Short review - "Riding With the Rocketmen"

While both reading this book as part of a challenge and trying to clean out some books previously sent to me, I found this one.  Having enjoyed other books on cycling, this premise sounded very interesting. However, while the book was one that cycling enthusiasts will like, it wasn't really for me.  Here is my review of the book.

Title/Author: "Riding With the Rocketmen: One Man's Journey on the Shoulders of Cycling Giants" by James Witts

Rating: 3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review: The book was far beyond my knowledge of cycling and the equipment, training and vocabulary used. It is clear Mr. Witts uses his extensive experience in writing about the sport in order to undertake this challenge, but because I am at best a casual fan of the sport - watching some of the Tour de France and read about some of the history is about the extent of how much I follow cycling - this book was certainly not written for a reader like me.

The humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, was excellent and it was okay to read about his own adventures as he attempts to complete a leg of the famous course. But all of the technical jargon, the many people involved in his journey and the sheer volume of this material in a fairly short book made it very tough for me. I am rating this book three stars as while it wasn't my cup of tea, cycling enthusiasts will really enjoy this one and that is the intended audience, not the casual, occasional fan like me.

I wish to thank Bloomsbury Sport for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: Riding With The Rocketmen: One Man's Journey on the Shoulders of Cycling Giants: Witts, James: 9781399403504: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Killing the Image"

Admittedly, I did not follow Andre Ward very closely once he turned professional although I did see his bouts in the 2004 Olympics.  So, when this book first came out, I wasn't too interested.  But seeing it available for review more than a year after publication, I figured why not give it a try.  And, man, am I glad I did!  Here is my review of "Killing the Image."

Title/Author: “Killing the Image: A Champion’s Journey of Faith, Fighting and Forgiveness” by Andre Ward with Nick Chiles

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: In some ways, the story of Olympic gold medalist and light heavyweight boxing champion Andre Ward reads like the story of so many other boxers. Ward came from a broken home so his trainer became like a father figure to him. He got caught up in street life by selling drugs for quick cash.  He became a father as a teenager.  It would seem like all these circumstances would break him – or at least prevent him from having a successful athletic career. 

But his story is NOT like so many others.  With a strong conviction of his faith, his hard work in his training, his fulfillment of his duties as a father (and a husband as he married the woman who bore his son when they were both teenagers) and his undying love for both of his parents despite their troubles, he achieved all that he wanted in the boxing ring. His journey to do so is a fascinating tale, one that was very hard to put down.

What really jumped out at me compared to other sports memoirs I have read (and those who follow my writing know that I have read many) is his commitment to not only his family and to his faith, but to his duties.  He would never walk away from any responsibility – at least not completely. 

When he was dealing drugs, he would mention how in the back of his mind that he was feeling guilty for skipping out on training and how it made Virgil, his trainer and mentor, feel.  He always was thinking of others, even in the ring and when negotiating contracts. He mentions that he (and many other boxers) will wish their opponents well.  Yes, they want to win, but they don’t want harm to their opponents either.  When he was negotiating contract or switching agents, he would be concerned with their welfare as well.  From the tone of the entire book, no matter the subject, it was clear that this was genuine concern, not just something to include because it sounds good.

Currently, Ward is a licensed minister, which is the perfect occupation for his post-boxing life.  Throughout the book, he not only refers to Scripture that guided him, but he also conferred with his minister throughout his boxing career. It helped that his minister was also a professional athlete as an offensive lineman in the NFL. It is clear that Ward believes his faith played as much of a role in his success as well as his family, trainers and ability.

The boxing and training sections of the book are also very good.  I especially enjoyed his recaps of his Olympic experiences in 2004 and his two fights against the Russian light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev.  The drama around those two fights outside the ring was just as compelling as the fighting and Ward describes them both in excellent detail.

While this was a fairly short book at 224 pages, it was also one that was very hard to put down and as a result I finished it quickly – and didn’t want it to end.  Ward was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame and is just as grateful for that as he was for any other accomplishment.  His story is one that readers will enjoy, especially if they are boxing fans.

I wish to thank Harper Horizon for providing an advance review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.  

