Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb

Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb

Bo knows hoops. As a member of the exclusive 500-win club, University of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan has the second highest winning percentage among active coaches (with at least 500 victories) in college basketball, second only to North Carolina's Roy Williams. Ryan's formula for success can be traced back to UW-Platteville, where he won four national championships during a memorable 15-year run punctuated by two undefeated seasons. But there was still another hill to climb for Ryan, the all-time winningest coach in Division III history. After a short layover at UW-Milwaukee, where he coached the Panthers to their first back-to-back winning seasons in eight years, Ryan welcomed the challenge of proving himself all over again at the Big Ten level. And it didn't take long for Ryan to make his mark with the University of Wisconsin basketball program. In his first season, he guided the Badgers to their first share of the conference title in 55 years. Since then, Ryan has raised the bar to unprecedented heights, leading the Badgers to the four winningest seasons in school history. Ryan's first six teams averaged 23.7 wins per season, capped by the program's first ever No. 1 national ranking and a school record 30 victories in 2006-07. The victory record was broken the next year as the 2007-08 team finished 31-5. Ryan's competitive fire, attention to detail and commitment to executing the fundamentals has been at the core of his success, along with his signature Swing offense. And it all serves as a valuable road map for young coaches. In his autobiography Another Hill To Climb Ryan talks about the many people who have influenced his journey, beginning with his formative years in Chester, PA., where the 'street-smart'' Ryan nurtured his point guard mentality. Known as a fascinating storyteller, Ryan also talks about the hurdles and the highlights that accompanied each step, and the importance of developing a plan that will transcend any level of competition.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #232381 in Books

Published on: 2008-09-15

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

230 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
Bo Ryan is not only one of the great coaches in our game, he is also one of the great personalities. I have tremendous respect for him and really enjoy his perspective on college basketball and student-athletes. He's the kind of person you could enjoy your son playing for.'' ------- --Roy Williams, Head Coach, University of North Carolina

Bo Ryan is one of the game's finest coaches, and he has come up the ranks the hard way, and the right way. Ryan is substance over flash, and has developed his skills and philosophy outside of the spotlight. Because of his success, Ryan now lives in the spotlight. Ryan is proof positive that a steadfast belief in core principles and an enduring will to compete can carry you to the top. Ryan is really talented, too, a fact that is too often overlooked. Bo Ryan is the real thing.'' ------ --Jay Bilas, ESPN college basketball analyst

About the Author
Mike Lucas, sports columnist for the Madison Capital Times, also doubles as the color analyst for Badger football and basketball games on the UW radio network. Lucas, a Beloit native, enrolled at Wisconsin in 1968, and wrote for the Badger Herald and Daily Cardinal before joining the Capital Times as a full-time writer in 1971. Lucas is entering his 14th season on the radio network. This is the third book Lucas has penned for KCI Sports following up the well-received 25 Greatest Moments in Camp Randall Stadium and best-seller Don t Flinch, the autobiography of former UW football coach and current athletic director Barry Alvarez.

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Customer Reviews

Bo Knows
Good book with some basketball coaching information, but more of a biography than a "how to" It's amazing how many people he knows throughout the country and state. He drops a ton of names. If you are a Wisonsinite and Badgers basketball fan, it is a must read. He is a very neat guy who is definitely one of a kind. He sure has an interesting story to tell and does it fairly well. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is a bit all over the place and doesn't necessarily have a nice flow. It has some nice pictures and stats in it also.

great book
Really enjoyed this book after receiving it as a Christmas gift. Bo Ryan deserves all of the accolades he gets. I've always admired those that earn their way up which Bo certainly has - from JV high school coach to head coach of a top flight DI program like the Univ. of Wisconsin. Great insight and advice for your young coaches just getting started in the coaching profession.

Why was this published?
Who is Bo trying to reach with this book? I suppose it will sell very well in Madison, WI. Really, it is just page after page of him bragging about how tough he had it and yet persevered for another day. Isn't that just a little bit cliché: playing ball in the hood, working out in run down gyms in south Philly?

I keep wondering when he will fight Apollo Creed at the end only to realize that it is not winning or losing that matters, but going the distance (spoiler alert for the sequel: Bo Ryan does beat Apollo Creed after a rematch was negotiated - but only because Apollo doesn't really take Bo all that seriously).

It gets very monotonous after a while... just like listening to him speak. Furthermore, doesn't Bo's face look a whole lot like a weasel's face?

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More Stories of the Old Duck Hunters (Gordon Macquarrie Trilogy)

More Stories of the Old Duck Hunters (Gordon Macquarrie Trilogy)

Masterpieces you can read over and over is how the Washington Post reviewed MacQuarrie's engaging, timeless stories of the misadventures of the Old Duck Hunters Association. Here are 53 classic hunting and fishing stories, some from sporting magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, including unpublished works from the author's literary estate. Available in individual volumes or collected in a slip-cased three-volume set, here is a legacy to today's sportsman from one of America's finest outdoor writers.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #159164 in Books

Published on: 1995-03

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews

duck hunting and other such stories
My husband is an avid hunter and fisherman. I knew he would like this book as he has another one of mcQuarrie's books so i got him this one for his birthday.

This is what our outdoor adventures should be
This is the second in a three volume collection of short stories written by Gordon Macquarrie about duck hunting and fly fishing in northern Wisconsin during the 30s and 40s. Gordon Macquarrie was a journalist and author for various Wisconsin newspapers who also wrote short stories for magazines such as Field and Stream. He uses an organization called the Old Duck Hunters Association, Inc (the Inc stands for Incorrigible) as his primary literary device. The ODHA, Inc consists of the author and a much older man (the President, often referred to and deferred to as Hizzoner), originally modeled after his father in law, later a local post man. In both cases, the President is much older (and nominally wiser - but more often not). Through these short stories, Macquarrie recounts the adventures and misadventures as the ODHA, Inc travels around Wisconsin in search of trout, ducks, and the occasional muskie and white tail. These stories are outstanding, Willow Creek Press has done a great service reprinting this collection of stories. GM has captured the anticipation and cold of sitting in the duck blind, the camaraderie and competition amongst friends of the trout stream, and some of the unexpected surprises of each outdoor adventure that makes every one unique and exciting. If you've read the first volume in this collection, I'd say that this book is pretty much more of the same. If not, the stories aren't in any particular order, you can just as easily start with this one (a few of the early stories in the first volume give some background on the ODHA, but it isn't really necessary to enjoy this volume). All but one of the stories centers on the ODHA. Each story is only ten pages or so, so several (or even the whole book) can be digested in one sit down, but I'd recommend a more leisurely reading pace though as each story is to be savored. One place that GM returns to again and again is the Brule River in northern Wisconsin. I've never been there, but if it is half as beautiful as GM describes it, I'm sure it is quite a place. You'll be counting the days till opening day of trout season or duck season after reading a few of these stories. Highly recommended.

