Review of "The Players' Coach"

Having read this book as part of a Goodreads challenge, I found this to be okay.  There was a lot of name dropping by the author as well as some great stories, and some may really enjoy them.  Here is my review of "The Players' Coach."

Title/Author:

“The Players’ Coach: Fifty Years Making NFL’s Best Better – From Bradshaw, Manning, Brady and Beyond” by Tom Moore with Rick Stroud

Rating: 

3 ½  of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Tom Moore is a person who would be considered a football “lifer.” He proclaims himself to be one in this memoir co-written with Rick Stroud.  Even though he never was named as a head coach of any team, college or NFL, one cannot say that he has not had a successful and interesting career.

Moore shares many stories about himself as well as some of the great players that he has coached.  After getting his first college coaching job at Iowa after graduation, he went on to be an assistant at several colleges, including a rival of Iowa, the University of Minnesota (a place where he considered becoming a head coach before they hired Lou Holtz in 1984).  From there, he transitioned to the NFL in 1977, becoming an assistant to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll.  After a successful stint in Pittsburgh that included two Super Bowl victories and a promotion to offensive coordinator, he held similar roles for several other NFL teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints (he talks very little about his time there in this book), Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He won two more Super Bowls – one with the Colts, one with the Buccaneers, and coached in another with the Cardinals.

With a resume like this, it naturally follows that Moore has coached some of the greatest players in this era of football and three of them are in the subtitle.  He has good stories about each one of them, and even better stories about some who were very good but not at the legendary level of these three.  There is a great story on Vikings wide receiver Jake Reed on the assistance Moore gave him when it was discovered a vision problem was hindering his ability to catch passes.  Moore also has kind things to say about his quarterback in Detroit, Scott Mitchell.  When Moore talks about some of these players, those are the best sections to read.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn’t hold my interest as much as these stories as the talk about his moves, the X’s and O’s and other parts of his career just didn’t seem to have the same level of enthusiasm and intangibles. I use that word for this description – just like when an athlete has something extra that can’t be described so it is said that person has “intangibles”.  In this case, those chapters and sections LACK those “intangibles” to make them must-read areas.

That aside, any reader with an interest in a football coach with a lengthy and successful career despite never holding a head coaching position will want to read this book.  If nothing else, read it for some good stories on some of the legendary players in recent NFL history.

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

Link: The Players' Coach: From Bradshaw to Manning, Brady, and Beyond: Moore, Tom, Stroud, Rick: 9781635769852: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "All the Way"

Upon learning that Joe Namath had published a memoir, I was interested to see what he wrote about his life off the football field - everything from his famous playboy lifestyle to the infamous interview with Suzy Kolber.  There was some, but not a lot - much like the rest of the book will read for those who want to know more about his football.  Here is my review of "All the Way"

Title/Author:

“All The Way: My Life in Four Quarters” by Joe Namath

Tags:

Football (American), Professional, memoir, Jets

Publish date:

May 21, 2019

Length:

240 pages

Rating: 

3 1/2 of 5 stars (good)

Review: 

When one adds up other books written about Joe Namath, whether about his football career, his famous off-the-field lifestyle or maybe even hearing about these from television, there isn’t a lot about him that hasn’t already been revealed. Nevertheless, Namath decided to tell his story in this memoir.

However, “memoir” might not be the best way to categorize this book as it really has no category. The book’s setting is Namath’s living room in which he is watching a replay of the game that made him famous to many Americans, Super Bowl III. Namath weaves tales of his childhood in western Pennsylvania and his college days at Alabama playing for coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.  (I particularly liked his story about his admission to having a drink to Bryant and his subsequent suspension off the team.  It was good to illustrate both Namath’s honesty – a trait he often mentions throughout the book – and Bryant’s consistency in enforcing rules.  There are other stories about his teammates and football career as well as other stories about his life in between memories of the game. 

There really is no structure or order to these stories – they are simply written as Namath thinks of them. Some of them are pretty obscure and some of them are famous, such as when he guaranteed that the Jets would win the Super Bowl even though they were eighteen point underdogs. Another moment discussed is one for which he apologizes and states that was when he realized that he had a drinking problem. That was the infamous interview with ESPN football reporter Suzy Kolbert in which Namath wanted to kiss her when he was intoxicated. 

While these anecdotes seem to have no structure, they are certainly entertaining and enjoyable to read.  Fans who are old enough to remember Super Bowl III will particularly enjoy the snippets of the game shared by Namath. I say “snippets” because like Namath’s life stories, not every play is remembered by Namath, even when he is “watching” the game with the reader.

This is a book that fans of Namath will certainly enjoy, but in no way is it a comprehensive look at his life or even Super Bowl III.  Mark Kreigle’s book on Namath is that complete picture and this one is a nice conversation Namath has with the reader over a day of watching football – even if that football game is 50 years old.

I wish to thank Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

                                                                 

Book Format Read:

E-book(Kindle)                                                                                                                                

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/All-Way-Life-Four-Quarters-ebook/dp/B07B2SL5ZH/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-the-way-joe-namath/1128997677?ean=9780316421096#/

Review of "Beyond Broadway Joe"

It's hard to believe that it has been nearly 50 years since the New York Jets shocked the sports world and upset the Baltimore Colts in the third edition of the NFL-AFL Championship Game (it wasn't called the "Super Bowl" yet). This book is one of the most complete books about that team around.  Here is my review of "Beyond Broadway Joe"

Title/Author:

“Beyond Broadway Joe: The Super Bowl Team That Changed Football” by Bob Lederer

Tags:

Football (American), professional, Jets, history, championship

Publish date:

September 11, 2018

Length:

416 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Even the most casual of football fans, no matter their age, know the story of Super Bowl III.  The New York Jets of the upstart American Football League were 17 point underdogs to the Baltimore Colts, champions of the well-established National Football League. The brash quarterback of the Jets, Joe Namath, guaranteed a Jets victory and his team delivered, scoring a 16-7 upset over the Colts and gave the newer league credibility.

However, it takes a team to win a championship in football and that means every member of that team makes contributions to the success that led to the victory. Author Bob Lederer focuses on those other players on the 1968-69 New York Jets and provides stories and insights into those other players as well as Namath, head coach Weeb Ewbank and owner Sonny Werblin – those three individuals are also given their due as the book profiles them after the initial chapter describing the game.

It isn’t easy to compile a collection of stories about football players who either play unglamorous positions (every offensive lineman, for starters), are back-ups at their position and see little game action (such as Namath’s back-up, Babe Parilli) or are now deceased and therefore could not share their recollections firsthand to the author. Nonetheless, Lederer does a wonderful job of writing about each of those “other” players. Not only does he mention the role each player had in making the Jets the champions (even if that player did not appear in the Super Bowl), he provides interesting facts about their professional and personal lives. One common theme for each player was camaraderie as it was clear from reading these stories that these men felt they were a total team and would do anything for each other. 

Each player was also graded by the Jets coaching staff on their effort and skills and this grade was explained by the author. Coach Ewbank had report cards for each player and many of these were shared and explained in the book. Hard core football fans will thoroughly enjoy these reports as they will provide insight into just how good this Jets team was and help provide evidence to argue that the victory by New York was not as big an upset as history has told us. Fans of a more casual nature may not catch on to each of these nuances but they still help explain how good a TEAM they were.

This is a must-read for readers who are Jets fans or pro football history buffs. It does provide a different and refreshing viewpoint of a very historic team and game.

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

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Broadway-Joe-Changed-Football/dp/0062798049/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beyond-broadway-joe-bob-lederer/1126895902?ean=9780062798053#/

Review of "The Devil and Bobby Hull"

This book and I had a strange relationship.  I had checked the e-book version out from the library three times and never got around to reading it beyond the first chapter.  Then, when I got a free credit from my audio book account and saw that this was available in that format, I decided to try it and this time I actually finished it.  I am glad that I did.  While some other reviewers felt this book was very hard on Bobby Hull, I thought it was a fair and balanced account of his hockey career and his life.  Here is my review of "The Devil and Bobby Hull."

Title/Author:

“The Devil and Bobby Hull: How Hockey’s Original Million Dollar Man Became the Game’s Lost Legend ” by Gare Joyce, narrated by Bernard Clark

Tags:

Ice Hockey, professional, biography, Blackhawks, Jets, Whalers, audiobook

Publish date:

January 1, 2011

Length:

274 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Bobby Hull was arguably the best NHL hockey player during the 1960’s and early 1970’s.  He scored more than 50 goals several times during that decade and was nicknamed “The Golden Jet” for his flowing locks (until they started receding) while he skated up the ice.

In 1971, he and his Chicago Blackhawks came oh-so-close to winning the Stanley Cup. He played one more season in Chicago before he signed a contract worth one million dollars with the Winnipeg Jets of the brand new World Hockey Association (WHA).  While the signing gave the new league instant credibility and Hull newfound riches, it also marked a significant change in how his career would be viewed by the NHL.  This biography by Gare Joyce is an interesting look at Hull’s career and personal life as well, using information mostly gathered during a long interview with Hull at a restaurant owned by Wayne Gretzky.

I believe the book paints a balanced picture of Hull for both his hockey career and his personal life and reputation. The latter took a beating during his 1980 divorce trial from his wife, with whom he had five children including a son who was also proficient at scoring goals in the NHL, Brett Hull.  By the time of the divorce, Hull had been released by the Hartford Whalers, another team from the original WHA along with Hull’s old team in Winnipeg, who had released him earlier that season.  The story told in the book paints a broken but determined man who is going to give the sport one last chance, despite the fact the sport had basically frozen him out after jumping from the NHL to the WHA.

This is the other dark cloud of the book – Hull’s personal rift with Bob Wirtz and Harold Ballard.  These two men were owners of the Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs respectively and he felt they were the big reason he signed with Winnipeg.  The reader will hear mostly from Hull’s side of this war, but the author does a decent job of not taking sides and writing about this fairly. 

If a reader wants to learn more about Hull the player, this book does a very good job or providing that information as well. The best hockey scene in the book comes at the beginning when the final game of the 1971 Stanley Cup finals is relived in painful detail (to Hull and Blackhawk fans) when the Montreal Canadiens won the game and Cup.  There is also some good writing about his days in Winnipeg, especially when the Jets signed Swedish players Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg to play on the same line as Hull.  They produced some of the best hockey played in the short life of the WHA before four of the league’s teams, including Hull’s Jets, were merged with the NHL.

The audio version of the book was capably narrated by Bernard Clark with the exception of some mispronounced names.  Fortunately these are few and far between and are not people that play a major role in the book.  His narration helped me envision what was taking place on the ice and also made the dark parts of Hull’s life, such as the divorce and revelations of his spousal abuse toward his wife, seem even worse than mere written words would do.

This book paints a good picture of Hull’s life, warts and all, that a reader who is not familiar with him will get a balanced look at his life and career.  Those readers who remember him and were big fans may not like the negatives written but to me these were needed to paint the complete picture.

Book Format Read:

Audio book

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Bobby-Hull-Original-Million-Dollar-ebook/dp/B00KPVJDFM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1516466083&sr=8-2&keywords=the+devil+and+bobby+hull

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devil-and-bobby-hull-gare-joyce/1101905578;jsessionid=3F5B54117CB21650F1DEBA67F7C9A96A.prodny_store01-atgap12?ean=9781443429795&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004

Review of "Namath"

When a biography of a sports figure, especially one as complex as Joe Namath, covers all aspects of the subject's life, one might question how balanced and complete this book would be.  This excellent biography covers all aspects of Namath's life very well.  Here is my review of "Namath." 

Title/Author:

“Namath: A Biography” by Mark Kriegel, narrated by Scott Brick

Tags:

Football (American), professional, Jets, biography

Publish date:

July 26, 2005

Length:

528 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Football fans of all levels, from casual to hard-core, have heard of Joe Namath in some way.  Many know of him for guaranteeing a win for his team, the New York Jets, over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III (which was not called by that name yet).  Others may know him from his high risk, high reward style of play in the old American Football League before it merged with the established league to create the National Football League.  Yet others may remember him for his commercials (the segment on his famous panty hose commercial is worth reading or listening to twice), his hard drinking, his love of the ladies and just being a rebel in the 1960’s and 70’s. 

No matter what aspect of Joe Namath intrigues the reader, he or she will enjoy this well researched, well written biography of the man by Mark Kriegel,.  Kriegel,’s time with the New York Daily News gave him insight into the complex character of Namath that others who did not see him during his glory days with the Jets may not have. 

While the chapters on his exploits on the field are very good, the best research and writing were in the chapters about his time at the University of Alabama and his post-football life when he eventually did settle down, got married and raised two daughters. Some may have a hard time picturing “Broadway Joe” doting on two little girls, but that is exactly what he was doing at the time.

The other reason that I felt this was an excellent book was how Kriegel, related to the reader how Namath’s character was developed.  This was a complete description of that process, from Namath’s childhood with divorced parents, how Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant became his surrogate father at Alabama to his hard partying, perpetual bachelor lifestyle as a pro quarterback to his life as a married man.  That is a lot of changes and complexities, each covered in detail.

The audio book was a very good version of this work, with excellent narration by Scott Brick.  He, like the author, covered the book in an even keel, never putting too much emotion or acting into his delivery.   This was one of the most complete sports biographies that I have enjoyed, and the balance of each aspect of Namath’s life is why I believe every sports fan should pick up this book.

Pace of the book: 

The narrative seemed to flow freely and because it followed a chronological timeline, this made the audio book easy to follow.

Do I recommend? 

Yes, especially for football fans who recall “Broadway Joe” and his fearless style of play. However, this is also a good read for people who like celebrity biographies, especially as Namath’s celebrity status lasted long after his football career was over.

Book Format Read:

Audio book

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Namath-Biography-Mark-Kriegel-ebook/dp/B004IATD6K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416618729&sr=8-1&keywords=Namath+a+biography

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/namath-mark-kriegel/1103131564?ean=9780143035350

Short review of "Collision Low Crossers"

Normally a shorter review like this will be reserved for a short story or flash fiction, not a full length book.  However I could not do more than skim this book through several parts.  Therefore I am leaving a shorter review, listed below.  I do wish to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 2 1/2 of 5 stars.  (Okay)

Review:

This book, written by a former member of the New York Jets coaching staff, provides a unique pespective into that life:  the life of an NFL coach.  Everything from play creation to scouting to the combine of prospective draft picks is covered.  The latter was my favorite topic of the book and had a quote from a coach that makes the reader raise his or her eyebrows. Paraphrasing it, this coach felt that with many middle aged white men appraising mostly young black men, it had the feel of a Southern plantation in the pre-Civil War era.

That, however, was the best humor and story telling in this book for my liking.  There are plenty of personal stories, especially about Rex Ryan, but they just felt like pauses in the high stress world of coaching.  The book was a difficult read for me mainly because it is geared for the hard core football person who loves the inside scoop.  If that is you, get this book.  If you are a more casual fan like me who only pays attention on Sunday and Monday night (and the occasional Thusday) then pass on this.