Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Minnesota Vikings documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining—and unsparing—fashion, this book sparkles with Vikings highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infamo...

Useless—and fascinating—information from the man with "the reputation as the science teacher with 1,000 different stories to excite young minds" ( ABC News).Steve Silverman was looking for a way to add some spice to his high school lectures when he realized that weird and bizarre true-life stories would capture his students' attention. In fact, they worked so well that the science teacher then began posting his discoveries to his own Web site, which he dub...

Written for every sports fan who follows the 49ers, this account goes behind the scenes to peek into the private world of the players, coaches, and decision makers—all while eavesdropping on their personal conversations. From the San Francisco locker room to the sidelines and inside the huddle, the book includes stories about Ronnie Lott, Steve Mariucci, Joe Montana, Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice, Jesse Sapolu, Bill Walsh, and Steve Young, among others, allowing readers to relive the highlight...

Genuine fans take the best team moments with the less than great, and know that the games that are best forgotten make the good moments truly shine. This monumental book of the Philadelphia Eagles documents all the best moments and personalities in the history of the team, but also unmasks the regrettably awful and the unflinchingly ugly. In entertaining—and unsparing—fashion, this book sparkles with Eagles highlights and lowlights, from wonderful and wacky memories to the famous and infam...

An all-new compendium of strange-but-true history and science facts from the author of Einstein's Refrigerator.When high school teacher Steve Silverman started posting fascinating facts on the internet, what began as a Web site for his students became an internationally sensation. He then compiled the silliest, most peculiar stories into the book Einstein's Refrigerator. Now comes silliness squared with Lindbergh's Artificial Heart, Silve...

Who are the best quarterbacks in NFL history? How about running backs? Wide receivers? How can we objectively rate the performance of individual defensive players? And how can we make reasonable judgments about players at different positions and from different eras? Who is the greatest football player of all time? Jerry Rice? Lawrence Taylor? Jim Brown?Such are the questions pondered by pro football writer Steve Silverman late at night (and during the day). As statistician Elliott ...

Ranking the best coaches in NFL history is no easy task. How do we decide which coach had a bigger on-field impact? Or the best tactical skills, both defensively and offensively? Not to mention measuring the strength of what a coach does behind the scenes, how he motivates his players, or how he keeps them from cracking under the pressure. Is the Hoodie” the greatest coach ever, or just lucky to have Tom Brady? What about Bill Parcells, Vince Lombardi, and John Madden? Where do they rank?...

Who are the best centers in NHL history? How about wingers? How can we objectively rate the performances of individual defensive players? And how can we make reasonable judgments about players at different positions? Who is the greatest hockey player of the Expansion Era? Bobby Orr? Wayne Gretzky? Gordie Howe?Such are the questions debated by hockey columnist Steve Silverman in Who’s Better, Who’s Best in Hockey? In this book, Silverman includes analytics to help evaluate ...

In this collection of true, quirky history, Steve Silverman provides fascinating tales to astonish and entertain. Covering a wide variety of topics, these stories that have been lost to history highlight the quirks, complexities, and curious nature of our species.Hidden History, Strange Stories, and Hard-to-Believe HeadlinesWhat if there was a flip side to the history channel? What would you do with all the historical facts and tales left o...

BLOOPER: BALL SQUIRTS THROUGH BILLY BUCKNER'S LEGS.BLUNDER: BILLY BUCKNER'S MANAGER LEFT HIM IN THE GAME.Baseball bloopers are fun; they're funny, even. A pitcher slips on the mound and his pitch sails over the backstop. An infielder camps under a pop-up...and the ball lands ten feet away. An outfielder tosses a souvenir to a fan...but that was just the second out, and runners are circling the bases (and laughing). Without these moments, the highlight reels wouldn't...

The story of legendary Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play major league baseball, is recounted in this title.

There is no football game more exciting than the Super Bowl, the match that pits the best AFC team against the best NFC in a battle for the NFL championship. THrilling last-second victories, curshing defeats, jaw-dropping touchdown catches-and misses!-the Super Bowl has it all. In this action-packed volume, young readers can relive forty years of Super Bowl history. It chronicles the rise of such dynasties as the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots as well as the agony felt by...