The Best Darn Writter On Duck Hunting Ever.
I have read everything he has written that I am aware of. These are not how to books. If you are a hunter and love all the little things that suround the hunter and the sport of duck hunting you will love his books. When I hear his name "Gordon Macquqrrie" I smile. In my mind I have been to his cabin, set infront of his fireplace full of pine knots. I have shot Bluebills in the snow and smiled thinking of his hunts for Bills.
Like Mr. Macquarrie I am a Bluebill man. I started reading his books 30+ years ago before many knew of him. It's a good thing
to see today how so many hunters have come to know him. Many say that Nash Buckingham is the best of the duck hunting story tellers. I have read most of Nash's books and for me he doesn't hold a candle to Gordon. Gordon Macquarri is the best of the best. If you are a meat hunter and care little for the romance of duck hunting maybe you should just read the how to books.

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The Rider

The Rider

A literary sports classic, finally available in the U.S.

Originally published in Holland in 1978, The Rider became an instant cult classic, selling over 100,000 copies. Brilliantly conceived and written at a break-neck pace, it is a loving, imaginative, and, above all, passionate tribute to the art of bicycle road racing.

Not a dry history of the sport, The Rider is beloved as a bicycle odyssey, a literary masterpiece that describes in painstaking detail one 150-kilometer race in a mere 150 pages. The Rider is the ultimate book for bike lovers as well as the arm-chair sports enthusiast.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #23554 in Books

Published on: 2003-06-12

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

160 pages

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Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker
At the start of this chronicle of a single bike race, the author glances up from his gear to assess the crowd of spectators. "Non-racers," he writes. "The emptiness of those lives shocks me." In immediate, living prose, Krabbé, a novelist as well as a cyclist, takes us with him, inch by inch, as he rides the hundred-and-thirty-seven-kilometre Tour de Mont Aigoual, a course through the mountains that is better known as one of the cruellest stages of the Tour de France. He imagines an official collecting his clothes "after I've died in the race" recalls a champion cyclist who suffocated to death while climbing one particularly nasty hill; and insists that "being a good loser is a despicable evasion." Along the way, he lays bare the athlete's peculiar mixture of arrogance and terror, viciousness and camaraderie, and the result is one of the more convincing love stories of recent memory.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

Review
'On the one hand it is a literary masterpiece that will still be read a hundred years from now; on the other, it is the best book on sports in the Dutch language' Leeuwarder Courant 'Whenever I hit rock bottom I always think of those immortal words from The Rider by Tim Krabbe - Battoowoo Creakcreak - and everything seems just fine again' Maarten Ducroit, racing cyclist 'Classic account of the fictional Tour de Mont Aigoual. Like all the best sports writing, The Rider manages to convey the excitement, determination and skill of the competitors even to readers who have little or no knowledge of the sport. Above all, he evokes the heightened focus of the cyclists, for whom nothing seems real apart from the race' London Review of Books

Review
"The Rider a beautiful brute, as hard and fast as a thin wheel in a concrete road."—The Observer (UK)

"Its 148 pages will flash by in a blur of reckless, high-speed pleasure."—The Independent (UK)

"The Rider is a great read—a great ride. Krabbé's half-day race, delivered kilometer by kilometer onto the page, shows the sport for what it is: painful, exhilarating, tactical, relational, fast, slow, dangerous, consuming, prone to mechanical failure, heroic, futile. The race—and the book about the race—becomes a raining and cold history of the rider's life. But to say that the race is the metaphor for the life is to miss the point. The race is everything. It obliterates whatever isn't racing. Life is the metaphor for the race."—Donald Antrim

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Customer Reviews

Read "The Rider"
If you love cycling you will enjoy "The Rider" very much.This gritty realistic story of a one day stage race made me feel a part of the peloton.Cycling is a demanding and dangerous sport.When I daydreamed of becoming a professional cyclist this book reminded me of why that probably wasn't a good idea.

Only 3 stars, and I'm being polite !
I had high hopes for this book, and truly felt it deserved only 2 stars. However, since there are not many cycling "novels" on the market, I felt compelled to issue a 3 star rating.

Just like the perennial movie that wins "Picture of the Year", and you shake your head and ask, "WHY"...this is no different. Granted, the author does offer the reader an occasional, brilliant passage or two that perhaps only a seasoned cyclist can directly relate to, but those are much too few and far between.

What's between is a mix of strange writing dialogue that...quite often... not only doesn't make sense, but he tends to bounces back in time to previous stories, and it gave (this) reader a bit of difficulty in not only following the intended story at hand, but staying focused enough to finish the book.

Rather disappointed.

Fantastic novella
A highly enjoyable book that really gets to the heart of bike racing - the sacrifice, the pain, the frustration. Well-written and intriguing, and short enough to be a nice fast read.

The only problem is that Krabbe goes off the rails every now and then; the lack of focus in a book this short is baffling.

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Gun Dog: Revolutionary Rapid Training Method

Gun Dog: Revolutionary Rapid Training Method

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #29881 in Books

Published on: 1961-05-26

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

150 pages

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Customer Reviews

Gun Dog
Excellent book for training gun dogs or any dog in general. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting training advice from the novice to the expert. Very clear and sensical tips and training advice that is easy to follow and implement.

Worked for me
I used this book for my first dog and had excellent results.
I do not know why I got away from his methodes but now I am Back.
Yes its time conuming and can really try ones patience but it produces
a great dog.

Way outdated and the author is too physical on the dogs
Here is another book that was written too many years ago and needs to be updated.The rapid training pretty much come from breaking your dogs spirit to get him to do what you want. Bird dog discipline is a must but this guys techniques are poor in general and will not make it fun for the dog. He makes the dog more of a tool than a hunting companion. Thumbs down

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Casting With Lefty Kreh

Casting With Lefty Kreh

- Like taking a private lesson with the best teacher in the business
- Over 40 casts covered in step-by-step detail with thousands of full-color photographs

Casting should be nearly effortless. If you understand fly-casting mechanics and how to adapt them to various fishing conditions, your casting will greatly improve. That has been Lefty’s philosophy since he began teaching fly casting over fifty years ago. Lefty shows how to get rid of a tailing loop, throw a slack-line cast, and roll cast better, as well as casts for tight quarters, in wind, casting with weighted flies and lines, and distance casts. A section on the physical movements explains how to prevent injuries to the rotator cuff and elbow. Whether you fish salt water or streams, heavy rods or light, you’ll learn everything from small changes in movements that greatly improve your casting to totally new takes on traditional casts from this book. Lefty is the master, and this book captures his lifetime of wisdom on the subject of casting.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #77532 in Books

Published on: 2008-08-30

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

456 pages

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
1,110 color photos, 17 illustrations.

About the Author
Lefty Kreh has fished much of the United States and many parts of the world, starting on his home waters of Harpers Ferry in Maryland. Learning the many techniques experts use on different waters, fishing in every situation imaginable and understanding the physics and dynamics of casting, Lefty can explain casting and identify problems and how to solve them. He is the author of a number of books on fly fishing and photography, including last year’s Fishing Knots (978-0-8117-3407-3) and has taught fly-casting and fly-fishing techniques since the early ’50s. Lefty has been given the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Sportfishing Association, has been honored with the Lifetime Contribution Award by the North American Fly Tackle Trade Association, and is also in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.

