Product Description
The Business & Politics of Sports, Second Edition(ISBN:1-883210-06-2) contains an updated collection of award winning sportswriter Evan Weiner’s columns that span from 1998 to the present; they are categorized into fifteen chapters with introductions.

Evan Weiner has important things to write about. Everybody in America is paying in some way for sports, whether it is through taxes, cable TV bills, tax breaks or incentives. Mr. Weiner not only shows how closely business, politics and sports are interwoven, he has an encyclopedic memory that allows him to include historical background in his articles. Evan doesn’t see himself as brave; rather he does what he thinks a responsible journalist does:research, interview, listen carefully, think, connect the dots and write. Readers benefit from his knowledge and observation.

Since The Business & Politics of Sports first smashed through the insular ivory tower of sports academia in 2005, many colleges and universities have used Evan Weiner’s columns as the basis for class discussion and case studies. Professor Daniel A. Rascher, the University of San Francisco’s Director of Academic Programs, who has hosted Evan’s electronic blackboard classes for the past ten years, believes, “Evan Weiner understands the nexus between politics and the sports industry unlike anyone else.He is able to stir the pot and get at students' passions and emotions about sports, policy, regulation, and politics.His columns and articles are an invaluable resource for any course or program in sport management.”

“In reality, he is probably the most provocative sports writer in the business today,” sums up Thomas P. Rosandich, Ph.D., President and CEO of the United States Sports Academy, which conferred its Distinguished Journalist Award on Mr. Weiner in 2003. “Evan writes on topics that no one else will dare to touch, and he writes them very well. The part that we find to be so exceptional here at the Academy is the amount of research that he does on each and every one of his articles.”

Cooper Union urban historian Fred Siegel, who wrote the introduction to the book’s “Stadiums & Public Policy” opines, “Evan Weiner’s columns are essential public policy reading for those trying to make sense of what is happening with American cities.”

Evan Weiner also has a large following among sports fans, news junkies, political wonks and general readers fascinated to learn something new.Sheldon A. Saltman, former president of FOX Sports, recently remarked, “A bagel, cream cheese and an Evan Wiener column are my breakfast fare. Evan’s wit and cynicism give an offbeat perspective to the rigors of each day. For me, he’s a ‘must read.’"

During the summer of 2010, sports writers brought to the attention of the American public the plight of former NFL players whose lives have been forever changed by brain concussions which they claim have caused permanent physical damage. Mr. Weiner’s extensive July 6th article on NFL 49er George Visger, “The football culture needs to be changed,” has caused quite a stir within the professional football community.
Evan Weiner is a contributing columnist for nhl.com, New Jersey Newsroom, The Daily Caller and The Examiner. He wrote a weekly column for the New York Sun and has written for New York Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Metro Philadelphia, Metro New York, the Washington Examiner and msnbc.com, and was a re-occurring guest on “Politics Live” with Sam Donaldson. His radio commentary “The Business of Sports” aired nationally on a daily basis between June 1999 and June 2006. He is a participant in several Long Distance Learning and electronic blackboard university classes, speaks at colleges across the country, and gives talks to civic groups and on cruises.

... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Montreal Expos Spring Training Venues, Olympic Stadium, Jarry Park Stadium, Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Roger Dean Stadium, Space Coast Stadium, West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 38. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt:The Jackie Robinson Ballpark (also known as Jackie Robinson Stadium or City Island Ball Park ) is a historic baseball field in Daytona Beach , Florida , United States . It is located at 103 East Orange Avenue on City Island , in the Halifax River .Jackie Robinson Ballpark A game between Bethune-Cookman University and Florida A ... Read more

Product Description
Mike Shannon delivers a brand-new collection of true stories and never-before-told anecdotes that come straight from the insider's circle. ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Mind Gym
This a well written, concise look into a gammut of psychological skills related to sport performance. It is also a series of short stories from the author's career as a professional sport psychologist. It is an easy read and well done. What it is NOT is an introduction to sport psychology or a book that can help someone learn sport psychology unless they are already familiar with the topic. Good book, I liked it very much; but not a book from which one can learn sport psychology. It is a collection of stories and within each story there is a skill to be learned.

No depth at all
The author starts by stating how important psychology for sports is. It is.
After this promising start, however, we are presented with chapter after chapter of - well, nothing.
He states something obvious like "belive in yourself" and underlines this with some quotes and success stories from profs.
Great. This does not help at all. I already knew that I need confidence to excel.
No "how to", no in depth tipps, nothing usefull at all :-(

A life changing book
I credit this book for changing the direction of my life.I found it to be a powerful tool in changing the way I view the world.I have given out 15 copies to friends, associates and players.If you really take the information in this book to heart it can help you accomplish great things in your life.The lessons learned in this book apply not only to sports but also to life in general.This book really teaches you the power of your own mind and will.I strongly suggest this book to anyone not just athletes.

For my preteen, teenager and me
"Stinkin' thinkin'." You know just what I'm talking about. For me, it would mean walking onto the tennis court thinking I didn't have a shot to win. Or my sons walking to the pitchers mound thinking "this guy's going to jack me." But for those of you who have quit believing, I have a solution - read a book.

I ordered a couple of books on mental toughness, not for myself because I am, but for the boys to read. One of them is Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence. I had them both read the first four chapters last night, and I won't soon forget their response: "It's the best book I've ever read" - hearty words from a 12 and 13-year old. Sometimes as parents we don't know the right words to impart to our kids, or maybe because we're parents we're just heard less...So I don't know that these books will solve their woes of late on the field, but I do know that they're paying attention to the fact that sports are not just physical tests because until the head is right, the body never will be.

Susan Anderson, author, Cold Case in Ellyson

Great book for athletes
Great book for athletes!It is a great book to give as a gift. ... Read more

Product Description
America's best-selling sports almanac, now in its 16th year, is as fact filled and fun as ever. Packed with stats, standings, and historical data from Sports Illustrated's award-winning staff, this is the essential reference book for every fan. ... Read more

Product Description

“Mastering these drills will arm your players with one of the biggest intangibles necessary to perform well--confidence.”
--Michele Smith

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Fame pitcher Michele Smith throws one right down the middle with this big collection of more than 250 skill-building drills developed especially for coaches of fast-pitch recreation league, travel ball, and high school softball players, ages eight to eighteen.

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Softball Drills Resource for Youth Softball Coaches
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3G428EK8IP38S To all softball players, coaches and parents:

In this video review, I explained that I'm qualified to review this product and why I strongly believe that this book is a great resource for softball drills especially for youth softball coaches.

Reviewer's credentials:

- Experienced Softball Coach (over 20 years of softball coaching experience including the international and college levels)

- Experienced presenter / course conductor in the field of softball and coaching

- Master's Degree in Coaching Sciences

- Doctoral Studies in Coaching Expertise

Great resource for youth league and travel team coaches
As a league administrator, I'm always looking for great coaching
resources for the coaches in our league.I love this book because it's
a combination coaching and drills book.Many drills books out there
just have drills (with a smattering of ad hoc remarks on mechanics).
But this book is different.Every section of the book has a thorough
discussion of the required mechanics (hitting, pitching, defensive
footwork, infield defense, outfield defense, etc.), followed by a slew
of drills.The book contains a progression of drills for every level of
player (youth league level, as well as tons of "advanced variation"
drills for travel league and high school players).The book is very
organized, and therefore is a great resource for coaches to refer back
to on a regular basis.You can tell that Michele Smith is a stickler
for details because the photos and captions are very detail oriented and
helpful.All and all a fantastic resource!

Outstanding and Highly Recommended!
This book is a great reference for any coach of U10, U12, U14 and high school girls softball. The book is very organized and well written, and explains very clearly the fundamentals behind each drill.As expected, the pitching chapter is excellent.But the hitting and the defense chapters are also outstanding.There are lots of advanced level coaching tips throughout the book, including in each drill's "hints" section.Michele Smith is in alot of the photos personally demonstrating the mechanics and drills.The diagrams are good, and clutter free.

Excellent!
I have two daughters, an eighth grader who is really into softball, and a fourth grader who is just getting into the sport. I ran across this new drills book and highly recommend it. It's really organized, with goodpictures to go along with the drills. And it's great for both of my girls. I'm definitely going to tell their coaches about it. ... Read more

Product Description
The New York Yankees.The Boston Red Sox.For a hundred years, no two teams have locked horns as fiercely or as frequently – and no two seasons frame the colossal battle more perfectly than 2003 and 2004.Now, with incredible energy and access, leading sports columnist Mike Vaccaro chronicles the history of the greatest rivalry in sports, and the two stunning American League Championship Series that define a century of baseball.


October 17, 2003: A night no Yankees or Red Sox fan will ever forget.At 12:15 am, bottom of the eleventh inning of game seven of the ALCS, New York third-baseman Aaron Boone launches a ball over Yankee Stadium’s left-field fence.The Yankees win their 39th pennant – and send the perennially vexed Boston Red Sox home . . . again . . . suffering another devastating loss to their longtime nemesis.

