In 2015 Holly Springs, North Carolina welcomed the Salamanders, a collegiate summer baseball team competing in the Coastal Plain League, to town. Starting with a bare plot of land and a staff of just a few people, the months leading up to the season saw the construction of the team's stadium, recruitment of players, and coordination of the multitude of logistic and promotional efforts necessary to get a baseball organization up and running. Beyond bringing fans to their feet by delivering a riveting performance that included multiple walk-off victories during the regular season and a near...

The 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins completed one of the most improbable season turnarounds in recent sports history on their way to winning the franchise's fourth Stanley Cup. Stuck in the middle of the pack in the NHL's Eastern Conference for the first half of the season and even falling out of playoff position at times, the Penguins showed resilience, resolve, and ultimately revitalization as they caught fire in the season's final month and carried that momentum through their remarkable playoff run. PENSational tells the story of what this Penguins team meant to the fans of Pittsburgh. From...

Hockey jerseys are some of the most unique uniforms in all of sports. From the widely-recognized looks of NHL teams to the national pride of IIHF jerseys and the obscure, outside-the-box designs of some minor league teams, hockey jerseys, or "sweaters" as they're more accurately known, are a staple among fans anywhere the game is played. This book takes a look at the design elements and symbolic meaning of hockey jerseys from all levels of the sport. NHL jerseys - both modern day and vintage, as well as specialty jerseys such as those worn for the annual Winter Classic and the...

The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates turned in one of the most remarkable performances in sports history by coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series, the franchise's fifth all-time championship. They were led by team captain Willie Stargell, big swinging right fielder Dave Parker, speedy base thief Omar Moreno, and relief pitcher Kent Tekulve, but got timely contributions from nearly every member of the roster in doing whatever it took to fight and claw their way back into the series with a Game 5 victory at Three Rivers Stadium and then take the final two games on the road in Baltimore....

The 1974-75 Pittsburgh Steelers captured the franchise's first championship by defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX, and in the process set the stage for one of the most remarkable dynasties in professional sports. Their history prior to that season, dating back over four decades, had been largely unsuccessful, with only a handful of winning seasons and fewer playoff appearances to their credit. Bolstered by a crop of future Hall of Fame players in the likes of Greene, Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Stallworth, Lambert, Ham, and Blount and led by coach Chuck Noll, who would also claim a...

The 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers cemented themselves as one of the National Football League's early elites by winning a second consecutive Super Bowl title. In successfully defending their crown the Steelers met every challenge, answered every call, and in the end again stood atop the NFL mountain with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X in Miami. Throughout the 1975 campaign the Steelers were the prime target of every team on their schedule. Not only did they navigate the regular season with the best record in the American Football Conference and tied for the best record in the...