Best Selling Books by Armen Keteyian

"Drawing on more than four hundred interviews with people from every corner of Woods''s life Benedict and Keteyian construct a psychological profile of an African-American child programmed by an attention-grabbing father and the original Tiger Mom to change not just the game of golf, but the world as well"--

The gripping and eye-opening memoir from the “Savior of Nike” and the man who discovered Michael Jordan, Sonny Vaccaro. Written in collaboration with six-time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian, Legends and Soles provides context and truth to the sensational media stories and headlines, including: Vaccaro’s pivotal role in the never-before-told story of the courting and signing of Michael Jordan How Nike, at the behest of an embittered Knight, went as far as having the Portland FBI investigate Vaccaro who was working for archrival Adidas on a RICO charge of corporate espionage His close relationships with NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady, and Hall of Fame coaches Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV and John Thompson of Georgetown The high stakes drama behind the O’Bannon lawsuit that changed the entire landscape in college sports Filled with in-depth stories illuminating some of Sonny’s most treasured career memories, Legends and Soles is the long-awaited memoir of a giant of American sports and a marketing genius.

“An explosive tell-all book.”—Sports Illustrated “This is a must-read masterpiece.”—Paul Finebaum, ESPN college football analyst and New York Times bestselling author Two of the nation’s most respected sports journalists team up for a vital, hard-hitting investigation into the tumultuous state of big-time college football. We are living in the Wild West of college sports. Name, Image and Likeness endorsements, the transfer portal, collectives, conference realignment, and the powerful influence of media companies have all rendered the notion of amateur athletics a quaint relic of the past, replaced by a Brave New World where money, self-interest, and a powerless NCAA rule. The Price is a sweeping, in-depth work of investigative sports journalism that looks at an inflection point in big-time college football. Six time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian and award-winning national college football reporter John Talty conducted more than two hundred wide-ranging interviews with head coaches, athletic directors, conference commissioners, administrators, politicians, power brokers, agents and media executives from one corner of the sport to the other. They reveal never-before-reported details on major players such as Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, and Lane Kiffin. Keteyian and Talty’s reporting also lays bare the machinations that destroyed the historic conference that was the Pac-12, purely in the name of greed. As the sport’s premier coaches race for the exits, Keteyian and Talty reveal deep, dark truths about a beloved game under siege—and the financial, physical, emotional and psychological toll taken on everyone whose dreams and fortunes often depend on the final score on a Saturday afternoon. The Price goes behind the headlines to uncover the real cost of the game today: NIL and the Transfer Portal: Uncover how Name, Image, and Likeness deals and the chaotic transfer portal have created a Wild West where money and self-interest rule, leaving the NCAA powerless. Coaching Turmoil: Get never-before-reported details from over 200 interviews with giants like Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh as they grapple with a game that’s spinning out of control. Conference Realignment Chaos: Discover the inside story of the greed and backroom deals that led to the shocking destruction of the historic Pac-12 conference. The Future of College Football: Explore the deep, dark truths of a beloved American sport under siege and what the enormous financial and psychological toll means for its future.

In the more than 40 years since Rod Carew debuted in the big leagues, he''s watched thousands of great and not-so-great hitters while discerning the fundamentals of success at the plate. Countless hours spent experimenting, watching video, and refining his own techniques have helped transform Carew from one of the game''s best hitters to one of its most revered teachers. Rod Carew''s Hit to Win teaches hitters how to develop their own swing, stance, and plate approach, all within the framework of solid fundamentals. Detailed photos and diagrams help students envision and execute success at the plate. Carew''s hitting philosophy is featured here as well, with a focus on the mental and psychological battle between a hitter and a pitcher. Carew encourages his students to be creative and flexible in the batter''s box, making Rod Carew''s Hit to Win the ideal instructional tool for hitters of all ages and skill levels.

"Millions of Americans see Mike Ditka as the most competitive man on earth. The National Football League''s most controversial, intimidating, and charismatic coach, Ditka is an intense monster of a man who embodies not only Chicago and its Bears, but the American Dream." "With the Bears'' bizarre 1991 season as a backdrop, award-winning sports journalist Armen Keteyian unearths the Mike Ditka that fans never see - drawing on over two hundred interviews with Ditka''s current players (among them Jim Harbaugh, Mike Singletary and Kevin Butler), friends, classmates, former teammates, business associates and family members, including a rare interview with his father. For the first time, Ditka''s image is stripped away to reveal the successes - and failures - resulting from his life-long obsession with winning." "Ditka the coach: He''s the winningest NFL coach of the 1980s - one hundred and one regular season triumphs in ten years. His crowning achievement was capturing Super Bowl XX with a team led by Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, and William "The Refrigerator" Perry, a team poised to become a dynasty." "Ditka the father: He''s a philanthropist and fund-raiser who''s raised millions of dollars for disabled children, yet has rarely connected with his own kids." "Ditka the businessman: He''s made millions of dollars, yet still suffered staggering losses, leaving a trail of failed enterprises." "Ditka the man: He owns antique cars and collects fine wines. His estimated income is more than five million dollars a year. Despite his wealth, he boasts of being a "common man," but when common men question or criticize his decisions, he dismisses them as "losers in life...$100-a-week guys."" "Keteyian shows how Ditka''s personality was forged in a Pennsylvania steel mill town by a doting mother and a distant father who considered praise a poison. Dreading a life in the mills, Ditka used football as his ticket out. He won the Rookie of the Year award with the Bears in 1961, and until this year was the only tight end ever inducted into the Hall of Fame. During his playing career, injuries, drinking, and carousing caught up with him - but nothing could stop Mike Ditka from becoming one of the greatest coaches in football today." "Perhaps the most compelling insight in Ditka: Monster of the Midway is this: Despite his 1988 heart attack and a dramatic moment of self-realization a year later after hearing the born-again testimony of an ex-NFL player - an event that has gone unreported until now - Ditka remains a man tied to one constant in life. It has left him suffering innumerable personal losses." "In Ditka: Monster of the Midway, Armen Keteyian reveals the many sides of the walking, talking contradiction that is "Iron Mike" Ditka. An astute analysis of how a future football dynasty fell apart, Ditka: Monster of the Midway is also the story of the 1991 football season - one of Ditka''s finest as a coach, and one that will prove crucial to his future. Ditka: Monster of the Midway is sports reporting at its best, the most comprehensive and hardest-hitting account of the life and times of Mike Ditka and his Chicago Bears."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Includes a new chapter exclusive to the paperback edition! Three of America''s top sports journalists have teamed up to investigate the politics of the National Basketball Association. This work chronicles one season in the NBA and shows the systematic cover-up of corruption over the years--including scandals involving some of the biggest names in the sport today. 16-page photo insert.

A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year NCAA football is big business. Every Saturday millions of people file into massive stadiums or tune in on television as "athlete-students" give everything they''ve got to make their team a success. Billions of dollars now flow into the game. But what is the true cost? The players have no share in the oceans of money. And once the lights go down, the glitter doesn''t shine so brightly. Filled with mind-blowing details of major NCAA football scandals, with stops at Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Missouri, BYU, LSU, Texas A&M and many more, The System explores and exposes the complex, and perhaps broken, machine that churns behind the glamour of college football. With a New Afterword.

Hunter recounts the exploits of the Bronx Zoo, the drama of the World Series, the brawls and pranks, the perfect game he pitched, and the players whose friendship he will never forget. The inside story . . . quality sports reading --Booklist.

Exposes the high-stakes, big-money world of college basketball recruiting, detailing specific violations at UCLA, Missouri, Syracuse, and other institutions