Books by Sally Cook

How to Speak Football: From Ankle Breaker to Zebra: An Illustrated Guide to Gridiron Gab (HOW TO SPEAK SPORTS)

by Sally Cook

From "ankle breaker” to “zebra,” How to Speak Football includes over 125 football terms paired with amusing illustrations that decode the words and phrases that fly around the field.

The “Sidelines” sections sprinkled throughout the book will teach you fun trivia about the history of the sport, the stories behind football players’ nicknames, the most famous touchdown celebrations, and much more!

The terms included in the book range from the well-known, like “blitz” and “punt,” to the more uncommon such as:

-Alligator arms: A term coaches, players, and television commentators frequently use to describe―and disparage―a receiver who keeps his arms protectively tucked in close to his ribs, instead of stretched out to catch the ball.
-Chain gang: The officials on the sideline who hold the yardage and down markers.
-Pancake: A forceful block, usually by an offensive lineman, tight end, or fullback, that sets an opposing lineman completely on his back, taking him out of play.

A fantastic blend of funny anecdotes and entertaining bits of history and trivia, Sally Cook and Ross MacDonald's book is the perfect gift for all the football lovers in your life, fantasy fanatics, or any of the growing number of fans who are gravitating toward this exciting sport!

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Good Night Pillow Fight

by Sally Cook

Getting kids to sleep isn't easy -- especially when there are games to be played -- in bedrooms everywhere, adults try their best -- (but so do kids).
Author Sally Cook teams up with New York Times best-selling illustrator Laura Cornell in this uproarious ode to parents who would do anything to get their kids to sleep -- and to kids who would do anything to make the task, well . . . challenging.

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Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son

by Sally Cook, Gene Stallings

When beloved University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings's son was born with Down syndrome and a serious heart defect, doctors predicted he wouldn't live to see his first birthday and urged Coach Stallings and his wife to institutionalize him. But for Gene and Ruth Ann that was not an option. Johnny quickly won the hearts and adoration of the Stallings family and everyone who took the time to know him, and, proving the doctors wrong by leading an active life, he became a vital and important part of his family, his community, and his father's career. With intimate glimpses of family life and thrilling football anecdotes, ANOTHER SEASON is brimming with poignant lessons about defying the odds and finding joy in every moment.

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Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son

by Sally Cook, Gene Stallings

When beloved University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings's son was born with Down syndrome and a serious heart defect, doctors predicted he wouldn't live to see his first birthday and urged Coach Stallings and his wife to institutionalize him. But for Gene and Ruth Ann that was not an option. Johnny quickly won the hearts and adoration of the Stallings family and everyone who took the time to know him, and, proving the doctors wrong by leading an active life, he became a vital and important part of his family, his community, and his father's career. With intimate glimpses of family life and thrilling football anecdotes, ANOTHER SEASON is brimming with poignant lessons about defying the odds and finding joy in every moment.

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Yankee Miracles: Life with the Boss and the Bronx Bombers

by Sally Cook, Ray Negron

“You don’t have to be a Yankees fan to love Yankee Miracles.”―Yogi Berra If it was not all so true, you’d think it was a fairy tale. A seventeen-year-old from Queens spray paints graffiti on Yankee Stadium and gets nabbed by George Steinbrenner himself. Contrary to his gruff public image, the Boss―driven by a compassionate inner voice―reclaims the teen at a time when the Bronx is literally burning. Thus begins the unlikeliest of baseball stories, one in which Ray Negron is transformed from street kid to batboy and beyond. Befriending many of major league baseball’s greatest stars―Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Munson, Mantle, Catfish, A-Rod, Jeter, even Mrs. Lou Gehrig―Negron ultimately emerges as a dynamic community leader, dedicating his own life to helping the sick and rescuing generations of city kids from unfulfilled lives. Yankee Miracles is a book about the power of baseball to transform lives, about all those miracles on 161st Street we never knew were there. 8 photographs

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How to Speak Golf: An Illustrated Guide to Links Lingo (HOW TO SPEAK SPORTS)

by Sally Cook

From ace to zinger, How to Speak Golf includes over 125 golf terms paired with charming and clever illustrations that decode the words and phrases that fly around a golf course.

Clubhouse Chatter sections are sprinkled throughout where you'll learn about everything from the origins of golf, the worst courses and biggest sand bunkers in the world, to the reason why there are so many bird references in golf terminology, a history of famous holes-in-one, and much, much more!

Some of the terms included in the book are:

-Army golf: The inconsistent hitting of the ball from one side of the fairway to the other. (Think: Left, right, left.)
-Cabbage: The worst of the rough. (Also known as "Spinach" or "Lettuce." Whatever you call it, this is a salad to be avoided.)
-Ham and egg: When two players on a team pair well, with one player excelling whenever the other falters.
-Velcro: Greens that are slow, where it seems like the ball sticks to the grass.

Author Sally Cook and illustrator Ross MacDonald offer the perfect blend of funny anecdotes and fascinating bits of history and trivia. This is the perfect gift book to have you talking like a master whether you're a pro, a lifelong fan, or a novice on the greens.

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Hey Batta Batta Swing!: The Wild Old Days of Baseball

by Sally Cook, James Charlton

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE OF BASEBALL IN THIS FUNNY, FASCINATING JOURNEY FROM THE EARLIEST GAMES TO TODAY.

Discover what it was like before there was a pitching mound or players had numbers on their jerseys. Learn how Babe Ruth got his nickname, why Brooklyn's team was called the Dodgers, and what Roger Clemens gave to keep his lucky number 21 when he switched teams. See what clever ways players have found to win -- even ways to cheat! Sprinkled throughout are definitions of baseball's weird and wacky vocabulary, from a meatball to Uncle Charlie.

Find out which player was traded for a bag of prunes, but don't trade this book for anything! Ross MacDonald's lively pictures bring fans close to the action with plenty of mischievous fun in this free-swinging tribute to the boys of summer.

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How to Speak Baseball: An Illustrated Guide to Ballpark Banter

by Sally Cook, James Charlton

This handsome guide to the language of baseball decodes the amusing, clever phrases that pepper commentary about the sport. Packed with witty explanations of everything from "duster" and "rubber arm" to "up the elevator," this ballpark lexicon plays on a nostalgic love for the national pastime while covering ground from baseball's beginnings to today. This humorous mix of definitions and anecdotes is the perfect gift for both lifelong baseball fans and rookies working up the ranks.

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