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Customer Reviews

casting with lefty kreh
This book like all of kreh's, is well worth the money. Lefty is a sportsman that brings home the sport of fishing

Best Kreh book on casting
This is easily Lefty's best casting book. Very informative and comprehensive guide on Lefty's style of casting covering many different types of casts and casting situations. One of the great things about this book is that it shows each type of cast from several angles so you can see the positioning of the arm, hands, body, etc. Have not counted all of the photos but there are a bunch! The only thing I can think of to improve the book would have been strategically placed illustrations clarifying some of the text and photographs. Otherwise a great book on casting--not quite like having Lefty right beside you but as close as one can get in a book.

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The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human

The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human

The lowdown on the toughest, sexiest, and beardiest man to ever stalk the earth

Since its emergence from the bowels of the internet, the Chuck Norris Fact has roundhouse kicked its way into the world’s consciousness with all the vim and verve of its namesake. Singing the praises of his unequaled toughness, his mighty kicking feet, his indestructible beard, his frightening virility, and his ability to stop time by thinking about pineapples, The Truth About Chuck Norris is the one book brave enough to go behind the beard and reveal the real Chuck.

Ian Spector, webmaster of the site which started the meme and survivor of a real-life encounter with Chuck himself, has selected the 400 most kick-ass facts from his library of thousands, as well as illustrations as awesome as the man himself. This death-defying volume includes such awe-inspiring observations as:
• A cobra once bit Chuck Norris’s leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
• Chuck Norris can charge a cell phone by rubbing it against his beard.
• When an episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger” aired in France, the French surrendered to Chuck Norris just to be on the safe side.

• Chuck Norris was the first person to tame a dinosaur.
• Chuck Norris once visited The Virgin Islands. Afterward, they were renamed The Islands.
• Every piece of furniture in Chuck Norris’s house is a Total Gym.

A must-have paean to the archetypical American male and a bible of all things Chuck, The Truth About Chuck Norris is easily the most important book of all time.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #6888 in Books

Published on: 2007-11-29

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

176 pages

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Customer Reviews

Great
Funny book and we even came up with a few of our own Chuck Norris lines

Chuck Norris
I really liked this book and would reccomend this to anyone who likes to laugh, who likes Chuck Norris, and to anyone who doesn't want to get killed by Norris. By the way, his real name is Carlos Ray Norris

For fans only
Well, if you are fan of Chuck Norris, and you collecting every stuff that relates to him and hes glory :D, then you can buy this book, but for others it is not worth to :). Read it on internet... or just print it.
I can't believe i bought it. I guess i just don't have where to put my money.
By the way, i liked artwork very much.

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Awol on the Appalachian Trail: Second Edition

Awol on the Appalachian Trail: Second Edition

In 2003 David Miller, a 41 year-old engineer, quit his job to backpack 2172 miles from Georgia to Maine. His story is told here in Awol on the Appalachian Trail, an outstanding contemporary account of hiking on the A.T. It provides a vivid description of the Appalachian Mountains, the small towns threaded together by the trail, and people met along the way. Abundant photographs complement the book's exacting prose. This book puts the reader into the shoes of the long distance hiker, and draws parallels between lessons learned on the trail and challenges of everyday experience. It is entertaining and funny, insightful and informative. It is about liberation, motivation and perseverance. This book is for anyone who has ever wanted to break free from routine, anyone with a desire for adventure.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #25966 in Books

Published on: 2006-10-30

Released on: 2006-05-18

Original language: English

Binding: Perfect Paperback

256 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
Awol On The Appalachian Trail by David Miller is the personal story of the author's 146 day, backpacking hike along the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in 2003, averaging more than 17 miles a day from beginning to end. Awol On The Appalachian Trail offers readers an intimate grasp and vivid portrayal of the pure beauty and inspiring landscape of the Appalachian mountains and valleys. Whether an armchair traveler or an active outdoor enthusiasts, Awol On The Appalachian Trail is very highly recommended reading as a first-hand narrative of an incredible journey spanning the entire length of the Appalachian country. --Midwest Book Review

David Miller's Awol on the Appalachian Trail allows us to sample the pleasures and the pains of hiking 2,172 miles from Georgia to Maine. Miller has a knack for storytelling and for describing his fellow trekkers. He writes about himself as well, of course, but he does so without any great show of conceit or inflated pride. Readers who are considering the Trail or who simply enjoy being in the outdoors will find this book most appealing, but Miller's talent should bring him an even larger audience. --Jeff Minick, Smoky Mountain News

I hiked the Appalachian Trail again last week…My transcendent experience was made possible by David Miller of Titusville, who hiked the entire trail in 2003 and wrote about it in his new book Awol on the Appalachian Trail. Miller is a wonderful writer who expresses the emotions as well as the facts of the world's most famous hiking trail. Of course, fellow Appalachian Trail (AT) hikers reading his book will be like the choir before the preacher, devouring his passages like a mystery novel, despite knowing exactly how it will end. Miller does a particularly good job of describing how hikers' moods change more sharply than the physical ups and downs of the mountain chain -- from senseless euphoria to mindless morosity -- as they put one foot in front of the other for months at a time. In fact, hikers spend many of their thoughts contemplating why in the heck they're out there, suffering through the blisters, bugs, rain and boredom that are as much a part of the experience as the dramatic views and inspiring wilderness. And Miller, as one of the relatively few "thru-hikers" who succeed in making it the whole way in one year, puts such thoughts on paper about as well as anyone. --Robert Hughes, Florida Today Newspaper

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Customer Reviews

Well written and fun story of the AT adventure
We have a weekend cabin in Luray that has views of the Shenandoah National Park ridgeline where the Appalachian Trail runs and we often encounter thru-hikers on our own section hikes or in town during the summer season. The connection with the outdoors is a big part of the experience with our cabin - my blog is at www.hawksbillcabin.blogspot.com - so I often look for chances to learn about how others make this connection.

Lately I've turned to outdoor adventure stories, and this is the second of three I planned to read (included were Krakauer's "Into the Wild" and Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods." Thinking back on the preparation for some longer day hikes I was especially curious about the motivation for a thru-hike, so I picked up Miller's well-written book - it's one of quite a few books and web journals out there but I'd rate it the best I've read on this topic so far.

He does a great job of describing the trail experience - the people he meets and the natural world the trail moves through; for example, how a community naturally forms around the annual class of thru-hikers as they make their way north or south, how one is always fairly close to civilization (they call it the "outside world" while they are on the trail) yet far enough away so that there could be real trouble with even a slight injury or other accident.

The jacket blurb says it is a book about "liberation, motivation, and perseverance;" that comes through in the telling. The book may help those thinking about taking on an AT thru-hike to make a decision about doing it. But it was enough for me to read the story to know that section hiking is the way I'll go...for now.

Inspiring AT tale
I really enjoyed this book, and Awol's intriguing outlook and experiences. I wish he had the time and desire to hike more long distance treks, simply so I could read about his adventures. Selfish I know!

