Review of "Team Chemistry"

Looking for something a little different than the usual biographies and baseball history books, I decided to try this one when I saw it offered on NetGalley.  While there is a lot of history dialogue, it certainly is a different take on a different baseball subject. Here is my review of "Team Chemistry."

Title/Author:

“Team Chemistry: The History of Drugs and Alcohol in Major League Baseball” by Nathan Michael Corzine

Tags:

Baseball, professional, drugs, history, performance enhancing drugs

Publish date:

January 30, 2016

Length:

244 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (Excellent)

Review:

While the use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) has been a source of controversy in Major League Baseball for nearly two decades, this issue is not the first time that the sport has been engulfed in issues with drugs. This book by Nathan Michael Corzine makes the case that PEDs are simply the latest in a long list of uses and abuses of drugs, alcohol and tobacco products by baseball players. 

Whether the use of the substances was for medical purposes, such as those used by Sandy Koufax, or for recreational use, such as the drinking of Mickey Mantle or the cocaine use by players in the 1980s like Tim Raines, Corzine writes of a long history of the use of many substances. The economics of the use of substances is also explored as fund from tobacco and alcohol advertising was a major source of revenue for the clubs in the first half of the twentieth century. 

Much like how the sport has evolved through the years on the field, Corzine writes about the uses of the various substances as an evolution as well.  From the alcohol and tobacco to marijuana and cocaine to PEDs, each era is chronicled for not only the use by players, but what was done by the game’s commissioners and owners to address the uses. That ranges from doing nothing to damage control due to bad publicity to proposing random testing.  Each topic is described in great detail and through excellent research and writing, the reader will learn much about the history of substance use in the game.

Readers may be tempted to try to judge whether one era of substance use was worse than another, like I did, and that would be a mistake. The book makes it easy to try to judge each player described, the closest to a negative aspect in it.  However, that doesn’t take anything away from the overall quality of the writing or the factual reporting.  Any reader who is interested the history of baseball should read this one.

I wish to thank University of Illinois Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Team-Chemistry-History-Alcohol-Baseball/dp/0252081331/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454280417&sr=1-1&keywords=team+chemistry

http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/64pxr2kp9780252039799.html  

Review of "Fanaticus"

I always am happy to see an author send me a request for a review - whether it is to help promote a book, inquire to see if I am interested in reading it or just to make a connection, it is always welcome.  However, when I saw a message from a journalist I have seen on ESPN asking if I would review her book, my heart rate increased just a little.  I am thrilled to post a review of this book on fan behavior written by Justine Gubar, an Emmy winner for her work at ESPN.  Here is my review of "Fanaticus."

Title/Author:

“Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan” by Justine Gubar

Tags:

Sports, psychology, fans, behavior

Publish date:

June 4, 2015

Length:

254 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

While sports can be a relaxing form of entertainment, they also can elicit the worst behavior in people as well. What can cause otherwise well-behaved humans to act like this is explored in “Fanaticus”, a well-written and well-researched book by ESPN producer Justine Gubar. 

Starting with Gubar’s experiences at dealing with this behavior while doing investigative work on the scandal that led to the removal of Jim Tressell as the football coach at Ohio State, the book explores the different aspects of fan behavior and the various settings in which it can take place.  

From name-calling and threats that Gubar received from Ohio State fans to the riots in Vancouver after the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals to an interview with a “professional” European soccer hooligan, the scope and breadth of research done to illustrate the psychology and behavior of sports fans is thorough and informative.  Nearly every level of sport is covered – from the poor behavior of parents at children’s sporting events to student sections at college games to riots during and after professional games. Just about every sport is covered as well – Gubar leaves nothing out in her expose of rowdy fan behavior. 

What is also noteworthy about the book is that she concludes that the nature of this behavior is multifaceted and that there is no easy solution.  Among the factors discussed in the book are alcohol, mob mentality and how much a team is part of a fan’s personal identity.  Why there is no easy answer to any of these include economics (such as the profits from sales of alcoholic beverages), difficulty of enforcement and the growth of social media where people can express themselves instantly and with more anonymity. Every story, from the time Grubar confronts one of the people who were harassing her during her work on the Ohio State scandal to the tale of the Oregon student who played a cruel trick on a California basketball player, will grab the reader’s attention and won’t let go. This a book that all sports fans, no matter the level of fandom, should read. 

