Owen Finnegan defines ?Boston sports fan.' A Boston-area native and a semi-retired city worker in Wellesley, he has been a rabid follower of Boston's professional teams since childhood, and like many who grew up on Orr, Espo, and Cheevahs, he is a particular fan of the Bruins. But who else in Boston has collected four hundred books of sports trivia?! In this collection devoted to firsts involving the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins, Finnegan offers nearly 1,000 stumpers that range from questions the above-average fan should know (Q. Which two Sox outfielders' first three Major League hits were all home runs? A. Billy Conigliaro and Mike Greenwell) to questions that will amuse and entertain, even if you don't know the answers (Q. Which Celtic was the first player to break a backboard in the NBA? A. Chuck ?The Rifleman? Connors).

The Rock, the Curse, and the Hub is a collection of original essays about the people and places of Boston sports that live in the minds and memories of Bostonians and all Americans. Each chapter focuses on the games and the athletes, but also on which sports have defined Boston and Bostonians.

A history of sports in Boston told through its parks and arenas.

Shut Out is the compelling story of Boston's racial divide viewed through the lens of one of the city's greatest institutions - its baseball team, and told from the perspective of Boston native and noted sports writer Howard Bryant. This well written and poignant work contains striking interviews in which blacks who played for the Red Sox speak for the first time about their experiences in Boston, as well as groundbreaking chapter that details Jackie Robinson's ill-fated tryout with the Boston Red Sox and the humiliation that followed.

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.

Following in the footsteps of Robeson, Ali, Robinson and others, today’s Black athletes re-engage with social issues and the meaning of American patriotism Named a best book of 2018 by Library Journal It used to be that politics and sports were as separate from one another as church and state. The ballfield was an escape from the world’s worst problems, top athletes were treated like heroes, and cheering for the home team was as easy and innocent as hot dogs and beer. “No news on the sports page” was a governing principle in newsrooms. That was then. Today, sports arenas have been transformed into staging grounds for American patriotism and the hero worship of law enforcement. Teams wear camouflage jerseys to honor those who serve; police officers throw out first pitches; soldiers surprise their families with homecomings at halftime. Sports and politics are decidedly entwined. But as journalist Howard Bryant reveals, this has always been more complicated for black athletes, who from the start, were committing a political act simply by being on the field. In fact, among all black employees in twentieth-century America, perhaps no other group had more outsized influence and power than ballplayers. The immense social responsibilities that came with the role is part of the black athletic heritage. It is a heritage built by the influence of the superstardom and radical politics of Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos through the 1960s; undermined by apolitical, corporate-friendly “transcenders of race,” O. J. Simpson, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods in the following decades; and reclaimed today by the likes of LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, and Carmelo Anthony. The Heritage is the story of the rise, fall, and fervent return of the athlete-activist. Through deep research and interviews with some of sports’ best-known stars—including Kaepernick, David Ortiz, Charles Barkley, and Chris Webber—as well as members of law enforcement and the military, Bryant details the collision of post-9/11 sports in America and the politically engaged post-Ferguson black athlete.

Every Boston fan knows that the only thing better than watching sports is arguing about them - picking the best, the worst and who will come out on top.

"While reliving the glory of Beantown’s incredible run of championship play, and enjoying colorful, insightful commentaries about legendary athletes like Brady, Russell, Bird, Orr, and Martinez, a host of off-the-beaten-path facts and figures takes you beyond the numbers. Build a battery of knowledge that will soon be the envy of all your friends, and celebrate the city of champions with The Ultimate Boston Sports Handbook." --supplied by publisher.

In a single moment, an entire career reputation can be sealed and a franchise’s history cemented thanks to a last-second, game-winning finish, and this book chronicles 50 of the most memorable finishes in Boston sports. Vibrant four-color photos, statistics, quotes, and stories offer fresh details on some of the most famous events in Boston sports history, including Carlton Fisk’s Fenway Moment, “Havlicek Stole the Ball!,” Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary in Miami, and the Red Sox’s Greatest Comeback Ever. For those sports fans too young to have seen these famous moments or for those who wish to relive them over and over again, this encyclopedia of sporting greatness is a must-have for all passionate Boston fans.