Name: Football in Long Beach
Brand: Mike Guardabascio
SKU: 9781609495459
Price: 23.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Football in Long Beach

9781609495459

$23.99

The roots of football run deep in Long Beach, where Long Beach Polytechnic High School has produced more players who have played in the National Football League than any other high school in the United States. Poly's storied program has fed the NFL a wide variety of top players, including such receivers as Johnny Morris, Gene Washington, Tony Hill, Stephone Paige, Marcedes Lewis and DeSean Jackson. This authoritative citywide pigskin history by Mike Guardabascio includes the football sagas of other area high schools, as well as the legacies of Long Beach State and Long Beach City College, which have enjoyed their own brands of national recognition.

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The Dover-Phila Football Rivalry:

9781596299917

$21.99

It was 1908, and Dover had just upset a far superior New Phila football team. A group of DHS students set forth on a streetcar to gloat in the Phila square. They were met with eggs, and the football rivalry, which had been simmering, began in full. Through the lens of this rivalry's greatest games, traditions emerge and passions mount as The Game becomes Game Week and community pride hinges on the outcome. Whip through the first snake dances, paint the rock and revisit the early clashes in the fairgrounds through the 100th game and beyond. Whether you remember Paul Miskimen's field goal in 1946 to beat the Tornadoes, Don Watsons ninety-four-yard fumble return for Dover in 1989 or Richard Sindiland's dominating performances in 2004 and 2005, this book commemorates triumphs for all fans of this classic Ohio rivalry.

Sport Lauderdale

9781596291454

$21.99

Broward County, Florida's location, its climate and the facilities it offers athletes make it a natural training ground for winners in a variety of sports. Broward County is a hotbed for athletic activity. From serious sluggers to hard-charging halfbacks, Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area have produced superstars in a wide variety of sports—even ice skating and hockey. Featuring over thirty photographs of phenomenal area athletes, this fun, accessible history details the story of nearly every sport to touch the field, court, and ice of Broward County, covering youth and high school teams, NCAA and NJCAA, as well as professional teams. Golf pros, tennis aces, super swimmers and even the stars of soapbox derby all share some time in the sun in Sport Lauderdale.

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United in Rivalry:

9781596296541

$21.99

Around Richmond, it's simply known as "The Classic." From 1938 to 1979, Armstrong High and Maggie Walker High, the only two all-black high schools within the city limits, converged on the gridiron each Thanksgiving weekend as spirited rivals. Each year more and more people packed the old City Stadium, sometimes as many as thirty thousand, sometimes too many to count. They cheered as the players fought for field position, pride, and bragging rights, and when the game was over, they fought for equality in the face of segregation, prejudice, and Jim Crow justice. Enjoy a view from the press box as Richmond sports historian Michael Whitt offers a summary of every Armstrong-Maggie Walker Classic and the often volatile social and political context in which they were played. The two schools may have produced one of Virginia's greatest prep rivalries, but they also helped shape its greatest achievement in unity.

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Cañonero II

9781626190474

$21.99

In the months leading up to the 1971 Kentucky Derby, Canonero II was an unknown horse with a Venezuelan trainer who spoke only Spanish.

The Derby experts laughed when an exercise boy rode the horse out on the track with no saddle or stirrups. But the laughter promptly ended when Canonero II charged to the front from twenty lengths back to win the Derby, followed by a victory at the Preakness Stakes in track record time. In recounting Canonero II's quest to become the first Triple Crown winner since Citation, award-winning turf historian Milt Toby tells the compelling story of how one man's wildly improbable dream became the dream of a nation and how a bargain-basement yearling born with a crooked front leg became the people's horse.

Marietta College Baseball

9781609494643

$24.99

Nestled at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory resides one of the most dominant college baseball dynasties in the nation. The Marietta College Pioneers--known as the 'Etta Express for the way they've barreled over opponents for half a century--own a record five NCAA Division III National Championships, including 2011. Finally, the best-kept secret in college sports springs to life as author Gary Caruso digs into the personalities behind this incredible success story to reveal the compelling human drama that's made Marietta College baseball a treasure all readers are sure to enjoy.

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Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Champions

9781625858351

$21.99

Since the 1940s, forty racing champions have traveled the hallowed grounds at the historic Aiken Training Track. Thoroughbred icons such as Kelso, Tom Fool, Swale, Pleasant Colony, Conquistador Cielo and Shuvee trained at this world-renowned track. Numerous members of the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame won the biggest races in the sport. These champions combined for a total of 546 wins in 1,395 starts, including wins in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Race along with author Lisa J. Hall as she pays homage to these equine champions and an Aiken legacy.

