With loyal fans supporting their major sports teams in the Seahawks (NFL), Mariners (MLB) - plus a rabid fan base for University of Washington jocks - Seattle is a great place for a sports debate. Local sports-radio talker Mike Gastineau teams up with longtime sportswriters Steve Rudman and Art Thiel to bring Seattle sports history to life with this provocative and enjoyable - not to mention debatable - book of lists. They also enlist list contributions by famous players, coaches, and Seattle celebrities including Mike Holmgren, Matt Hasselbeck, Ichiro Suzuki, George Karl, Pearl Jam, Kevin Calabro, Sir Mix-a-Lot, and more.

Sports talk in America has evolved from small-time barroom banter into a major media smorgasbord that runs 24/7 on TV and radio. With hundreds of billions of dollars generated annually by pro and college teams in major markets nationwide, sports fans across the country are more dedicated than ever to their teams. And when it comes to sports talk -- especially all-sports radio -- it's all about entertainment, information, prognostication, analysis, rankings, and endless discussion. Prominent sports-media figures in each of the three target cities -- Cleveland, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. -- engage in this phenomenon with a compilation of sports lists sure to delight as well as stir up debate within these already-buzzing sports communities. List topics include: What were the most lopsided trades in local sports history? Who were the most overrated athletes to play in our town? What local athlete had the best appearance in TV or film? What was the most heartbreaking loss in local sports history? What was the greatest single play in local sports history? Who are our team's most hated rivals? Plus dozens of "guest" lists contributed by famous local sports and entertainment celebrities. Following each of the four major pro sports teams -- the Redskins (NFL), the Capitals (NHL), the Nationals (MLB), and the Wizards (NBA) -- plus prominent college sports programs such as Georgetown and Maryland, D.C.'s fans have a vast array of choices, and Andy Pollin and Leonard Shapiro are the guys who help sort them out.

"Seattle Sports: Play, Identity, and Pursuit in the Emerald City explores the vast and varied history of sports in Seattle. From national championships to intracommunal play and the elimination of racial, ethnic, and gender barriers, the essays in Seattle Sports explore the city's highly visible as well as more clandestine sporting moments"--

Becoming Big League is the story of Seattle's relationship with major league baseball from the 1962 World's Fair to the completion of the Kingdome in 1976 and beyond. Bill Mullins focuses on the acquisition and loss, after only one year, of the Seattle Pilots and documents their on-the-field exploits in lively play-by-play sections. The Pilots' underfunded ownership, led by Seattle's Dewey and Max Soriano and William Daley of Cleveland, struggled to make the team a success. They were savvy baseball men, but they made mistakes and wrangled with the city. By the end of the first season, the team was in bankruptcy. The Pilots were sold to a contingent from Milwaukee led by Bud Selig, who moved the franchise to Wisconsin and rechristened the team the Brewers. Becoming Big League describes the character of Seattle in the 1960s and 1970s, explains how the operation of a major league baseball franchise fits into the life of a city, charts Seattle's long history of fraught stadium politics, and examines the business of baseball. Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hwhl5sLoQs&list=UUge4MONgLFncQ1w1C_BnHcw&index=1&feature=plcp

Penn State fans number in the millions and can be described in one word: rabid. This book presents lists about the good, the bad, and the ugly in Nittany Lion sports history. From Favorite Players to Greatest Flukes, Best Players to Worst Losses, this is a must-read book for anyone who's had the pleasure of yelling "We are Penn State!" Includes original contributions from famous PSU alumni!

There's nothing more important to Bostonians than their sports teams. From the Red Sox and Celtics to the Patriots and Bruins to a number of major college programs, millions of fans from all generations discuss, debate, and live-and-die with their hometown squads all year long. In The Great Book of Boston Sports Lists, two high-profile sports-media pros -- along with original contributions from over 20 famous sports heroes and fans including Fred Lynn, Dave Goucher, Mike Eruzione, Dan Shaughnessy, Adam Vinatieri, Mayor Ray Flynn, Micky Ward, Zdeno Chara, Bill Rodgers, and more -- fan the flames of the ongoing sports debate with informative and entertaining lists that highlight and rank the best, worst, and most remarkable of local sports past and present.

Chicago sports fans are the most passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated in the country. Now, the Windy City's top sports-radio jock and a longtime native sportswriter engage this phenomenon with a compilation of informative and entertaining lists sure to stir up dialogue and debate within the buzzing Chicago sports scene. With original contributions from top Chicago sports and entertainment personalities such as Norm Van Lier, Bill Wennington, Dan Jiggetts, Pat Hughes, Len Kasper, John McDonough, Mike North, U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, and many more, this is a must-have reference and entertaining read for all jocks, wannabes, haters, dreamers, and died-in-the-wool Chicago sports fans.