Books about Contender from Amazon.com

The stinkers, the rascals, the reprobates . . and the just plain dumb.

(Yes, Bill, he's talking about you.)

Geraldo Rivera. The Coca-Cola Company. Victoria Gotti. Tom Cruise. Various members of the Bush administration All have earned the dishonor of "Worst Person in the World," awarded by MSNBC's witty and controversial reporter Keith Olbermann on his nightly MSNBC show Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Now, he brings all his bronze, silver, and gold medalists together in this wildly entertaining collection that reveals just how twisted people can be—and how much fun it is to call them out on it. Plus, he reveals the winner of the most coveted award of all: "Worst in Show."

From tongue-in-cheek observations to truly horrific accounts, Olbermann skewers both the mighty and the meek, the well-known and the anonymous for their misdeeds, including:

Ann Coulter, for, among other things, calling Muslims "ragheads" in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington

22-year-old Ronald MacDonald, who was accused of theft at his place of employment . . . Wendy's

Barbara Bush, for making a generous donation to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund earmarked exclusively for the purchase of computer software . . . software sold by her son, Neil.
Price: $2.40 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Go behind closed doors in the Cleveland Indians' front office as award-winning sportswriter Terry Pluto analyzes the team's controversial recent moves to scrap a roster of popular stars and rebuild a new kind of contender.
Granted unprecedented access to the team's top management and financial data, Pluto delivers an up-close account of how decisions were made to radically reshape the franchise.
Indians fans grew accustomed to winning in the mid-1990s. They had an owner with deep pockets, a brand-new ballpark, and a team of high-priced all stars who delivered a division championship nearly every year.
But that glorious ride ended with a jolt of reality after savvy owner Richard Jacobs sold the franchise at the top of the market in 2000. New owners Larry and Paul Dolan and new general manager Mark Shapiro faced a challenge: an aging team, a mounting payroll, and a shrinking budget. First they made mistakes. Then they made bold changes. Stars such as Manny Ramirez, Roberto Alomar, and Jim Thome were gone, replaced with roster of unproven youngsters and veteran rehab projects. Fans were alarmed and dismayed. Then, in 2002, Shapiro boldly predicted that the Indians would return to contend for the playoffs after just three years of rebuilding. Critics scoffed.
Yet at the end of the 2005 season, the Indians were indeed back in contention, one tantalizing game away from a return to the playoffs. The core of an exciting young team was beginning to take shape, and Shapiro was voted American League Executive of the Year as his team won an impressive 93 games despite a payroll ranked in baseball's bottom five.
How was it done? In his familiar clear writing style, Pluto carefully explains the many risky moves made by management and tells which ones have paid off, which ones haven't, and why.
This rare behind-the-scenes look at a modern front office will intrigue fantasy leaguers and fans fascinated by baseball dealmaking. It will be an eye-opener for Indians fans who may still be wondering, What happened to my team?.
Price: $10.15 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Dead of night.  Salonika, Greece, December 1939.  A clandestine order of monks embarks on a desperate mission: to transport a mysterious vault to a hiding place high in the Italian Alps.  Its sinister contents, concealed fro centuries, could rip apart the Christian world.  Now, as the Nazi threat marches inexorably closer, good men and evil will be drawn into a violent and deadly hunt, sparking a relentless struggle that could forever change the world as we know it..
Price: $3.16 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Before you can be a champion,
you have to be a contender

Alfred Brooks is scared. He's a highschool dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Some street kids are after him for something he didn't even do. So Alfred begins going to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that has trained champions. There he learns it's the effort, not the win, that makes the man -- that last desperate struggle to get back on your feet when you thought you were down for the count.

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Price: $2.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Contender fills a specific need in the firearms industry: it is inexpensive, simple, versatile and very accurate This easy-to-follow guide contains precise instructions for tuning, timing, loading and shooting, as well as ordering information for parts and accessories..
Price: $8.02 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Contenders study series of books combine Bible study with spiritual conversations that will lead readers to conclude that the Christian faith can stand up to any challenge..
Price: $3.69 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Welcome to Army Triathlon swim training. Meet this group of overachievers and take advantage of their Overachiever's Diary, including the same proprietary online speed and efficiency assessment Cadets take to measure their improvement. Overachiever's Diary chronicles the team's triathlon swimming journey and, for the first time, all athletes can benefit from the unique style of coaching motivation, and analysis that has bee developed in real-time with this dedicated group of America's athletes. Sometimes the right combination of people come together and magic happens. This happened in the '06-'07 Army Tri season, and the magic has carried over to '07-'08 when this West Point club team, led by dedicated officers, will once again be out to surprise competitors and take the accolades that others assumed were theirs to keep. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book and other Overachiever's Diary products is allocated to the West Point Tri Team in an effort to ensure that future cadets will have the opportunity to confront the challenges, personally and as a team, that triathlons uniquely provide..
Price: $14.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]