THE FASTEST 30 BALLGAMES is a World Record journey of dedicated Ballpark Chaser, Chuck Booth. In the summer of 2009, Booth accomplished this amazing feat of attending a full baseball game at every Major League Baseball home teams ballpark in only 24 calendar days. Booth managed this after falling just short of the record in 2008. The book chronicles the story of Booth as he rearranged his life to attempt the World Record after hearing the inspirational story of Jim Maclaren who faced two n...

Every young hockey player dreams of one day playing in the NHL, of skating on a line with his hero and drinking champagne in the dressing room after winning the Stanley Cup. But kids should watch what they wish for. They may make it to the pros, like Sean Pronger, only to end up playing for sixteen teams over eleven seasons. They may end up on a team with a guy like the Great One, but skate on his line only in practice when the bona fide first-line centre has the flu. And they may end up d...

A back-up goalie's hilarious behind-the-mask look at life in the NHLJamie McLennan spent twenty years playing professional hockey. Sort of. As the backup for such legendary goalies as Grant Fuhr, Ron Hextall, Roberto Luongo, and Miikka Kiprusoff, he saw everything--except much playing time. In The Best Seat in the House, McLennan looks back on his unique career, from breaking into the NHL, to working with the legends, to life on the road and in the league, offering readers...

"Covering many of the biggest names and greatest events in sports, it's a wonderful collection of yarns and reminiscences, told in Perk's inimitable style" ( Postmedia News ).Dave Perkins was once told by a bluntly helpful university admissions officer: "You don't have the looks for TV or the voice for radio. You should go into print." Which he did, first at the Globe and Mail, and then for thirty-six well-travel...

False hope, hollow promises, and a mind-numbing lack of success - these words describe the Toronto Maple Leafs and the hockey club's inexplicable mediocrity over much of the past decade.Author Peter Robinson has attended some 100 games over the past six seasons and has little to show for it except an unquenched thirst that keeps him coming back. Why does a team that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1967, long before many of its followers were even born, have such a hold on its fans? ...

The definitive, must-have account of the all-time players, coaches, locker rooms and boardrooms that made the Dallas Cowboys "America's Team."Since 1960, the Cowboys have never been just about football. From their ego-driven owner and high-profile players to their state-of-the-art stadium and iconic cheerleaders, the Cowboys have become a staple of both football and American culture since the beginning. For over 50 years, wherever the Cowboys play, there are people ...

Go on the road with the best hockey players not in the NHLWhat is life really like in North American hockey’s top minor league? As told by dozens of the players, coaches, broadcasters, personnel, and owners who work a grinding schedule every winter, Chasing the Dream goes behind the scenes with seven AHL teams. Find out how players’ dreams of lacing up their skates in the NHL motivate them through long bus rides and games where they’re co...

In The ESPN Mighty Book of Sports Knowledge, Steve Wulf, acclaimed author and founding editor of ESPN The Magazine, delivers an arena’s worth of sporting wisdom, trivia, best-of lists, curiosities, legendary feats, and sacred objects–from the magic of Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech to the lore of hockey’s Stanley Cup to the art of the perfectly thrown Wiffle Ball pitch. Written to remind us all why we love the games, this indispensable reference features contributio...

Anyone who has ever had the privilege of watching Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals knows the sound of a hit. It's the sound his bat makes when it connects with the ball. It's a sound that's been heard countless times since his 2001 rookie season. That year, he took the league by storm by posting some of the most fantastic offensive stats of any rookie ever-and he's been doing the same ever since, shattering records and helping his team win games, including the 2006 World Series, wi...

From its unfathomable construction in the grip of the Great Depression to its closing in 1999 and its current status as Ryerson University's Mattamy Athletic Centre, this lush, nostalgic history captures the former Maple Leaf Gardens hockey arena in all its glory. With a compelling narrative from the Toronto Maple Leafs' official photographer Graig Abel, and Toronto Sun hockey reporter Lance Hornby, more than 240 color photos form a documentary that is the definitive chronicle of ...

"In Indianapolis . . . racing is religion. The Speedway is our temple. That's the best way I can explain my worship for Indianapolis." --Mario Andretti, racing legendOfficially licensed in cooperation with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 100 Years of Racing tells the compelling story of the most renowned racing venue in the world, capturing moments, big and small, that mark the Speedway's first century and spotlight the people who mad...

Hockey forms the backdrop of our lives. For many Canadians, the big moments — births, deaths, marriages, moves — are all mixed up with the wins and losses of our teams. The voices of Hockey Night in Canada sportscasters are our soundtrack, and visions of skates scraping across the ice lull us to sleep.George Bowering, Canada’s former poet laureate, is no different. Growing up in Oliver, BC, Bowering was entranced by the kids from Saskatchewan who skated and handled pucks a...