Saturday, August 31, 2019

Review of "Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father"

It's always good to read books about famous athletes that are about other aspects of that person's life that is more than just their careers.  This is one of those types of books and it captures the spirit of Gordie Howe through the eyes of one of his sons.  Here is my review of "Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father."


Title/Author:
“Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father” written and narrated by Murray Howe

Tags:
Ice Hockey, professional, biography, Red Wings, audiobook

Publish date:
October 31, 2017

Length:
240 pages

Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
Gordie Howe was one of those special athletes who was well recognized by people who don’t follow the athlete’s sport but still know about that person. He was known as a fierce competitor on the ice during his legendary hockey career with the Detroit Red Wings. He even got to play professional hockey in the World Hockey Association with two of his three sons, Mark and Marty.  His third son, Murray, didn’t play professional hockey but nonetheless still had a special connection to his father. That connection and the lessons he learned from Gordie are captured in this excellent book.

The audio version is narrated by Murray Howe as well and this makes it even more authentic and heartfelt.  Throughout the book, the reader or listener will learn a lot about Gordie Howe’s compassion and care for other people, especially for women (Gordie would always rise when a woman entered the room and stay standing until she was seated) and children. The same was true if Gordie saw someone, any age, man or woman, with his assistance if someone was having difficulty with a task – anything from chopping wood (one of the more entertaining stories) to carrying bags of groceries. If there is one takeaway from the book, it is that each of the nine lessons Murray describes – they are the titles of each chapter – illustrates the kind of man his father was to him.

There are passages that are about Gordie’s childhood in Saskatchewan, memories of Gordie’s parents and of course, significant room for Gordie’s hockey career as well. But his on-ice accomplishments are not the point of the book, nor the reason that Murray wrote a moving eulogy for his father’s funeral in 2016. The love and care that Mr. Hockey (which is what Murray called his father very frequently throughout the book) is what he talks about, including the stories shared by other family members at the time when they gathered for the funeral. It should be noted that thousands filed to pay respects to Mr. Hockey at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena and many of those respects were about the man more than the player, including President Barack Obama.  For any reader who wants to learn more about Gordie Howe the man, this is the book to read.
                                                                       
Book Format Read:
Audiobook                                                                                                                                        

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Friday, August 30, 2019

Review of "Final Game at Ebbets Field"

Don't let the title of this book fool you - there is much more to it than just the game described in the title.  While that caught me by surprise, I am glad I kept on reading as there are some very interesting stories in this book.  Here is my review.

  
Title/Author:

“The Final Game at Ebbets Field and Other True Accounts of Baseball’s Golden Age” by Noel Hynd



Tags:

Baseball, professional, Giants, Dodgers, Yankees, Athletics, Braves, Red Sox



Publish date:

June 27, 2019



Length:

221 pages



Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (Very Good)



Review:

Having read this author previously with his excellent account of the New York Giants, I fully expected this book to be a great retelling of the last game played at Ebbets Field, which took place on September 24, 1957. That was only the first chapter as Noel Hynd shares many stories about baseball from it’s Golden Age in the 1940’s and 1950’s in this collection.



After the initial surprise that the story of the final home game of the Brooklyn Dodgers only took a few pages, it is advised for a reader to continue on as there are many other great stories about the Dodgers and some other teams as well, most notably the New York Giants. In an ironic twist, one of the stories is about the last game the Giants played at the Polo Grounds before they, too, moved to California.  I enjoyed this story more than the title essay as the last Giants game of 1957 seemed to have much richer detail, especially about the fans.



Speaking of the Polo Grounds, one other story that is worth mentioning is that a member of the grounds crew of that park was living at that park, as an apartment was constructed underneath the stands and that man along with his wife and child were able to maintain residence there so he would be available whenever he was needed. 



Like any other collection of stories, this one has a few that fall short of excellent, but they are outnumbered by the good ones.  Readers who are interested in learning some interesting stories about baseball from that era will want to check out this book.

                                                                       

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                



Buying Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Final-Game-Ebbets-Field-Philadelphia/dp/1074174763/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Review of "Most Valuable"

One would be hard pressed to find another player who is as important to the NHL as Sidney Crosby has been since he came into the league in 2005.  There might be other players with more talent or skill, but in terms of sheer importance to the game itself, this book makes a strong case that Crosby has played a significant role in the game.  Here is my review of "Most Valuable"


Title/Author:
“Most Valuable: How Sidney Crosby Became the Most Important Player in Hockey History” by Gare Joyce

Tags:
Ice Hockey, professional, biography, Penguins

Publish date:
October 29, 2019

Length:
320 pages

Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
Sidney Crosby has been the face of the National Hockey League (NHL) since his rookie season of 2005. While he may not have the statistical excellence of Wayne Gretzky or changed the play of a positing like Bobby Orr did for defensemen, but sports journalist Gare Joyce, who earlier had penned a biography of Crosby, makes the case that Crosby has transformed the entire league into a league that he may not have been able to succeed in.