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Image-Champions-Fighting-Forgiveness/dp/0785298304/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=

 

Review of “The Lion of the League”

Books about umpires can be just as good as those about baseball players or managers. This book is one example of this. Winner of the 2025 SABR Seymour Medal for best baseball history book or biography, here is my review of “Lion of the League.”

Title/Author:

“Lion of the League: Bob Emslie and the Evolution of the Baseball Umpire” by Larry R. Gerlach

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

It’s not often that those attending a baseball game won’t hear fans, players, coaches and managers yelling and insulting the umpires. If one thinks umpires have a tough job today, it feels like an easy one after one reads what it was like for baseball umpires in the late 19th and early 20th century in this book. 

Author Larry R. Gerlach not only describes the work and life of the main subject of the book, Bob Emslie, but he also gives the reader a very good look at the difficulty arbiters face in the early days of Major League Baseball. Not only did they face criticism from those on the field, the press wasn’t kind to umpires either. The game at that time was fairly rough with many scuffles that an umpire had to settle. The rules and dimensions taken for granted now, such as balls and strikes and the dimensions of home plate, were often in flux at that time. Through it all, with all the associated train travel as well, Emslie became one of the most respected and long-lasting umpires of that era.

All this came after Emslie had an up-and-down playing career as a pitcher. When he realized that he was not going to continue as a pitcher, that’s when he decided to become an umpire to stay in the game. Whether it’s about Emslie’s pitching or his umpire skills, Gerlach writes with rich detail about individual games as well as the seasons to cover Emslie’s career that spanned more than 5 decades. The book has to be read carefully because of its rich detail, but that is well worth the time it takes to learn about one of the early pioneers of umpiring.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Lion-League-Emslie-Evolution-Baseball/dp/149623765X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of "The Night the Referee Hit Back"

As one who loves to read books on boxing but really isn't enthusiastic about the product the sport puts out today, this book was right up my alley.  Not only does award winning author Mike Silver share some great stories from the sport's glory days, but he also includes a sharply worded critical piece on the state of the sport today.  Here is my review of his book "The Night the Referee Hit Back."  

Title/Author:

“The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable Moments from the World of Boxing” by Mike Silver

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

As also noted in this book, the sport of boxing has declined in both popularity and quality for the last two decades or so.  Between an alphabet-soup variety of sanctioning bodies and many different weight classes, there are far too many “champions” for even hardy fans to follow, yet alone the casual fan.  However, it hasn’t always been this way.  As one can tell from the title, respected boxing author Mike Silver has also compiled some excellent stories from the sport’s glory years.

Silver has won awards, and this book covers approximately 40 years of stories, analysis and criticisms of various boxers and trends in the sport.  The list of names covered in the book could be mistaken for a partial list of all-time greats.  This would include boxers from many different weight classes (at least from the traditional eight categories, not the wide variety in today’s version of the sport).  Muhammad Ali, Emilie Griffin, Joe Gans, and so many others are highlighted in the collection – it shows the versatility and the knowledge of boxing history possessed by Silver.

Usually, collections of past writings or stories will contain at least one or two items that don’t match up to the quality of the other selections.  That is not the case in this book as every story, article, critique and interview (there are 5 interviews included) are all excellent and well worth the time to read.  Any boxing fan, no matter the era in which they became a fan or which weight class they follow, will find something they will enjoy in this book.

Link: The Night the Referee Hit Back: Memorable Moments from the World of Boxing: Silver, Mike: 9781538136904: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "The Rise of Major League Soccer"

Admittedly, I don't watch a lot of soccer - MLS or otherwise, save for the World Cup.  It's mainly because while I love to see matches in person, I haven't come to fully appreciate it on TV or other media platforms.  I am certainly going to try to change this, as MLS, as explained in this book, will certainly reach the status to be in the conversation with the four main sports leagues in North America.  Here is my review of "The Rise of Major League Soccer." 

Title/Author: “The Rise of Major League Soccer: Building a Global Giant” by Rick Burton and Norm O’Reily

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Professional soccer leagues in North America have had a very spotty history at best.  Many have come and gone, but there is one league, Major League Soccer (MLS), that has defied the odds and survived a near extinction to become a league that is getting more notice and respect around the globe. Notes sports business authors Rick Burton and Norm O’Riley look at the history and future of MLS in this excellent book.

