that would shape the course of the twentieth century in ways never anticipated. In 1901, these two colorful public figures inherited the leadership of the English-speaking countries. Following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria, Edward ascended the throne. A lover of fine food, drink, beautiful women, and the pleasure-seeking culture of Paris, Edward had previously been regarded as a bon vivant. The publiceven Queen Victoria herselfdoubted Edwards ability to rule the British Empire. Yet Edward would surprise the world with his leadership and his canny understanding of the fragility of the British Empire at the apex of its global power. Across the Atlantic, Vice President Rooseveltthe aristocrat from Manhattan who fashioned his own legend, going west to become a cowboysucceeded to the presidency after President McKinleys 1901 assassination. Rising above criticism, Roosevelt became one of the nations most beloved presidents. The King and the Cowboyprovides new perspective on both Edward and Roosevelt, revealing how, at the oft-forgotten Algeciras conference of 1906, they worked together to dispel the shadow cast over world affairs by Edwards ill-tempered, power-hungry nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. At Algeciras, the U. S and major European powers allied with Britain in protest of Germanys bid for Moroccan independence. In an unlikely turn of events, the conference served to isolate Germany and set the groundwork for the forging of the Allied forces. The King and the Cowboyis an intimate study of two extraordinary statesmen whoin part because of their alliance at Algeciraswould become lauded international figures. Focusing in particular on Edward the Sevenths and Theodore Roosevelts influence on twentieth-century foreign affairs, Fromkins character-driven history sheds new light on the early events that determined the course of the century.Mickey and Willie
By Allen Barra. 2013
Acclaimed sportswriter Allen Barra exposes the uncanny parallels--and lifelong friendship--between two of the greatest baseball players ever to take the…
field. Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. Both were nearly crushed by the weight of the outsized expectations placed on them, first by their families and later by America. Both lived secret lives far different from those their fans knew. What their fans also didn't know was that the two men shared a close personal friendship--and that each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience.Born to Manage
By Terry Venables. 2014
After a playing career that spanned more than 15 years, and took in golden spells in the sixties with Chelsea…
and Spurs, it was almost inevitable that Terry Venables would move into management. Following early success with Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers, he was appointed to the plum job of managing Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in Europe. The Spanish giants had been struggling, but he soon turned them around and brought them trophy success, which inevitably earned him the nickname 'El Tel'. He returned to England to take charge of Spurs, where he helped save the club from financial troubles, and formed an ill-fated partnership with Alan Sugar. Again there was trophy success, as Venables worked with top England stars such as Paul Gascoigne, Gary Lineker and Chris Waddle, and when the England job fell vacant, he was the obvious choice for the role, leading the nation to the semi-finals of Euro 96 where they lost out on a place in the final after a penalty shoot-out. After leaving the England job, he has subsequently worked in numerous different roles. A charismatic and gregarious personality, Venables is widely viewed as one of football's great tacticians and is the most successful English manager of recent years. His story is sure to fascinate and entertain all followers of the game, providing a unique insight based on more than 50 years at the top.Branch Rickey
By Jimmy Breslin. 2011
The book that inspired Harrison Ford in his portrayal of Branch Rickey in the hit movie 42” In a brilliant…
match between author and subject, this latest addition to the Penguin Lives series features the inimitable Jimmy Breslin telling the rags-to-riches tale of Branch Rickey, the legendary manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers who integrated baseball by putting Jackie Robinson into the major leagues. Moving from the dusty Midwest towns where Rickey built baseball's farm system to the Brooklyn streets where he hatched his most famous plan, Breslin brilliantly captures the heady days when baseball became the national pastime. What emerges is the irresistible story of a schemer and redeemer, a great American who remade a sport-and dreamed of remaking a country. See Branch Rickey’s life brought to the screen in the hit movie 42” in theaters everywhere now. .What s it like to be a maniac on a mission From the worlds of performance engineering…
