Review of “The Hardest Longest Race”

 Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Having taken the Easter week off, it gave me plenty of reading time and as a result more reviews done. This book was a bit of a challenge to finish, but I’m glad I stuck it out and wrote this review while still fresh in my mind as I even upped my rating. Here is my review of “The Hardest Longest Race.” 

Title/Author: “The Hardest Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Race That Changed America” by Eric Moskowitz. 

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Before auto racing came into the sport we know today, there was a race across the United States pitting five cars from 4 different auto makers. Billed as the Ocean to Ocean race, this 1909 race from New York to Seattle is chronicled well in this book by Eric Moskowitz.

The five cars were produced by Ford (they had two Model T’s in this event); Shawmut (a small automaker business in Boston); Acme; and Italia, a European maker. The race was used not only for advertising purposes but also to see if the “little guys” from Boston and elsewhere could beat the mighty Ford brand. This was such an important event that Henry Ford himself made the trip to Seattle to see the finish and the prize money was put up by Robert Guggenheim. 

The book takes the reader through the many paths through mud, ruts, potholes and other obstructions through the states. There are various checkpoints along the way where the cars check in for standings and the crews can rest and refuel both cars and bodies. Moskowitz does a very thorough analysis here of all these roads, cars and men in this event. At times it feels too good as one has to carefully read it in order to keep the cars and crew straight and also to fully understand what the conditions were like driving these cars.

Fans of auto racing today - whether Indy car, F1 or NASCAR - will find that reading about race cars with speeds less than 20 miles per hour will be hard to imagine given the speed of today’s cars. But putting in perspective the nature of those early cars, the completely different parts like axles and tires and the road/trail conditions, finishing this race is a major achievement.

There was a major dispute and rules violation that affected the outcome of the race but not the aftermath. This review will not provide a spoiler but will say that this book goes well beyond a sports book on auto racing. It’s a great adventure story with many twists - literally and figuratively- along the way.

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hardest-Longest-Race-Cross-Country-Contest/dp/1250282675/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “Whale Talk”

 This book is one I normally avoid- a YA fiction novel. I checked it out of the library for a reading challenge my local library is doing and thought, why not? It at least has a sport as the story - a swimming team. But wow, was this a great book! Only reason I didn’t finish it in one sitting was that I started it on a train ride to a hockey game and had to finish on the ride home, as I note in the review. Here is my review of “Whale Talk.” 

Title/Author: “Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: It isn’t uncommon for high school students who are in the “popular” category to form a tight group of friends amongst themselves. However, it is NOT common for this type of group to become the swimming team for their high school. That is done in this excellent novel by Chris Crutcher. 

The idea for this team came from the main character, The Tao Jones (yes, that is the character’s name) who usually went by T.J. He falls into that outsider class as a Black student raised by white adoptive parents in a mostly white school. This school also prides itself on its sports achievements and T.J., while showing he’s an excellent athlete in sports outside of the school or organized leagues like pickup basketball. 

T.J. just doesn’t care until a developmentally disabled student, Chris, is bullied because he’s violating the school’s unofficial code by wearing his dead brother’s letter jacket. T.J. fends off the bullies and here he comes up with the idea of a swim team so others like Chris can earn letter jackets. He finds other students who are outsiders for various reasons, a coach and a bus driver to form this swimming team.

This review won’t give any more of the story, but just know that between the character development of T.J., Chris and the two main antagonists against this swim team, a reader will know them well. The same can be said for the rest of the swim team, T.J.’s parents and his girlfriend Carly, even though those last three characters are not as crucial to the storyline. T.J.’s dad, however, has a dark secret that becomes important later as do some other minor characters. Why they are important is that they help to show why T.J. is the person he is and also to illustrate the many complex issues facing young people today.

The descriptions of the swimming workouts and meets are brief but accurate for describing this type of competition with some of it off the usual course given the characteristics of these swimmers. I thought these were excellent and the last one, when T.J. was the only one swimming, had all the drama a good athletic event should have.

