Review of “Certified Beauties”

Having spent a good chunk of the last three days on the road, it gave me time to listen to a audiobook. Having been on a hockey kick lately between attending an ECHL playoff game and watching a lot of the NHL playoffs, it’s only logical that I listened to a collection of hockey stories.

Title/Author: “Certified Beauties: More of Hockey’s Greatest Untold Stories” written and narrated by James Duthie

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Every sport has stories that are amusing, shocking, inspiring and heart-tugging. Hockey is no exception and James Duthie has compiled an excellent collection of them for this book. He also narrates the audio version, which was a great listen.

There is no one theme for these stories and that makes this collection even better. If there is a common thread between any of them, it would be that a few of them involve players either missing a bus from the hotel for a morning skate. There are also some that involve a player who has just been called up to the NHL and has to catch a plane or arrange ground transportation to get to the arena. Many of these stories are during the time when hockey teams flew commercial and there were no cell phones . They all were fun to listen to. 

There’s also stories about former hockey personalities battling disease, some stories only made possible by the world situation during the COVID pandemic and even a couple of comebacks. That was the final act in my favorite story in the book, the one about Terry Ryan. A former first round draft choice, Ryan suffered several setbacks both in hockey and in his personal life. To flash forward to the best part, he made a comeback to the game in a minor league game at the age of 47. Hearing Duthie read this helped me imagine Ryan telling it, which made listening to this as an audiobook a good choice. This book is one that every hockey fan will enjoy whether reading or listening. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Beauties-Hockeys-Greatest-Stories/dp/B0DV69DM76/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0 

Review of “Losing Isn’t Everything”

On a recent business trip to Boston, about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive for me, I had time to listen to an audiobook and chose this one as it sounded interesting- it was.  Here is my review. 

Title/Author: “Losing Isn’t Everything: The Untold Stories and Hidden Lessons Behind the Toughest Losses in Sports History” written and narrated by Curt Menefee 

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Whenever a memorable moment happens in sports in which there is a winner and a loser, the winner is usually remembered over the years. But not always - sometimes the losing team, player or in individual sports, a performance where the athlete failed to perform as expected, is remembered just as much. This book by Curt Menefee, who also narrates the audio book, tells their story.

Each one follows a pretty standard format - the setting is set, the athlete featured is highlighted. Then the moment happens and how he or she handled that ignominy is the bulk of the material. This would include not only in the immediate aftermath of the event, but how that person has carried on in the following months and years. Many of the stories also started to feel the same as most of them were able to do fine, but almost to a person, it did upset them at least a little that that particular play was all that was remembered. 

The best example of that last statement would be Everton Walls, who was the safety pictured on the famous photo of “The Catch” by the San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark. The other extreme example of this - where the athlete is perfectly fine with what happened - is Jean van de Velde, whose infamous 72nd hole at the 1999 British Open cost him a major title. Van de Velde has always maintained that yes, he lost, but he lost by attempting the shots he wanted to do. 

This book is interesting in not only the content of all of these stories, but for the wide variety of sports that is covered. Snowboarding (Lindsey Jacobellis, whose extra move cost her a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics), speed skating (Dan Jansen, who fell at two Olympics before finally winning in 1994) and track (Mary Decker and her fall in the 1984 Summer Olympics) and covered as well as football, baseball and basketball. 

From Craig Ehlo to the 1992 Kentucky "Unforgettables" and from Rodney Harrison to Calvin Schiraldi, many memorable moments are covered and this book covers the other part of them 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Isnt-Everything-Stories-Toughest/dp/0062440071/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 

Review of “It Happened!”

While I certainly knew about Jim Lampley before reading this book, I admit to having forgotten that he covered so many different sports before he became known for his work in boxing that earned him enshrinement into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This book has a story about that day and so much more. Here is my review of “It Happened!”

Title/Author: “It Happened! A Uniquely Lucky Life in Sports Television” by Jim Lampley with Art Chansky

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Jim Lampley had a long and mostly successful career in sports broadcasting, most notably for his work in boxing for HBO. He writes about his life and his ups and downs in both his professional and personal lives in this very good memoir.

 

Most memoirs and biographies will follow the timeline from childhood to either the present or death. This one does not do that at all, aside from the beginning, when Lampley describes his childhood and early adulthood. I found that the biggest drawback of the book because unless one is a fan of Lampley and followed his career closely, it was hard to determine where in his life or career he was at. It felt like he wanted to jump to the next story or topic that was on his mind, whenever it might have occurred relative to the last one. 

