Review of "Got Your Number"

If you are a numbers person, sports are the perfect outlet to show off your love of numbers.  This book by a well-known ESPN personality takes those numbers and uses them to highlight the best of the best.  Here is my review of "Got Your Number. 

Title/Author:

“Got Your Number” by Mike Greenburg with Paul Hembekides

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: As any sports fan knows, numbers are an integral part of sports, no matter what game.  Whether it is the number on a player’s jersey, the statistics, the team or individual championships or just some part of the sport that involves a number, they are a source of debate among sports fans.  That is case with this book by well-known ESPN personality Mike Greenburg and co-author Paul “Hembo” Hembekides as they bring a different perspective on numbers in sports.

Greenburg takes each number between 1 and 100 and assigns it to an athlete, team or other sports figure that will illustrate why the chosen figure is one of the very best in their sport.  Most, but not all, of these that are given to athletes are for the number on the jersey they wore and for the most part, this reader agrees with the reason.  It should be noted that in the introduction of the book, Greenburg states that the opinion he states about the number or sports figure is the correct one, but later does allow for debate.  That follows suit with his on-air personality and frankly, sounds just like all fans who engage in this type of debate.

Without sending too many spoilers, here are examples of how an athlete, coach or other figure who doesn’t wear numbers are honored in this book.  A legendary golfer, Jack Nicklaus, has the number of major tournaments he won as his number.  One of the best college basketball coaches, man or woman, is honored by the number of winning seasons she had at Tennessee.  That is Pat Summit, of course.  Finally, the horse who is considered the greatest Triple Crown winner ever, Secretariat, is honored by the number of lengths by which he won the Belmont Stakes in 1973 – a record that will likely never be broken.

The book is broken down into snippets on each honoree of about two or three pages and in each of them, the authors explain why (sometimes with other numbers) they chose that athlete or team.  Of course, there will be differences of opinion between the author and each reader (in my case, I agreed with most of them but I was very disappointed with a few, starting with #29) but that’s to be expected in any book that describes or lists the best of anything.  One final note – this is not limited to Greenburg’s lifetime or those sports performers he has seen.  There are several older honorees that make this book one that truly covers a long time frame and gives it even more credence to how good it is.  If you are a sports fan, you want to pick up this book.

Link: Amazon.com: Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own: 9781368073561: Mike Greenberg: Books

 

Review of "Play On"

I often marvel at athletes, no matter the sport, who perform at championship or elite levels when older than most of his or her peers. Several examples are cited in this book, as well as the science and the training behind this accomplishment. Here is my review of "Play On."

Title/Author:

“Play On: The New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age” by Jeff Bercovici

Tags:

Sports, training, records

Publish date:

May 1, 2018

Length:

288 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Sports fans will marvel when an athlete can still perform at an elite level at an age where many of his or her contemporaries have either retired from the sport or are performing at a lower level.  Examples of these types of athletes abound in every sport, from football (Tom Brady) to hockey (Chris Chelios, Jaromir Jagr) to soccer (Carli Lloyd).  Reasons and explanations are varied, but most of them are covered in this book by Jeff Bercovici.  

The book starts off with the author’s experiences and at times, it can almost read like a kinesiology text book with explanations of what the athlete’s body is experiencing while competing or training.  Later the book talks about various types of training, how older athletes will “train smarter, not harder” and other breakthroughs that keep athletes going at peak performance.  Efficiency is an important topic in the book as no matter how much or exactly what types of exercises and drills are performed, nearly every example provided emphasizes efficiency

Just about every type of sport is covered in the book, whether it is a trainer from that sport or elite athletes.  Soccer, tennis (Roger Federer), basketball (the author marvels at the low injury rates of the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns), running (Meb Keflezighi) and football (many stars) are just a few of the sports highlighted by Bercovici for their training and fitness.

Athletes have their own chicken-and-egg problem stated in the book: “Do they stay healthy because they are so fit, or are they so fit because they stay healthy enough to train so hard?”  While the question isn’t really answered, the stories shared in attempting to answer make for very good reading, although a very good working knowledge of kinesiology is helpful.

