Sports Books

One of the true great adventures of our time. A great read for all of us 'Walter Mitty' types who dream of doing such things but never find the time or have the ability or courage to do so. A wonderful story.

My father gave me this book when I was 16 and I loved it. Totally inspired me to travel. I asked my father for his boat when I finished the book but helas he didn't hand it over! He did however buy me a ticket around the world at 22yrs old and I spent a year and a half traveling around the world alone... London to London west. While I didn't sail, it was still an amazing trip, an incredible education and now back at work now saving for my boat. :-)

This non fiction story is filled with interesting adventure. A young boy setting off to sail the world. Finding new friendships, discovering beautiful places and falling in love with a girl that was raised not too far from his home in the U.S., yet met half way around the world. A very good read.

This was a very interesting book written by a man who at the age of 16 decided to sail around the world alone. The book describes his journeys and his feelings as he experienced life alone.
I believe this book is suitable for 8th through 12th graders based on conservative views of a parent. There is the use of swearing in the book so be aware of this before hand. I did appreciate the fact that the Lord Jesus led Robin to Him through his experiences. Would be interested to know how the family is doing now.

Get ready for an adventure, because in DOVE, Robin Lee Graham
Will take you into the life of a young man who in his little boat
That he will use to sail around the world.

This goy was outgoing, and set out to look for
adventure and love. Little did he know, this boy from San Pedro,
California, was about to make history. He will have to make many
Sacrifices, which for a while was bad.


Many people doubted him, but Robin was serious about
this trip. He also had many people supporting him. This lone
Sailor will face many obstacles at sea.

Follow Robin to places like Tahiti, Ala Wia, Hawaii,
Tutila, Apia, Tonga Islands, Florida Islands, South Africa ect.

So grab your gear, because in this trip, you will discover
The good, the bad and the better of sailing.


So come on, you can experience the unforgettable true
Life story of Robin Lee Graham only when you read DOVE.

Sophie Jordan is a play by the rules kind of girl. She's highly organized and constantly tries to manage the lives of everybody around her. The recent article exposing sports agent Spencer Atkins as gay and his subsequent disappearance has thrown Sophie's neat orderly life into chaos. She's frantically trying to regain control of her own life, the sports players the Hot Zone represents, and in a race against time to find Spencer before the football draft.

Riley Nash has done everything he could think of to garner his birth father, Spencer Atkins's, approval. Not once has Spencer ever acknowledged Riley as his son. With Spencer sexual preference being exposed by the media, Riley's concerned that the reporters will dig into Spencer's past and uncover the truth about Riley's parentage which could be disastrous to his stepfather's political campaign. Riley's also concerned about what his teenage daughter's reaction to the news would be. Riley will just have to find Spencer before the media does and convince him to maintain his silence about their connection.

Spencer had been missing for three days before Sophie decided to try to track him down. She can fully understand and appreciate his need to hide out for a while but his clients are demanding to speak with him and the only way to appease everyone and get her own life back to semi-normalcy is to find Spencer. No way would Sophie ever have guessed that quarterback Riley Nash would show up in her office demanding to speak with Spencer. He's not even one of Spencer's clients and Sophie has no idea that Riley is Spencer's son until Riley told her. What started out as a stressful situation has suddenly gotten much worse because Sophie has been fighting her attraction to Riley for a very long time and looks like they'll be in close contact until Spencer is found. Thanks to Spencer's personal secretary, Sophie now has the address and telephone number of Spencer's eccentric sisters in Fort Lauderdale and nobody's answering the phone when she tries calling, Sophie intends to make the trip to speak with them in person. She wasn't counting on Riley accompanying her or the uncontrollable desire that flares to life between them.

HOT ITEM is the final book in Carly Phillips HOT ZONE trilogy. As with every book by Ms. Phillips I've read, this one promises to be a hit as well. In addition to the romance between the two main characters (which is highly entertaining to read), there is an interesting subplot involving Riley's relationship with his daughter as well as his ex-wife. I have to confess, I love how anal-retentive and highly controlled Sophie is, it's quite interesting to imagine her trying to function outside her normal constraints.

If you're like me and haven't read the first two books in the HOT ZONE series, don't worry, this book can stand alone but, after reading this one I will be buying both HOT NUMBER and HOT STUFF. I need to know how Sophie's sisters end up with the hunks they've married.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

for a modern novel - this one was actually really fun! I enjoyed the "sporty" aspect to it - although the part with the "villain" seems a bit one-sided and bizarre but hey at least the plot line seemed unique (I don't want to spoil too much!) Just know that if you get this it will be an interesting/unique/fun/sporty/steamy read!!!!