This was off the usual path of reading for me as I very rarely read a YA fiction book and I read this one as part of a reading challenge. The only reason I didn’t finish it in one sitting was that I started it on a train ride to a hockey game and had to finish on the ride home. So, no matter your reading tastes, if you pick this book up, chances are it will be one you will be glad you read. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Whale-Talk-Chris-Crutcher/dp/0688180191/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 n

Review of “Beyond Ken Dryden”

Regular readers here know that I have a policy of reading a book relevant to the game I am attending when riding a bus or train there. Last night I took the train to see a Rangers-Canadiens game and had this book loaded on my Kindle. It was a quick but excellent read - was finished before I arrive in New York City. Here is my review of “Beyond Ken Dryden.” 

Title/Author: “Beyond Ken Dryden” by Oren Safdie

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  For some people, athletes and their teams can be more than just entertainers. Some of these people can take comfort in turning to sports to help deal with whatever is troubling. For a young Oren Safedie, that came during the 1970’s when his favorite hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, won six Stanley Cups led by Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden. 

This short memoir, covers a portion of Safedie’s childhood, tells how the Canadiens and Dryden were his escape from two traumatic events at that time. His family lost everything in a house fire and his parents divorced, which would be terrible for any child, but even more so for Safedie, given the tone of his description of the events. 

But what ties these events together with hockey is how Safedie weaves actual play by play into the book, especially when there’s a fight between his parents when his father is on the phone with his mistress and Safdie’s mother overhears it. When the parents get in a fight over this, the book alternates lines between the parents’ argument and play-by-play of game 4 of the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals when the Canadiens swept the Philadelphia Flyers to win the first of four consecutive championships. 

That is just one of the examples to link hockey to Safedie’s youth and events that took place. There’s humor as well. I laughed out loud when Safedie refused to go to the wedding when his father remarried and calling the new stepmother “Mike Milbury” because of the Boston star’s dirty play. Or linking the retirement of Dryden to when his father left the house. I felt that this was a very creative way to write a memoir.

Because it covers just a short period of his life, the book is a short but excellent read. If a reader wants a different type of memoir linking the author’s life to real time sports, this is a good choice.

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1773901923/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1773901923&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2 

Review of “Take Your Eye Off the Puck”

I’ve been in a hockey mode the last week or so - I attended this year’s college hockey regionals tournament where Michigan advanced to the Frozen Four and will be attending my first NHL game in 6 years later this week. So, hockey books are on tap this week First one is this audiobook that despite the title will be enjoyed by any level of hockey fan. 

Title/Author: “Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look” written by Greg Wyshynski, narrated by Barry Abrams

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Looking for a decent hockey book, the title of this one caught my eye mainly because of the title. While I have been watching hockey, either live or on TV, for decades, I was hoping to maybe pick up an extra tip or two by listening to this audiobook written by Greg Wyshynski and narrated by Barry Abrams. 

While I really didn’t get tips for watching the game, it did offer insight into various parts of the game. This, in turn will help the fan, especially those new to the game, know where to look at other parts of the rink or players away from the puck. Most of these I already do, such as looking at battles in front of the net. I always love to see that battle between an offensive center, a defensive defenseman and at times the goalie as well. 

Descriptions like this are sprinkled through the first third or so of the books as Whyshynski explains all of the positions and what their main roles are, what it means to be on the first line, fourth line and others in between. The same goes for describing the roles of defensemen and why there are “offensive” and “defensive” defensemen. These chapters still help new fans decipher what they are seeing on the ice.

However, the book then starts talking about coaching, running a team as the general manager and the nuances negotiating the NHL salary cap. While the information is great here, even for long-time fans like me, I wondered what it had to do with watching a game. Here, this is where I was glad I listened to the audio version of this book as Abrams was an excellent narrator. That was especially the case when he was narrating some of the many humorous quips throughout the book. I’ll end this review with this explanation of why marquee matchups of star players like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin rarely result in the two of them on the ice at the same time. 

