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Me, Family and the Making of a Footballer: The warmest, most charming memoir of the year
By Jamie Redknapp. 2020
'a wonderful book ... a great read' Daily Mail'a fascinating book ... I really enjoyed it' Piers Morgan, Good Morning…
Britain'a heart-warming, funny and insightful read. Perfect for a rainy day by the fire.' FourFourTwo magazineOne of the Guardian's 'Biggest Books of Autumn 2020''A beautiful book about football, family, friendship and finding out who you really are.' JACK WHITEHALL'One of the best books I've ever read about what it takes to become a pro.' FRANK LAMPARDFor the Redknapp clan, football is a family concern; it's the family business. Me, Family and the Making of a Footballer is a deeply moving, heartfelt and beautifully personal account of growing up as the second son of Harry Redknapp, and also an enchanting love letter to football."I'm Jamie Redknapp. Chances are my surname rings a bell. I want to introduce you to a colourful cast of characters from my formative years.Growing up, Dad and grandad 'Pop' told us tall stories from London's East End, but there was no artistic licence needed when I was actually kicking a ball about with legends like George Best, Bobby Moore, and Geoff Hurst. This book is the story of my childhood and adolescence. Like many others, I guess it's a pretty typical mix of caravans and lollies, sweaty T-shirts and paper rounds, cheese sandwiches and Glacier Mints, The A Team, E.T. and Chinese takeaways.But this is also the story of a journey through an extraordinary childhood obsession with football. One minute it was all about Shoot! magazine, endless keepy-ups and countless impromptu kickabouts. The next, I'm playing for Bournemouth Reserves against terrifying, fully-grown men. Then I got my move to Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool. I might've been living off gristly sausages and Smash potato in my dingy digs up on Merseyside, but I was living the dream. I was desperately hoping it was the start of something special. Writing Me, Family and the Making of a Footballer has helped me discover so much about myself. This book is my way of explaining who and what have made me ... well, me."Behind the Scenes at the Olympics (The Olympics #3)
By Nick Hunter. 2011
From the winning bid to the Olympic village and stadiums, this book looks beyond the sports and into all aspects,…
such as the costs involved, the media and where events will take place around the country.Wembley and Beyond: My Incredible Journey
By Barry Briggs. 2009
It started on a cold, frosty morning in 1951 in Christchurch, New Zealand, with a seventeen-year-old-boy, a crate of sheeps'…
kidneys and a dream.The boss of the city's Belfast meatworks, had arrived an hour early to set up for the day, when he noticed one of his workers packing up a crate on the countertop. The young lad was battling to move it so the boss went over to help. When asked what time he'd started, the boy replied 'Five o'clock this morning'. Stunned, and amused, the boss told him he'd be earning a good bonus at the end of the week, and wondered aloud what he'd spend it on. But the boy knew, and immediately replied, 'I'm going to race speedway in England.'And he did. That boy was Barry Briggs, and it was just the start of his great adventure. Little did he know he was soon to become the legendary speedway racer more commonly known as Briggo, and later as Barry Briggs MBE. From dangerous encounters in the jungles of Liberia to teaching Steve McQueen to slide a speedway bike, Briggo's incredible story is one of strength, determination and a life lived firmly in the fast lane.King: My Autobiography
By Ledley King, Mat Snow. 2013
Born in Bow in 1980, Ledley King joined Tottenham Hotspur as a trainee at the age of sixteen, and was…
a White Hart Lane talisman from his 1999 debut through to his retirement in 2012. Telling it how it was behind the scenes at Spurs during his years progressing from schoolboy trainee to club captain, King dramatically chronicles the turbulent times and personalities of the modern White Hart Lane. Yet above all, King is the story of one of the most widely admired and respected English footballers of modern times - one of passion and roots, friendship, courage, grit; and of a role model of great strength yet rare humility.My Favourite Year
By Various. 1993
An outstanding collection of football writing - edited by Nick Hornby, author of the bestselling Fever PitchRoddy Doyle's account of…
the Republic of Ireland's triumphant journey through Italia '90 is just one of the many first-class pieces in this anthology of original football writing.Contributors include: Roddy Doyle, Harry Pearson, Harry Ritchie, Ed Horton, Olly Wicken, D.J. Taylor, Huw Richards, Nick Hornby, Chris Pierson, Matt Nation, Graham Brack, Don Watson and Giles Smith.A Championship Year
By Jenson Button. 2009
From nowhere to the winner's podium: the story of Jenson Button's astonishing domination of the F1 world championship.On 4 December…