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

Book Format Read

E-book (PDF)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Fanaticus-Mischief-Madness-Modern-Sports/dp/144222892X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453944522&sr=8-1&keywords=fanaticus

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fanaticus-justine-gubar/1121166901?ean=9781442228924 

Review of "Bench Bosses"

Books that list the best or worst of something or someone in a particular sport are always fun to read and will most likely leave a reader debating some of the selections.  This book about the best coaches in the history of professional hockey is so much more than just a list.  It is certainly one of the best books I have ever read of this format.  Hopefully hockey fans reading this will get a chance to pick it up as it is highly recommended.  Here is my review of "Bench Bosses." 

Title/Author:

“Bench Bosses: The NHL’s Coaching Elite” by Matthew Dibiase

Tags:

Ice Hockey, professional, coaching, list

Publish date:

October 27, 2015

Length:

544 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

Most sports books that are lists of the best or worst of something usually follow a tried and true format – countdown to the top spot, a brief biography or recap of the team or player and an explanation why the team or player is ranked at that spot.

Take that format and throw it out the window when picking up this book on the best coaches in the history of professional hockey. Hockey historian Matthew Dibiase devised a format that takes both positive and negative accomplishments by hockey coaches and ranked the best coaches from 1 to 50, with a few extra “honorable mention” coaches. 

His methodology is simple in one respect – positive accomplishments such as playoff appearances and Stanley Cup wins are worth one point each while negative accomplishments such as a losing season or missing the playoffs lose one point each. Then a few tweaks to allow for items such as different requirements for these accomplishments through different eras and it makes for one of the best books about any sport for comparing eras.

Hockey fans and historians will appreciate the write ups for each coach, especially those about coaches from the early days of the sport like Pete Green, Art Ross, Frank and Lester Patrick and Ralph “Cooney” Weiland.  Even if the reader has not heard of some of these coaches from many years ago, he or she will appreciate what that coach has meant to the game and what he accomplished after reading that coach’s passage.

Another reason that I believe that this is one of the best books about who is the best at what he does is that Dibiase includes accomplishments in other professional leagues – the Pacific Coast Hockey League and Western Canada Hockey League/Western Hockey League from the early 20^th century and the World Hockey Association from the 1970’s. By including a coach’s accomplishments in these leagues as well, Dibiase gives a complete picture of what the coach achieved without shortchanging him because he coached in a different professional league.

Finally, the book doesn’t stop at just ranking these coaches. There are chapters describing who was the best coach in each decade, which coaches often came close to making the Stanley Cup finals but never made it, rivalries and separate short chapters on each of the aforementioned other professional leagues. That gives the book even more credibility as a complete comparison of these coaches over the history of professional hockey.

The book can be read for pleasure or can be used for reference as well.  It is an outstanding record of the best coaches the game has known and should be on the bookshelf of every hockey fan and historian.

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

Book Format Read

Hardcover

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Bosses-NHLs-Coaching-Elite/dp/0771025084/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453652704&sr=1-1&keywords=bench+bosses

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bench-bosses-matthew-dibiase/1118063985?ean=9780771025082

Review of "Redskins: Insult and Brand"

It is not often reading one book will make me take a stand on a controversial issue, but this book was so compelling, it has made me rethink about the nickname of a current professional sports franchise. This compelling work on the name of the professional football team in Washington is one that should be read by every fan and when I saw it was available for review on NetGalley, I immediately request a copy and was glad that it was approved. Here is my review of "Redskins: Insult and Brand."

Title/Author:

“Redskins: Insult and Brand” by C. Richard King

Tags:

Football (American), professional, Redskins, race, politics

Publish date:

March 1, 2016

Length:

256 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

For decades, the nickname of the team that represents Washington DC in the National Football League has been a source of controversy. The name is considered offensive by many people. They consider the term “Redskins” a racial slur against Native Americans. The team and the league continually defend the use of the name, citing history and tradition as well as claiming that the term and logo depicting a Native American honors those people.

These arguments are debunked in this excellent book by C. Richard King, a professor of comparative ethnic studies at Washington State University. He explores the use of the name by the team, the history behind it and the various protests over it through the years.

The book is not one that presents both sides of the issue and lets the reader draw his or her own conclusions. It is a scholarly work that decries the use of the nickname, exposes the flaws in the usual statements defending the history and honor of the name, and explains why it should be considered a racial insult to Native Americans. King makes compelling arguments on each point he makes and will leave the reader feeling angry, bewildered and disgusted at the callousness of those who believe the name should still be used by the team.

It is also not an easy or quick read. The reader will have to carefully review each anecdote from Native Americans and also those of the defenders of the name, such as George Marshall and current owner Daniel Snyder. The stories they share, while they don’t realize it, actually make King’s argument to abolish the name stronger. King does an excellent job of breaking down the hidden racism and condescending nature of these arguments.

This book is one that should be read by anyone who cares about the use of this name by the team, no matter on what side of the issue the reader currently sits. It is compelling, persuasive and will certainly make the reader think about what is truly meant by the name “Redskins.”   

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press 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/Redskins-Insult-C-Richard-King-ebook/dp/B0199E5WL4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453428208&sr=1-1&keywords=redskins+insult+and+brand

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/redskins-c-richard-king/1122887903?ean=9780803278646

Review of "Hardball Retrospective"

If there is one thing that every baseball fan loves, it is statistics. The statistics that have been used to measure the worth of a player, however, has changed over the years.  With the recent growth of more advanced statistics, the question of how teams and players have done across era is now easier to determine. This book by Derek Bain does an excellent job of doing just that.  Here is my review of "Hardball Retrospective" (Note the cover - my favorite baseball player of all time, Rod Carew!)

Title/Author:

“Hardball Retrospective: Evaluating Scouting and Development Outcomes for the Modern-Era Franchises” by Derek Bain

Tags:

Baseball, history, draft, statistics

Publish date:

January 25, 2015

Length:

442 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (Excellent)

Review:

Speculation about player trades and movement via free agency is always a popular topic of conversation between baseball fans. Often they wonder how their favorite teams would have done had they not traded away this player or if they had signed that one instead of letting him leave as a free agent. 

This book by Derek Bain will help answer that question. He takes all thirty current major league franchises and using advanced statistical analysis, he ranks each team by evaluating players with their original teams.  He then takes these revised rosters and determines their standings each season from 1901 to the present.  It makes for fascinating comparisons between the “original” team of a certain year or era and the “actual” team.

This may sound complicated, but once a reader actually studies the charts and analysis of his or her team, it will begin to make sense.  It took me a little while to catch on while reading about the Athletics, for example, but once I remembered that this analysis was done using players who originally signed with the Athletics, not the actual rosters for that season, then it began to make sense.

The statistical analysis uses primarily the advanced statistics of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and Win-Shares for each player. This isn’t to say that the traditional statistics that many baseball fans are familiar with such as batting average, earned run average and runs batted in are not used. They are cited frequently in the narrative for each team. However, they are not the final determination for the rankings of each team – again, it is primarily WAR and Win-Shares.

One does not have to be familiar with these statistics to get the total value of the book.  As long as a reader can follow the charts and narrative sections for the teams, then he or she will get the intended value of the book. I do not consider myself to be fluent or knowledgeable on WAR or Win Shares, but it was a lot of fun to see how my favorite team, the Minnesota Twins, did with their “original” players over the years, including their time as the Washington Senators.  This book is recommended for any baseball fan who is interested to see how his or her team fared in finding talented players throughout the last century.

