Review of "Earl: The Greatest Bowler of All Time"

As a kid who loved bowling, I remember spending Saturday afternoons in the winter watching ABC's bowling telecasts.  Many times one of the five finalists on the televised tournaments would be Earl Anthony.  He was certainly one of my favorite bowlers of the time, and Barry Sparks has written a very good biography of the man considered the greatest bowler ever.  Here is my review of that book

Title/Author:

“Earl: The Greatest Bowler of All Time” by Barry Sparks

Tags:

Bowling, biography

Publish date:

October 7, 2019

Length:

293 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

There was a time when bowling was one of the most popular sports on television. Every Saturday a tournament would be shown in which the five finalists would compete in a single-elimination tourney, leading to a championship match at the end.  For a period in the 1970's, viewers would often see Earl Anthony, a man who didn't take up the sport until he was 21, dominate the field week after week.  Veteran sportswriter Barry Sparks has written a biography on Anthony as a tribute to the bowler's legendary status.

Among the many accomplishments Anthony had during his career was becoming the first bowler to earn over $100,000 in a season in 1975. This was during a time when bowlers often had to compete for small purses during non-televised tourneys and often would be incurring expenses out of their own pocket if they did not perform well enough to earn cash.  Sparks' commentary on the life of a bowler, and specifically that of Anthony early in his career, paints a great picture of the nature of the sport and its participants during that time.

Life away from the lanes was also nicely portrayed by Sparks as the reader will get a great understanding of how Anthony was basically a quiet individual, happy with his simple life and wanting to help others. On the lanes, it is a different story – except for the quiet part.  He did complain enough when he felt that there were conditions that made it difficult for him and others, such as when there was a belief that the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) were making lane conditions more difficult for left handed bowlers than for right handers.  It should be noted that two of the most successful bowlers at the time – Anthony and Johnny Petraglia – were both southpaws.

While the book does seem to be a slow, methodical read at times and requires careful attention by the reader to follow along, this is a very good read.  Readers like me who remember watching the bowling telecasts on cold Saturday afternoons in the winter will especially want to read this account of whom the PBA has called its greatest bowler.

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

                                                    

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Review of "Grim Reaper"

As a huge hockey fan, I am one who doesn't enjoy fighting in the game. I believe it has its place but I don't get as pumped up for a fight at a game as other fans.  That said, some of the better hockey memoirs/biographies I have read are about those players who make a living in the game with their fists.  This is another good book written by a player who was an enforcer, Stu Grimson.  Here is my review of "Grim Reaper"

Title/Author:

“The Grim Reaper: The Life and Career of a Reluctant Warrior” by Stu Grimson

Tags:

Ice Hockey, memoir, professional, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Ducks, Kings, Flames, Whalers, Predators

Publish date:

October 15, 2019

Length:

324 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The life of a hockey player who is called an “enforcer”, a “fighter” or a “goon” is quite different than the life of other hockey players. They play fewer minutes, are asked to perform a duty in which they face great risk of injury, their careers can be much shorter than those of other players, they can play in relative anonymity and they also switch teams frequently.  Aside from a short career, this is pretty accurate for Stu Grimson who has written a very good memoir about his time as an enforcer.

Having read good books on other enforcers such as Bob Probert and Derek Boogardt, I picked this one up with high expectations and it did not disappoint.  It did not follow the usual format from youth to college or junior hockey to the pros to life after hockey. While all of these life cycle events are covered by Grimson with many great stories, the book does skip around at times, especially when he is discussing his life after hockey. 

Despite that, reading about important events in his life other than hockey was very enjoyable, something that usually isn’t the case with sports memoirs. His time working as an attorney for the NHL Players Association was very intriguing, especially when he was fired from the position by the person whom he helped attain the director position of the union. He also talks about meeting his birth parents (he and his sister were adopted) and the fact that his birth father was also a professional athlete (played football in the Canadian Football League) and became a lawyer after his playing days were over is just an amazing coincidence.

Readers who prefer to read about his hockey career will also be happy as he shares many stories of his fights on the ice, his trouble with rules during junior hockey and through it all, he always wondered if this was the best path to make a career in the sport. He repeatedly states at every stop in his professional career (there were many, as he played for seven different NHL teams, including two stints with the Anaheim Ducks) he states he would do whatever he needed to do in order to contribute to the success of his team.  From the descriptions of some of his actions, there was no reason to believe otherwise.