Hot Item is the third novel the Hot Zone Series. Sophie Jordan is the middle sister who always is in control and never takes risks especially with her heart. Riley Nash is the Football player who just found out his biological father is gay and Sophie is the key to the whole solution. Check out the whole series Hot Stuff (2004), Hot Number (2005) and Hot Item (2006).

If you want a great sports romance try See Jane Score. This was not enjoyable. The characters were not likeable. Riley was a self absorbed weanie, and Sophie anal and uptight. There was no courtship, just two people who have nothing in common arguing about how they have nothing in common.

Successful sports PR agent Sophie falls finds herself in hot water when she is flying solo at the agency during the NFL draft and her "uncle" Spence is outed by a reporter and goes on the lam. Further complicating matters is her attraction to star quarterback Riley Nash who is Spence's long lost son and wants his parentage kept secret to protect his adoptive father's political career. When the two take a road trip, sparks fly with the most unlikely duo.

"Item" marks the third installment in Phillip's "Hot Zone" trio featuring a family run sports PR agency owned by orphaned sisters raised by their bachelor uncle. It's also the best of the series, packing an emotional wallop that started in the first ("Stuff") was lacking in the last one ("Number").

This book is full of motivational speeches and brand promotions, but light on actual training advice. As a former competitive swimmer, I noticed that some of the advice in that area was actually wrong, so I started wondering whether biking and running sections have errors too.

I really like this book. It is full of good stuff and the training is mapped out for fitness levels so well. This book proves that training for a triathlon doesn't require endless hours of strenous exercise or months of prep.

This book was more like a motivational speech rather than a how-to for training for a first triathlon. There are some helpful tips, such as a very general outline for weekly workouts, equipment you need to bring to the event, and an introduction to some triathlon training terminology. Other than that, it was mostly motivational fluff. A nice light read, this book is good for someone contemplating signing up for a race. However, if you've already signed up for, or completed, your first race, you're already beyond this book. I would look elsewhere to actually prepare for competition.

I used this for my first tri. Harr used a unique approach and asked about 40 questions to categorize your time availability and your current level of fitness. Then he had a program designed specifically to increase your stamina in each discipline. This book was great for learning the basics and understanding about building a 'base' and strengthening yourself. It was helpful for eating habits but should be supplemented with another source. It was recommended to me and I recommend it to my friends.

unfortunately, the magical transformation of the author into a competitive athlete is a unique event, not one that readers will replicate easily (or ever!), especially following the plans inside.

the author ignores the base building necessary to race the events. athletes need to train their musculoskeletal structure to take the abuse of workouts as much as they need to get their hearts up to speed. this is best done slowly and incrementally. i think if you have been a regular athlete for at least a year before using the plan in this book, you may be fine.

if you are beginning in any of the three sports, i'd advise another book to show the real process of developing the appropriate base needed to compete without injury. Look up the titles by Joe Friel for more complete information on how to structure a training plan.

This is a great book! I love the fact that it is filled with helpful instruction on how the mind works but not too much wordy filler that I can't understand or implement. Lanny has a great way of getting the information to you in a short, concise manner that is inspiring, helpful and meaningful. I have used this system in my career, my home life and in performance. I believe that I am a better Mom, wife and business woman due to what I have learned in the pages of this book and other Mental Management materials. I recommend this book to everyone but my favorite book by Lanny is his new one Freedom Flight - The Origins of Mental Power. That book really hit home to me in a big way. "With Winning in Mind" is wonderful and well worth the money but I definitely recommend Freedom Flight as well!

Great Job Lanny - keep up the good work and write more books!!

Bassham gives one a blueprint for acheiving success in almost any endeavor. It takes work and persistence, it's not magic, but it does work.

Lanny's book is one of the best books I've read for how to focus your thinking towards success. Whilst written with the shooting sports in mind, it is extremely applicable to all areas of life. If there is something you would like to achieve (even weight loss), the approach outlined is applicable.

I read the book and quickly passed thru the mistakes I had made over and over again. While I was shooting my new personal best, I felt that I belonged there and had no self doubt. I now have the mental toughness to shoot with the Big Dogs.

If you need basic reminders of how to stay positive, get this (and some other help). Otherwise, skip it.

Baseball history, player rankings,etc. A great book for the baseball enthusiast. Bill James is the go to guy for this kind of info and this book is a great way to start. Enjoy!

Take a tour through baseball history with this decade-by-decade guide. Also included are all kinds of baseball statistics and an in-depth analysis of them.

Brings the stars of the past to life to an extent I'd have never thought possible. Interesting and informative, not to mention fascinating and thought-provoking. Another classic keeper from Mr. James.

Bill Jame's 100 greatest players the NEW list starts around page 358 and reaches peak idiocy on page 360 where he explains that Lou Gehrig wasn't in the top ten because if he and Ruth were so good why did they only win 4 pennants in the 10 years they were teammates. What a NIMROD.