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

Book Format Read

E-book (PDF)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Hardball-Retrospective-Evaluating-Development-Modern-Era/dp/150879099X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453255988&sr=8-1&keywords=derek+bain

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hardball-retrospective-derek-bain/1121112489?ean=9781508790990

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 "Fast Into the Night"

Even though the calendar says 2016, I am happy that by reviewing this book, I am keeping one of the 2015 resolutions I made for this blog. One of them was to review books on offbeat sports when I could find them. When I saw that a book on the Iditarod sled dog race was available for review on NetGalley, I immediately requested a copy. I was very happy that I was approved to receive an advance review copy, and the book did not disappoint. Here is my review of "Fast Into the Night."

Title/Author:

“Fast into the Night” by Debbie Clarke Moderow

Tags:

Sled racing, dogs, Iditarod, memoir

Publish date:

February 2, 2016

Length:

272 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review:

The famous Iditarod sled race in Alaska is a test of endurance for both humans and the dogs pulling the sled. It can bond the team of dogs to their “musher” or they can turn on him or her and not respond to any commands. This memoir by Debbie Clarke Moderow illustrates these emotions during her two entries in the famed race. 

She had to withdraw with less than 200 miles to go in her initial entry in 2003 as the dogs refused to run any further. Showing determination and overcoming her self-doubt, she again entered in 2005, finishing the race and showing her pride in her dogs.

This is not a typical sport memoir as Moderow does not delve deeply into her youth or talk about her early accomplishments in her sports. There are plenty of family stories about her husband Mark and her children as they all are mushers and help each other with all the duties required to train the dogs and keep them in condition to run these races.

The style of writing is the best part of this book. The format alternates between racing chapters and those on family life, but the transitions are smooth which is not easy to do with a book like this. The prose when she describes her adventures on the Iditarod course reads almost like a nature novel and her love for her dogs is always present. It made the book a very enjoyable adventure.

This is one of those few books on a sporting event that will be enjoyed even by readers who are not sports fans. Anyone who loves animals or nature will enjoy reading Moderow’s account of her two adventures on the Iditarod course.

I wish to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 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/Fast-into-Night-Journey-Iditarod-ebook/dp/B00SQLIYJE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452560905&sr=1-1&keywords=fast+into+the+night

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fast-into-the-night-debbie-clarke-moderow/1121116714?ean=9780544484122

Review of "Baseball's No-Hit Wonders"

Seeing a no-hitter in person is the one baseball item on my wish list that has not come true yet. It is something that is fairly rare but yet can happen at any time, by any pitcher regardless of past success.  There is an upcoming book about this special type of game that is a great read for all fans.  Here is my review of "Baseball's No-Hit Wonders." 

Title/Author:

“Baseball’s No-Hit Wonders: More than a Century of Pitching’s Greatest Feats” by Dirk Lammers

Tags:

Baseball, history, professional

Publish date:

March 15, 2016

Length:

496 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

One of the greatest feats in baseball for a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter. In the history of major league baseball, there have been 290 such games in which no batter on the opposing team was able to get a base hit. Each one of these games is mentioned in some manner in this very entertaining and informative book by Dirk Lammers.

The book is a mixture of lists of interesting facts about no-hitters, stories about the pitchers who threw them and commentary by the author who shows that he has done extensive research into no-hitters. Most of the stories are humorous and will leave the reader chuckling, such as the story of Dock Ellis, who pitched a no-hitter while high on acid.

Many obscure historical facts and pitchers are featured as well which adds to the charm of this book as it is more than just the well-known accomplishments of stars like Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax.The most interesting piece of this nature was an account of a no-hitter that wasn’t accomplished in the major leagues.Trevor May had pitched a partial game without allowing hit for a minor league team in 2014 before it was suspended. He was later called up to the Minnesota Twins before the game was resumed. Another pitcher took over and completed the no-hitter.

Stories and accounts such as these make this a very entertaining book for any baseball fan. It is highly recommended for all fans, and the format of the book makes it easy to read in short amounts to accommodate readers with busy schedules. 

I wish to thank Unbridled Books 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/Baseballs-No-Hit-Wonders-Pitchings-Greatest/dp/1609531256/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452561323&sr=1-1&keywords=Baseball%27s+no+hit+wonders

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baseballs-no-hit-wonders-dirk-lammers/1122205266?ean=9781609531256