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The Flying Pineapple (Quick Reads Ser.)
By Jamie Baulch. 2011
With his blonde dreadlocks and his speed on the running track, Jamie Baulch earned the nickname 'The Flying Pineapple'. This…
is Jamie’s story about his life as one of the most decorated British athletes. He puts his success down to his adopted parents who inspired him to be the best he could be. His sporting potential was quickly spotted from an early age by his teacher, Mr Atkins. Jamie's story is about the fun he had competing in school and around the world. His life on the track was always about how fast he could run. When he retired in 2005, he was determined not to slow down. He is now head of a sports management company and continues to inspire a new generation of sportsmen and women.About the author:Jamie Baulch was born in Nottingham, adopted by Welsh parents and brought up in Newport, South Wales. From an early age he was one of the best in his school at sport. Discovered by his teacher, Mr Atkins, Jamie became one of the most recognisable athletes in Welsh and World athletics.His first medal was in the 1991 European Junior Championships where he won gold in the men’s 4x100m relay team. He became one of Britain’s most decorated athletes with a huge haul of five World Championship medals, one Olympic Games medal, two European Championship medals, two Commonwealth Games medals and two IAAF World Cup medals.Recently, he was awarded a World Championship gold medal as part of the 4x400m relay team after the Americans were disqualified for using drugs.The Jimmy Hill Story: On and Off the Field
By Jimmy Hill. 1998
'In many ways Jimmy Hill was football. He was a true great of the game.' - Greg Dyke, Chairman of…
the Football AssociationJimmy Hill died on 19th December 2015 but very much remains a household name. Renowned for his outspoken views, recognised the world over by his famous profile, only he saw football from every side: as player, coach, manager, chairman, television executive and broadcaster.A versatile player with Brentford and Fulham in the fifties, he was a qualified coach by the age of 24.In the sixties his innovative management technique took Coventry from the bottom of the Third to the First Division, where they stayed for 32 years. For over twenty years, at different times, he was a director and chairman of Coventry, Charlton and Fulham. As chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association he took on the authorities and successfully fought for freedom of contract and the abolition of the maximum wage.But it is as a TV presenter that Jimmy became best known. After five years as Head of Sport at LWT, he moved to the BBC to become a national institution in the seventies and eighties on Match of the Day. Tragically Jimmy Hill succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease in his last few years, A moving epilogue has been included which reflects on Jimmy's remarkable life.Jimmy tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to distinction both on and off the field with modesty and humour.The Deal: Inside the World of a Super-Agent
By Jon Smith. 2016
'Excellent . . . an in-depth excavation of the murky and mysterious world of football business. Smith's candid and often…
shocking book reveals the true workings of football business that take into account things few of us even could even imagine . . . The Deal answers some of those questions and leaves you wanting more. It is an educational tool that most fans could do with researching' Joe Short, ExpressFootball analysis has grown at the same exponential rate as the sport's popularity and yet one of its most intrinsic elements remains tantalisingly opaque: the role of 'agent'. The Deal is a unique and fascinating perspective into the business of sports management through the eyes of 'Mr Football', 'super-agent', Jon Smith. 800,000 watch their professional football team play each week and TV pulls in audiences of around 600 million. Despite these phenomenal figures, the complex money-making scene behind sport is one of its biggest mysteries. The Deal will be an unprecedented insight into this world, showing what goes on as players and big money change hands. The Deal is also the story of one of the shrewdest and most successful businessmen of our time. Documented through Jon's personal rollercoaster of high-flying success to near bankruptcy, the book's over-arching narrative will offer an inspiring personal journey as well as insider knowledge of brokering deals at a high level and under extreme pressure. The Deal will appeal strongly to buyers of business books as well as a significant number of sports fans interested to know what goes on in the back room of their favourite sport.Born To Fight
By Mark Hunt. 2017
A powerful story of sadness, hope, pride, honour and triumph from the real-life Rocky!Raw, confronting and honest, UFC champion Mark…
