Review of "What Is the Goal?"

Given all the news about bad behavior by parents in youth sports, I figured this book was going to be about that topic. While it touched on it, it was really about so much more. 

 

Title/Author:

“What is the Goal? The Truth About the Youth Sports Industry” by Jean Linscott and Kenneth Ruoff

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Even if one does not have children who play sports, nearly everyone is aware that there are bad behaving parents at games where youth are the players, and it has put a damper on the enthusiasm of some.  Expecting this book to be about that topic, it was eye-opening.  While parental behavior is explained, the real wealth a reader will take away from this book is how the Youth Sports Industry (YSI, as abbreviated by the authors liberally) is truly for the well-off, plays off fears of parents and has extraordinary costs for items such as tournaments that should make parents think twice before committing to a pay-to-play league or club.

The main reason for parents wanting to place their athletic children into these programs is the lure of obtaining a college scholarship for athletics, especially at a prestigious university.  The programs can be everything from elite traveling teams to tournaments and ID camps when supposedly a coach or coaches from “major” universities will be present to see the athlete in action and can evaluate these athletes.  While stopping short of calling these programs fraudulent, the book does a very good job of explaining how the return on investment for these parents – the chances of obtaining that scholarship against the amount spent on this endeavor – is usually not good.

Using their own experience as the parents of three youth soccer players, the authors do a fantastic job of explaining the true motive of these programs – money.  While because of their experience, the book is soccer-centric, the authors do explain that their information on the YSI is applicable to any sport in which universities offer scholarships to athletes.  Chapters are dedicated to the different aspects of the YSI – coaches, clubs, tournaments, and ID camps are just a few of the aspects covered in the book.

There will be some discussion about the actual games, mainly in tournaments, but that is very limited.  The closest to any in-depth discussion about the actual sport (soccer) is in the chapter on coaches and how some of them can be good in developing younger players, such as in the U-12 leagues and how some are looking to win at all costs in order to gain better paying coaching jobs.  There will also be some eye-opening accounts that parents should read closely.  The best example of this is the true cost of tournaments – these were broken down into the cost per hour of actual playing time for each player and the cost was staggering.

This is just a preview of all the excellent information and advice given to parents who are considering enrolling their young athletes into one of these programs.  It is highly recommended for these parents or anyone else interested in the workings of the YSI.

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

Link: Amazon.com: What is the Goal?: The Truth About the Youth Sports Industry: 9798990114302: Linscott, Jean, Ruoff, Kenneth: Books

Review of "Switching Fields"

Continuing my never-ending attempt to clean up my TBR pile, I pulled this one out that while it hasn't sat in the pile too long, it was one that was compelling enough for me to read even though it has been a couple months since the World Cup ended.  Here is my review of "Switching Fields."

 

Title/Author: “Switching Fields: Inside the Fight to Remake Men’s Soccer in the United States” by George Dohrman

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: While the United States men’s soccer team (USMNT) has made the World Cup in every year since 1990, with the exception of 2018, it has been a constant source of puzzlement why the country with such a large and diverse population is not a bigger powerhouse in the sport.  This book by George Dohrman explores why that has been the case and also takes a look at some creative ways that some are trying to address this problem.

The book starts off with that 2018 team – specifically the game in which the USNMT lost to Trinidad and Tobago that ended their chances to qualify for the World Cup. Dohrman explains that the subsequent review of why the team did so poorly sets the tone for the book and the explanation of the inherent problems for growing the sport in the United States.  Instead of looking at the entire system, there was criticism of smaller details such as the lineup used in that game.  As Dohrman noted, this missed the bigger picture that the system was the problem – making the United States “a country that should be a shark into a minnow.”

Dohrman then goes on to explain how the country’s youth soccer organization AYSO “was conceived in about ninety minutes” and how the country’s soccer development became entrenched in the Pay-to-Play model that many other youth sports follow. The issue with this model for soccer is that due to many factors, it leaves out a significant portion of the population and leaves the future of the sport in the hands of mostly white, suburban and upper middle class (or higher) players. This didn’t allow the sport to grow in other areas populated mostly by Black families or other people of color.  It also did not help that most coaches of these players were either unfamiliar with the game or if they were, they followed only the European model of play, which is very different from that in other areas where the game is extremely popular such as South America.

What sets this book apart is that Dohrman not only describes and analyzes these shortcomings, but he also highlights people and systems that buck the traditional models of American soccer in the past and are trying to bring more players of all types and backgrounds into the game.  One example, and the best story of the book, is a coach who went against the traditional pay-for-play model in Iowa, Matt Carver.  Carver’s youth allowed him to experience the game in places like Harlem and Germany and when he became a coach with his own children, he saw the flaws in the system and wanted to create a league that would not require high fees and extensive travel.  After several fights with the bureaucracy of the soccer league in suburban Des Moines, he eventually won and now has players coming to his league.

Dohrman also talks about why the women’s teams for the United States are so successful – again, mainly due to some thinking outside the box – and how the men can use ideas such as those from Carver to have more success for the USMNT.  This is a book that should be required reading for anyone who has an interest in seeing how the United States can become a nation that will use its population and diversity to its advantage in the sport of international soccer.

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

Link: Switching Fields: Inside the Fight to Remake Men's Soccer in the United States: Dohrmann, George: 9781524798864: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "A Thing or Two About the Game"

Readers of this blog know that I am not a big reader of fictional books, but this novel about a man who reluctantly agrees to coach a softball team of 11-12 year old girls is a very enjoyable read that I recommend to anyone who wants to have something light on their TBR list.  Here is my review of "A Thing or Two About the Game."

Title/Author: “A Thing or Two About the Game” by Richard Paik

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Coaching youth sports, no matter the sport or the gender of the players, is never easy and the rewards can be more than just the performances on the field of play.  This novel by Richard Paik illustrates this in a delightful and touching manner.

Brad is a man who is unemployed and not sure where his life is going. His ex-wife Stephanie contacts him and asks him to coach a girls’ softball team, the Marlins, when her boyfriend is unable to commit to doing so because of his job.  Brad accepts and wonders what exactly he signed up for – it turns out to be a lot more than he thought.

The best aspect of this novel, aside from its ease of reading, is the character development.  The reader will soon not only begin to connect with Brad, but with just about every other character in the book.  Every one of Brad’s players has some type of quirk or issue that is nothing unusual for 11–12-year-old girls.  They also are diverse for these traits – Jamie is an excellent athlete and is the Marlins’ best player.  Kacie, while not having the skills of Jamie, is determined to succeed and plays her heart out.  Those are just two small examples of how Paik develops each character in such a way that the reader will cheer for them.  There really is not a character who a reader will dislike or cheer against, even opponents (players and coaches) of the Marlins, as Paik makes sure to provide the reader a little insight into them as well.

In the meantime, there are all kinds of mini-stories that take place around the main focus of the book and that is the play of the Marlins, both in practices and during games. For the players, these can range from family matters to health issues.  For Brad, and his best friend Mike (who is a coach for another team, the Braves) these can include relationships (at least for Mike, as Brad is not seeing anyone during the book) and work-related issues.  There are times that a reader might wonder what Brad’s work in biotech research has to do with girls’ softball but as the book progresses, it is clear how these items, along with others, mesh together.

This book isn’t going to come with a nice neat ending, nor is the story one that is clear from beginning to end.  But that is what makes the book different – it reflects what will happen in life.  This is the case for both the girls and the adults in the book.  Put their stories together on the softball field and one gets a very enjoyable novel that is a treat for readers of many different tastes.

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

Links:   A Thing or Two About the Game - Kindle edition by Paik, Richard. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

 

Guest post - Sports Book Lady’s review of “Jackie Robinson West”

The school year is winding down across the United States. As pencils and notebooks are pushed aside, kids turn to their favorite summer activities: summer camp, swimming, late night reading, and little league baseball. In a little over two months, the Little League world will converge in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for its annual World Series. The stands will be packed, and kids appear as happy as ever to play America’s game. Five years ago, two stories took the Little League world by storm: pitcher Mo’ne Davis and the team from the south side of Chicago comprised of all African American players named Jackie Robinson West. Long time Chicago sports writer George Castle followed the JRW little leaguers that year and was compelled enough by their story to chronicle their championship season. 

The south and west sides of Chicago are in the news on a regular basis for shootings, gang involvement, and other related stories. An outsider would think that once one left the city’s downtown, that the entire south and west side is one large grid of gang activity. In certain neighborhoods that may be the case, but the Mt Vernon neighborhood on the city’s south side was founded by middle class, two parent families looking to carve a safe space to raise their children. Castle interviews some of the original residents of Mt Vernon, a neighborhood comprised of stable family units, two parent working families, who desired the best for their children. During the late 1960s, white flight to the suburbs and housing discrimination against African Americans were normal occurrences in Chicago. Even star athletes on both Chicago baseball teams found it difficult to find housing outside of traditional black neighborhoods. Although well north of the Mason-Dixon Line, Chicago was considered the most segregated city in America. Yet, in the 1970s, according to Castle, the hot button issue for African Americans was not gangs but the break down of the family due to the Aid for Dependent Children Act. In order to forge a sense of community and establish deep roots, the Mt Vernon residents started their own little league from the ground up. 

In 1971 Bill Haley put down the roots for the Jackie Robinson West little league. With teams for boys ages 6 through high school and a minimal participation fee, there was a place on a team for every neighborhood boy who wanted to play. Girls could participate in the league as well as Haley issued them pompons and t-shirts and many rooted for their neighbors as cheer leaders. Games in Mt Vernon, later renamed Jackie Robinson, Park were community wide events as the whole neighborhood came to cheer on their boys. These were wholesome families; parents worked as nurses, teachers, police officers, and in various capacities for the city, and there was much parental involvement on most of the Little League teams. League alum David Harris, now an attorney in the Atlanta area, cites his years on Jackie Robinson West as molding his identity as a leader and team player. Harris lauds Bill Haley and Illinois senate leader Emil Jones as the builders of the league that played a role in generations of boys in the neighborhood. It was through this little league and all around community involvement, that families stayed in Mt Vernon as a safe place to raise new generations of ball players, cheerleaders, and wholesome kids. 

As the 1980s moved into the 1990s and then the 2000s, less and less African American children turned to baseball. Sports had become a year round endeavor as kids began to specialize in one sport for the entire year rather than play seasonally. With high participation fees for travel leagues, many African American kids turned to football and basketball as their sport of choice. If parents did not want to risk their kids becoming a statistic by venturing outside to a park, kids stayed home and played video games. Baseball was becoming an afterthought, and Major League Baseball wanted to do something to boost African American participation. Their RBI program aimed at inner city baseball leagues, had opened some eyes, but going forward, many kids prefer other sports to baseball fans even if baseball may be a safer alternative to football. From the major leagues to little league, administrators looked for new ways to encourage African Americans to turn to baseball as their sport of choice. 

The 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League Team came along at a time when both little league participation and Chicago Major League Baseball was at an all time low. Yet, the team did the unthinkable: the boys made it all the way to the Little League World Series and then made it to the championship game. The boys known as JRW had won America’s hearts and become the feel good story of the year and more importantly increased exposure and television ratings. Yet, according to community members, JRW was not a Cinderella Story. The boys on the team came from two parent, middle class families, and both parents worked with their sons to mold them into top ballplayers, students, and leaders. Galvanized by the team, the community met for watch parties and the city finally had a baseball team to cheer about. Even in a summer with more gang shootings than ever, for two weeks the murder rate was down as people all across Chicago met to watch their boys compete for a title. 

Five years later some members of the 2014 JRW team, now associated with Cal Ripken League, are finishing high school and eligible for major league baseball’s draft. With the draft this week, it will be interesting to see if some of the boys made it. In 2014, the Jackie Robinson West team was the feel good story of the summer. The boys were noticed by African American Major League ball players and the president of the United States. They made their community proud and allowed Chicago to be known for something positive. George Castle, a native Chicagoan, has done a fine job of documenting the Mt Vernon community and Jackie Robinson Little League as one built to last by community leaders and should be commended and used as an example by inner city communities across the United States. 

Review of "Never Ran, Never Will"

It is not often a book on any sport at any level will leave a message to me about social issues and make me want to help in some small way.  This book is one that did - a wonderful account of young men in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville and the youth football program that some see as a path to future success.  Here is my review of "Never Ran, Never Will."

Title/Author:

“Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City” by Albert Samaha

Tags:

Football (American), youth, society

Publish date:

September 4, 2018

Length:

368 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Brooklyn is noted for its diverse neighborhoods and the changing landscape of the borough is bringing more wealth and success to many of its residents. However, the neighborhood of Brownsville has felt that some of this success has left it behind.  There is a great success story that originates from Brownsville – the youth football program known as the Mo Better Jaguars.  This excellent book by Albert Samaha captures the spirit of these football squads, as well as its players and coaches.
 
The main focus of the book is not just the sport of football but the issues facing boys and young men in the inner city.  Several players – Gio, Oomz, Isaiah and Hart just to name a few – are portrayed and their issues with family, school, gangs and other matters are told in painstaking detail.  Some of the stories are inspirational, some are heartbreaking.  Their lives are taking shape while playing for the Mo Better program and they may surprise the reader on just how some of their experiences do not fit the stereotype of life in the inner city.

The same goes for the coaches – Esau, Vick and Chris. These are even better reading as they are not only coaching the boys to improve their football skills but also on what they need to do or not do in order to succeed.  Their overwhelming theme is to avoid “the streets” as they can swallow a young man up and he will find himself in gangs, in jail or dead.  These coaches not only talk the talk, but they walk the walk. I found Vick’s story quite compelling, especially that at the same time he is telling his players about the importance of school and reading, he is trying to better himself by going to school to become a nursing assistant while trying to find a job. 

The reader will also learn about Brownsville – its history, its struggles and the lack of support it has received from the rest of New York City.  It is important for the reader to absorb this information as well, as it helps to illustrate what the Mo Better players are experiencing and how the Jaguars have become such a vital part of the neighborhood as many of these youth view football as the means to get onto a path to success.  That success may come in the form of an NFL career or a scholarship to college where the education received will lead to a successful career in another field. 

Football writing is not forgotten, however, and while Samaha is not a sportswriter by trade, his narratives of the action on field, both in practice and during the games, will be easily digested by all fans of the game no matter how closely they follow the sport. The detail is just as good here, especially when describing how much the players like to hit. It feels like they are releasing all of their frustrations with their issues at home or in school on the other kid, whether it is a teammate at practice or an opponent who will not be able to continue the play. 

This book will make an impact on the reader in ways that other sports books cannot, especially when one considers the topic and the issues faced by these young men.  It will make the reader think, it will make the reader cheer, and hopefully it will make the reader help to take action to ensure that young men living in places like Brownsville are not left behind.

I wish to thank Perseus 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/Never-Ran-Will-Football-Changing-ebook/dp/B078W5ZD88/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-ran-never-will-albert-samaha/1127834445?ean=9781541767867#/

Review of "Suicide Squeeze"

It's hard to believe it was nearly 12 years ago that several major league baseball players were called before Congress to testify about the use of steroids and none of them (Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmiero and Jose Canseco) had much to say that was helpful.  However, parents of two young men who committed suicide after abusing steroids chasing their baseball dreams did present powerful testimony.  The stories of those two young men whose lives ended far too soon are the subject of this book.  Here is my review of "Suicide Squeeze."

Title/Author:

“Suicide Squeeze: Taylor Hooton, Rob Garibaldi and the Fight Against Teenage Steroid Abuse” by William C. Kashatus

Tags:

Baseball, high school, college, youth sports, USC, performance enhancing drugs

Publish date:

January 23, 2017

Length:

256 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (Very good)

Review:

Much has been written and said about the use of steroids, or performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in Major League Baseball.  However, the use of PEDs is not limited to the big leaguers – there are also players who have used them in high school, college and amateur baseball in order to gain a competitive advantage. The stories of two players who used them and ultimately committed suicide are the central tales of this book written by William C. Kashatus.

The two players involved are Taylor Hooton (cousin of former major league pitcher Burt Hooton) and Rob Garibaldi. Both players started using steroids in high school with the hopes of improving their performance in order to attract the attention of professional scouts or obtain college scholarships. The latter did happen for Garibaldi, as he was awarded a scholarship to the University of Southern California, one of the more prestigious college baseball programs. However, both of them ultimately committed suicide as the side effects of the drugs took effect.

The book starts out with the testimony of a parent of each player, Don Hooton and Denise Garibaldi, presented to Congress during the 2005 hearings on PED use in baseball.  That was the most powerful section of the book as both parents gave moving accounts of what their sons went through and the responsibility that major league baseball has in letting everyone know about the danger of these substances.

From there, the reader will learn much about the two young men, their dreams and what they would do in order to achieve them.  More than just success on the diamond, Kashatus also explains other reasons that young men would want to use these drugs, such as physical enhancement to be more attractive to the opposite sex.  Kashatus conducted interviews with family members and also did extensive research on the drugs. Some of those passages are very technical in nature. If the reader is not familiar with this topic, they will have to be carefully read in order to fully appreciate what the drugs to one’s body and mind.

Written with the goal of hoping to prevent additional suicides by young athletes, this book is one that should be read by anyone who is involved in youth sports in order to fully learn about the dangers of abusing these drugs. It will make the reader stop and think about PEDs and whether the risk of taking these is worth it.

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

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links (pre-order at time of review):

http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/2434_reg.html

https://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Squeeze-Garibaldi-against-Teenage/dp/1439914389/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480990586&sr=1-3&keywords=suicide+squeeze

Review of "The Arm"

Being that it is World Series time, it is only appropriate that a baseball book review appears during the Fall Classic.  This book is considered by many to be one of the best baseball books of 2016, and it is hard to argue against it, as I enjoyed this one a lot.  Here is my review of "The Arm."

Title/Author:

“The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” by Jeff Passan, narrated by Kevin Pierce

Tags:

Baseball, professional, injuries, youth sports, audio book

Publish date:

April 5, 2016

Length:

376 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:
Those who follow the game of baseball have notices that lately the workloads of pitchers have decreased, but the number and severity of injuries suffered by pitchers has increased. Through it all, the amount of money spent on pitchers has increased to more than a billion dollars. This excellent book by Jeff Passan explores the business of pitching through several different lenses. doesn't just seem so, but research by Bill James and others backs that up.

Starting with the question of why there are so many pitching injuries, Passan looks into some reasons. From his research and interviews, the primary reason seems to be velocity. Pitchers these days throw harder than ever before, and velocity does correlate with injury rates. Passan doesn’t just stop with this conclusion – he backs it up with stories about young players getting raves for hitting speeds over 95 miles an hour on the radar gun. This “need for speed” is illustrated by his writing about youth baseball tourneys, traveling teams, and the Japanese baseball culture of big workloads for pitchers, no matter the age.

The popular surgical procedure of repairing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), also known as “Tommy John surgery”, is explained in detail.  The book starts off like a medical record as it describes this operation on Todd Coffey. This is the second time Coffey, a major league relief pitcher, has undergone the surgery.  His rehab and struggles to get back into the major leagues is the main thrust of the book, along with a similar following of another pitcher trying to make it back after the surgery, Daniel Hudson. Their stories, not just in rehab or on the field but also the toll it takes on their families, makes for fascinating reading.

Despite all of these setbacks and questions, major league teams still spend a lot of money on top free agent pitchers.  The wooing of free agent pitcher Jon Lester in the off-season of 2014-15 is chronicled, mainly from Lester’s point of view. The maneuverings of the teams in order to convince Lester to sign a contract with the team is also completing reading and one will shake his or her head to realize the lengths go to acquire top pitching talent.

The book is highly recommended for all baseball fans as it will address many different issues affecting the most important position in the game and how it turned into a billion-dollar industry. Between the outstanding writing and the thorough research, this is one to add to every baseball bookshelf.

Book Format Read:

Audiobook

Buying links:

https://www.amazon.com/Arm-Billion-Dollar-Mystery-Valuable-Commodity/dp/0062400363/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477869457&sr=1-1&keywords=the+arm+jeff+passan

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-arm-jeff-passan/1123314873?ean=9780062400369

Review of "Coaching Youth Basketball"

Happy Valentine's Day to all who are celebrating!  While love is in the air, and of course we all love our sports, I have kept on reading while celebrating with my Valentine.  I was offered a short book on coaching youth basketball by the author and I accepted.  It was a short book but it was complete with the information that it wanted to communicate to coaches. Here is my review of "Coaching Youth Basketball: Offensive Strategies."

Title/Author:

“Coaching Youth Basketball: Offensive Strategies” by Jordan Lyons

Tags:

Basketball, coaching, youth sports

Publish date:

January 26, 2016

Length:

59 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Coaching, in any sport, is one of the most insecure jobs around. At every level, from youth teams to the professionals, there is a lot of work behind the scenes that must be done, including practices. This short book by Jordan Lyons helps youth basketball coaches with that part of the job by introducing the basic terms, some drills and basic plays.

The goal of the book is to give youth basketball coaches a starting point for developing their players so that they may become better offensive players and work together as a unit on the offensive end of the court.  The book is broken down into three main sections: terms and positions of the players, drills such as passing and dribbling, and offensive plays.

What most impressed me with this book is the easy language for coaches to follow when working on the plays that are diagrammed. There isn’t too much basketball lingo or jargon in the book – just straightforward descriptions of the drills and the plays. The plays are also flexible so that coaches can modify them once the basic plays have been mastered.

In my opinion, this makes the book perfect for both players and coaches at this level of basketball as they are learning the basics of the game and learning how to play as a team.  I do recommend this book for youth coaches who are trying to determine which offensive plays to teach their players.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Youth-Basketball-Offensive-Strategies-ebook/dp/B01B3Z3T9Y/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455484289&sr=1-7&keywords=coaching+youth+basketball  

Review of "T-Man and the Game" - youth book

Before posting the review, I must state here that I do owe an apology to the author, CJ Boerger, for waiting so long to read this book.  It was such a small paperback that it got buried under larger books I received, and as a result, reading it was delayed.  But I am glad I dug it out, as it was a nice book that not only the intended audience will enjoy, but adults should as well.  Here is my review of "T-Man and the Game." 

Title/Author:

“T-Man and the Game” by CJ Boerger

Tags:

Basketball, fiction, youth, middle school

Publish date:

April 21, 2015

Length:

100 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Tommy, aka “T-man”, loves basketball more than anything else in life.  He is one of the best players on the Bulls, a fifth-grade basketball team fighting to make the playoffs.  What Tommy does to help his team win and overcome some of his fears and worries about the game and other things as well is illustrated in this entertaining book by CJ Boerger aimed at readers in the same age group as Tommy.

The story is mainly about basketball and there is plenty of action on the court as Tommy, his teammates Willie, Gregg (make sure you spell it with two “g’s”) and Cooper battle it out for the rest of the season.  In the meantime, Tommy has to also address other issues that are typical for a boy his age – school work, a crush on a girl, how to talk to his parents.  In Tommy’s case, that is doubly important because his father is the coach of the Bulls.

The story is written in a manner that middle school students will easily understand.  It speaks in their language, especially those who play basketball like Tommy.  Both the dialogue and the action on the basketball court are realistically written for students of this age.  How Tommy addresses his fear of public speaking so he can give a speech at school is terrific.  The same goes for his interactions with Chloe, the girl in his classroom – this is tastefully and realistically written.

While the book is aimed at middle school aged readers, adults will enjoy this as well as they relive that period in their lives and smile as they do.  At least this reader smiled quite often while reading the book.

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

Pace of the book:

The book is easy to read for the target audience and it should be a good fast paced read for any reader at any age.

Do I recommend? 

Any young person in middle school or about ages 6-14 will enjoy reading this book in which the protagonist addresses many of the issues he is facing.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/T-Man-Game-CJ-Boerger-ebook/dp/B00WIK8J5I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433001893&sr=1-1&keywords=T-man+and+the+game

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/t-man-and-the-game-cj-boerger/1121802689?ean=9781511523516

  

Review of "Play Their Hearts Out" - audio book

You know when you are enjoying one particular activity, food or other similar item that you keep on enjoying it for awhile?  That is the case for me with basketball books lately as that has been the sport of choice for my reading and listening as of late.  Here is the review of my latest basketball book, "Play Their Hearts Out." 

Title/Author:

“Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit and the Youth Basketball Machine” by George Dohrmann, narrated by Emily Rose Speer

Genre/topics: 

Basketball, youth sports, audio book

Published:

October 2, 2010

Length:

434 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

The world of youth basketball, also known as grass roots basketball, has produced some great players who had success in the professional game such as Tyson Chandler.  It has also produced stories of players who were expected to go far in their basketball careers at the age of 11 and 12 and buckled under the pressure of great expectations.  The story of one coach and his team of players in Los Angeles is told in this interesting book by George Dohrmann.  I was expecting stories like this about the players, but all of the main characters in this book were important to the story.

Coach Joe Keller is the main man of this tale, wanting to put together the best group of kids ages 10 and 11 and keep them together through high school in order to gain fame, fortune and to be the one to produce the next great player.  Keller thought he had that player in Demetrius Walker, a young impressionable boy who, like many other players, sees his coach as his father figure. What follows is a story that will make the reader cheer, laugh, but mostly shake his or her head when it is revealed just how far Keller goes to ensure that Walker is noticed and hyped as much as possible.

There is considerable discussion about the role that shoe companies such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok play in the grassroots game. There are rankings of players online, recruiting of these players as early as age 9, and deals made in order to bribe parents into allowing their children to play on these teams.  Keller paid rent for more than one of his player’s living accommodations – if that player wasn’t spending most of his time at Keller’s house.  He did that and more for Walker’s family.  Walker was good enough to have his picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  What happens eventually to him and some of his teammates made me keep on listening to the book.

The narration provide by Speer for the audio book was very good as she told the story of young men and their interactions in a manner that you didn’t realize the gender difference or that it was a woman speaking language and phrases that young men share only with other young men.  I felt that by listening to instead of reading this book, I was able to stay connected to the basketball players.  I was cheering for them to all have happy endings by the end – whether that happened is something that I will not give away here.  If one wants to learn more about the inner workings of youth basketball, this is an excellent source of information for that topic.

Pace of the book:

It moves along very well. The story stays on track as the author rarely veers off topic on side stories.  They are all about Coach Keller, his team, his players or their families.

 

Do I recommend?

Yes – although be prepared for some melancholy stories as not all of the boys have successful endings.  If the reader wants to learn more about grass roots basketball, both the good and the ugly, this book covers it all.

Book Format Read:

Audio book

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Play-Their-Hearts-Out-Basketball-ebook/dp/B003F3PN42/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1424917615&sr=1-1&keywords=play+their+hearts+out

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/play-their-hearts-out-george-dohrmann/1100643393?ean=9780345508614

Review of "The Matheny Manifesto"

When looking for a new baseball book that would be a little different than a biography or a history book, I found this one on NetGalley.  I was surprised to see that the current manager of the Cardinals had written a book, but decided to give it a try and I was glad I did.  Here is my review of "The Matheny Manifesto." 

Title/Author:

“The Matheny Manifesto: A Young Manager’s Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life” by Mike Matheny and Jerry Jenkins

Tags:

Baseball, coaching, youth sports, Cardinals

Publish date:

February 3, 2015

Length:

226 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Mike Matheny has enjoyed success in his baseball career, both as a player and as the current manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.  He holds many views about the game that would be considered “old-school” and has applied those thoughts to both baseball and life when he has coached youth baseball.  These beliefs and what he does with his young players has been communicated in a letter he gives all parents titled the “Matheny Manifesto.”   It has become an Internet sensation, but more importantly, it has become a code by which other coaches and parents of youth sports participants would be well to follow.

The book has many pieces of advice that nearly everyone involved in youth sports has heard, such as let the kids make mistakes without being overly critical and that the coach is always right, even if he or she is not. There are some topics that might be surprising, especially in today’s specialized youth sports culture. Matheny advises parents to let a kid try all the sports he or she wants to play instead of determining early which one would be “the one.”  He also speaks out against the culture of rewarding every participant for being present. On that topic, he simply says that this kind of reinforcement does not prepare the child for the inevitable failure that he or she will face in real life.

Matheny also talks about his faith in one chapter, but does not preach nor expect anyone else to also wear his or her faith on the sleeve. Instead, he simply explains how his Christian faith has helped shape his values and I thought this was one of the better written chapters in the book. His account of his playing and managing career in the major leagues was also very good and it tied in nicely with the points he was trying to make regarding youth sports.

This book is one that should be read by anyone involved in youth sports, no matter the role.  While some readers may not follow every bit of advice not wish to read about Matheny’s faith, the book as a whole is a good reminder that these athletes are still kids, and these games should be about them and not the adults. 

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

Did I skim?

No

Pace of the book: 

Very good – the breakdown of each chapter into smaller sections on a certain topic makes reading the book easier.  If the reader just wants to read certain parts for reference or review, this format makes that easier as well.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Matheny-Manifesto-Managers-Old-School-Success-ebook/dp/B00MKZ9AYA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1423706525&sr=1-1&keywords=matheny+manifesto

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-matheny-manifesto-mike-matheny/1120420221?ean=9780553446692