Jim Mandelaro

Jim Mandelaro is an award-winning writer based in Rochester, New York. He is the author of three sports books: Silver Seasons: The Story of the Rochester Red Wings; Silver Seasons and a New Frontier; and Outside The Game: A Collection of Inspirational Sports Stories. Mandelaro has won three New York State Associated Press Awards. His work has appeared in USA Today, the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe and the Baltimore Sun. He lives in Fairport, New York, with wife Kerri and children Matthew and Sophia.

Here's what some of the biggest names in sports are saying about Jim:

CAL RIPKEN, JR., Baseball Hall of Famer: "I've gotten to know Jim over the years, and he has always been a journalist I looked forward to speaking with. His storytelling ability comes through in Outside The Game, an excellent collection of stories that concentrate on so much more than wins and losses and really bring out the emotion of sport."

JIM KELLY, Pro Football Hall of Famer: "Jim Mandelaro writes about real people and real subjects. He goes deeper than wins and losses. The best of his inspirational work can be found in Outside The Game."

ABBY WAMBACH, International soccer star: "I have known Jim since high school and have always enjoyed his human-interest stories and passion for sports and people. Outside The Game is filled with the very best of these stories."

JIM NANTZ, CBS Sports: "These stories by Jim Mandelaro will inform and inspire you. They are about courage, perseverance and strength, and help us understand what 'winning' really means.