The journey Awol takes us on feels almost like I was there with him. I knew he would finish, and I knew what the end of the book was going to be like. The only disappointing thing was the book indeed ended.

Awol on the Appalachian Trail
This was the best read in a long time. I compare it to the writtings of Jon Krakauer. Truly an amazing story! So much detail to the little things and no sugar coating when times got rough. I felt miserable when David got rained on, but was cheering him on as he met each goal. Truly an incedible read. Thanks David!!!
Rick

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The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings

The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings

The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings is a celebration of the bicycle by people who ride. . .a tribute to one of the finest, most efficient, most useful machines ever invented. The 25 contributors are talented writers and cartoonists, each with a unique take on bicycling. Whether in critical observation, concern, memorial, fact, or in jest, each story and cartoon is definitely worth a look. You do not have to be a cycling expert to read this book; there is something here for everyone.

Contributions from around the globe include an essay from Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Hylton; predictions for the future of cycling from Dirt Rag publisher Maurice Tierney and Richard Fries, publisher of Bike Culture; an exclusive interview with Chris Carmichael (long time coach of Lance Armstrong); several essays from Pulitzer Prize nominee Gianna Bellofatto. Other contributors are Portland Magazine executive editor (and former New Yorker staffer) Ted Katauskas; Mason St. Clair; author Theresa Russell; and Andy (Ask the Mechanic) Wallen. Scattered throughout the book is a collection of cartoons from cartoonists whose work has appeared in a wide array of magazines including The New Yorker, Esquire, The Progressive, Dirt Rag, Oregon Cycling, The Funny Times, Discover, Guideposts, Reader's Digest, and Forbes. Contributing cartoonists include Bob Lafay, Neal Skorpen, Jonny Hawkins, Andy Singer, Bob LaDrew, and many others.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #72060 in Books

Published on: 2007-11-23

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

152 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
Cartoons are among my dearest friends. They make me laugh, they make me think, and they make me money. So I am glad to see the guys hard at work in The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings, even if none of them are working for me. Chapeau to Andy Singer, Neal Skorpen and the rest of my fellow scribblers included here, and to Jim Joyce for bringing them all together. --Patrick O'Grady, cartoonist for VeloNews and Bicycle Retailer & Industry News

No matter what kind of cyclist you are, this book offers something to make you think, laugh, or want to get on your bike and ride. --Tom Snyders, The Bicycling Comedian, bikecomedy.com

This book might remind you of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or On the Road -- but it takes a much bigger view, from writers with perspectives you never looked at. What biking does to you, where biking takes you, what biking does for the world and what biking teaches you. The writers love bikes, they love the journeys, and the bikes and journeys become one. Even if you only manage a Sunday glide in the park, there is something here for you. --Brian Connelly, screenwriter, Expo: Magic of the White City

About the Author
The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings is the brainchild of Jim Joyce, founder of the website, The Bicycle Exchange, a.k.a., Bikexchange.com. He also contributes several articles to the book.

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Customer Reviews

Review for the Westerville Bicycle Club
The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings, edited by Jim Joyce (Satya House Publications: Hardwick, MA, 2007), is a delightful compilation of short essays on cycling (some humorous, some inspirational, some amazing) and cartoons. Whether you have just a few minutes (before someone else arrives at your cycling meet point, perhaps?) or a full hour to devote to reading (how many folks won't look for an excuse to get out of detailing the bike for one more day?), this book can provide a pleasant distraction from our hum-drum everyday lives, and place us right back on the saddle.

Joyce covers a fun gambit, from how cycling is the fountain of youth (Law 6 in Gianna Bellofatto's "An Invitation to the Open Road & the Laws of Cycling"; "The Next 30 Years? How about the Next 50?" by Chip Haynes), to helpful mechanic hints ("Bits and Bolts from Ask the Mechanic," by Andy Wallen), and everything in between.

Then there are the cartoons, decorating the pages like your favorite bike accessories. You'll find yourself laughing at which sign of the cycling zodiac would represent you (Neal Skorpen's "The Cyclist's Zodiac"), or picturing bicycles for other animals than those captured (Skorpen's "Bikes of the Animal Kingdom" and "More Bikes of the Animal Kingdom")--of course the lemur's bike doesn't have any brakes; what does that say about our fixie crowd?, or even the cycling crest (Skorpen's "Human Power"). You'll laugh at how Bonkerz describes the cycling bank bandit (Bonkerz is Bob LaDrew's character who appears in the Delaware Valley Bicycle Club newsletter).

The book ends with some inspirational tales of wandering on the bike--ever think about riding across the Sahara? John Stuart Clark and his wife have done it ("Saharan Margins"). Riding Across the USA? I know some of you have done that. Check out Rhonda & Dave Fritsch's "Cross Country Tandem Trip: A Journal." Or, for the most vivid images I've had evoked by words in a long time, surrounding a storm the author could not outrace, check out Clark's "Desert Storm."

The editor, Joyce, also authors some pieces in here, in the "Wanderings" section. Who hasn't survived a ride because of a mentor's wisdom? ("Remembering Hank") Or gotten help exactly when you needed it? (brother Bill Joyce contributes "California Angel") Joyce was a TOSRV vendor this year, and I enjoyed jawing with him as I made my purchase. Hmm, I wonder where my piece on night-of-TOSRV repair jobs would fit in this book?

Please note, Joyce plans to donate 15% of his royalties to several worthwhile organizations: League of American Bicyclists; SoldierRide.com; and the United States Association of Blind Athletes.

"The Bicycle Book" by Jim Joyce
This book is one of the best $14.95 investments I've ever made, full of wonderful essays and cartoons, such as:

--John Stuart Clark, a Scotsman who describes riding through a violent storm in Wyoming and then his adventures riding with his wife through the Sahara.

--Ella Lawrence's observations of the various multinational fans attending the Amstel Gold Bike Race in the Netherlands.

--Gianna Bellofatto's "Life is a Bike" series on life, love, and bicycling.

--Rhona & Dave Fritsch's account of their 3710-mile cross-country tandem journey from Washington State to Ocean City, NJ.

The Delaware County Bicycle Club's "Bonkers" cartoon character's two-wheeled adventures (and misadventures).

"The Bicycle Book: Wit, Wisdom & Wanderings" is a must for any bicyclist's library!

A Relaxing Point To Point Read From Your Easy Chair
Jim Joyce's "The Bike Book--Wit, Wisdom and Wanderings" is for gearheads, travel loggers, illustrator illumines, comic junkies, physics freaks, folksy fanatics, Garrison Keller cheerleaders, economics evangelicals, humor twirlers, news "nosies", philosophical philanders, "roadie" raconteurs, and commuter commodores.

The perfections and imperfections; the certainties and uncertainties; the knowns and the unknowns possess real life metaphors expressed through the eyes of these essay cyclists. No matter if you are a recreationalist or a hardcore dirt-ragster, there is something in this collection of essays written with two-wheelers in mind. As Gianna Bellofatto (a great name for a bike frame), a contributor to this book, says, "Life is a Bike". Damn right there!

