Co-editors Mike Leach and Ferhat Guven speak to fans looking for more out of college football in their new book “Sports for Dorks: College Football”
Key West, FL, — “What do you get when you combine an astrophysicist, a world champion backgammon player, some respected economists and a few other brilliant minds?”
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is referring, in this case, to former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach’s latest literary undertaking, “Sports for Dorks: College Football” (ISBN 978-0615484976), in which Leach once again takes aim at college football’s conventional wisdom.
Leach, along with co-editor Ferhat Guven, came up with the idea of “Sports for Dorks” during a “typical” telephone call in which they discussed Henry VIII, US fiscal policy, Sub Saharan Africa real estate, and of course college football.
The two come from different walks of life; Leach is the still wildly popular former head football coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and author of New York Times bestselling autobiography Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and in Life, while Guven, based in London, is an executive in a global real estate investment firm and avid college football fan.
Leach views the world of college football as a crucible of innovation, yet despite the enormous media coverage enjoyed by the sport, he notes that little if any of that side of the game is exposed to the public. Guven, out of his own interest, follows a number of talented academics, writers and bloggers who cover many of the sport’s more unique aspects, but do so in what he describes as relative obscurity.
The two wondered if there was an audience that wanted to better understand the game in a manner that went beyond what was being offered by conventional media.
Leach and Guven set out to collect essays and articles from a wide range of thinkers who were examining the game in an unusual way. “We were focused on identifying well-formulated ideas which challenge a sport dominated by conventional wisdom,” said Guven. “The book’s contributors include coaches, journalists, bloggers, academics, economists and yes, even an astrophysicist.”
Leach and Guven examine college football, both on and off the field, through disciplines such as economics, psychology, statistics and sociology. Their book also provides readers with unique insights into Leach’s coaching influences and philosophies, offers a formula that would make the BCS ranking process more rational, and examines what they describe as the meteoric rise of American football in Great Britain.
“We are trying to bring innovative content to readers,” Guven says. “We want to provide a unique perspective to readers who are looking for more than just box scores, cliches and lukewarm paeans to their favorite teams’ greatness. We hope our readers will be informed and entertained. There is plenty of opportunity for both throughout the book which come from a variety of perspectives.”
“Sports for Dorks: College Football” is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.
About the Editors Mike Leach is the former all-time winning football coach at Texas Tech and author of the bestselling autobiography, Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life. Leach is a graduate of BYU and Pepperdine University School of Law. Ferhat Guven is a real estate investment professional who graduated from Texas Tech University before earning his graduate business degree from the London Business School. For more information, see www.sportsfordorks.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Rex Ryan, Head Football Coach, NY Jets: “What do you get when you combine an astrophysicist, a world champion backgammon player, some respected economists and a few other brilliant minds? This fascinating book and the reason I’m hoping to watch Mike Leach on Saturdays instead of coach against him on Sundays.”
Gil Brandt, former VP Dallas Cowboys: “Sports for Dorks is an exciting collection of ideas and trends shaping the world of college football. Mike Leach proves, once again, that he is a step ahead of the rest.”
Austin Murphy, Sr. Writer, Sports Illustrated: “One man’s dork is another man’s intellectually curious, envelope pushing pioneer. Mike Leach is the most original thinker I’ve met in three decades as a sportswriter. With this provocative, nourishing, all-you-can-eat buffet of intriguing ideas, Leach reminds us why football needs him more than he needs football.”
Ellaville, GA, – Jackie Carpenter lived through an experience that no parent should have to go through. It began in June of 2008 when her son apprehended thieves in the act of stealing copper from his work site. The thefts were increasing and, on the advice of a deputy, he was armed and trying to keep the men there while he called police when the gun accidentally fired, and one man died from his wounds.
The Bridge: Between Cell Block A and a Miracle is Psalm 91 (Xulon Publishing) by Jackie Carpenter tells the powerful and compelling story of her terrifying journey that began the morning she received a frantic call from her son’s wife telling her that he had been arrested for felony murder, and it did not end until the jury returned its verdict ten months later.
Jackie had been living the great life; she had a wonderful husband, good health, two married sons and four beautiful grandchildren. She had it all. But after her son was taken into custody and charged with felony murder and four other serious charges, and the deputy recanted the advice he gave her son, her world fell apart.
Jackie clung to Psalm 91, asking God for a miracle. During the trial, her son’s attorney had asked her not to bring her Bible into the courtroom for fear of offending a non-believing juror. Jackie couldn’t do that. She was asking God for a miracle – how could she take the chance of offending Him? The Bridge is the story of a ten-month journey up to that fateful day in April 2009 when Jackie got her miracle in the form of an acquittal.
While The Bridge: Between Cell Block A and a Miracle is Psalm 91 is a story of a mother’s love and her walk of faith, the sequel Georgia Justice: A Story To Faith acts as a guide for building faith in the face of tragedy and grief. Jackie had never believed that she would serve to be a resource for people facing a crisis in life – but it took the worst crisis in her life and the miracle that stemmed from it to drive her to write her heart-wrenching story. It is a powerful testimony to the spiritual strength this small-town girl found in the promises of Psalm 91 and how she built her faith up during the tormenting ten months leading up to her son’s trial.
Jackie Carpenter has been a featured guest on television, radio, and in newspaper articles. Her two powerful books will be produced into a motion picture that will be in theaters the fall of 2012. For more information on this author and her miraculous story of faith, hope and love that brought her to victory, please visit her website at: www.bridgetoamiracle.com
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TIP SHEET:
Bob Etier, Blog Critics: “The Bridge is a book for people who believe in miracles. It is also for people who need to be reminded that during troubling times, God is not the guilty party. Even devout Christians sometimes need to be reminded that their strength is in the Lord, and The Bridge serves as that reminder.”
Emory Daniels, Book Reviews: “The Bridge clearly demonstrates that God still performs miracles in the 21st century. A key point is that when bad things happen it’s better to trust God than to blame Him. The story also reveals that it is certainly possible to survive a tragedy without losing faith.”
Monique, Book Pleasures: “This is a good, inspirational story…you can absolutely see the conviction in her (Jackie’s) heart that God’s love and grace alone brought her through this difficult time…she simply wants to share her miracle with you.”
Houston, TX, – Many victims of identity theft don’t realize what has happened until the damage is done. Similar to the natural crime, most people may not even be aware that their spiritual identity has been stolen until it’s too late. This type of theft can go unnoticed or unaddressed for many years until the victims face a difficult situation and suddenly discover that their spiritual identity has been stolen in the process.
In Identity Theft: Discovering the Real You (New Horizon Publishers), readers will see the parallels between having their “natural” identity and “spiritual” identity stolen. DeMonica D. Gladney provides an inspiring, real-life account of her personal encounter with identity theft in both ways. She describes a time when someone stole her money, credit and good name, while simultaneously there was a spiritual attack on her God-given purpose and destiny. Through these challenging and life-altering experiences that occurred years after a near fatal car accident, Gladney learned the keys to discovering and reclaiming her “full” stolen identity. In her book, she shares these findings and also brings readers a fresh perspective on how to discover the person God created them to be.
In our busy, high-stress world, it’s easy to get side-tracked and forget who we are spiritually. It took the author’s first-hand experience with identity theft to help her realize that other factors in her life, such as her career and relationships, were defining her. In her faith-affirming book, she provides an eye-opening analysis on how to recognize the signs of spiritual identity theft by first assessing what is missing in the reader’s life and moving forward through the steps to a full recovery. Once the spiritual identity theft is exposed, the reader is encouraged to overcome the theft by using scripture, prayer, and other spiritual tools. This inspiring, practical guide will walk the reader step-by-step through their personal journey toward discovering who they each really are.
DeMonica D. Gladney, Esq., is a corporate attorney in the Houston, Texas area. She is an inspirational speaker, poet and bestselling author of Identity Theft: Discovering the Real You; Willing to Wait: From Revelation to Manifestation, and Reflections from God. She has been featured on the Daystar Television Network, various radio talk shows, and in print media around the country. She was selected for the 2010 Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals and the Who’s Who in Black Houston.
To see DeMonica in a KUCI Radio Interview on her latest book, go to her website at www.demonicagladney.com and click on the ‘Listen to Interview’ button.
Black Christian Book Review: “…We highly recommend this book.”
Mari J. Frank, Esq. CIPP, Radio Host & Author: “… Identity Theft inspires victims of identity theft to know the truth of their essence – that although a thief can steal your material identity, your spiritual identity given to you by God belongs only to you. Ms. Gladney gracefully and lovingly guides you through the journey of stolen identity to attain trust that God will restore all that you have lost.”
Willie Jolley, bestselling author: “…Gladney is a dynamite young lady who has a powerful new book that shares strategies and ideas that give you a new perspective on discovering the real you and not letting the real you be stolen away! Read this book, then re-read it, and then share it with your friends! She shows you how the best you, is within you!”
Norma Jarrett-York, bestselling author: “…Gladney has provided a divinely inspired path to our true identity. For those willing to take an honest journey, she helps uncover areas of “spiritual identity theft” while providing guidance toward God intended authenticity. Her true light and spiritual wisdom shine; blessing those who are willing to receive her literary gifts.”
Overland Park, KS, November 10, 2011 – Visionary-political novelist Bill Douglas has an obvious gift for writing novels that seem to foresee what is going to happen – before it happens! His latest spellbinding novel is no exception. A Conspiracy of Spirits – Wall Street vs. The 99% (Illumination Corporation Publishing) was years in the making, yet the release of this environmental thriller couldn’t be more timely in today’s world climate where its visionary tales are coming true.
This fascinating story is about two people living in different parts of the country who are besieged by visions of the Arctic; one a corporate ladder-climber in southern California who wakes up in the middle of the night to find himself naked in his backyard, compelled to write down the feelings that are tearing his heart and mind apart. The other is fifteen hundred miles away – the nine year-old daughter of illegal Mexican immigrants who is plagued by cataclysmic visions of polar bears.
Simultaneously, an elderly Chinese woman living in Kansas is shocked by violent visions of a young girl and a man connected in the vast web of life and this web has been disturbed by a crime of such proportion that its perpetrators have the blood of nations on their hands. She is powerless to do anything but watch as the chaos from the crime tears at life’s fabric, leaving the two strangers’ lives shattered in its wake. Their survival is entwined with the fate of us all. The question is – will they make it? Will we?
The breakneck pacing of this latest thriller proves to be yet another white-knuckle ride, taking readers deep into our political system and environmental and economic justice issues, with characters who struggle to do what is right rather than what is habit.
So begins . . . a conspiracy of spirits.
Douglas’s first fast-paced thriller 2012: The Awakening received rave reviews, including one from Deepak Chopra, and was named Best Fiction of the Year by Spiritual Enlightenment Magazine.
When a global human awakening shakes the very foundations of powers that have ruled the world for eons, unlikely heroes struggle to find a new way to survive.
The lives of a bookish heroine, a burned-out Naval Intelligence Officer, and a deadly covert operations’ professional become entwined in a riveting thriller that unravels threads of the ancient beginnings of human consciousness. Their struggle parallels that of everyone on the planet today. Douglas expertly weaves current global issues in an ageless story that blends history, science, socio-politics and spirituality; thrusting the reader into pulse-pounding excitement on a roller-coaster ride of twists, turns and intrigue that leaves readers breathless, riveted and reeling!
In Bill’s soon-to-be-released autobiography; A Call to Duty – Miracles DO Happen!, he’ll discuss this ability of prescient thought being common to his entire family. They are descendants of a clan from the highest of the Scottish Highlands – a people known throughout Scotland for having “the second sight,” the involuntary ability to glimpse future events. Bill describes how his grandfather, Isaac Douglas, predicted JFK’s assassination days before it occurred.
The absorbing, visionary plots in this author’s novels have all the makings of incredible movies. For more information on this creative writer, please visit: www.conspiracyofspirits.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Deepak Chopra: “What a gift!”
Spiritual Enlightenment Magazine: “2012 The Awakening chosen Best Novel of The Year – With a thought-provoking, gripping and engaging storyline, no other fiction that came out this year even came close.”
Midwest Book Review: “Riveting … a must”
Enlightenment Dudes Book Review: “Mind blowing – Ten out of ten stars!”
Coleen Rowley, TIME Magazine Woman of the Year/FBI whistleblower: “Visionary!” Holmes Osborne, Actor: The Box; The Quiet American; ER; Boston Legal; The X Files: “RIVETING! With the suspense of a Da Vinci Code, the spiritual awareness of The Secret, and the fearsome aspect of Orwell’s 1984, what a terrific film this book will make!”
Torrance, CA. – A Buddha is one who has attained the highest level of enlightenment in the Cosmos and Buddhism teaches that the Cosmos contains innumerable worlds similar to ours, with countless number of Buddhas. Buddhism also teaches that there are fifty-two levels of enlightenment, the highest of which is called the “enlightenment of a Buddha.”
The Story Of Buddha: A Graphic Biography (Ichimannendo Publishing) by Hisashi Ota is believed to be the first book on the life story of Buddha and his teachings in Manga – a revered practice by the Japanese of using comics for explanation and illustration,.
When the Buddha was a young man he was called Siddhartha and he dealt with similar struggles that we have today. He was born as a crown prince and was blessed by having an extremely beautiful wife. He had it all – money, fame, position, wealth – there was nothing he needed yet even with all of his possessions he was not totally happy. He felt there was something missing in his life and he wondered how there could be meaning in the same routine day after day. That is when he went in search of happiness…and a search for answers to the age-old question, “what is the meaning of life?” began. Little did this dissatisfied prince from the foothills of the Himalayas know that 2,600 years later he would be considered one of the world’s greatest sources of religious inspiration!
Hisashi Ota, the author of this remarkable book, was born in Japan and graduated from Nagoya University’s School of Science.
New York – Dr. Robert Forman hits it on the head when he says that millions are spending years and years seeking enlightenment but they are looking in the wrong place for the real life goal. He has learned from his studies and his long journey to gain enlightenment that what we modern westerners are really after is not a shift in a state of consciousness but more a shift in a whole life.
Where Dr. Forman’s new book differs from most spiritual or self-help books is that his book, Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up To Be: A Journey of Discovery, Snow and Jazz in the Soul (O-Books), cuts through all the hype and ‘pie in the sky’ claims that so many self-help books are based on, and shows what the goal of attaining enlightenment is actually about.
From copious research as well as his own 39 years’ experience of spiritual enlightenment, Dr. Forman tells what it actually is and is not like, and offers sane and experienced guidance to readers who are battling with confusion over their life direction. Some are convinced they don’t have what it takes to achieve enlightenment in this lifetime or are disillusioned by spiritual teachers who don’t live up to their exalted image, while others are hungry for a different way – knowing it’s out there but having no idea where to turn to find it, and worrying that choosing a spiritual life means leaving their everyday life behind.
We can all take something away from the story of Dr. Forman’s lifelong struggles to make sense of the spiritual life and its unusual promised state of consciousness and the misleading fantasies that he, like most people on the spiritual path, shared about enlightenment. It is not the panacea it is billed to be, nor is it the perfection, eternal joy, or the end of all the suffering that people believe – and no, neon lights do not flash!
Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up To Be invites readers to be honest about their spiritual experiences and goals and consider a radically different yet more productive approach. By exploring his own experience of spiritual enlightenment and lifetime of research, Dr. Forman shows that it is possible to create resonance in every aspect of your life with the same easy openness that you get when sitting in prayer or on the meditation cushion, but in order to reach this ease we must “embrace the human messiness” that is too often ignored or outright rejected by most spiritual traditions. He understands this well because his own life journey was filled with confusion, disappointment and disillusionment that he had to fight every step of the way.
Dr. Forman’s unique book offers its newfound hope to spiritual seekers in a very different way: through metaphors, humor, vulnerability and sometimes achingly beautiful prose. He presents a new direction for people who are looking for a sane and healthy spiritual pathway in our increasingly confusing world – one that offers a transformation of everyday life.
Robert K.C. Forman writes with the authority of a lifetime of personal mystical experience and international renown for his books, articles and workshops about spiritual experience and the path. He makes an entertaining and charming guest who encourages listeners/audiences to be honest about their real-life goals as he points them on the road to a truly fulfilling life
Jack Canfield, Co-creator of the NY Times #l Bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series: “Enlightening… more than a memoir of a profoundly revealing spiritual journey. It is a deep invitation to be your authentic self–to fully own, embody and express every aspect of yourself. The honesty, openness and transparency of Robert’s spiritual journey instantly captivated me. I read the book in one long, joyous sitting. I literally could not put the book down…illuminating, entertaining and impactful. If you’re looking for guidance as to what is truly spiritual and enlightening, then read this book! It is definitely chicken soup for the spiritual seeker’s soul!”
Larry Dossey, MD. Author of Healing Words & The Power of Premonitions: “Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up to Be is a bone-deep description of the decades-long spiritual journey of Robert K. C. Forman, one of America’s most respected spiritual teachers. If ever a book was written from the heart, this is it. It is both a summation and an update of a work in progress…describes the dazzling heights of spiritual awareness, but it also lays bare the twists, turns, and surprises of spiritual maturation, warts and all. Beware: If you need your spiritual guide to be serious, elevated, reserved, and pious, go elsewhere. But if you want eye-ball to eye-ball honesty, integrity, and humor supercharged with compassion, love, vulnerability, and deep wisdom, this is your book.”
