Ken Rappoport – författare

Alex Rodriguez unleashed a powerful swing, launching the ball over the center-field fence. New York Yankees fans erupted, rocking the stadium. Home run. Although A-Rod had peppered the seats with hundreds of home runs during his career, this long ball was special. Rodriguez became the youngest player in major-league history to reach 600 home runs. In a career full of incredible feats, A-Rod has slugged his way into the record books. From his home run heroics to his World Series championship, author Ken Rappoport highlights the career of this baseball superstar.

Derek Jeter stood at the plate with the count full, anticipating the next pitch. With a mighty wallop, he smashed the ball over the left-center field fence. Home run, but this was not an ordinary home run. It was hit number 3,000 for the New York Yankees shortstop. This is just one of many milestones Derek Jeter has achieved during his remarkable career. The Captain has led the Yankees to five World Series titles and has won several individual awards. Author Ken Rappoport details the amazing career of this baseball champion.

When the game is on the line and time is running out, there''s one quarterback who always leads his team to victory: Peyton Manning. The Colts'' superstar has been thrilling football fans for many years. He is the prototype quarterback. Big and strong, he shreds defenses with his powerful arm and deadly accuracy. And nobody works harder than Peyton Manning. Throughout his career, Manning has compiled Hall-of-Fame statistics and individual awards, but he is most proud to be called a Superbowl champion. Author Ken Rappoport highlights the career of this gridiron great.

Who throws down the best dunks? What are the most important qualities of the best slam dunkers? Size? Strength? Agility? From stars of the past like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the greatest players today like LeBron James, Ken Rappoport lists the ten best basketball players to have ever rattled a rim. Other players included in this book are Vince Carter, Darryl Dawkins, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O''Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Russell, and Dominique Wilkins.

David Wright was able to live out his childhood dream, playing baseball for the team he grew up rooting for: The New York Mets. In addition to being an All-Star third baseman, he started his own charitable foundation in 2005 to help fight multiple sclerosis. Treat readers to this compelling life story.

In or out of his flaming red Number 8 car, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is one of the most successful and recognized racecar drivers in the world today. Racing in the shadows of both his famous father and grandfather, Dale Jr. earned his place in the world of car racing. Away from the racetrack, he started the Dale Jr. Foundation to help kids in need reach their goals. Readers will love the story of this exceptional talent.

Who are the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball? Who are the greatest pitchers pitching today? What makes a pitcher great? From the heroes of yesterday like Cy Young to modern superstars like Mariano Rivera, author Ken Rappoport looks at ten of the greatest ballplayers (Grover Cleveland Alexander, Lefty Grove, Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Christy Mathewson, Satchel Paige, Mariano Rivera, Nolan Ryan, Warren Spahn, Cy Young) to ever stand atop a major-league pitcher''s mound.

Since Babe Ruth started drawing big crowds with his big bat in the 1920s, the home run has meant more to baseball than just about any other individual achievement. What can be more exciting than the crack of the bat and the ball flying to the far reaches of a baseball stadium? From Ruth to Aaron to Bonds, Ken Rappoport examines the ten greatest sluggers to ever step up to the plate. The other players included are Lou Gehrig, Josh Gibson, Ken Griffey, Jr., Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Sadaharu Oh, and Alex Rodriguez.

When he scrambles out of the pocket, Tim Tebow makes incredible things happen on the football field. In Ken Rappoport''s biography of Tebow, readers will see that he does even more amazing things off the field. Having started a foundation while still in college, Tebow has continued his good works as a professional.

Consistently ranked among the top ten college football rivalries by fans and pundits alike-and often ranked among the top five-the annual Army-Navy game is the one rivalry that, as one commentator has noted, "stops the most powerful men and women in the world in their tracks for one day a year." It is also quite possible that it is the only rivalry to raise over $58 million in war bonds (1944 game), have an outcome so contentious that the game had to be suspended for six years by the President (1893), or be played in the Rose Bowl (1983), requiring a military "airlift" of nine thousand cadets and midshipmen to California.But Army-Navy is first and foremost about football, and as Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport relate in this engaging history, it may be college football in its purest form-and not just as a "training ground for the NFL." Though struggling for national ranking, the service academies have done surprisingly well over the years given their recruiting handicap, producing five Heisman Trophy winners and a number of national champions. The rivalry''s most successful player may have been Roger Staubach, Heisman winner and Hall of Fame quarterback, who led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowls in the 1970s following his four-year mandatory service in the U.S. Navy. The Army-Navy rivalry is also about traditions, and in a concluding chapter on the 2004 game, the authors take us through the pageantry: the march into the stadium by the student bodies of both schools; freshman push-ups after each score; and the final, moving show of sportsmanship following the game as thousands of cadets and midshipmen stand at attention while the alma mater of each school is played by their respective bands. A rivalry like no other, Army versus Navy receives due recognition in this colorful, thorough history.

When Harvard came back from a 16-point deficit with less than a minute to go to tie Yale in their now-famous 1968 gridiron tilt, the headline in the Harvard Crimson the following Monda proudly boasted, "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29." This and nineteen other improbable comebacks are the subjects of Wilner and Rappoport''s latest volume of extraordinary achievements from the world of sports, and include the 1914 "miracle" Braves, Billy Casper''s incredible rally to beat Arnold Palmer in the 1966 U.S. Open, the New York Giants'' magical playoff run in 1951, and others. Also included are sidebars on individual athletes whose "combacks" included overcoming disease (i.e. Lance Armstrong) and reviving a career (i.e. Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali).

Immerse yourself in the greatest moments in football history. Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport charge through every Super Bowl, covering the most intense moments in sports history. Revisit some of America’s classic and current football heroes, including: Bart Starr, Dave Robinson, Max McGee, Chuck Howley, Johnny Unitas, Jim O’Brien, Duane Thomas, “Mean” Joe Greene, Marcus Allen, Matt Millen, Phil Simms, David Tyree, Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning, and more.

Consistently ranked among the top ten college football rivalries by fans and pundits alike-and often ranked among the top five-the annual Army-Navy game is the one rivalry that, as one commentator has noted, "stops the most powerful men and women in the world in their tracks for one day a year." It is also quite possible that it is the only rivalry to raise over $58 million in war bonds (1944 game), have an outcome so contentious that the game had to be suspended for six years by the President (1893), or be played in the Rose Bowl (1983), requiring a military "airlift" of nine thousand cadets and midshipmen to California. But Army-Navy is first and foremost about football, and as Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport relate in this engaging history, it may be college football in its purest form-and not just as a "training ground for the NFL." Though struggling for national ranking, the service academies have done surprisingly well over the years given their recruiting handicap, producing five Heisman Trophy winners and a number of national champions. The rivalry's most successful player may have been Roger Staubach, Heisman winner and Hall of Fame quarterback, who led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowls in the 1970s following his four-year mandatory service in the U.S. Navy. The Army-Navy rivalry is also about traditions, and in a concluding chapter on the 2004 game, the authors take us through the pageantry: the march into the stadium by the student bodies of both schools; freshman push-ups after each score; and the final, moving show of sportsmanship following the game as thousands of cadets and midshipmen stand at attention while the alma mater of each school is played by their respective bands. A rivalry like no other, Army versus Navy receives due recognition in this colorful, thorough history.

When Harvard came back from a 16-point deficit with less than a minute to go to tie Yale in their now-famous 1968 gridiron tilt, the headline in the Harvard Crimson the following Monda proudly boasted, "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29." This and nineteen other improbable comebacks are the subjects of Wilner and Rappoport's latest volume of extraordinary achievements from the world of sports, and include the 1914 "miracle" Braves, Billy Casper's incredible rally to beat Arnold Palmer in the 1966 U.S. Open, the New York Giants' magical playoff run in 1951, and others. Also included are sidebars on individual athletes whose "combacks" included overcoming disease (i.e. Lance Armstrong) and reviving a career (i.e. Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali).

Wearing borrowed uniforms, practicing on obscure college campuses, and led by a former Marine Corps W.W. II fighter ace as commissioner, the American Football League (AFL) debuted in the Fall of 1960 to challenge the monopoly of the well-established National Football League. Within ten years it had won two Super Bowls and had forced a merger with its rival, splitting the NFL into the National and American Football Conferences. This colorful history of the AFL and its unforgettable cast of characters, from Billy Cannon to Joe Namath to its "Foolish Club" of team owners, arrives on the 50th anniversary of the AFL's first season to recount the startling success of an upstart league that prevailed against long odds.

Covered by four networks, allowing every game to be televised, “March Madness” has become an American phenomenon as anticipated as the Super Bowl. This is the story of the tournament from its beginnings seventy-three years ago as just an eight-team “bracket” to today’s sixty-eight-team format. From the “Cinderella” teams like Butler and Gonzaga to perennial powerhouses such as UCLA and Kentucky, covering buzzer-beaters, upsets, and dynasties, the story of one of the most-followed sporting events in history is comprehensively told here.

