Review of "Dark Squares"

 Having posted about books on chess before, I decided to do another one on this fascinating memoir by one of the early contributors (who is now the COO) of chess.com, Danny Rensch.  It's a fascinating book.

Title: "Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life" by Danny Rensch

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (outstanding) 

Review: When one thinks of chess, one won't immediately think of cults, children taken from their parents, tithing and cheating.  However, this memoir from the COO of chess.com, Danny Rensch, covers all these topics and more.  It makes for one of the most interesting memoirs I have read in a long time.  

Starting with Danny's love of chess after watching the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer", his story moves along quite slowly, but one cannot help but absorb every word Rensch writes about the leaders of the Collective (the name of the cult to which his family belonged) immediately saying his Purpose was to be a chess prodigy.  As a result, he was treated somewhat better than other members, but it also led to him being taken away from his mother and placed in the family of one of the leaders - who happened to be his biological father who before this had no contact with him.  If this all sounds convoluted - well, it is and it takes careful reading to figure it out.

Rensch then moves through his life of winning tournaments, finding his soulmate who would be his wife Shauna (blessed by the Collective, of course) and his later trauma of alcoholism, tinnitus and his trouble maintaining his grandmaster status until an unlikely encounter with the founders landed him at chess.com.  From there, his life did improve, he did reunite with his mother, but there was another troubling aspect.  It had to do with the game and the increased cheating by online players, including those achieving master status.

There are also good sections, written in italics on the Kindle version, on the game's history, the impact that machines made on the game, including the famous "Deep Blue" match with Garry Kasparov.  Again, more than what any review could include, it's best to read the book.  Danny Rensch has opened himself up and shared practically everything he could about not only his chess skills and his work at chess.com, but also an eye-opening look at life inside a cult.

I wish to thank Public Affairs for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life - Kindle edition by Rensch, Danny. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Review of “Get Your Tokens Ready”

To my fellow American friends, I hope your Independence Day weekend has been safe and fun. And what would be more appropriate that reading a book on America’s Pastime, baseball? This book takes a look at the two New York teams leading up to their match-up in the 2000 World Series.

Title/Author:

“Get Your Tokens Ready: The Late 1990’s Road to the Subway Series” by Chris Donnelly

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: While I usually do not consider the title of a book in the thoughts of whether or not I wish to read it. But the title of this one certainly caught my attention. I did recall that Michael Kay, broadcaster for the New York Yankees, exclaimed this catchy phrase when the Yankees clinched the American League championship in 2000, setting up a World Series against the New York Mets in what would be dubbed the “Subway Series.”

Author Chris Donnelly, who has penned two other books on New York baseball, does a nice job with this one as well. Starting with the first regular season game between the Mets and Yankees, Donnelly takes the reader inside the stands, dugouts, locker rooms and front offices of both the Mets and Yankees leading up the Yankees becoming the kings of New York baseball for at least that time. 

Donnelly spares practically no one from either club during the period of 1997-2000 from getting at least a mention in the book. From Mets pitcher Dave Mlicki to Yankees utility man Luis Sojo, Donnelly spans these four seasons with great detail about the two New York clubs both on and off the field. These two players were chosen because the bookend this period covered in the book - Mlicki was the winning pitcher in that first ever 1997 interleague game between the two New York teams and Sojo drove in the winning run in game 5 of the Subway Series to win it for the Yankees.

There is not a lot of extra material in the book such as short biographies or side stories. Practically every word has some connection to the performances on the field or activities by the front offices to improve the teams. The closest story that can be considered to be a side bar would be that of Mlicki, whose outstanding performance in that 1997 game is the subject of a few short chapters interspersed between the longer ones on the two clubs.

It was mentioned in the book, as well as the media at that time, there there would likely be little interest outside of the New York metropolitan area in the Subway Series. Without being quite that harsh, this is a book that would certainly appeal to fans of the Yankees or Mets but might not hold the interest of fans of other teams. Or, if a reader is a baseball historian or just one who likes books that concentrate on the game (I fall into this category), then they should check it out as well.

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

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Tokens-Ready-Subway-ebook/dp/B0DJS15B2C/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of "Ant"

Having been a fan of the Minnesota Timberwolves since their debut season of 1989-90, of course I wanted to read this book.  Not only because of the subject matter, but also because of the author, who has been a very good beat writer for the team the last 7 years.  Here is my review of "Ant." 