“Hockey isn't like basketball, where you see stars going head-to-head off the dribble. The Crosby vs. Ovechkin banner headlines on NHL.com are fun and all, but if you tallied up the time the two are actually on the ice together, it's roughly smaller than the Wicked Witch of the East's screen time before Dorothy dropped a house on her.” 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Take-Your-Eye-Off-Puck/dp/1629371203/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0 

Review of “Fever Pitch”

This was not a book I was searching for, nor was it one I was asked to review. Instead, I read it as a buddy read on Goodreads and I’m glad I did so. Here is my review of the memoir that inspired two movies with the same title. 

Title/Author: “Fever Pitch” by Nick Hornby

Rating:  3 ½  of 5 stars good)

Review:  It’s not often that I will review a book from more than 30 years ago, but when I was asked if I would do a buddy read on Goodreads for this book, I gladly accepted. This memoir by Nick Hornby about his ultimate fandom of the English football team Arsenal is really a story that many fans of a particular team can at least partially see themselves. 

How this book reads is really a matter of what the reader is looking for. If one wants to learn more about English football at that time, this really won’t help, mainly because unless the reader followed the sport at that time, the names will not be familiar. Nor will there be a lot of description of the action on the pitch as Hornby concentrates on what’s going on in the stands. Hoping to learn more about the game before the creation of the Premier League in 1992, this was a disappointment.

However, the other expectation that I had when picking up this book was not only met, but exceeded. I wanted to read about what it would be like to be so obsessed with one team and its ups and downs. Hornby explains how he started following Arsenal as a young lad as a time for bonding with his father. From there his obsession with the team grew, affecting his studies, occupational aspirations and relationships. He also addresses issues that plagued English football at the time, mainly hooliganism and racism. He approaches these topics from the viewpoint of a fan, which was fair. All the while, Hornby throws in plenty of self-deprecating humor and some thoughtful introspection making the book feel like the reader is having a conversation with him. 

This book is not to be confused with the 2005 movie starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore about an obsessed Red Sox fan - but there was a movie made in the United Kingdom in 1997 adapted directly by Hornby and follows the book closely about a fan obsessed with Arsenal. While I could not understand much of the football talk and I don’t believe I rise to the level of fandom that Hornby does with Arsenal, I could see myself with my fandom of the Minnesota Twins many time while reading this. That is the strength of this book and why it’s a fun book for sports fans who have followed one team in a particular sport for a long time. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Fever-Pitch-Nick-Hornby/dp/0575053151/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball”

Having watched many games of the recently concluded World Baseball Classic, I realized I had a book in my recent receipts about a team from the 2023 versions of that too an unusual path to get there. Here is my review of a book on the team from the Czech Republic.

Title/Author: “We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball:  How the Czech Republic’s Amateur Underdogs Became World Baseball Classic Heroes” by Michael Clair

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:   The World Baseball Classic (WBC) brings together teams from across the globe every three years in March to showcase players playing for their countries and the pride that ones with it. Sometimes a country may not have many players in its country and take American players who have family lineage in that country. Many European countries have players like this - an example would be Team Italy in the 2026 WBC.

However, that was not the case for the team from the Czech Republic in 2023. Their roster was completely made up of amateur players save for one American player who joined later. The tales of these players, their coach, and how they overcame long odds to not only appear in the  WBC, but also win a game in pool play, are told in this book by Michael Clair. 

None of the native born players nor coaches make baseball their full time profession.  They are strictly amateurs and make a living in professions like teaching and firefighting. Clair does a very good job of telling the story of several of these players - most notably, catcher Martin Cervenka and pitcher Martin Schneider. Schneider caught the eye of scouts for the Minnesota Twins and offered a contract but he turned them down to remain as a firefighter in his native land and also to keep pitching.