I wish to thank Houghton Mifflin 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/Play-New-Science-Elite-Performance-ebook/dp/B073XCJY4H/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527270151&sr=8-2&keywords=play+on+elite

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/play-on-jeff-bercovici/1126762463;jsessionid=C7AD06BEC1EBAA83229D0226A380242B.prodny_store01-atgap05?ean=9780544935327&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20Inc#/

Review of "Lombardi Dies, Orr Flies, Marshal Cries"

This book on sports and society in 1970 was one that was not only easy to read, it was a quick one as it was one of the rare books I read in one sitting, despite being over 300 pages long.  Of course it helped I was on vacation with little else to distract me, but it still is very rare that I do that.  Here is my review of "Lombardi Dies, Orr Flies and Marshal Cries".

Title/Author:

“Lombardi Dies, Orr Flies, Marshall Cries: The Sports Legacy of 1970” by Brad Schultz

Tags:

Sports, politics, society, history

Publish date:

November 5, 2015

Length:

336 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

1970 was a year in which dramatic change was taking place in the United States. Protests about the war in Vietnam became more numerous and violent.  Many boundaries for minorities, women, hair length and other norms were being challenged. The world of sports reflected these changes as well as undergoing some changes of its own.  The connection between them is captured in this excellent book by Brad Schultz.

Three of the biggest sports stories of the year are named in the title, but the book covers much more than them.  Sports events are chronicled by month and the importance of them is captured in well-written paragraphs. From Curt Flood’s refusal to report to the Philadelphia Phillies thereby challenging baseball’s reserve clause to Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes keeping the peace at his school in the aftermath of the Kent State shootings that left four students dead, Schultz captures the mood of the sports community and the nation with his prose.

A reader doesn’t have to have been alive during these events to feel like he or she knows about them after reading this book. Even if one only knows about them through old news footage or in other media, a reader will enjoy these passages about the sports and social movements of 1970.  It is one that is highly recommended for readers who enjoy books on sports, politics or society.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Lombardi-Dies-Flies-Marshall-Cries/dp/144225629X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525982683&sr=8-1&keywords=lombardi+dies

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lombardi-dies-orr-flies-marshall-cries-brad-schultz/1122136555?ean=9781442256293

Review of "The Average Joe's Super Sports Almanac"

Every now and then, it is a treat to review a book that is simply filled with interesting stories and facts instead of a serious tome about a particular person, team or sport. This is one of those books.  It frequently made me smile or laugh so it was very entertaining and a quick read as well.  Here is my review of "The Average Joe's Super Sports Almanac"

Title/Author:

“The Average Joe’s Super Sports Almanac” by Steve Riach

Tags:

Sports, history, trivia, humor

Publish date:

April 3, 2018

Length:

224 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review:

At times, it is refreshing to read a book that is simply filled with interesting stories and facts.  Instead of delving into a particular athlete, team or sport with minute detail, “The Average Joe’s Super Sports Almanac” takes short stories, little-known facts and other tidbits of information on a variety of sports and melds them together into a fun, quick easy read.

Steve Riach uses his many years of covering a variety of sports to collect many entertaining facts and stories on various sports – mostly the main four team sports in North America and some Olympic stories as well.  The subjects vary widely – from examples of excellent sportsmanship (the Olympics are the source of many of these anecdotes) to funny quotes to unusual facts.

To illustrate the variety of topics, here are three facts that the reader will learn while reading this book. First, one of the most memorable golf meltdowns occurred on April 14, 1996 when Greg Norman lost a big lead in the final round of the Masters.  Coincidently, April 14 is also when two other tragedies occurred: the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  Second, the athletes with the most Instagram followers is LeBron James with over 26 million followers.  Other athletes with large followings on social media are Stephan Curry, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Ronda Rousey and Dwayne Wade. Third, the only member of any sports Hall of Fame born on a train was Rod Carew.

These types of unusual facts, along with some humorous quotes (who can forget Latrell Sprewell rejecting a $29 million contract from the Timberwolves because “I’ve got my family to feed”?) and stories of the origins of several sports make the book a fun one to not only read in short bursts but also one that can be used to settle bets or instigate a debate.  This latter idea will most likely happen after the readers learns the author’s choices for the greatest teams in the four major sports (I agreed with three of his four choices).

