Titles by Ross Bernstein

<DIV>In <EM>Slap Shot Original</EM>, Dave Hanson gives readers not only a behind-the-scenes look at what life was like on the set during the filming of the classic movie, but also treats them to stories from the actors and players themselves.</DIV>

Wearing the “C” insignia on the uniform—a badge of honor reserved for team captains—is professional hockey’s highest honor, and this study discusses how many of the NHL’s all-time greatest players were captains. This exciting new book—an entertaining and enlightening blend of hockey stories and leadership lessons—reveals the secrets of hockey’s greatest captains by asking questions such as What does it take to lead a team to championship? What are the keys to overcoming unexpected adversity? and How does a captain manage strong egos from diverse backgrounds into a unified, focused team? To get the inside story, author Ross Bernstein interviewed more than 100 of the all-time greatest captains, assistant captains, and head coaches, including Wayne Gretzky, Scotty Bowman, Phil Esposito, and Joe Sakic. An ideal book for any hockey fan, this work recounts some of the greatest moments in NHL history.

Presented in a unique reversible-book format, this is the ultimate guide to the relationship and spectrum of emotions involved—from adoration to loathing—between National Football League fans and quarterback Brett Favre. Filled with amusing anecdotes and history as well as plenty of interesting trivia and inside scoops, the book shares the enlightening stories of teammates, coaches, media, and of course NFL fans themselves. Like two books in one, this completely biased account of the argument is an entertaining look at both sides of opinion on one of professional football's most unforgettable stars.

Presented in a unique reversible-book format, this is the ultimate chronicle of the public reaction to a certain former Alaskan governor who is famous or infamous, depending on who is speaking. Both sides of the Sarah Palin argument find strong and unabashedly-biased voices in the book, including quotes and interviews with fascinating figures that include Glenn Beck, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney in the pro-Palin camp, and Conan O’Brien, Maureen Dowd, and James Carville to balance the discussion in the anti-Palin camp. Functioning as two books in one, this account of the fans and critics of Sarah Palin shows that when it comes to controversial and highly-publicized political personalities, there is no fine line between love and hate.

To raise the Vince Lombardi trophy means victory, and victory means surviving the epic journey fraught with peril and adversity that is the game of professional football—a unique life-changing moment that is captured in exciting detail in this collection of sports history. Each year, the National Football League awards the prestigious trophy to the Super Bowl–winning team, an honor that some players will spend an entire career without experiencing. Bestselling sports author Ross Bernstein interviewed more than 100 of the fortunate few from NFL history, both players and coaches, who share the common thread of being championship winners.

Steeped in a history and tradition that spans three centuries, the Stanley Cup is without question the most unique and storied trophy in all of professional sports. Ross Bernstein, the bestselling author of more than 40 sports books, interviewed more than 100 current and former NHL players and coaches who have had the unique and distinct privilege of raising Lord Stanley's holy grail above their heads after winning hockey's ultimate prize. The book features in-depth interviews, rich history, and inspirational stories of determination and perseverance from players and coaches of all eras, including Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Scotty Bowman, Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, Dustin Byfuglien, Joe Sakic, and many more. Raising Stanley features more than just tales about the ecstasy of winning, however. It's about the honor, courage, and sacrifice shared with teammates; the playoff beard; the dramatic Game 7s; the closed-door captain's practices; the coaching wisdom, and the "playoff make-up" (the cuts, stitches, and bruises that inevitably appear on playoff faces). Superstars of yesterday and today also share funny and poignant behind-the-scenes stories, from bench-clearing brawls to rookie hazing initiations to hilarious tales about where some of the game's biggest names have taken the Cup during the off-season.

An in-depth and behind the scenes to explore the history of football's unspoken expectations of all who are involved with the game each Sunday, this engaging look the inner workings of the sport of football includes interviews with more than 100 current and former NFL players, coaches, front office employees and media personalities to examine how players go about their business on the field of play. They explain why various "rules" are expected among players and what tactics are used during games. This work discusses the top controversies on the gridiron, including the New England Patriots illegally taping the Jets defensive coaches' signals in 2007, wide receivers and defensive backs using stickum to help catch balls, offensive linemen using silicone to make it difficult for defensive players to grab their jersey, how Tony Mandarich beat steroid testing during his playing days, and Lawrence Taylor's career-ending hit on Joe Theismann on Monday Night Football in 1985. In addition to analyzing the reasons for controversial actions in football, Ross Bernstein elaborates further by covering the unspoken code of players, coaches, and even the referees.

In The Code: Baseball's Unwritten Rules and Its Ignore-at-Your-Own-Risk Code of Conduct, author Ross Bernstein has pulled back the curtain on baseball's tacit rules regarding retaliation, sportsmanship, and intimidation. The result of dozens of interviews with some of the biggest names in the game, this work is a systematic description of every major "unwritten rule" in the game today—from brushback pitches, bunting during a no-hitter, and running up the score, to home-run celebrations, stealing signs, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

For decades, hockey crowds have been brought to their feet for one of the most exciting aspects of NHL games—the fights. The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL by Ross Bernstein takes you in-depth and behind the scenes to explore the history of fighting during hockey games and the honor system behind it. More than 50 NHL players, coaches, and media personalities were interviewed to examine how players go about their business during a fight on the ice. They explain why fighting is allowed and what tactics are used before, during, and after the melees. The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL discusses the top reasons why the gloves come off during hockey games.

Saddam Hussein used a boyhood friend of his as a smoke screen when he was grabbing control of Iraq in the 1960s. Knowing that the country was enamored with wrestling, Hussein forced his former classmate, Adnan Al-Kaissy, to wrestle in giant spectacles that the public loved. Much like the gladiator matches staged by Roman Caesars, Hussein's wrestling matches featuring Al-Kaissy were intended to entertain and appease the masses while Hussein became dictator. Al-Kaissy became a living legend in Iraq, amassing great wealth and popularity, but he left all of that - and more than $2 million in the bank—when he fled in the middle of the night and bribed his way out of the country. Al-Kaissy became known to generations of wrestling fans in U.S. as "Chief Billy White Wolf", "The Sheik" and most famously as "General Adnan." No other celerity has a story similar to Al-Kaissy's, and his autobiography will keep sports fans and political enthusiasts equally raptured.