October 20, 2004: A year later, an eerie reprise – but this time things are different.After losing three straight to the Yankees, Boston has charged back to win the next three, forcing a decisive game seven.From the start of the game Boston is in control, and by winning this game they march toward their first World Series victory since 1918.

These two explosive years define an extraordinary, epic rivalry – from Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens to Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, Derek Jeter and Aaron Boone to David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, from nearly a century of Yankee domination to the undisputed breaking of “The Curse.”With the razor-sharp instincts that have made him a top sports journalist, Mike Vaccaro delves into the history of the rollicking rivalry: a vicious collision in 1903 (between the New York Highlanders and Boston Pilgrims) that draws first blood; the era of Babe Ruth and his legendary trade from the Red Sox to the Yankees, ushering in the notorious Curse; the golden age of DiMaggio and Williams; the unstoppable power of Mantle and Maris; the heart and soul of Fisk and Yazstremski versus Pinella and Munson; and the modern era of dueling owners, skyrocketing payrolls, and a renewed rivalry that attracts sell-out crowds even to Yankees-Red Sox spring training games.

EMPERORS AND IDIOTS is as lively, fascinating, and raucous as the teams themselves – a must-have volume for any Yankees or Red Sox fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

**Yawn**
Rented this on CD as a part of a long road trip. While giving SOME new insight, this is more like a summary of boxscores turned into a book.I was expecting MUCH more from this...instead, I got hours dedicated to 2 games and minutes dedicated to the other 98 years mentioned in the title.

Emperors and Idiots
Took almost 4 weeks to receive these two books that I ordered.Missed being able to give one as a birthday gift, due to the lateness.

Manages To Keep Yankees/Red Sox Rivalry Fresh
Over the years, there has been enough prose written about the rivalry between baseball's New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to fill volumes upon volumes.However, in "Emperors and Idiots", Mike Vaccaro is able to keep the material fresh and interesting by narrowing his focus to just the Yanks and Sox.

For example, most takes of this rivalry include a focus on the Red Sox being "cursed" and the Yankees winning all their titles in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.This book, though, only touches on the games actually played between the two warring clubs (e.g. I don't believe Bill Buckner is discussed at all in the text, besides in a passing reference).Whether it is the beginning of the rivalry in 1904 (with the New York Highlanders playing the Boston Beaneaters), the heated games of the late 1940s and mid-70s, or the jump-start in 2003-2004, Vaccaro's ability to keep his focus on just the two teams led to the unearthing of some information that was new to me (or at least I hadn't remembered in a very long time).

Of course, "Emperors and Idiots" spends the requisite time focusing on the '03 and '04 seasons and playoffs, which is a topic that can be read over and over by baseball fans and never really get old or stale.Sure, there is some talk of "ghosts" and "curses" and such things, but they play second-fiddle to what the book really tries to do: Try to understand the New York/Boston rivalry from the perspective of the fans, the front offices, and the players.

Until reading this book, the co-authored text "Faithful" (Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan) was what I considered to be the authority on this subject...but that really only told the story from the die-hard Sox fan's perspective.This book gives equal time to each side in its quest to try and understand why the rivalry is perhaps the greatest in the history of sports.

Emperors and Idiots
A must read for diehard followers of The Rivalry--Yankees vs. Red Sox.An entertaining compilation of the observations and emotions from the point-of-view of various fans on both sides of this age-old confrontation, particularly regarding the more recent battles of the last few years.Very enjoyable.

Helped me relive some of the baseball seasons that I personally followed
Enjoyed listening to EMPERORS AND IDIOTS by Mike Vaccaro,
the story of the 100 year Yankee-Red Sox rivalry . . . it emphasized
the very exciting races in both 2003 and 2004, while also interspersing
tales from 1904, 1919, 1941, 1946, 1949, 1977, and 1978 . . . and
that leads to my only criticism of the book; i.e., it was a bit
choppy . . . personally, I would have preferred a more linear approach.

Yet I quibble . . . what a thrill to relive many of the seasons that I
personally followed . . . (NOT the ones prior to 1977!) . . . and even
then, I enjoyed hearing about DiMaggio and Williams, and the fact
that they almost got traded for each other . . . also, it was fun
getting to again hear names from my not-so-distant past, including
Mantle, Maris, Fisk, Yastremski, Pinella, Munson, Jackson and taking me
through the present era of Martinez, Jeter, Damon, and Rivera.

The CD version had an added bonus: interviews with Bill "Spaceman"
Lee and Yogi Berra, two players who had actually experienced the
rivalry . . . to quote Berra, "You really have to go through it to
know what it was like to go through it."

This book gave me a feel for just that . . . fans of either team--or
sports, in general--will like EMPERORS AND IDIOTS.
... Read more