But the stories he can tell are so good, especially those from his days of covering “Wide World of Sports” and the Olympics (both Summer and Winter Games). His accounts from his vantage points of Frank Klammer’s exciting downhill skiing gold medal run in 1976 and the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid were two of my favorite stories in the entire book. But the excellent stories are not limited to the Olympics. His account of the George Foreman-Michael Moorer fight and the upset of Mike Tyson by Buster Douglas are also great. Especially the Foreman-Moorer bout where Foreman told Lampley before the fight what he was going to do to his opponent. That was the fight in which Lampley exclaimed his famous line whis is the title of the book, “It happened!”

What makes Lampley’s career even more interesting is the sheer variety of sports he has covered in his career: college and NFL football, Major League Baseball, college basketball, golf, tennis to name just a few as well as boxing. Just about any sport a reader enjoys could be covered in this book.  

There is also plenty of material on his personal life, which is not quite as successful, starting with the fact he has been married four times. To his credit, no matter what happened in his relationships with those women or his children, he never criticized them or had anything bad to say about them. When it comes to stories about this part of his life, the best ones involve his daughter Brooke, whom he had with his second wife Joanne. 

Overall, I felt this was a very good, entertaining and easy to read memoir even if it jumped around at times and felt like it needed more boxing since that is what Lampley is best known for. Nonetheless, if a reader wants to learn more about this very interesting and versatile broadcaster, it is highly recommended. 

I wish to thank Ben Bella Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Happened-Uniquely-Lucky-Sports-Television/dp/1637746431/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7MOKRPPA7IJA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Rkx2FHEvcoTBEetamWkLLpTGUImrdou6KJhMQK7H0WcHA7UFjeu9oohix8pEyp4-.fq14ZizGJ7kYuJIs50kHL7FM7pgZzcoCDUCcAvIGejE&dib_tag=se&keywords=it+happened+jim+lampley&qid=1755970311&sprefix=It+happened+jim%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1 

Review of "The Big Time"

Books about anything to do with sports, no matter the topic or which sport, in the 1970s always intrigues me and this one was no exception.  Here is my review of "The Big Time"

Title/Author:

“The Big Time: How the 1970’s Transformed Sports in America ” by Michael MacCambridge

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  For anyone who followed sports during the decade of the 1970’s, they were certainly not the same at the end of the decade as they were at the beginning.  This is true no matter which game, league or athletes one examined. This was also a reflection of the changes in American society and these are tied nicely together and told in wonderful prose in this book by Michael MacCambridge.

While many different sports and social topics are covered in this book, women’s sports and how they affected the feminist movement of the 1970’s is the most prominent theme in the book.  The big events are covered, of course, such as the “battle of the sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, but there is much more to this topic.  The best example has nothing to do with action on a playing surface but in board rooms. 

The Association for Intercollegiate Atheletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern women’s college sports.  They were more about opportunity than for competition, and they believed Title IX, passed in 1972 and an important point mentioned several times in the book, would be the final hurdle to their goals.  However, the NCAA, having other ideas, was incorporating those sports into their programs in order to comply with the law and they eventually took over all women’s programs.  While it was sad for those AIAW members, it was important to note the progress made.

Similar write ups are in the book for other social issues such as racial equality and labor rights in various sports.  It is noted how important the decision by arbitrator Peter Seitz to strike down baseball’s reserve clause had a ripple effect in all other sports when it came to free agency for players.  Some sports adapted free agency more quickly than others and it didn’t come without significant labor strife, but that is also an important topic when it comes to 1970’s sports.

Of course, the text isn’t limited to just these types of topics.  There are several passages about the actual games played as well and the variety of sports covered is tremendous.  Just about any particular game you can think of that was played in front of spectators was covered.  That is one of the best aspects of this book – the variety.

I wish to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Link: The Big Time: How the 1970s... by MacCridge, Michael (amazon.com)

 

Review of "An Economist Goes to the Game"

In order to be interested in a book, I usually need more than just the title to pick it up.  However, this title was so different and so interesting that I took a chance and ended up liking this short and informative book. 

Title/Author:

“An Economist Goes to the Game: How to Throw Away $580 Million and Other Surprising Insights from the Economics of Sports” by Paul Oyer

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: There have been many books published about the business of sport – just about all sports – in various formats, but this one was very different and very informative.  Written in several short chapter on various sports topics, this book by Paul Oyer is not only one in which a reader will learn about a different line of thinking for economics and sports, but will also be entertained as well.

