Thursday, August 30, 2018

Review of "Racing with the Doctor."

Chalk this book up under the category "new sport."  While not completely unfamiliar with the world of racing on local tracks, I was not familiar with this type of racing and the cars driven, so it was good to read this collection of stories written by a pit crew member.  Here is my review of "Racing with 'The Doctor' "




Title/Author:
Racing with ‘The Doctor’ Recollections from a Member of Jerry Crabb’s Sprint Car Pit Crew” by Todd R. Thomas

Tags:
Auto racing, memoir

Publish date:
March 27, 2018

Length:
208 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
First-hand accounts of any type of sports experience are usually the best ones to read. Since I have very little knowledge of sprint car racing, it seemed like reading a book on this sport would be the best way to learn about it. The stories shared by author Todd Thomas while he worked on a pit crew in the sport was an excellent way in which to learn about the sport.

Jerry Crabb is a legend in the sport, especially in Iowa where he made his mark at the Knoxville Raceway, winning the 1998 Masters Classic.  The reader will learn much about Jerry and his wife Jan through the storytelling of Thomas, who shares just about every experience he ever had on the track, whether or not he was a part of Crabb’s pit crew at the time.

For readers who have little to no knowledge of the sport, Thomas writes in easy-to-understand language about the nuances of racing, the parts and structure of the cars, and even explains why the drivers in the sport have to steer to the right when they are actually traveling in a counterclockwise direction on the track. There are also plenty of entertaining and downright hilarious stories so readers who know the sport and the legend that is Mr. Crabb will also appreciate the book.  It is recommended for anyone who is interested in the sport of sprint car racing.


Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Review of "Football for a Buck"

I am just going to come out and say it - this is probably the best book I have read since I started this blogging adventure more than five years ago. It helps that Jeff Pearlman is one of my favorite authors and the USFL had a colorful history.  If nothing else, the fact that this review is over 2100 words long instead of the usual 500-700 word review I write for books says that I loved this one.  Here is my review of "Football for a Buck."


