General Sports

Ercel Ellis Jr. was born into the Thoroughbred horse business and has worked in it for seventy-five years.

He has been an owner, breeder, trainer, writer and radio broadcaster. His radio show, Horse Tales, has run for twenty years. For all his work, he won the Charles W. Engelhard Award for contributions to the industry. During his life, Ercel has amassed a trove of stories on some of the biggest names in Thoroughbred racing, like Mata Hari, Spy Song and world-famous Man o' War. He also includes stories of lesser-known horses like Dark Mirage, El Chico, Blue Peter and By Jimminy. Join Ercel as he entertains with fascinating stories from more than seven decades with Thoroughbreds.

A chronicle of Minnesota’s hockey excellence in the world’s top hockey league—the NHL

The years 1960 to 1982 were a watershed moment for Minnesota hockey, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes has enjoyed hockey success ever since. In that time, pioneering homegrown players like Bill Nyrop, Dave Langevin, Reed Larson, Mike Ramsey, Dave Christian, Neal Broten, Paul Holmgren, and Phil Housley established themselves as bona fide stars at the games’ highest and most competitive level. More recently, another remarkable group of native sons—including Zach Parise, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglein, and T. J. Oshie—left their mark on the league.

Profiling more than seventy players and compiling Minnesota NHL records gathered nowhere else, Jeff Olson celebrates the brilliant achievements of Minnesotans in the National Hockey League.

Go inside the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry that is Auburn-Georgia.

The rivalry between Auburn University and the University of Georgia began in 1892 and has largely been a competition more brotherly than bitter. According to one legend, Auburn's "War Eagle" battle cry originated at the first game between the two schools. The first overtime game in SEC history occurred in 1996, when Georgia topped the heavily favored Tigers, 56-49, in four extra periods. Renowned UGA coach Vince Dooley graduated from Auburn, while Auburn coach Pat Dye was an All-American at UGA. Join award-winning journalist and Athens, Georgia, native Doug Stutsman, who was raised by Auburn graduates, as he recounts the unforgettable games, moments and personalities on the 125th anniversary of the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

Never before seen photographs depict the interesting history of Delaware Horse Racing.

Although Delaware is a small state, it has a rich history of horse-related activities, one of them being horse racing. From the early 1900s, horses have been used for various reasons, including farm work, means of transportation, pasture ornament, pleasure riding, and the popular sport of horse racing. Delaware Horse Racing takes the reader back decades to the good old days of popular tracks, such as Brandywine Raceway, Georgetown Raceway, Delaware Park Raceway, Dover Downs Raceway, and Harrington Raceway, where Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds raced hard and fast on half-mile and five-eighths-mile dirt tracks. Gathered from the collections of horsemen and horsewomen, previously unpublished historical photographs show legendary owners, trainers, drivers, and racehorses.

Rockford's baseball history continued with minor league teams, industrial league teams, and other teams both semi-pro and amateur. The city again gained national attention with the four-time champion Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954). The excitement of professional ball in the Forest City continues today with the Rockford River Hawks of the Frontier League. Baseball in Rockford tells the players' stories from 1865 to the present, illustrated with vintage photographs throughout.

Baseball in Reading captures for the first time the images of the teams, players, and ballparks that have made the city one of minor-league baseball's true legends. Claiming the title Baseballtown in 2002, Reading has a baseball legacy that dates back to the late 1800s. Only three other minor-league teams have remained in the same location for a longer period of time. Players such as Charlie Wagner, Roger Maris, and Rico Petrocelli have contributed to the rich history that unfolds in Baseball in Reading.

Hop aboard the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway for a trip across the trestle to Gasparilla Island.

Natural beauty and the sportfishing life brought the Cabots, Vanderbilts and Du Ponts to this island paradise, where local fishing families danced, ate and drank with the rich and famous at their castles on the beach. As the wealthy played, they relied on locals for everything from fishing charters to literally laundering and ironing their money. These are tales of 1920s rum smugglers whose offspring smuggled marijuana in the 1970s, a woman who caught 236 tarpon in one season and a bar owner whose Pink Elephant restaurant fed American presidents. James Bond’s Goldfinger even has a part as an island player. From Placida to Boca Grande Pass to Cabbage Key, fourth-generation Gasparilla Islander David Futch offers a wild ride with Bull Bay hermits and billionaires.