It can be read in an afternoon when the wind is too strong and the rain too hard. When finished, you will feel like the sun came out, the sky opened up, and a light breeze blew in from the South.

This book is a Stocking Stuffer for yourself, and a relaxing point-to-point ride from your easy chair!

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Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction--in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido--the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence.

The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and posesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima.

This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #45268 in Books

Published on: 2002-08-30

Format: Special Edition

Original language: Japanese

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

192 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
"A Classic of Japanese thought….Poetic, robust…a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes." -- New York Review of Books

"A fascinating glimpse into another place and time." -- Library Journal

"A guidebook and inspiration for ... anyone interested in achieving a courageous and transcendent understanding of life." -- East West Journal

"HAGAKURE became a kind of magical discovery for me, and ‘hidden under its leaves’ were some important gifts." -- Jim Jarmusch

"The most influential of all samurai treatises ever written. " -- Prof. Ivan Morris

"Yamamoto brought together three temperaments: loyalty to his master, a literary sensibility, and the enlightenment of Zen." -- Choice

Review

"A Classic of Japanese thought....Poetic, robust...a feast of aphorisms and martial anecdotes." -The New York Review of Books
"HAGAKURE became a kind of magical discovery for me, and 'hidden under its leaves' were some important gifts." -Jim Jarmusch
"A fascinating glimpse into another place and time." -Library Journal
"Yamamoto brought together three temperaments: loyalty to his master, a literary sensibility, and the enlightenment of Zen." -Choice

Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese (translation)

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Customer Reviews

Black Dog
Saw the movie after I had read the book. This is one of those books I read again and again. Similar how some are with the bible. Many good reviews in here, so don't want to retype what they have said, just wanted to add my 5 stars to the pile.

Ghost Dog
This book has gained its notoriety from Jim Jarmusch's excellent movie "Ghost Dog - The Way of the Samurai". Personally, I would purchase this book anyway, because I'm fascinated about the samurai and their philosophy. I love it.

A very big disappointment
This is a great book however the problem lies with in ther traanslation. the problem is that only 300 of the 1300 phrases were translated. Although this translation gives the basic message that Master Tsunetomo was trying to get a cross you can not truly absorb thius book with out reading everything that Master Tsunetomo intended you to read. Also the entire 5th chapter is left out of this translation. I would recomend to everyone to find a better translation than this one.

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Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling

Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling

" . . . a book that will appeal to everyone who has ever choked down the pre-packaged, bargain-basement camp food (or gone bankrupt buying the good stuff)." --Canoe & Kayak

. . . if you're on the lookout for a way to bring real meals to the field, [this book] might have the answer." --Field & Stream

Life in the outdoors revolves around food--cooking it, eating it, packing it, carrying it. We even fantasize about it, especially after a week of eating store-bought provisions. This book is all about fulfulling those food fantasies and avoiding those expensive disappointments. Trail Food tells you how to remove water from food, to make it lighter and longer-lasting, without removing its taste. Learn to plan menus and prepare meals just like the ones you left behind, using fresh foods from your garden or market, prepared and seasoned the way you like them.

Why fantasize when you can have the real thing?

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #15181 in Books

Size: Trail Food: Drying &

Brand: Liberty Mountain

Published on: 1998-02-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

112 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Alan Kesselheim dries his food in Bozeman, Montana, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is the author of five books, including Water and Sky: Reflections of a Northern Year and Going Inside, and has published hundreds of magazine articles.

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Customer Reviews

Decent
This is a decent book which encourages experimentation with dehydrating your food and creating recipes- something often left out of both dehydrating and backpacking food books. However, for what everything it does have or encourage, it lacks detail and I felt like there could have been so much more. As it is, it is worth the purchase in conjuction with at least one more, far substantial book.

Trail Foods
Fmergency preparadness is my focus. I found recipes and food preparation to be excellent. Summer gardening with the bounty of our efforts dehydrated, prepared in delicious and easy meals for both home and traveling is a gratifying experience. Great book.

Glad I bought this one!
Trail Food by Alan S. Kesselheim is a spectacular little read for anyone interested in adventuring in the outdoors, self reliance, preperation, or even just making healthy snacks at home for a fraction of the price of storebought. Encouraging, practical, and written by an obviously experienced author, Trail Food helped enhance my outdoor experience. If you're still buying those freeze dried meals or even worse living off of ramen noodles when you're out in the wilds, I really suggest you consider dehydrating your own food, and this book is a great place to start. In addition to dehydration the author seasons the book with a bunch of other tidbits. There's little blurbs about the pros and cons of cooking over fires and various stoves, advice on setting up the camp kitchen, and at the beginning of every chapter there's a little blurb of a story about canoeing, backpacking, dogsledding, or just cabin living, that helped get me in that outdoorsy frame of mind. My two dehydrators are going to be working overtime!

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Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills

The "climber's bible"--now updated in a new 7th edition

From choosing equipment to how to tie a particular knot; from basic rappelling technique to planning an expedition; it's all here in this essential mountaineering reference.

· More than 500,000 copies sold in previous editions
· Written by a team of more than 40 experts
· Fully revised to reflect evolution in mountaineering equipment and technique
· Expanded Ten Essentials list
· All 415 illustrations updated and redrawn
· New chapters on: waterfall ice climbing and mixed climbing, physical conditioning, access and land stewardship, and much more
· Now includes a glossary of climbing terms

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #3601 in Books

Published on: 2003-09

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

575 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This sixth revised edition of the mountaineering classic is an essential reference for novices and experts alike. Chapters are devoted to in-depth discussions of outdoors fundamentals; climbing techniques for rock, snow, and ice; safety procedures and emergency response; geology and weather; and appendices for climb ratings and supplementary reading, among other topics. Detailed sections on navigation, ropes, knots, and protection include drawings, diagrams, and maps. Enjoy the freedom of the hills to the fullest with this thorough guide.

From Publishers Weekly
This hefty tome, first published in 1960, was the book that started The Mountaineers Books. Known as "the climber's bible," it covers virtually all aspects of climbing, from choosing equipment and tying knots to basic rappelling techniques and expedition planning. There are sections on rock climbing, alpine climbing, emergency prevention and response and snow cycles, along with appendices on wind chill temperatures and suggestions for further reading. This seventh edition, written by a team of more than 40 expert climbers, reflects changes in equipment and technique, with new chapters on waterfall ice climbing and mixed climbing, physical conditioning, and land stewardship issues. It's also enhanced with 415 new illustrations depicting the "chimney technique" and the "twin-rope technique," among other maneuvers, and a new "ten essentials" list. Although the prose is workmanlike at best ("understanding fall factor and how it determines impact forces is fundamental to safe leading"), this work remains a must-have for climbing enthusiasts.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This fifth edition of the all-time best mountaineering "textbook" is certainly no disappointment. (The last edition was published in 1982.) Some 550 pages and approximately 400 illustrations help make it the most comprehensive book in its class. The writing is clear and the book is organized logically. Chapters deal with clothing, route-finding and navigation, camping, climbing fundamentals (ropes, knots, belaying, rappelling), rock climbing techniques, and snow and ice climbing. There are also appendixes on avalanche, lightning, and rock climb rating systems. This edition includes the latest updates on equipment improvements and a new chapter on expedition climbing. This single book adequately covers a wide range of mountaineering skills, and libraries could easily spend five times as much to get the same coverage. Highly recommended for all libraries.
- Thomas K. Fry, UCLA Libs.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

freedom of the hills
The product is in good shape, as the seller said it would be, but did not arrive until the very last day of the time allowed to ship. (4 weeks after i ordered it)

It don't get no better than this!
This book is the one you are looking for -- jam packed with useful information -- superfantastic!