If this sounds confusing, then one must read this book as Joyce covers all levels of hockey in which Crosby has excelled – pee wee hockey and the Canadian Junior league as well as his time at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota and of course his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the only NHL team for which he has played. As an American reader, I was appreciative of the description of Crosby’s time in juniors as it is very detailed about not only Crosby nearly single-handedly leading a less talented team to a championship but also the structure and the cut-throat nature of junior hockey.

Something else that was noted throughout the book is that Crosby is one of the very few players who have had successful hockey careers learning the game in a Maritime province – in Crosby’s case, he hails from Nova Scotia.  While it is well known that the Maritimes have not produced many hockey stars, it was interesting to learn that many consider coming from that area a handicap in one’s hockey career.

Joyce gives Crosby a lot of credit for leading the NHL away from the defensive style of hockey it played in the 1990’s and early 2000’s thanks to the success of the New Jersey Devils with their infamous neutral zone trap and into a game that emphasizes speed, puck handling and skill. The transformation into this type of game has been so successful that players like Connor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon, the latter whose skills are described in great detail in the book.  If there is a downside to reading the book, it would be that while Joyce writes about the hits that Crosby took in which he suffered debilitating concussions resulting in the loss of significant playing time, Joyce doesn’t write much about a possible solution or at least how the issues of concussions will be addressed.

Readers who are fans of Crosby or of today’s style of hockey played in the NHL will want to read this book.  Even if they are Crosby critics, and Joyce acknowledges them and doesn’t dismiss all of the criticisms, this book is one to read to learn why Crosby has to be considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

I wish to thank Viking Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
                                                                       
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

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Monday, August 19, 2019

Review of "Soulman"

Since I have written reviews here of books on professional wrestling, I am posting a review of this memoir of Rocky Johnson, a very successful wrestler from the 1960's and 1970's whose son followed in his footsteps and became even more famous. Here is my review of "Soulman". 



Title/Author:
“Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story” by Rocky Johnson with Scott Teal

Tags:
Wrestling, professional, memoir

Publish date:
September 3, 2019

Length:
360 pages

Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
A native of Nova Scotia, Wayde Bowles left home at 14 in order to pursue a career in first boxing, then professional wrestling, starting in the 1950’s and continuing well into the 1980’s, helping the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) become the gigantic entertainment company it is today as the WWE. Never heard of Wayde Bowles?  That could be because he wrestled under the name Rocky Johnson.  If you still haven’t heard of him, then maybe you have heard of his son.  His son followed in his footsteps into professional wrestling, then transformed into a movie actor.  The son’s name – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

With that introduction out of the way, this memoir written by the senior Johnson with wrestling author Scott Teal is a very good look at the life of Rocky Johnson in the days when professional wrestling was much more about the regional territories and when wrestlers of color, especially black wrestlers, were working hard to eliminate being cast into stereotypical, often insulting, roles.  Rocky was one of the trailblazers for this new type of black wrestler who gave fans excellent shows without resorting to racial stereotypes.

He writes about not only his childhood and early life with good detail, he also gives readers who are not familiar with the business of professional wrestling an excellent, in-depth look at the industry. He was well-traveled in his career, working in many different regions in the United States and in Canada.  He describes the promotion and management of the industry in great depth.  Readers will also learn about the communication between the wrestlers in the ring as they ensure that they follow the planned show discussed before heading into the ring.  A reader will also learn about how the “championship belts” get distributed to either babyfaces (good guys) or heels (bad guys) in order to maintain the highest level of interest.  This was the best aspect of the book.

Rocky also dedicates a chapter to the success of his son, but also talks about so many important people in the business – both inside and outside the ring – that this could almost be considered a Who’s Who book of professional wrestling from the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Rocky also stays very positive throughout the book by never truly insulting or badmouthing anyone.  He does have some negative comments about Tony Atlas when the two of them were tag team partners and Ole Anderson for some of his racist comments, but in both of these cases, Rocky explains why he felt this way.  Otherwise, he writes with fond memories of his time in the sport and with great pride at the success of Dwayne.

Any wrestling fan who is familiar with Rocky’s work or who wants to learn more about the business at that time should pick up this book.  Even at 360 pages, it is a page turner that won’t take a long time to read and is very entertaining as well.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
                                                                       
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

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Friday, August 16, 2019

Review of "Empire of Infields"

One of the perks of being a blogger is that I get to read books on a wide variety of sports-related topics.  Such as this one - I never imagined that baseball had such an impact on Taiwanese culture.  Sure, those of us a certain age will remember when Taiwan dominated the Little League World Series, but I never knew that the game has been a part of the island for a much longer period.  Here is my review of "Empire of Infields"



Title/Author:
“Empire of Infields: Baseball in Taiwan and Cultural Identity, 1895-1968” by John J. Harney

Tags:
Baseball, international, amateur, culture

Publish date:
July 1, 2019

Length:
240 pages

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
While baseball has been an American sport since the mid-1800’s, some may not know that Japanese baseball has also been around since the 19th century and they brought the game to Taiwan, at the time a Japanese colony.  However, instead of viewing the game as a product of Japanese imperialism, Taiwan grew to embrace the game and used it for shaping its own cultural identity.  That point is brought to readers of this well-researched book by John J. Harney.

Harney, an assistant professor of history at Centre College in Danville Kentucky, takes the reader on a trip to the days when Taiwan was first a Japanese colony, then after World War II, an independent nation that would not become part of the people’s Republic of China.  Baseball played an important part of this history, as Japan brought the game to Taiwan via barnstorming tours by Japanese teams. They got the idea from the barnstorming American teams that came to Japan in the early 20th century. 

As the game grew in Taiwan, there are two teams that were notable for helping to shape not only the baseball identity of the island nation but also the overall culture as well.  There are three teams that Harney writes about to illustrate this relationship.  They are the Nenggao team from 1924, the Kano team of teenagers in 1931 (it is interesting to note this team was the most famous of the teams from this area, but they failed to win the championship in that year) and the 1968 Hongye schoolboy team.  This team was a preview of the dominance that Taiwan would show in the near future at the Little League World Series. The Hongye team is also notable in that the People’s Republic of China would use this team for its political narratives and embrace it to illustrate Chinese nationalism at a time when Taiwan and the mainland were in a bitter dispute.

There is very little writing about the actual game on the field as this is a scholarly work that is meant to educate readers about the culture of Taiwan and how baseball became a part of that culture instead of just going away when the island was no longer a Japanese colony when World War II ended.  Readers who are interested in works on Taiwanese or Far Eastern history or culture will want to pick up this book.  

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                                                                                                                                         
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Monday, August 12, 2019

Review of "Lady Tigers of the Concrete Jungle"

While I have written a review of this book, words really can't describe the incredible uplifting feeling one will have when finishing this book.  A rag-tag team that eventually was honored at Yankee Stadium, the Mott Lady Tigers are a softball team that meant so much more than just the sport itself.  Here is my review of this book.





Title/Author:

“Lady Tigers in the Concrete Jungle: How Softball and Sisterhood Saved Lives in the South Bronx” by Dibs Baer

Tags:
Softball, high school, society

Publish date:
October 1, 2019

Length:
336 pages

Rating: 
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
It isn’t often that a team in any sport that goes 1-6 for its season will have a book written about it. However, the story of the very first girls’ softball team for Mott Middle School in the South Bronx is truly inspiring for not only the players, many of whom had incredible challenges in their lives but also for the coach who wanted to make a difference in the lives of these girls.  How the team was formed and their amazing journey is the subject of this wonderful book by magazine writer and editor Dibs Baer.

Mott is not just any middle school – it is one of the most violent, statistically underachieving schools in the nation.  The neighborhood is known for its gang activity and violence and the students who live in that environment bring it with them to school. Fights among all students are commonplace, with many staff members and teachers fearful for their safety. One particularly troubling tale involved a female teacher who was pushed down while eight months pregnant by another student who screamed at the teacher that she hoped that she would lose her baby.  Many stories like this are used to illustrate the atmosphere of the school.

Enter Chris Astacio. Having endured his own troubled past with the death of his older sister, he decided to enter the teaching profession to make a difference in the lives of young people. His first position was as a physical education teacher at Mott.  After seeing the atmosphere in which he was working, he decided to start a girls’ softball team. This despite the fact he had no financial backing from school administration, no equipment, no uniforms, and even no players.