Baseball fans will be captivated with these stories and images of the sport in Delmarva, Maryland between 1922 and 1949.

Between 1922 and 1949, the citizens of Delmarva enjoyed watching baseball the way it was meant to be played. Loyal Eastern Shore baseball enthusiasts were blessed to witness three eras of professional class ""D"" baseball, supporting their favorite teams, including the Parksley Spuds, Salisbury Indians, and Dover Orioles. The local faithful cheered on homegrown legends such as Frank ""Home Run"" Baker and Jimmie Foxx, both destined for enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Wonderful photos of teams and players, going back to the first in 1947, a pictorial history of this iconic American sporting event!

Little League Baseball is a microcosm of American history, filled with countless anecdotes, good fortune, adversity, and hope. In 1947, when the first Little League Baseball World Series was played, there were seventeen leagues in two states. Since then, Little League has achieved global recognition and has touched the lives of children and families in more than one hundred countries. The World Series is the culmination of dedication and teamwork in more than sixteen thousand games ending in a sixteen-team tournament in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Little League Baseball World Series remembers the history of the tournament and its role in bringing together communities. More than two thousand five hundred spectators witnessed the first championship game in 1947, when the Maynard Midgets took home the trophy, and the results were printed in newspapers around the country. Now, millions more tune in to ABC's Wide World of Sports and ESPN for live coverage of the final game. Little League Baseball has enriched the lives of more than thirty million boys and girls who have worn a Little League uniform. Well-known figures such as Derek Jeter, Kevin Costner, and Pres. George W. Bush were all Little League players. The Little League Baseball World Series celebrates this rich baseball history and the best teams the league has produced through the years.

One Hundred stories from the last century that salute the legacy of Wrigley Field and its beloved Cubs.

Charge through the turnstiles of this collection of personal stories about baseball's greatest ballpark and the sacred space it occupies in the hearts of Cubs fans and the soul of Wrigleyville. With contributors like Bob Costas, Rick Sutcliffe and Steve Stone, these 100 stories reflect the variety of millions of Cubs fans around the world, from those whose relationship with the Friendly Confines has lasted a lifetime to those who are taking their seats up close to the ivy for the very first time.

In the early 1800s, Saratoga Springs was mostly a tourist destination because of its natural mineral waters and their healing powers.

But that changed in 1863 with the opening of the Saratoga Race Course. From then on, summers in the Spa City came alive with the excitement of the sport of kings. Since the victory of the great horse Kentucky in the introductory Travers Stakes, the racecourse has showcased the sport's greatest champions. Otherwise seemingly uncatchable thoroughbreds--including Man o' War and Secretariat--faced unexpected defeat on its turf, earning Saratoga the nickname the Graveyard of Champions. Author Kimberly Gatto chronicles the story of the oldest thoroughbred racetrack in the country, with tales of the famous people and horses that contributed to its illustrious history.

Give the ball to Leroy,” the “Carmel Connection,” “Holy Toledo!” & More

Over its century in existence, Ross-Ade Stadium hosted thousands of memorable moments. Here are the 100 greatest games from the stadium’s first 100 years. Go inside Ross-Ade as Purdue clinches the 1929 Big Ten Championship and Bob Griese plays a perfect game against top-ranked Notre Dame in 1965. Relive Drew Brees leading the Boilermakers on a dream-come-true Rose Bowl season in 2000 and a former walk-on quarterback sinking #3 Michigan State with an epic passing performance.

From Jack Mollenkopf to Jim Young, Tiller Time to the Brohm Squad, Rod Woodson’s epic Old Oaken Bucket battle to the Tyler Trent game, author and Purdue alum gathers the moments in Ross-Ade when legends were made.

Discover why Indian Lake was known as "Ohio's Million Dollar Playground" for much of the 20th century.

Indian Lake, in northwestern Ohio, was originally a group of smaller lakes and wetlands occupying 640 acres. Over the years, the Lewistown Reservoir that served as a feeder lake for the Miami-Erie Canal was converted into Indian Lake State Park. Entrepreneurs were quick to jump on the opportunities Indian Lake offered. Sandy Beach Amusement Park offered roller coaster rides and other attractions and hosted concerts by nationally known big bands. Through the centuries, the character of Indian Lake has changed, and condominiums and permanent homes now dot the waterfront.