The Kid The Immortal Life of Ted Williams by Ben, Jr. Bradlee Hardcover, 855 pages This biography of Ted Williams describes how the baseball legend's 1941 batting average hasn't been topped since, and discusses how Williams served as a Marine pilot in World War II and Korea and hid his Mexican heritage most of his life. Ted Williams: A Perfectionist Ballplayer With Many Demons
Collision Low Crossers A Year Inside the Turbulent World of NFL Football by Nicholas Dawidoff Hardcover, 485 pages Relates the author's experiences while spending a year in the scouting department of the New York Jets, and discusses the time he spent with coach Rex Ryan, defensive star Darrelle Revis, and quarterback Mark Sanchez. An Inside Look That Strips The Face Paint Off The NFL
Running Ransom Road Confronting The Past, One Marathon At A Time by Caleb Daniloff Paperback, 233 pages A now-sober alcoholic documents his 18-month effort to run marathons in the cities where he lived during his self-destructive days. Reflecting on the redemptive benefits of running, he shares his own journey and learns the stories of fellow addicts who pursued similar dreams. Oct. 21-27: Movies, Marathons And A Shrinking Middle Class Running Toward Redemption On 'Ransom Road'
Wheelmen Lance Armstrong, The Tour De France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'connell Hardcover, 364 pages An in-depth assessment of the record-breaking Tour de France athlete's doping scandal and fraud-based business successes exposes the support network of money, power and cutting-edge science that enabled his achievements.Wheelmen discusses such topics as Armstrong's lucrative sponsor contracts and the accepted practices of illegal medicating. 'Wheelmen' Exposes Doping Culture And The Armstrong 'Conspiracy'
League Of Denial The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru Hardcover, 399 pages Mark Fainaru-Wada and his brother Steve Fainaru take an exhaustive look at how the NFL has dealt with allegations that playing football can lead to brain damage. NPR's Book Concierge: Our Guide To 2013's Great Reads When It Comes To Brain Injury, Authors Say NFL Is In A 'League Of Denial'
Just Tell Me I Can't How Jamie Moyer Defied the Radar Gun and Defeated Time by Jamie Moyer and Larry Platt Hardcover, 276 pages The left-handed major league pitcher describes how an "in-your-face" sports psychologist helped him reinvent and reconstruct himself just as he thought his career was over and instead helped him become an All-Star and World Series champion. At 49, Jamie Moyer's Pitching Career Goes Into Extra Innings
The King of Sports Football's Impact on America by Gregg Easterbrook Hardcover, 354 pages Using his year-long insider access to the Virginia Tech football program and interviews with current and former college and pro-football players and coaches, the author of the ESPN.com blog Tuesday Morning Quarterback tackles football's place in American society. NFL's A Nonprofit? Author Says It's Time For Football Reform
Slow Getting Up A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile by Nate Jackson Hardcover, 243 pages From scouting combines to game-day routines, this account of ordinary life in the NFL brings to light the story of hundreds of everyday, expendable players whose lives, unlike those of their superstar colleagues, aren't captured in high-definition. NFL Veteran Recounts The Bruises And Breaks Of Life In The League
Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Paperback, 315 pages After her mother's death and the end of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed impulsively decided to hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington state — alone. The 'Wild' Story Of Cheryl Strayed And Her Long-Lost Half-Sister March 25-31: Freedom, Peace And Pilgrimages Finders Keepers: 2012's Books To Hang On To
18 in America A Young Golfer's Epic Journey to Find the Essence of the Game by Dylan Dethier Hardcover, 258 pages Traces the author's coming-of-age quest to play golf in each of the lower forty-eight states, sharing his experiences on courses ranging from a Flint, Michigan, municipal site to the manicured greens of Pebble Beach. '18 In America': Coast To Coast With Golf Clubs In Hand
Muck City Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town by Bryan Mealer Paperback, 336 pages Muck City traces the intertwined stories of an orphaned quarterback, a celebrated football coach and an aspiring medical student. Their prospects were collectively shaped by the formidable challenges, shameful history and football enthusiasm of their hometown in the Florida Everglades. Aug. 12-18: Jimi Hendrix, The Everglades And The 'Iron Curtain' For Some, Gridiron The Only Escape From 'Muck City'
The Sports Gene Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein Hardcover, 338 pages Epstein looks at the roles of both genetics and training in athletic success and argues that both are equally necessary components of athletic achievement. Talent Or Skill?: Homing In On The Elusive 'Sports Gene'
The Great Tamasha Cricket, Corruption, and the Spectacular Rise of Modern India by James Astill Hardcover, 304 pages A history of modern India as reflected through a prism of its national sport. Documents the emergence of the IPL under businessman Lalit Modi, tracing its meteoric successes through the adoption of American commercial models before its equally dramatic downfall amid scandals and corruption. For The Love Of The Game: How Cricket Transformed India How Cricket Mirrors Indian Society, For Better And For Worse
Fantasy Life The Outrageous, Uplifting, and Heartbreaking World of Fantasy Sports from the Guy Who's Lived It by Matthew Berry Hardcover, 338 pages An inside assessment of the world of fantasy sports by the ESPN Senior Fantasy Analyst reveals the life-shaping impact of the multi-billion-dollar national pastime while chronicling his own rise to a leading figure in fantasy sports. An Unreal Sport: Mixing 'Fantasy Life' With Reality