Böcker utgivna av Triumph Books (IL)

Jeff Van Gundy. Brad Stevens. Frank Vogel. Mike Budenholzer. Tom Thibodeau. Sam Presti. Leon Rose. Before you knew his name, before he drafted your favorite player, before he guided your team to a championship, he had a playing career of his own at an NCAA Division III college. He didn't play for fortune -- the NBA was out of reach, and his school didn't even give athletic scholarships. He didn't play for fame -- his games weren't televised, and the stands were rarely full. Whatever the motivation, he simply couldn't give up the game of basketball. And that didn't change after graduation, when it was time to pick a career path. For the first time in league history, NBA coaches and general managers are just as likely to have played Division III basketball as they are to have played in the NBA. While the number of former D3 players working in the NBA is higher than ever, small college alums have served in leadership positions since the league's founding. They shaped the NBA into what it is today, playing integral roles in the Lakers' initial success in Los Angeles, the inception of several expansion franchises, the creation of the popular All-Star Weekend dunk contest, the globalization of the league, and more. Their improbable and inspiring journeys tell a bigger story - the history of small college athletics, the evolution of coaching and management in the NBA, and the hiring practices in the most competitive fields. Their alma maters were small, but their impact on the game, and the implications of their success, loom large.

A compelling journey through the heart and soul of golf, bringing the sport's history and the current state of the game to life When Sean Zak arrived in St. Andrews, Scotland--the mecca of golf--he was determined to spend his summer in search of the game's true essence. He found it everywhere--in the dirt, firm and proper, a sandy soil that you don't see in America. He found it in the people who inherited the game from their grandparents, who inherited it from their grandparents. He found it in the structures that prop up the game--cheap memberships and "private courses" that aren't private at all. At every turn he also found LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed entity which descended on the professional circuit during that summer of the 150th Open Championship. Zak's personal personal pilgrimage now offered him a front-row seat at a cultural reckoning, one which pitted the game's longstanding customs against a divisive new force. Searching in St. Andrews is the vivid chronicle of an unforgettable sojourn in the birthplace of golf, informed by sublime mornings on the Old Course playing with just four clubs, evenings spent analyzing legal documents riddled with greed, and the singular characters he encountered along the way. Readers will meet a 92-year-old who just learned how to putt, explore the many differences between Golf Over There and Golf Over Here, and even experience caddying on the PGA Tour, from deciphering the yardage books to keeping your player on time to drinking until sunrise after you've missed the cut. Written with heartfelt curiosity and charm, this is an essential portrait of golf amid the crosswinds of tradition, progress, and power.

The best resource for projecting future performance of minor league athletes--essential for fantasy league baseball players. The first book of its kind to fully integrate sabermetrics and scouting, the 2024 Minor League Baseball Analyst provides a distinctive brand of analysis for more than 1,000 minor league baseball players. Features include scouting reports for all players, batter skills ratings, pitch repertoires, performance trends, major league equivalents, and expected major league debuts. A complete sabermetric glossary is also included. This one-of-a-kind reference is ideally suited for baseball analysts and those who play in fantasy leagues with farm systems.

"Ron Shandler is a self-described rotoholic. In the beginning, he hoarded newspaper box scores and pored over every number at his disposal. Then came the compulsion to create his own numbers. A monthly newsletter expanded into an annual Baseball Forecaster book, which spawned a media company, websites, tournaments, and more. Part memoir, part madcap history, Fantasy Expert is a fascinating and wide-ranging look at the modern growth and development of the game that went from cottage industry to national obsession. In chronicling his own escalating journey from rotisserie baseball hobbyist to professional authority, Shandler tells parallel tales of the rise of fantasy sports, the expanding baseball information industry, the increasingly sophisticated technology employed to gain an edge, and the fellow rotoholics who make it all possible. He also delves into the impact of fantasy baseball on the sport of baseball itself." --

