Losing Streak


Book Description

A jaw-dropping account of how one company came to own every poker machine in the state of Tasmania – and the cost to democracy, the public purse and problem gamblers and their families. The story begins with the toppling of a premier, and ends with David Walsh, the man behind MONA, taking an eccentric stand against pokie machines and the political status quo. It is a story of broken politics and back-room deals. It shows how giving one company the licence to all the poker machines in Tasmania has led to several hundred million dollars of profits (mainly from problem gamblers) being diverted from public use, through a series of questionable and poorly understood deals. Losing Streak is a meticulous, compelling case study in governance failure, which has implications for pokies reform throughout Australia.




Confidence (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)


Book Description

Become more confident at work. You need confidence to inspire trust, communicate effectively, and succeed in your organization. But self-doubt and nerves can undermine your ability to act decisively and persuade others. What can you do to push past these insecurities? This book explains how you can use emotional intelligence to become more confident at work. You'll learn how to correct what is holding you back, how to overcome imposter syndrome, and when feeling too self-assured can actually backfire. This volume includes the work of: Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Rosabeth Moss Kanter Amy Jen Su Peter Bregman How to be human at work. The HBR Emotional Intelligence Series features smart, essential reading on the human side of professional life from the pages of Harvard Business Review. Each book in the series offers proven research showing how our emotions impact our work lives, practical advice for managing difficult people and situations, and inspiring essays on what it means to tend to our emotional well-being at work. Uplifting and practical, these books describe the social skills that are critical for ambitious professionals to master.




Losing Streak


Book Description

Happiness doesn't come without a price. Rosemary Young knows the Lane. It's where she grew up, raising a brother barely younger than she was. It's where she served drinks, wearing a gaudy uniform in a low-lit bar to support her mama. It's where she fell for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Brandon Williams might've had a taste for gambling and been headed nowhere fast, but something about him made her almost forget every promise she ever made. These days when Rosie walks the Lane, it's on the orders of the man who owns it. The man who owns her—Joshua King. A bet gone wrong ties her to him, serving as the collateral Brandon didn't have. For Brandon the guilt is a white-hot brand, but Rosie can't bring herself to regret it completely. The safety of those she loves is worth the sacrifice. Now King's called Brandon back to town early and given Rosie one last job to do before they're free. Nothing—not even King—will keep Brandon from Rosie, not after three years of simply existing without her. And before it's all over, everything that had been done in darkness will come to light and nothing in their lives will ever be the same again. 67,000 words




The Memory of Running


Book Description

"Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians." —Stephen King Every so often, a novel comes along that captures the public’s imagination with a story that sweeps readers up and takes them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Ron McLarty’s The Memory of Running is this decade’s novel. By all accounts, especially his own, Smithson "Smithy" Ide is a loser. An overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk, Smithy’s life becomes completely unhinged when he loses his parents and long-lost sister within the span of one week. Rolling down the driveway of his parents’ house in Rhode Island on his old Raleigh bicycle to escape his grief, the emotionally bereft Smithy embarks on an epic, hilarious, luminous, and extraordinary journey of discovery and redemption.




Handicapping for Bettor Or Worse


Book Description

This bettor's guide to handicapping racehorses teaches horse players how to use all the available information to form their own system. Explains the advantages and drawbacks in current popular handicapping methods.




Big Data Baseball


Book Description

Big Data Baseball provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the Pittsburgh Pirates used big data strategies to end the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history. New York Times Bestseller After twenty consecutive losing seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, team morale was low, the club’s payroll ranked near the bottom of the sport, game attendance was down, and the city was becoming increasingly disenchanted with its team. Big Data Baseball is the story of how the 2013 Pirates, mired in the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history, adopted drastic big-data strategies to end the drought, make the playoffs, and turn around the franchise’s fortunes. Big Data Baseball is Moneyball for a new generation. Award-winning journalist Travis Sawchik takes you behind the scenes to expertly weave together the stories of the key figures who changed the way the Pirates played the game, revealing how a culture of collaboration and creativity flourished as whiz-kid analysts worked alongside graybeard coaches to revolutionize the sport and uncover groundbreaking insights for how to win more games without spending a dime. From pitch framing to on-field shifts, this entertaining and enlightening underdog story closely examines baseball’s burgeoning big data movement and demonstrates how the millions of data points which aren’t immediately visible to players and spectators, are the bit of magic that led the Pirates to finish the 2013 season in second place and brought an end to a twenty-year losing streak.




Sports Finance


Book Description

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Sports Finance" that was published in IJFS




Encyclopedia of Alternative Investments


Book Description

A pioneering reference essential in any financial library, the Encyclopedia of Alternative Investments is the most authoritative source on alternative investments for students, researchers, and practitioners in this area. Containing 545 entries, the encyclopedia focuses on hedge funds, managed futures, commodities, and venture capital. It features




Trading Systems and Methods, + Website


Book Description

The ultimate guide to trading systems, fully revised and updated For nearly thirty years, professional and individual traders have turned to Trading Systems and Methods for detailed information on indicators, programs, algorithms, and systems, and now this fully revised Fifth Edition updates coverage for today's markets. The definitive reference on trading systems, the book explains the tools and techniques of successful trading to help traders develop a program that meets their own unique needs. Presenting an analytical framework for comparing systematic methods and techniques, this new edition offers expanded coverage in nearly all areas, including trends, momentum, arbitrage, integration of fundamental statistics, and risk management. Comprehensive and in-depth, the book describes each technique and how it can be used to a trader's advantage, and shows similarities and variations that may serve as valuable alternatives. The book also walks readers through basic mathematical and statistical concepts of trading system design and methodology, such as how much data to use, how to create an index, risk measurements, and more. Packed with examples, this thoroughly revised and updated Fifth Edition covers more systems, more methods, and more risk analysis techniques than ever before. The ultimate guide to trading system design and methods, newly revised Includes expanded coverage of trading techniques, arbitrage, statistical tools, and risk management models Written by acclaimed expert Perry J. Kaufman Features spreadsheets and TradeStation programs for a more extensive and interactive learning experience Provides readers with access to a companion website loaded with supplemental materials Written by a global leader in the trading field, Trading Systems and Methods, Fifth Edition is the essential reference to trading system design and methods updated for a post-crisis trading environment.




The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball, 2d ed.


Book Description

More than any other sport, baseball has developed its own niche in America's culture and psyche. Some researchers spend years on detailed statistical analyses of minute parts of the game, while others wax poetic about its players and plays. Many trace the beginnings of the civil rights movement in part to the Major Leagues' decision to integrate, and the words and phrases of the game (for example, pinch-hitter and out in left field) have become common in our everyday language. From AARON, HENRY onward, this book covers all of what might be called the cultural aspects of baseball (as opposed to the number-rich statistical information so widely available elsewhere). Biographical sketches of all Hall of Fame players, owners, executives and umpires, as well as many of the sportswriters and broadcasters who have won the Spink and Frick awards, join entries for teams, owners, commissioners and league presidents. Advertising, agents, drafts, illegal substances, minor leagues, oldest players, perfect games, retired uniform numbers, superstitions, tripleheaders, and youngest players are among the thousands of entries herein. Most entries open with a topical quote and conclude with a brief bibliography of sources for further research. The whole work is exhaustively indexed and includes 119 photographs.