Any sports fan, no matter how big a fan he or she is, will enjoy this book that is a quick and easy read that can be finished easily in one sitting or enjoyed in short bursts, depending on the preference of the reader. Because so many sports are covered in this volume, no matter which sport readers prefers, they are sure to find something interesting about their favorite game.

I wish to thank Harvest House Publishers 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/Average-Joes-Super-Sports-Almanac/dp/073697248X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Reveiw of "Sports Talk"

When you use a phrase you know is sports-related in everyday conversation, do you ever wonder how it got started?  This book is probably the best source for that type of information as it contains many different phrases from many sports.  Here is my review of "Sports Talk", another book that qualifies for the Blogger Shame challenge as the author sent it to me many months ago.  File this one under "better late than never."

Title/Author:

“Sports Talk” by Colin McNairn

Tags:

Sports, language, culture

Publish date:

February 6, 2017

Length:

282 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

If someone tries to count all the various idioms and phrases in everyday language that have their origins tied to sports, he or she would have a huge task. Instead of simply counting them, lawyer and author Colin McNairn went one step further and collected 650 of the most popular of these phrases and writes about them with plenty of humor, anecdotes and trivia mixed in. 

The book is organized by sport – each chapter will describe phrases used from each sport that are widely (or even not-so-widely) used in business, politics or regular conversation.  The list is far too extensive to write here, but not to worry – the index of the book not only has an alphabetical listing of subjects, but there is also an alphabetical list of each phrase mentioned in the book.

The sports where these phrases originate vary widely as well, from archery to baseball to Australian Rules football.   As one might imagine, the “ball” sports in North America are the origin for most of the phrases, but a few other sports also have their fair share of idioms used every day, especially horse racing.

The author does mention that the phrases documented in the book are used in English-speaking areas such as North America (mainly Canada and the United States), the United Kingdom and Australia.  The book is one that flows well and the reader will finish it rather easily in one sitting.  Describing any particular phrase in this review would not do the book justice as the book does an excellent job at explaining each phrase used.  A reader does not have to be a sports fan in order to enjoy this book.  If one is either a sports fan or one who is intrigued by language, it is one that should be read by that person.

I wish to thank Mr. McNairn 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/Sports-Talk-Penetrated-Everyday-Language-ebook/dp/B06W5FWR6F/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sports-talk-colin-mcnairn/1125808715?ean=9781525501531

Review of "I'd Know That Voice Anywhere"

While having to recover from a minor medical procedure isn't fun, when it has to be done during a long weekend and the weather is crummy, it does mean one can catch up on some reading. As my pile of ARC's was growing, I decided to tackle some of those and this one by Frank Deford is certainly one that I am glad that I read.  A quick and fun read, it covers some of his best commentaries on National Public Radio.  Here is my review of "I'd Know That Voice Anywhere"

Title/Author:

“I’d Know That Voice Anywhere: My Favorite NPR Commentaries” by Frank Deford

Tags:

Sports, broadcasting, collection, short stories

Publish date:

May 3, 2016

Length:

240 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

As a reader who likes to read collections of short anecdotes or stories, whether fiction or non-fiction, I was happy to see this collection of NPR broadcasts from Frank Deford available for review prior to the publication. The fact that the author is one of most beloved and respected sports journalists is icing on the cake. Deford has pleased and informed many readers, listeners and viewers over the years with his reporting and commentary and this book is sure to do the same for readers.

Every sport from American football (several times he ensures that he makes that distinction so that no one mistakes it for soccer) to golf the Olympic games is covered in his unique style.  He mixes politics, social issues, steroids and questions about the place in society and entertainment for sports as just a few of the topics addressed in his commentaries.

His opinions on whichever topic can be viewed as whimsical, such as if golf were a country it would be Cuba; strongly worded, such as the lack of stipends for college athletes; or hilarious, such as his take on luxury boxes in stadiums - sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

The writing is light and easy to read, and since it is broken up into small passages, the reader can stop and pick it back up very easily. Many readers may do the same as I did when reading it and imagine Deford talking on the radio with his smooth delivery.  This is a book that is highly recommended for not only fans of sports and Deford, but even for those who are not sports fans but enjoy reading about topics of social interest.

I wish to thank Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for providing an advance review copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links (pre-order at time of post):

http://www.amazon.com/Know-That-Voice-Anywhere-Commentaries/dp/0802125247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455655503&sr=8-1&keywords=i%27d+know+that+voice+anywhere

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/id-know-that-voice-anywhere-frank-deford/1122845934?ean=9780802125248

Review of "This Is Your Brain On Sports"

This book is one of several sports books that will be released in February 2016.  Between the prior book reviewed on the Iditarod and this one, it is looking like 2016 will be just as good as 2015 for excellent sports reads. This one is a very good and entertaining read on many different topics covering many different sports.  Here is my review of "This Is Your Brain On Sports."

Title/Author:

“This is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Underdogs, The Value of Rivalry and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon” by L. Jon Wertheim and Sam Sommers

Tags:

Sports, psychology

Publish date:

February 2, 2016

Length:

288 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (Excellent)

Review:

After seeing this book’s title, it was one that I knew I had to read. Like me, one might ask what the heck CAN we learn from the T-Shirt cannon that shoots cheap shirts into the stands where groups of screaming fans may push and shove each other in order to grab that precious piece of cloth.

That question, along with many others, are answered in this very entertaining book by Sports Illustrated executive editor L. Jon Wertheim and experimental psychologist Sam Sommers. Interspersing serious discussion of the function of the mind during certain situations along with many sports anecdotes which are often hilarious, the book will help explain why certain beliefs in sports either live on despite evidence to the contrary (such as if having sex just before a sporting event will sap an athlete’s strength and stamina) or are certainly true (hockey enforcers certainly do prefer to fight on home ice instead of on the road).

Something I really enjoyed about the book is that nearly every sport is covered in some way and so many stars – from Tom Brady to Serena Williams to Mookie Wilson are mentioned.  The latter was in one of the most interesting chapters that discusses a web site where ordinary people can sign up for events like having Mookie Wilson speak at a bar mitzvah or Rob Gronkoski rub elbows with guests at your barbecue. All for a nominal fee, of course. Each of these stories, along with the explanation of just what triggers these beliefs, make this book a very good read for any sports fan.

I wish to thank Crown Archtype Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Format Read

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links (pre-order at time of posting):

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Brain-Sports-Underdogs-ebook/dp/B00X2F7SV4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452980404&sr=1-1&keywords=this+is+your+brain+on+sports

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-is-your-brain-on-sports-l-jon-wertheim/1122150941?ean=9780553447408 b

Review of "Wipe That Smile Off Sammy Sportface"

This review is one of a very different type of book than I usually present here.  It was very entertaining and because there are sports topics included, I am featuring it here.  It left me laughing many times, and few of those laughs even drew tears.  Here is my review of this very funny book.

Title/Author:

“Wipe That Smile Off Sammy Sportface” by Sammy Sportface

Tags:

Humor, sports, politics, current events

Publish date:

December 7, 2015

Length:

336 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

When I was offered a review copy of this book, I didn’t know what to expect.  Was this really a blog that has been in existence and a collection of posts from it?  Was it a completely fictional story? If it is real, where do I find it? Finally, I just decided to not worry about all of those things and just read the book.

While normally I don’t start a review like this, it is the best way to describe what I think about this book, which is advice given in the synopsis.  One line in it states “don’t overthink it.”  That is best approach to this book to appreciate the humor in each short story that is a blog post from the blogger Sammy Sportface. The author uses the same pseudonym for the cover and publicity of the book. This sets the mood of humor and lack of seriousness for the entire book.

While most of the blog posts deal with sports, some are strictly political, some cover other current events and some are just sophomoric humor, such as an entire story on throwing up after a 5k road race.  While the topics may be different, and some are funnier than others, each one is guaranteed to put a smile on a reader’s face. 

This book is recommended for readers who just want to escape reality for at least an hour or two and get a good laugh.  Whether the topic is Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner (my favorite post), American Pharoah, or Donald Trump, the reader is sure to be entertained.

I wish to thank the author for providing an advance review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (EPUB)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018WO19GY/ref=x_gr_w_visstd_sin_t1_test_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_visstd_sin_t1_test_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B018WO19GY&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2