Missouri and Kansas went from unranked at the start of the 2007 college football season to playing for No. 1 in the country on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so no wonder Brent Musburger chose his words carefully as he addressed a national television audience moments before kickoff of the rivals’ historic meeting. “Let this sink in,” Musburger, the long-time broadcaster, said. “If either Kansas or Missouri wins their next two games, they will play for the national championship.” Kansas a...

A behind-the-scenes tour of the ups and downs of an NFL season focuses on the Baltimore Ravens and reveals the lesser-known aspects of the professional league, from the dangerous conditions under which athletes are expected to train to the unrelenting pressures faced by coaches and players.In the NFL there is only one certainty: that every day, someone will have to be the Next Man Up. Football is an unrelentingly punishing sport, played and practiced at undiminishe...

“Brian Curtis tells the stories behind the stories. He brings the meetings, practice sessions, recruiting calls and game day experience to light like never before. Fans who want to know what goes on behind the scenes will find out in this book.”–RON ZOOK, head football coach, the University of FloridaIn Every Week a Season, acclaimed sports reporter and author Brian Curtis takes readers on an unprecedented whirlwind tour of NCAA Division I football....

An all-access pass into the powerhouse teams and passionate fanbases of the legendary Southeastern Conference, from one of the most influential men in college football: ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.Proud owner of 14 prestigious college football programs, producing seven consecutive national championships, twelve NFL first round draft choices, and a budget that crushes the GDP of Samoa, the Southeastern Conference collects the most coveted ratings, rankings, and revenue of any conference in...

William Louis "Bill" Veeck, Jr. (1914-1986) is legendary in many ways-baseball impresario and innovator, independent spirit, champion of civil rights in a time of great change. Paul Dickson has written the first full biography of this towering figure, in the process rewriting many aspects of his life and bringing alive the history of America's pastime. In his late 20s, Veeck bought into his first team, the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. After serving and losing a leg in WWII, he b...

"A pennant-winning look at baseball at its purest." — Atlanta Journal & ConstitutionOn the field with baseball classics like Men at Work and The Boys of Summer, David Lamb travels the backroads of America to draw a stirring portrait of minor league baseball that will enchant every fan who has ever sat in the bleachers and waited for the crack of the bat.A sixteen-thousand mile journey across America…. A travelogue...

The Ohio State Buckeyes, one of the most storied college football programs in the nation, have a rich and colorful history that spans more than a century. In Buckeye Madness Ohio native Joe Menzer tells the exhilarating story of the Scarlet and Gray from the days of Woody Hayes in the late 1960s to Jim Tressel and OSU's recent national championship.In the fall of 1968, Hayes's Buckeyes went 10-0 and won the national championship—a feat that the Buckeyes wo...

An Olympian who sacrificed a medal to save a competitor, a professional soccer player who was bribed out of retirement with pizza, a runaway pig who disrupted the start of a baseball game -- truth is stranger than fiction, especially in sports! In this sequel to his first compilation of sports bloopers and unbelievable stories, And Nobody Got Hurt", Today Show regular and Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Len Berman shares more of the funniest and most amazing stories in th...

The history of basketball spans more than a century, from its humble origin as a simple diversion during the harsh winters in America to today's perennial, rim-rattling show of international renown. Throughout the last 60 years, Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of the sports evolution, supplying the world with a steady stream of stars, from Wilt Chamberlain to Kobe Bryant, who have proven to be some of the best to ever play the game.In Heads of State: Pennsylvanias Greate...

A look at the football players and games that cemented a spot in the sports lore of the City of Brotherly Love—from the renowned sportswriter.Even in their worst of seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles maintained their tradition of toughness, thanks to great players—legends like Chuck Bednarik and Steve Van Buren to modern-day heroes such as Reggie White and Donovan McNabb. In Tales from the Philadelphia Eagles Sideline, veteran football writer Gordon Forbes p...

Vince Dooley. Herschel Walker. The 1980 National Championship.The names and accomplishments are forever etched in Bulldog folklore. And now, with one of the best coaches in the game, a powerful young running back, and a team stacked with talent, another national title draws within reach.Top Dawg offers the inside scoop on how Georgia seized a place among the college football elite. Packed with stories of incredible victories, heartbreaking defeats, and quiet acts o...

A Fire to Win is an honest and revealing biography of Woody Hayes, a man who ranks in the pantheon of football coaches.Woody Hayes is one of the greatest football coaches in history—and one of the most fascinating. More than a brilliant coach, he was a complicated, contradictory man. The former history teacher would tout the ideals of democracy yet run his football empire as an absolute monarchy. But he had a surprisingly altruistic side, hidden from the p...