The Absolute Pinnacle of Mountaineering Information
With over 1/2 a million copies sold, Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills truly is "the bible" of safe and efficient climbing. With the book measuring in at over one inch thick, it would be impossible to accurately give it justice in the space provided here. Therefore, I'll hit the highlights. The 6th edition, which I have, is divided up into 6 parts:

-outdoor fundamentals...covers things such as clothing/equipment/land nav/food

-climbing fundamentals...knot tying/rappelling info

-rock climbing...footholds/shoes/leading on rock

-snow, ice, and Alpine climbing...the in's and outs of ice and snow climbs (includes various rescues)

-emergency prevention and response...leading in a crisis situation/first aid

-the mountain enviroment..mountain geology/snow cycles/cloud types (neat pics!!)

The book ends with a nice list of additional reading (like you'd really need to with all the info in this book!). As you can see, there's really one word to describe this book- COMPLETE. So, if you're looking for a mountaineering resource to put on your shelf for when some questions come to mind- GET IT! Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff if you have a shoulder problem that interferes with your climbing.

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A Team to Believe In: Our Journey to the Super Bowl Championship

A Team to Believe In: Our Journey to the Super Bowl Championship

After a tough 2006 season, the New York Giants appeared to be heading for more disappointment–and potential shake-ups–in the coming season. Instead, they fought their way to an unforgettable Super Bowl finish against the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

In A Team to Believe In, head coach Tom Coughlin gives the ultimate insider’s account of the Giants’ 2007 campaign and reflects on the resilience and selflessness that allowed the team to succeed. Behind the saga of persistence and on-the-field triumphs, however, is the story of how Coughlin, a proud and intensely private man, often mischaracterized by the press as a strict disciplinarian, has continually made subtle adjustments to his approach to the game and to the new players. Whether giving the right speech for the right occasion, drawing media criticism away from his players, or fostering team unity with offbeat events and smartly timed relaxed curfews, Coughlin approached the season willing to make the necessary changes to his management style–and the team followed.

In gripping detail, Coughlin takes us on the Giants improbable 2007 journey: the tough staffing and free-agency decisions; the early-season setbacks that again placed the team in the media’s crosshairs; late-season near misses, comeback victories, and goal-line stands; the play-off march through Tampa Bay and Dallas and the overtime victory against Green Bay in the subzero cold of Lambeau Field; and the amazing two weeks that ended with Super Bowl XLII. Along the way, Coughlin explains what life experiences prepared him for the season’s challenges and what lessons helped his team achieve a string of improbable victories.

The 2007 New York Giants are an inspiring example of team and trust, hope and perseverance, and A Team to Believe In is the thrilling story of their astounding underdog season.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #184317 in Books

Published on: 2008-09-02

Released on: 2008-09-02

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Hardcover

224 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Tom Coughlin is head coach of the New York Giants. He was also head coach of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars for nine seasons, where he led the team to two appearances in the AFC Championship Game and was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1996; head football coach at Boston College; and an assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants. Coughlin and his wife, Judy, have been married forty-one years and have four children and five grandchildren.

Brian Curtis is the author of Every Week a Season and The Men of March, as well as co-author (with Jerry Rice) of the New York Times bestseller Go Long! and (with Nick Saban) of How Good Do You Want to Be? A former reporter for FOX Sports and a former host and analyst on CBS Sports’ College Sports Television, he lives in New York with his wife and two daughters.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
One

The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from old ones.

—John Maynard Keynes

It is January 7, 2007. we have a 1st and 10 on Philadelphia's 44- yard line with just over six minutes to play in the first half of the NFC Wild Card Play-off Game. Eli takes the snap, turns to his right, and hands the ball off to Tiki Barber, who explodes around the left end and scampers down to the Eagles' 3, where he is forced out of bounds by Lito Sheppard, giving us a 1st and Goal from the 3. I immediately call time out to give our big linemen a chance to run to the new line of scrimmage, but also to give our coaches a chance to figure out exactly what we want to call. It may seem like seven points is a given, but all one has to do is look at the first twenty minutes of the game to realize nothing is a given with this New York Giants team.

After starting off the game with a penalty on the first snap from scrimmage, Eli drove our offense from our own 33 to the Philadelphia 17, when he connected with Plaxico Burress on a well-executed touchdown pass and catch to give us the early lead. During the regular season, we scored first in thirteen of our games, so playing with a lead is nothing new for us. But neither are frustrations. On our next four possessions, we manage zero points, and that is with starting field positions that included our own 48 and the Eagles' 49 and 46 yard lines. How bad was our offense After the opening touchdown, we moved the ball 12 yards on four possessions. Putting points on the board when we had the ball in plus territory has been an issue all year. And just because this is a play-off game does not mean our tendencies—both the good and the bad—fade away.

So though we are confident we can score with a 1st and Goal from the 3, nothing is guaranteed. On first down, Eli's short pass to Tiki falls incomplete. On second down, Tiki gains just 1 yard on a carry, stuffed by Mike Patterson and Darren Howard. On third down, Eli's attempt to loft the ball to our big tight end Jeremy Shockey is not a good one. With fourth and 2, trailing by three, I elect to kick a field goal, which Jay Feely converts to tie the game. We give up a late touchdown pass, and at halftime we trail 17–10.

During the regular season, we split road wins with the Eagles, and the loss to Philadelphia at home in December was especially devastating, another low moment in a difficult season. Just getting to the play-offs was a relief to some in our organization, and probably to Giants fans as well. But there is no relief for me. Just getting there isn't part of my philosophy, and after a year of injuries and team turmoil, I want to finally prove what we're capable of. Trailing by just seven on the road in the play-offs, considering how poorly our offense played for most of the first half, is certainly not a death sentence. We can do this. The 2006 season has gone south for a lot of reasons, but I'm hopeful that today is our chance to erase the bad memories.

On the opening series of the second half, we force the Eagles to go 3 and out, despite a face mask penalty on the first snap, but again we cannot find our rhythm on offense and actually move backward. The teams trade punts, and the only scoring in the third quarter comes when our defense holds Philly to a field goal with under three minutes to play in the quarter.

Eli Manning has showed brilliance at times in his career, but whether he is having a great game or a not-so-great game he always maintains his poise. Starting from our own 29, after Tiki runs on first and second downs, Eli scrambles for 2 yards and picks up a first down. We take a shot downfield. Eli's pass, intended for Plaxico, is short, but Eagle corner Sheldon Brown is called for interference and the ball is moved from our 39 to Philadelphia's 14. A pass to Jim Finn picks up 8 yards; a run by Tiki gains nothing. As the game moves into the fourth quarter, we face a 3rd and 2 from the 6. After Eli's pass to Sinorice Moss is incomplete, we settle for another field goal to cut the lead to 20–13.