Title/Author:
Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL” by Jeff Pearlman
Tags:
Football (American), history, professional, management
Publish date:
September 11, 2018
Length:
384 pages
Rating: 
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
For a brief stretch in the 1980’s, there were two professional football leagues in the United States. There was the well-established National Football League (NFL), which by then was staking its claim to being the most popular league of the most popular sport in the country.  But for three years, there was another league, the United States Football League (USFL) that played its games in the spring and saw wacky games and players, innovative rules such as instant replay challenges, both good and not-so-good football and one brash, bombastic owner who tried to take on the NFL and eventually lost, meaning the end of the league just three years after it started. 
The history of the USFL, from the day that David Dixon’s idea for spring football was announced by the Associated Press in 1966 to the dispersing of USFL players into the NFL after the results and award from the anti-trust lawsuit were revealed, is captured in this highly entertaining, highly informative book by best selling author Jeff Pearlman. No matter what a reader wants to learn or read about regarding the USFL, they are sure to find it in this book.
Yes, that date announcing the idea of the USFL was correct. The idea of a professional spring football league was conceived by David Dixon in 1966, the league gaining that name simply because he liked the name of U.S. Steel for a company in which he held stock. The idea went into to hiding when the NFL soon thereafter awarded a team to New Orleans and merged with the American Football League.  However, Dixon never let his dream completely die and in the early 1980’s, it was reborn. Thanks to a trip to the home of legendary coach George Allen and the growth of a new product called cable television, Dixon set out to sell the idea of spring football.  When a group of wealthy businessmen with deep pockets and large egos all signed on, the USFL was born, complete with a schedule for 1983 with 12 teams and more importantly, a television contract.
The first season was considered, in the big picture, a success. The attendance and television ratings were considered reasonable for a new league. The quality of football ran from ugly to spectacular. For ugly, just watch any Washington Federals game as Pearlman regularly reminded readers just how bad this team was both on and off the field. Pearlman humorously wrote that the team “led the USFL in three unofficial categories: 1. Football players no one had ever heard of. 2. Cigarette smokers 3. Coke Addicts.” Not exactly the formula for a good team. However, for spectacular football, two good examples are the triple overtime playoff game that season between the Philadelphia Stars and the Chicago Blitz, still considered to be one of the best playoff games in football history; and the championship game the following week between the Philadelphia Stars and the Michigan Panthers, won by the Panthers on a thrilling touchdown.
However, the championship game wasn’t the biggest news for the league that season.  Proving that that the league was for real and to get a “big name” player, the New Jersey Generals signed running back Herschel Walker from the University of Georgia before he was eligible to play in the NFL. The story of getting Walker to sign with the new league was very interesting, especially as the league wanted to keep everything a secret until it was official.  Because of this, the scout for the Generals who did the work to get Walker to sign with New Jersey, Rick Buffington, was concerned when he received a call from the Boston Globe to inquire if it was indeed true that Walker signed with the USFL. Pearlman writes about this at his best, calling Buffington the “Herschel Walker Deep Throat.”
The Generals were not only the team in the biggest market, they later on had the most brash and outlandish owner in the league’s second season in a New York real estate tycoon named Donald J. Trump. If anything could take attention away from the strangeness of two franchises swapping players and locations, as the Chicago Blitz and Arizona Wranglers did , it was the loud and bombastic announcement of the league’s newest owner.  While the league already had some eccentric owners, such as Bill Oldenburg, the oil tycoon who owned the Los Angeles Express and had some wacky stories of his own shared in the book (one Pearlman description of an Oldenburg meltdown said he “went from agreeable to obnoxious to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest psychotic”), he had nothing on Trump. More on the Generals’ owner a little later.
While the signing of Walker was a boon for the league’s publicity, there were reservations inside league headquarter and from USFL Commissioner Chet Simmons.  He and some other owners, most notably Tampa Bay Bandits owner John Bassett, wanted the goal of the league to build slowly and keep salaries in check. Walker was the first signing to break that mold.  However, the dam burst on salaries before that second season. Many future NFL stars were signed to huge contracts such as Jim Kelly (signed by the expansion Houston Gamblers) and Steve Young. Young’s contract, totaling over $40 million dollars when including annuity payments, was the butt end of a lot of jokes. His team, the Express, not only had an eccentric owner, but also was suffering from poor play on the field and very poor attendance, made all the more noticeable by playing home games in the massive Los Angeles Coliseum.
One other notable signing was Doug Flutie, the Boston College quarterback who made one of the most famous college football comebacks with a “Hail Mary” pass touchdown to beat Miami. Flutie was sought and signed by New Jersey. Trump wanted to sign the quarterback as he believed the popular quarterback would be good for the league – and he also wanted all of the league’s owners to chip in toward paying Flutie’s salary instead of just the Generals. Regardless of political position or affiliation, any reader will realize that sounds very familiar to something that Trump stated later in his second career. This is another example of the brilliance Pearlman brings to this book as he is able to make the reader connect the USFL to today’s events, whether or not they relate to football.
Despite the craziness, it seemed like the USFL was gaining its place for spring football. While not enjoying NFL numbers for attendance, TV ratings and quality of play, the product nonetheless was gaining respect in all those areas. For the latter of those qualities, the USFL never claimed to be on the same footing as the NFL. The players enlisted were described as “your tied, your poor, your huddled masses, your one-armed and chain-smoking and half blind and clinically insane..” by Pearlman – one of the funniest lines in a book filled with snippets that will make a reader laugh out loud.  
Even though the league made a questionable decision to expand from 12 to 18 teams with some of these teams never getting on solid footing (example A is the San Antonio Gunslingers, whose woes are told in entertaining detail) there were new teams who were run well and played competitive football such as the Birmingham Stallions and Memphis Showboats. The ocean that was the USFL seemed to be settling down despite some choppiness.
However, there was some disturbance in this ocean churned up by Trump. The motives behind Trump’s purchase of the Generals were being questioned, and they became clear when he announced to his fellow owners that the USFL needed to move to a fall schedule and compete directly with the NFL as soon as possible. This would be his best way to be an NFL owner as many believed that was his goal all along. 
This drama off the field was overshadowing the play on the field, which included a revolutionary offense by Gamblers' offensive coordinator Mouse Davis. Utilizing Kelly’s strong arm and a fleet of speedy receivers, the Gamblers became an offensive juggernaut, setting many professional football records for offense and becoming one of the elite teams. League officials were salivating at the thought of a Gamblers-Generals championship game for the league’s second season, but it was not to be. Instead, the Philadelphia Stars avenged their loss in the previous season by handily defeating the Arizona Wranglers to capture the 1984 USFL title.
The story of the next offseason was all about Trump. He kept on pushing his idea to his fellow owners that it would be in the best interest of the league to go head-to-head against the NFL. Just like with his businesses, he was one who got others to buy into his plan. Most of his fellow owners were on board with this plan, with the notable exception of one of the leagues more successful owners, Bassett. He was just as strong willed on his belief that the original goals of the league were to be followed as was Trump’s about playing in the fall. Sadly, Bassett developed brain cancer and as his health deteriorated, his influence on his colleagues dwindled until he passed away.
Without his biggest adversary, Trump pushed ahead with his agenda, filing an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL and also getting the league to announce that 1985 was going to be the last season of spring football and the league would begin fall play in 1986. This lead to confusion both on and off the field. What was going to become of the players during such a long downtime?  How many teams would be willing to go against the NFL, as some stadiums would not allow the USFL team to play at the same time its primary tenant, the NFL team, would be using the facility?  What about the college draft? Of course, these questions were small potatoes compared to the big question – what would become of the league should the trial end in favor of the NFL?
All of this overshadowed the entire third season of the league, as the dominant team of the USFL, the now-Baltimore Stars defended their league title with a win over the Oakland Invaders in the championship game. The moves and merges of the league’s franchises were numerous and often had interesting anecdotes that were shared in the book. These two teams were included, as the Stars had to play games in Baltimore after their lease to play in Philadelphia was not renewed and the Invaders had many players from the Michigan Panthers after that team merged with the new Oakland franchise rather than compete with the NFL’s Lions when the league would start fall play.
The last, sad chapter of the league was the anti-trust trial. This was to be Trump’s finest hour, even with a questionable strategy and the death of the lawyer originally hired to represent the USFL, a lawyer who gained fame in the McCarthy-era trials against alleged Communists.  Even when writing about court proceedings, Pearlman is at his best. For the sake of those with weak stomachs, I will leave out Pearlman’s recap of an exchange between Trump and then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, but it is one that had me laughing so hard, I was in tears. The result is known to all interested in this league – the jury did find the NFL was guilty of violating anti-trust laws and awarded the USFL $1 – treble damages made the total amount $3. Of course, since the league was counting on this verdict for its future, it ceased operations soon thereafter and the players were free to sign with any NFL team.
Some made it, many didn’t and those whose one shot at pro football was through the USFL were saddened but look back upon those days fondly.  The NFL’s product on the field, while they may not admit it, was influenced by the upstart league after its demise. The New Orleans Saints hired Stars coach Jim Mora and signed many of the players he coached and, not coincidently, went from league laughingstock to playoff team in two seasons. The most innovative rules in the USFL – the two point conversion and instant replay reviews – have both been adopted by the NFL. While the league may not exist any longer, its memories live on.
Any reader who is a fan of Pearlman’s previous work, a fan of the USFL or football history, or who just likes an entertaining book on the game, must add this to their library. An outstanding work that is one of the best books I have read on any sport.
I wish to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an advance review copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:



Thursday, August 23, 2018

Review of "Ninety Percent Mental"

While shopping for an audiobook to use up an extra credit on my Audible account, I came across this book by a pitcher I remembered mainly for his time with the Cardinals and Twins. I had never realized he became a mental skills coach and helped pitchers like Jon Lester and Andrew Miller.  His adventure to this position is told in his memoir, "Ninety Percent Mental."


Title/Author:
Ninety Percent Mental: An All-Star Player Turned Mental Skills Coach Reveals the Hidden Game of Baseballby Bob Tewksbury and Scott Miller, narrated by Bob Tewksbury

Tags:
Baseball, memoir, coaching, professional, audiobook

Publish date:
March 20, 2018

Length:
256 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
One of the more popular quotes about baseball attributed to Yogi Berra was “Baseball is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical.”  Today, many teams are paying attention to the first part of that statement as 22 of the 30 major league teams have a mental skills coach. Former All-Star pitcher Bob Tewksbury is one of those mental skills coaches, having held the position for the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants.  This memoir, co-written with Scott Miller and narrated by Tewksbury, tells about not only his journey from pitcher to mental skills coach, but also some of the secrets he shares to players who come to him for help.

While he obtained the necessary education for holding a position in which he aids other people develop the proper mental attitudes and self-awareness needed to succeed, Tewksbury also shares stories from his own major league career. He was an all-star pitcher in 1993 and his description of his performance and his mental state during that performance was one of the best baseball stories shared in the book.  He pitched for several teams, including the Cardinals, Yankess, Padres and Twins.  He shares anecdotes about his time with each team, but not in strict chronological order. Instead, the baseball stories are those that are pertinent to the subject discussed in the chapter.