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Baseball in Alabama

9781467138789

$24.99

Although football may first spring to mind when talking about sports in Alabama, the state has certainly made its mark with the national pastime. Thirteen players with Alabama roots are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including all-time greats like Hank Aaron, Ozzie Smith and Satchel Paige. Bob Veale of Birmingham led the National League in strikeouts in 1964. Superstars and former players like Bo Jackson and Britt Burns give back to their home state by organizing charities and coaching Alabama's next generation of players. Author and baseball historian Doug Wedge explores stories from this rich history.

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Baseball in the Mahoning Valley

9781467151986

$23.99

Around the horn in the Mahoning Valley The history of baseball in Ohio's Mahoning Valley has been, to say the least, eventful. Murder, the Civil War, the hot dog, a presidential assassination and one of the deadliest known volcanic eruptions all shaped America's pastime in the Valley. African American baseball pioneer and Hall of Fame inductee Bud Fowler began his professional baseball career in the area, and the first ceremonial celebrity first pitch came from the arm of a prominent local. The area also contributed to Cleveland professional ballclubs like the enigmatic 1883 Blues and the 2016 Believeland Indians, which included numerous players from the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a minor-league team with its own rich heritage. Digging up little-known facts about Fowler and sundry other colorful stories, local author and creator of Eastwood Field's Days Gone By exhibit PM Kovach celebrates the proud history of baseball in northeast Ohio.

Baseball in Pensacola

9781609497828

$24.99

The Western Gate to the Sunshine State boasts an epic history of hardball, dating back nearly to the beginning of the sport. Sunshine, loyal fans and pristine beaches have attracted baseball's best athletes to Pensacola--from stars like Babe Ruth and Ted Williams to the Blue Wahoos, modern-day affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds. The city is home to major-league teams during spring training, minor-league teams during the season and baseball fanatics year-round. Whether it's following big-league icons or cheering high school future stars, Pensacola's love affair with baseball runs deep. Team up with local author Scott Brown as he details the area's greatest moments in America's oldest pastime.

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Kentucky Handicap Horse Racing

9781626194694

$21.99

In a handicap, horses are assigned weights based on their past performances as a way to try to create evenly matched fields. The better the horse, the heavier the weight assigned. In the United States, handicaps once accounted for the majority of stakes races and were known to boast large purses attracting the leading horses of the day. Kentucky-bred horses such as Discovery, Equipoise and Kelso won under the heaviest of weights, dominating the handicap division year after year, and were immortalized in the hall of fame. These equine stars brought recognition to the Sport of Kings and became renowned athletes for their courage, fortitude and durability. Join author and turf historian Melanie Greene as she recounts the harrowing tales of these noble steeds.

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Kern County Sports Chronicles

9781626191440

$21.99

Moon Mullen was an integral member of George Halas's old Chicago Bears. Verl Lillywhite played on the mid-century San Francisco 49ers, integrating the pro football roommates' tradition by bunking with Joe The Jet Perry. Rodeo star Chuck Roberson doubled for John Wayne when the stunt work got dicey. Jay Carty played on the Los Angeles Lakers with Jerry West. George Culver tossed a no-hitter for the Cincinnati Reds. What these former athletes and others profiled in this collection have in common is Kern County, California, and the good fortune to have had Bryce Martin covering their careers. With decades of experience writing for top publications, former St. Louis Cardinals prospect Martin offers a collection of profiles that forms a veritable Kern County sports hall of fame.

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Central Florida Thoroughbreds:

9781626190757

$21.99

Back in the 1940s, when Florida was the Wild West of the East, a few hearty souls dared to think they might compete with the finest, blue-blooded racehorses and their breeders with their own stock raised among palm trees, sand and alligators. Florida was the cracker cowboy state, and cowponies were expected. But the scoffers failed to realize what the wealth of limestone, the power of warm sunshine year round and the cold, crystalline freshwater springs that are the gems of central Florida would mean to the raising of healthy, competitive animals. When the first Thoroughbreds produced in Florida, admittedly small and scrappy, began to outrun their pedigrees," the nation of Thoroughbred breeders had to take notice. Join author Charlene R. Johnson as she details the fascinating equine history of central Florida."