There's 12:13 remaining in the game, and our season rests on the outcome of our drive. The foolish penalties, the inopportune turnovers, the failures in the green zone—these mean nothing as Eli and the offense jog onto the field. Starting from our own 20, we quickly run the ball into Eagles territory, aided by a holding call on Mike Patterson. After we pick up 6 yards on a reception, I call our first time-out with 7:48 to play in the game. The very next play, Tiki is ruled to have gained no yardage on 3rd and 1 at the Eagles' 25, but our coaches who are watching replays in the box insist he picked up the first down, so I challenge the ruling on the field. The call is overruled, and we do indeed get a fresh set of downs. First down from the 23: false start. The next snap: false start. The next snap: offensive holding. That quick, we go from 1st and 10 from the 23 to 1st and 30 from the 43. Penalties have hampered us all season long, which is especially frustrating since I make it a point every week to remind our players that penalties lose games.

Eli's pass attempt on 1st and 30 is incomplete, but then he and Plaxico hook up again, this time for 18 yards, and I quickly use our second time-out. It is 3rd and 12 from the 25 and the pair connect again, this time for 14 yards. On the very next snap, they do it yet again, and now it counts for six. Jay Feely converts the extra point, and our comeback has tied the game at 20–20.

All we need to do is get a stop and send this game into overtime. All we need is to keep the Eagles in their territory. Eagles back Brian Westbrook has already done damage to us, gaining 108 yards rushing up to this point, including an electrifying 49-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. On that run, he burst through the line, bounced outside, regained his balance after being tripped, cut back at the 20, and reversed directions at the 15 before running into the end zone. Now, we figure Eagles coach Andy Reid will rely on his back on this final drive.

We are right.

Westbrook gets the call on three of the first five plays, helping take the Eagles from their own 34 to our 32 with two minutes remaining. He runs right at the spot left vacant by All-Pro Michael Strahan, who went down in early November with a season-ending injury. After the two-minute warning, Westbrook picks up 13 more yards and Philadelphia is in field goal position. We use our last time-out with 1:48 to play. Over the next three snaps, the Eagles simply chew clock and use their time-outs wisely to set up a 38- yard field goal attempt by David Akers.

Last night, Dallas had a chance to convert a seemingly easy go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter in their play-off game against Seattle, but quarterback Tony Romo, the holder on the kick, mishandled the snap, costing the Cowboys a play-off win. Nothing is automatic.

Jon Dorenbos is the snapper, Koy Detmer is the holder. The snap is good, the hold is clean, the kick is up. It is good.

Our season has come to an end.

In the postgame locker room I am positive, pointing out that despite our struggles and injuries in the second half of the season, we stayed together as a team.

“I am proud of you,” I tell them, whether they are listening or not. I talk as if we will be together again.

The media want to talk about my future. I don't. The strained relationship I maintain with reporters is put to the test once again in the bowels of Lincoln Financial Field. I speak briefly with Giants owner John Mara, general manager Ernie Accorsi, and director of player personnel Jerry Reese, and we agree to sit down later in the week.

It's a talk that can't come fast enough for many inside and outside the Giant organization.

though the disappointing end to the 2006 season ushers in a difficult time in my life, professionally and personally, I honestly do not believe that I won't be the head coach of the New York Giants in 2007. I am not panicked. As frustrated and disappointed as I am on Sunday night after the loss, I drive into the office in Giants Stadium early on Monday morning. I think about the Philadelphia loss and how things went wrong in 2006. And I think about my years in New York.

When I arrived in 2004, we knew what the Giants needed—discipline, mainly. We started off 5–2 before the bottom dropped out. We lost back-to-back games behind veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, and I made the decision to replace Kurt with the top draft pick, Eli Manning. It's safe to say that decision created the first big media frenzy of my head coaching tenure in New York. The media crushed me for supposedly giving up on a potentially play-off-bound team simply to give the rookie experience. Obviously, that's not the way I saw it, nor the way Wellington Mara did, who smiled and told me, “We think the same way.”

Why did I go with Eli A young quarterback cannot learn the game of football by merely watching from the sidelines and holding a clipboard. He needs to be on the field, in the huddle, facing the ferociousness and speed of a blitz, to understand the challenge. We knew Eli would be under fire, defensive coordinators around the league salivating at the thought of blitzing the rookie, and they did just that. Washington and Baltimore blitzed play after play that we, not just Eli, couldn't handle. The rookie came into my office the morning after the Baltimore loss and told me, “I know I can do better, Coach.” He knew he could be an effective starting quarterback of the New York Giants, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get there.

Critics continued to bash me as Eli struggled in 2004, but I kept reminding myself that playing quarterback in the NFL is difficult. The multitude of decisions that must be made in a matter of seconds on any given play is mind-boggling, and despite the losses, Eli was learning. The on-the-job training would benefit us in seasons to come. Still, with Eli in as t...

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Customer Reviews

Great sports book
Rather than get the DVDs, I decided to get this book for my wife (we're both Giants fans, but she bleeds blue). She couldn't put it down. I started reading it as well and it's great to get Tom's perspective on the ins and outs of an NFL season. Things that you don't see when you're watching the game. I recommend this to all Giants fans who want to relive the magical Superbowl XLII run.

Great insight into a great team...
"A Team to Believe In" is written by Tom Coughlin and Brian Curtis and it chronicles the 2007 championship season for the New York Giants. The book begins with backstory on the incredibly difficult 2006 season and how Coughlin had to prove he was worth keeping in 2007. From there, the book describes the amazing journey the G-Men took in the 2007 season and the playoffs.

Coughlin provides an inside look on what he needed to change, how his struggles in 2006 effected his family, and how he reconnected with his team. It's all very interesting and well-written. I found the opening chapter about 2006 quite interesting and it was fascinating to see how Coughlin dealt with the scrutiny and criticism. He describes how he became close with his players and also gives general insight to coaching in the NFL.

All in all, this is a great read for Giants fans. It's a must-have for anyone who wants to commemorate Big Blue's Super Bowl run in 2007.

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Do You Know the Chicago Cubs?: Test your expertise with these fastball questions (and a few curves) about your favorite team's hurlers, sluggers, stats and most memorable moments (Do You Know?)

Do You Know the Chicago Cubs?: Test your expertise with these fastball questions (and a few curves) about your favorite team's hurlers, sluggers, stats and most memorable moments (Do You Know?)

Test your expertise with these fastball questions (and a few curves) about your favorite team's hurlers, sluggers, stats and most memorable moments.

Take me out to the ballgame!

Questions to challenge and entertain both casual and die-hard fans.
--Great players and legendary characters of the game
--Argument-settling stats and records you should know
--Players' nicknames, managers' advice, the best baseball movies, and other odd trivia
...and much, much more!

