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

Review of "Turk"

As all book lovers know, an avid reader has many books that he or she has "meant" to read but it always seemed to be set aside.  This book fit that category for me and realizing that I had to soon download it or lose to the cloud forever, I downloaded it and it was a quick read, so I made the deadline.  Here is my review of "Turk"

Title/Author:

“Turk: One of the NHL’s Great Coaches from Summerside to Madison Square Garden” by Fred MacDonald with Glenda Jenkins

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Gerard “Turk” Gallant could be what one calls a hockey “lifer.”  Between playing the game and coaching, he has been involved in the game for over 5 decades.  His life in hockey is captured in this book by Fred MacDonald.

Note that the last sentence stated the book is about his life in hockey. That makes up the bulk of this book.  Whether the chapters are about his youth and the hockey he was playing then, his time in junior hockey and the NHL (mainly with the Detroit Red Wings) or his coaching career, the book concentrates on his hockey life and little else.  While there is some material on his charitable work and golf tourney, there is very little material on his personal life.  I felt this was a shame, for not only would I have liked to learn more about Gallant the person, but one of the best chapters in the book is about how he met and courted his future wife, Pam.  The couple is still married to this day.

However, if a reader wants to learn more about Gallant as a player and coach (especially the latter), then this book contains a lot of good information. There isn’t great detail about either his playing time or coaching time but instead a summarization of how his seasons went, big highlights or what became of him after a release or trade during his playing days or his termination while a coach. The coaching sections, as one might expect given the title, are more plentiful in the book. This starts when he was a coach for junior hockey in his home province of Prince Edward Island to his time with the New York Rangers.  Again, nothing spectacular or detailed about these coaching jobs, but a decent recap of his time with each team.  This is especially true for his time with not only the Rangers, but also the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights.  His first season with the latter, which was also the franchise’s first season, was special in that not only did he win the Jack Adams trophy as the coach of the year (and he was a finalist for both the Panthers and Rangers) but he led the Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4^th franchise to reach that far in their first season.

At 186 pages, this is a quick read and because it recapped Gallant’s interesting career in a summarization format, it isn’t one for a reader who knows Gallant’s accomplishments well.  But if a reader wants to see what makes Gallant one of the more accomplished coaches in the game today, then this book is one to read.

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

Link: Amazon.com: Turk: One of the NHL's Great Coaches: From Summerside to Madison Square Garden: 9781773661155: MacDonald, Fred, Jenkins, Glenna: Books

Review of “Boxing’s Greatest Controversies”

Having not read a book on boxing for awhile, I was scouring libraries and ARC lists for one and came across this gem that will be published in February 2025. Excellent book on some of the most controversial fights in the sport.

Title/Author:

“Boxing’s Greatest Controversies: Blunders, Blood Feuds and Mob Corruption” by Louis Joshua Eisen

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: 

Boxing has always had controversy - whether it was claims of fixed fights, influence by organized crime or illegal acts by fighters in the ring, it seems like there’s always something suspicious that gets boxing fans talking.  This book by Louis Joshua Eisen takes a look at some of these events that are still talked about many years after that particular incident.

What stood out for me with this book was Eisen’s excellent research and writing on this topic for two fights prior to the 20th century. One involved a fixed fight in the 1770’s and one was about the racism against Black fighters in the 19th century. That topic carries over to the 20th century with two of Jack Johnson’s fights discussed. Eisen makes a compelling case about Black boxer Joe Gans in his account of the second fight discussed in this book as being one of the best boxers of all time. Having never heard of Gans before reading this book, I appreciated the information on not only Gans, but about the sport in general during that time. 

Of course, some of the most famous controversial bouts are included. Eisen writes with the same level of detail on fights such as the “long count” match between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney, the early knockout of Sonny Liston by Muhammad Ali in their second match and the famous “bite fight” between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Each fight discussed follows a format of a brief description to set the scene, portraits of each fighter, events that led up to the controversial fight, then the fight itself. After that, Eisen breaks down what was the controversy, explains why it was judged the way it was (or may still be inconclusive) through a breakdown of film on the fight. This makes the book very informative, detailed and enjoyable to read as Eisen gives the reader education on the issues of the fight. Highly recommended for any boxing fan or historian.

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

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Boxings-Greatest-Controversies-Blunders-Corruption/dp/1459754867/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of "Banned"

Having remembered Michael Ray Richardson during his NBA days before he was banned from the league, I was interested in this book to see whatever happened to him when he decided not to return to the NBA when reinstated.  It was a great story - all basketball fans should read it.  Here is my review of his memoir "Banned." 

 

Title/Author:

“Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption” by Michael Ray Richardson with Jake Uitti

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Michael Ray Richardson was an exciting, excellent NBA guard in the early 1980’s before he succumbed to the world of drugs, most notably cocaine. He was one of the first players to receive a lifetime ban from the NBA for drug use, but eventually got clean and was reinstated to the league in 1987.  However, he never returned to the league and instead enjoyed his time playing in Europe and coaching minor league basketball.  His journey is told in his memoir written with Jake Uitti.

Drafted in 1978 by the New York Knicks, Richardson realized his dream and goal of playing in the NBA was going to become a reality. His description of his life previous to this draft was enjoyable to read.  It didn’t have any really shocking parts – was raised by a single mother (although his father was part of his life), saw blatant racism, vowed to make a better life for himself and his mother through basketball and went to college through the game.  The only surprise there might be that instead of a storied basketball school, Richardson became a first-round draft choice after playing at the University of Montana.  He does look back fondly at his time at the school and his youth before that in Denver.

It’s refreshing to read about a person who became an addict accepting all responsibility for their actions and not saying that this was because of situations, people or other issues beyond their control.  He realized that he was the one who gave in to the temptations and did not protest when he received the ban.  In fact, later on, he gives the NBA Commissioner at the time, David Stern, credit for saving his life for taking that action.  It is also clear from Richardson’s words that this wasn’t something that he just discovered after his low point – he knew what he was doing was wrong, but just couldn’t stop.

It's also nice to see two other aspects of Richardson’s life – he takes responsibility for the failure of his marriages (not all of them due to drugs) but makes sure that he remains a father figure for his children. It was also great to read about his time playing in Italy as he became a very popular player there where people still would chant his name when he appeared at a function long after his playing days were over. It was clear that he relished his time there and felt it was the right decision for him to remain overseas instead of returning to the NBA.

Throughout the book, Richardson is upbeat and positive, despite the addiction that ended a promising NBA career.  His story is certainly one that is inspiring and shows that one doesn’t have to take the same path after recovery to make one’s life productive after a bad event.

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

Link: Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption: Richardson, Michael Ray, Uitti, Jacob, Gervin, George, Lieberman, Nancy: 9781683584902: Amazon.com: Books

 

Review of “Shocktober”

 Another post-World Series book I picked up to wind down the baseball talk for the season as the off season begins. Here is my review of a book on World Series upsets, “Shocktober”. 

Title/Author:

“Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History” by Jonathan Weeks

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review: 

While the winner of the World Series will be considered to be the “world champions” of baseball, that does not always mean that team is necessarily the best one. Sometimes a team who performed just well enough to get to the postseason will pull off a surprise and defeat favored teams to win the World Series.  This book by Jonathan Weeks tells the story of some of these upsets.

Each chapter follows a format in which Weeks will begin by a short description of each team’s road to the World Series. This includes a short description of their season and, after 1969, the teams’ playoff victories. There are brief notes and stats on each team’s key players. Then Weeks will explain why one team was heavily favored and follows that up with summaries of each game in that World Series. Some of these summaries, including the finale of each one, will be longer than some others.

One can question whether these are the “biggest” upsets, as any book that lists the “best”, “greatest”, or “biggest” will be subjective and readers may disagree with the author’s list. These particular selections are quite accurate and while short, the explanations on why these were considered upsets are good. 

Notice the use of words like “short” and “brief” in this review. That was one takeaway from this book as for each World Series, it felt that while the explanation on being an upset made sense, it just felt like more could have been discussed about each team and season. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable and very quick read that baseball fans should enjoy.

I wish to thank Lyons Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The views expressed are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1493087037/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1493087037&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2 

Review of “Joe Black: More than a Dodger”

I belong to the baseball book club on Goodreads and each season after the World Series ends, we choose a book on the winning team as a group read. This book was our selection after the Dodgers won this year’s fall classic. Here is my review of “Joe Black.”

Title: “Joe Black: More Than a Dodger” by Martha Jo Black and Chuck Schnoffner

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Say the name Joe Black today to most baseball fans and the response you most likely will get is “Who’s that?” But that wouldn’t be the case back in 1952 when as a rookie he almost single-handedly pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to the 1952 National League pennant. This book by Black’s daughter Martha Jo and Chuck Schoffner tells of that special season and why it meant so much to the young pitcher.

The book as a whole is pretty standard fare as a biography for a Black baseball player in the early 1950’s. The color barrier had just been broken by Jackie Robison and by 1952, enough Black players were playing in Major League Baseball that the talent level and interest in the Negro Leagues was waning. Having gotten his crack at professional baseball in the Negro Leagues, Black was able to overcome the significant barriers he and his fellow Black players encountered to eventually pitch in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately, he never regained the magic of his 1952 season, gradually getting worse, and was eventually released by the Dodgers in 1957. He did sign with the Washington Senators for 1958 but pitched very poorly for them as that was his last season.

While reading about his baseball career was okay, I liked the chapters on his life outside of baseball better, especially his success first as a teacher and then as an executive for Greyhound Bus. He followed his mother’s advice and made sure to complete his education which paid off for him as it was unusual for baseball players in that era to have a college degree. It also contributed to another chapter in his post-pitching career that I enjoyed reading about. 

Black was hired by MLB to guide players to be successful after baseball, but he grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of attention to this and caring about the history of the game for Black players. This was profoundly illustrated when it was written that future white Hall of Fame players like Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux wanted to talk to Black about topics like the Negro Leagues while a Black player like Vince Coleman had no idea who Jackie Robinson was. Frankly, that is very sad. 

While the book didn’t have much of a “wow” factor for me as far as the baseball goes, it was nonetheless very interesting to read about Black’s life away from the diamond and it makes the title to be a very apt one for describing the man’s life. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Black-More-than-Dodger/dp/0897337530/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L0E3FQZ7OA61&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k1EqE-mL-VZaiODe_OB0mtguH9sHtm5jfVj5pMhoxkaSVjWtiuKTlFgTbGcBpbS4u4I_-byDlLNeyt_FWzS9q_c0y-qW2lKSstBmvN_ygZHWsmWB3s7JNuvk-5oDxOIVLMueYb8MoCVpqxsc6xqrxo8bVJUGQz7LTGP47CypGgmDjAgNHWw8eXpC6N9vagtFWFUDAmpPIZrppyASOsqhBh-vxo4U0NUBdXSdVD9DPN8.OeIw0BRfO41-LBAKK26a9ZDyDYXEUxsnw9NjLVO1Uh4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Joe+black+more&qid=1731114034&sprefix=joe+black+more+%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1 

Review of “The Tiger Slam”

 Like so many other golf fans (and even non-fans), I was mesmerized by the dominance of Tiger Woods in 2000-01. A book will be coming out about this stretch of golf by Woods this December and I was fortunate enough to obtain an advance copy. Here is my review of “The Tiger Slam.”

Title/Author:

“The a Tiger Slam: The Inside Story of the Greatest Golf Ever Played” by Kevin Cook

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: At the dawn of the 21st century, an entirely new generation was becoming entranced with an ancient game, golf. The reason for this surge of interest can be credited to one man: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. The sheer level of dominance he had over the sport in 2000 and 2001 was punctuated by him winning golf’s four major tournaments consecutively in that time frame. How he did it is captured in this very good book by Kevin Cook.

Cook is an accomplished writer about other sports such as football and baseball and this is his first foray into golf.  He does a fine job of bringing the reader on the course during each of those majors, starting with the 2000 U.S. Open at one of golf’s famous courses, Pebble Beach. From there, the reader and Tiger takes in St. Andrews (2000 Open), Valhalla (2000 PGA Championship) and Augusta (2001 Masters). The level of detail captured in Cook’s accounts of Tiger’s play in these tournaments is the best aspect of the book. When a key shot was made by Woods or one of his closest competitors, Cook gave readers details down to the club selection, spin on the ball, the curvature of the flight and its eventual landing spot. For golf enthusiasts, this level of detail is an excellent feature. 

Cook does a good job when writing about Tiger’s life away from the course or the practice range. For fans of Woods who have read other books on him or have watched documentaries, there won’t be much new information to be gleaned. I fall into this category but there are some elements that aren’t published much. One of those is how much his mother Tida played in his upbringing and his success in golf.  Much has been written and recorded about his father’s role in Woods’ success but little about his mother. 

Cook also touches on the argument of whether this accomplishment counts as winning the Grand Slam since the 4 wins did not come in the same calendar year.  Because of this controversy, many in the media dubbed the accomplishment the “Tiger Slam”, hence the title of the book. Most of the players Cook interviewed (there were many, another plus for this book) and who expressed an opinion on this say that yes, indeed, Woods accomplished the Grand Slam. While I agree with that sentiment, one doesn’t need to do so to enjoy this book on the most remarkable stretch of golf played by one person in the history of the game. 

I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The views expressed are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Slam-Inside-Greatest-2000-2001/dp/1668043645/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=