A Year at the Races Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money and Luck

Tim Baker, Mark Occhilupo

Occy: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Mark Occhilupo

Child star at 16, ranked third in the world at 17, Mark Occhilupo looked set to sweep all before him with a radical, spontaneous, irresistible brand of surfing. Yet a spiraling descent into drug abuse and depression snuffed his flame out prematurely when he quit the pro tour at just 22. Faltered comebacks, spectacular bursts of free-surfing, and manic breakdowns followed as the surfing world watched a freakish talent self-combust. After years spent immobile and overweight on the couch, Occy eventually emerged from his cocoon, reborn and ready to tackle a whole new generation of surf stars. His celebrated comeback to win the world title in 1999 is a sporting fairytale without equal. In this no-holds barred account, Occy tells the complete, remarkable story of his spectacular rise, terrifying fall, and miraculous rebirth.

Robert Kemp Adair

The Physics of Baseball: Third Edition, Revised, Updated, and Expanded

Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising -- and always illuminating. This newly revised third edition considers recent developments in the science of sport such as the neurophysiology of batting, bat vibration, and the character of the "sweet spot." Faster pitchers, longer hitters, and enclosed stadiums also get a good, hard scientific look to determine their effects on the game. Filled with anecdotes about famous players and incidents, The Physics of Baseball provides fans with fascinating insights into America's favorite pastime.

Ryan Jones

King James

King James offers a fascinating, inside look at the early years of the king of the basketball court, Lebron James.LeBron is a six-foot-eight gift from the basketball heavens. In the early 2000's, at St. Vincent-St. Mary's, he was the undisputed finest high school player in America. The Chosen One NBA scouts drooled over, corporations dreamt of, event promoters begged for, and now NBA fans clamor after. With appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated and features on ESPN and in newspapers across the country, never before had a high school basketball player been so highly touted or an eighteen-year-old athlete been the subject of such fascination. In fact, no basketball player in the world experienced this level of attention. But believe the hype: there is no denying that LeBron James is a force on the basketball court, and his rags-to riches story is the stuff that dreams are made of. Author Ryan Jones has written a book that incorporates everything during the early reign of King James: the controversy, the athletic potential, the jerseys and the Humvee, the hobnobbing with the world's most famous stars, the money, and, of course, the game. This is a book for every fan of LeBron ...