No comments about Bill Walsh: Remembering "The Genius": 1931-2007.

5 comments about No Ordinary Joe: The Biography of Joe Paterno.

1. For most sports fans, the name Joe Paterno is a familiar one. The images conjured up by the name may vary...some see a living god while others see a need for change. Regardless of your views, this book is informative and well balanced. As a loyal Penn State fan, I found this book to be well written and objective. The writing style is not too stuffy or "textbook" like, yet the author is able to remain insightful as well as entertaining. This book focuses on the work of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno during the 2004 season; the bulk of the story is a tale of the ups and downs that took place during that season. However, there is also a great deal of exposition when it comes to the privilige, politics, and power of Division I college football. In some sections of the story, Penn State University and the town of State College, PA become a unique world where attitudes can change like the seasons. What I found to be the most informative was the description of Paterno's interactions with the media.
   
   Joe Paterno's life serves as an interesting character study. Mostly because of his actions and the way that he has oriented his life around the university and the athletic program. This book does not force its hand by telling you how to feel about Joe, instead it describes the situation and leaves you to draw your own conclusions. There is some obvious admiration for Paterno, but it does not reach the point of being one-sided.
   
   I would recommend this book for all college football fans. If nothing else, this story serves as an informative piece about the "hidden" side of commercialization and college sports.



2. I have always said that if I had a son worthy of playing big-time college football, I'd send him to Penn State to play for Joe Paterno. My thoughts haven't changed a whip since reading this book. Michael O'Brien does a wonderful job in detailing the life and philosophy of one of the most colorful and downright good people to ever live.

   O'Brien pulls no punches. Paterno is brash, at times mean and expects a lot out of his players, but he is also a loving father figure to players and the student body. Paterno is no saint though. If you don't produce, you are in trouble... but isn't that the way of the world. His philosophy, richly detailed in a chapter on Patero's coaching style, should be copied by the Spurriers and the Sabans of the world.

   I haven't read any other O'Brien books, but I definitely will be looking for them on my next trip to the book store. This book is a quick read, but it makes you feel good about the world again when you realize that there are still people like Paterno out there that don't compromise themselves for money and fame.

   Now I just wish O'Brien would write a book on Coach K because if I had a son that was good at hoops I'd send him to Duke.




3. If I had bought this book first, I probably would have been happy with the book. But as an owner of four other books relating to Coach Paterno I found this one to be a repeat of the other writings. I really learned nothing new from this book at all. Maybe I expected too much or maybe Paterno's story has already been told.



4. There are a lot of biographies out there written by people who assume that simple fame warrants public interest. This is not one of them, because Joe Paterno is a truly fascinating man. Success and prestige don't often go hand in hand, but somehow Joe has made it work, and is the reason that Penn State isn't just another big-money school trying to win football games on the backs of exploited kids. If how he does that in this day and age isn't intriguing, I don't know what is. For anyone who has ever turned on a Saturday football game and wondered what possesses the guy in the nerdy rolled-up pants and coke-bottle glasses to keep going, then you have a valid question which this book can answer in a way that will captivate you, page after page. For once, we have a book about football that isn't about football at all--it's about what an extraordinary person can do to a little agricultural school to put a tiny college town on the map in the greatest way possible.

   Put a thermometer to the JoePa sentiments in State College and you may be surprised that a fervent admiration that pervades the town, and for good reason. Hey, there has to be some reason we would like a guy enough to make a bean bag doll out of him...give him his own ice cream flavor (Peachy Paterno)...and put his face on mugs...and golf balls. ("Guaranteed to go up the middle three out of four times.") And there has to be something about a guy who would give up a $1.4 million coaching contract with the Boston Patriots to keep a $35,000 job in Happy Valley. The fact is, the guy has integrity that borders on insanity, and that makes him interesting as heck.

   On a final note, this is a dangerous book in that it will feed an obsession born of fandom. Be careful with this book. I have a friend, the daughter of Penn State's president, and every year she obliges me by hand-delivering a batch of Santa Joe cookies to the Paternos at the bowl games. Make sure you don't go as far over the edge as I did.




5. There are a lot of biographies out there written by people who assume that simple fame warrants public interest. This is not one of them, because Joe Paterno is a truly fascinating man. Success and prestige don't often go hand in hand, but somehow Joe has made it work, and is the reason that Penn State isn't just another big-money school trying to win football games on the backs of exploited kids. If how he does that in this day and age isn't intriguing, I don't know what is. For anyone who has ever turned on a Saturday football game and wondered what possesses the guy in the nerdy rolled-up pants and coke-bottle glasses to keep going, then you have a valid question which this book can answer in a way that will captivate you, page after page. For once, we have a book about football that isn't about football at all--it's about what an extraordinary person can do to a little agricultural school to put a tiny college town on the map in the greatest way possible.

   Put a thermometer to the JoePa sentiments in State College and you may be surprised that a fervent admiration that pervades the town, and for good reason. Hey, there has to be some reason we would like a guy enough to make a bean bag doll out of him...give him his own ice cream flavor (Peachy Paterno)...and put his face on mugs...and golf balls. ("Guaranteed to go up the middle three out of four times.") ...The fact is, the guy has integrity that borders on insanity, and that makes him interesting as heck.

   On a final note, this is a dangerous book in that it will feed an obsession born of fandom. Be careful with this book. I have a friend, the daughter of Penn State's president, and every year she obliges me by hand-delivering a batch of Santa Joe cookies to the Paternos at the bowl games. Make sure you don't go as far over the edge as I did.

No comments about Buckeye Dreams: The Tyler 'tank' Whaley Story.

5 comments about Alone in the Trenches.

1. Alone in the Trenches is a powerful story about Esera's struggles to be true to himself while also conforming to societal expectations for NFL players.
   
   I can relate to Esera's experiences on a personal level, as I'm sure many will be able to, but what really pushes this book over the top is the blatant honesty and courage of Esera in publishing this material. By sharing his soul, Esera truly becomes a role model for all people.
   
   The book is well-written and a very enjoyable read. Once I began, I could hardly put the book down. The praises of Alone in the Trenches cannot be sung enough. Everyone needs to read this book.



2. Esera Tuaolo has written an inspiring account of his coming out process as a gay man. Within the formidably macho environs of the NFL he concealed his sexuality for years, at great pains to his own psyche and emotional well-being.
   He then(with great courage and dignity)acknowledged to the world that he is a man proud of himself, his family and his sexuality. A complete human being at last.
   Good on you Esera. I am sure that many gay people will take heart from your fine example and live their lives as themselves, not what they think society wants them to be.



3. Esera has been through a long struggle and come out on top. Now he is "Big Daddy" and Mitchell, his life partner, is "Little Daddy," to a pair of Samoan-American twins, Mitchell Junior and Michelle, and the two of them live quite, contented lives and travel frequently on Rosie O'Donnell's family cruises with their brood. Having twins has opened Esera's willingness to talk about his sexual preference, and he insists that he is doing it for them, so they will know how painful his life has been, in all its aspects.
   
   
   
   He had it pretty bleak growing up, sort of like a Hawaiian version of Betty Smith's popular novel A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, with a hardworking, sometimes impatient mother, and a charming, weak father who took away all of the fun with him when he died unexpectedly and far too young. And he had a gay older brother who died of AIDS, and a wicked uncle who began molesting little Esera when he was six, and who, in a melodramatic finish, got himself killed in a terrible accident and they had to identify his little pieces by his tattoos and dental work! It made me wonder, is the monster really dead? Or might he have faked his own death to avoid paying the consequences of messing with Esera--molestors, after all, know how to play the game and how to fool the rest of us who aren't sociopaths, and I thought, he's probably living the Gary Glitter lifestyle in Thailand or somewhere by now.
   
   
   
   However, Esera seems quite certain he is dead. He has nothing good to say about Garrison Hearst either, which amused me! Don't invite those two to the same dinner party--Hearst would bolt like a scared jackrabbit!
   
   
   
   Like other reviewers, I could have used a bit more detail about what sex is like when you're a closeted NFL star, for Esera is one of the view who has been through the neon inside and escaped to tell the story. And although he seems frank about his addictions to alcohol and grass (or whatever), I wonder if there isn't anything he's not telling us. In the meantime, I look forward to Esera's forthcoming CD of modern pop music, for the descriptions he gives of his haunting, majestic voice make him seem like a modern day Perry Como, only with more "ufis" (balls).



