This is the untold story of the city of Seattle, their beloved Sonics, and how the legacy of their stolen team created a transcendent hoops culture and a pipeline of NBA All-Stars, champions and icons with roots in the Emerald City and the Pacific Northwest. Few cities in the history of modern sports had a visceral connection to a professional sports team like the citizens of Seattle and their Sonics. Beginning with their first season in 1967 through their last in 2008, the city's love affair with their team and players was unlike any other. From Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Slick Watts, Downtown Freddie Brown and Jack Sikma, through Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp and the electric 90s era, all the way up to Ray Allen's run and Kevin Durant's single season, Hoops Heist explores the incredible impact of the Sonics locally and the importance of the franchise nationally. Featuring exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with Seattle legends, NBA Hall of Famers and the players who came of age in the Sonics' shadow, including Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy, Doug Christie, Jason Terry, Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and more, Hoops Heist captures the transcendence of the Pacific Northwest's basketball scene and its ongoing influence in today's NBA.
The complete, ultimate biography of Heisman Trophy winner, Florida State national champion and New York Knicks point guard Charlie Ward
It takes a once-in-a-generation athlete to win a national championship as a quarterback for Florida State, reach the Sweet Sixteen three times as a point guard for his school, and then go on to become a starting guard for the New York Knicks in an NBA Finals. Yes, Charlie Ward's athletic accomplishments truly know no peer. Combine a twelve-year NBA career with a College Football Hall of Fame career and the portrait of a humble, magnanimous leader takes shape.
The Athlete is the first definitive biography of Charlie Ward. Culled from hundreds of articles, clippings, books and original interviews with those who know Charlie best, this story begins with a foundation of college athletic excellence laid down by his father. From there, Jon Finkel traces Ward's background from small-town Thomasville, Georgia to football-crazed Tallahassee to basketball Mecca Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ward's remarkable journey includes staggering setbacks--from a near career-ending leg injury in high school, to academic obstacles prior to attending Florida State, to not being drafted by an NFL team after winning the Heisman Trophy. Through it all, Charlie's calm demeanor, high character and unshakeable faith buoyed his belief that be it basketball or football, grades or career, he was going to succeed and set a strong example along the way.
As electrifying as Charlie Ward's highlight reel, The Athlete is a towering sports biography, epic in scope and triumphant in its portrayal of one of the greatest modern athletes the world has ever seen.
It takes a once-in-a-generation athlete to win a national championship as a quarterback for Florida State, reach the Elite Eight as a point guard for his school, and then go on to become a starting guard for the New York Knicks in an NBA Finals. Yes, Charlie Ward's athletic accomplishments truly know no peer. Combine an eleven-year NBA career with a College Football Hall of Fame career and the portrait of a humble, magnanimous leader takes shape.
The Athlete is the first definitive biography of Charlie Ward. Culled from hundreds of articles, clippings, books and original interviews with those who know Charlie best, this story begins with a foundation of college athletic excellence laid down by his father. From there, Jon Finkel traces Ward's background from small-town Thomasville, Georgia to football-crazed Tallahassee to basketball Mecca Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ward's remarkable journey includes staggering setbacks--from a near career-ending leg injury in high school, to academic obstacles prior to attending Florida State, to not being drafted by an NFL team after winning the Heisman Trophy. Through it all, Charlie's calm demeanor, high character and unshakeable faith buoyed his belief that be it basketball or football, grades or career, he was going to succeed and set a strong example along the way.
As electrifying as Charlie Ward's highlight reel, The Athlete is a towering sports biography, epic in scope and triumphant in its portrayal of one of the greatest modern athletes the world has ever seen.
