Athletics Books

I was very fortunate to read a book that gave you a feelimg that there are few football coaches out there who can coach football the old fashion way: physical discipline, honesty, and being a great motivator. For Bo to share the stories about Woody Hayes was just awesome. I feel that Bo went thru a great experince in his life time. I have read this book probably 10 times and I like what he critcizes about the NCAA making these ridiculous standards. May God bless him.

If you are a fan at all of michigan, or know anything about Bo Schembechler you will love this book. It's a great biography about a great coach. This book takes you to a small family in Ohio to a assistant coach under Woody Hays then to Ann Arbor to become one of the most famous coaches in NCAA history, I HIGHLY recomend this book... GO BLUE!

If you love football this book is a must read. The stories about Bo and Woody are tremendous. I wish all young coaches would read this book before establishing a coaching philosophy. The character of Bo is inspiring and proves that you can still win and do it the right way.

I'm a new coach and find myself responsible for three different sports during the year. This book helped me incredibly. It discusses different exercise regimens for athletes in different sports, and it provides a booklet for each athlete! I simply duplicated the copy in the book and was able to give it to all my kids so they could guide their own workouts. I think every coach should buy and use this book. I've never seen anything like it.

Dude, I'm buff now thanks to this book. Try it, it works.

Before I read this book I knew very little about how to really get fit. Since reading and applying what I read, I not only look and feel great but I have only eighteen percent body fat. This book helped me change my body. I have met Bruce Hanson and everything he says in this book is golden.

At Thanksgiving time this book is a feast for sport fans across the country. It is all inclusive,entertaining, and informative. Great snap shots in time. If you are a sports fan this book covers some of Americas top sport heros. Well written and extremely well organized

Boston has long been home to a number of professional and amateur athletes and sports teams. Curator of the Sports Museum of New England Richard Johnson's A Century Of Boston Sports celebrates this athletic heritage with a chronologically organized text comprised of illuminating, informative essays by journalist and historian Glenn Stout, historical vignettes, and more than 150 vintage photographs highlighting teams, events, and personalities that are indelibly associated with the city of Boston. A Century Of Boston is "must" reading for all Boston sports fans as well as students of American sports history.

Written with aplomb and great respect for all the athletes that are featured, A Century of Boston Sports is a joy to read. The variety of photographs and layout of the book are eye catching and unique. No matter your team loyalty, this book provides wonderful stories of athletes from all walks of sport. Humour and joy in sport make this a wonderfully inspiring read. Johnson shows a genuine fondness for each chosen member in this gem of a book. Give this book to any sports fan or anyone who would be inspired by reading all these diverse stories.

good materials, very good sizing and fitting, the colours are strongs and doesnt fade whit many laundryes

I'm very please with my shirt i already order 10 more, i highly recomend this shirt

JUST GOT THE TWO COTTON RAGLAN SLEEVE BASEBALL SHIRTS.THE QUALITY IS UNBELIEVABLE FOR THE PRICE.. MY HUSBAND LOVED THEM AND I WILL ORDER MORE FOR THE GRANDKIDS.. FAST SHIPPING TOO!!!!

This little book is a big help for inspiring young people and coaches!

Great gift idea. Inspiring words from your favorite sports leaders. I enjoyed it.

This is a book of short quotes from coaches of all types of sports. It is inspiring and motivating. One that should be on your shelf!

Matt Brzycki (Princton U.) and Shaun Brown (Boston Celtics) did an outstanding job of putting together a comprehensive strength and conditioning plan for basketball players at all levels. Our players are challenged, physically and mentally, each and every time they enter the weight room or step on the court by utilizing the same principles outlined in this book. I highly recommend this great resource to all players and coaches wanting to learn more about serious training.

I purchased this book for my son during his sophomore year in HS. He was a scrawny 6'2" forward who had been cut from his HS team the year before. Within 6 months he had transformed his body and his game, consistently being the strongest and fastest player on the court. He followed this book religiously through high school and it earned him a number of individual and team awards his senior year, as well as a full scholarship to play Div 1A basketball in college. He still uses it as a guide today.
I cannot recommend this book enough

Matt Brzycki and Shaun Brown provide in-depth training information that cover principles of strength training, to conditioning parameters, to nutrition. Coaches and athletes alike will benfit from straightforward explanations from two of today's fitness experts. Check out their Q&A section; common questions that most beginners can't find answers to in other publications are covered in a clear-cut fashion. This book is a must read for coaches and athletes who want to taker their training to the next level, or are just starting out.