High School Football in South Carolina

9781596299795

$23.99

South Carolina has a proud tradition of high school football stretching back to the 1890s, making the sport one of the most celebrated in the state. Discover how Florence High School-- sometimes dubbed the Yellow Jackets or the Golden Tornados--won the first four state titles, a record that has been tied but never broken. And learn about the aftermath of a 1922 game between Columbia and Charleston, when violent Columbia fans hurled eggs at the Charleston train as the players left for home. Through the 1960s, the sport withstood the immense pressure of integration until 157 teams ballooned into 193 by the end of the decade. John Boyanoski reveals the trophies, tears, and triumphs of the Palmetto State's time-honored football legacy.

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Celebrating Old Friends

9781467137836

$21.99

Over the last decade Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY, has put a new face on the concept of equine aftercare.

When Michael Blowen first dreamed of creating Old Friends, he envisioned a place where Thoroughbred stallions could retire with dignity following their racing or breeding careers. He also wanted people to visit the iconic horses.

In 2003, Old Friendsopened on leased land with a miniature horse named Little Silver Charm, a gelding named Invigorate and a mare named Narrow Escape. Today, the two-hundred-plus-acre farm in Georgetown has more than 160 retired Thoroughbred stallions, geldings and mares, including two Kentucky Derbywinners. It even welcomed two satellite farms, one in New York and one at Kentucky Downsracetrack.

In his follow-up to History of Old Friends, Rick Capone revisits the unforgettable history of this horse retirement home.

Belmont Park

9781609497538

$21.99

Belmont Park is best known for the annual Belmont Stakes, the challenging final leg of racing's Triple Crown. But Belmont is also renowned because nearly every American champion Thoroughbred has competed on its grounds. Named for the illustrious Belmont family, the track has seen many exciting races since it opened in 1905. In addition to the eleven Triple Crown winners, Belmont Park has hosted legends of yesteryear--such as Man o' War and Nashua--and modern-day superstars like Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. In addition to the Belmont Stakes, the track is home to other important races, including the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Met Mile, and it periodically hosts the Breeder's Cup. Join author Kimberly Gatto as she explores Belmont's most exciting moments.

Aurora's East-West Football Rivalry

9781626195554

$23.99

For over 120 years, the people of Aurora, Illinois, have gathered together to watch East Aurora and West Aurora High Schools square off in what is now Illinois' longest-running football rivalry. Since first taking to the gridiron in 1893, the schools have laid claim to mythical state championships, represented Illinois in intra-sectional games and pioneered night football. Alumni from these storied rivals include college all-Americans, Hall of Fame coaches, decorated war heroes, an Olympic medalist, a charter member of the NFL, numerous successful high school coaches, outstanding businessmen and civic leaders, including former mayors of Santa Monica, California, and Des Moines, Iowa. Author Steve Solarz pored over the records of more than two thousand games to produce a work that is both an encyclopedic resource and a passionate account of a celebrated tradition.

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Gamecock Glory

9781609492540

$21.99

After more than one hundred years of craving a champion, the University of South Carolina finally has one. The 2010 Gamecock baseball team won six consecutive games over eight summer nights to take the College World Series and lay claim to the school's first major national championship. From dancing around in a dark locker room to singing "Silent Night"? on the team bus after every victory in Omaha, these Gamecocks were as fun-loving as they were talented. And they did it all in the name of one special boy, seven-year-old Bayler Teal. Bayler passed away before he could see his beloved Gamecocks triumph, but the team's victory is a tribute to their number one fan. Join the Post and Courier's Travis Haney as he recounts this incredible team's historic season.

Marist Football

9781609498092

$21.99

On Fridays in the fall, a fog rises from Nancy Creek behind Marist School's Hughes Spalding Stadium and floats across the football field. The apparition, called the Ghosts of Marist Football, represents the Great Spirit of Marist High School, a school Sports Illustrated ranked number fifteen in its list of top athletic programs in the country. The War Eagle tradition boasts more than six hundred victories, a trophy case filled with championships and thirty straight years of playoff appearances in Georgia high school football, all while playing much larger schools. Join author and Marist alumnus Franklin Cox for three years inside the Spartan-esque tradition and learn why no team dares allow itself to dishonor the glorious roll call of War Eagle history.