While I thought the entire book was good, the best part came at the beginning when Oyer explained how some of the action on the field of play comes from theories of economics.  His example of why Michael Jordan passed up the shot that would win the 1997 NBA championship for his Chicago Bulls and instead passed the ball to Steve Kerr who hit that shot is brilliant in how it ties economic thinking and the risk versus reward logic worked for that instant. Similar scenarios and different theories are sprinkled throughout the book.

However, the bulk of the stories are written about the topics that one would expect in a book on economics and sports – ticket sales and brokers, publicly financed stadiums, and why cities are not as excited to host the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup like they used to be.  Oyer writes about these topics in a manner that anyone who has an interest in either topic will enjoy but also in plain language without a lot of advanced vocabulary in either sports or economics.  This combination, plus the variety of topics addressed, made this a book that will be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers.

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

Link: Amazon.com: An Economist Goes to the Game: How to Throw Away $580 Million and Other Surprising Insights from the Economics of Sports: 9780300218244: Oyer, Paul: Books

Review of "Path Lit by Lightning"

As a legendary figure in American athletics, Jim Thorpe has had many stories told about him, some of mythological proportions.  This book not only sets them straight but also gives a lot of insight into his complex life.  Here is my review of "Path Lit by Lightning"

Title/Author: “Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe” by David Maraniss

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: Jim Thorpe was unquestionably the greatest male American athlete in the first half of the 20^th century. Having achieved success in both college and professional football as well as baseball and track and field, his life and career would seem to be one filled with glory.  Sadly, that was not the case and this very good biography written by David Maraniss brings Thorpe’s life into focus complete with the many downfalls into the myths around the Sac and Fox indigenous American.

Having read Maraniss’s excellent biography on Roberto Clemente, I expected more of the same in this book. Many sections lived up to that expectation, especially when it came to describing Thorpe’s baseball career.  This was of particular interest for me since it was his participation in the lower levels of professional baseball that led to Thorpe being stripped of his gold medals for track and field in the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.  Maraniss’s writing on the part of the Games’ officials to ensure that the amateurism of the games remained was both brilliant and maddening as was the description of the responses by the football coach of the Carlisle School, Pop Warner. 

Other parts of the book that deserve special mention for their excellent writing and research were those on the Carlisle School, where Thorpe and other Native Americans were being taught how to live in the America that was being shaped by white leaders.  It did not make for happy reading, nor did the sections on Thorpe’s personal struggles with alcoholism.  Also troubling for Thorpe was trying to hold his marriage together with his first wife and their children.  While life for any professional athlete’s family is hard, Thorpe’s life of playing both professional baseball and football made it even harder on that family.  Especially for baseball, where Thorpe was often released from a team before the family had a chance to settle.

The writing on his athletic career mirrors how Maraniss covered every other aspect of the book – very detailed and mostly informative, but at times it felt bogged down in too much detail. This was also the feeling I had while reading of the many injustices suffered by Thorpe and others at Carlisle.  It needed to be told but at times it felt like just too much after understanding what was being said. This is not to say that it was bad, but just that the message came across easily without extra minutia.

Even at this length, this is a book that is certainly worth the time to read if one has any interest in Thorpe, the history behind his loss of his Olympic winnings or even the treatment of Native Americans at that point in American history.  Just be prepared to spend a lot of time with the book.

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

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Lit-Lightning-Life-Thorpe-ebook/dp/B09JPFYQY2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1662597914&sr=8-1

 

Review of "Doping"

Happy Independence Day to those in the United States who are celebrating today.  It feels ironic to be posting a review about a sports book that is international and not US-centric today.  This book on doping and PED use in international competition is one of the better books I have read so far in 2022 - and sorry, there is only a very brief mention of baseball in it.  Here is my review of "Doping." 

Title/Author: “Doping: A Sporting History” by April Henning and Paul Dimeo

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  The use of various types of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in various sports is not a relative new phenomenon.  Methods of doing so have been around about has long as the modern Olympic games, which started in 1896.  This book by April Henning and Paul Dimeo takes a complete look at this issue from many different angles.

One of the most striking features of the book is that while it is a scholarly work in which they present theories and possible resolutions, the language and format is very easy to follow and a reader will notice that aside from the scientific names of some of the drugs, it is written in plain language.  That will help the non-scholarly reader to comprehend and absorb the points the authors are making.

The variety of sports is far-reaching and international.  While much of the international competition in which the authors describe are the Olympic Games (both Summer and Winter) there are other international competitions included as well.  This is especially true for two sports that internationally have been ripe with drug issues, track and field and cycling. There is an entire chapter devoted to Ben Johnson’s disqualification from the 1988 Olympics, for example. 

There is also extensive research and text on the use of PEDs in communist nations during the Cold War era.  Most notably, that of East Germany, whose athletes would regularly earn more medals than the United States despite having a significantly smaller population. The stories of their athletes requiring the use of these drugs or else they could not compete were compelling.

Although their work on the use of PEDs was very good, the criticism and suggested solutions of the enforcing agencies, current the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) made the book one that was hard to put down.  Just about any critical idea one can think of for these enforcers was included.  The determination of what was a PED and the science behind these decisions was questioned at times. This included things like banning cold medicines that were taken for illness but resulted in an athlete’s disqualification because it contained trace amounts of a banned substance. The lack of communication of what these banned substances would be and what products would contain them was criticized by the authors, as were the punishments as individual athletes would suffer from draconian measures. These included  bans from competition or awards taken away while larger organizations and nations would either receive light warnings or even nothing at all. The authors then conclude the book on their suggestions on how to right this matter, striking a balance between fair enforcement and keeping the competition fair for all.

From the first Olympic games to the 2016 scandal that plagued the team from Russian, this book is a wonderful and complete look at the use of various drugs and other scientific advancements to improve the performance of various athletes.  No matter one’s sports interest or interest in this topic, it is a book that is well worth the time to read.  

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

Links:  Amazon.com: Doping: A Sporting History eBook : Henning, April, Dimeo, Paul: Kindle Store

Review of "Losers"

C'mon, admit it...wouldn't you be intrigued by a book titled "Losers"?  We always get to read about the winners, but this book gives some glory to those on the other side of the ledger.  It is a very good collection of stories on those who didn't quite get to the winning side. 

Title/Author:

“Losers: Dispatches from the Other Side of the Scoreboard" edited by Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas

Tags:

Various sports, professional, Olympics, essays

Publish date:

August 18, 2020

Length:

304 pages

Rating: to

4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

The title of this book – "Losers" – makes it sound like this will be a very depressing, somber type of book.  However, the excellent collection of stories gathered and edited by Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas (who also contributed one of the stories) doesn't have that sense of dread. There are also contributions by two very famous authors, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Gay Talese.  The latter's story is his well known writing about boxer Floyd Patterson after his losses to Sonny Liston.

Yes, this is a collection of stories about athletes or fans whose teams or accomplishments didn't land them in the winner's circle and yes, some of them can be quite sad. Thomas' story about her grandmother who suffered through abuse by her husband, but she also had a mostly successful business raising championship horses, is probably the most depressing piece in the book. There are other tales of woe of varying degrees, but not all of them are of this nature.  Another one that comes to mind is the story of a cage fighter who never won a fight (before the days of MMA/UFC) who faked his own death to avoid paying debts but eventually was caught. This one was written by Pilon.

Indeed, some can be uplifting and cheerful in their tone, despite the fact that the subject of the story did not end up as the winner.  The best example of this type of story is on marathon runner Dick Beardsley, who is one of the most famous second place finishers when he was runner-up to Alberto Salazar in the Boston Marathon.

One aspect of the book that is especially pleasing is that a wide variety of sports and playing levels are featured in the book. One of the more unusual stories is one about a matador who was nearing the end of his bullfighting career.  There are stories about famous losses, such as a Boston fan's recollection of Bill Buckner's famous error in game six of the 1986 World Series.  That particular story is interesting in that the author sounds like they are longing for the bad old days when Boston teams were mediocre instead of the champions they now are.  Of course, a book on losers wouldn't be complete without a story on the most famous losers, the Washington Generals.  For those who are not familiar with them, they are the team that faces the Harlem Globetrotters in their shows.  Despite what one may believe, the story illustrates the Generals as good basketball players and talks about a game in which the Generals actually walked off the court victorious.

As is the case with any collection of essays or stories, not every one of them will appeal to every reader.  That was the case with this reviewer for a few of the selections.  But there were far many enjoyable ones than duds and they were fun to read.  One doesn't have to be a big sports fan to enjoy this collection as many of the stories touch at the heart and soul of the "losers" in various sports.

I wish to thank Penguin 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/Losers-Dispatches-Other-Side-Scoreboard/dp/0143133837/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "The Strenuous Life"

Whether or not the book is sports-related, anything written about Theodore Roosevelt and his family is usually worth the time to read.  This book that concentrates on the role sports played in his life and in his Presidency is one of them.  Here is my review of "The Strenuous Life"

Title/Author:

“The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete” by Ryan Swanson

Tags:

Football (American), running, tennis, baseball, boxing, Olympics, politics

Publish date:

August 20, 2019

Length:

376 pages

Rating: to

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Theodore Roosevelt was known to be one of the more active Presidents, but just how active he was and the impact he had on both participating and spectator sports is captured in this book by Ryan Swanson.  In it, Swanson takes an in-depth look at Roosevelt's experience in sport, whether it was in his youth and college days, his time at the White House or frankly, any other time.

While many know about TR's concern about the violence in college football and his asthma that affected his activity as a child, other activities that are not as well know make their way into the reader's attention.  One of this is the "tennis cabinet" – staff members with whom TR would play tennis on a regular basis.  He was an enthusiastic boxer, both at Harvard and at the White House.  Of course walking regularly was also a favorite activity of his. 

Something that may be surprising, however, is his lack of enthusiasm for baseball.  Even though he was presented with a "golden ticket" good for admission to any major or minor league baseball game, Roosevelt believed the game was not active enough as he preferred sports and activities that required more motion by the body.  He felt that all ages should be more active, as he established what became known as the physical fitness tests for school-age children.

These are just some of the topics Swanson covers with gusto and in great detail. Because of the detail, it is a book that requires careful reading, but once done, the reader will have taken a fascinating look at the active life of the 26^th United States President.

                                                    

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Strenuous-President-Theodore-Roosevelt-American/dp/1635766125/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Golden Glow"

It isn't often that a book on a swimmer or Olympic swimming is available for review, so when I saw this one on Kaitlin Sandeno, who medaled in the 2000 and 2004 Games, I had to pick it up.  Here is my review of "Golden Glow"

Title/Author:

“Golden Glow: How Kaitlin Sandeno Achieved Gold in the Pool and in Life” by Dan D’Addona with Kaitlin Sandeno

Tags:

Swimming, Olympics, biography, women

 

Publish date:

July 2, 2019

Length:

160 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Kaitlin Sandeno proved to be one of the most versatile female swimmers in recent Olympic history by being part of a world-record setting relay team for the United States and medaling in three other strokes in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics – the first one coming when she was just 17 years old.  Now she is the national spokeswoman for the Jessie Rees Foundation addressing childhood cancer, and has also been a youth swimming coach.  Her swimming career and life outside the pool is captured in this short but very good book by Dan D’Addona, a noted writer on the sport.

The most notable aspect of this book that I found interesting was the format – instead of following the chronological order most biographies or memoirs do, the book started with one of Kaitlin’s visits to a children’s hospital, her work with the Jessie Rees Foundation and, in one of the most touching moments in the book, how she met Jessie and the inspiration she gave Sandeno.  This was a good way to introduce the reader to Kaitlin to describe what a positive and upbeat person that she is. 

While Sandeno’s work for the foundation is inspiring, so is the story of her career.  The youngest of three sisters, Kaitlin seemed to be born to live in a pool as she became a swimming prodigy very quickly.  When she qualified for the 2000 Olympics as a high school swimmer, that was when she started gaining world-wide attention and by medaling, she didn’t disappoint.  Her swimming continued at USC, where she won her events in the 2003 NCAA tourney, then capped it off with medals in the 2004 Olympics, including being the anchor on the world-record performance by the United States team in the 4x200 freestyle relay.  Any swimming fan, casual or serious, will enjoy reading about the rise of the friendly, outgoing Sandeno.

The writing overall is quite good – the only problem was an editing matter, in that quotation marks were either missing or put in the incorrect place, making it hard to determine who was providing the quote.  This will most likely be corrected in the final version.  There are other passages that seem to be incomplete.  One example – when Sandeno was struggling with her swimming at USC because she was living a very active social life, it was noted that later she curbed that by having a “long distance relationship” but there is no explanation of how that helped.  These are far and few, however, and the reader will get to learn how happy and outgoing a person Kaitlin is, in both her marriage and her life after her swimming career. Any reader who is a swimming fan is encouraged to pick up this book.

I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield 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/Golden-Glow-Kaitlin-Sandeno-Achieved/dp/1538117037/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=golden+glow&qid=1559472133&s=books&sr=1-2