Review of "Pitino"

Basketball played as big a role in my holiday weekend as football did.  I went to an NBA game on Black Friday (my favorite pro team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, defeated the Brooklyn Nets) and also read this book in which Rick Pitino gave his side of the story behind the scandals that plagued him at Louisville.  It was a very quick read as I finished it in one day.  Here is my review of the book.

Title/Author:

“Pitino: My Story” by Rick Pitino with Seth Kaufman

Tags:

Basketball, college, professional, memoir, Kentucky, Louisville, Providence, Knicks, Celtics, coaching

Publish date:

September 4, 2018

Length:

280 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

When Rick Pitino was fired as the coach of the Louisville Cardinals in 2017, it was considered to be just the beginning of the exposure of a major scandal involving shoe companies and college basketball. Add this problem to Pitino’s earlier scandal involving one of his staff members allegedly hiring prostitutes to engage in sex with potential recruits and it is easy to dismiss Pitino as a scandal-ridden coach despite his excellent record and national titles at both Kentucky and Louisville.  Pitino tells his side of the story and more about his coaching career in this captivating memoir.

While the book starts off about with discussion of his firing, it follows Pitino’s coaching career from an assistant coach with the NBA’s New York Knicks and continuing through head coaching jobs in college in Providence, Kentucky and Louisville with stops in New York (again) and Boston to coach those professional teams.  With the Celtics, he was also the general manager, a move he regretted as he believed he couldn’t have done both jobs properly.

No matter the stop, Pitino shares his coaching stories with reverence for players and staff at each one.  It seems like he had regrets any time he left a job for another one, with the possible exception of the Celtics.  His success, however, in every place (except, of course, Boston), is well known as well.  Pitino seems to be most proud of what he accomplished at Providence, where he took a program with very little success to the Final Four in 1987 out of the powerful Big East conference. He also talks about a player whom he made work to earn his way to the starting lineup, Billy Donovan. Donovan not only became a star on that Providence team but coached the University of Florida to consecutive national titles.

Of course, Pitino talks about the scandals and also gives the reader a good explanation of how shoe company money has infiltrated basketball.  This is true not only at the college level, but also in the grassroots/amateur level as money is paid to coaches, teams and schools for player to exclusively wear their brand of shoes and gear. Pitino admits to taking this money at Louisville, but in the context that all schools do this to some degree and that the money eventually DOES help the schools.  While plausible, this explanation can leave the reader asking just what he is trying to say about this issue.  Pitino also spends much time questioning the investigation process done by the Department of Justice, often repeating a phrase that an investigator used by calling himself and the Louisville athletic director “collateral damage.”

One other aspect of this investigation and his subsequent firing from Louisville that is interesting is his claims of a partisan board of directors at Louisville did not dismiss him fairly.  While he implicates the governor of Kentucky in this because he made the appointments for this board, the partisanship is not Democrat versus Republican, but instead the University of Kentucky versus Louisville University. Because Pitino claims that the board was loaded with either graduates or partisans toward Kentucky, he didn’t stand a chance because of the fierce rivalry between the two schools.  While it makes for great reading and one can be swayed by the persuasiveness of the writing, it does have an air of unbelievability.

The other major scandal that affected Pitino was one that was the topic of a book in which a woman claimed a staff member on Pitino’s staff was luring recruits by offering sex by prostitutes, some of whom were underage. On this topic, his beliefs about what really happened seem to contradict.  On the one hand, he questioned the woman’s allegations, could not possibly believe his employee could engage in such illegal behavior and provided many other people who said that this activity never took place at the dormitory where these parties allegedly took place. Then, later in the book, he took responsibility for hiring this employee and that if this did happen, he has to take some of the responsibility.  This took me by surprise because if it did happen, and he provides plenty of information that would seem to make the whole story a fabrication, why would he take a fall for this?

