Review of "Unhittable"

If you've been watching baseball, especially Major League Baseball, the past few years, you may have noticed that the speed of pitches is faster and faster and that hitters, overall, are struggling to reach the same batting averages and on-base percentages that was prevalent a couple decades ago.  This book by Rob Friedman explains the phenomenon behind this trend. 

Title/Author:

“Unhittable: How Technology, Mavericks and Innovators Engineered Baseball’s New Era of Pitching Dominance” by Rob Friedman

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

Review: 

Throughout the history of baseball, there have always been eras in which either pitching or hitting dominated the game.  Currently, there is little doubt that this is an era of pitching dominance with pitch speeds higher than ever.  There are new advanced statistics and modern technology methods to measure them. This book by Rob Friedman explores the evolution of technology and other ways of making pitchers more dominant than the traditional methods of scouting and gut instincts.

There is a little self-promotion in the book as Freidman is the creator of Pitching Ninja, the platform where Freidman, a pitching coach and baseball analyst, will show videos of various pitches from pitchers from various levels of baseball and these videos are used by pitchers who want to improve their craft.  However, as the book explains, video is far from the only explanation why pitching is currently dominating baseball.

Something that will be appreciated by interested readers is that while Friedman does provide a lot of talk about new methods of analyzing data on pitchers, advanced technology to help create that data and other platforms like Codify, Friedman does not delve too far into language that is difficult to understand.  He also talks about each of these subjects by using the success of current pitchers like Tarik Skubal, Trevor Bauer and Tyler Glasnow to illustrate how these new methods of training and coaching are improving the quality of pitchers. 

It should also be noted that Friedman does include pitchers and coaches from most eras to show not only the advancements made for pitching but also how some had the foreshadowing to incorporate some of today’s coaching and pitching mechanics into their careers, even if not quite as advanced as they are today.  Two excellent examples of these forward-thinking baseball men mentioned prominently in the book are Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux and long-time pitching coach Tom House. There are even segments going back as far as the days of Walter Johnson and Christy Matthewson, mainly on how velocity was important to them even those early days before radar guns.

While there are sections that I felt dragged somewhat mainly because of repetition, nevertheless this is a very good book on explaining why this era of baseball is dominated by pitching.  It even includes some explanation from a hitter’s point of view, most notably Athletics All-Star Brent Rooker.  If a reader wants to know why pitchers are so hard to hit in today’s game, this is a good place to find out.

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

Link:  Amazon.com: Unhittable: How Technology, Mavericks, and Innovators Engineered Baseball's New Era of Pitching Dominance eBook : Friedman, Rob: Kindle Store

Review of "Uncommon Favor"

It's not often I can post two reviews in two days, but I had enough time on my trip to Brooklyn for the basketball game between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty that I not only was able to read the Candace Parker memoir, but I was also able to start listening to another memoir by a legendary women's basketball figure, Dawn Staley.  This one was even better.  Here is my review. 

Title/Author: “Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother and the Life Lessons I Learned From All Three” written and narrated by Dawn Staley

Rating:  5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Whenever a person can start with humble beginnings and succeed in nearly every aspect and goals they set out to do, that makes a wonderful and uplifting story. Dawn Staley’s life has been that kind of story and her memoir, narrated by her, is one that any reader or listener will enjoy.

Of course, since Staley’s success has occurred on the basketball court, it does help if the reader is interested in basketball, especially women’s basketball.  Staley was an All-American point guard at the University of Virginia. She played and won on US Olympic Teams, including the 1996 gold medal winning team that was the spark that created the WNBA.  Staley played in that league as well before becoming a college head coach, leading first the Temple Owls and then the South Carolina Gamecocks.  It is with South Carolina where she has won two national championship and gained not only prominence but is also noted for her advocacy for addressing racism and gender equality.

Each of these topics is addressed by Staley in the book in a powerful yet humble manner.  Yes, she speaks out proudly and loudly when needed. The best example is when she talks about some unflattering comments by the Missouri athletic director after a tense game between the two schools.  After the publication of those comments, she gave a strong rebuttal and asked for an apology.  Eventually that came from the athletic director.

Speaking of athletic director, another great example of Staley advocating for change is when she discovered how much less she was making than her male counterpart coaching the men’s basketball team.  Without disparaging her colleague, she made a strong case of how much more success and visibility she brough to the women’s program and ended up with a salary that reflected her success.

Of course, the book is more than just basketball and Staley reflects much about her mother, her (and her mother’s faith) and their upbringing in North Philadelphia.  She tells the stories of the time in North Philly with as much enthusiasm and joy as she does when discussing the 2024 basketball season in which the Gamecocks won their second championship.  This was one of those books where listening to the author telling her stories was much better than reading it on paper or with an e-reader.  I always prefer audiobooks narrated by the author and this book is a great example of why I believe that is better.

 

Link: Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three: Staley, Dawn: 9781668023365: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "The Players' Coach"

Having read this book as part of a Goodreads challenge, I found this to be okay.  There was a lot of name dropping by the author as well as some great stories, and some may really enjoy them.  Here is my review of "The Players' Coach."

Title/Author:

“The Players’ Coach: Fifty Years Making NFL’s Best Better – From Bradshaw, Manning, Brady and Beyond” by Tom Moore with Rick Stroud

Rating: 

3 ½  of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Tom Moore is a person who would be considered a football “lifer.” He proclaims himself to be one in this memoir co-written with Rick Stroud.  Even though he never was named as a head coach of any team, college or NFL, one cannot say that he has not had a successful and interesting career.

Moore shares many stories about himself as well as some of the great players that he has coached.  After getting his first college coaching job at Iowa after graduation, he went on to be an assistant at several colleges, including a rival of Iowa, the University of Minnesota (a place where he considered becoming a head coach before they hired Lou Holtz in 1984).  From there, he transitioned to the NFL in 1977, becoming an assistant to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll.  After a successful stint in Pittsburgh that included two Super Bowl victories and a promotion to offensive coordinator, he held similar roles for several other NFL teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints (he talks very little about his time there in this book), Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He won two more Super Bowls – one with the Colts, one with the Buccaneers, and coached in another with the Cardinals.

With a resume like this, it naturally follows that Moore has coached some of the greatest players in this era of football and three of them are in the subtitle.  He has good stories about each one of them, and even better stories about some who were very good but not at the legendary level of these three.  There is a great story on Vikings wide receiver Jake Reed on the assistance Moore gave him when it was discovered a vision problem was hindering his ability to catch passes.  Moore also has kind things to say about his quarterback in Detroit, Scott Mitchell.  When Moore talks about some of these players, those are the best sections to read.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn’t hold my interest as much as these stories as the talk about his moves, the X’s and O’s and other parts of his career just didn’t seem to have the same level of enthusiasm and intangibles. I use that word for this description – just like when an athlete has something extra that can’t be described so it is said that person has “intangibles”.  In this case, those chapters and sections LACK those “intangibles” to make them must-read areas.

That aside, any reader with an interest in a football coach with a lengthy and successful career despite never holding a head coaching position will want to read this book.  If nothing else, read it for some good stories on some of the legendary players in recent NFL history.

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

Link: The Players' Coach: From Bradshaw to Manning, Brady, and Beyond: Moore, Tom, Stroud, Rick: 9781635769852: Amazon.com: Books

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

Review of "Life in Two Worlds"

Knowing I would be in my car for a few hours when I drove to New Hampshire, I decided to download a book for the trip.  This one has been on my TBR for a while, so figuring it was time to take it off that pile, I listened to it and finished over the weekend trip.  Here is my review of Ted Nolan's memoir. 

 

Title/Author:

“Life in Two Worlds: A Coach’s Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back” by Ted Nolan with Meg Masters, narrated by James Malloch

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

In 1997, Ted Nolan was named the Jack Adams Award winner which goes to the Coach of the Year in the NHL.  He guided the Buffalo Sabres to a surprise division title and made it to the second round of that year’s playoffs.  But in the offseason, the team offered a contract that he (and everyone else) felt was an insult and he did not return to the team.  His story of his life in the NHL as both a player and a coach, as well as his life growing up in a First Nation reserve, is told in this great memoir narrated by James Malloch.

I usually prefer memoirs narrated by the author/subject, but in this case, Malloch gave a strong performance and while I knew this was not Nolan speaking, it certainly felt like it was Nolan describing not only the cruelty and racism (some subtle, some not so subtle) while playing or coaching hockey, but also of the pride he had in his heritage.  While this did include some well-known bad treatment of students at schools on reserves, this only strengthened his resolve to live his life the way his heritage taught him and to show that he and other indigenous people belonged in the world of hockey.

Nolan frequently mentions that it is important for those who have been affected by racism to tell their stories and it is just as important for those who haven’t been affected to listen. This was the biggest takeaway of the book for me, as he did this without the same type of stories that other activists share.  Instead, he blended this with his hockey career.  First with his playing days for the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (where he later coached after the NHL and was very happy with that job) and later the NHL Detroit Red Wings, then in his coaching career where he had two stints with the Sabres sandwiched around a stint with the New York Islanders, Nolan’s message never was far away. 

This was one of the better hockey memoirs that I have read or listened to, and I do recommend this for any hockey fan.  From outposts like Glens Falls, New York to the bright lights of cities like New York and Detroit, Ted Nolan (and his two sons who also played in the NHL) have brought pride and hockey schools to the First Nation in efforts to bring the game to underserved populations. 

Link: Amazon.com: Life in Two Worlds: A Coach's Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back (Audible Audio Edition): Ted Nolan, Meg Masters - contributor, James Malloch, Viking: Books

Review of "Turk"

As all book lovers know, an avid reader has many books that he or she has "meant" to read but it always seemed to be set aside.  This book fit that category for me and realizing that I had to soon download it or lose to the cloud forever, I downloaded it and it was a quick read, so I made the deadline.  Here is my review of "Turk"

Title/Author:

“Turk: One of the NHL’s Great Coaches from Summerside to Madison Square Garden” by Fred MacDonald with Glenda Jenkins

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Gerard “Turk” Gallant could be what one calls a hockey “lifer.”  Between playing the game and coaching, he has been involved in the game for over 5 decades.  His life in hockey is captured in this book by Fred MacDonald.

Note that the last sentence stated the book is about his life in hockey. That makes up the bulk of this book.  Whether the chapters are about his youth and the hockey he was playing then, his time in junior hockey and the NHL (mainly with the Detroit Red Wings) or his coaching career, the book concentrates on his hockey life and little else.  While there is some material on his charitable work and golf tourney, there is very little material on his personal life.  I felt this was a shame, for not only would I have liked to learn more about Gallant the person, but one of the best chapters in the book is about how he met and courted his future wife, Pam.  The couple is still married to this day.

However, if a reader wants to learn more about Gallant as a player and coach (especially the latter), then this book contains a lot of good information. There isn’t great detail about either his playing time or coaching time but instead a summarization of how his seasons went, big highlights or what became of him after a release or trade during his playing days or his termination while a coach. The coaching sections, as one might expect given the title, are more plentiful in the book. This starts when he was a coach for junior hockey in his home province of Prince Edward Island to his time with the New York Rangers.  Again, nothing spectacular or detailed about these coaching jobs, but a decent recap of his time with each team.  This is especially true for his time with not only the Rangers, but also the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights.  His first season with the latter, which was also the franchise’s first season, was special in that not only did he win the Jack Adams trophy as the coach of the year (and he was a finalist for both the Panthers and Rangers) but he led the Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4^th franchise to reach that far in their first season.

At 186 pages, this is a quick read and because it recapped Gallant’s interesting career in a summarization format, it isn’t one for a reader who knows Gallant’s accomplishments well.  But if a reader wants to see what makes Gallant one of the more accomplished coaches in the game today, then this book is one to read.

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

Link: Amazon.com: Turk: One of the NHL's Great Coaches: From Summerside to Madison Square Garden: 9781773661155: MacDonald, Fred, Jenkins, Glenna: Books

Review of "The Wizard of College Baseball"

When I saw the title of this book, I thought it was about the long-time coach of USC, Rod Dedeaux.  When I saw it was about Miami coach Ron Fraser instead, I thought that's fine, I'm still interested.  Glad I picked it up.  Here is my review of "The Wizard of College Baseball."

 Title/Author:

“The Wizard of College Baseball: How Ron Fraser Elevated Miami and an Entire Sport to National Prominence” by David Brauer

 

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review:  

College baseball, now a staple on sports networks like ESPN, has not always been a popular option for athletes, spectators or television viewers.  It was long considered to be a “non-revenue” sport and had to either raise its own funds or receive money from the revenue sports like football or men’s basketball.  Ron Fraser almost single-handedly changed that with the baseball program at the University of Miami and how he did so is captured in this book by David Brauer.

 If there was ever a person who could sell anyone on college baseball, it was Fraser. Whether it was cost-conscious athletic directors, skeptical business who were being wooed by Fraser for donations or fans who had limited entertainment dollars at their disposal, Fraser would work his magic and convince those people to provide the funds, support and/or backing the baseball program would need.  When Fraser took the job, he saw how run down the field and equipment were and instead of moping about the condition of the program he took over, he got to work.

That work not only lead to a revenue generating sport in baseball for the school, but it made Miami baseball the place to go for good family entertainment at affordable prices.  The newly renovated Mark Light Stadium (named for the biggest donor and supporter of Fraser’s program) had affordable food, games and other entertainment as well. It should also be mentioned that other sports at the school, most notably football, also benefited from the new notoriety that baseball gave the university.  This is especially true as ESPN

Success came not only on the financial side but also on the field as Miami became a powerhouse in the sport, going from very few wins to regular appearances in the NCAA Regional tournaments and the College World Series. Their championships in 1982 and 1985 were the best moments for Fraser’s tenure as the coach.  His coaching methods and motivation talks were the best parts of the book that concentrated on the on-field accomplishments of Hurricanes baseball.  Many of Fraser’s players were interviewed by Brauer and they all shared great stories of their time with the coach.

After Fraser retired from coaching Miami in 1992, he was named head coach of the 1992 US Baseball team.  However, his involvement in the game was not over after those Olympics as he provided guidance and assistance to many teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and his friend Tommy Lasorda.  The book covers all these topics quite well, but not in an organized manner and it was here, especially the last two chapters, where I found the book to be a little harder to follow and haphazard.

However, that doesn’t mean that this book is not a good read as I enjoyed learning more about Fraser and his work in building up the Miami baseball team from afterthought to powerhouse.  College baseball fans will be especially interested in this book as it is a good source of information of one of the most successful programs in the sport.

 I wish to thank the author and publisher for providing a review copy. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

 

Link: The Wizard of College Baseball : Nebraska Press (unl.edu)

First review of 2024 - "George Allen"

Happy New Year! For those who remember the "Over the Hill Gang" Washington Redskins, you'll recall their coach George Allen.  A very good biography of this legendary coach has been published - here is my review.

Title/Author:

“George Allen: A Football Life” by Michael Richman 

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  The subtitle of this book is a perfect description of its subject – George Allen’s life was all about football.  He was a highly successful coach at both the college and professional levels.  It was in the latter area where he earned the most fame, coaching the Los Angeles Rams and the then-Washington Redskins from poor seasons to the playoffs.  This biography of Allen by Michael Richman is a wonderful tribute to the coach. 

Through many interviews of Allen’s former players, family members and siblings, the reader can get an inside look at the man whose obsession with football seemed to have no boundaries.  When he was coaching, he was always searching for players who might help his team.  This is the case whether it was his first coaching jobs at Morningside and Wittier Colleges (Morningside is where he met his wife Etty), his goal of lifting the Rams and Redskins out of their doldrums, his tenure in the United States Football League with the Chicago Blitz/Arizona Wranglers franchise and even his tenure with Long Beach State in 1990, which ended with his death in that year.

Allen always felt older, experienced players would help his teams during his time in the NFL more than rookies and he developed a well-deserved reputation for trading draft choices for veteran players.  Between this practice and his requests for better equipment and facilities, he often clashed with the owners of his teams.  While he was successful on the field, he ended up getting fired twice by the Rams (the second coming after only two pre-season games in 1978) and having an unhappy departure from the Redskins. 

This provided a complete, contrasting picture of Allen with so many of his players speaking highly of him to be coupled with his critics in front offices and in the media – Allen never had a great relationship with the media.  The interviews with his sons also shed much light onto the inner workings of Allen.  While one must take into account these are family members, they still provide the reader with great information on one of the most successful football coaches in the second half of the 20^th century.  Any football fan or historian of that era will enjoy this book.

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

Link: George Allen: A Football Life: Richman, Michael, Vermeil, Dick: 9780803249684: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “The Chicken Runs at Midnight”

After seeing the 2023 finalists for the Casey Award for the best baseball book, I decided to read more of these award winning books and finalist for not only 2023 but past years as well. Looking at past years’ finalists, this tile of a 2019 finalist caught my eye. I then read the synopsis - and then immediately checked out a copy. Wow, what a book! Here is my review.  

Title/Author:

“The Chicken Runs at Midnight: A Daughter’s Message From Heaven That Changed a Father’s Heart and Won the World Series” by Tom Friend

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: It’s very hard to categorize this book because it touches so many areas. Is it a baseball book? Yes, there’s much about the sport and one man’s quest to reach the major leagues, but it is so much more than that.  Is it a spiritual book? Yes, but it doesn’t really have that characteristic until the last third or so.  Is it a book on family life and relationships? Yes, that’s important to the story but again, not a complete description. Yet, this wonderful book by Tom Friend will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading about these topics.  Field’s writing about the following topics is a joy to behold and will keep the reader glued to the book.

Let’s start with the baseball. Rich Donnelly grew up in the town of Steubenville, Pennsylvania as a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. While he dreamed of playing for his beloved Pirates, he wasn’t the best athlete in his family - that honor belonged to his brother Jerome Jr. or Romey. Romey was also Rich’s hero, 14 years his senior and continually monitored by their father Jerome. Wanting to ensure that Romey would become a major league pitcher, Jerome Sr. was basically a helicopter parent in that he set strict rules for Romey about practice, social time, eating, dating - you name it, it was monitored by the father. While Romey did end up in professional baseball, he failed to make the major leagues and tragically died not long after giving up the game. 

Enter Rich, who was already doing pretty well for himself as a catcher. Jerome Sr. then shifted his focus to Rich who also ended up playing college and professional baseball. Like Romey, Rich had struggles in the minors and also married a woman soon after finally having the freedom to do so. He and his wife Peggy had four children - Richard Jr. or Bubba, Tim, Mike and Amy. It is the daughter, Amy, who spoke the phrase making up the title of the book - and it was just a spontaneous remark when she asked her dad what he told players when cupping his mouth while being the third base coach. This was in the 1992 NLCS when Rich was the third base coach for the Pirates. He may not have made his boyhood team as a player, but he was just as thrilled to wear their uniform as a coach. 

But the road there was filled with many issues. Rich inherited his father’s type A personality and while that may work on a baseball diamond, it certainly caused issues with his family. He pushed the three boys hard when they showed promise in baseball and basketball. But Amy…we’ll, Amy was her own person and always tried to show her father how she was important too. Not to mention her talents were on display as well. She would gather kids in the family garage and hold classrooms lessons, complete with homework and forms for parents to sign. She also became an athlete, excelling in basketball. But Rich never saw this - thanks to falling for the vices that often plagued baseball players on the road - drinking and women - Rich and his wife Peggy eventually divorced and Amy was left despondent over not being able to please her father. 

Even more so, as Freind wonderfully describes, Rich is also,left with so many lingering doubts - about how good a father he was to his daughter, to his faith and his overall life. But news about Amy and a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer left Rich in shock and the story of how he got back into Amy’s life, how special she was and the time they together in the Pittsburgh playoff drive - capped off by “The Chicken Runs at Midnight” comment is one that is some heartwarming that one would think that wine Amy passed away the following spring, that would be the end of the story. 

But Rich, following manager Jim Leylamd to Miami and being the third base coach for the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series, there was one more miracle from Amy thanks to Marlin Craig Counsell, who was nicknamed the Chicken and the time that the Marlins won game 7. Not wanting to give away any more of the story than already told, just know that if a reader got this far without tearing up or at least feeling some emotion, they are sure to do so when this occurs. 

This book was a finalist for a 2019 Casey Award and once one read it, they will understand why. Not a typical baseball story even though there are many typical baseball plays and personalities in the book, this is one that is sure to captivate a reader. Even this lengthy review cannot do justice to the complete story of Rich and Amy Donnelly. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Runs-Midnight-Daughters-Message/dp/0310352061/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of "Boston Ball"

College basketball got into full swing last week so it was time to read something on that sport.  This one on the early careers of three legendary coaches is a very good one.  Here is my review of "Boston Ball" 

Title/Author:

“Boston Ball: Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, Gary Williams and the Forgotten Cradle of Basketball Coaches” by Clayton Trutor

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:  While most basketball fans think of the NBA’s Boston Celtics when one refers to Boston as a “basketball town”, that wouldn’t tell the complete story.  In the 1970’s and early 1980’s there were three colleges in Boston – Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University – that were also putting together very good basketball programs.  The coaches at these schools were Jim Calhoun, Gary Williams and Rick Pitino respectively.  All three of these coaches are well-known for their success elsewhere, but their time in Boston was equally impressive.  Those coaches and their Boston programs are highlighted in this excellent book by Clayton Trutor.

Through hundreds of interviews with various people involved in those programs, including many former players, a reader will learn much about how all three coaches not only plied their trade at these smaller schools (save for Williams at Boston College since they became part of the Big East), but also had success when they were not expected to do so.  It was an even bigger hurdle to gain recognition and draw fans for Pitino, as Boston University is considered more of a hockey school than basketball and often had to cede the arena to the hockey team.  This didn’t detour Pitino, nor did a similar situation at Northeaster give Calhoun many problems.  All three coaches took over their programs under less than ideal circumstances but got their teams multiple NCAA tournament invitations.

There are other aspects of the book that while keeping the central theme of the basketball programs, the reader will enjoy.  There are some history lessons about the city of Boston at that time, a nice (?) description of the conditions of the Boston Garden are included and plenty of game action for all three schools.  As a lover of the college game during that era, I found this book to be full of very interesting stories and information on the earlier careers of three legendary coaches and the programs they led to the “Big Dance”

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

Link: Boston Ball: Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun,... by Trutor, Clayton (amazon.com)

 

Review of "Degrees of Difficulty"

 Admittedly, I rarely pay attention to gymnastics aside from the years of the Olympics, but this book caught my attention.  I had it sitting on my TBR pile for too long as once I finally picked it up, I enjoyed it.  Here is my review of "Degrees of Difficulty"

Title/Author:

“Degrees of Difficulty: How Women’s Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell From Grace” by Georgia Cervin 

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very Good)

Review:

Unless one is a student of the history of the sport of gymnastics, there is probably little chance that person has watched the sport outside of the Olympics.  That would be a shame for the sport has quite an interesting history and touches many of the social issue challenges that are being addressed today.  This book by Georgia Cervin covers many of these topics as well as some political history as well.

From the Cold War in the 1970s up to the sexual assault cases of Larry Nassar and others, Cervin doesn’t leave any issue relevant to gymnastics untouched.  She does a good job of tying in the sport’s issues to the larger picture of the day.  This is the case whether it was gymnastics being used as a means of diplomacy during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union or whether attempts at making the sport more diverse are successful.  On the latter, Cervin highlights the accomplishments of gymnasts of color such as Dominique Dawes and Simone Biles.

This is a scholarly work and reads as such, with each chapter organized by an introduction, body and conclusion. There are not a lot of personal biographies, but in addition to the aforementioned athletes, Cervin portrays other well known gymnasts such as Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci.  The latter two are especially prominent in Cervin’s discussion about how the sport changed in its scope from artistic ability and the femininity of the gymnasts.  This parallels the expanding role women were playing in all areas of society.

There are also chapters that are strictly about the sport and not with any comparison to social or political issues.  The scandals involving scoring and the “disappearance” of the perfect score of 10 are topics in which Cervin discusses with just as much knowledge and depth as she does the social and political topics.

This book is well worth the time and effort to read.  If one is not well versed in gymnastics, it might take a little more time for the reader to fully understand the topics, but that reader will learn a lot about the interesting history of this sport.

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

 

Link: amazon.com/Degrees-Difficulty-Gymnastics-Prominence-Society-ebook/dp/B095CQ4KVT/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "Coach Prime"

 Remembering Deion Sanders as a baseball and football player made me interested in this book.  I vaguely remembered he had success at an FCS school but didn't remember which one.  Then this college football season started and he's all over the news.  Remembering I had this book, I picked it up and quickly finished it.  Here is my review of "Coach Prime"

Title/Author:

“Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men” by Jean-Jacques Taylor

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Deion Sanders, aka “Prime Time” in his playing days, currently is taking the college football world by storm with his early success coaching the Colorado Buffaloes to early success in the 2023 season after they won only one game in 2022.  For some, this really isn’t a surprise as this was similar to his experiences at Jackson State.  This book is a great account of Sanders’ last season there as Jean-Jacques Taylor covers a lot of ground in that season.

One important note is that Taylor never calls the coach “Sanders” – throughout the book, he is known as “Coach Prime”.  This is also how he refers to himself as did everyone else on the Jackson State campus.  Even his son Shedeur, who was one of the stars for the Tigers (and currently for the Buffaloes), calls his father that name in the book. But more important than the name is how Coach Prime does his work.

Those who remember Coach Prime in his time as a baseball and football player may be surprised to read about this side of him.  Many felt he was only about himself during his playing days and even if just watching his press conferences, one may come to that same conclusion.  But this book does not focus on that and instead how Coach Prime is not only helping his players succeed on the football field but also in other aspects of life.

If the reader is not familiar with the atmosphere at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) they will be after reading this book.  This was especially important to Coach Prime as he addressed many topics that would be important to a student body in HBCUs. There is even some attention to the few white players on the team.  The team was very structured, had to follow many rules and if you broke them, you were only told “Get Out!” and not a word of protest was uttered.

The stories of these players are the heart of the book and is even better than the football sections which are also very good.  Even if one has never heard of Jackson State, the reader will end up cheering for this team despite already knowing the outcome of their season.  For those who want to learn why Colorado has taken the college football world by storm, this book will be one of the best ways to learn how.

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

Link: Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men: Taylor, Jean-Jacques: 9780063306912: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Hometown Victory"

Many times when I request a review copy of a book and the publisher does not grant it, I will look for the book in the library after its publication date.  While often I won't review a book here if that is the case, this book made such an impression on me that I had to write a review of the library copy. 

Title/Author: “Hometown Victory: A Coach’s Story of Football, Fate and Coming Home” by Keanon Lowe with Justin Spizman

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Thanks to a specific incident at the school in this book, (Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon) that school’s football coach who was also a security guard became a hero in the eyes of many.  However, as this memoir shows, there are other ways in which a person can be a hero without stopping a potential mass shooting incident that made the author of the book, Keanon Lowe, this “hero.”

The incident is near the end of the book, but what is even better about this book is the manner in which Lowe, after taking over as head coach of a struggling football program, saw the good and the potential in each one of his players, even if they had not won a game in over three years. 

Without going into too much social commentary or emotion, he does speak often about his players who have many issues outside of football that need extra attention.  Most of the ways he addresses these do affect the football team but Lowe looks beyond that and writes about how his actions will help these young men in other parts of life more important than football.

While this type of story is not completely uncommon as many football coaches (and coaches in other sports) will help their young players overcome the burn of unfair life situations, what makes this a little different is that Lowe wanted to come home (he was a native of Portland) and left a career in NFL coaching to coach this football team.  He was a young rising star in the coaching ranks and even had experience in dealing with issues beyond the football field as he was a San Francisco 49ers assistant coach when Colin Kaepernick made his protests against police violence.  While this is not comparing that to situations such as young players defying a coach or parent, not attending school or practice due to transportation issues or losing loved ones to drugs or violence, it does show that Lowe knew how to deal with issues from a football team or player that had nothing to do with the game on the field.

Speaking of that, there is plenty of football action, both in practice and in games, in the book.  Parkrose did break their losing streak and made great strides in the first two years of Lowe’s coaching career there, but that is not what make the book so good.  What does make it one that I had a hard time putting down was the care and compassion Lowe showed to the young men he helped. This was especially evident in the writing he did about them, emphasizing that they needed this guidance to be prepared for life outside of football and high school as well. That is what made this book such a joy to read.

Link: Amazon.com: Hometown Victory: A Coach's Story of Football, Fate, and Coming Home eBook : Lowe, Keanon, Spizman, Justin: Kindle Store