Review of "When the Garden Was Eden"

One New Year's resolution I always make since I started writing reviews is to clear out some of the older books on my shelf and get those reviews done.  This book, written in 2011, is the first one to keeping that resolution.  It only makes sense, as the book's main subject is an event that will have its 50th anniversary later this year.  Here is my review of "When the Garden Was Eden"

Title/Author:

“When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks” by Harvey Araton

Tags:

Basketball, professional, history, Knicks, championship

Publish date:

October 18, 2011

Length:

368 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

One of the most dramatic moments in NBA history occurred when the captain of the New York Knicks, Willis Reed, came out with his team for the start of the seventh game of the 1970 Finals. The story of that moment, and that team, has grown to legendary status and it captured in this very good book by Harvey Araton.

While the book was written just after the 40^th anniversary of this even, it is still just as memorable a time for Knicks fans now, coming up on the 50^th anniversary.  Even those who have only seen the grainy film of Reed making his way down the tunnel after suffering a severe injury in game 5 smile when mentioning "The Captain."  Araton doesn't limit his complimentary and almost idyllic prose to Reed.  Other Knicks players such as Walt "Clyde" Frazier, "Dollar" Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett, coach Red Holtzman and later Earl "The Pearl" Monroe are just some of the players who not only are highlighted in their contributions to the team, but also in a significant number of pages for each one. 

These mini-biographies on each man are the slowest parts of the book, as each one goes into great detail about their early lives, their youth, their thoughts on the Knicks and their post-basketball lives, especially Frazier who is a long-time broadcaster for the team.  However, once a reader gets past them, starting with Chapter 7, the history lesson for the Knicks is terrific.  Reading about not only the 1970 championship team, but also their next few years which culminated in another championship (to date, the latest one for this team) in 1973, was like taking a time trip back to Madison Square Garden in the early 1970's.  The reader will not only feel like he or she is enjoying the basketball from that era, but will also get a taste of New York City in those days – at least the more positive social aspects.

Some personal stories about "super fans" and other associated people also help capture the atmosphere and stories that make up the New York Knicks of that time, considered to be the best in the team's history.  How "celebrity row" came into being and why so many celebrities wanted to be seen at Madison Square Garden is probably the best reading in the book that isn't basketball.  And speaking of the basketball writing, that is the best aspect of the book as it almost brings the reader courtside to the action, especially that game in 1970 in which the Knicks dominated the Los Angeles Lakers to capture the championship.

Knicks fans will especially want to read this, if they have not already done so.  Even if one is not a New York fan, but instead likes to read about basketball history, this is one that will be enjoyed by that person. 

                                         

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/When-Garden-Was-Eden-Captain-ebook/dp/B005FG1ISW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-garden-was-eden-harvey-araton/1102381176?ean=9780061956249#/

First review of 2020 - "Baseball Gods in Scandal"

Happy New Year to all my fellow sports book readers!  One resolution I am determined to keep this year is to catch up on reviews of books provided to me by authors or publishers but for one reason or another I never got around to doing.  This review is the first book in attempting to keep that resolution as it was sent to me soon after publication in the summer of 2019.  Here is my review of "Baseball Gods in Scandal"

Title/Author:

“Baseball Gods in Scandal: Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and the Dutch Leonard Affair” by Ian Kahanowitz

Tags:

Baseball, professional, Tigers, Indians, gambling

Publish date:

July 4, 2019

Length:

388 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The late 1910's and 1920's was a trying time for professional baseball.  Caught up in several gambling scandals, the most famous being the Chicago White Sox throwing the 1919 World Series, the sport was well on its way to cleaning itself up thanks to the iron fist of its first commissioner, Kennesaw Mountain Landis.  However, in 1926 Landis received a letter from former pitcher Dutch Leonard about another gambling problem that season. That allegation, which involved two legendary players, is the subject of this interesting book by Ian Kahanowitz.

Late in the 1919 season, after the White Sox had already clinched the American League pennant and the Cleveland Indians were assured of finishing second, the Indians and Detroit Tigers played a mostly meaningless game.  "Mostly" is the key word here as the Tigers were in a fierce race for third place.  Finishing in the top three of the league was a big deal in those days as the top three teams received shares of the revenue generated from the World Series.  At the time, that was a significant amount of money given the player salaries.  Allegedly, the two biggest stars in that game, Ty Cobb of the Tigers and Tris Speaker of the Indians, were involved in a betting scheme to ensure the Tigers would win and finish third.  That was the subject of Leonard's letter and it set off a firestorm of controversy.

Of course, Cobb and Speaker denied having any involvement in any gambling. Their stories, as well as Leonard's and those of Landis, American League President Ban Johnson (whose feud and power struggle with Landis make for terrific reading) and Smokey Joe Wood, who also supposedly knew about this incident but had conflicting testimony, are captured in great detail by Kahanowitz.  At times, the writing is so detailed that a reader must read it carefully, almost like the transcript of a legal trial.  This review will not contain any spoilers, so one must read the book to know the outcome. 

However, reading the book is something that anyone interested in baseball during that era, or wants to learn more about the main characters mentioned above should do.  It will teach the reader a lot about this mostly forgotten but historic incident in baseball history.

I wish to thank Mr. Kahanowitz for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.   

                                          

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Gods-Scandal-Speaker-Leonard/dp/1938545877/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.summergamebooks.com/titles/history/baseball-gods-in-scandal-ty-cobb,-tris-speaker,-and-the-dutch-leonard-affair-detail

Final review of 2019 - "Lords of the Gridiron"

2019 was a memorable year in sports, both for the games on the field and in the publishing world.  There were many excellent books I read and it is only fitting to cap off the year with one of those excellent books, this one by an author whose work I have enjoyed before.  Using a similar winning style he used for two hockey books, Matthew DiBiase has written a great book on college football coaches.  Here is my review of "Lords of the Gridiron"  

Title/Author:

“Lords of the Gridiron: College Football's Greatest Coaches” by Matthew DiBiase

Tags:

Football (American), coaching, history, biographies, memoirs

Publish date:

September 1, 2019

Length:

342 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Sports fans, no matter which sport, always love to debate about who is the greatest – the greatest team, the greatest player, the greatest coach, and so on. Author Matthew DiBiase has contributed to the discussion in hockey with two previous books on NHL coaches and general managers.  These were both excellent books and he has written another outstanding book in the same manner, this time ranking the best college football coaches.

The formulas DiBiase used for his hockey books would not be effective for measuring the success of college football coaches, mainly because of the extensive changes the sport has undergone in its 150 year history.  Giving some credit to one of the most famous users of sports analytics, Bill James, DiBiase developed an intricate formula to account for a coach's successes and failures such as conference and national championships, bowl records and overall season records.  However, because of changes in how some of these are determined over the years (such as the national champion – pre-AP polls to AP and Coaches polls to the Bowl Championship Series to the current College Football Playoff, the current proliferation of bowl games and how the status of some of them change from 'minor' to 'major' bowl games), the formula takes some different factors as well so that coaches from all eras of the sport get a fair shot.

As for the actual rankings, like with his previous books, DiBiase starts at #1 and works his way through the top 50.  All top 50 coaches have their accomplishments listed at the top of their chapters, followed by an excellent short biography or memoir, based off not only extensive research but from interviews with players, colleagues, family members or the coaches themselves. It doesn't matter how the information was gathered or which coach is being portrayed, each chapter is full of good information and entertaining stories.

Coaches from all eras are honored as one of the top 50 and it doesn't matter when the coach did his trade, DiBiase gives each one of them about the same amount of writing and that is especially noteworthy since, of course, it would be more difficult to capture some of this information on coaches from the earlier decades of college football. The chapters on some of these coaches such as Fielding Yost and Andy Smith were just as enjoyable to read as were those about current coaches such as Nick Saban and Dabo Sweeney.  This reviewer, a Minnesota Golden Gophers fan, was especially grateful to be able to read quite a bit about Bernie Bierman and Dr. Henry Williams.

One last note about the book is that the system DiBiase uses to rank these coaches will produce surprises – most of these surprises will be that some of the most legendary names in the history of the game will rank lower than many will expect.  Whether a coach is ranked #1, #50 or somewhere in between, the author will give a through and detailed explanation why before sharing the stories about that coach and that information is very useful.

College football fans of all ages, school loyalties and level of interest will want to read this book.  While it can be used as a reference book and also is one that can be read in small doses at a time, it can also be a page turner that will be hard to put down, as was the case for this reviewer.  After reading this book and his two hockey books of equally high quality, a reader should be eagerly anticipating the next book from this author.   

I wish to thank Mr. DiBiase for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

                                                    

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Gridiron-College-Footballs-Greatest-ebook/dp/B07X7QKQ4L/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Toe Blake: WInning Is Everything"

Here's to wishing everyone reading this a very happy holiday season, no matter how you are celebrating.  While the biggest day for Christians was yesterday, it should be noted that today is not only Kwanza, but also Boxing Day, a holiday celebrated in Canada.  One of Canada's most storied teams is the Montreal Canadiens and one of their legendary figures, Toe Blake, is the topic of this excellent biography.  Here is my review of this book:

Title/Author:

“Toe Blake: Winning is Everything” by Paul Logothetis

Tags:

Ice Hockey, biography, Canadiens, Maroons, coaching

Publish date:

March 24, 2020

Length:

300 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Joseph Hector "Toe" Blake is best known as one of the most successful coaches in NHL history, winning eight Stanley Cup championships while pacing behind the bench for the Montreal Canadiens from 1955 to 1968.  However, there is much more to the story of his life and it is told in this excellent hockey biography by Paul Logothetis.

While Blake is best remember for his coaching days with Montreal, including five consecutive Stanley Cups in his first five full seasons guiding the Canadiens, he also had a very successful playing career and that is told in great detail as well as his coaching. Blake won three Cups in his playing days, and adding on his eight while as a coach, he is one of two people to have his name engraved on the Cup 11 times.  Fittingly, one of his players from his winning Canadiens teams, Henri Richard, is the other person to have won a total of 11 times.

Blake's playing days, from the time he played junior hockey in Sudbury (also winning the Memorial Cup in 1932) to his days with the Canadiens are captured in great detail by Logothetis. It did include the one Cup he did not with the Canadiens as Blake played his first eight NHL games in 1935 with the Montreal Maroons, who won the Cup that year and had Blake's name engraved.

Speaking of his name, Logothetis provides some information on where Blake got the nickname "Toe." It was widely believed that it was because his sister could not pronounce "Hector" correctly, and instead said "Hec-toe."  There is doubt on that story in the book as it notes that Blake himself that was because one of his brothers couldn't pronounce the name.  No matter which story is the truth, this passage is a good example of the depth and detail Logothetis writes about Blake, whether about his playing days, his coaching days or his personal life.

It should be noted that Logothetis provides a lot of material on not only Blake, but on many of the great Montreal players and teams during Blake's coaching career.  This helps to portray Blake as a man of great passion to win, including displaying his legendary temper when needed.  Even going down to the detail of how hard Blake would be chewing his gum during a critical playoff game, Logothetis provides a great portrait of Blake on the ice and behind the bench.

Off the ice, however, Blake is portrayed in an entirely different manner as he not only would be kind and generous to others, his devotion to family is evident in how he cared for his wife Betty when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It should also be noted that included in the portrayal of Blake's life after hockey is how much time he dedicated to running a tavern he opened before he started coaching, Toe Blake's Tavern, and was a fixture there until it closed in 1983.  Of course, the final years of Blake's life are mentioned when he was battling Alzheimer's disease before passing in 1995.

One of the most complete hockey biographies I have read, this book is a wonderful look at Blake's career and life and any hockey fan would enjoy reading this. Canadiens fans who may not be familiar with Blake would especially benefit from picking this up and learning about one of the legendary figures in the team's storied history.  

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

                                                    

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1770414908/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sin?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1770414908&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

Review of "The Strenuous Life"

Whether or not the book is sports-related, anything written about Theodore Roosevelt and his family is usually worth the time to read.  This book that concentrates on the role sports played in his life and in his Presidency is one of them.  Here is my review of "The Strenuous Life"

Title/Author:

“The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete” by Ryan Swanson

Tags:

Football (American), running, tennis, baseball, boxing, Olympics, politics

Publish date:

August 20, 2019

Length:

376 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Theodore Roosevelt was known to be one of the more active Presidents, but just how active he was and the impact he had on both participating and spectator sports is captured in this book by Ryan Swanson.  In it, Swanson takes an in-depth look at Roosevelt's experience in sport, whether it was in his youth and college days, his time at the White House or frankly, any other time.

While many know about TR's concern about the violence in college football and his asthma that affected his activity as a child, other activities that are not as well know make their way into the reader's attention.  One of this is the "tennis cabinet" – staff members with whom TR would play tennis on a regular basis.  He was an enthusiastic boxer, both at Harvard and at the White House.  Of course walking regularly was also a favorite activity of his. 

Something that may be surprising, however, is his lack of enthusiasm for baseball.  Even though he was presented with a "golden ticket" good for admission to any major or minor league baseball game, Roosevelt believed the game was not active enough as he preferred sports and activities that required more motion by the body.  He felt that all ages should be more active, as he established what became known as the physical fitness tests for school-age children.

These are just some of the topics Swanson covers with gusto and in great detail. Because of the detail, it is a book that requires careful reading, but once done, the reader will have taken a fascinating look at the active life of the 26^th United States President.

                                                    

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Strenuous-President-Theodore-Roosevelt-American/dp/1635766125/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "The Fundies"

Making a book based off of a series of comedy videos doesn't sound like it would be interesting, but this hilarious book on hockey fundamentals, or "fundies" will make hockey fans laugh long and hard.  Here is my review of "The Fundies"

Title/Author:

“The Fundies: The Essential Hockey Guide from On the Bench” by Olly Postanin and Jacob Ardown

Tags:

Ice Hockey, advice, humor

Publish date:

October 22, 2019

Length:

248 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Two minor hockey coaches, Steven Campbell (Olly Postanin) and Ryan Russell (Jacob Ardown) have created a series of hockey videos titled "On the Bench" and they have developed a large following in Canada.  The videos are meant to be both instructional and entertaining.  They have brought the subject to book format in this book that is very entertaining to read and may even leave hockey fans a little more knowledgeable.

Something to know before opening the book is that a reader will encounter a lot of words ending in "y" or "ie" that are shortened versions of commonly used words. A few examples are "celly" for celebration, "tendy" for a goaltender, "bisscy" for the biscuit (a slang term for the puck) and of course, in the title, "fundies" for fundamentals. These were a bit confusing at first, but as one progresses through the book, they make more sense, as does the purpose of the book.

While there is some great information about some of the basics and even more abbreviations, such at "T.J." for tape job on one's stick, be warned that not all of the advice should be taken as a player.  One such example is in Chapter 5, when the object of all players should be to get their names in the scoresheet as much as possible.  If that means taking more penalties, especially for the ones who don't score often, then so be it. Their objective should be to get those scouts to notice you.  Whether a forward, d-man or tendy, the more you are seen, the better you are at the game. This is especially true for your celly – the more outrageous the better.  In fact, the authors state this is especially important for the tendy.

If this review makes you chuckle, then this would be the book for you if you are looking for a book with some humor, as this is the main draw of "On the Bench."  Whether that comes from this book or the videos, the comedy is excellent, entertaining and will leave you laughing very hard.  It is recommended to have tissues handy if a reader is prone to crying when laughing, as that will be the dominant emotion when reading this book.  When finished, the reader will be ready to show off that wild celly.

I wish to thank Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.      

                                                    

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Fundies-Essential-Hockey-Guide-Bench/dp/0735236984/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "The Wax Pack"

Having never read a book with this type of premise before, I dove head-first into this one as soon as I downloaded the electronic version and enjoyed it immensely.  Here is my review of "The Wax Pack"

Title/Author:

“The Wax Pack: On The Open Road In Search of Baseball’s Afterlife” by Brad Balukjian

Tags:

Baseball, biography, professional, relationships

Publish date:

April 1, 2020

Length:

264 pages

Rating:

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

The concept of this book sounds very simple, yet it is one that is unique among sports books which are available.  The author, Brad Balukjian, opens a pack of 1986 Topps baseball cards nearly 30 years after it was purchased (the book takes place in 2015) and sets out on a road trip to learn what each of the 14 players in the pack have done in their lives since the cards were issued.  What follows is an amazing journey that the reader will enjoy while riding along with the author while he sets out to meet these players he calls the “Wax Pack.” 

The fame and skills of the players range from a Hall of Fame player (Carlton Fisk) to those with very short and non-descript careers (Jamie Cocanower), from the very famous (Dwight Gooden) to the virtually forgotten (Al Cowens).  Balukjian tells a story about each player, whether he actually talks to that man or not, that usually has little to do with baseball and more to do with what has happened to each man after baseball.  These can range from very uplifting and inspiring, as was the case for this reviewer when reading about Gary Templeton’s story, to very poignant and heartbreaking, such as Cocanower’s revelation about his wife’s diagnosis of cancer and the tragedy that befell the family of Randy Ready.  Some men still sound angry, such as Vince Coleman, while some are still very happy with what the game provided them, such as Rick Sutcliffe.

The most entertaining stories are two in which he did not speak to the player for an interview, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. In one, Balukjian ended up attending a Houston Astros game and was close to meeting Gary Petis, who was working as the third base coach of the Astros at the time. How he ended up at the game makes for an entertaining story, as does Balukjian’s adventure of trying to connect with Fisk.  There are actually two chapters on this as after failing to connect with Fisk at his home, Balukjian drives out to Cooperstown for the 2015 Hall of Fame induction weekend and spends $60 for the chance to meet Fisk for about 30 seconds while Fisk signed his card.  What Balukjian does in that very quick encounter was probably the funniest story in the entire book – but alas, it did not get the desired result as Fisk still does not provide that story for the author.

The author’s own personal story, however, is also intertwined throughout his road trip and it adds special meaning to his meetings with the former baseball players.  He describes his relationship with his parents throughout the book, leading up to a “Field of Dreams”-esque meeting with his father.  He also makes a side trip to visit an old girlfriend, the only one that he mentions in the book but a woman for whom he still believes was the best one he had.  Both of these stories will make the reader have the same gamut of emotions that his meetings with the players evoked.

One last item that should be mentioned about the book – it begins and ends with descriptions of how the cards and bubble gum are packaged, complete with a short story of an employee who works in the factory that packages the cards. Anyone who has tasted the bubble gum – a term used loosely to describe that hard stick – can relate to Balukjian’s torture when he consumed the gum.

Those baseball fans who had in their possession baseball cards at one time or another will certainly want to read this book, but one does not have to be a baseball fan to thoroughly enjoy this book that is not only thought-provoking but also emotion-provoking as the reader will feel a large range of emotions while reading it.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

                                                                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

Buying Links:

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496218742/