Review of "The Fall Line"

Admittedly, I pay very little attention to skiing aside from the Winter Olympics. However, that may change after reading this book as I have a new-found respect for these athletes. After reading about the training they must do as well as what they do to prepare their equipment and handle life, they certainly deserve a lot of respect no matter where they may finish when all the times are calculated at a World Cup event.  Here is my review of "The Fall Line." 

Title/Author:

“The Fall Line: America’s Rise to Ski Racing’s Summit” by Nathaniel Vinton

Tags:

Alpine skiing, Winter Olympics, history

Publish date:

January 4, 2016

Length:

400 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

While the biggest attention is given to alpine skiing during the Winter Olympics, this does not mean that the sport takes a break nor does it not have its share of personalities and issues. This excellent book by Nathaniel Vinton will take the reader deep into the world of ski racing and brings to life some of the lesser known intricacies of the sport. 

Even the title brings out this trait of the book. Vinton explains for the non-fan or casual fan what the fall line is: “The path an object would travel if it were free to move on a slope only under the power of gravity.” This is the main goal of the racer – to maintain this fall line through all the bumps, leaps and gates on the course.  The racer’s equipment is critical and Vinton explains why in an easy-to-understand manner.

Equipment and the endorsements by top skiers can cause controversy, and that is only one of a few issues that Vinton covers that the United States Ski Team would face during the run to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.  Vinton covers a wide range of topics that affect the sport, from warm weather to safety netting and fencing to equipment requirements, they all play a factor in helping a racer shave hundredths of seconds off his or her times.

The book is not only a great source of technical information and action on the slopes, it can also read like a character novel, with the two main characters being Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn, the two top skiers on Team USA in the 2010 Games. However, Vinton also writes about other top Americans like Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso. There is also very good writing on the history of the sport and how it has become a national obsession in Austria.  In fact, the book starts off with an excellent recap of Franz Klammer’s exciting downhill win in the 1976 Olympics.

Just reading that passage had me hooked and I could not put this book down. It is one of the most complete books written on the sport. The detail into all aspects, including the psychology of the two main stars, Miller and Vonn, make for terrific reading that no matter how much or little interest a reader has in ski racing. Whether the reader wants drama, facts, or just a good sports story, this is a book to check out.

I wish to thank W.W. Norton & Company for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fall-Line-Americas-Racings/dp/0393352692/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fall-line-nathaniel-vinton/1121986354?ean=9780393352696

Review of "Finley Ball"

The Oakland A's teams of the mid 1970's are considered to be one of the best baseball dynasties by a team not called the New York Yankees. They won five consecutive division titles and three consecutive World Series championships.  The owner made just as many headlines as the players did and his niece, who grew up with the team, has written a book about the era when her uncle owned the club and her dad did a lot of work for the team behind the scenes.  Here is my review of "Finley Ball."

Title/Author:

“Finley Ball: How Two Outsiders Turned the Oakland A’s Into a Dynasty and Changed the Game Forever” by Nancy Finley

Tags:

Baseball, Athletics, history, memoir

Publish date:

March 28, 2016

Length:

253 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Charley O. Finley was one of the most colorful, innovative and controversial owners in baseball history. From the moment he outbid a Kansas City sportswriter to purchase the Kansas City Athletics to the day he sold the franchise to Walter Haas, he was continually working on improving the team despite rubbing some people in baseball and the media the wrong way.

One person who played a very important role in the operations of the franchise was Finley’s brother Carl. Often Charlie would call Carl in the wee hours of the morning, waking Carl and his daughter Nancy. Nancy would often listen to her father’s side of the conversation. Stories about these conversations and other tidbits that only an insider would know make up this book written by Nancy Finley about the time that her family owned the Kansas City/Oakland team.

Nancy Finley was allowed access to the team’s offices and clubhouse from the time she was a young girl until her uncle sold the team.This allowed her to witness some of the inside work done by her family to improve the team and everything associated with it. These items included the improvements made to Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, the wild celebrations when the Oakland A’s won three consecutive World Series titles from 1972 to 1974 and later, the “Billy Ball” years when her uncle hired Billy Martin as the manager to groom the young talent signed to replace the starts from the championship teams that mostly left for more money from other teams.

