{"title":"L Jon Wertheim","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"scorecasting-book-l-jon-wertheim-9780307591791","title":"Scorecasting","description":"In Scorecasting, University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing from Moskowitz's original research, as well as studies from fellow economists such as bestselling author Richard Thaler, the authors look at: the influence home-field advantage has on the outcomes of games in all sports and why it exists; the surprising truth about the universally accepted axiom that defense wins championships; the subtle biases that umpires exhibit in calling balls and strikes in key situations; the unintended consequences of referees' tendencies in every sport to swallow the whistle, and more. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmong the insights that Scorecasting reveals: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e - Why Tiger Woods is prone to the same mistake in high-pressure putting situations that you and I are \u003cbr\u003e - Why professional teams routinely overvalue draft picks \u003cbr\u003e - The myth of momentum or the hot hand in sports, and why so many fans, coaches, and broadcasters fervently subscribe to it \u003cbr\u003e - Why NFL coaches rarely go for a first down on fourth-down situations--even when their reluctance to do so reduces their chances of winning. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn an engaging narrative that takes us from the putting greens of Augusta to the grid iron of a small parochial high school in Arkansas, Scorecasting will forever change how you view the game, whatever your favorite sport might be.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49510374605073,"sku":"GOR004398768","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50104533352721,"sku":"CIN0307591794G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50348434882833,"sku":"CIN0307591794A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50761715122449,"sku":"CIN0307591794VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53162914677009,"sku":"GOR006095215","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0307591794.jpg?v=1751227529"},{"product_id":"strokes-of-genius-book-l-jon-wertheim-9781906779399","title":"Strokes of Genius","description":"In 2008 Wimbledon was a stage set for an epic battle and a rivalry as dramatic as that of Ali-Frazier, Palmer-Nicklaus, and McEnroe-Borg. Five-time champion, Roger Federer, was on track to take his rightful place as the greatest tennis player ever. But in the last few minutes of daylight after a glorious festival of tennis, a coronation was witnessed that was not the heir apparent, but instead the swashbuckling, 22-year-old Nadal.The match had been a four-hour, forty-eight minute informercial for everything that is right about tennis: a festival of skill, accuracy, grace, strength, speed, endurance and determination. In this fascinating recreation of the game, Wertheim follows Nadal from his cold pre-match shower and insistence on carrying his tennis racket (though surrendering his bag to  be carried) onto the court, and a very different, calm, Kit-Kat-eating Federer strolling on in his limited edition cardigan. Not just a battle of two of the greatest tennis players ever, it was a battle of two very different characters. Strokes of Genius deconstructs this defining moment in sport, using the match as the backbone of a provocative, thoughtful, and entertaining look at the science, art, psychology, technology, strategy, and personality that go into a single tennis match. For fans of the art of amazing competition in sport, this is a compelling study of the mechanics and art of a legendary game. L. Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of five books. 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Jon Wertheim draws back the curtain on the soap opera that is the women's professional tennis tour, with its primal plotlines driven by ambition, sex, and revenge.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eHere are the stories behind the stories: the tragic Garbo-like star who whiles away hours in a midwestern hotel room because she's afraid to go outdoors; the teenager who tries to cope with the pressure of the big time as well as an abusive father; the brilliant number one who plays out her adolescent tantrums on the public stage; the coquette who launched a thousand Web sites; and a little-understood African-American family who proved that they could play by their own rules and still win the game -- not to mention the endorsements.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eThe biggest story in sports in 2000 was Venus Williams. 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But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at--the felt--and hits the road. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eRunning the Table\u003c\/em\u003e spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly--if less talented--set-up man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from Podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage one night to take down as much as $30,000, only to lose so much the next night that they lack gas money to get home. With every stop, the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious's prowess with a cue stick becomes known more and more widely. Ultimately, Delicious sheds his cover once and for all and becomes professional pool's biggest sensation since Minnesota Fats. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In a book sure to appeal to fans of \u003cem\u003eBringing Down the House\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePositively Fifth Street\u003c\/em\u003e, Wertheim evokes a subculture full of nefarious but loveable characters and illuminates America's fascination with games and gambling. 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Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, who runs the most famous MA training school in the world. Single-handedly Miletich has transformed a gritty town on the banks of the Mississippi into an unlikely hotbed for his sport. He has also transformed many an average Joe into a walking weapon of destruction. Wertheim intertwines Miletich's own life story, by turns tragic and triumphant, with the larger story of the incredible rise of the UFC, from its controversial, back alley roots to the fastest growing sports enterprise in America. For fans of Jeff MacGregor's Sunday Money and Sam Sheridan's A Fighter's Heart, Blood in the Cage takes readers behind the scenes, right down to the mat, from a punch in the kidney to the ping of the cash register, as Wertheim brilliantly exposes the no-holds-barred reality of the blood sport for a new generation. Advance Praise for Blood in the Cage: In Blood in the Cage, L. Jon Wertheim tells the story of Pat Miletich, the consummate professional athlete turned world-class trainer. Miletich is someone for whom I have considerable respect and admiration and who puts his athletes and our sport first and foremost. - Randy Couture, UFC champion","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49609974186257,"sku":"GOR004068591","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49976403329297,"sku":"CIN0618982612G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51835616133393,"sku":"CIN0618982612VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0618982612.jpg?v=1750977383"},{"product_id":"running-the-table-book-l-jon-wertheim-9780547086125","title":"Running the Table","description":"From a popular senior writer for Sports Illustrated comes this high-stakes, boys-on-the-road story about the most unlikely of phenoms--a heavyset, bipolar, and endlessly charming pool hustler named Kid Delicious\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In most sports the pinnacle is Wheaties-box notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at--the felt--and hits the road.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Running the Table spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly--if less talented--set-up man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from Podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage one night to take down as much as $30,000, only to lose so much the next night that they lack gas money to get home. With every stop, the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious's prowess with a cue stick becomes known more and more widely. Ultimately, Delicious sheds his cover once and for all and becomes professional pool's biggest sensation since Minnesota Fats.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In a book sure to appeal to fans of Bringing Down the House and Positively Fifth Street, Wertheim evokes a subculture full of nefarious but loveable characters and illuminates America's fascination with games and gambling. He also paints a lasting portrait of an insanely talented and magnetic hustler, who is literally larger than life.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49613205733649,"sku":"GOR013685342","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51003404091665,"sku":"NIN9780547086125","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51415950786833,"sku":"CIN0547086121G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53556906787089,"sku":"CIN0547086121VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0547086121.jpg?v=1750782501"},{"product_id":"blood-in-the-cage-book-l-jon-wertheim-9780547247793","title":"Blood in the Cage","description":"Based on unique access to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its rival organizations, Blood in the Cage peers through the chain-link Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts, which has exploded in popularity despite resistance. 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Jon Wertheim tells the story of Pat Miletich, the consummate professional athlete turned world-class trainer. Miletich is someone for whom I have considerable respect and admiration and who puts his athletes and our sport first and foremost. - Randy Couture, UFC champion","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49628523168017,"sku":"GOR005879121","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49683479003409,"sku":"CIN0547247796VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50354305859857,"sku":"CIN0547247796G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50902209397009,"sku":"GOR005358623","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51003393540369,"sku":"NIN9780547247793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":53032696774929,"sku":"CIN0547247796A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0547247796.jpg?v=1751435181"},{"product_id":"this-is-your-brain-on-sports-book-l-jon-wertheim-9780553447422","title":"This Is Your Brain on Sports","description":"\u003ci\u003eThis is Your Brain on Sports\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003ci\u003ethe\u003c\/i\u003e book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us-on the field and in the stands-and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. 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