These subjects all cover various aspects that cover the mental game that players, especially pitchers, will encounter in every game, every road trip, and every season.  Tewksbury even breaks down what goes through a pitcher’s head – his own experiences and those of pitchers he has coached such as Jon Lester, Andrew Miller and Rich Hill.  He delves into what may cause negative thoughts to creep into a player’s mind such as fear.  He uses the acronym “False Evidence As Reality” to describe when that player is fearing failure.  Overcoming negative self-talk, using anchor statements to motivate one’s self and concentrating on one pitch at a time are all skills he uses. While these sound simple and basic, these have been overlooked so long that the game is finally catching up to Yogi’s observation.

This book is one that general baseball fans will enjoy, especially with the easy-to-understand language and the down-to-earth narration Tewksbury employs.  It isn’t too technical for casual fans, nor is it too simple for more dedicated baseball lovers.  If the reader is interested in the mental aspect of the game this book is for them.

Book Format Read:
Audiobook

Buying Links:



Monday, August 20, 2018

Review of "The Pitcher and the Dictator"

The subject of this book intrigued me - Satchel Paige pitching in the Dominican Republic? The country's dictator ran the team?  I just had to learn more - and this book was a good introduction to not only Paige's experience on the island but also some other Negro League stars who also made the journey.  Here is my review of "The Pitcher and the Dictator"



Title/Author:
The Pitcher and the Dictator: Satchel Paige’s Unlikely Season in the Dominican Republic” by Averell “Ace” Smith

Tags:
Baseball, history, Negro Leagues, politics

Publish date:
April 1, 2018

Length:
240 pages

Rating: 
4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:
Satchel Paige is one of the most talented and entertaining players to have participated in the Negro Leagues before Major League Baseball became integrated. However, in 1937, he and several other Negro League players, including Josh Gibson and James “Cool Papa” Bell, left the Pittsburgh Crawfords to play in the Dominican Republic. However, this was no ordinary league in which they participated – it was a baseball tournament in support of the country’s dictator, Rafael Trujillo.  The account of Paige and his teammates, as well as the brutal regime of Trujillo, is told in this excellent book by Averell Smith.

The players, starting with Paige, were lured to the island with the promise of easy money. Paige was offered $30,000 to play in the tournament and immediately broke his contract with the Crawfords and went to the Dominican Republic. His salary was much better than he could make in the United States, without the racism he was experiencing.  He found he could stay in any hotel he wished, go to any restaurant or club, and walk the streets being accepted for who he was.  He was able to convince his personal catcher, William Perkins, and the aforementioned Gibson and Bell to join him. 

However, this isn’t to say that all was happy for the players in the Dominican Republic. The manager of the dictator’s baseball team, Dr. Jose Aybar, recruited Paige in New Orleans and let him and the other players know that they were being watched closely and that they had to perform well for the dictator. Armed soldiers with guns and machetes were always in sight.  This atmosphere and the background behind Trujillo’s rise to power is also described in the book, so when Paige arrives on the island, the reader has an inkling of what he is feeling.

This also affected Paige’s performance in the first few games he pitched as he was nervous and knew that anything short of winning the tournament would result in dire consequences. However, once Gibson and Bell arrived for reinforcements, Trujillo’s team got hot and won the tourney. Gibson’s bat provided the spark for the championship game against a team that featured the best Cuban player in the game at that point, Martin Dihigo. The baseball passages were written well, with the reader feeling the drama of the games. The talents of Paige, Gibson and Dihigo were certainly on display throughout the book, with short chapters written after the tourney on each player’s career and life after the end of the tourney. 

The book is not just about the baseball as it will tell the reader about the brutal regime of Trujillo, including the slaughter of Haitians who were attempting to return to their home country after the dictator took power. While the brutality is well illustrated, as well as the romantic interests and military might of Trujillo, this part of the book, like the chapters on the three ballplayers noted above, left me wanting to know more as it felt like more could be written about his dictatorship. 

If a reader wishes to learn more about this season in the Dominican Republic for three of the greatest stars of the Negro Leagues as well as the first Cuban player inducted into the American Baseball Hall of Fame, this is a good book to start that journey. While it doesn’t get into great detail about any of the topics, it is nonetheless a very informative book to introduce the reader to the baseball played in or the politics of the Dominican Republic at that time.

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:


Friday, August 17, 2018

Review of "My Name Was Mickey Mantle"

Books that make me think back to my childhood and some of the fun I had playing sports are always fun to read.  This one did just that, and while my favorite baseball player as a kid (and still as an adult) was Rod Carew, not Mickey Mantle, this book about the author's belief that he was Mickey Mantle is a fun read.  Here is my review of "My Name Was Mickey Mantle"




Title/Author:
My Name Was Mickey Mantle” by Gary Kashcak

Tags:
Baseball, memoir, Yankees

Publish date:
February 28, 2018

Length:
187 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
Every boy who plays baseball has dreams of hitting the big home run and emulating his favorite major league player.  For author Gary Kaschak, as well as many other kids during the 1950’s and 1960’s, that player was Mickey Mantle.  In this memoir, Kaschak writes about his days of playing baseball and not only imitating but also believing he WAS Mantle.

The book will take the reader back to times when playing baseball outside was THE summer activity. Whether pickup games in the street, the “minor leagues” for kids who were not ready for Little League action, the Little League competition or organized baseball for older boys, including high school, Kaschak describes his playing days by writing about the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  Some of them made me laugh, some of them made me sad, but all of them made for entertaining reading. 

Whether it was the utter disappointment when the star pitcher for another team was chosen to be promoted over Kaschak to Little League, the joy of scoring the winning run in a crucial game, or the embarrassment of his mother repairing his ripped pants with safety pins in the middle of a game, baseball fans will enjoy reading these stories of the innocence of youthful thinking and how it did eventually help shape his adult life. 

The last stories in the book, in which Kaschak describes his trips to Yankee Stadium to try to see Mantle in person and a trip to Cooperstown where he walks the field at Doubleday Park, are the ones that will tug at the heartstrings the most with readers. Those stories were the ones in which I felt I could truly see the strong connection Mantle had with the author and the point in the book where I really felt I was reading a memoir. The stories of his youth, while never doubting that they were true, read more like a novel than a non-fiction book and I had to stop a few times to remember that this wasn’t fiction.

Anyone who played baseball as a youngster will enjoy this book at it will make the reader want to remember those days when the most important results in life were whether or not their team won or lost that day’s game.  An enjoyable read that should be added to a baseball bookshelf.

I wish to thank Black Rose Writing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

Monday, August 13, 2018

Review of "The Greatest Game Ever"

Many readers will understand this. I had this book on my Nook e-reader for a few years - YEARS! I would start to read it and then get distracted. Either with a new book that I just had to read so I would put this one aside.  Then I would start it again - and a new distraction would keep me from reading.  Finally, I was able to read it start to finish thanks to a reading challenge that I was able to complete.  This short book is the basis for a full length novel on the same subject.  Here is my review of "The Greatest Game Ever"


Title/Author:

The Greatest Game Ever” by Kevin King

Tags:
Baseball, Fiction, Cardinals, Negro Leagues

Publish date:
March 6, 2012

Length:
124 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
Major league baseball players, especially some of the more well-known players of that era, used to go on barnstorming tours after the season ended to promote the sport and more importantly, to earn extra money before they had to take another job during the off-season. This short book by Kevin King (which was the basis of his full length novel “All the Stars Came Out That Night”) tells of a fictional barnstorming game between many members of the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals, otherwise known as the “Gashouse Gang”, (with a few ringers) facing off against the best players in the Negro Leagues.

The fictional story is told by Walter Winchell, who had to swear to keep the game secret to his grave. The idea was hatched by a bet between the two pitchers of that game, Dizzy Dean of the Cardinals and Sachel Paige of the Negro Leagues.  The rosters for both teams include some of the greatest names in the game – Pepper Martin, Ernie Lombardi, Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson and a rookie named Joe DiMaggio for the Cardinals/white team. In addition to Paige, the Negro League roster included Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, and Buck O’Neil.

The game was played in Fenway Park, using portable lights as lights had not been installed at Fenway in 1934. The Cardinals/white team was bankrolled by Henry Ford and Judge Keenesaw Mountain Landis was also a spectator, although he plays a different role by mid-game. Aside from a couple other of Ford’s men, the game is played to an empty stadium.

The game action is terrific to read as it is realistically portrays each player’s strengths and character. The dialogue is fun to read as well, especially in the beginning when Dean and Paige are talking trash to one another to make the bet. The ending, while not one in which the reader will definitively know which team wins, is satisfying and frankly, the only way that a story like this should end.