Throughout the book, it is clear that Nancy wants to ensure that readers get a complete picture of some of the more controversial aspects of the era in which her uncle owned the team. This includes revealing documents about incident involving Mike Andrews during the 1973 World Series, the inside story about the 1967 incident aboard a team flight that resulted in the firing of manager Alvin Dark, the failed negotiations with the City Council in Kansas City that ultimately paved the way for the move to Oakland and even a few stories about the beloved mascot mule Charlie O.

Through memories she had of her and her dad working for her uncle at the Oakland Coliseum and meticulous research, the reader will learn much about the team that was not written in the media. She writes with a sense of pride about what her father and uncle accomplished with the team, not only for the championship teams in the 1970’s but also about what her family endured in Kansas City from the writer who failed to purchase the team and from the city of Oakland, who sued the Finleys in 1980 for putting a poor team on the field.  (While the team’s record in 1979 was only 54-108, they had a lot of good young players who two years later made it to the postseason.)

This is a very entertaining and fun book to read that any baseball fan, especially fans of the Athletics, will want to include in his or her library.  It is an excellent collection of stories from one of the more colorful owners in baseball history.

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

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Finley-Ball-Baseball-Outsiders-Oakland/dp/1621574776/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459011064&sr=1-1&keywords=finley+ball

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finley-ball-nancy-finley/1122378342?ean=9781621574774

Review of "No Grey Areas"

When I saw that a book had been written about the 1994 point shaving scandal at Arizona State by the mastermind behind it, I was very happy when my request for a copy was approved.  But like the season that starts with championship hopes and ends without making the playoffs, this book started strong and limped to the finish. Here is my review of "No Grey Areas." 

Title/Author:

“No Grey Areas” by Joseph N. Gagliano

Tags:

Basketball, college, gambling, memoir

Publish date:

January 14, 2016

Length:

226 pages

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Some books start off slow and get better as the reader gets further into the story. Others start off strong and grab the reader’s attention right away but don’t stay as interesting throughout the book. This memoir of the mastermind behind one of the biggest point shaving scandal in college basketball history fits that latter category.

Joseph Gagliano’s story of how he pulled off this betting scam to win millions of dollars is a compelling story of a young man who wasn’t scared or intimidated by anything. With the help from a friend and a willing player from the Arizona State basketball team, Gagliano was able to orchestrate this scam during three Sun Devil games in 1994. While reading about this scheme, the reader will learn about the sports gambling industry, how point spreads can change depending on the bets being placed and that the action doesn’t take place just in Las Vegas. 

Once he got caught by federal officials, that is when I started to not enjoy the book as much because while Gagliano does admit that he made many poor decisions, it reads as if he blames so many other people for his failings. This is true not only for his guilty plea for the point shaving scandal but also when he was investigated and later convicted of fraud stemming from some bad loans while financing his car wash businesses. He writes about his bad decisions with the millions he earned from his business ventures, but again he sounds bitter.

Particularly telling is what he writes about his family when he was awaiting indictment for the business loans.  He stated that “…when I lost my company, hit the hard times and stopped being able to provide financially for the entire family, I basically lost my status as the Golden Child.” So he is bitter because now he isn’t the favorite son after being indicted twice?  This type of dialogue rubbed me the wrong way and was a sad conclusion to a book that started out as a great read. It seemed to me that he doesn’t understand that these are the consequences one may face when bad decisions are made.

Nonetheless, I will give the book a passing mark for the good description of the sports gambling industry, his detail of how the point shaving took place and his willingness to share the story of not only the basketball scandal but also his accounts of the ups and downs of his car wash franchises. It is just too bad that he couldn’t have applied the lessons of too much greed to his businesses.

I wish to thank Rebel Press for providing a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/No-Grey-Areas-Consequences-Thereafter/dp/0997124814/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-grey-areas-joseph-n-gagliano/1123264883?ean=9780997124811

Review of "Baseball's Power Shift"

It isn't often that I will read a full length book in one sitting as often I will need to put it aside for either another book or when life gets in the way.  However, this book was an exception as I completed this in just a couple of hours as once I started, it had me hooked and I did not want to put it down.  Here is my review of "Baseball's Power Shift."