Title/Author:

“Ant: The Incredible Journey of NBA Rising Star Anthony Edwards” by Chris Hine

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Anthony Edwards has propelled both himself and his team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, into levels of fame and prosperity that neither had ever occupied before.  However, for Edwards, his personality and approach to relationships with people and how he handles them have not changed drastically since he was a young boy.  This book by Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine takes an in-depth look at Edwards’ path to where he is today.

The first section of the book focuses primarily on Edwards’ outstanding performance in a different sport, football.  While he eventually switched to basketball, the lessons learned in football on how to handle adversity, how to interact properly with coaches, teammates and other people in general, and who he can trust and not trust. The latter especially came into good use as Edwards’ star took off in basketball during his high school days. It should also be noted that he was often described by people who knew him well and were interviewed by Hine as one who was an “old soul” (a term used several time) because he would be asking inquisitive questions and say statements that just were not expected to be spoken by someone at a young age.

When writing about Edwards’ college and professional career (all 4 seasons in the book with the Timberwolves), Hine followed the same pattern of writing about Edwards’ interactions with people, whether coaches, teammates, his “inner circle” or other similar people important in his life. Even well after they passed away, his mother and grandmother were still important influences in his life.  While many, including myself, may remember the pictures of those two women next to him when the Timberwolves made Edwards the #1 pick of the 2020 NBA draft, it is noteworthy to see how much he still values their wisdom and guidance.

While there is some writing about the action on the court, especially during the Timberwolves’ 2024 run to the Western Conference Finals (the last season the book covers), this book focuses much more on Edwards the person instead of Edwards the basketball player and as a result, readers should learn a lot about the young man who is becoming one of the iconic faces of the NBA today.  This is true no matter how closely the reader follows the Timberwolves, the NBA or basketball in general.  

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

Link: Ant: The Incredible Journey of NBA Rising Star Anthony Edwards: Hine, Chris: 9780063438958: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Death of a Racehorse"

I used to follow horse racing more closely but the recent scandals, deaths of horses and general overall lack of enthusiasm about the sport compared to others has made me follow it less and less.  Nevertheless, I was intrigued by this book by its title - the book was not quite what I expected but still a good read.  

Title/Author:

“Death of a Racehorse: An American Story” by Katie Bo Lillis

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Horse racing has been rocked by scandals involving drugging and doping the race horses and the deaths of some of these thoroughbreds. The death of Medina Spirit, the horse trained by well-known trainer Bob Baffert and whose Kentucky Derby win was taken away when testing revealed a banned substance in the horse’s system.  That was the start of this in-depth look at the world of horse racing by Katie Bo Lillis.

The title of the book and the first chapter made me think that this was going to be a compilation of sad stories of horses who had to be euthanized for one reason or another due to their participation in races. That turned out not to be the case at all as Lillis, a journalist who used to work in the racing industry, exposed both the therapeutic and performance-enhancing use of various drugs in horses that run in the sport.

The book also took a critical look at training methods, the horse racing industry as a whole and the various degrees of interest by the federal government in their investigations of criminal activity in the sport.  An example of this would be the consideration of wire fraud charges if illegal substances were sold across state lines using electronic technology (phone, email, texting, etc.) and money exchanged hands.  There are many people involved in these stories, not just the big names like Baffert. 

It was also interesting to learn new knowledge about the industry.  One example that was a recurrent topic in the various chapters was the need for a full complement of horses to run in each race for an event to turn a profit. This is so that there are more betting options for gamblers, resulting in a higher purse for the track.  It makes sense after reading this, but it is something that I was never aware of.

At times, the book does get very detailed, especially about the drugs used in the sport.  It felt at times I needed a pharmacology degree to understand these nuances, but despite this, it is a book that is very informative and one that would be enjoyed by readers of all levels of interest in horse racing.  

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

Link: Death of a Racehorse: An American Story: Lillis, Katie Bo: 9781668017012: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “J.D.

As I have noted before, when I am riding on a bus or train to a sporting event, I like to have a book with me about that sport. I listened to the audio version of this book on the bus to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono this past Sunday and I learned a lot about a driver in which the only thing I knew about him is that he was killed in a race in 1991.  Here’s my review of “J.D.”

Title/Author: “J.D.: The Life and Death of a Forgotten NASCAR Legend” written and narrated by Brock Beard

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

J.D. McDuffie was a NASCAR driver/owner who certainly loved what he was doing in the sport.  He was a dying breed - a single car team owner who was also the driver.  Because of this, he often had less sponsorships, funds for parts and employees and other luxuries that well-financed motorsports teams have (for current teams like that, think Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing).  This book by Brock Beard tells a great story about the man, his love for racing and his tragic death on the road course at Watkins Glen.

