Biography & Autobiography : Sports

When legendary Negro League player Buck O'Neil asked Joe Posnanski how he fell in love with baseball, the renowned sports columnist was inspired by the question. He decided to spend the 2005 baseball season touring the country with the ninety-four-year-old O'Neil in hopes of rediscovering the love that first drew them to the game. The Soul of Baseball is as much the story of Buck O'Neil as it is the story of baseball. Driven by a relentless optimism and his two great passions—for America's pastime and for jazz, America's music—O'Neil played solely for love. In an era when greedy, steroid-enhanced athletes have come to characterize professional ball, Posnanski offers a salve for the damaged spirit: the uplifting life lessons of a truly extraordinary man who never missed an opportunity to enjoy and love life. more...

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Tiki Barber, former running back for the New York Giants and current Today show correspondent, has seemingly led a charmed life. Whether on the field or in front of the camera, the Smiling Giant makes everything look easy. But it has taken a lot of motivation, hard work, and help from those around him to get where he is today more...

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Among the countless graces bestowed on the game of golf, none surpass its fostering by the Morrises during the years of its modern birth at St. Andrew's. Old Tom and Young Tom will always be intimately and wondrously present at the Old Course, and in the game's history books, and in our sense of the game's genius for love and good fellowship. Tommy's Honor brings them closer than ever before, with the joy, the heartache, the tears, and the pride we feel for them and each other. more...

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Venus. Serena. Anna. Martina. Lindsay. Jennifer. Here are the stories behind their stories: the tragic Garbo-like star who is afraid to go outdoors; the teenager who tries to cope with the pressure of the big time as well as an abusive father; the brilliant number one who plays out her adolescent tantrums on the public stage; the coquette who launched a thousand websites; and a little-understood African-American family who proved that they could play by their own rules and still win the game -- not to mention the endorsements. In Venus Envy , Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and tennis columnist L. Jon Wertheim covers the biggest story in sports in 2000: Venus Williams. Sidelined for several months by injuries to both her wrists and her psyche, she stormed back to win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and two Olympic gold medals. By the time Venus signed the biggest endorsement deal ever for a female athlete, her opponents' sentiments could be described in just two words: Venus Envy. more...

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In 2005, Jose Canseco blew the lid off Major League Baseball's steroid scandal -- and no one believed him. His New York Times bestselling memoir Juiced met a firestorm of criticism and outrage from the media, coaches, clubs, and players, many of whom Canseco had personally introduced to steroids -- with a needle in the ass. Baseball's former golden boy, Rookie of the Year, onetime Most Valuable Player, and owner of two World Series rings was called a liar. Now, steroids are back in the headlines. Record-breaking athletes are falling from grace, and the infamous Mitchell Report confirmed the names of major leaguers who have indeed used steroids while others remain under investigation. The answer is clear: Jose Canseco told the truth. And why wouldn't he? He started it all. more...

Price: $17.99