Because this book presents only Pitino’s side of the story, the context has to be taken into account as unbalanced.  It is refreshing to hear this side as there has been plenty written about the accusations and investigation.  In the end, this book will probably not sway the reader one way or the other if his or her mind has already been made up.  But if a reader wants to read this side of the story or just learn more about Pitino’s coaching career, then this is a good book to pick up as it is a quick and mostly entertaining read.

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

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Pitino-My-Story-Rick/dp/1635765625/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1543191358&sr=8-1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pitino-rick-pitino/1129201118?ean=9781635765625#/

Review of "Quarterback"

Here's hoping that everyone who celebrated this weekend had a Happy Thanksgiving and since football is associated with the holiday, what better book to read on the day and the day after than one on quarterbacks, the position considered to be the most important in the game?  Here is my review of John Feinstein's new book on the position. 

Title/Author:

“Quarterback: Inside the Most Important Position in the National Football League” by John Feinstein

Tags:

Football (American), biography, professional

Publish date:

November 13, 2018

Length:

368 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

No position or player in any sport is considered as responsible for his team’s success or failure as the quarterback for a National Football League (NFL) team. His every move and every action taken by a team regarding its quarterbacks is scrutinized, analyzed and debated in the media.  These men, especially those who are the starting quarterbacks for each team, are heard in numerous interviews and press conferences every day. The lives lived by NFL quarterbacks, from stars to journeymen, are chronicled in this book by award-winning sportswriter John Feinstein.

Five quarterbacks – four currently playing and one retired quarterback who currently works in the front office of the Washington Redskins – are profiled and each of them has a different story.  Alex Smith entered the league as the #1 pick in the draft by the San Francisco 49ers and has had both great moments and low points.  He is currently starting for the Washington Redskins after enjoying his best seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.  He was signed by Doug Williams, the former Redskins quarterback who became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, leading Washington to victory in Super Bowl XXII.  Williams is included in the book not so much because of his current job with Washington, but to illustrate what it was like during his playing career to be a black quarterback.  At that time, many black quarterbacks were considered to not possess every skill needed to excel at the position.

The other three quarterbacks all have other interesting stories of their own. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has been primarily a back-up but because of the “Fitzpatrick jinx” that seems to affect the starter for every team that signs Fitzpatrick, he gets his chances to start and he performs well enough that he has enjoyed a sixteen year career in the NFL – not bad for a kid from Harvard.  Joe Flacco tasted early success when he led the Baltimore Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XLVII and while he and the Ravens haven’t been able to match that season, they have been perennial playoff contenders and his story, more than any other, illustrates how the quarterback will get an inordinate amount of credit when the team does well and blame when the team doesn’t perform well.  The last quarterback featured in the book, Andrew Luck, has had injury problems that has forced him to miss most of the last two seasons and his story is as much one of perseverance in order to get back into the game as well as that illustrated by Smith and Flacco of the ups and downs of actually playing the game.

There is plenty of discussion about the position as a whole in the league as well, with names from Aaron Rodgers to Johnny Manziel to Colin Kaepernick getting mentioned. The insight provided to the reader in the locker room, on the field, in the draft “war room” and the front office when it comes to the quarterback position is excellent, which is typical for a book by Feinstein. He also isn’t afraid to share his opinions on topics such as Kaepernick’s protests, the response by politicians and the plight of black quarterbacks yesterday and today. This may turn some readers off, but it does reflect the opinion of the author and is relevant to the subject of the book, so it doesn’t detract from the main topic.  The book is not a quick read as it will require concentration to absorb all the information presented.  This is a different style than other books by this author that I have read but this too is fine given this topic and the message presented.

Fans of Feinstein and the NFL will enjoy this book on quarterbacks who have had various amounts of success and stardom in their careers.  It is recommended for these readers.

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

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40766384-quarterback

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/quarterback-john-feinstein/1129054861?ean=9780385545068#/

Review of "The Dancing Bear"

Even though I was a big professional football fan in the 1970's, I did not remember Ron McDole or what teams he played for. After reading this book, I do know now and it is very clear that he had a lot of respect for his performance from his coaches and peers. Here is my review of his memoir, "The Dancing Bear."

