Review of "The Team That History Forgot"

As I continue my work on catching up on reviews, I dug out this book sent by one of the publishers who have supported me throughout most of my time writing reviews, University of Nebraska Press.  This one was a very good book on the Kansas City Chiefs - and no, not the current version with Pat Mahomes and Travis Kelce.  This one goes back further when the Chiefs had other star players. 

Title/Author:

“The Team That History Forgot: The 1960’s Kansas City Chiefs” by Rick Gosselin

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

In the 1960’s, pro football had two leagues, the established National Football League (NFL) and the upstart American Football League (AFL). The NFL had a more conservative style of play while the AFL had much more wide-open offense and also paid its players higher salaries while engaging in a bidding war with the NFL. One AFL team stood out during the decade, the Kansas City Chiefs.  This book by Rick Gosselin tells the story of the Chiefs, which was not necessarily all successful.

The team was owned by Lamar Hunt, the founder of the AFL and got its start in Dallas as the Dallas Texans.  The same year the AFL started play, the NFL awarded a franchise to Dallas as well, the Cowboys.  Neither team had much success at the gate, which was disheartening to Hunt, as his team had much better success on the field than their NFL counterparts.  Hunt, who is portrayed in a brief biography in the book, then decided to move his team to Kansas City where they became the Chiefs.

Along with Hunt, the book portrays many players who made the Chiefs the most successful AFL team.  This includes Len Dawson, Otis Taylor, Buck Buchanan and Bobby Bell.  They also were more integrated along racial lines than most other teams and they played in two of the first four Super Bowls.  These are also covered thoroughly in the book.  Their second Super Bowl, a victory over the Minnesota Vikings, was especially gratifying to Hunt.  The reason for this was that Minnesota was supposed to be one of the charter franchises in the AFL, but owner Max Winter instead accepted an offer to join the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1961.  Hunt never forgot that.

In addition to these items, Gosselin does a commendable job of writing about the Chiefs’ exploits on the field aside from Super Bowls and gives the reader a brief history of the AFL, leading up to the merger with the NFL in 1970.  The book ends with an exhibition game that year between the Chiefs and Cowboys, the first time the two teams who originally called Dallas home met. That ended with a Chiefs win and solidified their spot as one of the best professional football teams in the 1960’s.

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

Link: The Team That History Forgot: The 1960s Kansas City Chiefs: Gosselin, Rick, Reid, Andy: 9781496243102: Amazon.com: Books

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 "Tao of the Backup Catcher"

Needing to find a good audio book on a recent drive to the Baseball Hall of Fame, I found this one buried in my Audible library.  Downloaded it and enjoyed it immensely.  Here is my review of "The Tao of the Backup Catcher." 

Title/Author:

“The Tao of the Backup Catcher: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game” by Tim Brown, narrated by Tim Brown and Justin Price

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: This is a question for baseball fans, no matter what their level of interest.  Can you name the backup catcher for your favorite team?  If you can’t, then have no fear, this book by Tim Brown on one of the more unknown yet fascinating positions on a baseball team is part biography, part philosophical waxing and all a fun read.

The biography part is on a career backup catcher who had many stops in both minor league towns and in MLB cities, Erik Kratz.  Brown chronicles Kratz’s many stops along his way to appearing in 332 major league games over 11 seasons.  Just his list of MLB teams is extensive – nine different teams. Starting with the Pirates (when he was 30 after spending eight years in minor league baseball), Phillies, Blue Jays, Royals, Phillies a second time, Astros, Pirates a second time, Yankees, Brewers, Giants, Rays and Yankees a second time when he decided to retire for good at age 40. And this doesn’t cover all the moves to different minor league towns. Through it all, there are plenty of interesting stories about him and his wife.

However, the best stories are not really about Kratz personally or the other backup catchers whose names are mentioned throughout the book.  What is the best aspect of the book is how this job, while well paying, is one that is full of many different tasks.  Everything from warming up pitchers in the bullpen to how it is difficult for the backup catcher to get enough batting practice is covered.  Not everything in the book is related to what happens in the ballpark.  With so many moves, there is plenty of material on the many tasks Mrs. Kratz did to move the family.  Another great (and funny) anecdote is about Erik’s shower shows – there is enough about them that they get their own chapter.

This is just a small sample of the very interesting and fun material to digest in this book.  Like many who hold the position, this book may not make best seller lists, but it is one that baseball fans will want to have in their library and have ready when they need a lighter read – their backup catcher of baseball books.

Link: Amazon.com: The Tao of the Backup Catcher: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game: 9781538726556: Brown, Tim, Kratz, Erik: Books

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 “On Her Game"

It’s been awhile since I last posted a review here, but that’s because I have read books on other subjects the past week and a half - shocking, I know. So, to get back on track, I listened to an audiobook written and narrated by Christine Brennan, a sportswriter I have followed and admired for a long time. More of her good work is on display here in this book on Caitlin Clark. 

Title/Author: “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports” written and narrated by Christine Brennan

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent) 

Review: Basketball had never seen such interest and conversation (both good and bad) in one player like the attention given to Caitlin Clark from the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final to the end of the 2024 WNBA season. This book by accomplished sportswriter Christine Brennan is an excellent account of Clark’s accomplishments on the court and all of the attention her play and presence received off the court.

Brennan also narrates the audio version of the book, which really enhances some of the content. This is most evident when she twice mentions controversial topics about Clark in which she (Brennan) wrote about in her column. One was the decision by USA Basketball to leave Clark off the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, a decision that shocked many. Another involved Brennan interviewing DiJonai Carrington, then of the Connecticut Sun (now a member of the Minnesota Lynx) about an unintentional poke in the eye on Clark. Why that’s notable is that Carrington, her Sun teammates and later the players union called for the banishment of Brennan due to the insensitivity of her questioning.

These two issues are just a very small sample of what Brennan writes about on the “bad” publicity around the attention given to Clark. But there is so much more good about the young star from Iowa that Clark fans - which Brennan frequently reminds are many - should love to read about. Whether it’s her play on the court, her poise when answering questions at press conferences, or the attention she receives from opposing players on the court or elsewhere, the book does a great job of making the reader understand Clark better. It also begs the question, which Brennan does ask at least indirectly, of why Clark is not better supported by the league. She was quickly embraced by her teammates - the stories of Clark’s interactions with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston are great. 

This is just a small sample of the type of information on Caitlin Clark that any women’s basketball fan will want to absorb. Whether they are long time fans of the women’s game like I am or they are brand new to the sport and became a fan due to Clark, this book is for them. 

Link:  https://www.amazon.com/Her-Game-Caitlin-Revolution-Womens/dp/1668090198/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EKogTfL8Y9ZHfljcb_rQ0-31jynunpS9O1eIcFQMAuZJf_CnLStv4hUtTHPXS2AUcIBWPes9i0WfGLve_AJySYsUIk6BxQMD8orWrpCBwuc9RAhIEd_dXcbroGfFw3lETvJj-Y0R2g7IJ_F8svlRgxksR5WYPxfjO0viaGD8qxWPvTlRJwW_VqHnNQTVgtxTXN55twMvx5gRJeA-tmyikqnS4yIeXVkCwKOYz0AWF4U.0cowJANWEE-KigTD9OQ01kS2zneOZ7iqyShBQyZ9ctY&qid=1761605830&sr=8-1 

Review of "Game Changer"

Normally, the books I read about the business side of sports are about labor disputes.  This one instead focuses on on the work of a team's general manager.  It's a very good description of the job. 

Title/Author:

“Game Changer” by Bob Whitsett

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good) 

Review:

If someone followed professional sports in the Pacific Northwest during the 1990’s, chances are good that he or she has heard of Bob Whitsett. He was the general manager for the two NBA teams in that region at the time, the Seattle SuperSonics and the Portland Trail Blazers.  Plus, for a short time, he was also the GM of the Seattle Seahawks.  All of this work made him one of the more prominent front office personnel at the time and he writes about this work in this memoir.

The most interesting story of the book, in my opinion, was the work he did to keep the Seahawks in Seattle.  For those who were not aware or did not follow football at that time, the team threatened to move to Anaheim unless Seattle built the team a new stadium. Whitsett worked hard to secure the votes to get the stadium, negotiated contracts (his arrangement to sign two players in the midst of the campaign for the new stadium was very good) and still ran the Trail Blazers at that time. It shows just how much multitasking that he was doing.

Multitasking is a good word to describe what Whitsett writes about, as he was constantly at work – or so it seemed.  Whether it was contract negotiations, putting out fires, public relations, working with players or a multitude of other tasks, Whitsett was on top of his work.  It goes with his upbringing, and he started out in the business by doing anything needed.  As he called it, he started as a “gopher” with the Indiana Pacers and worked his way up, becoming one of the youngest GM’s in the NBA when he got the job with the SuperSonics.

One of the big topics he has in the book is negotiations. On this topic, I do believe that this topic had the best stories and also included a nice checklist for anyone who has to do negotiating in their job. While each skill he describes is explained by how he handled contract negotiations with players and their agents, they had great tips for everyone else as well.  Also, he had a great story about his first draft choice signing, Clark Kellogg.  Kellogg was a first round draft choice by the Pacers, but at the time, the team didn’t have enough revenue to pay Kellogg the going rate for a first round draft choice. As Whitsett could only amount one maximum amount and let Kellogg and his agent know this, he nonetheless signed the player. How he pulled it off is an excellent tale on how one can still accomplish their negotiating goals. An excellent book by an excellent sports executive

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

Link: Amazon.com: Game Changer: An Insider's Story of the Sonics’ Resurgence, the Trail Blazers’ Turnaround, and the Deal that Saved the Seahawks: 9781959411260: Whitsitt, Bob: Books

Review of "Rocket Men"

It seems hard to believe now, but for a long time, there were no Black quarterbacks in professional football.  This book by John Eisenberg is a very good read on the history of this injustice. 

Title/Author:

“Rocket Men: The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football” by John Eisenberg

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Professional football has become quarterback centric as people at that position, while always important, now more than ever will be important to their team’s fortunes.  There are several Black quarterbacks now leading successful NFL teams and compiling gawdy statistics.  They include Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.  However, it hasn’t always been this way.  For a long time, due to the racism of NFL owners, talent scouts and the league in general, Black players were denied the opportunity to play at the position.  Accomplished football author John Eisenberg gives a very good historical account of this travesty and how it has improved, albeit slowly.

Eisenberg makes the case throughout the book that there were many Black players who were denied the chance to play the position professionally and tells in detail what went behind the decisions to have other (read: white) players man that position.  At times, it feels like Eisenberg is taking a sledgehammer to convince the reader that this was wrong and that it was only due to prejudicial thinking by white coaches, scouts or owners that was the reason for this. That is an exaggeration on the part of this reviewer, and surely Eisenberg did not mean to communicate the issue as such, but so many points and facts are repeated that it felt that way – such as frequent references that Doug Williams is the only Black quarterback to have led a team to a Super Bowl victory.

Putting that aside, otherwise the book is a fantastic look at the position and the Black men who either have succeeded at quarterback, were denied a chance, or were given the chance but would lose the job due to something like a bad game, a bad outcome on a play or an injured quarterback would be coming back.  There are some of the stories that are well known.  An example of this would be Warren Moon.  He was shunned in the 1978 NFL draft, mainly because it was felt that he lacked the “smarts” to play quarterback.  So, Moon went to the Canadian Football League (CFL) and led the Edmonton Eskimos to one of the greatest dynasties in that league as they won five Grey Cups (Canada’s version of the Super Bowl) before the NFL saw the errors of their ways and Moon signed with the Houston Oilers.  From there, he passed for over 50,000 yards in the NFL and became the first Black quarterback to be enshrined in the pro football Hall of Fame.

An example of a lesser-known story would be that of Marlin Briscoe.  Fans of the NFL in the 1960’s and 1970’s may remember Briscoe as a member of the Miami Dolphins when they won two Super Bowls – but as a defensive back.  He was originally a quarterback, but after some ineffective games, he was asked to switch positions.  This was a fate that was common to Black quarterbacks who may have succeeded in college, but after being drafted, their professional team felt they would help the team more in a position that required more “athleticism.”  There are so many examples of this that at times it’s almost depressing to read about them, but they are important to know so that a reader understands the history behind the exclusion of Black quarterbacks.

There is much more to this history than a review like this can explain, but hopefully readers will come away feeling educated about the history of the position and understand that while there has been great progress in the use and acceptance of Black players at quarterback, the NFL can still do better.

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

Link: Rocket Men: The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football: Eisenberg, John: 9781541600409: Amazon.com: Books