Soccer Longshot

Matty hasn't improved his soccer skills in a while, so he switches things up by playing some street ball.

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Pedro, an avid basketball player, decides to run for class president, challenging a teammate who is also one of the most popular boys in school.

Pedro Morales has always been content helping others look great. The epitome of a point guard, he plays the game to set up his teammates—Ned, in particular, the star forward on the receiving end of Pedro’s pinpoint passes. Pedro wants to make his father proud, and so he runs for class president. Yet doing so means going one-on-one against Ned, easily the most popular boy in school. And Pedro learns the hard way that being a good teammate doesn’t mean that others will return the favor. Now Pedro wants to win more than ever—but this time, it’s for himself.

The titles in the 'Sports Illustrated Kids Graphic Novels' series feature full-colour, full-throttle sports stories packed with action and adventure.

Dominic doesn't want to play soccer, but when his mom signs him up, he has no choice. So Dominic just messes around on the field during practice, even though he secretly admires the skills of Carlos, his star-player teammate. When Carlos has to miss a game, Dominic starts to think it could be his time to shine. But after his rowdy behavior, will his coach or any of his teammates trust Dominic to score big?

The twelve-time All-Star catcher describes the inspiration he gleaned from his self-made father, his early career with the Dodgers, his memorable 2000 World Series with the Mets, and the controversies that have marked his career.

Ellie Before my junior year at Lincoln University, I promised myself three things. Just three. Actually dig into the whole sorority girl bit. Stay away from athletes. Seriously, stay away from athletes. When Professor Taylor posted our chem midterm partners and I got stuck with the captain of Lincoln’s Ice Hockey team, I was sure I’d be able to abide by rules 2 and 3. After all, I was immune to Leo’s whole ‘hottest guy on campus’ thing. I grew up with him— my brother’s best friend. That I’ve been obsessed with since I was eight. F' me. Leo Senior year. Captain of the hockey team, already engaged to the NHL with the perfect union months away, my whole life mapped out ahead of me. All my dreams have come true. Except for the one with Eleanor Rhodes. That one’s reoccurring, staring her in nothing but my number and that perfect little blush that shows up every time she looks at me. No biggie. I’ve worked that one out. In the shower. Numerous times. Never had a reason to get any closer than her Instagram until Professor Taylor assigned us as chem partners. The one girl on campus who shouldn’t be on my radar, yet she somehow seems to be the only one.

Thirteen-year-old Franco dreams of playing professional soccer, but the team in his new school is terrible, and nobody on the team, including the coach, seems to care--Franco has always been a pass-first, team-first player, but persuading this bunch ball-hogs to play the right way may be more than he can handle.

The great myth of horse racing is that the game is the regal and royal Sport of Kings. It isn't. Not by a long shot. Anyone who doubts this need look no further than Suffolk Downs, a once-proud racecourse graced in its glory years by boisterous throngs and champions such as Seabiscuit. Now the blue-collar East Boston track is one of many that have fallen on hard times. These days "Sufferin' Downs" is where grizzled Thoroughbreds come to end their careers, hopeful young jockeys aspire against daunting odds to begin them, and diehard fans cheer, curse and gamble on the entire fascinating spectacle. These bit players are not just cogs of a single, struggling horse track. They are the unseen supporting cast for a 15 billion betting industry. In fifteen years as a racing reporter and press box personality, T.D. Thornton gained access to remote corners of racetrack life off limits to the general public. He got to know the raucously Runyonesque characters and the quirky personalities of the horses; he learned the tricks of the trade from trainers, owners, and jockeys; he witnessed the tragedies and small triumphs of racing lives lived below the radar. One recent season, he finally decided to write it all down. Not by a Long Shot is a deeply textured portrait of an industry where even the best in the business lose 75 percent of the time.