His description of fights, especially one in which Dave Brown broke the orbital bone of Grimson early in his career when he played on the Blackhawks. It was almost gruesome to read the details of not only the injury but how Brown threw the punches.  However, there was no hard feelings between the two players and Brown did show concern.  That is part of the code present among enforcers in the NHL and Grimson talks often about that and displays much respect for his fellow fighters who obey these unwritten rules.

Whether or not one enjoys fighting as part of the game, hockey fans should pick up this book and get a very good perspective into the life and mind of those players whose main job is not to score goals or keep the puck out of the net, but instead have to use their fists to provide value to their teams.

I wish to thank Penguin Random House Canada 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/gp/product/0735237247/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0735237247&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20

Review of "The Greatest Upset Never Seen"

For college basketball fans, just say the school name "Chaminade" and those of a certain age (or those who know their history of the sport) will know exactly how the school became known to them - for pulling off the biggest upset in the sport's history when they defeated #1 ranked Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982.  A book has been written about that historic game and it was a great read.  Here is my review of "The Greatest Upset Never Seen"

Title/Author:

“The Greatest Upset Never Seen: Virginia, Chaminade, and the Game That Changed College Basketball Forever” by Jack Danilewicz

Tags:

Basketball, college, history, upsets

Publish date:

November 1, 2019

Length:

232 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

On December 23, 1982, one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history occurred when Chaminade University, located in Honolulu, defeated the top-ranked University of Virginia 77-72.  Not only was the magnitude of the upset noteworthy, but because it didn't finish until the early hours of Christmas Eve, not many people knew about it for a few days.  The game itself as well as the two schools and several people involved in the game are the subject of this great book by Jack Danilewicz.

The game itself is covered extensively in chapter 6, and that is the only place in the book where the reader will find information on the actual game itself.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, because just that chapter alone would make a great book as the writing is well beyond that of an extended game recap.  The reader feels like he is on the benches of the two teams and even sitting on the rim with Richard Haensich of Chaminade in the post-game celebration when reading about the game. It should be noted that this wasn't a game Virginia took lightly or that they didn't play with complete intensity, as Danilewicz makes that clear throughout the chapter.  The Silverswords simply outplayed and defeated the Cavaliers.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the defeat didn't haunt Virginia for the rest of the season as they went back to their winning ways in conference play and the NCAA tourney, although they fell short of their goal of a championship as they were eliminated in the Final Four. 

The rest of the book is a wonderful portrait of both schools and some of the key personnel in the game for both teams.  Danilewicz does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the schools without a lot of fluff or unnecessary text as the reader will learn much about both schools, especially Chaminade. It should be noted that their basketball program, while successful in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) before the Virginia game, that win made it even more visible and noticed. That game proved not to be a fluke as the next two years, Chaminade defeated Louisville as well, with the 1984 Louisville team ranked #12 at the time of its defeat. The Silverswords' success led to the creation of one of the most popular college basketball tournaments, the Maui Invitational.

Profiles about some of the people involved in the game are also well written.  This is especially true for the two coaches, Virginia's Terry Holland and Chaminade's Merv Lopes.  The story of Lopes will especially warm the hearts of the readers, as will the Hawaiian adventures of Tony Randolph, who enrolled at Chaminade after no Division I school recruited him.  Randolph played against the star of the Cavaliers, Ralph Sampson, who had a nice portrait in the book as well.

Whether a reader wants to remember the game, learn what the schools were like before the historic game, or what became of them and the players afterward, this book is a very good accounting of the biggest upset in college basketball history.  Readers who like to read about the history of that sport will want to add it to their libraries.

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

                                                            

Book Format Read:

E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496208484/

https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Upset-Never-Seen-Basketball/dp/149620848X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Don't Be Afraid to Win"

I LOVE to read about the business side of sports, including labor matters and legal issues that affect the games or the leagues.  This book is one that I believe is one of the best around on that topic.  It sticks ONLY to those topics, so if sports business is not your cup of tea, then skip this, but if it is a topic you like, then read on to get a review of "Don't Be Afraid to Win"

Title/Author:

“Don't Be Afraid to Win: How Free Agency Changed the Business of Pro Sports” by Jim Quinn

Tags:

Football (American), basketball, ice hockey, business, legal

Publish date:

November 5, 2019

Length:

376 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Jim Quinn has made quite a name for himself in the world of sports when it comes to legal and labor issues.  He has worked on numerous cases involving either union matters or free agency issues against the NBA, NFL and NHL. He shares the stories of these cases and the importance they had in shaping free agency in each of those leagues in this book.