The first day of tryouts was held in the gymnasium with only a Wiffle ball and bat. A few girls showed up, at first just because it was another way to avoid class or authority. Slowly but surely not only did more girls join the team, Coach Astacio was able to raise funds for equipment and uniforms. His players all had their own unique heartbreaking stories and they all had various issues, from failing grades to less than ideal home situations to violence (one player loved to fight anyone who dared look at her wrong) to sexual abuse.  While it was hard to read some of these stories during the book, it made their eventual journey all that more satisfying.

It should also be mentioned that no only did Astacio lose his sister, he was also a stomach cancer survivor. This made him even more determined to make this softball team a success and something that would provide a positive atmosphere and experience for the players who have endured so much. This dedication, and the strain it put on his marriage and home life, is told in rich detail by Baer.

“But what about the team?  How did they do?”  Well, as one might expect, they struggled on the field to start, losing badly in their first game.  As they played more, they got better but still did not win a game.  However, in their last game of their first season, they had to finish against another Lady Tigers team, this one more experienced and the one that gave them that big loss in the first game. No spoilers as I won’t give away the score, but it is safe to say that the Mott Lady Tigers team in that rematch was certainly more unified, more skilled and more ready to play even though the people were the same.

It is often said that sports can bring people together from a wide range of backgrounds.  This softball team is a great example of that concept coming true and the inspiration a reader will feel while navigating the pages of this team’s players and coach is truly remarkable. I was talking back to the book, in the same language (not always clean) that the players use and Baer’s use of that dialogue gives it a certain air of authenticity that this story is one of the more remarkable ones in sports.  The team and Coach Astacio have been honored in many ways, including by the New York Yankees, whose ballpark is in that area.  If a reader wants to be inspired, then pick up this book.

I wish to thank Pegasus Books for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 
                                                                     
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                

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Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Review of "All the Way"

Upon learning that Joe Namath had published a memoir, I was interested to see what he wrote about his life off the football field - everything from his famous playboy lifestyle to the infamous interview with Suzy Kolber.  There was some, but not a lot - much like the rest of the book will read for those who want to know more about his football.  Here is my review of "All the Way"



Title/Author:

“All The Way: My Life in Four Quarters” by Joe Namath

Tags:
Football (American), Professional, memoir, Jets

Publish date:
May 21, 2019

Length:
240 pages

Rating: 
3 1/2 of 5 stars (good)

Review: 
When one adds up other books written about Joe Namath, whether about his football career, his famous off-the-field lifestyle or maybe even hearing about these from television, there isn’t a lot about him that hasn’t already been revealed. Nevertheless, Namath decided to tell his story in this memoir.

However, “memoir” might not be the best way to categorize this book as it really has no category. The book’s setting is Namath’s living room in which he is watching a replay of the game that made him famous to many Americans, Super Bowl III. Namath weaves tales of his childhood in western Pennsylvania and his college days at Alabama playing for coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.  (I particularly liked his story about his admission to having a drink to Bryant and his subsequent suspension off the team.  It was good to illustrate both Namath’s honesty – a trait he often mentions throughout the book – and Bryant’s consistency in enforcing rules.  There are other stories about his teammates and football career as well as other stories about his life in between memories of the game. 

There really is no structure or order to these stories – they are simply written as Namath thinks of them. Some of them are pretty obscure and some of them are famous, such as when he guaranteed that the Jets would win the Super Bowl even though they were eighteen point underdogs. Another moment discussed is one for which he apologizes and states that was when he realized that he had a drinking problem. That was the infamous interview with ESPN football reporter Suzy Kolbert in which Namath wanted to kiss her when he was intoxicated. 

While these anecdotes seem to have no structure, they are certainly entertaining and enjoyable to read.  Fans who are old enough to remember Super Bowl III will particularly enjoy the snippets of the game shared by Namath. I say “snippets” because like Namath’s life stories, not every play is remembered by Namath, even when he is “watching” the game with the reader.

This is a book that fans of Namath will certainly enjoy, but in no way is it a comprehensive look at his life or even Super Bowl III.  Mark Kreigle’s book on Namath is that complete picture and this one is a nice conversation Namath has with the reader over a day of watching football – even if that football game is 50 years old.

I wish to thank Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
                                                                 
Book Format Read:
E-book(Kindle)                                                                                                                                

Buying Links:



https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-the-way-joe-namath/1128997677?ean=9780316421096#/

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Review of "For the Good of the Game"

Bud Selig will NEVER be on my holiday card list - I have disliked the man since he proposed contracting the Twins and Expos in 2001.  So why in the world would I read and review his new memoir?  I was curious on what he had to say on this and other controversial topics during his time as commissioner, and while I didn't agree with him often, I found the book a compelling read and have to give credit, it is a good book. So, with that said, here is my review of "For the Good of the Game." 