Book Format Read:
E-book (Nook)

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Review of "Gridiron Genius"

Not only does August mean football training camps, it also means that the new books on the game are hitting the shelves.  I had mentioned earlier that several good ones are coming out soon - this is one that is a very good dive into the world of NFL coaching.  Here is my review of "Gridiron Genius"



Title/Author:
Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL” by Michael Lombardi

Tags:
Football (American), professional, 49ers, Patriots, coaching

Publish date:
September 11, 2018

Length:
288 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

Review:
One of the most demanding jobs in all of sports is the head coach of an NFL team. It takes meticulous planning, people skills sharp enough to handle scores of large egos, attention to detail on everything from offensive plays to the menu for the training table and of course, intelligence. This book by Michael Lombardi tells how two of the greatest coaches in the history of the league, Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick, were able to build the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots respectively into the best teams of their era.

Lombardi breaks down the duties of the head coach into each aspect of building a team. Whether it is the madness that is draft day in the NFL, the rigors of training camp, game preparation, or the nuances of each unit, Lombardi tells the philosophy of these legendary coaches in each of these parts of the job in an informative and easy reading style. There are enough passages that are story-driven so that the reader can easily relate to some part of the anecdote even if they have never played or watched football.  The best example of a passage like this was when Lombardi was describing his driving duties for Walsh. The travel time was far from quiet – indeed, Lombardi was comparing it to the popular Carpool Karaoke skits.  However instead of singing, the two would be talking football and what the 49ers needed in order to improve.

If instead of stories, the reader is interested in hardcore football talk including strategy, game planning and execution, there is plenty of that type of writing as well.  For a novice or casual fan, this can be slightly overwhelming, especially when Lombardi is discussing Belichick’s eleven main points for defense.  Fortunately, it is written in the same style that can be digested easily by any reader, but those with a passion for the game will especially enjoy those chapters.  The chapter on Belichick’s game preparation, which takes the entire week and is started even before a playoff opponent is known, made for some of the best football reading in the entire book.

This book comes highly recommended for football fans of all levels, especially those who are highly knowledgeable about the intricacies of coaching and running a team. Lombardi’s various duties – everything from Walsh’s driver to searching for a head coach for the then-St. Louis Rams – will give the reader an inside look at the sport away from the field and into the war rooms of coaches.  

I wish to thank Penguin Random House for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:
E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Review of "Count the Rings!"

For most readers, summer is the time to catch up on reading at the beach or on vacation. Summer has just the oppisite effect on me - because of my fanatical love of baseball, I usually read less during the summer except for train rides to ball games.  But I do carry on trying to fit in some reading whenver possible.  This was a book that was in my TBR queue for a long time so thanks to a "pick it for me" challenge, I finally got around to reading this book on Boston sports championships.  Here is my review of "Count the Rings!"




Title/Author:
Count the Rings! Inside Boston’s Awesome Reign as the City of Champions” by Bob Halloran

Tags:
Baseball, Football (American), basketball, ice hockey, Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, championship

Publish date:
October 15, 2017

Length:
224 pages

Rating: 
3 of 5 stars (Okay)

Review:
Sports fans in Boston have had plenty of reasons to celebrate since 2001. In that time, the city has been the home of 10 championship teams – the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015 and 2017. The Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, 2007 and 2013, while the Celtics took home their 17th NBA championship in 2008 and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011.

Each of these championship seasons is relieved in all of their glory in this entertaining book by Bob Halloran. Each team’s special season is covered from the previous offseason when key personnel changes were made up to the moment the title of “champions” was proclaimed by sports broadcasters. 

It didn’t matter which team or which sport, Halloran was an enthusiastic writer for each chapter. This enthusiasm was evident in many ways.  The writing was an excited conversation style, meaning that it read like he was talking about the championship team over beers with buddies at a Boston pub.  There were many sentences that ended with exclamation points to emphasize his enthusiasm. While it is great to hear or read stories from excited fans (or writers in this case), sometimes it can feel over the top if the reader or listener isn’t a loyal fan of said team. 

That doesn’t mean this is a bad book – indeed, if the reader is a fan of Boston sports, he or she will love this book.  Taking an objective look at it, from the viewpoint of a reader who may not be a fan of any Boston team, the book may not get quite the positive reception.  Nevertheless, the book does what it sets out to do and give Boston fans a chance to relive those frequent moments of glory they have felt throughout most of the 21st century.

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

Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links: