Review of “All the Way”

 It’s not often that I’ll be able to post reviews on consecutive days, but after finishing Magic in the Air, I started this one and not only was it a quick read, it was an excellent book. Here is my review of ”All the Way.”

Title/Author:

“All the Way: The Life of Baseball Trailblazer Maybelle Blair” by Kat D. Williams

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

“A League of Their Own”, the highly successful and popular 1992 movie about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), brought attention to women’s baseball and the effects of this movie have been felt ever since. Women are gaining more opportunities in the sport, both in competition against other women and for career opportunities in non-playing roles. There are women in MLB front offices, coaching boxes and manager offices. This is thanks to women like Maybelle Blair, whose life is chronicled in this book by Kat D. Williams. 

Williams is a talented writer on women's sports and this book is no exception. Most of the book is really Blair telling the story herself with Williams adding in items from research about people or stories shared by Blair. Blair played only one year in the AAGPBL, in 1948 with the Peoria Red Wings. It should be noted that was the best season for the Red Wings, their only season with a winning record. Leg issues forced Blair to not come back for the 1949 season. However, the book covers Blair’s love for the game, her many years playing softball as both an amateur and a professional, over much of her life. 

There aren’t a lot of stories from games on the field shared by Blair, but it’s clear that baseball was an important part of her life. Even though the stories concentrate on Blair’s life off the field, she has many baseball accomplishments in her life. Two of them she is rightly proud of doing is creating baseball and softball teams at Northrop Corporation where she enjoyed a long and successful career. The other, in partnership with longtime friend Shirley Burkovich and the author, opened the International Women’s Baseball Center in 2016 in Rockford, Illinois. The struggles they had in overcoming objections from many fronts showed the dedication Blair had for every aspect of her life.

This includes her personal life and sexuality as while she lived as a lesbian her entire life, she did not officially “come out” until she was 94 (she is now 98) and these stories are fun to read as well. For men’s baseball, there are plenty of stories about some of the shenanigans the men do when not playing - Blair shows that women can also have some fun. Blair shares many stories about her loves, her “episodes” as she call them but mostly about her family and friendships that are all connected in some manner with baseball.

It’s a fairly short book, but it feels just right as if there was much more it really would have been filler material and not about the wonderful life of Maybelle Blair. It’s a perfect blend of baseball and awareness for both women’s issues and those of the LBGTQ+ community. 

I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/All-Way-Baseball-Trailblazer-Maybelle/dp/1538186365/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr= 

Review of “Magic In the Air”

What basketball fan doesn’t get excited when a player on their favorite team goes in for a high flying dunk?  This is a very good book on the history of that crowd-pleasing play.

Title/Author:

“Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery and the soul of the Slam Dunk” written by Mike Sielski

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: The dunk is one of the most exciting plays in basketball. Players who may not have great skills or statistics in other facets of the game but can dunk with flair can become legendary anywhere from playgrounds to NBA arenas. Of course, superstar players can also add to their legendary status with dunking prowess. This book by Mike Sielski takes the reader on a journey through the history of this shot and how it not only affected the sport, but how it also became a way to introduce Black culture to a mostly white fan base. 

The story of the dunk really begins with Jack Inglis, who was considered to be the best professional basketball player of the early 20th century, long before the birth of the NBA. The stories that Sielski found about Inglis and some of the shots and jumps he made are at times hard to believe and make up one of the best parts of the book. 

There’s also a good write up about Inglis’ life, which is something Sielski does for most players featured in this book. They do include the legendary stars whose dunks are famous (Michael Jordan and Julius Erving) but also some other players whose names may well have been forgotten save for one famous dunk or a win in a slam dunk contest. Lorenzo Charles and Mac McClung are two examples of these types of players in the book and their stories, especially that of Charles, were also very good. 

The linkage between the dunk and Black culture, and as an extension of that’ its influence in the sport, is also well documented and researched in the book. Here the reading can be a little more tedious and slow paced, but that doesn’t take away the quality and depth of the research. The best example and illustration of this is Sielski’s chapter on the famous 1966 NCAA championship game between Texas Western and Kentucky. Basketball fans will recall its place in history as Texas Western won with five Black starters against Kentucky’s team of all white players. What isn’t as well know is that David Lattin decided to send a message to Kentucky by dunking during Texas Western’s warm ups. Stories like this one make this book a very good source of information for anyone who wants to learn more about the dunk.

I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Air-Myth-Mystery-Soul/dp/1250287529/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr= 

Review of “Baseball: The Movie”

 With the nominations for the 2024 Casey Award for the best baseball book of the year, I have decided to give each one of them (or as many as I can) a look. This one about baseball movies is a finalist and I admit to having mixed feelings about it. Here is my review of “Baseball: The Movie.”

Title/Author: “Baseball: The Movie” by Noah Gittell

Rating:  3 1/2 of 5 stars (Okay)

Review: As one who will watch any movie with a baseball theme, when I saw that not only there was a book about baseball movies, but it was also a finalist for the Casey Award for the best baseball book of 2024, I had to check it out. After reading this book by Noah Gittell, I have mixed feelings about it at best. 

