LOS ANGELES – Part movie, part documentary, FSN's newest program, AMAZING SPORTS STORIES, promises to touch the heart and soul of every sports fan. Using dramatic re-enactments, archival footage as well as interviews with historians and living principals, each of the 13 half-hour episodes focuses on an athlete or team whose unbelievable story has been lost to the annals of time.

Be it the boxer who rose off his deathbed for one last fight to give his family a special Christmas, the baseball player turned World War II fighter pilot who overcame extraordinary odds to become the only man to play in a major league game on one leg or the two rival NFL teams that merged into one team to save the league from going out of business, the profiles showcased in AMAZING SPORTS STORIES are insightful, fascinating and often inspirational.

Created and executive produced by Bruce Nash, AMAZING SPORTS STORIES airs every Sunday night at 8:00 PM local. A hybrid combination of a mini-movie and a documentary, AMAZING SPORTS STORIES is unlike anything seen on FSN before.

"The stories on our show are going to surprise even the most diehard sports fans," said Nash, who has written more than 40 sports books and is a prolific television producer. "We've all heard stories about the greats of the game, but we're going to introduce viewers to obscure stories and little-known characters they've probably never heard of -- like Mysterious Montague, golf's greatest con man and teenage pitching sensation Jackie Mitchell, the girl who struck out Babe Ruth."

In the premiere episode, "Bert Shepard: The Dream That Wouldn't Die," airing on Sunday, April 13, AMAZING SPORTS STORIES looks at a true tale of triumph over tragedy, telling the riveting story of a pro pitching prospect turned fighter pilot whose incredible optimism and unshakeable belief in his own abilities propelled him to a major league mound.

To Bert Shepard, getting his leg amputated from the knee down was just a bump in his quest to fulfill his lifelong dream of pitching in the major leagues; to everyone else, it was an impossibility of incalculable proportions.

Growing up poor in rural Indiana, Shepard turned to baseball as an escape. Hours of throwing sharpened his arm and he had a legitimate shot to make a big-league career out of the game he loved. But when America entered World War II, Shepard put the game on hold, enlisting in the military.

On one fateful flight, he was shot down and crash-landed in enemy territory, close to death at the hands of angry German farmers armed with pitchforks. A Nazi doctor helped save Shepard’s life but couldn’t salvage his wounded right leg. Shepard’s dream of making it to the big leagues seemed destroyed.

Yet Shepard refused to give up. While at a P.O.W. camp, he first taught himself to walk and then how to pitch, learning to redistribute his weight on his artificial leg. When he made it back to the U.S. in 1945, a chance encounter with a top Army official led to a tryout with the Washington Senators.

Against all odds, he was given a spot on the team. And even though the team really had no intention of actually using him, Shepard was finally called upon to pitch in the middle of a late season blowout loss that meant nothing to the team. But to Shepard, walking onto that field meant everything. With each pitch, the crowd chanted his name. With each passing inning, Shepard pitched his heart out, earning the respect and admiration of his teammates and the adulation of the fans.

"The fact that so many of these exceptional stories have been forgotten over time is a tremendous disservice to true sports fans. These are stories of courage, of hope, of gritty determination by athletes who pushed themselves beyond their limits," said FSN VP of Development David Leepson. "Bruce's passion for these tales is evident in the quality of the production and the respect given to each of the subjects."

Following Shepard’s story, FSN delves into the life of Minneapolis heavyweight boxer Billy Miske. In the ring Miske had the skill, size and heart to beat any opponent, but outside the ring, he couldn’t defeat the disease that was eating away at his body. His illness should have forced him to retire, instead AMAZING SPORTS STORIES tells of how Miske, too sick to train, barely able to walk and having trouble breathing, gave up everything for one last fight to support his family.

Miske walked into the ring knowing that every round, every punch would take precious hours off his life. "Billy Miske: Dead Man Fighting" airs Sunday, April 20.

Then it’s the story of "Blackie Schwamb: The Greatest Prison Baseball Player of All Time," (April 27), "The Steagles: When Rivals Became Teammates" (May 4) and "Jackie Mitchell: The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth" on May 11. Over the thirteen episodes, AMAZING SPORTS STORIES will bring to life incredible but true tales from boxing, baseball, football, sailing, college football, golf and hockey.

Nash Entertainment executive produces the show. Nash Entertainment has become an idea factory for both film and television projects. Bruce Nash is well known for his trendsetting ideas and successful projects. Nash Entertainment’s feature film slate includes the true story of Fritz Pollard, who broke the color barrier in pro football 27 years before Jackie Robinson did it in baseball, "To Wally Ward," a baseball-themed drama written by Angelo Pizzo ("Hoosiers" and "Rudy") and "When Good Pets Go Bad" for MGM. Nash’s current TV series include "Most Shocking" and "Most Daring" for truTV and "World’s Most Amazing Videos" for Spike.

AMAZING SPORTS STORIES is produced by Red Line Films, one of the most respected production houses in sports television. Winners of the 2006 Sports Emmy award for Best Documentary, Red Line has won more than 30 Emmys and the prestigious Peabody Award.

FSN is the nation’s leading provider of local sports. FSN's 16 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 70 million homes across the U.S. FSN serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. FSN also produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 1400 in high definition.