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 "Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room"

I started listening to this audio book on my recent trip to a Canadiens-Rangers hockey game, keeping in line with my policy to read or listen to books appropriate for my trip. However, I didn't finish it that night, had to put it aside to get another review done, and came back to it, finishing today.  Here is my review.

Title/Author:

“Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Canadiens Stories Ever Told” by Robert S. Lefebvre, narrated by J.P. Linton

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

As the hockey team who has won the most Stanley Cups, this book on the Montreal Canadiens from the collection of similar titles for other teams in the four major sports sounded like one that would be full of excellent stories.  While this book by Robert S. Lefebvre has a few of them, especially during the greatest eras for the team in the 1950’s and the 1970’s, overall, this book fell short of those expectations.

One aspect that did not fall short of expectations was the narration of the book by J.P. Linton.  Even more than the good stories, I felt that Linton did a fantastic job on the narration, especially in the earlier chapter when the connection between the Canadiens and the Francophone population in the province of Quebec.  His pronunciation of the French names was very good, and he provided excellent narration of the hockey stories as well.

Here is where the book was not what I expected – the actual stories.  When I see one of these books in the “Tales from the Locker Room” series, I expect a lot of stories about the players’ camaraderie, their antics away from the games and of course game action as well.  This book lacked much of these.  There were more historical stories of how great Canadiens teams were either built or had their dynasties come to an end.  This was especially true for the Montreal teams that won four consecutive Cups from 1976 to 1979.  The stories were more about the players after they left the Canadiens that led to the end of their dynasty in the spring of 1980.  Or, if not that topic, there were plenty on how some of those players were acquired, such as how the trade for Guy Lafleur was conducted. 

Those types of stories, which were many of them no matter what era was being discussed, were good and well-researched. They did hold my interest long enough for me to finish the book, although Linton’s narration helped with that as well.  This just was not the collection of stories I expected.  Readers or listeners who are more interested in the workings of the Montreal front office through the decades would be the target audience for this book.

Link: Amazon.com: Tales from the Montreal Canadiens Locker Room: A Collection of the Greatest Canadiens Stories Ever Told (Audible Audio Edition): J. P. Linton, Robert S. Lefebvre, Audible Studios: Books

Review of “America Tees Off”

 As I noted in my last post, the huge winter storm that hit most of the country allowed me more reading time. This book was one I was able to complete in a fairly short amount of time. Since it was a golf book, it also left me dreaming of golf weather! 

Title/Author:

“America Tees Off: True Tales of Golf’s Rich History” by David Sowell

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review: 

Even non-golfers know that the game has a rich history. Beginning with its origins at St. Andrew’s, also known as the Old Course to today’s game, there are many stories to be told about it. This book by David Sowell does just that, with concentration on stories from courses in the United States.

Stories might be generous here as most of the essays take less than two pages. While this made for quick reading, it often left me wanting more information about the golfer, the course, or whatever else the story was about.

This disappointment, however, was offset by the great variety of topics chosen and that the book covered the entire span of time that the game has been played here. Some of the more interesting topics included President Eisenhower playing at Augusta, how golf balls were kept cool when they were made of gutta perch and a deal made between Charles Schwab and Andrew Carnegie on the golf course.

Of course, professional golfers have their stories too. Not just big names like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, but players like Ben Curtis and Juli Inkster have their moments in this book too. That is the best aspect of the book. The brevity of the stories made it possible to have many people featured without making the reader get lost in trying to keep them straight. A quick, enjoyable read for those who enjoy golf. 

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: https://www.amazon.com/America-Tees-Off-Tales-History/dp/1496243161/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0  

Review of “American Kings”

 As I work on trying to catch up on my reading (both sports and non-sports related) it means I’m also trying to catch up on reviews. Here’s my first one as I work on that year-end push, a review of a book on quarterbacks.

Title/Author: “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback” by Seth Wickersham

Rating:  3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:  In today’s professional football, the quarterback is the lifeblood of his team. While the evolution of the position resulted in him being important decades ago, that importance has been magnified recently. This book by Seth Wickersham explores the timeline of this process through stories about quarterbacks through different eras.

It should be noted that not all of the stories revolve around quarterbacks in the NFL. There are those who hope to become great at the position such as Colin Hurley and Arch Manning. There’s a fairly new NFL quarterback included in Caleb Williams. If one goes way back, there are quarterback stories before the position was considered “glorious.” The first quarterback portrayed who may fit that profile is Bob Waterford - but even there, while he was a Hall of Fame quarterback, his wife as just as famous - Jane Russell, the glamorous actress of that time. 

The stories of all the quarterbacks portrayed, even stars like John Elway and Steve Young, take sad turns which was a title disconcerting while reading the book. I also found it hard to follow as the stories bounced from one quarterback to another. Having a chapter on each one in chronological order would have been my preference. The same goes when Wickersham inserts his own stories when he played the position. They were interesting and did provide substance to the theme - just would have been better as its own chapter.

Football fans who want to hear stories about players in the vital role will enjoy the stories. But treat the book as such - a collection of stories. I expected something different and it did not turn out that way.

I wish to thank Hyperion Avenue for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1368099181/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1368099181&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20 

Review of “Mulligans”

Needing just a good quick sports read (any sport), I found it in this collection of (mostly) golf essays by a well-known golf writer. Here is my review of “Mulligans”.

Title/Author: “Mulligans” by Curt Sampson 

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good) 

Review:  While every sport has excellent stories about accomplishments by participants, not every sport can have great individual stories that tie so well to the play on the field. Golf is one of those sports that can, and this collection of essays by noted golf writer Curt Sampson does just that - gives the sport some great personal stories.

Like any other collection of literary items, be they novels, short stories or poems, some will be great, some not so great and some in the middle. I found most of these stories to be quite good. One interesting note about then is that if the story is about a golfer who had a famous moment or tourney and Sampson writes about it, he describes the golfer’s mind and actions just before the famous moment. Two examples are my two favorite stories in the book. 

One is on Tiger Woods in his historic victory at the 2019 Masters. The story ends when he’s about to start his Sunday round, which just added to the wonder of how he was able to accomplish that win. The other story that follows this script is on Jan van de Velde’s famous 1999 finish at the Open. Many know about his famous meltdown on the 72nd hole, but Sampson writes a great essay on va de Velde’s first 17 holes on that Sunday, ending it when he’s about tees up on 18. 

This is a quick, entertaining and informative read about a variety ofvgolfers across many years. Recommended for any level of golf fan. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Mulligans-Timeless-archive-best-selling-Masters/dp/B0FKPTBX3Q/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Review of "Once More Around the Park"

One of my favorite authors of all time is Roger Angell.  No matter what he wrote about baseball, it was always a treat to read it - and re-read it.  That was the case for me with several of these essays in this book but that's okay - I never tire of reading any collection of his baseball writings. 

Title/Author:

“Once More Around the Park” by Roger Angell

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Avid readers of baseball books are familiar with Roger Angell’s work.  His prose on the game has entertained and informed thousands of readers through the years and while he may no longer be with us, his work is still a treat to read – even if it has been previously read.  This book, a collection of his work in other publications or books that covers approximately 40 years of the sport, is a treat to any baseball fan or reader.

Just like his other books like “Late Innings” or “Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion”, this collection covers a wide variety of topics about baseball and the stories range from humorous to “just the facts” to touching.  If I had to select just a couple of the chapters that I would pick out as the best, one would have to include “In the Country” where Angell took a letter he received from a wife of a pitcher trying to make it in the low minors into a touching love story – not just of the game but also of the couple.  Then the next chapter, “In the Fire”, brings the reader into the world of the catcher with insight into that unique position. There are so many more aspects that a catcher has to consider than what is usually available to the fans in stands or watching on TV.  Such as where to position themselves for a pitch, how to maneuver to make that throw to second base or communicating to fielders on where to position themselves, this chapter is written so well and has contributions from many star catchers from the late 1970s and early 1980s such as Carlton Fisk, Ted Simmons and Bob Boone.

I’ll use the catcher chapter to illustrate one more aspect of the book I really liked and that is while the material is about players and events from several decades ago, there are so many of Angell’s observations that could be applicable today.  The example I’ll use is for catchers who have been named the Most Valuable Player in their league.  He makes the point that only those catchers who have “startling offensive figures” win this award and he gives examples like Johnny Bench, Gabby Harnett and Ernie Lombardi. I noted that this is still true today, with the most recent MVP catcher, Joe Mauer, also putting up incredible hitting statistics in his MVP year but no mention of defense or any other aspect of his game.  I wrote the note in the book and I did that over 40 times for other items.  To me, that shows that even though the game may have changed a lot since Angell wrote his words, they are still applicable, true and wonderful to read even today.   

Link: Once More Around the Park: Angell, Roger: 9780345367372: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Why We Love Football”

 Seeing that Joe Posnanski wrote a book about football in a similar manner as he did about baseball, I had to get a copy. And like his baseball book, I chose to listen to the audio version. Also like the baseball book, it turned out to be the right thing to do.  Here is my review of “Why We Love Football.”

Title/Author:

“Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments” written and narrated by Joe Posnanski

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Joe Posnanski has won several awards in his career, including the Casey Award in 2022 for the best baseball book, “Why We Love Baseball.” It was so successful that he decided to follow the same format and title for America’s most popular sport and like the baseball one, this book is excellent whether in print or on audio.

The latter is how I chose to consume this book and it turned out to be a good choice. Posnanski is a very good narrator and his enthusiasm for the game shows when he is describing these 100 moments that describe people’s love for the game. He includes all levels of football- mostly college and professional, of course, but covering them all gives a more complete picture.

There are many moments that even casual fans will remember if they were around when they occurred - the Immaculate Reception by Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris in 1972, the costly interception thrown at the end of Super Bowl XLIX by Russel Wilson of the Seahawks, and the return of a missed field goal by Alabama for a touchdown by Auburn in the 2013 Iron Bowl rivalry game. These and many other moments will bring back memories, both good and bad, for any fan.

It was also nice to see lesser known accomplishments make their way into this book. The best one for me (and there are several) is about the best female football player to ever strap on shoulder pads, Linda Jefferson. Having read about her amazing accomplishments earlier, I loved it when I heard the chapter on her and that Posnanski included her in the book.

No matter how much interest a reader has in the game of football and whatever level of football is their favorite, they are sure to be able to find at least a few of these stories they will enjoy. It’s what makes a book like this great - one can skim or skip some parts, devour others and come away feeling like they have learned something new about America’s favorite sport. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Love-Football-History/dp/0593475526/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

Review of "Shadows of Glory"

Just in time for the start of the World Series, I have found a couple of books on that very topic.  Here is the first review of a World Series book for this year, "Shadows of Glory."  (P.S.  this year's prediction - Yankees over Dodgers in 6 games.) 

Title/Author:

“Shadows of Glory: Memorable and Offbeat World Series Stories” by Dave Brown and Jeff Rodimer

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The history of the World Series can be just as interesting as the history of baseball itself.  One common cliché in baseball circles is that if you watch the game long enough, you will see something you have never seen before.  That was the case for me when reading this book on World Series stories.

I picked that phrase for this book because overall, it was a good read and the stories, while seeming to have the same format, were pretty interesting.  What caught me by surprise was how many of these stories I have read in previous books.  While that would not be a bad thing for a casual or new baseball reader, one who devours baseball books like I do will most likely have read most of these stories elsewhere.  One of them, the story of Nippy Jones of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the “shoe polish” incident, was something I read about in a children’s baseball book.

Of course, Jones’ story and all of the others were written for adult readers and the research that went into the stories was very good.  It was great to read about the Negro League World Series in 1942, the St. Louis Browns’ lone World Series appearance in 1944 and others about obscure players who had their best baseball moments in the World Series.  Brian Doyle of the 1978 Yankees and David Freese of the 2011 Cardinals are examples of that kind of story in this book.

I would certainly recommend this book for those readers who have not read many baseball books but loves the game.  The stories are good, the reading is light and easy and it’s a fun trip to some little known World Series lore. 

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

Link: Amazon.com: Shadows of Glory: Memorable and Offbeat World Series Stories eBook : Brown, Dave, Rodimer, Jeff, Teixeira, Mark: Kindle Store

 

Review of “18 Holes”

Collections of short stories are always good for when I don’t have large blocks of time to read - this collection of short stories on golf were perfect for me the last few days when I didn’t have a lot of reading time, but enough to read one or two of the stories. Here is my review of “18 Holes.”

Title/Author:

“18 Holes” by Paul Paxton

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

No matter the topic or whether the stories are fiction or nonfiction, a collection of short stories will always have some that are really good and some that are not so great. This collection of 18 short stories by Paul Paxton has much more of the former than the latter and the result is an interesting and quick read on various golf situations.

Many sound far-fetched, such as an assasination attempt of the President of the United States by planting a bomb in the cup on the 17th hole. There is a story about an ultra-secret service that uses golf as a cover for husbands to step out on their marriage. Another interesting one,and it was the one to me that was the most realistic, was on a Q-school player who is sweating out his chances to earn his professional card. 

The characters in most of the stories are developed fine for short stories and all of them even some of the most unrealistic ones, don’t lack in entertainment. Because each of them are fairly short, this book can be read in several short sessions. However, if a reader wants to get through it in one sitting, it won’t take long to achieve that, either. No matter how it is read, a reader who likes their golf will enjoy this collection of stories on the game. 

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

Link:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/18-holes-paul-paxton/1143509113?ean=2940160778433 

Review of "Backyards to Ballparks"

This is the second book of baseball stories compiled and published by a Facebook friend, Eric C. Gray.  I was also present when he visited the Albany, NY area for a reading of selected stories (along with noted baseball author Erik Sherman). It was great to meet him in person, have him read my story and enjoy several others for the second time after reading the book.  Here is my review of "Backyards to Ballparks."

 

Title/Author:

“Backyards to Ballparks: More Personal Baseball Stories from the Stands and Beyond” by Eric C. Gray

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

In his second collection of baseball stories from people in all walks of life, Eric Gray has produced another excellent book that will be an enjoyable read for those with at least a passing interest in the game.  It isn’t often a collection of baseball stories will be from “regular” people instead of those who worked in or played the game, but this one and his first book, “Bases to Bleachers” provide a voice to fans and others who love the game but did not end up making a living from it.

That doesn’t mean there are no stories from people in the game – they are included as well.  One of my favorites is a pioneering umpire, Perry Barber.  She was among the first female umpires in professional baseball and she shares her story in the chapter on umpires. Chapters are broken into various categories of how the storytellers were involved in the game or how if affected them such as special family memories.  For full disclosure, this reviewer had a story published in the chapter on ballpark employees like ushers and vendors, as I was a vendor for the Minnesota Twins and Norfolk Tides and I sent a story to the author for inclusion, which he included in that section.

Like any other collection of stories, not every story will be one that will be enjoyed or connect with every reader.  Nor will a reader necessarily want to know about the particulars in some of the longer anecdotes. However, what all of them DO have is a very personal reason for why the person wants to share that story with anyone who will read it and Mr. Gray is providing those people, including myself, with an outlet to do that. 

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

Link: Amazon.com: Backyards to Ballparks: More Personal Baseball Stories from the Stands and Beyond eBook : Gray, Eric C.: Kindle Store

Book Series - Hamilcar Noir - Boxing True Crime Stories

 

This post will be different that the typical book review that is posted on this blog.  Today I am going to feature some books from a series on one post.  The series is a set of books that are true crime stories involving boxers, the Hamilcar Noir series.

According to Andy Komack, Co-Founder & Principal of Hamilcar Publications, this series is not meant to be definitive biographies of any of the fighters portrayed.  Instead, these fairly short books are intended to be read by those who wish to enjoy a quick read when doing activities such as travel.  They tell a good story about not only the boxer, but the circumstances that led to the criminal activity in which the fighter was involved.  It should also be noted that they do not read like whodunit mysteries, as the outcome is already known by many of the readers.  Instead, they are stories of these men written in excellent prose and supplemented by quality cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.

These books do not have to be read in the order in which they are numbered as they are independent works and can be enjoyed in any order at any time.  Here is a list of the “hard-hitting true crime” books in the series:

·         “Slaughter in the Streets” by Don Stradley

·         “Berserk” by Don Stradley

·         “The Ghost of Johnny Tapia” by Paul Zanon with Teresa Tapia

·         “Killed in Brazil?” by Jimmy Tobin

·         “A Fistful of Murder” by Don Stradley

·         “Shot at a Brothel” by Patrick Connor

·         “President of Pandemonium” by Luke G. Williams.

Below are short reviews of each of the four books that I have read thus far in the series, listed in no particular order.  As I read the other three titles, I will make another post for them and refer back to the publisher web site for more information, as will be listed at the end of this post.  Enjoy the reviews and more importantly, be sure to check out the excellent books in this series.

“A Fistful of Murder” by Don Stradley       

This was an engrossing short book on the life of middleweight boxing champion Carlos Monzon. The book starts with the death of his wife Alicia when she was found dead beneath the balcony of the suite she and Monzon were at. Monzon would later be convicted of murdering her and during his prison sentence, he died when he crashed the car he was driving when returning to prison after being granted a short furlough.

There is enough good material about Monzon’s rise from poverty in Argentina, his rise to boxing legend and his narcissistic personality that the reader will get a good look into the life of this troubled man, despite the relatively short length of the book. It’s an excellent quick read for boxing fans who remember the Argentinian champion.

 

“Killed in Brazil?” by Jimmy Tobin  

Excellent quick read on the mystery surrounding the the death of champion boxer Arturo Gatti. Officially ruled a suicide by Brazilian law enforcement, questions were immediately raised surrounding the competence of the investigation and the role Gatti’s widow Amanda might have played in her husband’s death. The book takes interviews with Amanda and other family members as well as research into the case and lets the reader draw his or her own conclusion. Mix in a good recap of Gatti’s career, including his legendary trio of fights with Mickey Ward and you have a short but great book every boxing fan will enjoy.

“Slaughter in the Streets” by Don Stradley  

This is a very good collection of true crime stories that all have a common theme - former professional boxers who had performed in Boston and somehow got into the crime scene in the streets of that city and ended dead because of that decision. Author Don Stradley gives the reader a very good picture of what life was like for these boxers once they were involved in some of the more notorious crime mobs. Whitey Bulger plays a role in some of these accounts - that tells you just how deep some of these pugilists became into the underworld. Given the sad ending to each one of these lives, it is not a book for the faint of heart - one should be a serious fan of either boxing or true crime books to enjoy this.

“The Ghost of Johnny Tapia” by Paul Zanon with Teresa Tapia 

The story of Johnny Tapia is at once brutal and sad. This short book by Paul Zanon packs a lot of punch in only 96 pages. From the horrific murder of his mother to his numerous highs from drugs that at times left days away from home to his untimely death, Zanon doesn't miss a beat when describing Tapia's life to the reader. What makes the story even sadder is now much promise Tapia had in his boxing career as he was the junior welterweight world champion in the late 1980's and later became the lightweight champion. Johnny's widow Teresa contributes to the book as well as she shares many details of their volatile marriage with Zanon. The reader will be hooked from the start of their life together when Johnny was night on their wedding night to when Teresa had to tell Johnny in his corner that he suffered his first professional loss in the ring and ultimately to when Teresa had to call 911 because Johnny died from a prescription drug overdose. The whole gamut of emotions will flood the reader, unusual for such a short book. It is one that boxing fans will enjoy about the short life of the troubled Hall of Fame boxer.

 

For more titles and information in the series, visit https://hamilcarpubs.com/hamilcar-noir/