This is the untold story of the city of Seattle, their beloved Sonics, and how the legacy of their stolen team created a transcendent hoops culture and a pipeline of NBA All-Stars, champions and icons with roots in the Emerald City and the Pacific Northwest.Few cities in the history of modern sports had a visceral connection to a professional sports team like the citizens of Seattle and their Sonics. Beginning with their first season in 1967 through their last in 2008, the city's love affair with their team and players was unlike any other. From Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Slick Watts, Downtown Freddie Brown and Jack Sikma, through Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp and the electric 90s era, all the way up to Ray Allen's run and Kevin Durant's single season, Hoops Heist explores the incredible impact of the Sonics locally and the importance of the franchise nationally.Featuring exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with Seattle legends, NBA Hall of Famers and the players who came of age in the Sonics' shadow, including Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy, Doug Christie, Jason Terry, Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and more, Hoops Heist captures the transcendence of the Pacific Northwest's basketball scene and its ongoing influence in today's NBA.
Space Dream is the story of Hannah Arielle's spirit and tenacity to explore the galaxy one day. With the help of her baby brother, Josh, and her lovable pooch, Lucky, Hannah's crew embarks on an enchanting outer space adventure, symbolizing the inspiring message of pursuing dreams that others deem impossible.
Space Dream is the story of Hannah Arielle's spirit and tenacity to explore the galaxy one day. With the help of her baby brother, Josh, and her lovable pooch, Lucky, Hannah's crew embarks on an enchanting outer space adventure, symbolizing the inspiring message of pursuing dreams that others deem impossible.
For the first time in US History, every single president's athletic ability has been researched, reviewed and ranked by acclaimed author Jon Finkel (GQ, Men's Fitness, Life of Dad, The Athlete).
Which president saved 77 lives as a lifeguard? Which one's lucky handball is still sitting in the Smithsonian over a century after he last played with it? Which president invented a sport? Or practiced jiu-jitsu three afternoons a week while in office? Or was an NCAA champion? The answers to these questions (in order: Reagan, Lincoln, Hoover, T. Roosevelt, Ford) don't even scratch the surface of the awesome athletic information covered in Jocks in Chief.
By combining his fitness and sportswriting backgrounds, Finkel takes a thorough, and often hilarious, look at the athletic resumes of every single Commander-in-Chief. From the good (George H.W. Bush played in the College World Series) to the bad (Donald Trump doesn't believe in exercise) to the ugly (Calvin Coolidge regularly rode an electric horse in the White House).
In order to objectively rank each president, Finkel invented the White House Athlete Ranking (WH.A.R.), which gives a score of 1 - 10 across five categories, with each president receiving a total score from 0 to 50. The higher the score, the higher the president ranks athletically compared to his fellow POTUS's.
The WH.A.R. Categories Are
Executive Power - Ranks a president's overall physical strength.
Running Ability - Ranks a president's physical fitness and cardio throughout their life (both before and after office).
Fit for Office - Ranks how fit a president stayed once in office.
Executive Experience - Ranks the athletic accomplishments of a president.
Mettle of Honor - Ranks a president's athletic toughness and endurance.
If you still wear your hat backward like Griffey, think all the Prime flavors are dumb because Gatorade Citrus Cooler is the greatest sports drink ever, miss Blockbuster and Tower Records, destroyed your friends in Street Fighter, GoldenEye, and NBA Jam, can quote Tommy Boy and Billy Madison, and never missed Stu Scott on SportsCenter -this book, Generation Griffey, is for you.
I ranked 90 of the '90s things that made your dude childhood legendary. A rankfest, if you will. Ninety columns. By me. For you. For US. Why Generation Griffey? First, it's a great name. We've got alliteration, generation, and the quintessential athlete of that era: Ken Griffey Jr. Junior perfectly defines the era for late '80s and '90s kids because the apex of his career matches our childhood. From the day he joined the Mariners' lineup in 1989 through the next decade, nobody embodied '90s style (the backward hat), swagger (the swing, the smile, the commercials), and coolness (the kicks, the cameos, the crossover stardom) quite like Griffey.Lovable Lucky is the story of Hannah Banana's adventurous, child-longing New York City parents, who trek to a Pennsylvania farm hoping to find a one-of-a-kind golden-doodle. Hannah's parents discover more than they bargained for when a mischievous, rambunctious, yet incredibly lovable puppy becomes the serendipitous spark for their growing family.