I used this book since its first publication years ago and also gave it to figure skating students to read (I am now a retired coach). It works for running, racquetball, stadium jumping. Presently using it for tennis. The hardest thing is to get an elite athlete to take time off to rest. Anxiety drives people to practice, practice, practice. This book explains how and why to avoid disabling injuries for those who want to pursue *rigorous* training for years / decades! Training schedules for various sports are included. Great concepts.

Anyone who competes at anything athletic, whether at a high level or just the local Fun Run once a year, needs to read this book. It explains why cyclic training, the classic "two steps forward, one step back" is a must for long-term health and athletic progress.

If simply running a little further or adding a little weight to the bar every day worked, we'd all be world-class marathoners or weight lifters by now. If you want to understand how to exercise for the long haul, this should be the first book you read.

I found this technique of timed resting and training to set up a peak performance works for everything I do regularly - bicycling, jogging, swimming, even studying for an exam! It's hard for me to take rest days when they come up on my calendar but I've learned through doing it and reflecting on past successes to trust this system. I was convinced to first try it by the examples of people forced to rest who then had big wins, the planned peak successes by other users of the technique and the university studies that showed peak performances using the same timing as Consistent Winning. The idea of peaks and valleys made sense to me. I'm extremely pleased to have read this book and learn the technique.

I am not a baseball fan or what you would call a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, but Peter Schilling's "The End of Baseball" is one of the most enjoyable pieces of fiction I have read in many years.

Mr. Schilling knows how to engage his reader with detailed characterizations that enable his characters to escape their paper home and emerge from the pages as human beings that make you both laugh and cry -- and that's just what I found myself doing.

Mr. Schilling does not talk down to his audience and his plot advances with subtlety and suspense. The story unfolds with many surprises, heartbreaks, and hurrahs.

There are no gimmicks or mechanical gods to save the day in "The End of Baseball". Only genuine people trying to live through extraordinary circumstances.

I give it my highest recommendation.

This book has it all: the high drama of a "what if?" season of baseball, historical cameos, and real social commentary. If you're looking for an always-entertaining page turner, look no further. The End of Baseball simulates what it's like to be swept up in a particularly thrilling baseball season in 1943, and reading it is like having a spot in the bleachers to watch the team that almost was. It has subtle character studies, and closely observed details that summon up that time and place: America as a country in the midst of WWII, the African American baseball community prior to Civil Rights. It will keep you up nights reading!

Peter Schilling, Jr.'s inventive novel "The End of Baseball" describes a mesmerizing 1944 baseball season that might have been - if Bill Veeck had been able to purchase a major league team and recruit an entire team of Negro Leaguer stars.

Veeck loses a leg at Guadalcanal. Before enlisting in the Marines, he had been a successful minor league baseball team owner whose innovative promotions lured fans to the ballpark and whose competitive teams kept them coming back for more.

In "The End of Baseball," Veeck returns to civilian life and purchases the Philadelphia Athletics. He turns the ball club into an instant contender by secretly signing Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, Willie Wells, Roy Campanella, and other Negro League stars.

The book contains many poignant moments on and off the field. To his credit - and to our good fortune! -- Schilling provides the historical and social perspective the story demands. He captures the essence of the men and the game they play for life and, perhaps, death.

In real life, Veeck owned the Cleveland Indians and signed the American League's first black player, Larry Doby, and also Satchel Paige. He had less talent to work with on his St. Louis Browns ball club, so he grabbed the spotlight by sending a midget to the plate. When he owned the Chicago White Sox, Veeck put player names on the backs of uniforms and introduced the exploding scoreboard. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

I do not consider myself a baseball fan, but this is a superlative read. Peter Schilling's electric account of what might have been had Bill Veeck managed to integrate a major league baseball team in 1944 is full of vivid characters and amazing events. Schilling relates his story so energetically that it's almost as if you were there in the park.

I enjoyed the book it came on time and in good condition.