2008, just a few months before the new season was due to start, the Honda Racing F1 team, which Jenson Button had been driving for since 2006, pulled the plug on their involvement in Formula One. The media at the time reported that it was likely that the factory would be forced to shut, and it was unlikely that Jenson would be able to secure a drive at a top team at this late stage.Yet incredibly, in October 2009, Jenson Button was crowned World Champion, and the new team that had risen from the ashes of the Honda Racing F1 team - Brawn GP - secured the constructors' championship in their first season, a feat never before achieved. If this were a movie script you wouldn't believe it possible, so how did it happen?A CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR tells Jenson's incredible story of the 2009 season, from being written off pre-season to winning six of the first seven races, and finally securing the championship in brilliant style at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Jenson's personal commentary on the races is combined with notes on strategy, on-board radio exchanges, quotes from the team and even text messages to recreate the atmosphere of each race weekend. With a foreword by Ross Brawn, it is a fascinating account of an extraordinary grand prix year, and shows just what it takes to become world champion.Rain Men
By Marcus Berkmann. 1995
There are many cricket books, and they are all the same. 'Don't Tell Goochie', autobiographical insights of nights on the…
tiles in Delhi with Lambie and the boys; 'Fruit cake days', a celebrated humourist recalls 'ball' - related banter of yore; and Wisden, a deadly weapon when combined with a thermos flask. Rain Men is different. Like the moment the genius of Richie Benaud first revealed itself to you, it is a cricketing epiphany, a landmark in the literature of the game.Shining the light meter of reason into cricket's incomparable madness, Marcus Berkmann illuminates all the obsessions and disappointments that the dedicated fan and pathologically hopeful clubman suffers year after year - the ritual humiliation of England's middle order, the partially-sighted umpires, the battling average that reads more like a shoe size. As satisfying as a perfectly timed cover drive, and rather easier to come by, Rain Men offers essential justification for anyone who has ever run a team-mate out on purpose or secretly blubbed at a video of Botham's Ashes.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.Over It: How to Face Life’s Hurdles with Grit, Hustle, and Grace
By Lolo Jones. 2021
Over It is a high-octane dose of encouragement, storytelling, and hard-won advice from Lolo Jones, three-time Olympian and world champion hurdler…
and bobsledder.Lolo is perhaps better known today not for all the races she&’s won but for the millisecond mistake that cost her an Olympic gold medal over a decade ago. With stunning authenticity about her own struggles, longings, and losses, she shows us how to face our challenges head-on and keep working to overcome them.Lolo challenges us to:handle failure while pursuing our dreams;recognize the difference between achieving a goal and experiencing success;turn our most painful moments into the most successful;use thankfulness and faith to develop healthy hindsight; andgive and receive forgiveness as the path back to life.Growing up in a broken home, Lolo learned to shoplift at a young age just to eat at night and sometimes slept on the basement floor of the Salvation Army. While her father was in prison, her mother worked multiple jobs, and Lolo realized she needed to be self-motivated, singularly focused, and unwilling to quit if she wanted to succeed.Reflecting on her own challenging spiritual journey, Lolo invites us to rest in God who can make all the difference in overcoming obstacles with both strength and joy.Forgotten Sundays: A Son's Story of Life, Loss, and Love from the Sidelines of the NFL
By Gerry Sandusky. 2014
"Forgotten Sundays" is the coming-of-age story of a father-son relationship and the value of a good name, which Gerry Sandusky…
knows all too well. He has had to endure having an unfortunate name in sports, but to him the Sandusky name means something entirely different: honor, integrity, endurance, and suffering and sadness. "Forgotten Sundays" follows the life and relationship between Gerry Sandusky and his father?former NFL tackle John Sandusky and coach for the Baltimore Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins under the tutelage of legendary Coach Don Shula. Gerry spent his summers observing his father in NFL training camps and his Sundays with superstars, Hall of Fame players and coaches from Johnny Unitas to Dan Marino, from Don McCafferty to Tom Landry. GerryOCOs relationship with his father evolved through stages of worship, disillusionment, vulnerability, tragedy, and friendship. Along the way he learned about the nature of manhood from observations, clues, and interactions?more often than not unspoken. It was when Gerry reached fatherhood himself and when John Sandusky began to tumble into the gauzy confusion of AlzheimerOCOs disease that he began to understand his father on a much deeper level. Heartfelt, intelligent, at times humorous, at times tragic, "Forgotten Sundays" explores the intricacies of a father-son relationship and the nuances of how and what a son learns from a father. It plumbs the meaning of a family name, and it is an inspiration to others to embrace their own legacy and cherish their memories. "Rafa
By John Carlin, Rafael Nadal. 2011
What makes a champion? What does it take to be the best in the world at your sport? Rafael Nadal,…