4. Esera's book reads very well. I really appreciate that he shares his life with us, he did not have to. I have met the man at Univ. of Hawaii, he does have a beautiful voice.. and a year later finally read the book. I read this book and Reichen Lehmkuhl's "Here's What We'll Say" at the same time. Each book has it's positive and negatives but this book is much better flowing, seems more genuine, and Esera has such a big heart. It really pains me to see all that he went through to make some money in the game of football. I related much to his story and it really helped me. I live here in Hawaii and I know how disjointed the community is here due to culture and social stigmas. I wish he would have talked more about his relationship, living with a stylist has it's own stories to tell! Hmmm, maybe I will write a book Esera?



5. The whole book is great. As a gay parent myself, I love to see more gay people telling their stories. But aside from that, the most interesting part of the book was the influence of religious conservatives on NFL players. As a sports fan, I found those sections alarming. Not because I think players should not express their faith, but because of the strong-arm tactics that may be in use to influence people's careers.
   Read the book, it's a quick read.

5 comments about I've Got Things To Do With My Life: Pat Tillman And The Making Of An American Hero.

1. I'm confused! I re-ordered this book (returned the defective one)and received another defective book! The pages opposite the spine of the book are jagged and have a strange, uneven, torn look. This is the second time this has happened with the same book! I need to send this one back too. Thanks for prompting this response! Disappointed in Michigan



2. This book needs to be updated with the sorry story of the abuse of a dead football player for propaganda purposes by an incompetent military and an administration bereft of any sense of decency or notion of ethical behaviour.



3. I didn't like the book. First, I was suprised by how thin the book was when I got it.There were not many pages at all.The rough uneven edges of the pages made it appear as if they had all been torn out of some other book making it look very amateurish. The story content was as thin as the book itself. There was only general information on how he died; no detail at all.I was very disappointed with it and do not reccommend it to anyone.



4. Compelling real hero stuff to realize what hell at war is all about taking a life that was so vibrant!



5. The previous book review by that Calvert guy is totally bogus. What a jerk. I read Towle's book, and while it's not one of those long, comprehensive biographies that takes two years to write, it is very informative. It's also nicely balanced in that it presnets a thorough examination of both Tillman's Army life and his football career. Sure, there was some stuff in the book that has appeared in other sources, but Towle sourced and footnoted all those. I also noticed in his Acknowledgements section that he listed something like 40 people or so he spoke to firsthand for this book. That's pretty good considering that Tillman's family and friends have been so tight-lipped about Pat to this day. This is a story that needed to be written, whether or not family and friends are willing to open up, and I think Towle did a wonderful job.

5 comments about The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant.

1. "The Last Coach" is a newer and perhaps more comprehensive biography of the man simply known as "Bear". The book covers several aspects of Coach Bryant's life:
   
   1. Early life in Moro Bottom and Fordyce, Arkansas.
   2. Early interest in football as a way for him to escape the dirt-poor life he was raised in.
   3. College years at the Univesity of Alabama.
   4. Coaching jobs at Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama, and other places.
   5. Relationship with several players (Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Pat Trammel, and others).
   6. Relationship with politicians, college presidents, Hollywood figures, and others.
   7. Later family life.
   8. Details of the long funeral procession and thousands of people who turned out to pay respect for Bryant.
   9. Different versions of how Bryant got the nickname "Bear".
   
   While Bryant's personal life did have some questions (drinking, supposed womanizing, etc.) there is no doubt that he was also one of college football's greatest coaches.
   
   Whatever you think of Bryant or the University of Alabama football, "The Last Coach" is an informative read. Recommended.



2. I've read many of the Bryant books and simply put, this is the best.
   
   If you are a fan of college football then you'd do well to read this book from a historical standpoint. For those who think they know college football, this book is illuminating with regards to the "national" game in the early days vs. now (2007) and how championships were determined largely by geographics and not by talent or strength of schedule.
   
   Excellent.



3. I have read quite a few books on Paul "Bear" Bryant (including his audobiography) so I wasn't sure if the information in this book would be facts I already knew or information I was not aware of. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Yes, there was all the well-known facts about his life, but to my surprise there was quite a bit of information that I was reading for the first time.
   
