(3) 4-6 Spectacular Sports series. "Baseball wasn't always centered on hitting the ball over the fence." Doeden's well-organized presentation begins by tracing the game's evolution from a focus on "methodically moving runners from base to base" to celebrating powerful, record-breaking home runs (a discussion of the steroids era is included). Other accessible chapters cover physics of the home run, "some of the most memorable long balls in major-league history," the twenty-five "most prolific home run hitters," and the home run's MLB future. Enhanced with lots of action photos, Doeden's engaging style brings the story to life. A glossary, source notes, a reading list, and an index are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Spectacular Sports series. Spectacular Sports series. Doeden's lively, fast-paced narrative first addresses what clutch means in a sports context. Then he focuses on individual and team sports in which an athlete or team has responded positively or negatively to game-changing challenges, often resulting in surprising, nail-biting finishes. Well-chosen action photos provide young sports enthusiasts with glimpses of clutch players and performances throughout modern history. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Spectacular Sports series. A mix of historical black-and-white and contemporary color photos effectively complement Doeden's information- and action-packed narrative describing the origins of soccer and the history of men and women's World Cup competitions. The book features exciting highlights from memorable Cup games and heroics from star players. Full-page inserts also discuss World Cup incidents involving bribery, fan "hooliganism," and on-field rough play.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Spectacular Sports series. Tracing how college football and basketball developed over the past century, these books focus on the two very different annual competitions that determine "Who's No. 1?" in each sport. Doeden also includes short profiles of the most exciting games, memorable moments, and the best teams. Sharp color and black-and-white photos complement the straightforward texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Spectacular Sports titles: The College Football Championship and The Final Four.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Spectacular Sports series. Tracing how college football and basketball developed over the past century, these books focus on the two very different annual competitions that determine "Who's No. 1?" in each sport. Doeden also includes short profiles of the most exciting games, memorable moments, and the best teams. Sharp color and black-and-white photos complement the straightforward texts. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Spectacular Sports titles: The College Football Championship and The Final Four.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) YA Spectacular Sports series. The book first traces the development of mixed martial arts from ancient Olympic roots to popular contemporary sport. From there it describes the basics of an MMA bout, famous fights, great fighters, and memorable moments, with small color photographs appearing throughout. Though the text is dry, it will be of high interest to MMA fans. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) 4-6 Spectacular Sports series. This whirlwind history is filled with profiles and photos of famous pro wrestlers and their loosely scripted, usually violent antics and "moves." Jones covers the unending business maneuvering of competing wrestling federations, identified with often confusing acronyms. The action-packed book will be devoured by young devotees of wrestling entertainment. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman