Sport and Cinema’s 2009 Holiday Book Picks
Historically the “toy department” has been a rich source for literary products and for those looking to find something to satisfy the voracious reader on their shopping list, here are some titles bound to produce smiles under the Christmas tree:
New York Giants: The Complete Illustrated History
By Lew Freedman
Quayside/MVPBooks.com
One of the NFL’s oldest franchises gets some lavish treatment here in a richly detailed book full of records, player statistics and vintage photos. From Y.A. Title, Bill Parcells and Eli Manning here is a “must-have” for Giants fans.
Snowball’s Chance: The Story of the 1960 Olympic Winter Games Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe
By David Antonucci
Booksurge.com
With the upcoming Olympics around the corner, here is a timely look at the VIIIth Olympic Winter Games held almost fifty years ago in the emerging resort along the California/Nevada border. This is a compelling you-are-there account involving American ingenuity; the introduction of live Olympic tv broadcasts; the last of the informal staging of the Games; and the growing pageantry of the ceremonies with this one involving the talents of Walt Disney.
The Machine: A Hot Team, A Legendary Season, and a Heart-Stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds
By Joe Posnanski
William Morrow Publishers
Arguably one of the greatest teams in baseball history, the Reds, known as the Big Red Machine, dominated the National League. They won four division crowns, three league pennants and two World Series. Here is an insider’s look at one of the classic teams full of colorful personalities and gifted athletes like Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr. and Johnny Bench.
Spartak Moscow: A History of the People’s Team in the Worker’s State
By Robert Edelman
Cornell Press
This sport and history tome blends the topic of Soviet soccer into a fine bit of storytelling using fabric filled with elements involving politics, culture, leisure, entertainment and ideology.
The Ultimate Super Bowl Book
By Bob McGinn
Quayside/MVPbooks.com
For over 40 years the Super Bowl has been one of the greatest spectacles in all of sports. The well -connected, experienced author goes deep into each game beyond the hoopla to analyze the true turning points for every Super Bowl. Readers benefit from the author’s extensive interviews with players, coaches and other personnel to get the real details about what happened on the field on that day.
Something in the Air: American Passion and Defiance in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
By Richard Hoffer
Simon and Schuster
With major political and social turmoil pervading all four corners of the globe, never before had a more turbulent time been reflected in the Olympic Games. Veteran Sports Illustrated writer Richard Hoffer, not only takes readers through the background that led up to the famous gesture of black American sprinters Tommy Smith and John Carlos on the victory stand, but he also weaves drama and accomplishments of several other athletes with equal aplomb. From the emergence of boxer George Foreman to the disappointment of runner Jim Ryun and the breakthrough style of high jumper Dick Fosbury, Hoffer captures this historic Olympiad with some compelling prose.
When the Game Was Ours
By Larry Bird and Magic Johnson with Jackie MacMullan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
From their vantage point, here’s a book full of insights and revealing details about two who changed the game. Filled with engaging anecdotes, When the Games Was Ours, is a unique collaboration between this pair of college-basketball-stars-turned-NBA-legends that offers the ultimate account of their decades-long rivalry-cum-friendship.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Complete Illustrated History
By Lew Freedman
Quayside/MVPBooks.com
Presenting a franchise with a deep tradition of success stretching back for more than seventy-five years, those superstars who have donned the black and gold are profiled here in a book that celebrates this great Pennsylvania NFL franchise. Included are some brilliant photos from the dominant teams of the seventies.
