Tales from the Team – serie

Some call them the Bad Boys, others just call them bad news—either way, few teams carry the passion, power, and determination exuded by the Detroit Pistons. A collection of incredible basketball talent revered in Detroit and despised throughout the rest of the NBA, the Pistons are anything and everything but boring. Now Perry A. Farrell will take fans into the locker room and onto the Pistons court in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room. With help from Pistons legends Rick Mahorn and Joe Dumars, Farrell shares stories that cover all the key characters, including Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley, Vinny Johnson, Dennis Rodman, and coach Chuck Daly. Mahorn discusses the wars with the Bulls, Celtics, and Knicks, and championship battles with the Lakers and Blazers.The book also examines the sorry state of the franchise before the two titles, their attempts to recapture their NBA magic with Grant Hill and Jerry Stackhouse, and the recent run of success that Dumars is having as the team’s general manager. Mahorn’s role as color analyst for Pistons radio broadcasts has kept him in the loop as Dumars has added players like Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Darko Milicic, along with coach Larry Brown, over the past few seasons. Sharing stories from his playing and announcing days is a part of what makes Tales from the Detroit Pistons Locker Room a must-have for any Pistons fan.

Since 1883, the Philadelphia Phillies have been up, down, and all around. Most recently, thanks to Charlie Manuel, the Phillies have become a National League powerhouse, with four NL East titles, two pennants and the 2008 World Series championship to show for it. In Tales from the Philadelphia Phillies Dugout Rich Westcott takes readers behind the scenes into the glorious, quirky, and victorious stories that make this team the legend it is.

Shirley Muldowney not only broke the gender barrier in the National Hot Rod Association in the 1970s, but she also completely rewrote the record books in Top Fuel Eliminator, drag racing’s quickest and fastest category. She was the first woman to receive a Top Fuel license from the NHRA. Between 1977 and 1982, Muldowney won three NHRA Top Fuel championships—the first female ever to win a title in any professional motorsport. She won the prestigious NHRA US Nationals in 1982 and was recently inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. By the time she retired at the end of the 2003 season, Muldowney had become one of the most recognized and celebrated race car drivers in history.Tales from a Top-Fuel Dragster is an unabashed collection of stories, anecdotes, and opinions in Muldowney’s own unvarnished style of storytelling, laced with her straightforward, take-no-prisoners approach. She has spent her entire lifetime telling it like it is, standing up to the establishment, and refusing to do anything other than in her own way. Politically correct? Hardly. Readers are encouraged to strap themselves in when she shares her many tales. It’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth according to the legendary Shirley Muldowney.

The images are forever etched in the minds of Arizona basketball fans, from Miles Simon falling to the court clutching the basketball as Arizona won its first and only NCAA title in 1997, to Lute Olson’s hair being mussed in the process, to Jason Terry sleeping in his uniform for four consecutive games in the middle of all the madness. All are indelible in Wildcats history as Arizona calmly drove the winding and bumpy road to the Final Four and beyond. Before Simon, Terry, and Olson, however, there were the likes of Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Fred Enke, and Pop McKale—all pivotal figures in Arizona’s hoops history. There were also Fred Snowden, Mo and Stewart Udall, and a host of others who helped bring prominence to a school looking for respect first in the Southwest, and then in the rest of the nation. Arizona’s rise has made them one of television’s must-see teams and one of the country’s top winning programs over the past 25 years.In Tales from the Arizona Wildcats Locker Room, author Steve Rivera takes readers back to the time when James Pierce wanted to be more of a movie idol than a coach. They will learn about the troubled times of the 1950s and ’60s, when racial tensions were high, and how Arizona’s first black player, Hadie Redd, dealt with them. Rivera also details Arizona’s participation in the Border Conference, its switch to the Western Athletic Conference, and its current dominance of the Pacific-10 Conference. This book is sure to be a must-have for any true Arizona fan.

The 1983 American League West champion Chicago White Sox will forever be remembered by their trademark slogan "Winning Ugly." One of the stars of that colorful bunch that rocked old Comiskey Park was an unlikely hero, a twenty-five-year-old rookie from Northwest Indiana. Ron Kittle led the 1983 White Sox with 35 home runs, 100 RBIs, and Rookie of the Year honors. Now Kittle shares the adventures, struggles, and triumphs of his incredible journey. A one-of-a-kind collection of stories, anecdotes, and humor, this newly-updated edition ofTales from the Chicago White Sox Dugout opens a window into the life of more than just one Sox legend. Kittle shares insights about manager Tony La Russa, catcher Carlton Fisk, outfielder Harold Baines, Cy Young winner LaMarr Hoyt, and a host of others. Peppered with stories from on and off the field, Tales from the Chicago White Sox Dugout catalogs more than just stats and facts; Kittle shares inspiring stories of overcoming the physical pain he dealt with every day, as well as his dedication to raising funds for charity, adventures in the dugout, and so much more.

