AUTOGRAPHED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE!!!! "Are You Ready: Jim Sheppard - A career announcing Illinois football and basketball" by Fred Kroner highlights the 22 year career of the man behind the voice of the Illini."It's the atmosphere, as much as the action, that explains the enormous appeal of college athletics. And for those seeking their entertainment in the big-time sports arenas of the University of Illinois the past two decades, a significant part of that atmosphere - at least some part of that appeal - has originated with Jim Sheppard. For 22 years, Sheppard has been 'the Voice of the Illini' manning the public address system in Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall, one of a very few figures who could bring fans out of their seats without ever walking onto the playing area....But even those who know Jim well can find much that's revealing in Kroner's look at the man behind the voice, the work behind the scenes and the insight behind a long and illustrious career as one of the best in the business behind the microphone for the Fighting Illini. Are you ready?" [excerpt from Foreword by John R. Foreman]

Are You Ready?

History

Fred Kroner

Americas

The News-Gazette, Inc.

Fred Kroner's latest book chronicles the rich history of the Eastern Illinois Baseball League as it celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2010. The list of E.I. Baseball alumni who went on to bigger and better things includes a former big league manager, an umpire, and nearly a dozen major league ball players. There are stories about Dizzy Dean, Satchel Paige, and many others, plus complete standings from every year of the league's existence. Kroner, an award-winning sports reporter for The News-Gazette in Champaign-Urbana, began covering E.I. Baseball in 1975. This is his third book. His first was Citzen Pain, about NBA player Brian Cardinal, who grew up in nearby Tolono, Ill. His second book was Are You Ready, which profiled the career of Jim Sheppard, who was the public address announcer for the University of Illinois football and men's basketball teams for 22 years.

Catching Up: The Official History of the Eastern Illinois Baseball League

Sports & Outdoors

Baseball

The News-Gazette

News-Gazette sports writer, Fred Kroner, tracked down the inside story on the historic building that was designed by a University of Illinois architecture graduate. For Kroner's fourth book, he not only spoke with Assembly Hall directors, coaches, players and a veteran UI trainer for their memories and perspectives, but also tracked down the building-project manager, a man whose company installed the glass, an usher who had 45 years of service, and stagehands who were on the scene when some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry came to town with their unusual requests. The resulting book is a comprehensive, inside look at an award-winning building that serves not only as the home court of the Fighting Illini men's and women's basketball teams, but also as a concert venue, a theater for musicals and plays and an all-purpose location suitable for conventions and graduations.

A Saucer Coming to Rest

John Foreman

Before he became a fan favorite in West Lafayette, Ind., before there was a contest to give him a nick-name, Brian Cardinal questioned whether he could make the transition to big-time collegiate basketball from a small-town community of 2,600. The Tolono native's success -- Cardinal now ranks among Purdue's all-time leaders -- is a testament to his unrelenting work ethic and intensity and should be an inspiration to those who have heard a parent say, "Work hard and you can be whatever you want."

Brian Cardinal: Citizen Pain (Basketball Superstar)

Biographies & Memoirs

Sports Publishing, LLC

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Books by Fred Kroner