Title/Author:

“Baseball’s Power Shift” by Jon Krister Swanson

Tags:

Baseball, history, labor

Publish date:

March 1, 2016

Length:

320 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

When baseball fans read about labor issues between the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), some may lament about wanting the “good old days” when there was no talk of salary caps, free agency and competitive balance.  This excellent book by Krister Swanson dispels that notion as there has been a long history of labor strife in the game that dates back to the nineteenth century.

The book covers the time frame from the first attempts by the players to unionize in the 1890’s to the player’s strike in 1981 that wiped out approximately one-third of the season. The topic is not as much the history of the issues and negotiations as it is about the manner in which both the owners (whom Swanson calls “magnates” throughout the book) and the players plead their case to the media and fans.  tide shifted in the century covered in the book from the magnates holding all the power to the MLBPA becoming one of the most powerful unions in America.

Swanson writes in a style that is informative but very easy to read. The chapters on the working conditions before 1964 when the reserve clause was in effect and attempts to unionize such as the Brotherhood in the 1890’s and later a Fraternity in the early twentieth century (note the language here where Swanson does not call these “unions”). However, the best reading and research comes after Marvin Miller is named the executive director of the MLPBPA in 1964. It is here that many interesting details over the magnate’s attempts to save the reserve clause and not share television revenue are revealed. The union’s position and press relations are covered as well.

While reading the book, it felt that Swanson was covering both sides of all these issues in a fair manner. If there was any leaning toward one side or the other, it may have been critical toward the magnates but if it was, it was because their arguments over the issues never changed, no matter the era.  Swanson repeats that fact frequently as well as illustrating how they would use these points to win over the views of the fans.  That, just like the reserve clause, would eventually fail.

If a reader is interested in the history of labor relations or the business side of baseball, this is a book that he or she must read.  It is one that certainly belongs on the shelf of that reader’s bookshelf.

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

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Baseballs-Power-Shift-Players-American/dp/0803255233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458553086&sr=1-1&keywords=baseball%27s+power+shift

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baseballs-power-shift-jon-krister-swanson/1122887935?ean=9780803255234

Review of "The 50 Greatest Players in Detroit Tigers History"

Books that list the greatest players, teams or games are always sure to generate heated discussions.  This one will do the same thing, although the player rated at the top of this book was really not a surprise nor will too many readers disagree.  But what about the other 49?  You'll have to read the book to find out.  Here is my review of "The 50 Greatest Players in Detroit Tigers History"

Title/Author:

“The 50 Greatest Players in Detroit Tigers History” by Robert W. Cohen

Tags:

Baseball, professional, list, Tigers

Publish date:

October 1, 2015

Length:

360 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Books that list the best or worst of a particular sport, team, era or similar grouping are ones that are always interesting. They usually are good for a sports bar discussion, with arguments ensuring between participants on the rankings (“How is HE #1??”) or on the merits of including or excluding a certain person (“How in the world did so-and-so NOT make the list??”)

This list of the fifty greatest players in the history of the Detroit Tigers reads much like other books of this type. Author Robert W. Cohen sticks with the same format for each player – a photo, a complete description of the player’s career and the best Tigers games and moments in that player’s career. It doesn’t matter the position of the player; he breaks down each player in the same manner. 

How he assesses the players and ranks them is explained in the introduction and it is an extremely fair method in which he does so. Cohen explains how he uses statistical analysis for each player. He also explains that only the statistics for when the player was a member of the Tigers are considered for these rankings, which helps explain why some great players who are in the book are ranked higher or lower than one might expect.

This book has one difference than most books of this type is that it starts at #1 and goes on to #50 instead of the usual countdown format. That took some of the drama away. It was also good to see the author recognize many of the past great players for the Tigers, such as Harry Heilmann. Because the Tigers had stretches of success in various decades the entire history of the club is covered and players from those eras are included. From Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg to Alan Trammel and Miguel Cabrera, the entire timeline of the Tigers franchise is represented.

