It has been reported that 40 million sports fans watch or listen to the NFL Draft for three days every year. For me personally, it's a year round endeavor. Since 1979, my first year of involvement in the draft, it has grown and developed into its own type of cottage industry. The Draft (because of its addicting nature) has brought new revenue to the NFL. The driving force behind this new source of revenue has always been Draftnik's like the late Joel Buschbaum, Mel Kiper and others like me. We are Draftnik's and the unexpected affect the draft has had on us is an American story in itself. It's a story of a person creating something out of nothing and making it important (in this case) to the sports world. It's also a story about how interest in the draft was the driving force in my life, which helped me to indentify and deal with being Dyslectic.

An explosive look at the NFL Draft from the inside out that exposes the multilayered feeding frenzy that swarms around America's top college players. The Draft follows a handful of NFL hopefuls through the ups and downs of the 2004 college football season and the predraft process, culminating with the 2005 draft. Among the prospects are Virginia defensive end Chris Canty, who overcomes a devastating early-season knee injury to reestablish himself as a top draft hopeful, only to suffer a detached retina in a nightclub skirmish; and Fred Gibson, a talented but rail-thin Georgia wide receiver who struggles to put on the weight needed to go over the middle in the NFL. It's a complex environment, with college coaches attempting to protect their "student-athletes" from exploitation (while fully aware that they can only remain competitive if they attract NFL-caliber players to their schools), along with sports agents and NFL scouts trying to stay a step ahead of their competition. These parties provide a multi-angled view of the world of emerging NFL talent. The reader follows the season through the eyes of a host of power players and scouts, from veteran agent Pat Dye Jr. to Jerry Maguire clone Jack Scharf, to the coaching divisions of Florida State University and the University of Virginia--headed by longtime Bill Parcells disciple Al Groh. Also central to the narrative are the Atlanta Falcons and former executives Rich McKay and Tim Ruskell, who use a character-based evaluation system to set their draft board. These parallel stories weave together, culminating in draft weekend, to create a gripping and fascinating look at a world few see from the inside.

Readers are taken on a journey from the beginning of the Minnesota franchise through the no-nonsense Bud Grantera and the high-flying offensive days of Cris Carter and Randy Moss.

A collection of the popular ESPN columns and segments in which any two items that come to mind -- such as the Kentucky Derby vs. the Indianapolis 500 or Babe Ruth the player vs. Baby Ruth the candy bar -- are compared in Bakay's irreverent and hilarious style. Bakay's Tale of the Tape is an institution that occupies a unique niche as ESPN's only comedic department appearing frequently on ESPN.com's Page 2, and each month in ESPN The Magazine, and regularly during ESPN broadcasts. Now for the first time ever in one place, ESPN fans can find all of their favorite "Tales of the Tape" columns, even the classics such as Tiger Woods vs. James Bond, Michael Jackson vs. Mike Tyson, and Indy 500 vs. Kentucky Derby. Fans will be thrilled to learn that the book also includes new tales -- ones too long for print and others too racey for broadcast! Fans will not want to miss this collection.

Take a journey from the infant stages of football in Minnesota up through the Vikings’ four Super Bowl appearances in Bill Williamson and Eric Thompson’s Tales from the Minnesota Vikings Sideline. For more than fifty years the Vikings have established themselves as one of the premier teams in the NFL. Perhaps the most successful team to never win a Super Bowl, the Vikings have nevertheless harbored a rich tradition of winning football. Now fans of this Midwest powerhouse will relive all the history, all the passion, and all the tantalizingly glory of Vikings football within these pages. Remember the bone-chilling days of old Metropolitan Stadium? Or the no-nonsense, in-your-face coaching style of Bud Grant? From Cris Carter to Fran Tarkenton, Randy Moss, Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Teddy Bridgewater and more, this newly revised edition of Tales from the Minnesota Vikings Sideline has it all!

The 2021 edition of The New York Times Bestselling Guide. PLAY BALL! The 26th edition of this industry-leading baseball annual contains all of the important statistics, player predictions and insider-level commentary that readers have come to expect, along with significant improvements to several statistics that were created by, and are exclusive to, Baseball Prospectus, and an expanded focus on international players and teams. Baseball Prospectus 2021 provides fantasy players and insiders alike with prescient PECOTA projections, which The New York Times called “the überforecast of every player’s performance.” With more than 50 Baseball Prospectus alumni currently working for major-league baseball teams, nearly every organization has sought the advice of current or former BP analysts, and readers of Baseball Prospectus 2021 will understand why!