Hunt's inspiring autobiography shows it is possible to defy the odds and carve a better life. Born into a Mormon Samoan family, Hunt details his harrowing early life, his troubled teen years, and his angry youth with no apparent future.After being plucked from an Auckland street fight and dropped into his first kickboxing bout, Mark went on to achieve unprecedented success in Australian and New Zealand combat sports. In an ongoing career that has spanned the globe, Mark Hunt has been in some of the UFC, Pride and K-1's most memorable battles. But in some ways those fights pale in comparison to that which he has overcome out of the ring and cage.As fearless with his opinions as he is in the Octagon, Mark pulls no punches in revealing the highs and lows of his extraordinary life.Alan Mullery Autobiography
By Alan Mullery. 2006
Fearless. Competitive. Controversial. Three words that sum up the football career of Alan Mullery. His passion for football is matched by…
a stream of anecdotes about the players that have filled his professional life, including Bobby Moore, Pele, Johnny Haynes, Jimmy Greaves and George Best. Here, for the first time, Mullery lets the reader into the secrets he has previously kept hidden: the shame of being sent off for England; the true story behind England's 1970 World Cup quarter-final defeat; how he sold one thousand Cup final tickets on the black market; the bitterness behind the cheers of Spurs' 1972 UEFA Cup victory and the naked blonde in the hotel.In addition, he relates from the heart his darkest moments, brought on by stiffling financial pressure, and how he had to look deep within himself to come through the other end.Spirit of Cricket: Reflections on Play and Life
By Mike Brearley. 2020
If someone were to say 'it's not tennis', or 'not football' of shabby behaviour in any walk of life, he…
or she would not be understood. If they said 'it's not cricket', they probably would be (though less reliably than a century ago). Is there some special spirit of cricket? The laws of cricket, like the laws of the land, aim at a sort of justice or balancing between different factions. The purpose behind cricket's laws, and behind changes in them, is often to calibrate the balance in the game between batsmen and bowlers, between attack and defence, between safety and risk. Cricketing lawmakers are interested in the overall appeal of the game to players and spectators alike.In Spirit of Cricket, Mike Brearley alternates between issues and examples within the game - from 'Mankading' and the 'Sandpaper' affair to sledging, mental disintegration and racism - as well as broader issues such as the spirit and letter of the law. Brearley examines the issue of how far what purports to be justice (in law or in spirit) may or may not be the expression of the powerful within the activity or within society. He also contrasts cheating and corruption, and reflects on the nature of penalties in regard to each. He discusses the significance of the notion of the spirit of the game for umpires, groundsmen, administrators, media and spectators - and, of course, for players. Intelligent and insightful, Spirit of Cricket points to qualities in cricket that enhance our development as people - including a sense of fair play, the embracing of striving both for our team and for ourselves and the important values of playfulness in life and professional sport.Irongran: How keeping fit taught me that growing older needn't mean slowing down
By Edwina Brocklesby. 2018
'If I can start to run at 50 and become the oldest British woman to complete an Ironman, everyone should…
realise it's never too late'At the age of 50, Eddie Brocklesby decided to run her first half marathon. Until that point, she'd done little running, and her exercise regime consisted of little more than chauffeuring her children to their own sports clubs. In common with so many people, any interest she'd shown in sport in her childhood had diminished as her adult life progressed, with spare time becoming ever more limited in the face of work and family commitments.After that event, and following the loss of her husband of thirty years to cancer, she completed a marathon. Now, 75 years old, the past twenty years has seen Eddie take part in marathons, triathlons and Ironman races across the globe and she has accrued many medals and awards.In Irongran, Eddie looks back on her life and explains just how she's managed to develop the energy to match the enthusiasm she's always had for an active lifestyle. She shares the difficulties she's experienced in her sporting endeavours, and explains how she's managed to overcome them. Eddie is passionate about the health and wellbeing of our ageing population and provides up to date research about why keeping active in later years is so important, along with guidance about how to remain full of life in your later years.Wrecking Ball: A Big Lad From a Small Island - My Story So Far
By Billy Vunipola. 2017
Voted Rugby Book of the Year at the 2018 Sports Book Awards.Wrecking Ball is a captivating and humorous memoir by…
Billy Vunipola, one of the stars of England's recent rugby renaissance, and will be enjoyed by those who have read the recent autobiographies by Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell.Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing almost 20 stone, Billy is a rampaging and unmissable presence on the rugby pitch, for both club and country. Wrecking Ball is his captivating story so far, chronicling his remarkable personal odyssey of 10,000 miles, from the tiny Tongan village of Longo Longo to the imposing vastness of Twickenham.Join Billy on his journey from the year-round sunshine of Tonga to the bitter cold of a British winter, from his favourite Pontypool kebab shop to finding himself eating broccoli for breakfast, and from carefree childhood games in the middle of the Pacific to the serious business of playing professional rugby in Europe. Wrecking Ball is a wonderfully eccentric and witty book, written with bags of charm. It captures Billy's colourful family and upbringing, and creates a rounded and fascinating portrait of a young man finding his feet as a modern English rugby player.The Boy on the Shed: Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year
By Paul Ferris. 2018
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year AwardThe Sunday Times Sports Book of the Year The Times…
Sports Book of the Year Telegraph Football Book of the Year'Ferris's wonderful memoir represents a twin triumph. He has endured every kind of setback in life but has invariably reinvented himself; and his writing is a pure pleasure.' The Sunday Times 'Enough depth and humanity to make your average football autobiography look like a Ladybird book.' Telegraph'A masterpiece of the genre' Brian McNally 'Football memoirs rarely produce great literature but Ferris's The Boy on the Shed is a glistening exception.' Guardian 'Fascinating and stylishly told.' David Walsh, The Sunday Times The Boy on the Shed is a story of love and fate. At 16, Paul Ferris becomes Newcastle United's youngest-ever first-teamer. Like many a tricky winger from Northern Ireland, he is hailed as 'the new George Best'.As a player and later a physio and member of the Magpies' managerial team, Paul's career acquaints him not only with Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Bobby Robson, Ruud Gullit, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer but also with injury, insecurity and disappointment.Yet this autobiography is more than a tale of the vagaries of sporting fortune. It begins during 'The Troubles' in a working-class Catholic family in the Protestant town of Lisburn, near Belfast. After a childhood scarred by his mother's illness and sectarian hatred, Paul meets the love of his life, his future wife Geraldine. Talented and carefree on the pitch, shy and anxious off it, he earns a tilt at stardom. His first spell at Newcastle turns sour, as does his return as a physio, although obtaining a Masters degree shows him what he could achieve away from football.When Paul qualifies as a barrister, a career in Law beckons. Instead, a craving to prove himself in the game draws him back to St James' Park as part of Shearer's management triumvirate - with unfortunate consequences.Written with brutal candour, dark humour and consummate style, The Boy on the Shed is a riveting and moving account of a life less ordinaryOn Form: The Times Book of the Year
By Mike Brearley. 2017
THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARDAILY TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOKS OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE…
YEAR 2017What is being on form? How does it relate to feeling 'in the zone'? Are these states in the lap of the gods, a matter of which side of the bed we got out of that morning? Or is there anything we can do to make their arrival more likely?In this fascinating book, former England cricket captain and psychoanalyst Mike Brearley draws on his own experiences, both on and off the field, and examines many of the elements of being in and out of form across a number of different disciplines - not only in cricket and psychoanalysis but also in finance, music, philosophy, medicine, teaching, tree surgery and drama.Perceptive and engaging, On Form is an exploration of the benefits and risks of being on form and can help us all reflect on the range of conditions that block or liberate us.Irongran: How keeping fit taught me that growing older neednt mean slowing down
By Edwina Brocklesby. 2018
'If I can start to run at 50 and become the oldest British woman to complete an Ironman, everyone should…
realise it's never too late'At the age of 50, Eddie Brocklesby decided to run her first half marathon. Until that point, she'd done little running, and her exercise regime consisted of little more than chauffeuring her children to their own sports clubs. In common with so many people, any interest she'd shown in sport in her childhood had diminished as her adult life progressed, with spare time becoming ever more limited in the face of work and family commitments.After that event, and following the loss of her husband of thirty years to cancer, she completed a marathon. Now, 75 years old, the past twenty years has seen Eddie take part in marathons, triathlons and Ironman races across the globe and she has accrued many medals and awards.In Irongran, Eddie looks back on her life and explains just how she's managed to develop the energy to match the enthusiasm she's always had for an active lifestyle. She shares the difficulties she's experienced in her sporting endeavours, and explains how she's managed to overcome them. Eddie is passionate about the health and wellbeing of our ageing population and provides up to date research about why keeping active in later years is so important, along with guidance about how to remain full of life in your later years.Darkness to Light: A Memoir
By Chris Palmer, Lamar Odom. 2019
New York Times Bestseller Fame. Sex. Pain. Drugs. Death. Booze. Money. Addiction. Redemption. Dizzying heights. Rock-bottom depths. Desperation and elation—sometimes…
in the same hour. Not to mention power . . . and the struggle for it. The world knows Lamar Odom as a two-time NBA world champion who rocketed to uncharted heights of fame thanks to being a member of both the storied Los Angeles Lakers and the ubiquitous Kardashian empire. But who is Lamar, really? Fans have long praised his accessibility and genuine everyman quality—he is a blinding talent who has suffered a series of heartaches, setback, and loss. But until now, his most candid moments have remained behind closed doors . . . sometimes face-down on the floor. In Darkness to Light, Lamar gives readers an intimate look into his life like never before. His exclusive and revealing memoir recounts the highs and lows of fame and his struggle with his demons along the way to self-discovery and redemption. From the pain of his unraveled marriage to Khloé Kardashian to the harmful vices he used to cope—and the near-death experience that made him rethink everything about his life—this is Lamar as you have never before seen him. Lamar brings basketball fans directly into the action of a game during the Lakers championship years. He shares his personal account of the lifelong passion that started as one shining light in a childhood marked by loss and led to his international fame as one of the most extraordinary athletes of all time. In this profoundly honest book, Lamar invites you to walk with him through the good times and bad, while looking ahead to a brighter future.Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don't Walk: A Memoir of Breaking Barriers
By Lesley Visser. 2017
Lesley Visser is living proof that, no matter where you start, if you are motivated and passionate, your dreams can…
come true. When Lesley was 11, she told her mother that she wanted to be a sportswriter. The job didn't exist for women in 1964, but her mother—instead of suggesting she become a teacher or a nurse—replied, "Great! Sometimes you have to cross when it says, 'Don't walk.'" That answer changed Lesley's life. Even though no one had done it before, it gave her the strength and self-confidence to try—permission to cross against the light. When Lesley began, the credentials said, "No Women or Children in the Press Box," but she didn't let that stop her. Lesley covered sports for more than 40 years, pioneering women's journalistic presence in men's professional sports, from inside the locker room to out on the field. She's the first and only woman to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to ever present the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Super Bowl. And she's the only sportscaster in history to have worked on the network broadcasts of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open, and the World Figure Skating Championship. Lesley currently appears on CBS's "We Need to Talk," the first-ever nationally televised all-female weekly hour-long sports show. Lesley's had her share of hurdles and stumbles. But with passion, perseverance, and dedication, she found a way to achieve her dream, learning valuable lessons along the way. (Hint: Humor goes further than anger, and no, we can't all look like Beyoncé.) In Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says 'Don't Walk,' Lesley Visser shares her historic journey through the world of sports broadcasting with innate wisdom and good humor. For sports fans who grew up with Lesley, her memoir reads like a walk down memory lane, full of behind-the-camera, VIP-access stories involving John Madden, Jerry Jones, Bill Belichick, Joe Torre, and many more famous sports figures. But even those hearing her story for the first time, no matter what their background, will be inspired to chase their dreams, blaze new trails, and pursue the life they want.A captivating look at two centuries of surfing—"the Sport of Queens"—from Native Hawaiian royalty to the breakout style and jaw-dropping…