Relive the best stories of Chiefs football—newly updated through the 2019–​2020 season! Beginning with their founding as the Dallas Texans of the American Football League in 1960, the Kansas City Chiefs have been one of professional football’s most storied franchises. In Tales from the Kansas City Chiefs Sideline, veteran sportswriter Bob Gretz brings the team’s rich history to life. Gretz begins with the Chiefs’ visionary, 27-year-old owner Lamar Hunt, who founded not only a team but an entire league. After the Texans won the AFL championship in 1962, Hunt moved the team out of his hometown to Kansas City. Two Super Bowl appearances as the representative of the AFL culminated in a Chiefs’ championship in 1970, despite being a double-digit underdog to the Minnesota Vikings. It would be the final game featuring an AFL team, as the Chiefs and nine other teams merged with the NFL. Gretz covers the battles leading up to the merger along with the high and low points in team history—the lean years (1972–88); the “Carl and Marty” era, when the team made the play-offs in six consecutive seasons; the “Joe and Marcus” show of 1993; the dismal 2008 season; and the team’s 2013 renewal under Andy Reid and John Dorsey.Tales from the Kansas City Chiefs Sideline is a must-have for any Chiefs fan!

From the clubs inception in the late 70s to winning the division for the first time in the 80s, Joe Carters epic home run, the two World Series titles in the early 90s, the reign of Roy Halladay, and everything in between, the Blue Jays have continued to build a storied history as one of baseballs most exciting teams. In Tales from the Toronto Blue Jays Dugout, Jim Prime, who has written several books on the AL East rival Boston Red Sox, captures all of the best moments in Blue Jays history, from the most thrilling to the most humorous, and so much more. Stories of players and coaches from both on and off the field can be found here, including tales of All-Stars Dave Stieb and Carlos Delgado; Hall of Famers Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson, and Roberto Alomar; and many more memorable Blue Jays, past and present.Revised and updated to include the Jays recent playoff run, including breakout seaons from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Yesavage, George Springers three-run homer in Game Seven of the ALCS all the way to the World Series, enjoy the past, present, and future success of the boys from Toronto.

The most memorable stories from one of baseball’s most memorable teams. Led by manager Casey Stengel, the team of Marv Thorneberry, Don Zimmer, Choo Choo Coleman, Al Jackson launched the Mets in a way no one would have expected but everyone wants to remember.Tales from the 1962 New York Mets Dugout chronicles the adventures, mishaps, and unforgettable stories as the New York Mets burst onto the baseball scene. From the team’s first win, in its 10th game of the season, to its last loss, which ended with the Mets grounding into a triple play, Tales from the 1962 New York Mets Dugout recaptures that spectacle of a season, with stories from those who lost and lived to tell the tale. Chapters include:Birth of the MetsPutting a Team TogetherWhere to PlaySpring TrainingBack to New YorkThe First Week, the First WinThe Losing StreakWhere Are They NowAnd more!A must-read book for any Mets fan, for any baseball fan, for every New Yorker!

Ohio coaching legend Paul Brown said he wanted to create "the New York Yankees of pro football" when he assembled the Cleveland Browns from scratch in 1946. Despite his ambition, not even the future Hall of Fame coach could have foreseen ten league championship appearances and seven titles in the team's first ten years. Since their first game, the Cleveland Browns have come to symbolize power, excellence, and gridiron dominance. Now fans of one of the NFL’s most storied teams will recapture all the excitement and glory of Browns football in this newly revised edition of Tales from the Cleveland Browns Sideline.Cleveland native and veteran football writer Tony Grossi recalls the personalities that sowed one of the NFL's proudest traditions and the characters who have continued to grow it. Fans will discover the unlikely origin of the Marion Motley trap play, the scout's inside story behind "the mad dog in the meat market,” the insult that launched Brian Sipe's rise from a thirteenth-round draft pick to the league's Most Valuable Player, and so much more. From Jim Brown to Bernie Kosar and up through the modern era, this book captures the colorful characters who wore the plain white uniforms and blank orange helmets like never before.