 

Beard, who also narrates the audio version (I listened to this version), had access through interviews with family members, former drivers and crew members and even the small-time sponsors who gave McDuffie at least a little extra money and some decals on his no. 70 blue car.  This gave the book some very interesting stories on McDuffie, both as a person and as a determined racer.

While McDuffie never did win a race on NASCAR’s highest level, then called the Winston Cup Series), he nonetheless won much respect from nearly everyone involved in the sport and that comes through in the writing as well. No matter how poorly McDuffie did in qualifying or in a race, one could be assured he’d try again the next week. He did qualify for the pole position once and was running well when he had that crash in Watkins Glen that ended his life.

But that life was fulfilling, doing what he loved to do and with a loving and supporting family. Because of this, it isn’t a stretch to call him a “legend” as the book’s subtitle does, because there are way to be a legend outside of just winning races, and McDuffie showed us how that can be done. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/J-D-Second-Brock-Beard-ebook/dp/B099QJKSXD/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sDQ2l7eqy4Dkif1HWJ2p5fYnvv9Z3RumcxaEUgqiWJKGM_zk7RBgEHEXHYa_LOlmIr5fQP0mZYHxFqgOimkuoN96DEvfnZu0-d02NWsS3inCjuRCWSzhkJ4Yg-h4xLBKTSx-wfPUL7Qx5NOxI2fAu0Kk2zK8LmEGRPcpiva3QC1t5PA7IWNkpcnQMmNmWTweszDqE30l0X2694QikYbdgfc0h73xJc_cbV1xfOlIRa0.jYD2id5cCWy-ZVfZ_SpiLJIQFWQ7DD3dQoPdYDDS47w&dib_tag=se&keywords=J.d&qid=1750760379&sr=8-3 

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 “The Front Runner”

While I cannot say I am a big track and field fan, I do recognize the name Steve Prefontaine and knew that he is considered a legend in the sport. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone 50 years - and was very glad to be able to obtain a copy of this book. Here is my review of “The Front Runner.” 

Title/Author: “The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine” by Brendan O’Meara

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Steve Prefontaine holds an almost godlike status in the sport of track and field. This despite the fact that he did not win a medal of any type in the one Olympics event in which he competed as Olympic medals are usually the standard by which the legend of a runner will be set. This book by Brendan O’Meara, published 50 years after his tragic death at age 24 in a car accident, does a fantastic job of describing WHY “”Pre”, as he was called by his many fans, attained such status and also delves into his short life in great detail. 

Prefontaine’s early life was marked by divorce and abuse but there was a special bond between him and his half sister Neta (he also has a full blooded sister Linda) in which Neta protected the younger Steve. When Neta left home, Steve started running and from that time Steve was a running machine. In junior and senior high school, Steve very rarely lost a race, was maniacal about his training and his goal and was brash enough to announce what records he’ll break and what he will do (strategy) to accomplish this. 

It helped that aside from travel for international meets, Steve’s residence his entire life was in Oregon, a state where track and field is as important a sport as football is in Texas or basketball is in Indiana. His high school career, as well as that at the University of Oregon, is covered in great detail by O’Meara. This is aided by the many fascinating stories that friends, teammates and opponents of Prefontaine shared. 

It should also be noted that Prefontaine was the first star athlete featured by an upstart shoe company making mostly running shoes with a new name: Nike. Long before Michael Jordan, Phil Knight realized the power that a star like Prefontaine would bring to sales and O’Meara gives the reader a good portrayal of that aspect of Prefontaine and the start of the Nike brand with its famous “swoosh.” It’s called that because it’s the sound of a runner passing by others.

The one Olympics event for Steve, the 5000 meters, was and still is considered both a triumph and a defeat. The latter, of course, because he finished fourth and out of medal contention. But given his strong running that briefly gave him the lead and the will to exert himself so much when his body was not cooperating was considered to be greatness seen and upon reflection, he took that view away. This is in line with the training and runs he would do regularly. The description of these is another excellent aspect of the book.

Readers already knowledgeable about Prefontaine, whether old enough to have seen him or through hearing stories about him, might be familiar with much of the material, but not matter one’s knowledge or fandom of “Pre”, this is a book that is well worth the time to read about a runner whose name still represents greatness 50 years after his death. 

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063348969/?bestFormat=true&k=the%20front%20runner&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_12&crid=3BSE1L97VG3QD&sprefix=The%20front%20ru