product development drag racing auto racing and human creativity go beyond with THE ECLECTIC 18 Learn tipping points key to the success of The Justice Brothers oil empire uncovered only here Realize lessons from Funny Car NHRA pioneer John Force s rise to racing supremacy and how his success - and failures - may improve your life Discover the Top Ten Tommy Teachings shocking ways to survive absolute terminal cancer from one driven competitor Absorb how a car known as Big Noise II dominated a man s life and a tragedy What about My First Car of yours how does it stack up against Hugh Hefner s Steve McQueen s and many others you will know Just try to be as big and creative in your thinking as TV Tommy Ivo Drag Racing s Master Showman Take to heart a real maniac on a mission Mickey Thompson the Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legend Use these readings for their lessons in life then apply them Joyfully Dance the Western Swing Light the Dark plus recognize what happens when one doubles down in Vegas with nitro chips Understand the spectacle resulting When 10000 Horsepower Goes Wrong With THE ECLECTIC 18 you too may just be one of The New Kids on the Winner s Block of life Find deeper meanings and helpful insights on striving to succeed and becoming relevant that also entertains THE ECLECTIC 18 traded the safety of emotional equilibrium for their compulsion to unabashedly collide with life s vicissitudes with unrelenting verve Jeff Kildahl Ph D Creator and President The Wholistic EdgeDwightmare
By Orlando Sentinel Staff, Brian Schmitz. 2012
As the last seconds ticked down at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the most bizarre, tumultuous and cursed season in…
the 23-year history of the Orlando Magic mercifully came to an end. Coach Stan Van Gundy, known to keep coaching until the final buzzer, walked to the opposing bench with 10 seconds left in the lopsided playoff elimination game to congratulate young Frank Vogel, coach of the Indiana Pacers. Even more conspicuous than this rare mid-game conciliatory gesture from Van Gundy was the absence of the team's most recognizable, talented superstar: Dwight Howard.Howard had always talked about winning a championship and bringing joy to Orlando. Despite this, the face of the franchise did not show his face throughout the playoffs, opting to undergo three weeks' worth of rehabilitation in the Los Angeles area following his season-ending back injury. This sour finale was an ignominious ending matched only by this ill-fated season's tumultuous beginning. Entering training camp after a prolonged off-season, Howard stunned the team and town by delivering a defiant trade request to Magic management. Even more devastating for Magic fans was that this request to be dealt to another team was vividly reminiscent of a similar event from a decade ago, when the Magic's last franchise star center, Shaquille O'Neal, abandoned Florida for the Los Angeles Lakers.Howard and the Magic for so long seemed like the perfect match, and had even grown up together in many ways. The 2004 NBA draft brought together a skinny, devoutly religious teenage sensation and a squeaky-clean, family-run ownership down on its luck. Howard blossomed into a global superstar, turning the Magic into contenders. The city of Orlando embraced its new happy-go-lucky hero and fell in love with its basketball team again. They were once inseparable, as close as a player and a franchise could possibly be in today's NBA.What followed was one of the most bizarre reality shows to befall any professional sports team in memory, with Howard taking the Magic on a wild, emotional and confounding ride. There was presidential-like flip-flopping, a near trade, an 11th-hour reprieve, farcical front-office fumbling, YouTube moments, a drunk-dialing accusation, media shenanigans and one heart-attack scare, among other things. And the soap opera is far from over. Follow the Orlando Sentinel's unmatched coverage of this ongoing saga with Dwightmare: Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic, and the Season of Dysfunction. From the very beginning of Howard's career through the ouster of coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith, this book is the only place where the entirety of this saga's sordid details have been collected, analyzed, and boiled down to their bare facts. Dwightmare is a must read for Orlando Magic and basketball fans everywhere.The Heat Reign
By South Florida Sun Sentinel Staff. 2012
In Summer 2010, LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, bringing with him Chris Bosh to partner with Miami…
Heat superstar Dwyane Wade. The Big Three talked of winning multiple NBA championships and enormous expectations began to build-pressure that grew even stronger when the Heat lost the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks.There were rumblings about breaking up the team, or firing coach Erik Spoelstra, or both. New players joined the cast, and with James producing a league MVP season, the Heat rolled into the Eastern Conference finals despite injuries that limited the effectiveness of Bosh and Wade. Winning a championship would test the team like never before.Down 3 games to 2 in the East finals after losing at home in Game 5, Miami faced elimination and a defining moment for James. A spectacular performance by James forced a Game 7 in Miami, where a victory sent the Heat on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder-and clash with superstar Kevin Durant.Relive the Heat's march to the NBA championship with stories, columns and photos from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. From the unsung heroes to James's MVP performance and the post-title celebration, it's a story of validation, vindication and the ultimate victory.No Excuses
By Marcus Brotherton, Derrick Coleman. 2015
The first deaf athlete to play offense in the NFL (and win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks!) relates…
his inspirational story of hard work and determination in his own words. Great for readers of all ages.The inspirational memoir from the popular current Seattle Seahawks running back Derrick Coleman Jr., who, in just his second year in the NFL, won the 2014 Super Bowl with the Seahawks. Showcasing his unlikely and challenging journey to become the first deaf offensive NFL player, he talks about overcoming internal obstacles and external obstacles (bullies and naysayers) in the course of reaching your true potential.