Title/Author:
“For the Good of the Game: The Inside Story of the Surprising and Dramatic Transformation of Major League Baseball” by Bud Selig

Tags:
Baseball, Professional, business, memoir, history, Brewers

Publish date:
July 9, 2019

Length:
336 pages

Rating: to
4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:
From working for his dad as a used car salesman “for only one year” to becoming the ninth commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig lived a charmed life, capped off by being elected to the baseball Hall of Fame.  His work in baseball, first as an owner of the Milwaukee Brewers (and being the key person to bringing the bankrupt Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee) and then as commissioner is remembered by Selig in this memoir.

Anyone who is familiar with the game knows that Selig was commissioner during two of the game’s most trying times – the 1994-95 strike that resulted in cancellation of the World Series and the era in the 1990’s and early 2000’s in which many players took performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) in order to gain a competitive edge and as a result, broke many of the sport’s most revered records. While Selig covers those topics thoroughly, there is much more to the book that does reveal the joy that baseball brings to him and the passion he has specifically for Milwaukee baseball.

This is evident in the very first chapter, as Selig talks about his anguish about having to be present at the ballpark when Barry Bonds would break Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. He didn’t spend much time criticizing Bonds, but instead was talking about how much of a friend Aaron was to him, going back to Aaron’s time in Milwaukee, both early in his career with the Milwaukee Braves and the end of career with the Brewers. This line about Bonds’ breaking of the record with the controversy of PED’s and Bonds’ surly personality speaks volumes about Selig’s view on the record – “We didn’t get the genie back in the bottle in time to protect Aaron’s legacy.” 

Selig writes that he started addressing the PED issue back in 1997, before the great home run chase between two other players caught up in the scandal ,Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa.  He states that while he cared, he may not have been forceful enough between the language in that memo and subsequent actions. Selig compared his memo to the one his predecessor, Fay Vincent, sent in 1991 as “well intentioned but lacking teeth.”  This is how he addresses his critics who say that he ignored the issue while fans flocked to the ballpark watching Sosa and McGuire. He also placed a lot of blame at the feet of the players union, stating that they were always more concerned about the privacy of the players instead of allowing drug testing. He also used the 2005 Congressional hearings in which Sosa, McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro appeared as one to blame the union, stating in the book that “there were only so many times that I could say ‘We would have a much tougher program if the union would agree.’”

This is an interesting passage in the scope of labor relations, a topic Selig addresses frequently in the book. Along those lines, he does note that in reality, the commissioner does work for the owners as they appoint him to the job.  He admits that the owners had not been united and did not have great leadership for labor relations for 30 years, resulting in the strikes in 1981, 1985 and 1994.  He called the negotiations as a “one-sided nature” for those 30 years, yet fails to also mention that for decades before that, it was strongly one-sided the other way with the reserve clause. These are a few examples in which it appears Selig is either contradicting himself (such as his praise for Marvin Miller) or trying to appease everyone with his actions on these two matters.

What was also noteworthy to me was his lack of mention of some other topics during his reign that caused some controversy. One of these was the proposal to contract the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos – he briefly mentions this when talking about the struggles the Expos had to get a new stadium built with public funds. He didn’t even mention the Twins were one of the clubs on the chopping block. He has always avoided this topic, even when some give him credit for forcing the issue of a new stadium in Minnesota resulting in the building of Target Field.  

That is surprising, considering how much of the book was self-congratulatory in nature.  Some of that is expected as there were some good accomplishments during Selig’s time as commissioner, such as the wild card inclusion in postseason play, use of instant replay to determine close calls when challenged by a manager and yes, drug testing.  While that kind of dialogue will be present in any memoir, it was a continuous theme throughout this book. 

So with all of this seemingly negative critique, why is the book a solid four stars?  Because it is compelling – I enjoyed reading this. I spent an entire afternoon choosing to read this book instead of watching a Yankees-Red Sox game. If a book can capture my attention away from a great rivalry game, that means the book is very interesting and entertaining.  One doesn’t have to be a fan of the Brewers or Selig to enjoy this – heaven knows I was never a fan of him and even after reading this book, I am still not – but readers who are at all interested in this era of the sport, no matter how they felt about him, should take a look at the book.

Book Format Read:
E-book(Kindle)                                                                                                                                

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