feats on the waves today.Few subjects in the world of sports and or the outdoors is more timely or compelling than women&’s surfing. From smart, strong, fearless women shattering records on 80-foot waves to professional athletes fighting for equal pay and a more fair and just playing field, these amazing, wave-riding warriors provide an inspirational and aspirational cast of powerful role models for women (and men) across all backgrounds and generations. Over the past two-hundred years, and especially the past five decades, the surfing lifestyle have become the envy of people around the world. The perception of sun, sand, surf, strong young women and their inimitable style, has created a booming lifestyle and sports industry—and the sport that is set to make it&’s Olympic exhibition debut in Tokyo 2021. A massive shift from when colonizers tried to extinguish all traces of Native Hawaiian surfing and its sacred culture. What is it about the surfing that intrigues people of all ages, from all corners of the world? The beaches and idyllic locations? The unique style and mystique that surfers project? These women, on the beach and riding giant waves, or in the media, have made their mark on not just their sport, but our wider culture. Women on Waves is filled with phenomenal athletic performance, breakthrough female achievements, and plenty of inspiration and fun to see us through until the time when we can all hit the surf once more! Spanning a millennia, From Hawaii to Malibu, New York to Australia, South Africa to the South Pacific and beyond, Jim Kempton presents a fascinating new narrative that will captivate anyone who loves sports and the outdoors.Till the End
By Chris Smith, Cc Sabathia. 2021
A raw, compelling memoir of baseball, family, fame, addiction, and recovery, by one of the most beloved baseball players of…
his generation How does it feel to be born with enormous gifts, in a life shadowed by tragedy? What does it mean when the gift that opens the world for us is not enough to stop us from losing the things we love? And what new gifts do we find in that loss? Baseball had been CC Sabathia&’s life since he was a kid in gritty, baseball-obsessed Vallejo, California. He was a star by the time he was a preteen and a professional athlete when he was still a teenager. Everything he knew about how to be a person—an adult, a husband and father, a leader—he learned in rhythm with the baseball season, the every-fifth-day high-intensity spotlight of a starting pitcher, all while dealing with one of the sport&’s most turbulent eras: racism in a sport with diminishing black presence; the era of performance-enhancing drugs; and the increasing tension between high-value contracts and sports owners who moved players around like game pieces. But his biggest struggle was with his own body and mind: Buoyed his whole life by talent and a fiery competitive spirit, CC found himself dealing with the steady and eventually alarming breakdown of his own body and his growing addiction in a world that encouraged and enabled it.Till the End is the thrilling memoir of one of the most beloved players in the game, a veteran star of the sport&’s marquee team during its latest championship era. It&’s also a book about baseball—about the ins and outs of its most important and technical position and its evolution in this volatile era. But woven within it is the moving, universal story of resilience and mortality and discovering what matters.The Winning Mind: What it takes to become a true champion
By Sebastian Coe. 2009
From his childhood amidst the steel mills of South Yorkshire to Olympic glory and beyond, Seb Coe's story is one…
of extraordinary achievement.One of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, Seb earned four Olympic medals during a world-record breaking career. THE WINNING MIND is Seb's account of the challenges, hard graft, set-backs and victories that he experienced during his career, retold with the passion and commitment that ultimately made him such an inspirational sporting champion.As an athlete, politican, business speaker and key figure in the delivery of the 2012 Olympic Games, Seb Coe has striven to achieve success in every challenge he has faced. This is the story of one man's quest for excellence and the power of the winning mind.The Second Half
