Artificial Evolution
How technology makes us think we’re better than we are (and why that’s dangerous)

New Release: November, 2019 - Candlepin Press
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For a species as complex as ours, evolution should take about a million years. But in just the past 200 years we’ve hacked the process so that even the slowest and stupidest among us can move faster than a cheetah, fly higher than an eagle, and perform miracles of science that would have dazzled Einstein. But instead of elevating humanity to unparalleled enlightenment, technology has given us a sense of unparalleled entitlement. We act as though each new gain in comfort, convenience, and security not only makes our lives better—but also makes us better. It is a dangerous delusion. Based on a combination of research and personal experience—including resuscitating a vintage rotary phone, flying around the world on the Concorde, and fishing in a stream of industrial waste called Stink Run—author Rob Sneddon builds a case that “progress” is a runaway train and the engineer is too busy texting to notice.
2015 Independent Publishers of New England ​Book Awards

Boston’s 100 Greatest Games 
Fifth Edition - Includes 2018 World Series and Super Bowl 53

New Release: March, 2019 - Candlepin Press

Where does the Patriots’ record-setting win over the Rams in Super Bowl 53 rank among Boston’s greatest games of all time? Or their overtime thriller against the Chiefs in the 2018 AFC Championship Game? How about the Red Sox’ come-from-behind Game 4 victory against the Dodgers en route to winning the 2018 World Series? Find out where each of these instant classics stacks up against other iconic performances—including the steals by Dave Roberts and John Havlicek, Bobby Orr’s swan dive, Carlton Fisk’s pole dance, Doug Flutie’s Miracle in Miami, and Malcolm Butler’s goal-line heist—in this updated edition of Boston’s 100 Greatest Games.

Boston’s 100 Greatest Games on:

Game 6 of the 2013 ALCS
The image of Shane Victorino jubilantly circling the bases, contrasted with the image of Prince Fielder dog-paddling in the dirt, summed up the 2013 American League Championship Series. The Tigers might have had more raw talent. But the Red Sox had better baseball players.

Game 7 of the 1987 NBA Eastern Conference Finals
This seven-game scrum was both a physical series and a metaphysical one. It showed what happened when two groups of proud, stubborn men tried to occupy the same space at the same time. The Larry Bird Celtics had won three NBA championships and thought they had at least one more in them. The Isiah Thomas Pistons were NBA-champions-in-waiting who didn’t want to wait.

Bobby Orr’s overtime goal in Game 4 of the 1970 Stanley Cup Final
It’s the ultimate freeze frame. Orr is suspended in space; the moment is suspended in time. It is the precise instant of change. When Orr began his takeoff, the Bruins hadn’t won a title since 1941. When he landed, they were Stanley Cup champions.

Super Bowl 49
The Patriots were on the brink of a third straight Super Bowl loss abetted by a fourth-quarter circus catch. Maybe there was something to that karma talk after all. Even the receiver’s name suggested as much: Kearse. But for all the derring-do the Seahawks displayed, they also committed a couple of derring-don’ts.

Boston’s 100 Greatest Gamers
Ranking the most clutch athletes in Boston sports history

November, 2018 - Candlepin Press
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From Tom Brady to Ted Williams, Bill Russell to Bobby Orr, Boston sports fans have been blessed with clutch performers. This book, a companion to Boston’s 100 Greatest Games, provides a definitive ranking.
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Boston’s 100 Greatest Gamers on:
 
Tom Brady: “Brady has won five Super Bowls, the most of any quarterback in NFL history. And in every one the Patriots were either tied or trailing in the fourth quarter. What other yardstick do you need to measure clutch?”
 
Pedro Martinez: “1999 was peak Pedro. Just look at the stat line: 23–4 with a 2.07 ERA, 313 strikeouts, and a WAR of 9.7—during the height of the steroids era. This from a Jheri-curled wisp who weighed less than an average high school pitcher.”
 
Bobby Orr: “For all the talent those Big Bad Bruins teams had, they were able to win it all only during the narrow window when Orr was at his absolute best.”
 
Paul Pierce: “He stuck with Boston and Boston stuck with him. And in the span of one remarkable year, he went from slogging through an injury-shortened season on a last-place team to celebrating as MVP 
of the 2008 NBA Finals.”
 
Doug Flutie: “His entire career was a repudiation. Time and again Doug Flutie had to convince people to disregard what he wasn’t and focus instead on what he was: a winner.”

The Phantom Punch
The Story Behind Boxing’s Most Controversial Bout

The two fights between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston were amomg the most controversial in heavyweight boxing history. Ali, still known as Cassius Clay, won the first bout in Miami Beach in February 1964, when Liston refused to come out for the seventh round. The second fight took place in Lewiston, Maine, fifteen months later. Halfway through the first round, Ali countered a left from Liston with a fast right, knocking Liston down and seemingly out. That single lightning-quick blow, which many spectators didn't see, was dubbed the Phantom Punch —and it triggered a complex chain reaction of events that few people understood, either then or now. Even if you’ve seen films of the fight and think you know what happened, this book will change your perspective on boxing’s greatest controversy.
Rowman & Littlefield/Down East Books