The greatest moments in sports Upsets and underdogs

Review by Booklist Review

ESPN sportscaster Len Berman has collected 25 accounts of upsets in a wide variety of sports, from baseball and boxing to tennis and track. The energetic narrative reads like an ESPN broadcast, establishing the necessary background to understand the overwhelming odds against success, then providing a dramatic description of the amazing victories. Well designed with plenty of photographs and boxed related information, this will attract sports fans and reluctant readers. However, many photographs appear without captions, and many statements and quotations lack sources. Accompanied by an audio CD.--Perkins, Linda Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-7-Following the same format he used in The Greatest Moments in Sports History (Sourcebooks, 2009), Berman offers his take on 25 of the most unexpected victories. From boxing to baseball and football to figure skating, he puts his sportscaster past to good use with lively writing and exciting photographs that place readers right in the middle of the action. Youngsters learn about Billy Mills's surprise win of Olympic Gold for the 10,000 meter run in 1964, and Mexico's Little League World Series win of 1957. Text boxes help break up a somewhat lengthy narrative with fast facts, biographical information, and quick glimpses into the records of the "champions" versus the "underdogs." The accompanying CD offers additional insight from Berman on 10 of the upsets, with snippets of live coverage woven in. While the sports that are included are quite varied, only three of the anecdotes focus on women. Sports are always popular with middle-grade students, and while many may prefer to follow more current events, those who enjoy sports history will appreciate how Berman's enthusiasm comes through in both his writing and in the CD. Purchase this book where the author's first collection has a following.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Introduction

In sports, everybody roots for the underdog. They want to see the athlete or the team with no chance overcome long odds to emerge victorious. This isn't something new. It goes back thousands of years. It's right there in the Bible. Was the first upset David versus Goliath? It might have been. A small boy with a slingshot slew a mighty giant. And now, all these centuries later, when an underdog takes the field against a mighty opponent, it's still referred to as David versus Goliath.

That's what this book is all about-the little guy, the underdog, the team with no shot pulling a major upset against all odds. In fact, one story is about a horse named Upset. Upset pulled off one of the greatest upsets in horse-racing history--so great that some people mistakenly think his name is where the term upset comes from.

If the underdogs are not Davids, they might be Cinderellas. You know the story. Cinderella is treated poorly by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Thanks to her fairy godmother, she winds up at a beautiful ball but has to get home before midnight, when the spell will be broken. Stories of sports teams that far exceed expectations are often referred to as Cinderella stories. Their fans hope they can become champions before midnight strikes and the magic wears off.

In the following pages, you will read story after story of Davids and Cinderellas. Many of them read like fairy tales. And that's the best part about these events. They are not made-up Hollywood movies, although some of these stories served as the source of inspiration for great sports films. They are all true amazing stories of upsets and underdogs.

How amazing? Several of them are described using the word miracle. There's the "Miracle on Ice," the "Miracle of Coogan's Bluff," the "Miracle Mets"-and that's just for starters. Yup, many of these upsets are considered miraculous.

Maybe you feel like an underdog-either in sports or otherwise. Perhaps you think you won't be able to succeed. Well, don't give up. After reading this book, you just might believe that anything is possible.

And if you find yourself rooting for the underdog, you are not alone. Everyone does.

I'd love to know which is your favorite chapter. You can email me at www.ThatsSports.com and let me know why. I look forward to hearing from you.

Excerpted from The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs by Len Berman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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