Biography & Autobiography : Sports

Teddy Atlas knows boxing like no one else. In Atlas, Teddy recounts his incredible life, from juvenile delinquent on the mean streets of Staten Island in the 1970s, to his induction into the legendary Cus D'Amato's Boxing Camp and his first major challenge – training 14–year–old Mike Tyson. An amateur boxer trained by D'Amato, Atlas captured the Adirondack Golden Gloves title at 139 pounds in 1976. Forced out of competition because of injury, Teddy turned his talents to training fighters. His long list of charges have included many world champions past, present and future. Teddy trained future heavyweight champion Mike Tyson when Tyson was an amateur living in D'Amato's home in Catskill, New York. He trained featherweight champion Barry McGuigan, super bantamweight and super featherweight champion Tracy Patterson, super featherweight and lightweight champion Joey Gamache, welterweight champion Simon Brown and light heavyweight champion Donny Lalonde. In 1994, in a memorable performance as trainer and cornerman, Teddy inspired Michael Moorer to beat Evander Holyfield for the world heavyweight championship. Teddy has also employed his talents outside of the ring. He trained dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp for her successful comeback at age 42. He trained actor Willem Dafoe for his role as a boxer in the holocaust film "Triumph of the Spirit", and while on location in Poland, Teddy choreographed the film's boxing scenes and appeared as one of Dafoe's opponents. Teddy also choreographed fight scenes for the television series "Against the Law." And he appeared in the movies "Play it to the Bone" and "Only in America: The Don King Story.". Atlas is the remarkable story of all of these achievements, told in Atlas's completely inimitable voice. As you'd expect from a boxing memoir, it pulls no punches. more...

Price: $10.95

When Jeff Gordon won his fourth Winston Cup in 2001, he equalled the achievements of two other legends of the stock car world, the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty. Most notably, Gordon did all this by the tender age of 30, an age when most drivers are gearing up for their first championship. The future is bright for the greatest living NASCAR driver -- but at one point, it didn't look that way. After his win in 1998, things seemed to go south for Gordon. Having won three championships in five years, he split with Ray Evernham, his longtime crewchief -- think personal coach in the golf world -- and his Hendricks team couldn't get a break. The one-time golden child of NASCAR was struggling, and critics lined up to blame him for Evernham's departure. But by 2001, the team had clicked once again, and Gordon went on to dominate the season, winning his fourth championship, albeit against the backdrop of the tremendous loss of Dale Earnhardt Sr. at Daytona. But what this tragic death signalled was that NASCAR had become one of the major sports in America. Gone were the days of NASCAR being a southern boys weekend pursuit; the terrible accident at Daytona just happened to occur during the first race of a multi-million dollar deal between NASCAR and Fox TV. Since that time, NASCAR has captured the imaginations of millions of Americans who don't necessarily live in the south or have any affinity with motor sports. The NASCAR organization has heavily marketed itself across the country, with the result being that someone like Jeff Gordon is considered ahead of Britney Spears in Pepsi's ranking of its celebrity endorsers. And as of next season, they're also jettisoning their sponsorship with Winston and going with Nextel, so bringing a less controversial backing to the sport. This book chronicles not only Gordon's extraordinary career, but also takes readers right inside what it's like to drive a car at 200 mph, 39 times a year. One only more...

Price: $13.00

Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes has run 262 miles-the equivalent of ten marathons-without rest. He has run over mountains, across Death Valley, and to the South Pole-and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. With an insight, candor, and humor rarely seen in sports memoirs (and written without the aid of a ghostwriter or cowriter), Ultramarathon Man has inspired tens of thousands of people-nonrunners and runners alike-to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and be reminded of "what it feels like to be truly alive," says Sam Fussell, author of Muscle. Ultramarathon Man answers the questions Karnazes is continually asked:. - Why do you do it?. - How do you do it?. - Are you insane?. And in the new paperback edition, Karnazes answers the two questions he was most asked on his book tour:. - What, exactly, do you eat?. - How do you train to stay in such good shape? more...

Price: $12.95

Almost 60, E. Ethelbert Miller ponders whether his life can now be entered into the official record books as a success or failure; one man's examination of personal relationships, depression, love and loss. This is a story of the individual alone on the pitching mound or in the batters box. It's a box score filled with remembrance, and a combination of baseball and the blues. more...

Price: $14.95

Wrestling's self-proclaimed "Living Legend" may never wear a championship belt again, but he's definitely not down for the count, as this memoir shows in its entertaining, often hilarious story of a remarkable ascent to wrestling notoriety. Voted Rookie of the Year in 1974, Larry Zbyszko enjoyed 30 glorious years as a top draw in the wild and wacky world of professional wrestling. Attendance records were shattered when he wrestled the original "Living Legend," Bruno Sammartino, in 1980 and won by hitting his former mentor with a chair--a rarity at the time. Chronicling Zbysko's transformation from baby-faced hero to one of the most hated wrestlers of his time, this uninhibited narrative reveals an insider's view of some of the most successful and controversial stories and scandals in pro-wrestling history. more...

Price: $11.95