one of the greatest players in the history of tennis, has the answers. In his memoir, written with award-winning journalist John Carlin, he reveals the secrets of his game and shares the inspiring personal story behind his success. It begins in Mallorca, a small island on the Mediterranean Sea, where the tight-knit Nadal family has lived for generations. Coached by his uncle Toni from the age of four, taught humility and respect by his parents, cherished by his exceptionally close extended family, Nadal has managed the uncommon feat of becoming an acclaimed global celebrity while remaining an unfailingly gracious, relentlessly hardworking role model for people in all walks of life. Since he embarked on his tennis career ten years ago, the twenty-five-year-old Nadal has had a meteoric rise, becoming the youngest professional tennis player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles. He collected his first one, the French Open, in 2005 at age nineteen, and from there went on to win Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and, most difficult of all, the U. S. Open in 2010. His memoir takes us behind the scenes, sharing the highs and lows of his career, from winning the Wimbledon 2008 final, described by John McEnroe as ¿the greatest game of tennis, he had ever seen, to the family problems that brought him low in 2009 and the numerous injuries that have threatened his career. With candor, heart, and intelligence, Rafael Nadal takes readers on his life¿s dramatic and triumphant journey, never losing sight along the way of the prize he values above all others: the unity and love of his family.Great Moments in Baseball History
By Matt Christopher. 1996
Capturing the suspense and play-by-play action of nine major league plays and the personalities of the athletes that made them,…
a fan's treasury includes Willie May's 1954 World Series catch and Jim Abbott's no-hitter.The Closer: Young Readers Edition
By Wayne Coffey, Sue Corbett, Mariano Rivera. 2014
Mariano Rivera never dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He didn't grow up collecting baseball cards, playing Little League, or…
cheering on his home team at the World Series. He had never heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle.One day, that all changed.From a childhood playing pickup games in Panama to an epic career with the New York Yankees, Mariano's rise to greatness has been anything but ordinary. He's the guy on the mound who doesn't hear the crowd, just the sound of the ump calling, Strike! The teammate you can rely on, even when the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Whether you know him as Mo or as the Sandman, Mariano is The Closer, and this is his story.Full of tips for young athletes and tales from the Yankee clubhouse, The Closer: Young Readers Edition is an inspiring story of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication that have defined the life of a baseball legend.Fire in My Eyes: An American Warrior's Journey from Being Blinded on the Battlefield to Gold Medal Victory
By Brad Snyder, Tom Sileo. 2016
"I am not going to let my blindness build a brick wall around me. I'd give my eyes one hundred…
times again to have the chance to do what I have done, and what I can still do."-Brad Snyder speaking with First Lady Michelle Obama On the night Osama bin Laden was killed, US Navy Lieutenant Brad Snyder was serving in Afghanistan as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer with SEAL Team Ten. When he learned of SEAL Team Six's heroics across the Pakistani border, Brad was thankful. Still, he knew that his dangerous combat deployment would continue. Less than five months later, Brad was engulfed by darkness after a massive blast caused by an enemy improvised explosive device. Suddenly Brad was blind, with vivid dreams serving as painful nightly reminders of his sacrifice. Exactly one year after losing his sight, Brad heard thousands cheer as he stood on a podium in London. Incredibly, Brad had just won a gold medal in swimming at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Fire in My Eyes is the astonishing true story of a wounded veteran who refused to give up. Lieutenant Brad Snyder did not let blindness build a wall around him-through tenacity and courage, he tore it down.Dale Earnhardt Sr. (Legends in Sports): Matt Christopher Legends in Sports
By Matthew F Christopher. 2007
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. first broke onto the racing scene in 1979, when he was named Rookie of the Year. In…
the more than 20 years that followed, his daring driving style earned him several top honors, including his proudest moment, a victory at Daytona. On February 18th, 2001, Earnhardt had been racing in the Daytona 500, when in the final lap, he had a fatal crash. While other drivers have come and gone, the face of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. , with his handlebar moustache and wide grin, will always be the face of NACAR. Get to know a legend.Landing 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.El cerrador: Mi vida
By Wayne Coffey, Mariano Rivera. 2014
The greatest relief pitcher of all time shares his extraordinary story of survival, love, and baseball.Mariano Rivera, the man who…
