Wish It Lasted Forever

Wish It Lasted Forever
Author: Dan Shaughnessy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2021-11-16
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1982169990

From award-winning Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, an “entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) and nostalgia-filled retelling of the 1980s Boston Celtics’ glory years, which featured the sublime play of NBA legend Larry Bird. Today the NBA is a vast global franchise—a billion-dollar industry seen by millions of fans in the United States and abroad. But it wasn’t always this successful. Before primetime ESPN coverage, lucrative branding deals like Air Jordans, and $40 million annual player salaries, there was the NBA of the 1970s and 1980s—when basketball was still an up-and-coming sport featuring old school beat reporters and players who wore Converse All-Stars. Enter Dan Shaughnessy, then the beat reporter for The Boston Globe who covered the Boston Celtics every day from 1982 to 1986. It was a time when reporters travelled with professional teams—flying the same commercial airlines, riding the same buses, and staying in the same hotels. Shaughnessy knew the athletes as real people, losing free throw bets to Larry Bird, being gifted cheap cigars by the iconic coach Red Auerbach, and having his one-year-old daughter Sarah passed from player to player on a flight from Logan to Detroit Metro. Drawing on unprecedented access and personal experiences that would not be possible for any reporter today, Shaughnessy takes us inside the legendary Larry Bird-led Celtics teams, capturing the camaraderie as they dominated the NBA. Fans can witness the cockiness of Larry Bird (who once walked into an All-Star Weekend locker room, announced that he was going to win the three-point contest, and did); the ageless athleticism of Robert Parish; the shooting skills of Kevin McHale; the fierce, self-sacrificing play of Bill Walton; and the playful humor of players like Danny Ainge, Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, and M.L. Carr. For any fan who longs to return—for just a few hours—to those magical years when the Boston Garden rocked and the winner’s circle was mostly colored Boston Green, Wish It Lasted Forever is a masterful tribute to “the Celtics from 1982–1986 [that] is so good even fervent Celtics haters will have trouble putting it down” (New York Post).

Summary of Dan Shaughnessy's Wish It Lasted Forever

Summary of Dan Shaughnessy's Wish It Lasted Forever
Author: Everest Media,
Publisher: Everest Media LLC
Total Pages: 39
Release: 2022-03-20T22:59:00Z
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1669355241

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The Boston Red Sox, a big bowl of bad, were never any good, and they were constantly cannon fodder for the New York Yankees. The Red Sox never won a World Series since 1918, when Babe Ruth roamed the Fenway lawn. #2 The Boston Celtics are the prime example of how New Englanders have been title deprived. The team has never won a championship, but they have been champions almost every year since the 1950s. #3 The Auerbach-Russell Celtics were a model team that produced a nightly clinic of team-over-self basketball. They were lean and hungry, and they preached fast break offense at all times. #4 The Celtics were the first team in the NBA to integrate racially, drafting the first Black player in 1950. They were also the first team to integrate successfully, and no one was offended when Auerbach made references to blacks in a positive light.

Summary of Dan Shaughnessy's Wish It Lasted Forever

Summary of Dan Shaughnessy's Wish It Lasted Forever
Author: Milkyway Media
Publisher: Milkyway Media
Total Pages: 39
Release: 2022-04-27
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN:

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The Boston Red Sox, a big bowl of bad, were never any good, and they were constantly cannon fodder for the New York Yankees. The Red Sox never won a World Series since 1918, when Babe Ruth roamed the Fenway lawn. #2 The Boston Celtics are the prime example of how New Englanders have been title deprived. The team has never won a championship, but they have been champions almost every year since the 1950s. #3 The AuerbachRussell Celtics were a model team that produced a nightly clinic of teamoverself basketball. They were lean and hungry, and they preached fast break offense at all times. #4 The Celtics were the first team in the NBA to integrate racially, drafting the first Black player in 1950. They were also the first team to integrate successfully, and no one was offended when Auerbach made references to blacks in a positive light.

Senior Year

Senior Year
Author: Dan Shaughnessy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2007
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0618729054

The author chronicles his son's senior year of high school baseball, the boy's obsession with and talent for sports, and his efforts to keep his grades up while deciding what college to attend and avoiding problems until graduation.

Francona

Francona
Author: Terry Francona
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 389
Release: 2013
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0547928173

Francona explores his tenure in Boston, examining how the beleaguered Red Sox reached incredible highs and equally incredible lows under his management, including several championship victories.

Bird Watching

Bird Watching
Author: Larry Bird
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Total Pages: 187
Release: 1999-12-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0446930431

Larry Bird captured the imagination and admiration of basketball fans throughout his thirteen-year career with the Boston Celtics with his trademark style of creative, intelligent, exciting, and hard-nosed play. And then, last year in his rookie season as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, he infused the team with these same qualities -- and the results were remarkable. He turned around a slumping franchise and led the Pacers to the conference finals. To finish off a great season, Bird was named the NBA's "Coach of the Year" -- quite an accolade for Bird, who had never coached before and surprised many fans with his unusual and unorthodox coaching methods. This book is a look into one of the greatest minds to have ever stepped on a hardwood court. Larry Bird shares his inner thoughts on basketball that to date only his Celtic teammates and Pacers players have been privy. From dissecting offensive and defensive strategies to assessing the talent of NBA players; from sharing the genesis of his coaching philosophies to how he deals with today's overpriced and temperamental players, it's all there. This book is Larry Bird's basketball playbook, and it's the one book every basketball fan will want to read. Cover design by Tom Tafuri Cover photograph by Glenn James/NBA Photos

Paradise Found

Paradise Found
Author: Bill Plaschke
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2021-11-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 006301453X

"Friday Night Lights meets Unbroken." —Tony Reali | "One of the most profound stories you will ever read." —Ian O'Connor | "Plaschke delivers a masterpiece." —Jeff Pearlman From L.A. Times columnist and ESPN Around the Horn panelist Bill Plaschke, a story of tragedy, triumph, and the remarkable power of high school football in one small California town On November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire ravaged the town of Paradise, California. The fire, which burned up to 80 acres per minute, killed 86 people, and nearly every building and home in the town was reduced to ashes. In a single day, Paradise, a proud working-class town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, saw its population fall from 25,000 to 2,000. The Paradise High football team had long been the town’s source of joy and inspiration. But in the wake of the fire, their season was abruptly cancelled on the eve of the playoffs. Their championship hopes were gone. Their program’s survival seemed doubtful—it wasn’t even clear whether Paradise High would continue to exist. Coach Rick Prinz had planned to retire that year after guiding the Paradise High Bobcats for two decades. But after the fire forever altered his beloved town, he realized he couldn’t walk away. What ensued was the challenge of a lifetime. Of the 104 football players at Paradise, 95 had lost their homes. His varsity squad, which had stood 76 strong the previous season, was down to 22. Most of those who remained were homeless, sleep-deprived, lost. On the first day of spring practice, on a debris-ridden patch of grass at nearby Chico Airport, Prinz’s team didn’t even have a football. It was the humble beginning to a memorable journey. Bill Plaschke, longtime columnist for the Los Angeles Times, followed the Paradise Bobcats throughout a most remarkable season. In this gripping, deeply-reported story of tragedy and resilience, Plaschke reveals the unique power of sports to unite, to inspire, and to heal. As the Paradise players fought to rebuild their broken lives, they found strength in the support of their teammates—and as football returned to Paradise, so, too, did the spirit of the town itself.

If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics

If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics
Author: Cedric Maxwell
Publisher: Triumph Books
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1641257210

A behind the scenes perspective on Boston Celtics history from two-time champion Cedric Maxwell Having won two NBA titles with the Celtics before joining the broadcasting team as a radio analyst, Cedric Maxwell knows what it means to live and breathe Celtics basketball. In If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics, Maxwell opens up about his life and career and provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can, from Larry Bird to the Big Three era and up to the current roster. Featuring conversations with players and coaches past and present as well as off-the-wall anecdotes only Maxwell can tell, this indispensable volume is your ticket to Celtics history.

Let Me Tell You a Story

Let Me Tell You a Story
Author: Red Auerbach
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2007-09-03
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0316030104

"Did I ever tell you about Wilt Chamberlain?" "Did I ever tell you about Bob Cousy?" "Did I ever tell you about Joe DiMaggio?" Whenever Arnold "Red" Auerbach starts a sentence with those six words -- "Did I ever tell you about . . ." -- anyone within earshot should prepare to hear a marvelous story. As a living legend among sports fans, Red Auerbach -- the fiery coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships, eight of them consecutive -- has long been renowned for his formidable personality: brash, opinionated, and unfailingly accurate. As a coach, he had a great eye for talent, drafting such Hall of Famers as Bill Russell and Larry Bird, and managed to build a powerful franchise with an abiding legacy. Red never stood still along the sidelines and was never seen without his trademark cigar. Now in retirement, at age eighty-seven, he remains a lively part of the game, still consulted by coaches, players, and general managers. And his admirers continue to be legion. Not long ago a former president postponed a meeting with Bill Gates so as not to pass up the chance to talk with Red. For the past several years, John Feinstein has met regularly with Red Auerbach and his friends in a series of raucous, unforgettable sessions. Out of those smoke-and-laughter-filled rooms have emerged the stories of Red's life, from his childhood on the playgrounds of Brooklyn to his triumphs at the famed Boston Garden, where he coached for sixteen years. Just listen as Red colorfully recalls all the players and coaches he has worked with and played against: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, Sam Jones, and Michael Jordan -- you name them, the basketball greats are all here. Red holds nothing back. In Let Me Tell You a Story, Red Auerbach's unique experiences in sports and John Feinstein's unparalleled skills as a storyteller combine to produce one of the most richly entertaining books ever written about the game of basketball.

Reversing the Curse

Reversing the Curse
Author: Dan Shaughnessy
Publisher: HMH
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2006-04-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 054734693X

“A true insider’s perspective on the 2004 Red Sox” and their World Series win, from the bestselling author of Curse of the Bambino (USA Today). On October 27, 2004, the Red Sox won their first World Series Championship in eighty-six years—breaking the infamous Curse of the Bambino and giving diehard fans the thrill of a lifetime. Reversing the Curse preserves one of the greatest stories in sports history with an absorbing account of the team—a raggedy lineup of motorcycle-riding, whiskey-drinking rogues—and the key events that led to their incredible championship victory. A more epic sports saga could not have been invented: Here we have the curse that began with Babe Ruth; a team of comeback kids determined to prove their mettle; the perennial rivalry against the Yankees; and a historic win that was celebrated around the world. Dan Shaughnessy captures the Sox triumph in all its drama and euphoria with penetrating insight, a keen sense of history, and unparalleled insider access. With photographs by the Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Stan Grossfeld, Reversing the Curse is the definitive record of a landmark moment in baseball history. “[Shaughnessy is] adept at capturing the mood, the emotion, the palpable feel of the Boston-New York showdown.” —The New York Times “In story after story of near-triumph, the book should delight the team’s most fanatically loyal followers.” —Publishers Weekly