I’ll start with my disappointment to get that out of the way. Some of the critiques felt very preachy to remind the reader about baseball’s racism and sexism in its history and also to pick apart some of the movies to find anything that might not stand up to 2024 moral and social scrutiny. I’ll use two of my favorite movies for this section. While Mr. Gittell mostly praises “A League of Their Own” he did have to mention that the baseball scenes had to be realistic since the mostly male establishment would criticize it if those portions didn’t seem realistic. Couldn’t we just enjoy the movie for the excellence it had without that comment?  He also was very harsh on his chapter on “The Sandlot.”  While yes, the scene where Squints fakes drowning in order to kiss lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn can be labeled as sexual assault, I guess it’s not okay to just enjoy a movie with scenes that many people MIGHT fantasize about. And of course, even though the best player is a Latino, the lack of a Black player seemed to bother the author enough that he had bring that into the discussion.

This kind of commentary is a shame to me because when he is writing just about the movie or the baseball, he has excellent commentary. I felt the best of those are about two other movies I really enjoyed, “Pride of the Yankees” and ”Little Big League.” While my enjoyment of the latter might be biased since I am a Twins fan, I really liked how Mr. Gittell mostly praises this movie for its use of today’s analytical thinking in the game before it was common. His description of the scene where young Billy, while managing the Twins, is talking to one of his coaches on situational baseball. More text like this and less about the social shortcomings in the movies would have made this book much more enjoyable for me. At best I give this 3 1/2 stars. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Movie-Noah-Gittell/dp/1637272642/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Losing Big"

No matter what sport you enjoy, if you watch the games, you have seen ads for sportsbooks and betting.  This book is a great look at the state of this industry and the health crisis (in the author's words) that has arisen from the ease of betting.  

Title/Author:

“Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling” by Jonathan D. Cohen

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

When the Supreme Court legalized sports gambling in 2018, it opened a floodgate of ways and sportsbooks for gamblers to bet on sports.  As of this review, 38 states have legalized sports betting – this book by Jonathan D. Cohen is a great insight into what this onslaught of betting has done for sports, for the sportsbook industry and also to those who became addicted to gambling.

For the latter, the most heartbreaking story is that of “Kyle”, whom Cohen frequently refers to when describing the way that offers made to gamblers will hook them into more betting.  Cohen goes as far to describe this as a public health crisis (he notes this is especially the case for young men) and provides Kyle’s story and that of others who suffered losses as cautionary tales.  The stories of upping bets to try to get back to even money or even regain self-esteem. 

Cohen also writes about attempts to regulate gambling industry at both the state and federal levels, much of which has either been defeated or has been weak attempts to address this.  The notices on ads for “responsible gambling” is one of these attempts to help gamblers with addiction is one that Cohen describes in great detail and also explains why it is not working as desired.

Cohen’s account of how Colorado’s bill that allowed sports gambling eventually made it into law is also very interesting – tying the revenue that would be realized into a more sustainable water supply to the state was an excellent piece of writing and research.  This was the best example shown into the theory that states saw sports betting as a means of obtaining much revenue without increasing taxes.

The last subject that this review will touch in which Cohen provided the reader with an excellent description is the sportsbook industry and its mechanisms. Focusing primarily on the two biggest sportsbooks, DraftKings and FanDuel, Cohen will take the reader inside their industry and the means in which that while they claim to be helpful to the gambler in avoiding addiction, the opposite occurs when there are the promises of big payouts on parlays, offers of free bets for a win or even a loss for a first-time bettor (much to the chagrin of states, since free bets are not subject to collections by the states) and other ways that the industry keeps their steady customers.

This book is mostly factual and eye-opening, but there is even a little bit of humor at the expense of the New York Jets (I am figuring the author is a long-suffering Jest fan).  It is a quick read and one that should be widely circulated to let all know about the current state of sports betting and the risks as well as the benefits.

I wish to thank Columbia Global Reports for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling: Cohen, Jonathan D.: 9798987053706: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Why We Love Football”

 Seeing that Joe Posnanski wrote a book about football in a similar manner as he did about baseball, I had to get a copy. And like his baseball book, I chose to listen to the audio version. Also like the baseball book, it turned out to be the right thing to do.  Here is my review of “Why We Love Football.”

Title/Author:

“Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments” written and narrated by Joe Posnanski

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Joe Posnanski has won several awards in his career, including the Casey Award in 2022 for the best baseball book, “Why We Love Baseball.” It was so successful that he decided to follow the same format and title for America’s most popular sport and like the baseball one, this book is excellent whether in print or on audio.

The latter is how I chose to consume this book and it turned out to be a good choice. Posnanski is a very good narrator and his enthusiasm for the game shows when he is describing these 100 moments that describe people’s love for the game. He includes all levels of football- mostly college and professional, of course, but covering them all gives a more complete picture.

There are many moments that even casual fans will remember if they were around when they occurred - the Immaculate Reception by Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris in 1972, the costly interception thrown at the end of Super Bowl XLIX by Russel Wilson of the Seahawks, and the return of a missed field goal by Alabama for a touchdown by Auburn in the 2013 Iron Bowl rivalry game. These and many other moments will bring back memories, both good and bad, for any fan.