By Roddy Doyle, Roy Keane. 2014
'A masterpiece ... thoughtful and self-mocking, insightful and funny' THE TIMES'He's scarily extreme, dangerously provocative, oxy-acetylene forthright ... and hugely…
entertaining' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY'Searingly honest' THE SUN'A thoroughly entertaining rampage' Matt Dickinson, THE TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEARNo. 1 bestselling memoir of Roy Keane, former captain of Manchester United and Ireland - co-written with Man Booker Prize-winner Roddy Doyle. In a stunning collaboration with Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle, Roy Keane gives a brutally honest account of his last days as a player, the highs and lows of his managerial career, and his life as an outspoken ITV pundit.'Roy Keane's book is a masterpiece . . . It may well be the finest, most incisive deconstruction of football management that the game has ever produced' Mail on Sunday'A genuine pleasure . . . His thoughts on his players are humane, interesting, candid and never less than believable' The Times'The best things are the small things: regretting joining Ipswich when he discovered the training kit was blue; refusing to sign Robbie Savage because his answerphone message was rubbish; being appalled that his side had listened to an Abba song before playing football' Evening Standard'The book is brilliantly constructed, rattling along at breakneck speed . . . full of self-deprecation . . . a ruthless self-examination' Daily TelegraphLanding on My Feet: A deeply personal memoir
By Mike Catt. 2007
On 20 October 2007 Mike Catt MBE made history by becoming the oldest player to appear in a World Cup…
Final. It was also to be his last game for England in an international career stretching back 14 years in which he was awarded 75 caps.The occasion England against South Africa completed an extraordinary renaissance for the then 36-year-old whose international career had appeared to be over after he helped England win the 2003 World Cup in Australia. Earlier in 2007 he was not only recalled but appointed captain by head coach Brian Ashton. For a player famously run over by Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup it was a remarkable comeback. In LANDING ON MY FEET Catt gives unprecedented access to his personal highs and lows and takes a look at the glorious highlights and the difficult setbacks of his professional career.LANDING ON MY FEET is a refreshingly honest and personal story of fourteen years at the top of international and club rugby from one of the most distinguished and respected players in the game.KP: The Autobiography
By Kevin Pietersen Mbe. 2014
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Outrageous, audacious, jaw-dropping' SUNDAY TIMES'An essential read' DAILY MAIL'Utterly captivating' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Hugely entertaining' GUARDIANThe fascinating life story…
of professional cricketer Kevin Pietersen, MBE, from his childhood in South Africa to his experiences as one of the leading lights in the world of international cricket.Kevin was dropped from the England squad in February 2014, seemingly calling time on an international career that began nearly ten years earlier. The decision puzzled many observers - although the England team had failed miserably in the Ashes tour of 2013-14, Kevin was the tourists' leading run scorer across the series, and he remains the country's highest run scorer of all time across all formats of the game.Kevin reveals all in his autobiography, telling the stories behind the many other highs and lows of his incredible career. Giving readers the full story of his life, from his childhood in South Africa to his experiences as one of the leading lights in the world of international cricket, KP is an autobiography that entertains and fascinates readers in equal measure.The Three Degrees: The Men Who Changed British Football Forever
By Paul Rees. 2014
When Cyrille Regis became one of the first black players to be selected for the full England team, he was…
sent a package in the mail. Inside it was a silver bullet and a note that read: ‘You’ll get one of these through your knees if you step on our Wembley turf.’ In the 1978/79 football season Regis' club West Bromwich Albion, an unglamorous and little publicised club from the West Midlands, became the first British football team to field three black players: Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson. They did so against the backdrop of the most divisive and poisonous racial tension in the UK’s history – a time when the National Front movement was at its most virulent. This book will tell the story of a defining and groundbreaking chapter in the history of British football and the country as a whole. The story is one about sport but also as much one about social change.