Then HE DOESN'T PICK ONE CATCHER IN THE TOP 40.

Even worse and probably the most heinous change was the move of Warren Spahn from TENTH, now get this, to 36th. Spahn won his first game at the age of 25. He won 363 games. He won 20 games 13 times.
__________________

Bill James is famous for his ability to collect, publish and analyze statistics about baseball. This is the second edition of his history book covering through the entire 20th century. But as James says in his preface this is more than just an update. In reviewing the first book he found that he didn't like a number of things that he did and so he has changed. Some may think for the better others for the worse but in my case I never read his 1980s edition so I have no basis for comparisons.
James is not a professional statistician but has good statistical intuition and is respected by professional statistician who specialize in sports statistics.

James covers the rules of the game and is very detialed about the players and the rule changes and strategy changes. What I enjoyed most about the book was his lists of the all time top 100 players at each position. This is something sports statisticians think about often and using statistical adjustment techniques and Bayesian methods professional statistician like Schell and Berry have written articles and in Schell's case a book on how to do this. Schell's book includes a list of the all time greatest hitters with Tony Gwynn at the top. The book tells you how the list is constructed and teaches statistical methods along the way.

James has no formal statistical method for constructing his lists. At each position he ranks the top 100 players and does a good job of mixing the old timers with the present day players. Though subjective, this is a difficult task for anyone and James is one of the few who knows enough detail of the history and players in baseball to be up to the task. I may not agree with all of his rankings but that is part of what makes talking about baseball fun. James provides descriptions of the players on his list that may be thought of as justification for their inclusion or rank.

The list of number 1 players by position is as follows:
1. catcher - Yogi Berra
2. pitcher - Walter Johnson
3. 1st base - Lou Gehrig
4. 2nd base - Joe Morgan
5. shortstop - Honus Wagner
6. 3rd base - Mike Schmidt
7. left field - Ted Williams
8. center field - Willie Mays
9. right field - Babe Ruth

The American Statistical Association formed a section SIS (Statistics in Sports). I am a member and so are many other statisticians including Carl Morris, Hal Stern, Mike Schell, Jim Albert, Jay Bennett and Scott Berry. We all have the common ground of interest in sports (particularly baseball). The introduction of true statistical methods in sports has turned sports partly intp a science. Mike Schell wrote a statistics book about statistical adjustment of individual player statistics based on the effect of the home ball park. Albert and Bennett have also contributed books. Efron and Morris long before this movement was in full force wrote a major statistical paper for the Journal of the American Statistical Association that used predicting baseball player averages using Stein shrinking estimator (an Empirical Bayes estimator).

It is books like this that amass large amounts of baseball data and use baseball knowledge and common sense ot look at the game in a differnt way.

Brand new item, very nice. Smooth transaction with excellent communication & quick shipping. Thank You

Since the current U.S. Administration saw fit to cease publication of CHART NO. 1, the government's own guide to reading maritime maps, back in 2000 (maybe they figured Dubai might pick up the slack around our harbors), HOW TO READ A NAUTICAL CHART is an absolutely crucial educational volume for those of us new to reading charts.

It's all here. Nigel Calder does a splendid job of taking the esoterica of chart symbolism and language and turning it into something any boater can understand in everyday terms. He also does a fine job delineating the differences between harbor charts, large area charts, GPS readings and so on, all of which have their own internal but non-complimentary logic.

If you leave the dock, knowledge of and familiarity with charts can avoid costly errors, save your boat, and literally save your life. HOW TO READ A NAUTICAL CHART is a reference you must have.

As a newbie to reading charts I soon realized that much of the information displayed on a nautical chart is difficult or imposable to decode without some reference outside of the chart itself.

This book does a beautiful job of explaining all the mysterious symbols and conventions. It also has a great introduction that puts chart creation and interpretation into a practical, real-world perspective. I would consider this book to be a vital part of any vessel's safety equipment.

Got about all Nigel's books - as I had expected, he gives a good clear insight on nautical charts and how to read them. Not much else to say! Thanks Nigel for helping make the dream come true!
Dutch West.

A great resource even for experienced skippers. Also makes you very aware of the limitations of modern cartography (ie how many charted depths are based on a survey done 50 or 100 years ago!).

I spend my summers working for a Boy Scout camp, so I figured this would be a handy reference when I picked it up. And indeed it is! It's a thorough and detailed account of every little survival or outdoor skill you could possible want to know without writing a thesis on any one particular idea. I love the old-fashioned organization and appearance--true handbook style save for the size! Excellent resource! My camp boss is actually looking into picking up more copies.

Wonderful and enjoyable book-fast read!!
Carly Phillips is an excellent writer, I reccomend all her novels.

