Search:

Straight shooter : a memoir of second chances and first takes / by Smith, Stephen A.(Stephen Anthony),1967-author.;
"America's most popular sports media figure tells it like it is in this surprisingly personal book, not only dishing out his signature, uninhibited opinions but also revealing the challenges he overcame in childhood as well as at ESPN, and who he really is when the cameras are off. Stephen A. Smith has never been handed anything, nor was he an overnight success. Growing up poor in Queens, the son of Caribbean immigrants and the youngest of six children, he was a sports-obsessed kid who faced a number of struggles, from undiagnosed dyslexia to getting enough cereal to fill his bowl. As a basketball player at Winston-Salem State University, he got a glimmer of his true calling when he wrote a newspaper column arguing for the retirement of his own Hall of Fame coach, Clarence Gaines. Smith hustled and rose up from a high school reporter at Daily News (New York) to a general sports columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer in the 1990s, before getting his own show at ESPN in 2005. After he was unceremoniously fired from the network in 2009, he became even more determined to fight for success. He got himself rehired two years later and, with his razor-sharp intelligence and fearless debate style, found his role on the show he was destined to star in: First Take, the network's flagship morning program. In Straight Shooter, Smith writes about the greatest highs and deepest lows of his life and career. He gives his thoughts on Skip Bayless, Ray Rice, Colin Kaepernick, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Cowboys, and former President Donald Trump. But he also pulls back the curtain and talks about life beyond the set, sharing authentic stories about his negligent father, his loving mother, being a father himself, his battle with life-threatening COVID-19, and what he really thinks about politics and social issues. He does it all with the same intelligence, humor, and charm that has made him a household name. Provocative, moving, and eye-opening, this book is the perfect gift for lovers of sports, television, and anyone who likes their stories delivered straight to the heart"--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Smith, Stephen A. (Stephen Anthony), 1967-; Sportscasters;

The Benchwarmers. by Dugan, Dennis,film director.; Spade, David,actor.; Heder, Jon,actor.; Lovitz, Jon,actor.; Scheider, Rob,actor.; Revolution Studios (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Rob ScheiderOriginally produced by Revolution Studios in 2006.The story of three guys who try to make up for their lack of athleticism when they were younger by forming a three-man baseball team to challenge a full squad of elementary school baseballers. They develop a large following of left-out kids as they head for a high-stakes, winner-take-all game with the best team of kids in the state.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Feature films.; Motion pictures.; Comedy.; Sports.;

The Academy A Novel [electronic resource] : by Hilderbrand, Elin.aut; Cunningham, Shelby.aut; Bennett, Erin.nrt; CloudLibrary;
This page-turning novel from #1 bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, follows an intertwined cast of characters over the course of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.  It’s move-in day at Tiffin Academy and amidst the happy chaos of friends reuniting, selfies uploading, and cars unloading, shocking news arrives: America Today just ranked Tiffin the number two boarding school in the country. It’s a seventeen-spot jump – was there a typo? The dorms need to be renovated, their sports teams always come in last place, and let’s just say Tiffin students are known for being more social than academic. On the other hand, the campus is exquisite, class sizes are small, and the dining hall is run by an acclaimed New York chef. And they do have fun—lots of parties and school dances, and a piano man plays in the student lounge every Monday night. But just as the rarefied air of Tiffin is suffused with self-congratulation, the wheels begin to turn – and then they fall off the bus. One by one, scandalous blind items begin to appear on phones across Tiffin’s campus, thanks to a new app called ZipZap, and nobody is safe. From Davi Banerjee, international influencer and resident queen bee, to Simone Bergeron, the new and surprisingly young history teacher, to Charley Hicks, a transfer student who seems determined not to fit in, to Cordelia Spooner, Admissions Director with a somewhat idiosyncratic methodology – everyone has something to hide. As if high school wasn’t dramatic enough...As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Family Life; Coming of Age; Contemporary Women;
© 2025., Hachette Audio,

Surf Film Tour. by Wilder Burns, Anna,film director.; Reagan, Collins,film director.; Goetz, Peter,film director.; Soliday, Todd,film director.; Bendix, Will,film director.; Monkey Wrench Films (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Originally produced by Monkey Wrench Films in 2025.Check out five of the best surf films from around the world. TO BE FRANK tells the story of an icon and local legend whose life orbits around a two-block stretch of beach. CHASING THE UNICORN traces the history of surfing in post-war Mozambique. In MINISTRY OF SURF, world champion surfers teach children with autism. Discover the world’s longest tidal wave in CHASING THE BONO. And a surf instructor finds his small business pushed to the brink in UNCLE BULLY'S SURF SCHOOL.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Health.; Motion pictures.; Arts.; Physical education and training.; Documentary films.; Mass media and culture.; Artists.; Sports.; Action and adventure films.; Surfing.; Popular culture.;

Hard Miles. by Daniel, R.J.,film director.; Diaz, Damien,actor.; Kelly, Jackson,actor.; Guillory, Jahking,actor.; David, Leslie,actor.; Modine, Matthew,actor.; Astin, Sean,actor.; Blue Fox Entertainment (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Damien Diaz, Jackson Kelly, Jahking Guillory, Leslie David Baker, Matthew Modine, Sean AstinOriginally produced by Blue Fox Entertainment in 2024.The uplifting true story of the bicycling team at a medium-security correctional school in Colorado. HARD MILES follows beleaguered coach Greg Townsend (Matthew Modine) as he rounds up an unlikely crew of incarcerated students for a seemingly impossible bike ride from Denver to the Grand Canyon.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Feature films.; Motion pictures.; Drama.; Sports.;

Regrets only / by Scott, Kieran,1974-author.;
"Paige Lancaster, single mom and prodigal daughter, has returned to the East Coast from her prestigious, well-paid job in LA, writing for the smartest detective series on television. Something terrible happened to her back in Hollywood. Okay, two terrible things, one featuring a misplaced tire iron--and now she's broke and homeless and living with her widowed mother and eight year old daughter, Izzy, in her hometown of Piermont, Connecticut: land of safe streets, good public schools, and a kick-ass Parent Booster Association. Paige can make this work, she's sure of it. Her dad, may he rest in peace, was Piermont's beloved police chief before he died two years ago. All she needs to turn her life around is to buckle down and concentrate on getting a new writing gig. But first, she has to get Izzy to school on time--the very same school that she herself attended, back in the day. That's Fail #1. Then she runs into John Anderson, the boy she loved in high school, now a wealthy hedge-funder, still as gorgeous as ever, and (shoot) very married--to gorgeous blond PBA president Ainsley Anderson. Then she almost gets a traffic ticket from sexy blue-eyed police officer Dominic Ramos. And has a run-in with fellow parent Nina, a prim, self-righteous accountant (with an unaccountably sexy husband) who's convinced that someone is siphoning funds from the PBA account to the tune of tens of of thousands of dollars. Queen Bee Ainsley doesn't believe for a moment that anyone is stealing anything from the PBA. Neither does her posse of fellow PBA moms--Lanie, Dayna, and Bee--even though they're thick as, well, thieves. They're so close they even sport matching necklaces. Paige is determined to win them over, though it's not going to be easy, But when she shows up at the annual Parents and Pinot fundraiser, held at Ainsley and John's dazzling mansion in the toniest part of Piermont, she's caught in a compromising (though not unpleasant) position with John, accidentally rips a jagged hole in the guest bathroom, overhears an incriminating conversation, and discovers that her purse has gone missing. And later that night, Ainsley turns up dead at the bottom of her driveway. Did she fall? Or was she pushed? Dominic, aka Hot Cop, asks Paige to look into things in an unofficial capacity. She's a parent at the school, after all, and could be a useful undercover informant. But she's only written about detectives, never actually been one. Still, Dominic does have such beautiful eyes. And doing a little sleuthing means she can spend more time with John. Could he really be capable of murder? Is Nina on to something with her suspicions? Is Lanie's wish to take over as PBA President just the goal of an ambitious mom, or something darker? What's with the matching necklaces? And will Paige's decidedly unsavory past in California catch up to her? On second thought, maybe there's a new television season in the cards for Paige after all"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Novels.; Embezzlement; Murder; Parents' and teachers' associations; Single mothers; Television writers; Women detectives;

Black boys like me : confrontations with race, identity, and belonging / by Morris, Matthew R.,author.;
"Startingly honest, bracing personal essays, from educator and writer Matthew Morris, that explore the intersection of race, Black masculinity, hip-hop culture, and education. This is an examination of the parts that construct my Black character; from how public schooling shapes our ideas about ourselves to how hip-hop and sports are simultaneously the conduit for both Black abundance and Black boundaries. This book is a meditation on the influences that have shaped Black boys like me. What does it mean to be a young Black man with an immigrant father and a white mother living on Indigenous land? In Black Boys Like Me, Matthew Morris grapples with this question, and others related to identity and belonging. He explores the tension between his consumption of Black culture as a child, his teenage performances of the ideas, identities, and values of the culture that often betrayed his identity, and the ways society and the people guiding him--his parents, coaches, and teachers--received those performances. What emerges is a painful journey toward transcending performance altogether, toward true knowledge of the self."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Essays.; Morris, Matthew R.; Black people; Black people; Black people; Race awareness; Race awareness.; Black Canadians;

Call me Indian : from the trauma of residential school to becoming the NHL's first treaty Indigenous player / by Sasakamoose, Fred,1933-author.; Masters, Meg,author.;
"Trailblazer. Residential school survivor. First Indigenous player in the NHL. All of these descriptions are true--but none of them tell the whole story. Fred Sasakamoose suffered abuse in a residential school for a decade before becoming one of 125 players in the most elite hockey league in the world--and has been heralded as the first Canadian Indigenous player with Treaty status in the NHL. He made his debut with the 1954 Chicago Black Hawks on Hockey Night in Canada and taught Foster Hewitt how to correctly pronounce his name. Sasakamoose played against such legends as Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard. After twelve games, he returned home. When people tell Sasakamoose's story, this is usually where they end it. They say he left the NHL after only a dozen games to return to the family and culture that the Canadian government had ripped away from him. That returning to his family and home was more important to him than an NHL career. But there was much more to his decision than that. Understanding Sasakamoose's decision to return home means grappling with the dislocation of generations of Indigenous Canadians. Having been uprooted once, Sasakamoose could not endure it again. It was not homesickness; a man who spent his childhood as "property" of the government could not tolerate the uncertainty and powerlessness of being a team's property. Fred's choice to leave the NHL was never as clear-cut as reporters have suggested. And his story was far from over. He continued to play for another decade in leagues around Western Canada. He became a band councillor, served as Chief, and formed athletic programs for kids. He paved a way for youth to find solace and meaning in sports for generations to come. This isn't just a hockey story; Sasakamoose's groundbreaking memoir intersects Canadian history and Indigenous politics, and follows his journey to reclaim pride in an identity that had previously been used against him."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Sasakamoose, Fred, 1933-; Hockey players; Native hockey players; Cree; First Nations;

Albatross : a novel / by Fallis, Terry,author.;
From two-time Leacock Medal winner Terry Fallis comes a funny and smart new novel about destiny--and what it means to forge your own path. Adam Coryell is your average high-school student--well, except for that obsession with fountain pens--when his life changes forever. Based on a study by a quirky Swedish professor that claims that every human being, regardless of athletic inclination, has a body that is suited to excel in at least one sport, it turns out that Adam is good--very good, in fact--at golf. Even though he'd never even picked up a golf club. Almost instantly, and with his coach, hard-nosed Bobbie Davenport by his side, Adam and his new-found talent skyrocket to a prodigy-level stardom that includes tournament titles, sponsorship deals, throngs of fans following his every move, and fodder for tabloids. But here's the catch: Adam doesn't really like golf. And as the life he once knew slips away--including the love of his life, the dream of being a writer, and everyday normalcy--he can't help but wonder if all this success and fame is worth it ... or if it's enough for him. Heartwarming and funny, sweeping and entertaining, Terry Fallis's new book takes readers on a journey of self-discovery.
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Bildungsromans.; Sports fiction.; High school students; Golfers; Golf;

The Winning Season. by C. Strouse, James,film director.; Col, Caitlin,actor.; Minifie, Colby,actor.; Paolo, Connor,actor.; Ratray, Devin,actor.; Rios, Emily,actor.; Roberts, Emma,actor.; Hecht, Jessica,actor.; Martindale, Margo,actor.; Witri, Meaghan,actor.; Hinkle, Melanie,actor.; Graver, Melissa,actor.; Corddry, Rob,actor.; Mara, Rooney,actor.; Rockwell, Sam,actor.; Dowdeswell, Shana,actor.; Epps, Shareeka,actor.; Gordillo, Vanessa,actor.; Lionsgate (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Caitlin Col, Colby Minifie, Connor Paolo, Devin Ratray, Emily Rios, Emma Roberts, Jessica Hecht, Margo Martindale, Meaghan Witri, Melanie Hinkle, Melissa Graver, Rob Corddry, Rooney Mara, Sam Rockwell, Shana Dowdeswell, Shareeka Epps, Vanessa GordilloOriginally produced by Lionsgate in 2010.A washed-up has-been is brought on to coach the local girls' high school basketball team, but he never imagined how this experience would alter his life and theirs. Starring Sam Rockwell, Emma Roberts, Rob Corddry, and Rooney Mara.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Feature films.; Sports.; Comedy.; Motion pictures.;