The coaches and players of Duke University's 1977-78 team, who ended an otherwise successful season with their NCAA championship loss to Kentucky, are traced from their time on the squad to their present occupations.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time. With a new Afterword by the author. “The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe “An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday “What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)

Of all the teams in the annals of baseball, only a select few can lay claim to historic significance. One of those teams is the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, the first racially integrated Major League team of the twentieth century. The addition of Jackie Robinson to its roster changed not only baseball but also the nation. Yet Robinson was just one member of that memorable club, which included Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, Duke Snider, Eddie Stanky, Arky Vaughan, and Dixie Walker. Also present was a quartet of baseball’s most unforgettable characters: co-owners Branch Rickey and Walter O’Malley, suspended manager Leo Durocher, and radio announcer Red Barber. This book is the first to offer biographies of everyone on that incomparable team as well as accounts of the moments and events that marked the Dodgers’ 1947 season: Commissioner Happy Chandler suspending Durocher, Rickey luring his old friend Burt Shotton out of retirement to replace Durocher, and brilliant outfielder Reiser being sidelined after running into a fence. In spite of all this, the Dodgers went on to win the National League pennant over the heavily favored St. Louis Cardinals. And of course, there is the biggest story of the season, where history and biography coalesce: Jackie Robinson, who overcame widespread hostility to become Rookie of the Year—and to help the Dodgers set single-game attendance records in cities around the National League.

As every American knows, our nation's favorite pastime is also big business. The last fifteen years have been exceptionally good to the business of baseball-with the growth in fan attendance, the spread of cable television, the burgeoning interest in cards and other baseball memorabilia, the historical appreciation of franchise values, the emergence of a powerful players' union, and average salaries that are almost twenty times their pre-1976 levels. Yet at this time of prosperity, major economic issues trouble the sport: the threat of franchise relocation, the continual flash points in collective bargaining, the growing commercialization of the game, the club owners' collusive response to free agency, lingering concerns of race discrimination, and the arguably tenuous link between player pay and performance. This fascinating book examines these and other major issues and assesses their probable impact on the business of baseball. Contributors begin by examining the effect of the reserve clause on competitive league balance. They then investigate whether prior experience with the salary arbitration process affects player demands in subsequent settlements and compare salary differences between ineligible and arbitration-eligible players. They consider the role of the baseball fan as contributor to team winning, as season ticket purchase, and as card-collecting hobbyist. Diamonds Are Forever also looks at the link between player pay and performance. The authors question whether such high salaries are actually earned by players or are instead awarded by owners eager to have "the winning team." They also discuss the growth in unequal distribution of salaries among players. In the last section, the authors look at racial discrimination in baseball and the influence of a team's racial composition on salaries. From Babe Ruth to Nolan Ryan, Doubleday to Skydome, baseball cards to Homer Hankies, the nation has been enthralled for decades with the business of baseball. Although the authors look to the future and consider changes that might occur in this profitable pastime, they assure that diamonds are forever.

On any given workday, any little thing might send Steve Smith?s thoughts spinning back to Saturday?last Saturday, Saturday two weeks ago, Saturday two years ago, back into the thrilling minutiae of game day?until reality reminds him: this is not how well-adjusted adults act. Steve Smith is not a well-adjusted adult. He?s a Nebraska football fan, and this is his rollicking account of what it?s like to be one of those legendary enthusiasts whose passion for the Cornhuskers is at once alarming and hilarious. ø A journey into an obsessed Nebraska fan?s soul, Forever Red immerses readers in the mad, mad world of Cornhusker football fandom?where wearing the scarlet-and-cream Huskers gear has its own peculiar rules; where displaced followers act as the program?s ambassadors, finding Cornhusker subculture beyond the pale; and where the team?s performance can barely keep pace with its followers? expectations but sometimes exceeds their wildest dreams. Blending wit and insight, Smith?s story of twenty-plus years following the team takes readers back to memorable game moments from 1980 to the new era under coach Bill Callahan, offering the uninitiated and the fellow fanatic alike a window on the world where fantasy and football meet, where dreams of glory and gritty gridiron realities forever join.

A remnant of dedicated fans joined in from the stands and surrounding grounds... Those left were there because they had to stay––not because they wanted to. 'Always the loser, never the champ,' Nick mumbled, the scuffed helmet still covering his face. A clump of grass from the final tackle still clung to the bars on the facemask. He kept the headgear well-secured to shroud his watery eyes, still glassy from the result of the night's battle. Looking around, he noticed at least ten others still keeping their helmets on.For thirty nine years, the phrase 'always a loser' echoed in the halls of not only the North Adams football team, but the entire Decatur community. Prognosticators reviewing this year's team with little talent and less size all said the Braves would add one more notch to their dismal history. For an entire city and a team of factory workers facing their own losses, the odds for success were even longer. 'Not this year' according to head football coach Tony Glandorf. 'No is not an answer,' four workers proclaimed. 'We will not fail,' the city's Mayor shouted out. As a player, two teams, and an entire city try to carry on in the face of continual adversity, can they find a way to 'run to the green'?Always a Loser, Forever a Championis inspired by true stories.

Cubs Forever celebrates the 60-year romance between the team, the superstation, and the fans. It brings to life some of the great games and moments in the team's history, such as Ernie Banks' 500th home run, the first night game at Wrigley Field, and four no-hitters. Add in stories from the men who work behind the scenes at Wrigley and WGN, plus interviews with the team's many stars over this six-decade period, and you have a baseball bonanza for fans of all ages.