Review of "Baseball Dreams, Fishing Magic"

This was a book that I discovered purely by accident.  When searching on Kindle Unlimited for a particular book, I not only found that one but also this one.  I decided on reading this one first - and it was a very good decision.  Here is my review of "Baseball Dreams, Fishing Magic"

Title/Author:

“Baseball Dreams, Fishing Magic” by Mike Reuther

Tags:

Baseball, fishing, fiction

Publish date:

July 1, 2014

Length:

137 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

One piece of advice that nearly everyone has heard, whether from a parent, teacher or some other figure, is that people should follow their dreams.  However, if one is not so sure what those dreams are, it might be difficult to follow them.  This dilemma was faced by Nick Grimes, the young man who is the protagonist in this wonderful short novel by Mike Reuther. 

Nick was a successful high school pitcher who had the talent to be signed by the Detroit Tigers, but never was able to advance beyond the lower minor leagues. He decides to give up baseball and work with a friend back home in central Pennsylvania in his plumbing business.  The friend, Hal, also enjoys fly fishing and Nick discovers how much he likes it as well. Nick soon opens his own business where clients pay for a guided day of fly fishing, but like baseball, Nick questions this choice as well.

The character of Nick, as well as those of his father, Hal and Jess, a young woman with whom Nick is smitten, is well-developed in the book.  This is even more impressive given the short length of the story.  More words and pages are devoted to understanding these characters than outside details, which makes the characters and their relationships the heart and soul of the book.  One other character that should be mentioned is Sir Jon, a recluse who lives in a cabin he built himself.  Nick met him while fly fishing and he imparts some wisdom as well.

Baseball is a regular theme, though, throughout the book and the scenes in which Nick is pitching, whether good or bad, are ones that any baseball fan will love.  The reader will be feeling the same emotions as Nick whether he strikes out the side or gives up a grand slam. 

A wonderful story with realistic characters, “Baseball Dreams, Fishing Magic” is a story that readers of many ages and interest will enjoy.  It is a short but very engaging book.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

 

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Dreams-Fishing-Magic-Through-ebook/dp/B00LT8D3EW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr

Review of "Remembering the NFL Glory Years"

The last of the Thanksgiving weekend reviews is about the sport that everyone associates with the holiday: football.  This book interested me as it covered the game during the time that I enjoyed it the most and some of the players mentioned brought back some great memories of the Purple People Eaters days of my favorite team, the Minnesota Vikings.  Here is my review of this book.

Title/Author:

“Remembering the Stars of the NFL Glory Years: An Inside Look at the Golden Age of Football” by Wayne Stewart

Tags:

Football (American), professional, history

Publish date:

July 13, 2017

Length:

238 pages

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Professional football has undergone many changes since the “Golden Age” of the game, a twenty year time frame from 1955 to 1975, give or take a few years.  Many of the great players from that era are remembered in this book by veteran sportswriter Wayne Stewart.

Stewart doesn’t try to rank players from that time in a numerical pecking order.  Instead, he divides the book up by other means and writes a page or two on each player mentioned.  There is a chapter for offensive players, a chapter for defensive players, one for funniest moments (my favorite chapter), one for the toughest, one for some other players not mentioned earlier, then finally a comparison of the game then to now. 

In all chapters, the reading is easy, quick and flows well.  Because he doesn’t use too many statistics, that makes the book more of an anecdotal read than an analytical one.  That is good for a reader who wants to simply learn a little bit more about each of these players, especially if that reader never saw them play during their careers.

Many of the stories are told from only a few sources.  It appears that Stewart obtained much of the material from a few interviews, most notably Gino Marchetti and Myron Pottios.  Both of these men are mentioned and quoted frequently.  While the information from these stories is good and entertaining, it does give the book a feel that this is mainly about how these men feel about who was the best during the era.

The other matter that caught my attention was that the chapter on defensive players included other positions.  The most notable example was the mention of former offensive center Mick Tinglehoff near the end of the chapter on defensive players.  Since he was an offensive player, I wondered why he was included in the defensive chapter.  The tie-in was that he snapped to Vikings teammate Paul Krause for many years when Krause would be the placeholder for kicks.  Krause is deservedly mentioned in the defensive chapter as one of the best defensive backs (he still holds the career record for pass interceptions), but including Tinglehoff on the pages with him was a head-scratcher for me.

Nonetheless, this is a decent book that football fans who watched the game during that time will enjoy reading.  It is like a time machine, taking the reader back to a time when professional football was played in a much different manner than it is today.

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

Book Format Read:

Hardcover

Buying Links:

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442274235/Remembering-the-Stars-of-the-NFL-Glory-Years-An-Inside-Look-at-the-Golden-Age-of-Football

https://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Stars-NFL-Glory-Years/dp/1442274239/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Review of "This Book Has Balls"

Book #2 for the holiday weekend reviews was written by actor Michael Rapaport, who shows that he knows a thing or two about basketball.  Oh, and it is very funny as well.  Here is my review of his book "This Book Has Balls."

Title/Author:

“This Book Has Balls: Sports Rants from the MVP of Talking Trash” by Michael Rapaport

Tags:

Basketball, essays, humor

Publish date:

October 24, 2017

Length:

305 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Michael Rapaport is an actor who knows his sports, especially basketball.  He has a very popular podcast in which he rants on many different sports topics.  Sometimes he is crass, often his commentary is laced with colorful language but he also emphatically makes his point and if doesn’t matter if you agree or not, it’s his way or the highway.

This book is a collection of essays written in the same manner as these commentaries.  Therefore, if a reader is familiar with Rapaport’s style, then he or she will love this book.  For a reader like me, who knows of it and has seen him on television in various roles, then this will be an introduction to his sports side.

The first impression I had was that is basketball cred is outstanding, despite never playing in college or professional basketball.  He writes great essays on Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Allan Iverson, the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden, the “mecca” of basketball.  These were my favorite ones and I found myself agreeing with him on just about every story about this sport.

The book is not limited to basketball, however, as he also writes about Tiger Woods, Lawrence Taylor (which I thought was the funniest story), athletes whose prowess in the bedroom as well as the playing arena was legendary, and, in a non-sports rant that surprised me, the Real Housewives series which he believes was great television. 

Since his calling is comedy, of course the book is filled with humor, from the beautifully sublime to the crude and obvious.  I mentioned the Lawrence Taylor story, in which Rapaport believes LT is the greatest player in football history because he played while under the influence of cocaine.  That was hilarious as well as some other stories and excerpts. 

I will give one more example of this comedy that left me in tears.  To put it in proper context, this is about Shawn Kemp, a star NBA player in the 1990’s who was as well known for fathering children with numerous women as well as his play on the court.  This is about a dream Rapaport had: “I actually had (a dream) a few nights ago that I was playing for the Seattle Supersonics during the Nineties and Shawn Kemp and I were having an extensive conversation on the layup line about getting vasectomies.” 

While certainly this book has to be read only by adults because of the language, it is a very funny and entertaining book that is recommended for fans of Rapaport, basketball fans, or those who want to just laugh out loud while reading a book with sports content. 

I wish to thank Touchstone Publishing 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/This-Book-Has-Balls-Talking-ebook/dp/B071RBQCCW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/this-book-has-balls-michael-rapaport/1126269207?ean=9781501160332#/

Review of "Go Like Hell"

As the Thanksgiving weekend is winding down, it is time to review some books.  It was a very busy holiday weekend for me - between the eating, the basketball (yes, I said basketball - took my grandson to a Brooklyn Nets game on Black Friday) and the other activities with the family, I even found time to finish three books.  First one was an outstanding book on the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race.  Here is my review of "Go Like Hell."

Title/Author:

“Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory At Le Mans” by A.J. Baime

Tags:

Auto Racing, business, endurance

Publish date:

January 1, 2009

Length:

321 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

The race known has the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most famous, testing the endurance of drivers, pit crews and cars alike.  It was a very dangerous race, as it was once called “a four hour sprint races followed by a 20 hour death watch” by Car and Driver magazine.  However, winning the race was also very prestigious for everyone involved.  Two car makers waged an epic war in the 1960’s for this glory, Ford and Ferrari, and the battle is captured in this excellent book by A.J. Baime.

The book covers everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about what the two owners, Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II, did in order to ensure their cars were the best at the race.  Ferrari cars had a head start, as in the mid-1960’s, they were the kings of Formula 1 and European racing, and Ford had some catching up to do.  At first, it appeared to have a deal to work together on racing cars, but when that fell through, a bitter rivalry ensued.

While their business rivalry is well-documented, Baime writes about every aspect of the racing teams and what they did for their respective areas.  Drivers such as Phil Hill, John Surtees, Carroll Shelby (who was also a designer), Bruce McLaren and Mario Andretti are all a part of the story.  The scenes in the garage and the pits, starting from 1957 and Phil Hill driving for the Ferrari team up until 1966 when Ford finally won its first race, are described wonderfully as race fans of all interest levels will feel like they are either fueling the cars or speeding down the Mulsanne Straight at over 200 miles per hour.

Baime is a well-respected writer on auto racing and his research and writing for this book is superb. It is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the sport or in the Le Mans race.

Book Format Read:

E-Book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Go-Like-Hell-Ferrari-Battle/dp/0547336055/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/go-like-hell-a-j-baime/1100196621;jsessionid=A072290396743E2926A837A128B63984.prodny_store02-atgap08?ean=9780547336053

Review of "Game Face"

While some people may not remember Bernard King's prowess for scoring in the 1980s, many serious basketball fans will recall his career with fondness despite being overshadowed in the minds of many by Bird, Magic and Jordan.  He was known for his privacy and he has opened up with this very good memoir.  Here is my review of "Game Face."

Title/Author:

“Game Face: A Lifetime of Hard – Earned Lessons On and Off the Basketball Court” by Bernard King with Jerome Preisler

Tags:

Basketball, professional, memoir, Nets, Warriors, Jazz, Knicks

Publish date:

November 7, 2017

Length:

360 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Bernard King is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and was one of the most prolific scorers during his sixteen year career, with his best seasons occurring when he played for the New York Knicks.  He recovered from serious knee surgery at a time when that type of injury meant the end of a career.  In addition, he was known as an extremely private person during his playing days, rarely opening up to the media about any personal issues.

In this memoir written with Jerome Preisler, King opens up about his childhood and the feelings of self-doubt that were always present in his life, even when basketball took him to places he never thought he would reach, such as college (University of Tennessee) and back home to New York.  As a Brooklyn kid, he talks about his experiences in the schools and playgrounds in the area and how he vowed to do what he could to avoid the temptations of the streets.

He also opens up about problems that plagued him during his college and professional careers, namely alcoholism and its associated issues.  He thanks his first agent for assisting him in getting the help he needed to overcome those issues as well.  King’s openness about these matters is something that he would rarely do in the public spotlight, so a reader can only imagine how tough it must have been for him to talk about these subject.  He covers a lot of ground in these areas, but there is not a lot of detail or too much anger or self-pity. These sections came across as his account of what happened, what he did to address them and not much else.

The same can’t be said for when King writes about his basketball skills, however.  It is clear how much he still loves the game and the vivid memory he has for many of his career highlights. This is true from his time playing in high school to his days at Tennessee, when he teamed with Ernie Grunfeld to form the “Bernie and Ernie Show” to his NBA career. He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets where he became a scoring machine early.  He later played for the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz before joining the Knicks where his star shone the greatest.  At each stop, he has mostly kind words for teammates, coaches and front office people.  This is true even if his experience with the team was not so great, such as his time in Utah.  It matches the rest of the book because it has a very positive, upbeat feeling even when King is discussing low points in his life.

Serious basketball fans will love the detail with which King describes the action on the court.  Whether it is describing plays that coaches draw on the board, elbows thrown by opponents such as Bob Lanier and Maurice Lucas or the sweet jump shot that made him a scoring machine, the book is chock full of game action. Casual fans who have heard about him but wish to know more will also enjoy this book.

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

 

Book Format Read:

E-book (Paperback)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Game-Face-Lifetime-Hard-Earned-Basketball/dp/0306825708/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&dpID=51G2NkUNauL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail

Review of "Need One!"

This was a very different type of sports memoir that I had never heard about until the author sent me an email.  When I looked into this book, I thought that this would be a dream trip for any sports fan.  After reading this book, the dream may be wonderful or a nightmare, but it sure made for entertaining reading.  Here is my review of "Need One!"

Title/Author:

“Need One! A Lunatic’s Attempt to Attend 365 Games in 365 Days” by Jamie Reidy

Tags:

Football (American), tennis, bowling, volleyball, baseball, memoir

Publish date:

February 25, 2017

Length:

226 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Every sports fan has a sports bucket list, places and teams that the fan wants to see at least once in his or her lifetime.  Dubbed “Sports Year”, author Jamie Reidy set out to do just that by attending one sporting even each day for an entire year. He also wanted to align Sports Year with the Wounded Warrior Project and allow wounded veterans to attend games and events on their bucket lists. 

While Sports Year fell short of the goal of one event every day for a year, the book does a fine job of capturing the adventures Reidy encountered while attending events.  He had to do this on a very limited budget as his hopes of obtaining sponsors did not go as well as he hoped (but he did end up sending out some Sports Year koozies for donors as promised).  He talks often about his 10-year-old Saab and the less-than-prime condition it was in to make the long journey.  His tales about his car were quite funny as were many of the other stories he shared.  This humor is the best quality of the book as it is not only entertaining, it kept the book moving along at a good pace.

Another nice touch to not only the book, but also Sports Year, is the variety of sports he attends.  Not only the types of sports, but also the age level of the participants.  During this trip, he becomes a big fan of girls’/women’s indoor volleyball.  He realizes how trivial his troubles during the trip are when he sees a softball game in which all players have had at least one limb amputated.  He gets to take veterans to some of the biggest venues such as Cowboys Stadium and Lambeau Field.  Through it all he maintains not only his sense of humor but also his sanity – at least enough to be able to write a very different type of sports memoir that any sports fan will enjoy reading.   

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Need-One-Lunatics-Attempt-Attend/dp/099808994X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&dpID=51XfprIyBXL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail

Review of "The Natural"

While I have been a baseball lover for most of my life, I had never read this book nor saw the movie version made in the 1980's.  So, when the Goodreads Baseball Book Club made this one of the books to read for November, I thought it was about time that I did so.  I now understand why this is considered a classic baseball story.  Here is my review of "The Natural"

Title/Author:

“The Natural” by Bernard Malamud, narrated by Christopher Hurt

Tags:

Baseball, Fiction, classic

Publish date:

June 1, 2007 (audio version – original novel published 1952)

Length:

231 pages (paperback version)

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

This tale of a 35-year-old baseball player with extremely gifted talent for the game paints a mostly dark picture of a flawed man.  Bernard Malamud’s 1952 novel about Roy Hobbs and his time playing for the New York Knights is considered to be a classic baseball fictional story and was also adapted onto film in the 1980’s, with Robert Redford starring as Hobbs.  I will add a disclaimer that I have never seen the film, so this review and the opinions within are based only on this book.

I found Malamud’s development of the main characters in the story very good, even though there wasn’t a single character in the story that I could say I felt was a protagonist or a “good” guy or lady.  Hobbs has several character flaws which I believe portray him in a less-than-favorable light, such as always seeking out intimate relations with any woman with whom he is in contact.  One of these women, Memo, was taking a fancy to a teammate of Hobbs who died on the baseball field, Bump Bailey. 

Bailey’s untimely demise is the reason Hobbs became a started on the Knights and he immediately tries to court Memo, whose own character flaws are revealed later.  About the only character who seems be able to evoke sympathy from a reader is Iris, and the reason she is initially not Hobb’s type of lady is that she is a young grandmother.  This doesn’t sound like the typical baseball hero in a fictional story – but Roy and all the other main characters are well developed by Malamud.  Maybe the reader won’t like them, but the reader will believe that he or she knows them.

The story moves along well both on and off the diamond.  The baseball scenes are written well for the time depicted, which was when there was no night baseball and the game moved along at a quicker pace than today’s sport with many pitching changes.  There is one big leap of logic, however – how does Roy become such a great pitcher at 19 to strike out the mighty Whammer in a duel, yet later becomes such a great hitter and outfielder at 35?

I must also mention one other character that is baseball-centric, Wonderboy.  That is the name Roy has given to his bat, and he treats Wonderboy better than he treats the ladies, with special polishing and storing.  If there is any character who deserved pity - even though this character is an object – it is the ultimate demise of Wonderboy.  The fact that Roy made sure to bury Wonderboy on a baseball field says a lot about Roy’s relationship with his favorite bat.

The audio version of the book was narrated superbly by Christopher Hurt, who did his best to make the listener feel like he or she is on the field or in the hotel with Roy and company.  While the ending is dark and leaves the reader feeling down, the book certainly does earn a place in the library of classic baseball novels.

Book Format Read:

Audiobook

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Bernard-Malamud/dp/0374502005/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/natural-malamud/1100666982?ean=9780374502003#/