When most sports fans hear the stat 3,000, they immediately turn to baseball. But for those fans whose breath comes out in frosty puffs, and who bleed ice and snow, 3,000 can only mean one thing—the glory of Montreal Canadiens hockey. The “Original One” of the “Original Six,” the Montreal Canadiens hockey team is practically synonymous with superlative: The most Stanley Cup championship victories, with 24? The Montreal Canadiens. The highest number of regular-season wins? The Montreal Canadiens. The oldest active franchise in the NHL? The Montreal Canadiens.Now the hundred-plus years of Canadiens triumphs, tragedies, and times like no other are captured in Robert Lefebvre’s Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room. In this unique compendium, Lefebvre brings to life both the history and the anecdotes of this incredible franchise. Stories of Maurice “Rocket” Richard’s incredible skills on the ice are paired side by side with locker room yarns and off-the-ice tales of Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Patrick Roy, and more. With humor, wit, and a lot of adrenaline, Robert Lefebvre has compiled a collection of Montreal Canadiens stories sure to please any hockey fan.

From 1991 through 1993 the Bulls won three consecutive NBA titles behind the talents of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. When Jordan retired in the fall of 1993, fans thought the good times were over. In the fall of 1995, however, Jordan was ready to make a full return to NBA action, Pippen was still the best number two man in basketball, and then bad boy Dennis Rodman was signed to join the franchise that had grown to hate him. Suddenly, the Bulls had the greatest team in NBA history.Tales from the Chicago Bulls Locker Room tells some of the inside stories from that team, the one that won three more NBA titles from 1996 through 1998. Seen from the eyes of three-time NBA champion center Bill Wennington, the Bulls come to life from an insider’s point of view. Followed everywhere and talked about endlessly, the 1995–96 Bulls captured a national and international audience and continued to keep all eyes upon them for three seasons. Fans will read about some of the most famous names in basketball history: Jordan, the demanding team leader; Pippen, the true teammate; Rodman, the reckless rebounder; Toni Kukoc, the outsider; Ron Harper, the former star turned role player; Luc Longley, the affable Aussie; Steve Kerr, the John Paxson sequel; and all of them playing for Phil Jackson, the Zen master coach.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

With five Division I national championships to its credit—most recently in 2012—the men’s hockey program at Boston College is a force to be reckoned with year after year. Tales from the Boston College Hockey Locker Room details the long and highly successful history of ice hockey at Boston College, from the informal “ice polo” competition held among students at BC’s original campus in the South End of Boston in the 1890s, to the establishment of a formal varsity ice hockey program shortly after the school relocated to its present-day home in Chestnut Hill a century ago, and on to the emergence of Boston College hockey as one of the most successful programs in all of collegiate sports. This book blends research; interviews with coaches, players, and fans of Eagles hockey; and scores of anecdotes about the high points—and a few slips that occurred along the way—in the building of Boston College’s fabled hockey tradition.Many of the legends are covered in this book, including coach John “Snooks” Kelley, Len Ceglarski, Jerry York, the Morrissey brothers, James “Sonny” Foley, Bill Hogan, Jr., Ed “Butch” Songin, the tandem of Tom “Red” Martin and Billy Daley, and Tim Sheehy. Modern-day Eagles greats also have a prominent place, from Joe Mullen, to Brian Leetch, David Emma, Brian Gionta, and more.Fans of Boston College hockey, as well as college sports aficionados everywhere, will find this book to be an entertaining and fact-filled volume of tales and accomplishments of one of the nation’s premier intercollegiate sports programs.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Based on the gold-standard currency of tradition and success, few college basketball programs are richer in history than Wake Forest University’s. This reissue of Tales from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Locker Room, first published in 2004, traces that vibrant history from the birth of the league to the growing successes of the team today. An original member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have provided the acclaimed league with much of its color and character—not to mention many of its colorful characters.Author Dan Collins provides stories about legendary players like Muggsy Bogues, the 5’3” guard who defied the description of basketball as a big man’s game, and the glory days of Tim Duncan, the onetime aspiring Olympic swimmer who grew up to become a five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest players in the game. The book looks at great coaches like Richard Crozier, the director of the university gymnasium who introduced basketball to Wake Forest; coach Murray Greason, whose love for the game of basketball was second only to his love for his beagle hounds; and coach Bones McKinney, the hyperactive Baptist minister whose dual, and at times dueling, religions were based on the Bible and basketball. Tales from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Locker Room chronicles how Wake Forest basketball survived the university’s relocation from the quaint town of Wake Forest to the city of Winston-Salem, and how the university has thrived with the support of its devoted fans.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team.Whether you are a New York Yankees fan or hail from Red Sox nation; whether you are a die-hard Green Bay Packers or Dallas Cowboys fan; whether you root for the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, UCLA Bruins, or Kansas Jayhawks; whether you route for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, or Los Angeles Kings; we have a book for you. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.