It was also nice to see lesser known accomplishments make their way into this book. The best one for me (and there are several) is about the best female football player to ever strap on shoulder pads, Linda Jefferson. Having read about her amazing accomplishments earlier, I loved it when I heard the chapter on her and that Posnanski included her in the book.

No matter how much interest a reader has in the game of football and whatever level of football is their favorite, they are sure to be able to find at least a few of these stories they will enjoy. It’s what makes a book like this great - one can skim or skip some parts, devour others and come away feeling like they have learned something new about America’s favorite sport. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Love-Football-History/dp/0593475526/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of “Stugotz’s Personal Record Book”

As I mention in the review, I picked up this book because of the cover. Usually that doesn’t bode well for me, but not in this case.  Here is my review of “Stugotz’s Personal Record Book.” 

Title/Author:

“Stugotz’s Personal Record Book: The Real Winners and Losers in Sports” by Jon “Stugotz” Weiner with Dan Stanczyk

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: This book was one of the few times the cover was what got me interested in reading it more than the title, subject or author. The cover has the trophies of the four major team sports, and even though I had never heard of “Stugotz”, I thought that this book by Jon “Stugotz” Weiner would be about championship players and teams in those sports.

That was somewhat correct. Stugotz, whose main occupation is to be the second person on the highly popular sports talk show in South Florida hosted by Dan LeBetard, has some very interesting opinions on the best players and teams in various sports and he’s not afraid to tell you why, even if the reader will strongly disagree, as I did several times. A reader might even think some of his opinions are crazy. 

Here is a small sample of those non-conforming takes: Babe Ruth isn’t one of the 10 best baseball players of all time; Chris Paul is not among the best point guards in NBA history (and while he doesn’t mention John Stockton’s name, he’s not included either since Stugotz says a player must win a championship in order to be great - something I strongly disagree with); and that Clayton Kershaw isn’t that great a pitcher because of his struggles in the postseason. 

If these sound outlandish to a reader, this is what they will get throughout the book. However, keep in mind the general tone of sports talk radio - statements like these are made by hosts and callers all the time. Having not heard his radio show, this review is not based on his on-air performance but instead by what he writes in the book. Reading it like a script for sports talk radio and even wanting to call in to either praise or bash his idea (most chapters have this at the end by a respected sports journalist) is the best way to enjoy this book. Just like what you hear on the air, it’s best to not take this extremely seriously and just enjoy reading it for the entertainment value.

I wish to thank Random House for providing a review copy of the book. The views expressed are strictly my own. 

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Stugotzs-Personal-Record-Book-Winners/dp/0593734084/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of "Thirty Below"

When I saw this book offered on NetGalley, I couldn't believe that I had never heard of this feat by this courageous group of female climbers.  After reading it, I now understand why and frankly, it's about time that their accomplishment gets the recognition it deserves.  Here is my review of "Thirty Below." 

Title/Author:

“Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent on Denali” by Cassidy Randall

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

A historic achievement occurred on July 6, 1970 when a group of six women became the first all-female team to reach the peak of a mountain higher than 20,000 feet when they reached the summit of Denali. While they were not one of the first females to reach this peak (Barbara Washburn was in 1947), it was still an amazing accomplishment.  The stories of each of the women and the harrowing experience they had while climbing are told in this excellent book by Cassidy Randall.

 All six women – Grace Hoeman, Arlene Blum, Margaret Clark, Margaret Young, Faye Kerr, and Dana Isherwood – were established climbers with various amounts of experience.  Grace organized this team after losing her husband Vin to the mountains and failing to reach the peak of Denali on an earlier attempt.  Her experiences and determination to reach the summit makes for excellent reading, even if a bit slower than the later parts of the book.  This is also the case for the other five women – all have excellent stories about their mountaineering experience and their personal lives captured by Randall.

 At this time, mountaineering was a sport dominated by men and overcoming the sexism and belief that women were not capable of scaling such mountains was a huge motivation factor for the “Denali Damsels” as they became to be known.  It was such a strong belief for them that at times they would refuse assistance from other climbing teams’ male members because they felt by doing so, it was reinforce the incorrect notion that women could not accomplish this without assistance from men. This view about female climbers was pervasive at this time and that is a topic visited frequently by Randall.  It really makes the accomplishment even more impressive.

 While the stories of each woman were great to read, their climb up Denali was even better.  Randall wrote this part of the book much like an adventure novel, complete with drama and subplots.  Will the team make it?  Will Grace, who became extremely ill, survive? Will the team overcome their differences and squabbles that inevitably hit all climbing teams?  This latter question was especially noteworthy given the way they assembled and their different backgrounds and nationalities. And of course, we know the answer to the first question.  That doesn’t take away the excitement a reader will experience when picking up this book about a extraordinary achievement that is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

I wish to thank Abrams Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women's Ascent of Denali: Randall, Cassidy: 9781419771538: Amazon.com: Books