Last Nine Innings: Inside the Real Game Fans Never See

"During my nine years coaching in the CBA, I thought I'd witnessed every possible scenario in that zany league, yet Carson Cunningham's Underbelly Hoops was a delightful revelation. Most impressive were his observations of the on- and off-court experiences of such a wide range of fascinating characters--from Chris Daleo, the over-the-top manic coach of the Rockford Lightning, to teammate Keith Closs, a free-spirited 7'3" shot-blocker with a big heart but a big vice. At turns hilarious and infuriating, Cunningham's memoir is also enriched by his lively writing style, his profound understanding of America's basketball culture, and his unadorned honesty. The result is a bountiful triple-double for Cunningham and a must read for hoop-o-philes of every persuasion."--Charley Rosen

A top college basketball player for Oregon State and Purdue and a native of Hoosierland Indiana who believed he could one day play in the NBA, Carson Cunningham came close. Well sort of close. He ended up in the minor leagues of professional basketball instead, in the storied and now defunct CBA, a league that has turned out a record-setting number of NBA players and coaches, such as Phil Jackson and George Karl. It wasnt glamorous, in fact the playing conditions in the CBA were pretty grim; near-empty arenas, interminable bus rides to nowheresville, oddball coaches, little loyalty from management, meager pay, these were a few realities of CBA life. And yet, even as it chipped away at your dignity and made little economic sense to remain, the CBA drew you in with the allure of action and the prospect of an NBA call-up. And it could inspire, like when you and your teammates caught a rhythm that made you remember why basketball is such a beautiful game, or when you saw guys continue to strive, to persevere, even if their dreams weren't fully realized.

Carson writes honestly, hilariously and often touchingly of his running and gunning days as a CBA also-ran, with flash backs to his college days where the future seemed brighter than a new pair of Nikes. A top recruit with superior ballhanding and shooting skills along with a sixth basketball sense, in 1997 Carson was a Sporting News All-American freshman who broke Gary Payton's freshman scoring record and a few years later helped his team at Purdue get within a game of the Final Four.

An insider's revealing look at the hidden world of major league baseball

Doug Glanville, a former major league outfielder and Ivy League graduate, draws on his nine seasons in the big leagues to reveal the human side of the game and of the men who play it.

In The Game from Where I Stand, Glanville shows us how players prepare for games, deal with race and family issues, cope with streaks and slumps, respond to trades and injuries, and learn the joyful and painful lessons the game imparts. We see the flashpoints that cause misunderstandings and friction between players, and the imaginative ways they work to find common ground. And Glanville tells us with insight and humor what he learned from Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and other legendary and controversial stars.

In his professional career, Glanville experienced every aspect of being a player—the first-round pick, the prospect, the disappointment, the can't-miss, the cornerstone, the veteran, the traded, the injured, the comeback kid. His eye-opening book gives fans a new level of understanding of day-to-day life in the big leagues. 

This memoir follows the journey of this average Joe who chases his dream and discovers there?s more to boxing than what can be seen inside the ropes. Chasing Rocky narrates Flaim?s foray into the boxing world, where he encounters a dubious boxing promoter who sees only dollar signs, a no-nonsense trainer who tests his resolve, an aspiring pro who longs for a title shot, and an icon who has inspired millions.

In this sweepingly ambitious overview of WorldWar II, Michael Burleigh combines meticulousscholarship with a remarkable depth of knowledgeand an astonishing scope. By exploring themoral sentiments of entire societies and their leaders,and how such attitudes changed under the impact oftotal war, Burleigh presents readers with a fresh andpowerful perspective on a conflict that continuesto shape world politics. Whereas previous historiesof the war have tended to focus on grand strategyor major battles, Burleigh brings his painstakingscholarship and profound sensibility to bear on thefactors that shaped choices that were life-and-deathdecisions. These choices were made in real time,without the benefit of a philosopher’s reflection,giving a moral content to the war that shaped it asdecisively as any battle.

Although the Nazis and the Japanese had radicallydifferent moral universes from those of theirAllied opponents, as rejected in the atrocities theycommitted, the Western Allies found themselvesaligned with a no less cruel dictatorship after rejectingthe option of appeasing aggression. The warwas the sum total of myriad choices made by governments,communities, and individuals, leadingsome to enthusiastically embrace evil and othersto consciously reject it, with a range of more ambiguouslyhuman responses in between. Spanningboth major theaters and ranging across these issuesand more, from the “predators” (Mussolini, Hitler,and Hirohito) to appeasement, from the rape ofPoland, Barbarossa, and strategic bombing to thecomplexities of justice and retribution, Moral Combatsheds a revealing light on how entire nationschanged under the shock of total war.

Emphasizing the role of the past in making senseof the present, Burleigh’s book offers essentialinsights into the choices we face today—in some circles it is always 1938 and every aggressor is a newHitler. If we do go to war, we need to know whatit will mean for the individuals who command and fight it. Original, perceptive, and astonishing inscholarship and scope, this is an unforgettable andhugely important work of Second World War history.