Edited by Mark Reiter and Richard Sandomir, and featuring contributions from experts on everything from breakfast cereal and movie gunfights to First Ladies and bald guys, The Final Four of Everything celebrates everything that's great, surprising, or silly in America, using the foolproof method of bracketology to determine what we love or hate-and why. As certain to make you laugh as it will start friendly arguments, The Final Four of Everything is the perfect book for know-it-alls, know-a-littles, and anyone with an opinion on celebrity mugshots, literary heroes, sports nicknames, or bacon. Bracketology is a unique way of organizing information that dates back to the rise of the knockout (or single elimination) tournament, perhaps in medieval times. Its origins are not precisely known, but there was genius in the first bracket design that hasn't changed much over the years. You, of course, may be familiar with the bracket format via the NCAA basketball tournament pairings each March. If you've ever watched ESPN or participated in a March Madness office pool, you know what a bracket looks like. The Final Four of Everything takes the idea one step further, and applies the knockout format to every category BUT basketball. In areas where taste, judgment, and hard-earned wisdom really matter, we've set out to determine, truly, the Final Four of Everything.

"Describes the NCAA Final Four tournament, including some of the greatest teams, players, and moments from Final Four history"--Provided by publisher.

When basketball fans hear the words Final Four, they probably think of the buzzer-beaters, Cinderella stories, and bracket-busters that have thrilled people for years. However, you don't need to be a die-hard fan to know that the NCAA men's basketball tournament is one of the most popular sports events in the United States. By the time the tournament of 68 teams has been whittled down to the Final Four, excitement reaches a fever pitch. From the first intercollegiate basketball game played in 1895 all the way to the thrills and drama of the most recent Final Four, read about the shocking moments and stunning upsets that give March Madness its name.

In 1714, the 29 year-old Johann Sebastian Bach was promoted to the position of concertmaster at the ducal court of Weimar. This post required him for the first time in his already established career to produce a regular stream of church cantatas-one cantata every four weeks. Among the most significant works of this period is Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis in meinem Herzen (Cantata 21). Generally known in English as "I had much affliction," Cantata 21 draws from several psalms and the Book of Revelations and offers a depiction of the spiritual ascent of the soul from intense tribulation to joy and exaltation. Although widely performed and loved by musicians, Cantata 21 has endured much criticism from scholars and critics who claim that the piece lacks organizational clarity and stylistic coherence. In Tears into Wine, renowned Bach scholar Eric Chafe challenges the scholarly consensus, arguing that Cantata 21 is an exceptionally carefully designed work, and that it displays a convergence of musical structure and theological purpose that is paradigmatic of Bach's sacred work as a whole. Drawing on a wide range of Lutheran theological writing, Chafe shows that Cantata 21 reaches beyond the scope of the individual liturgical occasion to voice a breadth of meaning that encompasses much of the core of Lutheran thought. Chafe artfully demonstrates that instead of simply presenting a musical depiction of the soul's journey from sorrow to bliss, Cantata 21 expresses the various stages of God's revelation and their impact on the believing soul. As a result, Chafe reveals that Cantata 21 has a formal design that mirrors Lutheran belief in unfolding revelation, with the final movement representing the work's "crown"--the goal toward which all of the earlier movements are directed. Complete with full text translations of the cantata and the liturgical readings that would have accompanied it at the first performance, Tears into Wine is a monumental book that is ideally suited for Bach scholars and students, as well as those generally interested in the relationship between theology and music.

The 1970s were both successful and tragic for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They won five NL Eastern Division crowns and the 1971 World Championship, but lost the great Roberto Clemente in a plane crash and pitcher Bob Moose in a car accident during this time. By the end of the 1970s, the Pirates were a good team but no longer considered favorites to win a World Series. Thanks to a fantastic finish in 1978, the Pittsburghers gained new hope for the 1979 season. As intriguing as the season was, it wasn't until the evening of August 25th that the Pirate fans really started to believe "it" could happen. The history of that magical ball club is covered here, from how the 1979 world champion team was built, to a thorough look at the season and post season, to how "The Family" finally fell. Also included are biographical sketches of all players who appeared on the team's roster that year and a section of complete statistics.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Raymond Berry is a true giant of the game. He lacked blazing speed or imposing size, yet he revolutionized the wide receiver position; starred in football’s “Greatest Game Ever Played,” the 1958 NFL Championship; and was part of football’s most legendary pass-catch combination with his quarterback and friend Johnny Unitas. Football wouldn’t be what it is today without “Unitas to Berry.” In All the Moves I Had, Berry brings readers inside a football career that spanned four decades and featured a Who’s Who of the NFL. As a receiver for the Baltimore Colts of the 1950s and 1960s, he nearly scientifically developed an inventory of moves and fakes to get open, and intensely studied defensive backs and their coverage techniques—pioneering these integral parts of today’s passing-game preparation. In this book he breaks down, play-by-play, his historic performance in the contest that secured pro football’s popularity—the 1958 final that was the NFL’s first to end in overtime and first to be nationally televised. He recounts coaching for the Dallas Cowboys and head coaching the New England Patriots, a team he took to the Super Bowl. One of today’s senior members of Pro Football Hall of Fame, Raymond Berry is a national treasure of football history, strategy, technique, and—just as important—friendship, family, love, and faith. “He was his own man. He was poised, as though he had pondered everything a little harder than anyone else. . . .He was deconstructing and reinventing the position of wide receiver.” —Mark Bowden in The Best Game Ever “He didn’t play a game of football, he engineered it.”—legendary Los Angeles Times sportswriter Jim Murray “The best.” —Johnny Unitas

The tradition of college basketball excellence that reigns at Indiana University can only be matched by a handful of other elite programs, while the fierce devotion of IU basketball fans has been selling out arenas and inspiring generation after generation of Hoosier fans for over a century. This newly revised edition of the Indiana University Basketball Encyclopedia captures the glory, the tradition, and the championships, from the team’s inaugural games in the winter of 1901 all the way through the 2011–12 season. The most comprehensive book ever written about IU basketball, this encyclopedia covers every season and every game the Hoosiers have played throughout their illustrious history, including all of the program’s Big Ten Conference championships and NCAA championships. Fans will relive the most exhilarating victories and the most heart-wrenching defeats. Included within are profiles of legendary Hoosiers stars, from Don Schlundt and the Van Arsdale twins all the way through Calbert Cheaney and Damon Bailey. The rivalries, excitement, and history of the Hoosiers are captured here with vivid detail and unparalleled statistical accuracy. Indiana University Basketball Encyclopedia is a must-have for the library of every devoted IU basketball fan and a fitting guide to one of the most storied traditions in all of college basketball.

The 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France was a down-and-dirty game, marred by French superstar Zidane's head-butting of Italian defender Materazzi. But viewers were also exposed to the poetry, force, and excellence of the Italian game; as operatic as Verdi and as cunning as Machiavelli, it seemed to open a window into the Italian soul. John Foot's epic history shows what makes Italian soccer so unique. Mixing serious analysis and comic storytelling, Foot describes its humble origins in northern Italy in the 1890s to its present day incarnation where soccer is the national civic religion. A story that is reminiscent of Gangs of New York and A Clockwork Orange, Foot shows how the Italian game -- like its political culture -- has been overshadowed by big business, violence, conspiracy, and tragedy, how demagogues like Benito Mussolini and Silvio Berlusconi have used the game to further their own political ambitions. But Winning at All Costs also celebrates the sweet moments -- the four World Cup victories, the success of Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, the role soccer played in the resistance to Nazism, and the great managers and players who show that Italian soccer is as irresistible as Italy itself.