Review of "The American Game"

It took me longer than expected to finish this book on lacrosse, a sport in which I have become more interest the last few years and one in which it is hard to find books.  Therefore, my first review in October took longer, but I was glad I finished this book - here is my review of "The American Game." 

Title/Author:

“The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse” by S.L. Price

Rating: 

3 ½ of 5 stars (good)

Review:

The title of this book by S.L. Price, a long-time Sports Illustrated writer, is very appropriate for a book on the sport of lacrosse. While it is very well-known that Native Americans played the earliest known versions of the game, not much is known about their struggle to field their own team as a nation. That is just one of the topics Price covers about the sport in the book.

The Haudenosaunee (formerly Iroquois before taking back their original name) tried to enter Isreal for the 2018 world championships using their own passports instead of becoming part of the teams from the United States or Canada.  This caused several issues, but they eventually competed in the tournament.  The difficulties they faced is just one of several issues with the game that Price describes.

Other topics that are highlighted that trouble the sport is the lack of diversity, the lack of women in the sport, at least before Title IX was passed (it should be noted that Price does a really nice writeup of the recent state of women’s college lacrosse, including the fact that it is growing faster than the men’s game) and the “laxbro” attitude of the players who are mostly white, upper to upper middle class, and have a history of substance abuse. While it was very appropriate to include these topics, they were more of the focus of the book instead of the sport itself and for me, that was a disappointment. 

However, when Price did write about the game, whether the growth of the women’s game, the “medicine games” played by the indigenous players in its earliest days and is still done by them today or just recapping how some schools such as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore (men) or Northwestern University near Chicago (women) became powerhouses in the sport. While not at the level that a person who knows nothing about lacrosse would understand, Price’s text on actual game play and the positions are very good as well. 

My thoughts on this book, as one can probably tell, are very mixed. On the one hand, it has great information on the sport at various times in its history, albeit a little uneven as Price switches from one topic to another and back often.  Also as noted, the book did seem to concentrate on the hard issues of the sport instead of the beauty of the game.  Nonetheless, it is worth checking out if one wants to learn more about the sport of lacrosse.  

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

Link: The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse - Kindle edition by Price, S. L.. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Review of “The Good Son”

To finish my reading and listening of books in September, I went back to one of my favorite authors, Mark Kriegel. He writes excellent sports biographies and this on on Ray Mancini did not disappoint. Here is a review of “The Good Son.”

Title/Author: “The Good Son: The Life of Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini by Mark Kriegel, narrated by Holt McAllany

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Boxing in the 1980’s saw a rise in the popularity of lighter weights and one of those popular boxers was Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini. His life both in and out of the ring is told well in this book by Mark Kriegel, an accomplished sports biographer.

Mancini came from a boxing family. His father Lenny, also nicknamed “Boom Boom” was a promising fighter until he was injured serving in WWII and was not the same. Ray always wanted to please his father, and the ties between them as well as those Ray had with his mother and siblings are captured well by Kriegel.

Of course, there is plenty of text about Ray inside the ring and in training. While he did earn the lightweight title, sadly he is most remembered for a fight in which his opponent, DunKu Kim from South Korea, died in a hospital several hours after Mancini knocked him out in the 14th round. That affected him deeply in both his professional and personal life. That is told superbly both in Kriegel's writing and McAllany’s narration. What gives it an even better touch is that Kim’s family is included in the book - what they did in the wake of his death is both sad and inspiring.

This also affected the Mancini family hard as well. Like his father’s career after returning from the war, Ray’s career wasn’t the same as it was after the Kim fight. It was clear that he didn’t have the same desire in both training and the bouts. While he put up a great effort to regain his title, he knew it was time to retire. The book tells about this and his subsequent failed marriage. Through it all, the book has even-mannered, informative and engrossing stories that will keep the reader engaged, where using the print or audio version. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Son-Life-Boom-Mancini/dp/0743286359/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Full Throttle”

Keeping with my policy of reading books about the sport I am attending when traveling to and from an event, I started this book when I attended the NASCAR Cup Series race in New Hampshire last weekend.  It was long but quite entertaining. Here I’m review of the biography of NASCAR legend Curtis Turner. 

Title/Author: “Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of NASCAR Legend Curtis Turner” by Robert Edelstein

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Curtis Turner was one on the early superstars of NASCAR racing. He has been called by some the “Babe Ruth of NASCAR’ with the many victories he had in the sport’s early years. This biography by Robert Edelstein is a testimony to not only his racing career but also to Curtis’ flamboyant lifestyle.

In those days of the sport, drivers did not win large purses and had to beg for sponsors or others to put up the investment for the cars. As a result, they also had to earn a living elsewhere and Curtis did so in the timber business. It gave him a nice income and while he didn’t immediately squander it (and his race earnings), it did give him the means to live an extravagant lifestyle.

This included legendary parties at Daytona every year, a small airplane (which he was flying when it crashed and killed him in 1970), and other business ventures, not all of which was successful. The book covers these adventures, especially his flights, with as much detail and entertainment as it does Turner’s racing career.

One aspect that covers both of these areas is Turner’s vision of building a speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina to rival that of the one in Daytona built under the guidance of NASCAR founder Bill France. This was part of the complicated cared relationship Turner and France had. While Turner’s fearless driving style won him many races and fans (and filled grandstands at France’s races), when Turner wanted to form a union for the drivers (as he was trying to secure funds from the Teamsters for his Charlotte track) he was blackballed from NASCAR.

All of this and more is told in a very good storytelling fashion by the author. It was not only very entertaining but also enlightening as a reader will, like me, learn much about the early days of the sport.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Throttle-Nascar-Legend-Curtis/dp/1585677515/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 

Review of "Habs Nation"

I have always had at least a passing interest in the Montreal Canadiens, even though I cannot call myself a fan of the team.  So naturally I wanted to request a copy of this book when I saw ARCs were available.  I am very glad my request was approved as this was an excellent book. 

Title/Author:

“Habs Nation: A People’s History of the Montreal Canadiens” by Brendan Kelly

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The Montreal Canadiens have one of the most storied histories in professional sports, having won 24 Stanley Cups and are also a source of pride for not only the city, but for the entire province of Quebec.  However, they have not won a championship since 1993 and the number of French-speaking players from Quebec, once a source of pride for the team and province, has been dwindling during that time. This book by Brendan Kelly not only explores this phenomenon but also connects it to the movement by some Quebecers to secede as an independent, French-only nation.

Kelly does a great job writing about both the political and the hockey parts of the book.  He interviews very knowledgeable people on both topics, especially the hockey part where he talks to former Canadien greats who were both anglophones and francophones (English and French speaking).  That gave this a very balanced approach to the book, even though it is quite clear that Kelly is making a direct correlation between the status of the separatist movement and the success of the hockey team.

Something else that Kelly writes about very well is the rivalry between the Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques before the latter left for Colorado in 1995.  That was also the year when the second independence referendum for Quebec failed to pass, dealing a blow to those who favored independence.  This contrasted with the 1980 referendum, that passed, and while not resulting in independence, there were several concessions from the nationalist government.  And, either by coincidence or not, 1980 marked the year of the end of the Canadiens dynasty in which they had won the last four Stanley Cups, losing to the Minnesota North Stars in the quarterfinals that spring.

While there is certainly no absolute connection between the two, Kelly makes this comparison very interesting, provides the reader with a great account of the rich tradition of francophone players for the Canadiens and also gives the reader an interesting look at the movement to make Quebec a separate nation.

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Habs-Nation-Montreal-Canadiens-Nonfiction/dp/1771864001/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5WWDM19R3YXE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ajPuHFM1xhfiWjs_W_9yJA.Qr1c7jF1_ktuT4PT4Co6Ati6Vl1heYsS5GXiBTJ-juU&dib_tag=se&keywords=habs+nation&qid=1758569827&s=books&sprefix=habs+nation%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1

Review of “Brady Vs. Belichick”

 While I am not a New England Patriots fan, I find books about their recent dynasty very interesting and this one is certainly one that fit the bill. Here is my review of a book that answers the debate of who was more responsible for their success, the quarterback or the coach. 

Title/Author: “Brady vs. Belichik: The Dynasty Debate” by Gary Myers

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: The New England Patriots are the most recent example of a sports dynasty, having won six Super Bowls in 18 seasons between 2002 and 2019. They had the same quarterback and head coach for all of those championships, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick respectively. Most football fans have an opinion on who was more responsible of these two for the Patriots’ success and this book by noted pro football author Gary Myers is his attempt to settle the debate.

One of the best aspects of the book for me came right at the very beginning. Myers made it clear that his opinions were formed only for the time the two men were with the Patriots. Therefore, the Super Bowl that Brady won with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t factor into his beliefs, nor did Belichick’s five years of coaching the Cleveland Browns before joining New England. That made this a true discussion on who was more important to the team during their time together.

Myers covered the Patriots a lot during this stretch so he was privy to a lot of information on the Patriots that many others would not have. This made some of the topics covered quite interesting even if a reader thought they already knew plenty about the two men and the team.  The two scandals involving the Patriots, “Deflategate” and “Spygate” are great examples of the extensive coverage Myers did. It shouldn’t go unnoticed that Belichick was judged far more harshly by fans, the press and his peers for spying on other teams’ defensive signals than Brady was for allegedly deflating football below specifications before an AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

While the events are not covered in strict chronological order, it still is an easy book to follow if one is a football fan, especially a Patriots fan. The time both men spent in New Englad tigers leaves nothing unturned and owner Robert Kraft also plays a prominent role in the book. By the end, after all is said and done, Myers does pick one of them to be more important to the Patriots dynasty and his reasoning is sound. Of course, this review won’t give that away, but no matter which side a reader takes on this debate, they will come away well informed about the team and the two key men of that dynasty.

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Brady-vs-Belichick-Dynasty-Debate/dp/1250381193/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Losing Isn’t Everything”

On a recent business trip to Boston, about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive for me, I had time to listen to an audiobook and chose this one as it sounded interesting- it was.  Here is my review. 

Title/Author: “Losing Isn’t Everything: The Untold Stories and Hidden Lessons Behind the Toughest Losses in Sports History” written and narrated by Curt Menefee 

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Whenever a memorable moment happens in sports in which there is a winner and a loser, the winner is usually remembered over the years. But not always - sometimes the losing team, player or in individual sports, a performance where the athlete failed to perform as expected, is remembered just as much. This book by Curt Menefee, who also narrates the audio book, tells their story.

Each one follows a pretty standard format - the setting is set, the athlete featured is highlighted. Then the moment happens and how he or she handled that ignominy is the bulk of the material. This would include not only in the immediate aftermath of the event, but how that person has carried on in the following months and years. Many of the stories also started to feel the same as most of them were able to do fine, but almost to a person, it did upset them at least a little that that particular play was all that was remembered. 

The best example of that last statement would be Everton Walls, who was the safety pictured on the famous photo of “The Catch” by the San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark. The other extreme example of this - where the athlete is perfectly fine with what happened - is Jean van de Velde, whose infamous 72nd hole at the 1999 British Open cost him a major title. Van de Velde has always maintained that yes, he lost, but he lost by attempting the shots he wanted to do. 

This book is interesting in not only the content of all of these stories, but for the wide variety of sports that is covered. Snowboarding (Lindsey Jacobellis, whose extra move cost her a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics), speed skating (Dan Jansen, who fell at two Olympics before finally winning in 1994) and track (Mary Decker and her fall in the 1984 Summer Olympics) and covered as well as football, baseball and basketball. 

From Craig Ehlo to the 1992 Kentucky "Unforgettables" and from Rodney Harrison to Calvin Schiraldi, many memorable moments are covered and this book covers the other part of them 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Isnt-Everything-Stories-Toughest/dp/0062440071/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Marinovich”

This was one of those books that I wish I didn’t let sit in my TBR pile for so long. Former USC and Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich has penned a memoir that is very different than other books in this genre. This is my review.

Title/Author: “Marinovich: Outside the Lines in Football, Art and Addiction” by Todd Marinovich with Lizzy Wright

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Todd Marinovich was seemingly born to be a football player. Not only did he show great promise as a quarterback in his days playing youth football, his father was Marv Marinovich, a former NFL player and coach. While he achieved success in high school and college football (the latter at USC) and was a first round draft pick of the then-Los Angeles Raiders, there was a demon Todd was battling: addiction. This memoir is a very good account by Todd of his struggles battling the disease.

I used “disease” because that’s how Marinovich described it for both himself and his father, although that didn’t occur until near the end of the book. He said Marv’s addiction (what he always called his father, never “Dad” or something similar) was physical conditioning and coaching while his was drugs and alcohol. While his story is not unique, this was written with quite a different tone than other sports memoirs. 

This is because Marinovich doesn’t focus on his childhood or his playing career. Due to his addiction, his time with the Raiders was brief, but did have some good games. After several attempts at recovery, he caught on in the Canadian Football League, but that didn’t pan out. He played one season in the Arena Football League and was named Rookie of the Year but like with all his other football teams (even at USC) he never could stay away from drugs.

Instead of football, Marinovich concentrated on telling the darker side of his struggles. He gives some very detailed and painful accounts of his arrests, failed rehabilitation sessions, and failed relationships including with his family. Even though he currently is living a decent life in Hawaii coaching youth football and crafting his artistic talent, he makes it clear that addiction is something he is still fighting every day. This is what makes this such a powerful book. It’s clear that he has many regrets and knows his issues but is trying every day to overcome them. Todd Marinovich must receive at least some praise for opening up like this to the world. 

I wish to thank Ben Bella Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.  

Link: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/marinovich/ 

Review of “Baddest Man”

This book grabbed my interest because of the author. Mark Kriegel wrote excellent biographies on two of my favorite childhood athletes, Joe Namath and Pete Maravich.  Knowing this and also that he covered boxing for a New York City newspaper during Mike Tyson’s era, I felt this would be an excellent book on him - I wasn’t disappointed.

Title/Author: “Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson” by Mark Kriegel

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Mike Tyson is probably the most talked about boxer in the history of the sport aside from Muhammad Ali. His life has taken so many twists and turns. Despite all that has been already said and written about him, this book by bestselling author Mark Kriegel is excellent in not only its portrayal of Tyson, but also in its ability to make even those readers who think they can’t read anything new about him will find something they didn’t before.

While the book is about his life from his childhood in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn to his 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988 to unify the heavyweight championship of boxing, the prologue will grab a reader right away. Kriegel writes about Tyson, the father who is watching his daughter at a tennis match. From just this passage, it will be clear to readers that this will not be a typical sports biography.  

From there, Kriegel takes the reader on a journey that will not only reveal much about Tyson, but also provide in-depth looks at a variety of topics: poverty, crime, gang activity, the media’s love of celebrity issues, the crookedness of the boxing business and its characters, the greed of the 1980’s and so much more. None of these topics will be new to anyone, but the depth to which Kriegel writes about these topics, especially the business side of the sport, is excellent. It should be noted that Kriegel was a long time boxing writer for the New York Daily News, so his knowledge of this side of the sport is well-grounded.

While the fights Tyson had in the ring as an amateur, his failed attempt at making the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, and those as a professional are well covered (including the famous bout with Spinks), the work on Tyson’s life outside the ring is what makes this book so good. Kriegel writes about the myths on Tyson, especially in his days in Brownsville and those when he was taken in and mentored by Cus D’Amoto. Also noteworthy is Kriegel’s accounts of Tyson’s marriage to actress Robin Givens, his relationship with her mother Ruth Roper , his lack of business acumen when dealing with Jim Jacobs, Bill Clayton and especially Don King. If one remembers this time as a tangled, salacious time for what Tyson was doing, the reader will find out even more twists as Kriegel navigates then through all of the lies, deception, stories and craziness.

But one conclusion that one will make, no matter their view on Tyson as a person, is that it’s very clear that he was a person who lacked the love and support he wanted and would accept it from whomever would provide it. Nearly every person mentioned in the previous paragraph was doing that in some way and Tyson was always seeking it, no matter what it would do to him later.

Since this book only covers Tyson’s life up to that June 1988 night in Atlantic City and the anticipation that accompanied it, I am hoping Kriegel writes a sequel covering some of the other events that made Tyson such a compelling character. This book is highly recommended for any reader who wants to read about any aspect of Mike Tyson’s first 22 or so years of life. 

Link: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/552034/baddest-man-by-mark-kriegel/