The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs [Hardcover]

Len Berman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 2012 | Age Range: 9 and up

Everyone loves an underdog - and now you can experience and share the greatest upsets in sports history with The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs! This book plus audio CD is all about "the little guy," the athlete or team that seemingly has no chance. Any yet somehow they emerge victorious. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Greatest Moments in Sports comes this collection unlike any other. Through photos, facts, and thrilling stories, you'll uncover the greatest upsets the sports world has ever seen.

Why do so many people love underdogs? Probably because we've all felt like an underdog at some time or another. And discovering the stories behind the most unlikely heroes is sure to inspire the champion in you!

Hear the actual broadcasts:

•Buster Douglas knocks out undefeated Mike Tyson
•A dairy farmer defeats the "Russian Bear" in wrestling
•Injured Kerri Strug sticks a perfect vault landing
•and many more on an exclusive audio CD

Plus discover the amazing stories behind some of the most inspiring upsets ever:

•Doug Flutie throws the most famous pass in college football history
•Billy Mills becomes the only American to win gold at the 10, 000 meters
•Jim Abbott, the one-armed pitcher, throws a no-hitter
•University of Texas-El Paso upsets Kentucky to win the NCAA Basketball Championship
•and many, many more!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–9—Forty years as a sportscaster gives Berman plenty of experience to choose the 25 greatest sports moments. His writing is lively, humorous, and informative—just right to sustain kids' (or adults') interest. Quality photos throughout are another plus. Each of the entries for the individuals chosen includes a brief biographical profile with birth date, birthplace, height, weight, and a fact about their accomplishments. Other boxes feature interesting trivia such as the price of a baseball ticket in the 1930s being a little more than a dollar. Another describes the amazing typical breakfast for swimmer Michael Phelps. An audio CD that includes many of the moments as they were broadcast live is part of the package. A "Listen to the Moment" icon appears in the text to cue readers. Another positive is that definitions of various terms (e.g., horse racing's Triple Crown) are in the text instead of in a separate glossary. Of course, there are a few minor details that aren't so great, too. Only two women: Nadia Comaneci (her perfect 10 performance in the 1976 Olympics) and Billy Jean King (her highly publicized match against Bobby Riggs in 1973) and one women's team (1999 U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer) are highlighted. Arthur Ashe's profile (his 1975 Wimbledon Championship) omits the cause of his early death and his fight against AIDS discrimination. Nonetheless, this is an excellent choice for anyone who is into sports.—Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

There is always room to quibble about the choice of selections in any compilation of great sports events, and in this one, it could be argued that there is a bias toward male athletes. Of the 24 great moments highlighted, only 3 involve women. The pages feature a good mix of sports, however, with baseball, football, and basketball covered along with horse racing and boxing, and in some cases, the chapters move beyond moments to cover entire fascinating careers. Berman, a sportscaster, recounts each event in an appropriate gee-whiz tone, which is carried over to his narration on an accompanying CD that gives play-by-play audio highlights of many of the events covered in the book. One puzzler: Berman describes Wayne Gretzky’s hometown of Brantford, Ontario (population over 90,000) as a “tiny town.“ Still, readers and browsers will enjoy paging through this compendium’s stories and action-filled photos. Grades 6-9. --Todd Morning --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Har/Com edition (September 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140227226X
• ISBN-13: 978-1402272264
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Girl Scouts & Girl Guides

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Fact Checkers Needed! December 30, 2012

By Maeltor

Format:Hardcover

I looked at this book the other day at our local Barnes & Nobles for my two sons, who love football. I saw the cover picture was Vinny Peretta's overtime touchdown throw to #91 Derek Schouman in the Fiesta Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners.

I was shocked and dismayed when, as I looked for the story in the book, discovered that the author got the name of the team wrong, calling the "BSU BRONCOS" the Boise State Cowboys. Even getting the team mascot wrong.

With such a blatant lack of editorial oversight and inexcusable fact checking, I knew that I wouldn't be able to trust the facts in the rest of the book with respect to stories that I didn't know that well.

I thought about writing a letter to the publisher, however I doubt it would be useful. I did however inform the person behind the help desk station and show them the enormous error (the book was displayed in a prominent showcase shelf in the kids section).

Very disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift! December 10, 2012

By Barbara

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Given to a teenage boy who seemed to love it! i would recommend to anyone that nees a gift for a teenager.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Cowboys vs. Goliath September 5, 2012

By OBNUG

Format:Hardcover

It was a crisp September evening in 2001 when I watched my beloved Boise State Cowboys defeat the Oklahoma Sooners. At the time, no one much knew what to think of the Cowboys, or their zany bag of tricks...but soon the world would be captivated as the upstart Cowboys trampled the Sooners in quadruple overtime in front of a capacity crowd at Candlestick Park. I'll never forget seeing Jarett Zambino roll the ball to tailback Iggy Johansson to score the winning two-point conversion on, of all things, a Statute of Libertines play! Later Johansson proposed to his girlfriend at midfield. Truly a magical evening for Cowboy fans the world over! Thank you, Len Berman for helping me recall this magical game so vividly. Roll Cowboys!