The team stuck together despite many heartbreaks on the field that kept them from advancing further in European baseball. And speaking of fields, the conditions of some of those diamonds were poor - just one aspect of the hurdles facing the team that Clair does a good job covering. 

However, the best aspect of the is when Clair writes about the two biggest games in Czech baseball history. The first was the victory over Spain that put the Czech team in the 2023 tournament. It was especially notable since earlier in the qualifiers, Spain had a mercy-rule 21-7 victory over the Czechs. But that didn’t intimidate Schneider for the rematch and when the Czechs pulled off the 4-3 upset, Clair brings the reader right there with the team to celebrate. 

If the team and reader felt that was a big moment, then their first game in the 2023 WBC, played in the Tokyo Dome, was even bigger. They defeated China in their first ever WBC game and even held a lead after 3 innings in their next game against Japan, the eventual champion of that tourney. Clair’s account of the highlight of the game was excellent. Struggling to get his fastball above 80 miles an hour, Czech pitcher Ondrej Satoria - an electrician by trade - struck out Shohei Ohtani, causing the superstar to lose his helmet. After the game, won by Japan 10-2, the respect by both sides was mutual and the Japanese fans cheered the Czechs just as warmly as did the 200 fellow citizens who made the trip. 

Reading about this extraordinary team was a treat, even if they did not win another game. The win assured them a spot in the 2026 WBC,  where they did not fare as well, losing all 4 games in pool play. Nonetheless, their story of their adventure to get to the 2023 tourney is one that would be enjoyed by any baseball fan.  

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Sacrifice-Everything-Baseball-Republics-Underdogs/dp/1496242661/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of "Metropolitans"

Having had a good deal of reading time while riding the train to and from a recent conference, I'll be posting a few reviews in the next few days. First up is this interesting book highlighting the connection between the New York Mets and the working class. 

Title/Author:

“Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle and the People’s Team” by A.M. Gittlitz

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: When the New York Mets started play in 1962, they were not the first New York baseball team to have the team nickname of “Metropolitans” (not the official name, but many will call them that) nor were they the first team that captured the hearts of many of those in the middle class over the “richer” teams like the Yankees.  This book by A.M. Gittlitz captures that connection between those citizens and the baseball team.

The book’s strengths are Gittlitz’s research and the passion for which he writes about the subject, whether it is baseball and the Mets or about the working class and the struggles they have with the political landscape, among many other things. I felt the writing and description of the early Metropolitans and the battles that players had to either form a union or field competing baseball leagues to go up against the National League in the late 19^th century was the best aspect of the book.

He also does an excellent job of showing how the Mets of the 1960’s, capping it off with their 1969 championship, resonated with people who may not have cared one bit about baseball but showed how those who have been down for so long can still be successful.  He goes deep into that topic as well as the other Mets teams, especially the 2000 team that lost the World Series to the Yankees.  They too had connections with the middle class according to Gittlitz.

Where the book was a bit of a downer while reading it was the addition of much political commentary.  This isn’t to say that I am one who says politics and sports don’t mix – they indeed do.  It isn’t also because I want to insert my own political opinions while reading or writing this review because it doesn’t matter – what matters is how Gittlitz writes about his views and they come across as strong, consistent and passionate.  I was only surprised at how much of the book discussed political issues without talking at all about the baseball connection.  Nearly every sports book about a particular team, player or era will at least give a few sentences to the social and political climate at the time – this one goes well beyond that.  And to the author’s credit, he does a very good job of laying out his beliefs and why he feels that way.

Overall, while I was surprised at the level of detail and how well connected the author put the Mets with the working class, it was quite an interesting book to read and one that is recommended not only for Mets and baseball fans, but also for readers who wish to read about politics and class struggles as well.

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

Link: Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team: GIttlitz, A.M.: 9781662603006: Amazon.com: Books