Sport Thrills #14

When Rod Cole settles in to watch his brother Dick pitch for Farr Military Academy's championship game against Holden, he stumbles onto a high-stakes gambling scheme—and finds himself in serious trouble trying to expose it. With the umpire mysteriously calling strikes against Farr and the game slipping away, Rod must break free from his captors and get word to Dick before it's too late. It's a race against time as a kid's quick thinking and some perfectly-placed pitching become the only chances Farr has left.

Johnny Weissmuller dreamed of becoming a champion swimmer despite coming from a poor family with limited access to training facilities, and through sheer determination and practice, he became the fastest swimmer in the world. His record-breaking performances in the 1920s and 1928 Olympics caught the attention of a movie studio seeking an athlete to play Tarzan, launching him into stardom as a hero to millions of children worldwide.

Born in Cornwall and raised in New Zealand, "Ruby Rob" Fitzsimmons rose from blacksmith's apprentice to heavyweight champion through raw power and an unorthodox fighting style that confounded opponents for decades. This biographical account traces his unlikely journey from knocking out four men in a single night at eighteen to winning the title at thirty-five, and his relentless drive to keep fighting well into his fifties. A portrait of grit, generosity, and the price of a life spent in the ring.

A young rider's hopes for the International—horse racing's most grueling test—hang on the magnificent Black Captain, but a bitter rival named Edward Bilk will stop at nothing to sabotage both horse and jockey. When treachery strikes before the race, an unexpected competitor must take the reins in a desperate bid to save everything, and the spirited stallion proves he remembers exactly who his enemies are.

Walter Johnson's blazing fastball earned him the nickname "Big Train," but his journey to baseball immortality began with rejection and doubt. After struggling to find his place in the minor leagues, Johnson finally got his chance with the Washington Senators in 1907, and immediately made an impact—yet he found himself pitching for a perpetually losing team for most of his career. This is the story of how Johnson's extraordinary talent and determination eventually carried him through two World Series appearances and into baseball immortality, representing the very best of American sportsmanship.