Blue Ribbon College Book; Feist Workbook Among New Gbc Arrivals

Dortch and more than two dozen writers and researchers examine 11 major college conferences and Independents, with forecasts, analysis, predictions, and how both offenses and defenses shape up combined with recruiting in 2004. Team analyses includes an examination of coaches' reactions and expectations for the upcoming season, giving the researcher a feel for whether a team is rebounding or rebuilding or has finally put its act together for a surprise move in conference play or toward national rankings.

If you like the way Dortch's people compiled their Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook (originally founded by Chris Wallace), you'll find value in this fact-filled volume. If any resource can help you find some early season "sleepers" this is it.

Jim Feist's Football Workbook gives you 10 years worth of results for both college and pro teams. For the pros you also get the Total for the past decade's games. There's a schedule and room to keep results for every regular season game, with indication of the type of surface each game will be played on and if the game is--for the colleges--a conference battle or not or--for the pros--if the game is within that team's division. For both colleges and pros, you can isolate if the 2004 opponent has met the home team any time since3 1994. For example, the New York Giants face the Cleveland Browns Sept. 26. The last time they met was in 2000 when the Giants won 24-3, covering a 10-point spread with the total being 33, so the game went under.

You can refer to a handy chart for both colleges and pros which shows how teams did for one season, three seasons or even 10 seasons against the spread on grass or turf or as a dog or favorite or home or away against pointspreads varying from three points to more than 10 points.
This is a nice time-saving book for quick reference and for anticipating spot plays like coming off consecutive road games or "sandwich" situations. Note: for the colleges, there is no listing for number or lettermen or returnees for individual teams.

The NFL Record and Fact Book has been a trivia buff's favorite as much as a great reference for bettors, sportscasters, sports talk show hosts and bartenders who must settle arguments.

It is packed with individual and team records; a review of every game played in 2003 with quarter scores and scoring summaries; a listing of every NFL game every played since the 1920s (no spreads are ever listed); good stuff for potential Fantasy League players (ever wonder what Jerry Rice's career receiving record is against every opponent and who he scored against most?); greatest comebacks in NFL history; all the overtime games; stadium diagrams (including which way the stadium is configurated related to where North is (if you're tracking wind direction for a game); what the tie-breaking procedure is in case such a situation presents itself near season's end.

The book has pre-season results; post-season results and records (including the Super Bowl) and a listing for each team's websites on the Internet. A great gift for a bettor or non-bettor.