   The author has done an outstanding job of detailed research and brings a clear steady style to the book. It is without question the most comprehensive book on Coach Bryant's life that I have ever read.
   
   If you're an Alabama football fan, this is a must read.



4. The Bear was the last coach. Now it is a business. Anyone that loves college football, especially SEC football, should read this book. Barra has done a good job capturing the times of Paul "Bear" Bryant.



5. From the Junction boy days and even earlier. This book has it all. One of my favorites! Excellent reading!

5 comments about The Rest Of The Iceberg: An Insider's View On The World Of Sport And Celebrity.

1. Although this book would probably be best appreciated by those of us who were already Robert Smith fans, it should also be interesting to anyone who follows football. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because he kept it real--he was honest about the good and not-so-good things he had done in his life and throughout his football career. He gives readers insight into a player's frame of mind before and after games, and the drama that can sometimes occur between players in the locker room. I was a little disappointed that he didnt address some of the rumors that he has to know we have heard, but I liked that he wasn't afraid to give his opinions on divisive issues like race and religion, even though I didnt agree with some of them. I will definitely be reading this book again.



2. I was very disappointed in the overall content of the book. Very little insight into the game of football. The author's view of race, religion, and politics added nothing but a few pages to the length of the book.



3. I purchased this book because I find it intriguing that a guy with a gazillion dollar future ahead of him walked away from it all to pursue another path. How many of us would do the same I wonder? Smith consistently had an interesting and thoughtful perspective throughout his athletic career. And that's exactly what he still manages to deliver in this book. For those of you looking for solutions to resolve all that ills our society or a good dissing on Randy Moss for that matter, you are not going to find it here. Just his point of view, which is personally why I bought it to begin with. And whether you agree with his thought process or not, I don't think the guy needs any validation. His actions have always spoke volumes about his character. Overall, I found this book to be a commendable first time effort from a notable personality that I hope we hear more from in the future.



4. I trudged through the book hoping there would be some kernels of stimulating thought. But I never really found any. The same themes -- sometimes nearly the same sentences -- appeared over and over and over. Smith seems to want to capitalize on his football status as well as the idea that he's "articulate for an athlete."



5. After hearing Robert speak on a local radio show, I found his opinions interesting and the fact that he was obviously articulate made me curious about the book. I asked for and received it for Christmas and was not disappointed. As a huge football fan, and someone who had him on his fantasy football team both good and bad years, I enjoyed the first part of the book for it's insider's look into the life of an NFL player. Although I didn't agree with some of his positions regarding player compensation, it is basically an autobiography and therefore we must expect that the writer will tell us his opinions. Whether we agree with them or not, you must feel that he is entitled to them or you should not be reading an autobiography. The 2nd part of the book is insightful and thought provoking. Maybe it helped that I happened to agree with most of his opinions, I don't know.
   
   I guess my only real "complaint" about the book was where he tried to illustrate his point about player salaries by using analogies to more common work environments. The purpose of an analogy is usually to get the person to agree with something that they can more readily identify with and therefore agree with the original situation. But what if you do not agree with the analogy? Does that mean that you do not agree with the original statement, or does it just mean that it was a bad analogy? To me it just made him seem as out of touch to the common man as we are to the professional football player.
   
   "What would you say if your boss hired you at the same position as one of your co-workers but said that he was going to pay you a salary 5 percent lower?"
   
   Well, I just accepted a job in a field where I have 15 years experience and am working with a friend of mine who has 4 years experience. I'm making %15 less. I needed the job so I accepted it. That does not mean that I don't agree with him holding out for more money that season.
   
   "Imagine if your boss asked you to come in a few hours early every day and said he was going to pay you 1 percent of your normal salary."
   
   Many people are "salaried" employees (myself included) and are asked to come in early, stay late and work weekends with no extra pay, let alone 1 percent. I am a computer programmer in the healcare industry so I am quite sure that Robert's healthcare software company has salaried employees that this happens to all the time. Again, just because I don't agree with the analogy it doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with the practice.
   
   Other than these and a few others, I still felt it was an interesting read about an interesting person.

3 comments about One Yard Short: Turning Your Defeats into Victories.

1. Coach Steckel has written an inspiring and entertaining book. I'm a football coach myself and can relate to the highs and lows of the profession as Coach Steckel explains in this book. Coaches if you want a book to lift you and show you how God can lead a man thru the highs and lows of life this is it. God bless you Coach Steckel.



2. This was a GREAT book! It sounded like something I would like because I am a huge Titans fan & watched the super bowl when Kevin Dyson needed that extra yard, so I asked for it for Christmas. I couldn't put it down. I put off finishing it though because I felt like I had a connection to Les & his wife,and I knew he didn't have another book out. It was very inspirational. Football fan or not, anyone who likes fair play & God will love this easy to read book! Thanks to Les for taking time to write it!



3. If you are a Christian and you coach any sport, especially football you should take a look at his book. I was so moved by it I was on the brink of tears about 2-3 times. It talks about letting God control your life, and if you put full complete faith in HIM as your savior, you will be able to live and lead a very gratifying life. I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about The Lion in Autumn: A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football.

1. The book "The Lion in Autumn:A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football" is a good book to be read by a Penn State football fan. The book takes you through the Nittany Lions 2004 season where they finished the disapointing season at 4-7. The book travels through the rough season with an inside look at Penn State football. Week by week the book takes you in depth into what happened during the 2004 season. The book goes in chronological order game after game with recollections of Nittany Lion football pasts along the way. At the end of the book there is an afterword about the Lions next season whre they went 11-1 and finished 3rd in the country. I recommend "The Lion In Autumn" to any Penn State football fan who is looking for something to read.



2. I thought the book was very good. Would recommend it to Penn State fans as well as any other football fans.



3. One of the great joys of Penn State football fandom is reading books about Coach Paterno and his program. As both a fan and a reader, any disappointment I had with this one was chiefly due to the limited access given to the author. After a nine-loss season in 2003 that marked the nadir of precipitous competitive slide, and an increasing number of off-field incidents, Coach Paterno was understandably guarded -- even abandoning a longstanding tradition of meeting with reporters over cocktails the night before game day. (Stiffing reporters in this fashion was probably an unwise political move that helped to contribute to the "JoePa Must Go" sentiment.)
   
   What then is a writer to do? One approach could have been to chronicle the growing division within the Penn State community -- former players, alumni, students, and the media -- over the tough times in Happy Valley, using a few colorful and outspoken characters as a catalyst for that division.
   
   Instead, Mr. Fitzpatrick delivers a fairly straightforward chronicle of the 2005 season's aspirations and disappointments. He does an adept job for those readers who may not be familiar with the programs history, but for those readers who are the chapters on glories past provide no new insight and interrupts the narrative of the current season.
   
   Penn State's decline was primarily attributable to lackluster recruiting that produced players unable to compete effectively in the Big Ten, and Mr. Fitzpatrick is spot on when he writes that Paterno was mindful of this: "Other teams had more talent than Penn State. But to admit that too often in public was to demean his players.... [He] understood that the quickest solution to the Nittany Lions' troubles would be to search harder and more selectively for talent." (p. 287)
   
   Once again, Coach Paterno's refusal to publicly contemplate life after football is highlighted, where is prospective retirement activity has changed over the years from collecting stamps to cutting grass. With the almost immediate death of Alabama's Bear Bryant after his retirement, Mr. Paterno is quite candid about his deep seated fears: "I'm alive. I don't want to die. Football keeps me alive." (p. 276) This outlook is quite tragic and perplexing, given his successes off the field as an educator, philanthropist, community leader and family patriarch.
   
   In short, this volume does not quite rise to the level of incisiveness of Ken Denlinger's "For the Glory" or Coach Paterno's decades-old autobiography, which is in desperate need of an update. But it reads quickly and provides and admirable journalistic account of Happy Valley's darkest days in the Paterno era.



4. I just finished the book a couple of days ago and as it settled it my mind, two impressions came over me.
   
   One is that there is a big part of Joe Paterno who still feels deep inside that he is not as good as his rich college classmates at Brown and how he has to prove to them that he belongs.
   
   The second is that while Saint Joepa Paterno can talk all he wants about the excesses in college athletics, he is not willing to forgo any of the excesses that reward him. You don't see him turning away any of the huge salaries or the other luxuries, do you.
   
   Paterno comes across as a control freak, if he is trying to prepare his players and assistant coaches for the outside world, why does he restrict acccess to them so tightly.
   