Title/Author:

“The Dancing Bear: My Eighteen Years in the Trenches of the AFL and NFL” by Ron McDole with Rob Morris

Tags:

Football (American), professional, memoir, Bills, Redskins

Publish date:

October 1, 2018

Length:

248 pages

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

It isn’t often that one will find a memoir written by a football player who didn’t play in one of the sport’s glamour positions, such as quarterback or running back.  This book breaks that stereotype as Ron McDole was a standout defensive lineman during an eighteen-year career with the Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. As a reader would expect, the stories that come from a lineman are very different than those that would come from a skill position.

There are aspects of the book that do fit the typical sports memoir and some that break the mold.  McDole follows a tried and true form by starting with his childhood, then talks about his playing days in high school and at the University of Nebraska. He continues it with stories from his time with both professional teams with which he played.

That is where a change in the usual method takes place. Instead of talking about particular games or seasons in the order they came, he becomes a storyteller. Most of these stories come from teammates, although there are stories from family members and personal friends later in the book. At times, these felt out of place because just like when one asks someone to reflect on a person, the narrator can go off on tangents.  That was good because that made the stories sound more genuine and natural, but it did make reading the book take a little longer as it got off the narrative track McDole was telling.

For example, it is unclear to a reader who didn’t know how he got his nickname “The Dancing Bear.”  In one account, he got it from a Redskins teammate. In another story, it was given to him earlier. The stories are both probably true, as they came from the memories of the men telling them, but the information seems to conflict.

While stories like this make up the bulk of the book, this isn’t to say there isn’t any good football writing.  This is especially true for McDole’s memoires from championship games in which he participated – the three consecutive AFL championship games between 1964 and 1966 with the Bills and Super Bowl VII with the Redskins in January 1973. The latter game is one in which McDole tells about his bitter disappointment with the loss by the Redskins, but what I especially liked about that topic is the illustration of how little attention the Super Bowl received during its early days, at least in comparison to the spectacle it has become today.

Much like the career of the author, this book is a hidden gem that while it may not be the best sports memoir ever written, it does a nice job of portraying a man whose performance in the game may not have brought a lot of recognition from fans or the media, but it did garner widespread praise among his coaches and peers.

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:

 https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496212610/

https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Bear-Eighteen-Years-Trenches/dp/1496212614/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1542550673&sr=1-1

Review of "The 1967 American League Pennant Race"

With the championship run by the Boston Red Sox this fall, a baseball book club to which I belong wished to choose books on that team to read for the next discussion. While this book was not exclusively about the Red Sox, I immediately thought of the 1967 season when discussing the Red Sox.  This book talks about that thrilling race in great detail and is a very good read.  Here is my review of "The 1967 American League Pennant Race"

Title/Author:

“The 1967 American League Pennant Race: Four Teams, Six Weeks, One Winner” by Cameron Bright

Tags:

Baseball, history, championship, Red Sox, Twins, Tigers, White Sox

Publish date:

May 12, 2018

Length:

327 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)

Review:

One of the closest and craziest pennant races in baseball history occurred in 1967. Four teams in the American League – the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox – were tied for the lead with six weeks left to play. Each of these four teams, as well as the California Angels, who nearly made this a five team race, are dissected in this excellent book by Cameron Bright. Also, it should be noted that this is a book that covers these teams for the entire 1967 campaign, not just the exciting last month of that season

While the Red Sox chase to their “Impossible Dream” pennant has been the subject of numerous books and writings, they are merely one of four teams that Bright portrays in equal doses throughout the book. Unlike other volumes about the team led by Carl Yazstremski and Jim Lonborg, this book not only talks about the Triple Crown and leadership of Yazstremski (not a lot is written about his last month when he practically carried his team) and Lonborg’s courage in pitching so often, but it also exposes some of the flaws of the team such as their lack of speed and inconsistent play that kept the other three teams in the race. This is refreshing because if one looks at only the standings, the Red Sox had most of the same strengths and flaws of the other three teams.

Those other three teams are not only given equal space, but their strengths and flaws are covered in excellent detail as well.  The White Sox lived off their outstanding pitching staff, with Gary Peters leading the way. The hijinks of the grounds crew at White Sox park to keep the grass tall in the infield to help the pitching staff is well known.  But of course, the biggest story for the White Sox was their manager, Eddie Stanky, who was very outspoken about not only his team, but opposing teams as well.  His frankness as well as how he handled his team makes for great reading.

Coverage of the Tigers in the book is not quite so centric around one person or one aspect of the team, but nonetheless the reader will learn a lot about manager Mayo Smith and his team that was more balanced than the other three contenders, but fell short on the last day when they lost to the Angels.  As for the fourth team in the group, the Twins had chemistry issues and were the only team of the four that had a managerial change in the middle of the year. This was illustrated quite well in the book when the players were voting on their World Series shares and the players decided to NOT allow their fired manager Sam Mele to collect a share - that was later reversed, but the damage to their team chemistry was done. The other major weakness of the Twins, their infield defense, was also discussed in detail and overshadowed the excellent production from their batters and starting pitchers. 

Many of the games played between the four contenders are recapped as well, making the reader feel like he or she went to those games even though they took place over fifty years ago. Readers who were following the sport at that time will enjoy reading about a thrilling pennant race in which they probably recall where they were when the Red Sox defeated the Twins on the last day to win the pennant. For those readers too young to have witnessed any of these teams, this book will help them understand why that season is fondly remembered by Red Sox fans. 

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/1967-American-League-Pennant-Race-ebook/dp/B07D1S8LFV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-1967-american-league-pennant-race-cameron-bright/1127901814?ean=9781476632971

Review of "Hockey 365"

When I saw this offering on NetGalley, my first thought was how could anyone find something to write about hockey for EVERY day of the year?  Including summer months?  This author pulled it off quite well.  Here is my review of "Hockey 365"

Title/Author:

“Hockey 365: A Piece of Hockey History For Every Day” by Mike Commito

Tags:

Ice Hockey, History

Publish date:

September 22, 2018

Length:

312 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

Review:

No matter what day of the year one picks, there is a good hockey story to be told. This book by Mike Commito proves that point by providing an interesting story, historical moment or noteworthy accomplishment that happened on each date on the calendar.

Instead of these entries being very short entries like one would see on a page-a-day calendar, each anecdote by Committo is an extensive account of what happened in the world of professional hockey on that date. While there are some of the more well-known players mentioned, such as Wayne Gretzky and Maurice Richard, some other lesser know accomplishments are also included. 

For example, one might not know that in 1980, the Philadelphia Flyers set a record that still stands today. They played 35 consecutive games without losing (25 wins and 10 ties) when they defeated the Buffalo Sabres on January 6. Here, a rarity in the book happens when the same team or player is mentioned on consecutive days as the entry for January 7 is when the streak ended as the Flyers lost that night to the Minnesota North Stars 7-1.  (Note: I was at that game and it was one of the most memorable nights I have spent at a hockey rink – the atmosphere was electric)

There are many more stories about well-known and not so well-known players as I have only mentioned two dates here – only 363 more to go. The stories themselves are written well as the reader will learn something new in many of them without getting bogged down with too many details or statistics.  The author says as much in the introduction by giving the reader a description of what type of research he did and what topics to find. That was a great aide in reading this book so that it made the book match my expectations.  It is one that is recommended for any hockey history buff.

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

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

 https://www.amazon.com/Hockey-365-Daily-Stories-Ice-ebook/dp/B077MTRBJX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541553433&sr=8-1&keywords=hockey+365

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hockey-365-mike-commito/1127582541;jsessionid=270D102E2AE1B882B582A5D23AA16022.prodny_store02-atgap13?ean=9781459741867&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20Inc

Review of "Minnesota Made Me"

As a Minnesota native, I was naturally interested in this book when I saw that advance review copies were offered to reviewers. Recognizing many of the athletes on the cover, I picked it up and it turned out to be pretty good.  Here is my review of "Minnesota Made Me"

Title/Author:

“Minnesota Made Me” by Patrick C. Borzi

Tags:

Various sports, biography

Publish date:

November 6, 2018

Length:

200 pages

Rating: 

3 1/2 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

Minnesota has produced its share of championship athletes in a wide variety of sports. From curling (Pete Fenson) to motocross (Ryan Dungey) to women’s soccer (Briana Scurry), stories about more than three dozen athletes, or people who have worked in sports such as broadcasters, who have called Minnesota home are told in this book by Patrick C. Borzi.