This book is one that every Tigers fan must have in his or her library as it covers the entire history of the franchise. Baseball historians and even fans of other teams will enjoy this book as well as these books are always fun to read and agree or disagree with the author’s rankings.

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

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Players-Detroit-Tigers-History/dp/1630760994/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-50-greatest-players-in-detroit-tigers-history-robert-w-cohen/1121371864?ean=9781630760991&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP277&k_clickid=3x277

Review of "Up, Up and Away"

While I could never consider myself a fan of the team, I was always followed the Montreal Expos.  Whether it was their constant struggles for survival, the checkered success on the field, or just the great tri-colored hats they wore, they always were good for entertaining stories.  Having seen the last game they played in 2004 as the Expos, I also felt I was a very small piece of their history.  So, of course I was interested in this book when it was mentioned in a Goodreads group discussing baseball books.  Here is my review of "Up, Up and Away." 

Title/Author:

“Up, Up, and Away: The Kid, the Hawk, Rock, Vladi, Pedro, le Grand Orange, Youppi!, the Crazy Business of Baseball, and the Ill-fated but Unforgettable Montreal Expos.” by Jonah Keri

Tags:

Baseball, history, Expos

Publish date:

March 25, 2014

Length:

416 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The Montreal Expos provided many interesting stories during their 36 years of existence, both on and off the field.  Sportswriter Jonah Keri, who was also a fan of the team, covers their history in this fun-to-read account of the franchise.   

Starting with the scramble to obtain players and a suitable stadium for the inaugural 1969 season, Keri captures the adventures and misadventures of the franchise with humor, knowledge and the viewpoint that a devoted fan provides, which was surprisingly objective as well.

The objectivity comes mainly from describing the many business decisions that resulted in star players leaving.  One example is when after the team compiled the best record in the 1994 season in which the World Series was not played due to a player’s strike, the ownership group ordered general manager Kevin Malone to dump four of the team’s highest paid players in one week. Keri’s account of that fire sale did not read like a disgruntled fan – while criticizing the move, he did note that it did achieve the short term goals, but that it was just that – “a short-sighted glimpse of the situation.”

His accounts of the eventual ownership by Major League Baseball and his criticism of an ownership group that would not contribute the required money to keep the operations going that resulted in one man (Jeffrey Loria) obtaining 93% of the team was also surprisingly objective for someone who was a fan of the team.  Other business matters such as losing broadcasting rights to the southern Ontario market and only online broadcasting in the early 2000’s were covered in the same manner.

This doesn’t mean that Keri only wrote about the front office.  His accounts of the 36 seasons of Expos baseball on the field was just as good, especially when writing about the stars and beloved players who wore the red, white and blue of the team.  His prose about the sad story of Ellis Valentine, the heartbreak of “Blue Monday” when Rick Monday homered to propel the Dodgers to victory over the Expos in the 1981 National League Championship Series and the excitement of the surprise run in 1994.  Those passages are great reading for any baseball fan, whether or not he or she was an Expos fan.

One question that many ask is when was the point where the Expos started to show signs that they were in trouble.  Keri’s account offers several times both on and off the field, but the most interesting one was when he described the apex of success for the team on the field as the 1982 All-Star game which Montreal hosted.  It was at that time when the Expos were having their longest stretch of sustained success and had five players represent them at that All-Star game.  While questionable at first to me, he makes a good point why he felt that way.  That is an example of what Keri does throughout the book – makes points of why he believed something happened and uses solid evidence to support that claim.

This is a very entertaining and informative book that any reader who is interested in the history of this colorful team, whether a fan or not, will enjoy.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Up-Away-Business-Ill-fated-Unforgettable-ebook/dp/B00F8F0JNU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457874967&sr=1-1&keywords=up+up+and+away+expos

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/up-up-and-away-jonah-keri/1115810091?ean=9780307361363

Review of "The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong"

One of my goals when I started writing reviews and this blog was to read about as many different sports as I could. Ping pong was one of the off-beat games I hoped to learn about and when I was asked if I would review this book on the sport, I certainly was happy to do so.  Here is my review of "The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong."

Title/Author:

“The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong” by Guido Mina di Sospiro

Tags:

Table tennis, memoir, life

Publish date:

September 1, 2015

Length:

240 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
It has often been stated that sport is a reflection of life. While that seems to be a well-worn cliché, but this book by Guido Mina di Sospiro proves that sometimes clichés are correct.  In his case, the sport of ping-pong, or table tennis, was an accurate reflection of his life. 

His writing about the sport waxes poetic and philosophical, pop culture and religion.  Drawing inspiration and information from sources as varied as Plato, Taoism, Sheryl Crow and Carl Jung, Mina di Sospiro takes the reader on an adventure through the world of ping-pong as he competes against players all over the world – from his local club to facing some of the best players in China.

While the main attraction of the book is certainly his adventure, his writing about the sport itself was what I found very interesting. His discovery of the spin on the ball being the key to winning or losing makes for some of the best reading for me in the book. The spin is how metaphysics plays an important role in the sport.

How the player has to strike the ball to put this spin on the shot, what rubber and padding should be on the paddle to maximize this effect is explained in great detail as Mina di Sospiro is working his way through the competition. Even the glue is important as he explains that many players will rib the rubber padding off and re-glue it onto the paddle just before a match (allowing 20-30 minutes for drying) to expand the rubber which allows for greater speed and spin.

This book should be read at one sitting with minimal interruptions to get a true feel for the game and also for the spirituality of the writing.  By doing this, I was able to enjoy the stories and ended up becoming a fan of the author and the sport by the time I finished. This book is highly recommended for readers who want to either learn something about an off-beat sport, to be inspired or just enjoy a good book with a different spin.

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

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Metaphysics-Ping-Pong-Tennis-Journey-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B013JD96CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457490023&sr=1-1&keywords=metaphysics+of+ping+pong

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-metaphysics-of-ping-pong-guido-mina-di-sospiro/1121755793?ean=9780835609425

Review of "Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens"

Having recently seen the movie "Race" about the story of Jesse Owens, I wanted to find a book that, like the movie, would cover more than just what he did in the 1936 Olympics. This book by ESPN journalist Jeremy Schapp, which was first published in 2007, does just that and reads like it could have been the book that the movie was based upon.  Here is my review of "Triumph" 

Title/Author:

“Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics” by Jeremy Schapp

Tags:

Track and Field, history, Olympics, race

Publish date:

March 3, 2015 (electronic version – original publication date February 1, 2007)

Length:

308 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The accomplishments of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Summer Olympics is still revered and celebrated now, eighty years later.  Not just for the athletic achievement of earning four gold medals, but also for dispelling the myth of Adolf Hitler’s notion of Aryan superiority is this feat remembered.  In this excellent book by Jeremy Schapp, the reader will learn more about what made a humble black man from Ohio turn into the fastest man on Earth.

There are many aspects about Owen’s story that Schapp writes about beyond the wins on the track.  From the coaching of Larry Snyder at Ohio State to the story about how Owens became one of the members of the 4 x 100-yard relay team to the alleged “snub” by Hitler after Owns won his first medal, there are many different subplots that are recalled in great detail.  The story of the “snub” is very interesting in that the myth is dispelled by Owens himself by recalling that Hitler waved at him after his first medal.  It was only later during the lecture circuit did the story of the snub become well known.

Not everything written is about Owens, either. Schapp wrote very good pieces about filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl, the American boycott of the games that almost happened and the controversy about leaving the two American Jewish runners off of the relay team in which Owens replaced one of them and won his fourth medal.  Avery Brundage is also prominently portrayed in the book. These and other aspects of the 1936 Olympics make the book complete and an excellent source of information on this topic.

The only thing that could have made this better would have been a little more coverage of life after the Olympics for Owens as the book does not make it clear what really became of Owens after that historic event.  But if the reader wants to learn about the Jesse Owens story of how he became a person who singlehandedly dispelled a dictator’s vision of domination through the simple acts of running and jumping, then this is the book to read.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Triumph-Untold-Story-Hitlers-Olympics-ebook/dp/B00TNT9HFI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1457142665&sr=1-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/triumph-jeremy-schaap/1100692093?ean=9780618919109