   I am a big sports fan of college and pro sports but I have major issues with people glorifying coaches the way they do. They are just athletic coaches. They are not helping solve the problems of the world, just entertainers.
   
   Joepa also comes across as humorless, a man who takes himself way too seriously.
   
   It is a shame that Fitzpatrick was denied access to so many sources. It would have been interesting to find out why Joepa's son is unwilling or able to get a job on his own instead of depending on Daddy.
   
   As noted above, Joepa was influenced greatly by his days at Brown. I would have loved to learn how in the world an Italian kid from Brooklynin the 40s made it to the Ivy League.
   
   This is not a puff piece on the man, that is a great accomplishment by the author.



5. I hesitated picking up this book because even though it was published only one year ago, it is arguably outdated since Penn State football finally bounced back and had a very good year. That said, I am glad I read it because the book goes beyond the marketed "A Season with Penn State" storyline and provides a very good historical synopsis of Joe Paterno and his role in the history of college football.
   
   Since Paterno has been around so long, people tend to forget his importance in the development of college football. Once he retires, he will undoubtedly be remembered in the same breath as Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne, Daryl Royal, Bud Wilkinson and the other Legends (with a capital "L") of college football.
   
   This book provides interesting insights into his personal history and the development of Penn State University, which Paterno literally transformed from a backwater agricultural school into a well-known and successful state school. I doubt any coach in college sports history has been more important to his school's development than Paterno has been to Penn State.
   
   The parts about the actual season are fairly boring, since PSU was horrible the year Fitzpatrick followed them but it is worth picking up if you are a fan of college football history.

5 comments about Barry Sanders Now You See Him: His Story in His Own Words.

1. What a great Back. Rather booring book. Not too interesting at all. Very blah.



2. I was so glad to see this book and DVD come out. The story of Barry Sanders the NFL's legendary running back who played for the Detroit Lions for his entire NFL career. Barry Sanders didn't break the biggest records but, his name is mentioned as a runner up for all of them. This was mainly because Barry didn't play the game to break records. He played the game to the best of his abilities..... and his best, for those of us lucky enough to see him play, was nothing short of jaw-dropping! I know that Sanders could have broke all the records but, his modest and humble personality and upbringing would not permit any showboating. In many games where his team had a good lead he would take himself out of the game rather than pile on the garbage yards like so many others. Sanders also was able to produce a staggering amount of yards behind a mediocre front line. The Superbowl would elude him for his entire career and his sudden retirement was almost brilliant as we will never know what he could have accomplished if he played a few more years. Still if you look at his stats you will see he did break many records and left an impressive mark on the game. I don't think football has been as exciting since he retired. I know that many of today's players could take a lesson from this man in class,loyalty and good sportmanship. Even if you don't agree he was the greatest running back to play the game, he was certainly the most unique! The book is interesting and the DVD is very good but, I would have loved more footage of great runs from old "20 Blue", I'm sure they could fill a hefty DVD box set with just classic Barry runs. If your a fan it's worth picking up.



3. The greatest back of all time writes a pretty boring book. some things are interesting. I wish the DVD was better...but you could make a 10 disc set with his highlights.



4. THIS IS ABOUT FORMER DETROIT LION GREAT BARRY SANDERS. HE WROTE THIS HIMSELF WITH A LITTLE HELP. HIS STORY IS SHORT, SWEET AND VERY WELL WRITTEN. IT ALSO INCLUDES A DVD SHOWING SOME OF HIS RUNS. I THINK ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS IS HIS REASONS FOR RETIRING WHEN HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING THE TOP RUSHER OF ALL TIME. BARRY IS A CHRISTIAN AND IS HIS OWN MAN. THE BOOK IS FOR ALL LION AND FOOTBALL FANS. ENJOY.



5. I've been looking for a Barry Sanders highlights DVD for years.... good news - there finally is one, it comes with the book. Bad news? It's only about 20 minutes long, and doesn't show many of his spectacular runs. The book is outstanding, as it's written pretty much by Barry himself, and has great comments from other players in the NFL, giving him the praise he deserves. Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, they have entire 60 minute DVD's (and more) on their lives.... if any player in the history of football should have one, it's Barry Sanders. All in all, if you like football at all, and appreciate magic, this is a must have, from the most talented running back in the history of the game.