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 “Game On”

A book on the history of sports media? Sounds like something that would be the subject of a scholarly work. If it was it sure didn’t read like one but still was as informative as one. Here is my review of “Game On.”

Title/Author:

“Game On: How Sports Media Grew Up, Sold Out, & Got Personal With Billions of Fans ” by David Bockino

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Sports fans today have so many different ways to enjoy sports or associated aspects such as betting and fantasy games. How we got here today from the humble beginnings of a boxing match being broadcast on the radio in 1921 is told in this excellent book by David Bockino. 

This is certainly more than a simple retelling of the history of media. How Bockino makes this so interesting is how he connects the new form of media he is describing with the societal norms of the time. Usually this means something is going to change drastically.

One example is professional football exploding in popularity after the famous televised 1958 championship game between the Colts and the Giants. This is well known to even casual fans, but the way Bockino writes about it and his references to other coverage of the game, especially newspaper writers, makes this even better than the commonly known account of the game and telecast. 

The latter chapters, from the creation of ESPN to sports talk radio to fan “experiences” is also excellent writing. This is mainly due to Bockino’s personalization of the events. The reader will get to know people who took chances, financially and professionally. There are far too many people to name her and it’s difficult to provide a great example because every chapter and every innovation Bockino describes is excellent. It should be noted that even though the topic could easily become dry, it never becomes that. The pages will be turned quickly by a reader, who will be entertained and educated on a topic that has undergone dramatic changes in the century covered in the book.

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

Link: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496233172/ 

Review of “Deep Thoughts From an Armchair Quarterback”

Happy Holidays! For one of the last reviews of 2023, I went with this book written by a sports fan on thoughts that other fans usually have and/or express. Here is the review of this book. No matter which holidays you celebrate, I wish all of you a joyous season.  

Title/Author:

“Deep Thoughts From an Armchair Quarterback” by Chris R. Weilert

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Sports fans who view many games in a wide variety of sports will relate to this book by Chris Weilert. He’s not claiming to be any different than any other fan - simply a fan who is sharing his thoughts on a wide variety of sports and it makes for a very enjoyable reading experience.

What I really liked about this book is that Weilert covers a wide variety of sports and doesn’t spend a lot of time on any on particular game, team or athlete. He doesn’t get overly critical of anything, nor does he go overboard on praise. If there is a topic that affects him and his feelings about it, he’s not shy to voice his thoughts. The best example of this is when he talks about a topic sports fans debate all the time - who is the GOAT (greatest of all time)? Pick any sport, any team, any player and this debate rages - Weilert thinks that it’s a waste of time - how can one fairly compare performances in different eras? (Note - while it’s not the reason I chose this example, I am in complete agreement with him on this topic). 

Another good aspect of this book is that while it helps to be a fan, a reader doesn’t have to be an expert on the vocabulary or nuances of the various sports discussed to enjoy the book. The language is basic and easy to comprehend- it feels like a barstool discussion on whatever topic is the subject of the chapter. Finally, what makes the book fun is the wide variety of games covered. Of course the main four of baseball, football, basketball and hockey are a majority of the text but so many others are discussed, such as the Olympics and the Highland Games - that was a fun chapter.

No matter who or what they follow, sports fans will want to pick this book up, maybe with their favorite adult beverage close by and enjoy these discussions that fans engage in all the time. 

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

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Recliner-Quarterback-Chris-Weilert-ebook/dp/B0CDP5LT3J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= 

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 "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 "Minnesota Made Me"

As a Minnesota native, I was naturally interested in this book when I saw that advance review copies were offered to reviewers. Recognizing many of the athletes on the cover, I picked it up and it turned out to be pretty good.  Here is my review of "Minnesota Made Me"

Title/Author:

“Minnesota Made Me” by Patrick C. Borzi

Tags:

Various sports, biography

Publish date:

November 6, 2018

Length:

200 pages

Rating: 

3 1/2 of 5 stars (good)

Review:

Minnesota has produced its share of championship athletes in a wide variety of sports. From curling (Pete Fenson) to motocross (Ryan Dungey) to women’s soccer (Briana Scurry), stories about more than three dozen athletes, or people who have worked in sports such as broadcasters, who have called Minnesota home are told in this book by Patrick C. Borzi.

The format of the book is straightforward – short biographies of more than three dozen athletes in many different sports. They are presented in alphabetical order from golf legend Patty Berg to basketball star Lindsey Whalen. Whalen is in a class by herself as she won championships for her teams in Minnesota at the high school, college and professional level. In addition to the lesser known sports listed above, there are stories about star athletes in major sports that many people know.  Stars such as Larry Fitzgerald (football), Paul Molitor and Tony Oliva (baseball) and Zach Parise (hockey) are also portrayed.

The stories are short but complete as the reader will learn more about the person in their professional and private lives. Some stories are understandably longer than others, but much of that depended on how much the athlete wanted to share with the author. It should also be noted that not every person portrayed is a Minnesota native. For example, the above noted Tony Oliva was born in Cuba but was signed by the Minnesota Twins as a teenager and once he came to Minnesota, it was his home.

While I was hoping to learn a little more about some of these athletes, especially those in the fringe sports that get little or no coverage from the media, this was a decent book that readers who hail from Minnesota (like this reviewer) or want to read about a wide variety of sports will enjoy it.

I wish to thank Press Box 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/Minnesota-Made-Me-Patrick-Borzi/dp/1634940318/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541378169&sr=1-1&keywords=minnesota+made+me