intimidated thousands of batters merely by opening a bullpen door, began his incredible journey as the son of a poor Panamanian fisherman. When first scouted by the Yankees, he didn't even own his own glove. He thought he might make a good mechanic. When discovered, he had never flown in an airplane, had never heard of Babe Ruth, spoke no English, and couldn't imagine Tampa, the city where he was headed to begin a career that would become one of baseball's most iconic. What he did know: that he loved his family and his then girlfriend, Clara, that he could trust in the Lord to guide him, and that he could throw a baseball exactly where he wanted to, every time.With astonishing candor, Rivera tells the story of the championships, the bosses (including The Boss), the rivalries, and the struggles of being a Latino baseball player in the United States and of maintaining Christian values in professional athletics. The thirteen-time All-Star discusses his drive to win; the secrets behind his legendary composure; the story of how he discovered his cut fastball; the untold, pitch-by-pitch account of the ninth inning of Game 7 in the 2001 World Series; and why the lowest moment of his career became one of his greatest blessings.In The Closer, Rivera takes readers into the Yankee clubhouse, where his teammates are his brothers. But he also takes us on that jog from the bullpen to the mound, where the game -- or the season -- rests squarely on his shoulders. We come to understand the laserlike focus that is his hallmark, and how his faith and his family kept his feet firmly on the pitching rubber. Many of the tools he used so consistently and gracefully came from what was inside him for a very long time -- his deep passion for life; his enduring commitment to Clara, whom he met in kindergarten; and his innate sense for getting out of a jam.When Rivera retired, the whole world watched -- and cheered. In The Closer, we come to an even greater appreciation of a legend built from the ground up.Great Americans in Sports: Blake Griffin
By Matt Christopher. 2015
This entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes readers onto the court with an…
all-star who reaches for new heights Blake Griffin is known for being a #1 draft pick, Rookie of the Year, Slam Dunk Contest winner, and one of the best power forwards playing today. But he had to fight to make it onto the NBA court at all after sitting out his first pro season with a devastating knee injury. Learn more about the perennial All-Star in this comprehensive biography, complete with photos and fun infographics.Former Major League pitcher and mental skills coach for two of baseball's legendary franchises (the Boston Red Sox and San…
Francisco Giants) Bob Tewksbury takes fans inside the psychology of baseball.In Ninety Percent Mental, Bob Tewksbury shows readers a side of the game only he can provide, given his singular background as both a longtime MLB pitcher and a mental skills coach for two of the sport's most fabled franchises, the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants. Fans watching the game on television or even at the stadium don't have access to the mind games a pitcher must play in order to get through an at-bat, an inning, a game. Tewksbury explores the fascinating psychology behind baseball, such as how players use techniques of imagery, self-awareness, and strategic thinking to maximize performance, and how a pitcher's strategy changes throughout a game. He also offers an in-depth look into some of baseball's most monumental moments and intimate anecdotes from a "who's who" of the game, including legendary players who Tewksbury played with and against (such as Mark McGwire, Craig Biggio, and Greg Maddux), game-changing managers and executives (Joe Torre, Bruce Bochy, Brian Sabean), and current star players (Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo, Andrew Miller, Rich Hill).With Tewksbury's esoteric knowledge as a thinking-fan's player and his expertise as a "baseball whisperer", this entertaining book is perfect for any fan who wants to see the game in a way he or she has never seen it before. Ninety Percent Mental will deliver an unprecedented look at the mound games and mind games of Major League Baseball.A Championship Year
By Jenson Button. 2009
From nowhere to the winner's podium: the story of Jenson Button's astonishing domination of the F1 world championship.On 4 December…
2008, just a few months before the new season was due to start, the Honda Racing F1 team, which Jenson Button had been driving for since 2006, pulled the plug on their involvement in Formula One. The media at the time reported that it was likely that the factory would be forced to shut, and it was unlikely that Jenson would be able to secure a drive at a top team at this late stage.Yet incredibly, in October 2009, Jenson Button was crowned World Champion, and the new team that had risen from the ashes of the Honda Racing F1 team - Brawn GP - secured the constructors' championship in their first season, a feat never before achieved. If this were a movie script you wouldn't believe it possible, so how did it happen?A CHAMPIONSHIP YEAR tells Jenson's incredible story of the 2009 season, from being written off pre-season to winning six of the first seven races, and finally securing the championship in brilliant style at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Jenson's personal commentary on the races is combined with notes on strategy, on-board radio exchanges, quotes from the team and even text messages to recreate the atmosphere of each race weekend. With a foreword by Ross Brawn, it is a fascinating account of an extraordinary grand prix year, and shows just what it takes to become world champion.