"Every summer in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Nick Baumgartner went to work pouring concrete, taking on the harsh physical conditions of the construction trade in order to support his professional snowboarding dreams come winter. Unable to afford housing for those months spent training in the mountains, he lived out of a crusty van, parked anywhere he could find a spot. And in 2022, after 17 years of failure-all the crashes, injuries, and personal setbacks-he won Olympic gold at 40 years old, becoming the oldest Olympic snowboard medalist in history. Baumgartner details his journey from a one-stoplight town to the podium in Beijing in this candid and affable memoir. Tales of crisscrossing the globe on the racing circuit and competing in four Olympic Games sit comfortably alongside Baumgartner's reflections as a single parent and his affectionate portrayal of Iron River, Michigan, the community that raised him. More than just a sports story, Gold from Iron is a tale of massive dreams, constant sacrifice, and the lessons that can be learned racing down an ice-covered course with your feet strapped to a thin board"--

"With her deeply personal songwriting, countless hit songs, and genre-bending yet unmistakable sound, Taylor Swift has cemented her status as one of pop music's most iconic and culture-defining voices. On the heels of her latest album, 'Midnights,' this visually stunning book pays tribute to Swift's different eras as a musician, her sonic and aesthetic influences, personal inspirations, and the incredible community she has fostered among her international fanbase--all alongside dozens of full-color photos."

"Go behind the scenes with the Calgary Flames at the NHL draft A singular, transcendent talent can change the fortunes of a hockey team instantly. Each year, NHL teams approach the draft with this knowledge, hoping that luck will be on their side and that their extensive scouting and analysis will pay off.In On the Clock: Calgary Flames, Ryan Pike explores the fascinating, rollercoaster history of the Flames at the draft, including tales of legends like Al MacInnis and Gary Suter, plus newer faces like Andrew Mangiapane. Readers will go behind the scenes with top decision-makers as they evaluate, deliberate, and ultimately make the picks they hope will tip the fate of their franchise toward success.From seemingly surefire first-rounders to surprising late selections and the ones that got away, this is a must-read for Calgary faithful and hockey fans eager for a glimpse at how teams are built"--

"A fascinating and immersive chronicle of hockey's original maskless warriors. More than 400 stitches decorated Terry Sawchuk's face during his 16 years as a goaltender in the National Hockey League, the result of high-speed collisions and slapshots that whizzed directly at his skull. All in a day's work for an elite goalie of his era. Before facemasks became standard equipment in the 1960s and '70s, men like Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, and Jacques Plante-the first goalie to ever wear a mask in the NHL-put their bodies on the line in the name of hockey, enduring broken bones, damaged organs, and even psychological turmoil. In this thoroughly researched book, Rob Vanstone illuminates the stories of these intrepid warriors while examining how the goaltender position has changed throughout the decades. As masks evolved from ghoulish-looking creations not out of place in horror films to today's caged helmets with custom artwork, goalies' body positioning and tactics were similarly transformed along with NHL regulations. Told with charm and verve, this is an essential portrait of a uniquely brutal and harrowing chapter in hockey history"--

A singular, transcendent talent can change the fortunes of a hockey team instantly. Each year, NHL teams approach the draft with this knowledge, hoping that luck will be on their side and that their extensive scouting and analysis will pay off. In On the Clock: Vancouver Canucks, Daniel Wagner explores the fascinating, rollercoaster history of the Canucks at the draft, including tales of Stan Smyl, Trevor Linden, the Sedin twins, and more. Readers will go behind the scenes with top decision-makers as they evaluate, deliberate, and ultimately make the picks they hope will tip the fate of their franchise toward success. From seemingly surefire first-rounders to surprising late selections and the ones that got away, this is a must-read for Vancouver faithful and hockey fans eager for a glimpse at how teams are built.

""Basketball gave me a life; Parkinson's taught me how to live it." Brian Grant played 12 seasons in the NBA for five different teams. He was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson's disease in 2008 and made his condition public in 2009. Since then, he has partnered with fellow PD sufferers to support Parkinson's research. He is the father of eight children and lives near Portland, Oregon"--