The book deals strictly with his work in each of these leagues and nothing else. It is not a memoir, it doesn't discuss the accomplishments of his more noteworthy clients such as Oscar Robertson and Freeman McNeil and it isn't simply stories inside the courtroom. Therefore, if a reader is expecting to find this type of information in this book, it won't be found.

However, if the reader IS interested in learning more about why these issues came about, the importance of free agency in shaping the business of professional sports as we know it today and some great inside information on the biggest cases involving free agency such as Robertson v NBA and Freeman v NFL, then get this book and read it cover to cover. 

The start of the book is probably the most interesting story of the whole book and it was not a case that Quinn worked on but instead was an impromptu strike called by Quinn's mentor, Larry Fleischer.  Fleischer became very well known as an agent for many NBA player as well as a sports litigator, but his first foray with NBA players and labor issues made for great reading.  Known as the "21 minute strike", Fleischer convinced players who were in the 1964 NBA All-Star game to not take the court unless the owners would agree to higher contributions to their pension plan.  Nervously, they agreed to do so, and it worked as the owners verbally agreed to do so and the players took the court.

From there the book discusses all of the various actions taken toward free agency in basketball, football and hockey.  The latter sport is mainly discussed because it was the one time owners "won" because the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season resulted in the players agreeing to the owners' demands.

In the other two sports, however, Quinn paints a picture of multi-millionaires using the same arguments in order to deny players free agency, namely competitive balance and the explosion of salaries.  It didn't matter what year or what sport, the book portrays the owners as unwilling to change while Quinn tells of his meetings with players and other lawyers in a very entertaining manner.  Of course, he also shares his secrets and strategies used in order to win cases and provide players with true free agency. 

As mentioned earlier, if this topic doesn't appeal to a reader, then that person should skip this book. But for readers who enjoy this topic as I do, it is one of the best ones available on labor and legal issues in professional sports and should be on their book shelves.

I wish to thank Radius Book Group 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/Dont-Be-Afraid-Win-Business-ebook/dp/B07X28HSCK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Oscar Charleston"

Having only heard very little about Oscar Charleston aside from him being one of the best players in the history of the Negro Leagues, I was very interested in learning more about the man in this book.  It delivered - it is probably to date the best source of information about him.  Here is my review of "Oscar Charleston."

Title/Author:

“Oscar Charleston: The Life and Legend of Baseball's Greatest Forgotten Player” by Jeremy Beer

Tags:

Baseball, biography, history, Negro Leagues

Publish date:

November 1, 2019

Length:

456 pages

Rating: to

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Ask most baseball fans or historians to name the best players in the history of the Negro Leagues and the immediate answers are usually Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell. However, if one takes a closer look at both the statistics available and the excellence of his play for a long period of time, the answer must be Oscar Charleston. Charleston's life and legacy are told in this excellent book by Jeremy Beer.

Whether one is researching Charleston's early life, his lengthy baseball career that took him to several teams' rosters or his personal life, it can be difficult to find official records and documents for him.  Beer did painstaking research to paint a complex picture of a man who was not only an excellent baseball player but also held other jobs within baseball with mostly successful results. He was a player-manager for a significant portion of his playing career and his rise in this profession makes for great reading, especially the 1932 season when he was the manager of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, considered to be the best team in the history of the Negro Leagues. Of note, he also was a scout for Branch Rickey and the Dodgers in the 1940's, becoming the first black man to be hired for such a position.

Reading the book gives the reader not only a good picture of Charleston the baseball player and employee, but also of Charleston the man.  He was portrayed by peers often as someone who was a trouble maker, especially with his penchant to never walk away from a fight.  Beer puts that reputation to the test with other testimony to show the respect he earned from competitors, including major league stars against whom he played in barnstorming or exhibition games.

Interwoven with modern statistics calculated from the available box scores and other sources of information, one cannot help to wonder how Charleston would have fared in the major leagues had he been allowed to play.  Even so, Beer paints a picture of a man who should be considered one of the greatest players ever to pick up a bat and glove.  Readers who want to get an informed introduction to Oscar Charleston should 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:

E-book (PDF)

Buying Links:

https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9781496217110/