Oregon Sports Stories

9781626191570

$21.99

Oregon has its share of playmakers, dramatic finishes and legendary coaches. With humor and insight, Oregon native and longtime sportswriter Bob Robinson relates highlights from six decades of coverage throughout the state. Blazermania overruns the Rose City as the Trail Blazers take down the favored Philadelphia 76ers in 1977. Oregon State's Orange Express, coached by Ralph Miller, captivates the state in 1981 before a shocking stumble in the NCAA playoffs. University of Oregon's Bill Dellinger kickstarts the school's distance-running tradition with a stunning win in 1954. In the 1970s, Mouse Davis performs coaching magic at Portland State with his Run and Shoot football offense. In these twenty essays, Robinson offers a unique, behind-the-scenes account of some of Oregon's greatest sports moments and game-changing personalities.

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Byrnes High School Football:

9781609491697

$19.99

Byrnes High School football has sparked a legacy of champions since its inception in 1955. It was one of the first schools in South Carolina to desegregate, and it now boasts nine state championship wins. Team historian and former Rebel Zachary Johnson (class of '99) traces the evolution of the Rebels, from their first win over Blue Ridge High in 1955 to their now nationally televised games. Included are stories of the incredible coaches and players, such as Coach Bobby Bentley, who brought the team to the Class 4-AAAA playoffs ten times, and tailback Marcus Lattimore, who scored 104 touchdowns during his tenure at Byrnes. With a generous collection of statistics, all-time records and photographs of every team, this book is a must-have for every proud Rebel.

Cleburne Baseball

9781467137010

$21.99

Shortly after Cleburne landed the largest railroad shops west of the Mississippi, it set its sights on securing a professional baseball team. Against the odds, Cleburne became a Texas League town in 1906. After the first championship, the Railroaders loaded a train and left Cleburne. The town's professional teams would amass two championships, three pennants and several legendary major league players, including Tris Speaker, before disappearing. Despite lacking a professional club, the town continued to field teams at all levels, until the Railroaders made their triumphant return in 2017. Scott Cain shares a century of Cleburne baseball, including the cowboys who gunned down fly balls to intimidate umps, the pro team that played the Chicago White Sox and the city councilman who was a scorekeeper for the Negro Leagues in the 1950s.

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Football and Integration in Plano, Texas

9781626195011

$21.99

The year 1964 was momentous for civil rights as Congress passed the Twenty-fourth Amendment and Texas's own Lyndon B. Johnson unveiled his plan for the Great Society. That same year, the Plano school district integrated, setting an example for the state and nation. The tightknit community banded together through a language fluent to everyone--football. The Wildcats had few winning seasons and no state titles at that time, but with hard work and a trailblazing spirit, coaches Tom Gray and John Clark led the integrated team all the way to state championship victory in 1965. The Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation, Inc. presents the inspiring story of the Wildcat fight for the title that made Plano a better place to live.

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Florida's First Big League Baseball Players

9781596291164

$21.99

In recent years, Florida's playgrounds have produced an abundance of exceptional professional baseball players: Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Luis Gonzales and Tino Martinez, to name only a few. Before 1950, however, only twenty-six Florida boys made it to the pros got their shot in the big leagues.

Players like Tampa's Al Lopez, a Hall of Fame member and baseball's first Hispanic manager, and Pensacola native Russ Scarritt, who set the Boston Red Sox record for most triples in a season his rookie year, blazed a trail that has opened the door for many of today's baseball superstars. Florida's First Big League Baseball Players, by baseball historian and enthusiast Wes Singletary, is a narrative journey into the early days of baseball in Florida before 1950.

When this project was undertaken only eight of the original twenty-six players were still living. Written from hours of interviews and presented in a narrative form that is engaging and informative, this collection allows the reader to journey back to a time when the game was more innocent and the heart of the men playing, a little bigger.

Florida's First Big League Baseball Players

Dabo's Dynasty

9781467143905

$21.99

Go inside the making of the 2018 Clemson Tigers football team, the one that vaulted to the top and became the biggest thing in college football.

From the beginning of the season, head coach Dabo Swinney's rallying cry was "joy." Each week for opponents, though, was another joyless occasion against a big orange machine that found its high gear midseason. The results shook the foundation of college football. In 2015 and 2016, the Tigers needed to bring their own guts to achieve great things. In Swinney's 10th season, they brought their own sledgehammers. Author Larry Williams, who has covered Clemson and Swinney since 2004, unearths revealing anecdotes from Dabo's tenure like you've never seen before and shares how a season dominated by Alabama hype ended up overwhelmed by a Clemson tide and a new college football dynasty.