While Burton and O’Riley wrote most of the text, there are many contributions from various soccer people, from players to business people and they are welcome but also contribute to the one minor issue I had with the book – there is a lot of repetitiveness of certain topics, such as the arrival of Lionel Messi in 2023.  While his arrival is one of the biggest events in MLS history, that and a few other items are repeated by many of the guests and by Burton and O’Reily. 

But at least the repetitions are on items that are truly landmark events for the league. In addition to Messi, there has been one huge name in soccer that changed the landscape of the league. That was David Beckham – when he agreed to sign with the LA Galaxy in 2007, it caused a seismic change in the league, all for the positive. It paved the way for many other international superstars of the game to come to MLS.  Beckham’s involvement has come full circle as he is now one of the owners of Inter Miami, the MLS club for whom Messi plays.

There are plenty of great things about this book that any soccer fan will enjoy.  Burton and O’Reily look at earlier leagues in North America, including the North American Soccer League (NASL) and their brief but exciting history. The idea to bring in international superstars was also done by them, most notably Pele, when he played for the New York Cosmos. As for MLS and its bright outlook (according to the authors), there is excellent reasoning they give for this. There are a few reasons and they are all covered well, but the most notable is the contract with Apple TV for broadcast rights, given Apple’s global name brand recognition.  The other big reason is that now the generations of soccer-playing youngsters are now adults and they are taking their love of the game to the stadiums and streaming services to ensure its growth.  The authors also note the increased diversity of nationalities of American and Canadian citizens and they bring the love of soccer with them from their nations of heritage.

Add all of these up and one gets a very interesting and informative book. Not only readers who enjoy the sport, but anyone who likes reading about the business side of sports, no matter the sport, will want to add this book to their library.

I wish to thank Lyons Press for providing an advance review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.  

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Major-League-Soccer-Building/dp/1493086715/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=

Review of "Race and Resistance in Boston"

This was a book that was outside of my usual comfort zone, and it was well worth the time to read.  It took careful reading to fully grasp the various messages being sent in the variety of essays, but it was certainly worth it.  Here is my review of "Race and Resistance in Boston." 

Title/Author:

“Race and Resistance in Boston: A Contested Sports History” edited by Robert Cvornyek and Douglas Stark 

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Trying to write a review of this book can be a challenge – just like describing the history of racial issues in Boston, especially in the world of sports.  This collection of essays is a very noble attempt to describe how various sports played a role in this discussion and how the full history can be best described as “complicated.”

Just the well-known facts can send a mixed signal to the average person – Boston teams were the first ones to draft a Black player in the NBA (Chuck Cooper, Celtics), to have a Black player appear in an NHL game (Willie O’Ree, Bruins) and the first Black coach to win an NBA title (Bill Russell, Celtics.)  Yet, the Red Sox were the last baseball team to integrate, they held a bogus “tryout” for three players in 1945, including Jackie Robinson, and the city as a whole held Black athletes to different standards.  Even legends like Russell felt that the city was less than welcoming toward them. 

This collection of essays tries to bring to light some of the lesser-known matters of the issues, challenges and successes experienced by these athletes. One excellent example is the rich history of semi-pro baseball in the Boston area by many Black teams. They not only played excellent games, some of which are described in great detail, they also faced many white or integrated teams and received praise for their play.  This was the best chapter for one of the main goals of the book – to shine the light on lesser-known athletes and their accomplishments.  That goes for their work toward civil rights and equality for all people as well as their athletic achievements.

The variety of sports covered in the book was also impressive – baseball, hockey, basketball, cricket, tennis and golf are just a few of the sports in which Boston-based Black athletes made contributions to both their sport and the fight for equality.  That was the biggest takeaway I had with this book – the sheer number of unknown athletes whose contributions have been lost in time.  It should also be noted that the subjects of equality for women, non-binary athletes and the LBGTQ+ community are also addressed in the book as well as racial issues.

The book is a more scholarly one in nature, has many notes and references and is one that a reader must read carefully to fully grasp the message being sent by the writer.  However, that time will be well spent after learning the amazing work done by these athletes.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Race and Resistance in Boston: A Contested Sports History: Cvornyek, Robert, Stark, Douglas, McCourty, Devin: 9781496232687: Amazon.com: Books