The format of the book is straightforward – short biographies of more than three dozen athletes in many different sports. They are presented in alphabetical order from golf legend Patty Berg to basketball star Lindsey Whalen. Whalen is in a class by herself as she won championships for her teams in Minnesota at the high school, college and professional level. In addition to the lesser known sports listed above, there are stories about star athletes in major sports that many people know.  Stars such as Larry Fitzgerald (football), Paul Molitor and Tony Oliva (baseball) and Zach Parise (hockey) are also portrayed.

The stories are short but complete as the reader will learn more about the person in their professional and private lives. Some stories are understandably longer than others, but much of that depended on how much the athlete wanted to share with the author. It should also be noted that not every person portrayed is a Minnesota native. For example, the above noted Tony Oliva was born in Cuba but was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a teenager and once he came to Minnesota, it was his home.

While I was hoping to learn a little more about some of these athletes, especially those in the fringe sports that get little or no coverage from the media, this was a decent book that readers who hail from Minnesota (like this reviewer) or want to read about a wide variety of sports will enjoy it.

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

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Minnesota-Made-Me-Patrick-Borzi/dp/1634940318/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541378169&sr=1-1&keywords=minnesota+made+me  

Review of "The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song"

While I read many more non-fiction books than fiction, I enjoy a good sports-related novel.  This was one of them - as good as I had hoped.  Here is my review of the baseball novel "The Fat Lady's Low, Sad Song."

Title/Author:

“The Fat Lady’s Low, Sad Song” by Brian Kaufman

Tags:

Baseball, fiction, novel

Publish date:

June 28, 2018

Length:

190 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Parker Westfall is a career minor league baseball player facing a crossroad in his career when he gets an unexpected phone call with an invitation to play for the Fort Collins Miners, an independent league team.  He accepts and that is the beginning of a great adventure of one Miners season captured in this wonderful book by Brian Kaufman.

The reader will not only learn about Westfall and some of his secrets, but also about several of his Fort Collins teammates.  Along the way, the reader is introduced to a smart, aging catcher who is trying to play through the pain of injury, an inspirational shortstop who pushes teammates to put in extra work, the manager who is stubborn and won’t show his players any slack, and even some fans who instead of attending games in the stadium will gather on the other side of the river from the ballpark and form their own fan club. 

However, there is one other special member of the Miners and that is a young pitcher named Courtney Morgan.  She is a knuckleball pitcher who shows great promise but because she blindly follows the instructions given her by coaches and the manager, she is struggling.  Parker approaches her to help and she is very resistant at first. I had to admit that I thought this story would then turn into a sports romance novel, but it does not do so at all.  Instead, Parker and Courtney work on their skills together and develop a nice platonic relationship in which the reader learns more about these characters.

The baseball scenes are realistic and describe good game action and interaction between opponents and teammates alike. The interactions with fans, especially when Parker and Courtney visit the fans outside the stadium, are heartwarming. Through these and other scenes which range from humorous to dangerous to maddening, the reader will discover the true beauty of this book and that is that each person involved in a baseball team will have his or her own stories and contributions to the overall success or failure of that team.

Finally, the ending was one that was a surprise as the book ends soon after the season does I did not think that each of the characters would have the positions they would eventually take after the season.  There are no obvious cliffhangers but the reader does close the book wondering if there could be a sequel to this story for Parker and for Courtney, but in their own separate ways.  This was a very satisfying conclusion to a very satisfying book.

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

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

 

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Fat-Ladys-Low-Sad-Song/dp/1684330726/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr