1 comments about The Inside Game: Race, Power, and Politics in the NBA (Ohio History and Culture).

1. I just finished this book tonight, and it's one of the best sports autobiographies I've read in ages, and I read most of them. Wayne Embry is a pioneer, and a man that overcame a tremendous amount of racism and adversity in his life to become a power player (GM) of 2 NBA ballclubs.
   I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Embry in passing at camps, and he was a kind gentleman. I always admired him but never knew all that he went through. To be fair in my review, I must say that in reading the book, he seems at times overly-sensitive in his analysis of some situations, especially those with Cavs ownership, and that he often seems to have felt slighted, when he may have just been a casualty of an underachieving ballclub, and NOT the victim of racism.
   Either way, the man is an intellect, and also found success in business as a big-time McDonald's franchisee and sat on the BOD of several Fortune 500 companies, as well as a trustee of his alma mater, Miami of Ohio. A man who has been married to the same woman for almost 50 years. A man of conviction.
   I say this for Embry, whether or not you agree or disagree with his views, he pulls no punches. He tells it like it is, and does not sugar coat things in this book. There's nothing worse than shelling out $20 or $30 for a book, and then you get nothing but cliche nonsense, or the same old fuzzy stories you already knew from the sports pages or internet.
   This book is a must for old-time/vintage NBA fans or those who wonder what it's like to be a GM of a team. Wayne Embry was not only a physical specimen, but a cerebral giant of a man, and this is one helluva read. Kudos, Big Wayne. Regards, James R. Acho, Esq. www.cmda-law.com

5 comments about Giants: The 25 Greatest Centers of All Time.

1. Nice topic for a basketball book, especially since the true pivot player is as rare as a dinosaur in today's game. Just a bunch of 3 pt shooting 7 footers running around (except for Dwight Howard & Yao Ming). But I definately disagree with placing Kareem only third. He was the greatest force on offense and defense the game has ever known. No disrespect to the late Wilt the stilt. The fact that he lead the league in assists one year is a bit miss leading, that particular year Wilt abstained from shooting very much. What impresses me more about Wilt is the 27 per game rebound avgs in 2 separate seasons and the fact he never fouled out of a game which was strangely omitted from his many accomplishments, listed in the book. However he shot only 51% from the line, a major flaw. To my surprise Russell only shot 56% lifetime, this is not good, if teams would play hack a Wilt or hack a Russell they would be in trouble, on the other hand Kareem shot 71% and even higher in the clutch. Many games between two evenly matched teams may come down to freethrows a very small margin for error. Karrem's my numeral uno with Wilt a close second and Russell third,without a doubt the greatest defensive center for all times.
   
   I don't agree with shack in the 4th slot he can't shoot freethrows either, and know way he's better than the Dream Olajawon, Moses Malone, or the Cheif Robert Parrish in their primes, no disrespect to the diesel but the jury is still out on him,I still remember how the Dream had him for lunch in the 94-95 playoffs, its to early to put him that high up. I think the likes of Ralph Sampson and Bill Lambeer should be left out all together. And I don't believe power forwards like Tim Duncan and Dan Issel should be included, they should have there own category (power forwards).
   
   P.S. the info is very good and the likes of Willis Reed, Jerry West and Pete Newells's commentary enriches the book even more. But the previous reviewer was right the pages just won't stay in the book, I don't think he had to leave 3 reviews to make his one star point. I get the picture loud and clear. I paid only 10 dollars for it from a street vendor, the 29.95 price might be a bit steep, for a book that pages won't stay in.



2. My husband really wanted this book for christmas based on some TV show interview he watched but after reading the review about the binding, I went to a local bookstore to check it out for myself. All FOUR copies had binding problems. When I opened the book, the pages started to break off so the store is returning them all.

   I am quite disappointed because it looks like a really good book content wise. Hope they get a new printing soon.




3. BEWARE!! I bought this book at Borders, then got in a line for Willis Reed to sign it. While waiting, I turned the pages back & forth a few times - it's a photo book primarily - and the pages began to fall out. I exchanged it for another, and those pages began to fall out. I paged through five more books, and their pages began to fall out, so I got my money back & didn't buy it. The store management said they were aware of the problem. The binding is so horrible that if you use it as it's intended - to look through over & over again - the pages will fall out (at least in all the books shipped to that Borders). It would have been especially horrible to give as a gift - not worth the money! A book is supposed to stay as a book.



4. BEWARE!! I bought this book at Borders, then got in a line for Willis Reed to sign it. While waiting, I turned the pages back & forth a few times - it's a photo book primarily - and the pages began to fall out. I exchanged it for another, and those pages began to fall out. I paged through five more books, and their pages began to fall out, so I got my money back & didn't buy it. The store management said they were aware of the problem. The binding is so horrible that if you use it as it's intended - to look through over & over again - the pages will fall out (at least in all the books shipped to that Borders). It would have been especially horrible to give as a gift - not worth the money! A book is supposed to stay as a book.



5. BEWARE!! I bought this book at Borders, then got in a line for Willis Reed to sign it. While waiting, I turned the pages back & forth a few times - it's a photo book primarily - and the pages began to fall out. I exchanged it for another, and those pages began to fall out. I paged through five more books, and their pages began to fall out, so I got my money back & didn't buy it. The store management said they were aware of the problem. The binding is so horrible that if you use it as it's intended - to look through over & over again - the pages will fall out (at least in all the books shipped to that Borders). It would have been especially horrible to give as a gift - not worth the money! A book is supposed to stay as a book.

2 comments about They Call Me Big House.

1. very compelling Book about Big house and His legacy which has him as One of the winningest Coaches Ever in College Basketball. but this Book reflects on the struggle and Bridiging the gap socially and spiritually. Humor keeps things into perspective in the Book,but what Big House had to deal with in Jim Crow America,etc... is no laughing matter and this book pulls no punches,but it speaks directly about the game on the court and the game of life and so much else in between. very Powerful.



2. Big House was a great coach - the fifth best in history of college basketball but more importantly he was a guy with a sense of values and a good sense of humor. He knows basketball as well as anyone in the country and has some candid comments about how to improve the game. But his real commitment was to the students he coached. He experienced the bitter bite of segregation - working for an HBCU called Winston Salem State - but his memoir is better than a rant - it is a reflection of his insight and integrity.

1 comments about Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA.

1. By "typical book," I mean that it covers Mikan's career in great detail, give you some early biographical info, and then zips thru this post career life in mere seconds, until coverage of his death - maybe there isn't much happening after an athlete retires but it should would be nice to see some real research every once in a while. Wait for this to come out in paperback - in fact, wait for it to come out in mass market paperback - either that or in your library's discard pile.

3 comments about One Of A Kind.

1. There are a lot of baseball biographies out there but this one provides a unique twist. Kathryn "Katie" Conley, the author of the book, is Gene Conley's wife and it is as much her story as it is his. You learn about their young lives, their courtship, Katie's devotion to the teaching of the Seventh Day Adventist church, and Gene's rise to play two professional sports, starting with the Boston Braves and later with the Boston Celtics. Gene would go on to win a World Series ring with the Milwaukee franchise in 1957 and then an NBA championship with the Celtics the year after (Conley would repeat to win two more consecutive NBA titles with the Celtics). Katie Conley is proud of her husband's achievements and she gives him his due.
   
   The author doesn't gloss over her husband's shortcomings with alcohol abuse while playing ball. Both would admit that this, as well as arm trouble, brought his baseball career to an end much sooner than if he had taken better care of himself. Money is a major topic of the book. The chronic shortage of money when they first started life together, the contract disputes and issues around playing two professional sports,
   and even the phone being removed because of mounting long distance bills
   are some of the problems faced by the couple as Gene was, for a while, gone year 'round, playing basketball after baseball season was over and then diving into baseball in late spring (he went on to play baseball for the Phillies and the Red Sox and the Knicks in the NBA).
   
   You are more likely to read about the horrid hotels and motels in which they would stay than you would about what it was like to pitch in the World Series. There is a distance in the telling of the story, since it is not written by Gene himself. There are glimpses into the goofiness that went on in baseball like the "Braves Playboys" where Gene at 6'10" is on the floor Indian wrestling someone and he ends up knocking he legs out from under a piano. Of course, the gendarmes were brought in, which later caused Gene a paucity playing time under manager Fred Haney.
   
   Perhaps one of the starker topics that threads its way through the biography is all of the injuries that he suffered playing two sports: fingers, hands, ankles, hip, feet, shoulder are all mangled or abused or damaged sometime during his career and like many others of the time, he played when he was hurt...as much out of fear being replaced as loyalty to his team.
   
   Also, in this book, you get the full account of why Gene Conley (after having been bludgeoned by the Yankees in game in the Bronx) decided after tying one on to catch a plane to Jerusalem. This AWOL action caught everyone off guard, even his family, who didn't know where he was.
   
   Katie Conley does a good job explaining what it was like as a baseball wife and mom, trying to bring up three children and this adds a personal touch that pages of stats won't provide. It is also obvious that she is proud of her husband's accomplishments, not only on the mound or court, but also his work with NBA pensions. (Both of them founded organizations to lobby the NBA to provide pensions to older NBA players who were receiving little or no pension money.)
   
   This book will not give you a pitch by pitch or jump shot by jump shot view of the professional careers of pro baseball and basketball. It does provide enough highlights of his career and a glimpse into his family's private life to provide well-rounded enjoyable reading.



2. There are a lot of baseball biographies out there but this one provides a unique twist. Kathryn "Katie" Conley, the author of the book, is Gene Conley's wife and it is as much her story as it is his. You learn about their young lives, their courtship, Katie's devotion to the teaching of the Seventh Day Adventist church, and Gene's rise to play two professional sports, starting with the Boston Braves and later with the Boston Celtics. Gene would go on to win a World Series ring with the Milwaukee franchise in 1957 and then an NBA championship with the Celtics the year after (Conley would repeat to win two more consecutive NBA titles with the Celtics). Katie Conley is proud of her husband's achievements and she gives him his due.
   
   The author doesn't gloss over her husband's shortcomings with alcohol abuse while playing ball. Both would admit that this, as well as arm trouble, brought his baseball career to an end much sooner than if he had taken better care of himself. Money is a major topic of the book. The chronic shortage of money when they first started life together, the contract disputes and issues around playing two professional sports,
   and even the phone being removed because of mounting long distance bills
   are some of the problems faced by the couple as Gene was, for a while, gone year 'round, playing basketball after baseball season was over and then diving into baseball in late spring (he went on to play baseball for the Phillies and the Red Sox and the Knicks in the NBA).
   
   You are more likely to read about the horrid hotels and motels in which they would stay than you would about what it was like to pitch in the World Series. There is a distance in the telling of the story, since it is not written by Gene himself. There are glimpses into the goofiness that went on in baseball like the "Braves Playboys" where Gene at 6'10" is on the floor Indian wrestling someone and he ends up knocking he legs out from under a piano. Of course, the gendarmes were brought in, which later caused Gene a paucity playing time under manager Fred Haney.
   
   Perhaps one of the starker topics that threads its way through the biography is all of the injuries that he suffered playing two sports: fingers, hands, ankles, hip, feet, shoulder are all mangled or abused or damaged sometime during his career and like many others of the time, he played when he was hurt...as much out of fear being replaced as loyalty to his team.
   
   Also, in this book, you get the full account of why Gene Conley (after having been bludgeoned by the Yankees in game in the Bronx) decided after tying one on to catch a plane to Jerusalem. This AWOL action caught everyone off guard, even his family, who didn't know where he was.
   
   Katie Conley does a good job explaining what it was like as a baseball wife and mom, trying to bring up three children and this adds a personal touch that pages of stats won't provide. It is also obvious that she is proud of her husband's accomplishments, not only on the mound or court, but also his work with NBA pensions. (Both of them founded organizations to lobby the NBA to provide pensions to older NBA players who were receiving little or no pension money.)
   
   This book will not give you a pitch by pitch or jump shot by jump shot view of the professional careers of pro baseball and basketball. It does provide enough highlights of his career and a glimpse into his family's private life to provide well-rounded enjoyable reading.



3. I know Katie and Gene, and they are wonderful people. Gene's sports life was terrific, to say the least. He played 2 national league sports, at the same time, basically; basketball and baseball. Not many can say that. This book highlights his life, his family, and him. God bless him, Katie, and their family, and those who read the book.

1 comments about Collecting Michael Jordan: The Ultimate Identification & Value Guide.

1. A comprehensive guide to collecting Michael Jordan memorabilia. Very well documented with hundreds of pictures to help identify the various items.

   An indispensable guide for MJ collectors.

5 comments about Hoop Roots.

1. May be the best novel about the inner experience of an aging athlete. An autobiographical novel by an accomplished writer and a complex man, Hoop Roots is a challenging read. Wideman demands something of his audience, a rarity these days, and those looking for a mindless basketball book will likely not be up to the task. As in his other books, Wideman occasionally gets carried away with his command of complex language, and some passages are a struggle even for the most commited readers. However, overall this is a first rate novel, by a first rate writer, on a subject with which he is singularly expert.



2. I had to read this book for a college course. Too bad for me, since it's the worst book I've had to read from cover to cover. HoRrIbLy boring, mostly incoherent, the book takes very promising themes and turns them into very stylish junk. Loaded with clichés and overused images. Blah, blah, blah, it goes on and on. If I wasn't being evaluated on it for class I would have stopped reading it after the first 15 pages. It's the only Wideman book I've read, and of course I don't plan to read any others, but if this is proof of his best work, I hope he is a better creative writing professor than his writing would suggest.



3. I had to read this book for a college course. Too bad for me, since it's the worst book I've had to read from cover to cover. HoRrIbLy boring, mostly incoherent, the book takes very promising themes and turns them into very stylish [material]. Loaded with clichés and overused images. Blah, blah, blah, it goes on and on. If I wasn't being evaluated on it for class I would have stopped reading it after the first 15 pages. It's the only Wideman book I've read, and of course I don't plan to read any others, but if this is proof of his best work, I hope he is a better creative writing professor than his writing would suggest.



4. If you think John Wideman's Hoop Roots is about playground basketball you may find yourself disappointed -- as I was.
   Wideman is a wonderful writer. When he describes a player's drive to the basket, gliding into the air, checking out all around him, you can picture the action and feel the the excitement. When he describes the social protocols for the pick-up game he nails it When he describes the early days of the National Basketball Association, including the unique challenges for Black players, you can see it and feel it.
   Unfortunately Hoop Roots contains far too few accounts like these. This book is about John Wideman growing up in a Black neighborhood in Pittsburgh, about his relationship to his family and in particular his grandmother, about Black athletes and Black men in America. Basketball, which has played such a key role in Wideman's life, is sprinkled throughout, often in bits and pieces that left me wanting much more.
   Wideman was a star high school and college basketball player. He came the same neighborhood as NBA great Maurice Stokes and other noted stars. He played highly competitive playground basketball until he was 59, long after he had become an award-winning writer. I had so many questions for him. What was it like playing organized high school and college ball compared to the playgrounds? What were his own experiences as a playground player? What were some of his most memorable experiences in the playground game? How did he ever play until he was 59?!
   Instead Wideman gives us long passages on the different routes he took to get to the playground as a youth, oversized shorts versus short shorts, and a fable about the Globe Trotters first road trip. It's all brilliantly written. It's just not about basketball.



5. OK, after reading the previously posted review, I admit that I am one of those readers who will read ANYTHING by John Wideman, regardless of subject- but I disagree that this book has too much roots and too little hoops. This book is fantastic. Wideman manages to discuss basketball- its history, its present, its future, and at the same time discuss race, love, music- all so eloquently that I often had to put the book down and absorb. The various stories of his family members make me wonder how John and his talented daughter Jamila managed to come out on top, when his brother and his son are so mired in tragedy. John Wideman is the best writer alive in America- I am convinced- and this book is an absolute masterpiece.

5 comments about Same Knight, Different Channel: Basketball Legend Bob Knight at West Point and Today.

1. This book gives an objective account of coach Knight at the beginning of his remarkable and continuing career. Isenhour's book is based on firsthand accounts and grounded in actual experiences and not best guesses. Knight is an extraordinry role model in perseverance and integrity despite the constant barrage of media critics. Coach Knight is a remarkable coach, demanding what more parents should demand -- academic excellence and personal excellence.



2. I've heard of Coach Bob Knight, but I am not a basketball fan. I got a strong recommendation of this book from a friend and I can't say that I'm disappointed that I read it.

   Isenhour (or "Ike," as Knight apparently called him) writes in an extremely lucid, conversational style. Facts, historical quotes, and dates come off as something remembered over a cold beer rather than information recorded and then regurgitated for the purpose of writing a book. Honestly, I could care less about the history of basketball, but this is a very interesting book, and it kept me reading to the end.

   If I had to pick something to complain about, it would be the fact that for much of the book, Isenhour seems to be extremely preoccupied by the culture of West Point itself. Of course having read (and then re-read) some of his astounding accounts of this institution, had I been raked over those coals, I'd probably be preoccupied with it, too. Don't get me wrong, the material is fascinating, it's just not about Bob Knight. Still, I'll accept the emphasis given to The Point since it offers the reader one of many explanations as to how Bob Knight came to be the way he is.

   Note that I said "explanations" and not "excuses."




3. Just the fact that this book is written tends to hold Bob Knight up as a role model, unfortunately. It needs to be said, he is not a role model for anyone, nonetheless for West Point. While it is nice to have known someone who has become a celeb (infamous celeb, concerning all that West Point is supposed to stand for), West Point is not about celebs. For the good of West Point and West Pointers, past, present, and future, I think the Bob Knight connection should in no way be advertised and promoted.



4. I have read alot of books on Knight, this book was great, Isenhour being a player for Knight in the early years gave the book an inside angle that no other author could, Isenhour tells it like it is, the good the bad and the ugly. It is a great read.



5. Just like the back cover says, this isn't a love song to Bob Knight, and it's not a cheap shot to the chops. This is a fair and accurate portrayal of the fiery Coach by a player underneath him when Knight first started out.

   The fact that this player will criticize Knight speaks volumes about his integrity -- and the fact that he defends him speaks volumes about his fairness. He looks at the situation without pigeonholing things into what he calls a "Bob Knight moment" that most media paint things as.

   He talks about Knight's early years in coaching. He goes into more detail on Knight's firing -- and more evenhandedly than I've ever seen -- and talks about Knight at Texas Tech too. The level of access he got is astounding, and the personal touch makes the book golden.

   Such a quick read too. The author had a great, conversational writing style that makes it a fun read.

   Definitely five stars, the best Bob Knight book out there and the fairest one ever.

4 comments about Trial by Basketball: The Life and Times of Tex Winter.

1. A terrific read about Mr. Triangle Offence.
   All basketball fans you like Offencive Str-
   ategy should like this well written book.
   Even if he only Ast. Coaches for L.A.'s
   second best (now) team. If only Tex would
   defect to Clipper Nation!



2. Bender's succinct, edgy style carries the reader through Winter's life while racing down the court with Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and other NBA giants. Bender tells it like it was--no holds barred. Winter's coaching philosophy of discipline, hard work, fairness and individual intergrity comes alive as we watch him lead individual players to become not only the best players they can be, but also the best men that they can be. Bender brings basketball personalities to life as we watch them struggle to learn Winter's famous "triangle offence" and to balance their individual desires for achievement and glory with Winter's emphasis on the ultimate good of the whole team.

   The pace is fast, and the anecdotes and behind-the-scenes tidbits entertain as we go with the teams through Winter's unprecedented 53 year professional career as a coach. From Kansas State, Washington, and the Houston Rockets to fourteen years with the Chicago Bulls, and the current LA Lakers, we travel the backroads of behind the scene basketball. Bender gives us the inside story on the conflicts, the joys, and the frustrations of coaching mega-stars with mega-egos while trying to teach them values of character and integrity.

   This book would be a perfct gift for any high school athlete. Bender gives the reader deep insights into not only the sports psychology that Winter uses, but into the secrets of what it really takes to be able to uphold personal values in the rip-roaring jungle of professional sports.

   I loved every minute of this great ride, and if you love basketball, you will too!




3. Trial by Basketball is the Slaughterhouse Five sports book. It's a fascinating history into Laker coach Tex Winters rise from garage band gymnasium roots, college sucess, the amazing Bull Run to current Los Angeles Laker status. As a Long Beach State 49er booster and renewed Laker backer, I recommend TRIAL strongly to fans from N.Y. to L.A. The authors unique style is a keenly accurate flashback account of Tex Winters classic career with insights into the world of sports and life as it is! A humorously intriguing One of A Kind Biography. The book equally satisfies the golden age Wilt Chamberlain transition era as well as the Rodman, Kobe X'er generation. ONCE YOUR IN TO IT, YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF IT--- MARK BENDER CLEANLY RUNS THE TABLE!------------------------ Linda Fallico-Coto De Caza, Ca.



4. I started the book on Friday and finished it on Saturday (a real page turner). Bender does an outstanding job covering Tex Winter's Life up to and including his joining the LA Lakers in 99. The book covers the life of a 78 year old basketball guru (the Master of the Triangle Offense) and spans his 50+ coaching years at the college and professional level.
   
   Bender's writing style is well balanced...and is completely honest. Tex Winter's coaching philosophy is covered with frequent quotes from Tex Winter's 1962 Coaching Book, the Triple Post Offense.
   
   Some readers may see this authorized biography as kind of a "Forest Gump of Basketball" due to it's basic story telling of Tex's as a folksy, nice guy with a willingness to tell the "unvarnished truth".
   
   More importantly, the book serves as a useful reference tool on how a person should face conflict and live life in a stressful world. Bender writes a biography that illustrates the importance of good character, hard work, integrety, having a sense of humor, and not taking yourself too seriously.
   
   Basketball coaches will find the book instructional with the many lessons learned from a coaching career spanning 7 decades...specifically it descibes how a coach deals in a competitive must win environment.
   
   I especially liked how the book started off and closed.
   
   Foreward is by Phi Jackson. MJ, Pippen and Rodman fans will enjoy the second half of the book which deals largely with the Chicago Bull years (some new stuff too). As Mickey would say, "Try it, your Like It" or better yet, just read it!

No comments about I Remember Al McGuire: Personal Memories and Testimonials To College Basketball's Wittiest Winning Coach and Commentator, As Told By the People Who Knew Him.