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #118009 in Books

Published on: 2008-04-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

48 pages

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Guy Robinson is the author of numerous bestselling trivia books. He lives in Connecticut.

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Power to the People! : Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American

Power to the People! : Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American

How to get super strong without training to muscle failure or exhaustionHow to hack into your 'muscle software' and magnify your power and muscle definition How to get super strong without putting on an ounce of weightOr how to build massive muscles with a classified Soviet Special Forces workout Why high rep training to the 'burn' is like a form of rigor mortisand what it really takes to develop spectacular muscle toneHow to mold your whole body into an off-planet rock with only two exercisesHow to increase your bench press by ten pounds overnightHow to get a tremendous workout on the road without any equipmentHow to design a world class body in your basementwith $150 worth of basic weights and in twenty minutes a dayHow futuristic techniques can squeeze more horsepower out of your body-engine How to maximize muscular tension for traffic-stopping muscular definition How to minimize fatigue and get the most out of your strength trainingHow to ensure high energy after your workoutHow to get stronger and harder without getting biggerWhy its safer to use free weights than machinesHow to achieve massive muscles and awesome strengthif thats what you want What, how and when to eat for maximum gainsHow to master the magic of effective exercise variationThe ultimate formula for strengthHow to gain beyond your wildest dreamswith less chance of injuryA high intensity, immediate gratification technique for massive strength gainsThe eight most effective breathing habits for lifting weights The secret that separates elite athletes from 'also-rans'How to become super strong and live to tell about it

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #28889 in Books

Published on: 1999-12-01

Original language: English

Number of items: 1

Binding: Paperback

124 pages

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Editorial Reviews

Review
"Pavel Tsatsouline has burst onto the American health and fitness scene like a Russian cyclone. He razes the sacred temples of fitness complacency and smugness with his revolutionary concepts and ideas. If you want a new and innovative approach to the age old dilemma of physical transformation, you've struck the mother-lode." -- Marty Gallagher, World Masters Powerlifting champion and Parrillo Performance Press

"Pavel and his book are the best imports from Russia since Siberian Ginseng! A fountain of information... an elixir for the body." " -- Fairfax Hackley, Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Martial Arts Seminar Director

"Whether you're young or old, a beginner or an elite athlete, training in your room or in the most high tech facility, if there was only one book I could recommend to help you reach your ultimate physical potential, this would be it. Simple, concise and truly reader friendly, this amazing book contains it alleverything you need to knowwhat exercises (only two!), how to do them (unique detailed information you'll find nowhere else), and why. Follow its advice and, believe it or not, you'll be stronger and more injury-resistant immediately. I guarantee it. I only wish I'd had a book like this when I first began training. Follow this program for three months and you'll not only be amazed but hooked. It is the ultimate program for "Everyman" AND Woman! I thought I knew a lot with a Ph.D. and 40 years of training experience...but I learned a lot and it's improved my training significantly." -- Jim Wright, Ph. D., Senior Science Editor, Flex Magazine, Weider Group Editor

About the Author
Pavel Tsatsouline, Master of Sports, is a former physical training instructor for Spetsnaz, the Soviet Special Forces, an articulate speaker, and an iconoclastic authority on flexibility and strength training. Pavel was nationally ranked in the Russian ethnic strength sport of kettle-bell lifting and holds a Soviet Physical Culture Institute degree in physiology and coaching. Tsatsouline has authored three books, Beyond Stretching, Beyond Crunches, and Power to the People!

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Customer Reviews

An objective review from a critical, but practical, man.
I have owned this book since 2001, and the principles outlined have been a regular staple in my training. This is not to say that I have done the exercises in this book at the exclusion of all else for the last 8 years. But rather, I have regularly included cycles in my yearly exercise routine that focus on the concise, abbreviated, and basic exercises cited in this work.

There are some negative reviews on this product in which the reviewer(s) make the complaint that there is very little scientific research which is sourced. I would counter this complaint by saying that such a claim is not relevant for the scope of this book. This book seems to be designed to lay out a basic 'strength only' routine, and is not designed for competitive weightlifters, powerlifters, or strongmen... unless they use the routine on what would for them be a 'lighter cycle' or a 'back-off period'.

Instead, the book seems designed for non athletes, or people who enjoy keeping fit and strong in a way functional to their everyday lives and health... and appearance. This is the category I fall into, and because of that, I read the info in this book, test it, and use it if it works. I have not the time, nor the inclination to launch an in depth study of various training modalities and their respective sources, so that I can smartly post a review on Amazon.

There is also a series of complaints claiming the lifts are dangerous, and the workload unbalanced. Again, I would assert that this is false. Any exercise in existence is dangerous when done incorrectly and under significant load. So long as the exercises in this book are approached with reasonable technique and loaded within your lifting means, there is no danger. I have to underline that I've periodically repeated use of this program over the last 8 years, and it has been wonderful every time.

A program like this one is perfect during periods when your time is short, i.e., lots of overtime at work, some large scale home project, etc. You can do the work in 20 minutes, and then get on with life. Volume can be added when your schedule returns to normal. I feel it is a solid, highly versatile and customizable routine, and I'm sure it will remain a staple in my exercise routine.

The reason I gave this product 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the hype and ad copy on the book itself. In particular, there is a claim on the back cover about being ripped and so forth. This book is not a book with any focus on adipose loss, and losing bulk will certainly require another method be included in your training. This is a strength regimen. And while increases in muscular mass or density should burn more calories, please do not expect to look like one of the cast of the movie "300" by using this program alone.

Great Book for the Devoted Weightlifter
Power to the People is a great book for a devoted weightlifter. This is why I gave it five stars. It is probably not the best book for the begginer.

One of the things I loved about this book is that it goes into specific detail about the form of the lift and why it is important to do so. This is very important to prevent injury and to maximize strength gains.

About six years ago when I was lifting weights (now I practice meditation, chanting, Soul Dancing, etc.), I gained more strength more quickly following Pavel's techniques in this book. I easily increased 100 pounds on my deadlifts and squats in repetitions (not max).

I recommend this book for the devoted weightlifter. I also suggest making photocopies of the lifts and bringing them to the gym. This will help you implement every part of the lift, which will assist in your safety and gains. After you learn it, there is no need to continue to revisit before each lift. This is what I did.

Note: I have been meaning to write a review on this book for years. Now, it is done. :)

not worth your time
this book presents itself as an introduction to weight training, but the techniques in it would probably only be of value to people who have been lifting for several years, and only for the purpose of adding diversity to their routines. if you are just starting out lifting, pick up a copy of Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength and skip this book.

I followed the techniques described in this book for a little less than a year. I gained some mass and ended up with stronger abs, legs, grip and lower back, and vastly increased willpower. I also wasted a huge amount of time that could have been spent following more productive methods.

as a final note, on pavel's forums they state that one of the most common questions they get is how to implement a hypertrophy program called the "bear routine" described in this book. I imagine they get so many questions about it because it is such a bad program. doing 5-10 sets of 150-200 pound deadlifts five days a week, especially as a novice trainee, is a guaranteed recipe for overtraining.

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