I liked this book. It was light and airy and was read in 1 day. Sometimes you just need those kind of books. There was good chemistry between the two characters and the secondary story of Micki's uncle and his longtime love was charming. I've read this same type of book before so there's nothing new or fresh but if you want a quick read that is enjoyable, then this is one for you.

I was browsing in the library and the cover to this book stood out. So I checked it out. I havent read a book in 11 years and read this one in two days. There was the right amount of romance and sexual tension between the two characters along with a fresh and fun storyline. I plan on buying all the books in the series because its something I can read over and over.
I am definitely a new fan and cant wait to dive into the next book!

What a fun book!! I am a BIG fan of trilogies and this is a fun set. Am anxiously awaiting the next one even though I will be sad to see it all end.

i don't like romance novels. they usually come off as schmaltzy and contrived. but this one appealed to me for some reason. i got a paperback copy of it and read it in a night. micki is a likeable character. she's a tomboy, but she definately had a feminine side, that doris day " good girl " quality. though the story was set in a sports agency and also among the rich and famous, phillips made the characters seem like real people with real problems. damian was a charming rake a spoiled man-child,the type of character you couldn't decide whether to like or love, which is the perfect type of fiction character. and the supproting characters like carter and the secretary were also good. of course, people read novels like this for the sex scenes and ms. phillips doesn't disapoint. it's hot without being gratuitous or sleazy. i will read more of ms. phillip's work in the future...

This is a great book to have for any serious pitchers out there that want the ultimate year-round workout. Even if you don't plan on using every workout, it is a great thing to have to form a base workout out of.

I have used it for over a year now and it has worked wonders for my shoulders and legs. I still use it everyday I go to the gym and it was well worth the money spent.

Being a 5'7 125lbs 14 year old throwing low 70's teams looked at me like "Are you kidding me?" After purchasing this program and following the exercises complimented with hundreds of explanatory pictures I was a whole new pitcher. Now at 15 y/o. 5'8, 142lbs throwing low 80's I owe it all to Steven and his book. A MUST READ for any pitcher whether your a highschool hurler, a college pitcher or just starting off this book will get you well on your way to the bigs!

This is the single best pitching manual I have ever seen. I bought it and I began with the inseason workouts because I was in season at the time. Even using the less intense inseason workouts to start, I noticed a significant difference in strength, durability and stamina while on the mound. This product is simply amazing, Steve has truly created the single most reliable, most result producing pitching workout ever made. The Best Ever.

This program is great! I am using it to get ready for my 25 year old plus league that I play in. This program is not just for young guys I am 30 and seeing results. four guys on my team have started the program as well and they are not even pitchers, but they have seen an increase in overall baseball fitness.

If you want to get stronger for any throwing aspect of baseball. Outfield infield and especially pitching, I highly suggest you purchase this manual. I was amazed with this manual when I purchased it. There are so many different exercises that you can do and most important it comes with complete workout logs. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a good workout on the Internet but never put it to a good use. This is not just a workout book it's a total program.

Each Phase of your training comes with days of logs. It works you into the different strength exercises so you'll never have a problem with doing one of the many many workouts in this book. Each day is set out for you. You know exactly what you have to do. If you have any kind of will power to become a stronger and better athlete, one that will make it to college and professional level, you will have no problem using this guide. There is no planning or brainstorming of activities to do. Everything's right there for you just do the included warm-up exercises and start your PRE-PLANNED routine.

This is such a great program that I strongly suggest for any serious baseball athlete.

I enjoy reading about mountaineering and eagerly await all new books on the subject. I am a long time fan of Ed Viesturs; he has amazing accomplishments. The most significant of which -- he is STILL ALIVE!!!The book was insightful and interesting in the many ways he has carefully accomplished his goals.

Ed Viesturs is a very inspiring man. An absolute legend in my book.
I have watched the IMAX documentaries on Everest and am always inspired and moved to tears.
It did surprise me that he was not a little more discreet when describing his adventures with a fellow female climber though.

If you are interested in big mountain climbing (armchair or otherwise), this book will give you a peek into the life of one mountaineer. Ed talks about "acceptable risk", physical sacrifices, finanical sacrifieces, practicalities of climbing. This is not a "Into Thin Air" drama, but rather a solid account of one man's journey.

In retrospect, I have no idea why I purchased the book No Shortcuts to the Top other than I thought I'd enjoy learning more about mountain climbing. In reality, this book is much more than just about mountain climbing. It shows the true nature of the man that is Ed Viesturs and his life's work on the mountain. I was thoroughly impressed about Ed's approach to climbing and his philosophy on climbing and life. I assumed, incorrectly, that all mountain climbers were over the top, macho men, with a desire to get famous before the end. Ed would be welcomed as a friend in almost any organization. What a complete view of many of the recent historical mountain events and climbers from all over the world from an expert in the field.

Excellent. Well written and takes you to the summit of some of the world's nost inhospitable places.