Crazyball is a look at the wild, unusual, unimaginable, funny, and downright strange occurrences in sports. Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport take us from the worst teams in history to sports’ craziest superstitions, wackiest pranks, and ultimate blown calls. This book is filled with moments that will make you laugh, shake your head in wonderment, lose your breath, or simply ask: “Really?!”

Crazyball is a look at the wild, unusual, unimaginable, funny, and downright strange occurrences in sports. Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport take us from the worst teams in history to sports’ craziest superstitions, wackiest pranks, and ultimate blown calls. This book is filled with moments that will make you laugh, shake your head in wonderment, lose your breath, or simply ask: “Really?!”

The NFL draft features no action on the field. No passing, running, tackling, or kicking. Hey, there isn't even a field. Yet the draft has become more popular than many other sporting events, including the NBA and NHL playoff games, against which it goes head-to-head for viewers. In fact, the draft has spawned its own cottage industry in which names such as Gil Brandt, Mel Kiper Jr., and Mike Mayock have become as well known as any of the first-round selections.In On the Clock, Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport chronicle the history of the proceedings. The veteran sportswriters take you from the first grab bag in 1936, when Philadelphia chose Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago only for him to decline to play in the NFL, to the 2014 draft—considered one of the deepest in talent ever.Along the 78-year journey, learn about the competitions for the top overall spot (Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf), the unhappy No. 1s (John Elway and Tom Cousineau), the big flops (JaMarcus Russell), and the late-rounders-turned-superstars (Tom Brady).Meet the draft wizards, from Paul Brown to Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson, and read about the draft whiffs that cost personnel executives their jobs.On the Clock takes you behind the scenes at one of pro football’s most suspenseful annual events.

Ken Rappoport’s Tales from the North Carolina Tar Heels Locker Room is a compilation of the best notes, quotes, and anecdotes from North Carolina lore. Meet a coach nicknamed “Bloody Neck,” a player called “The Blind Bomber,” and a team known as the “White Phantoms.” And, of course, there is the extraordinary Michael Jordan. Tales from the North Carolina Tar Heels Locker Room captures the anecdotes and memories that have defined this team from the early twentieth century up through their incredible success in the 2000s and beyond. A must-have for any Tar Heels fan!

Super Bowl Sunday has become akin to a national holiday with over 16.5 million Americans requesting the following Monday off from work or calling in sick last year.Now after reaching its 50th anniversary, it is a perfect time to look back at the game.Immerse yourself in the greatest moments in football history. Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport charge through every Super Bowl, covering the most intense moments in the sport’s history. Revisit some of America’s classic and current football heroes, including: Joe Namath, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, Dave Robinson, Max McGee, Chuck Howley, Johnny Unitas, Jim O’Brien, Duane Thomas, “Mean” Joe Greene, Marcus Allen, Matt Millen, Phil Simms, David Tyree, Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning, and more.

The second book in the Lyons Press Game Changers sports series answers the questions: What were the 50 most revolutionary personalities, rules, pieces of equipment, controversies, organizational changes, radio and television advancements, and more in the history of football? And how, exactly, did they forever change the game? Football’s Game Changers offers fascinating, detailed explanations along with a ranking system from 1 to 50 that is sure to inspire debate among professional and college gridiron aficionados. Ranging from each sport’s beginnings to today and tackling on-the-field and off-the-field developments, the Game Changers series offers a history of each sport through its turning-points and innovations. Full-color, and including photos, pull-outs, and sidebars throughout, books within the Game Changers series are important and entertaining additions to every sports fan’s library.

From fond memory or through the film Miracle, most Americans know about the stunning upset of the Soviet Union by the underdog U.S.A hockey team at the 1980 Olympics—engagingly retold in this book—but after this most unlikely of achievements, what do the authors consider to be the top twenty sports upsets of all time? Their answers in this entertaining volume will surprise some, perhaps appear obvious to others, but will no doubt prove to be fodder for bar-room arguments and spirited debate over sports talk radio. Ranking the miracle at Lake Placid in 1980 as the hands-down, undisputed greatest sports upset ever, the authors go on to describe nineteen others whose ranking may prove to be more controversial. Which team was the most improbable World Series winner—the 1969 New York Mets or the 1914 Boston Braves? What was the sport of boxing’s greatest upset—Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990, or Cassius Clay (Mohammad Ali) over Sonny Liston in 1964? How surprising was Billy Mills’ 1964 Olympic marathon win? Or seventeen-year-old Michael Chang’s triumph at the French Open in 1989? The authors make their case for each of these “miracles, shockers, and upsets” in convincing style, and also include sidebars on upsets that didn’t “make the cut” but still qualify as compelling stories, such as “Cinderella Man” James Braddock and the 1950 World Cup shocker that was the subject of the film “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”