This narrative by George Sheehan transcends running. Although it is 'sport-specific', Dr. Sheehan has shown us the 'Way', and he does it simplistically. This book should be read by all atheletes, regardless of their particular sport. He is telling us something here...

I'm relatively new to running and haven't read anything else written by Dr. Sheehan...but I certainly plan to.

The man can write. The book is broken into little one or two page essays (maybe former RW columns?) which are, if nothing else, good bathroom reading fodder.

If you're looking for a book which will help you set a new PR, you should probably look elsewhere, but if you're a true running afficianado(sp?), pick up a copy of this book and you won't be disappointed.

Lessons of the Locker Room

Sports build character. At least, that's what we've always heard. Why else would our schools invest so much time, effort, and money in student athletics? Andrew W. Miracle, Jr. and C. Roger Rees aren't so sure.

Historically, sports were introduced to public schools to attract students who would otherwise attend private schools. After public schools became the norm, as they are today, sports continued to be valued as an opportunity for community involvement and positive publicity for schools.

The authors suggest that sports serve other, less obvious purposes as well. Sports encourage conformity by requiring players to act as group. Sports may also promote submissiveness, in that players do as they are told, taking orders rather than making their own decisions. Sports also increase the authority of those in charge. They are the experts, and credit or blame for success or failure goes to coaches as much as or more than to players.

Research shows that, while many athletes have more positive attitudes towards school than other students, they also have decreased independence and self-control. So, what is touted as an opportunity for individual achievement may actually produce better followers than leaders.

Morality and sports is an issue as well. "Game reasoning" refers to a sense of right and wrong that changes according to the situation and a belief that the winner is morally superior to the loser. In some cases, game reasoning seems to flow over into everyday life.

Rees and Miracle propose that game reasoning accounts for many incidents of violence among athletes. Tests of moral reasoning of athletes show a willingness to believe that aggressive behavior is okay in any situation, if it serves the purpose at hand. What begins as a friendly rivalry can degenerate into violence if it is not checked by that slippery value called sportsmanship.

Miracle and Rees, while definitely on the side of classroom education over sports, present a fair assessment of school sports, presenting benefits as well as problems, and raising some interesting questions. The conclusion? Sports do not build character, they reveal it.

An excellent book that "pulls no punches," to use a sporting phrase. It has been known among those who study youth sports that especially among high school male athletes, excessive alcohol use and deviant behavior (fights, unprotected sex, etc.) have been present to a greater extent than among those not invovled in sport. Miracle and Rees clearly describe the genesis of the myth that sport builds character, and how it has been propogated by those who just want to believe. They clearly point out the problems that can occur, based on research. Competitive sport is not the same as exercise or physical education, activities that promotes health. The next time you read about coaches brawling over a youth hockey game, or parents attacking umpires after a "bad call," you might want to read Lessons of the Locker Room. It will explain to you why this is so. A must read for all parents of children who participate in sport and their coaches.

I came across this book long ago while studying criminal tendencies among student and professional athletes. This is an excellent book that examines the purpose and effect of organized school sports on children and young adults from the elementary to college level. The old addage that "sports builds character" is strongly challenged here as myth after myth regarding the beneficial aspects of school sports is exploded by the authors. In the post-Columbine era, when the detrimental aspects of obsessive sports culture have been finally pushed into the spotlight, these issues regarding athletics and sports-guided adolescent development are more relevant than ever. The authors show that while sports do provide a basic outlet for physical education, the idea that sports build leaders and create better students is shown to be false. In fact, they show that what results are students who tend to be more violent and have a warped sense of morality as a result of so-called "game reasoning" indoctrination. Organized school sports also encourage standardization, conformity, and an unquestioning submissiveness to authority, while denegrating individuality, creativity, self-expression, and academic acheievement. They tend to reward violence and punish weakness. The result is that in high schools today we find athletes who have an over-developed sense of superiority and arrogance that manifests itself as violence and intimidation against those peers viewed as weaker, whether it's a nerdy bookworm or a young coed who says "no". These are issues that have been ignored for far too long and this book addresses them well. The "boys will be boys" mentality must end. As others have already said, it should be required reading by high school teachers, coaches, and students to get a better understanding of the many problems that face kids today and how school sports contibute more to the problem rather than the solution.