3 comments about Sid!: The Sports Legends, the Inside Scoops, and the Close Personal Friends.

1. SID! THE SPORTS LEGENDS, THE INSIDE SCOOPS, AND THE CLOSE PERSONAL FRIENDS surveys one who has seen many changes to Minnesota sports for over sixty years. His memoir originally appeared in 1997: this newly update edition includes a new epilogue about the past 10 years in Minnesota sports and presents new audiences with sports commentary and insights which are a 'must' for any fan of Minnesota sports history and any collection catering to sports enthusiasts.



2. This book is mildly interesting as fiction but bears little or no resemblance to fact. One question: Why does someone who makes a living as a writer have to use a ghost writer for his "autobiography?" Don't waste your money on this.



3. Sid's book is a fantastic ride through Minnesota sports history. I picked up the book a true Sid Hartman sceptic. Come on, does he really know all these people? I won't give it all away, but Sid is the real-deal Minnesota sports fan. A true Minnesota legend. The many tales of Bud Grant, the Gophers, the Vikings, the Millers, his role in the Minneapolis Lakers, the Twins, and yes, Bob Knight keep you both entertained and laughing from start to finish. Read this book and you will know a true hometown fan. I only wish Sid liked hockey a little more. Love him or not, this book is a must read for any Minnesota sports fan, and makes a great gift to those no longer living in Minnesota, like me. Thanks Demps! Another must read for Twins fans is "Calvin: The Last Dinosaur," author unknown.

5 comments about Where's Harry?: Steve Stone Remembers 25 Years with Harry Caray.

1. I wasn't really a Harry Caray fan but a friend let me borrow this book for a recent flight. I've always been a baseball fan so I thought I'd get something out it.
   
   As it turned out, I was right. Steve Stone, who shared the radio booth with Harry, a Cubs legend, does a great job relaying some wonderful and hilarous stories about his partner. The story about Harry getting his "manhood" stuck in his zipper during a commercial break and trying to continue on had me laughing out loud.
   
   More than anything, however, I just really enjoyed a unique look at the game. I've read players' books and even books by managers, in addition to ones like Moneyball and record boooks, but I gotta admit that this was a new one for me.
   
   I think Cubs and baseball fans in general will enjoy this. Even after Harry's death, it's still a treat.



2. Steve Stone was Harry Carey's straight man for many years. In a sense, he was Harry's Norton. In this book, he tells the shadow's story, including the ups and down.

   On the humorous side, Steve discusses Harry's struggle to remember names, and how he tormented Arnie (the producer) with his requests.

   Steve also paints the image of Harry the promoter, explaining how in his way, Harry promoted the character that Steve was to play on the air. Stone also admits that he owes his job in many ways to Harry. That they stayed together for 15 years is a tribute to a partnership that in many ways seemed like a marriage.

   Some of the things you may not know... With only a very rare exception, he didn't drink on TV, but kept the Bud glass a plug for his sponsors. That he always paid when we went out, even though he'd plug his favorite watering holes.

   Steve also covers the dark side of Harry - how he handled grudges. How he'd insist on being the prima donna. Their petty fights, and how they'd get over them. His ostracism and eventual reconciliation with his family.

   In the end, you're left with both a fitting and realistic picture of the icon.




3. This book is one of the best ever. All you have to do is be a baseball fan. I gurantee even those dreaded Cardinal fans will love to read this book. The stories that Steve has in here will make you laugh and cry and than laugh again.

   No matter what team you rooted for, everyone loved Harry. Sad to see him go, but glad to have the book to learn just a little bit more about him. Truly a comical wonder.




4. I grew up listening to Harry Caray and Steve Stone on WGN. I must say that this book brought back a lot of great memories and provided a lot of behind the scenes details that I never knew about. Any fan of baseball or story-telling will love this book. Steve Stone's candor makes the stories even better.



5. Steve Stone opens up about his personal and working relationship with Harry Caray in this book. The many anecdotes will not only bring back many fond memories, but will also shed some light on parts of his life that most people don't know about. For example, he wasn't really drunk up there in that booth. He was just acting so fans could relate. Harry was always one for showmanship, and he was one of the best at it. If you miss Harry, you need to read this...it will help.

No comments about El Principe de los mendigos (Debolsillo).

No comments about Odd-Egg Editor.

2 comments about Miles Gone By.

1. This is just a wonderful parting gift from WFB. He reads essays (unabridged) from his literary autobiography , using decades of writings to illustrate the course of his own life.
   
   You simply cannot get his unique voice and cadence out of your head after listening to this. And not surprisingly, you find he speaks it with a bit different emphasis than you would think upon reading it - added value.
   
   The best thing I can say, is that listening to these discs gives you the palpable feeling that Bill and you are sitting in Stamford on the Long Island Sound as he tells you all about his life.
   
   An absolute treasure for those who loved him.
   
   Ave Atque Vale



2. MILES GONE BY is a compilation of William F. Buckley essays, columns and anecdotes which tell the story of his life. His writings are so prolific that the better parts of his life had already been chronicled, by himself no less, prior to his death.
   
   I began reading National Review in 1978 as a young liberal college student. Buckley was my cure for liberalism along with the practical demise of liberal theology under Carter. He was also a mentor and hero as the Reagan Era rushed in and changed the world. I dug deep into Buckley's lore reading the Blackford Oakes novels, his journal at the United Nations, and his sailboat chronicles (AirBorne and Racing Through Paradise).
   
   WFB was a classic conservative voice at a time when conservatism had few national voices. Goldwater, Reagan, Milton Friedman, Gingrich and others would emerge as leaders but Buckley was always the apologist for the right. His bully pulpits were the National Review and Firing Line television program. At times I wondered if he befriended people like John Kenneth Galbraith to keep them busy while conservatives were busily furthering their agenda.
   
   Besides being the voice and conscience of the conservative movement in America, Buckley will be remembered for his civility. He was a gifted host and debater who confronted and entreated opponents with grace, tact, and utmost civility. He raised the national debate to a higher level of discourse. It would be difficult ot find another personality who so delighted in the excellence of communication. He positively thrilled to witty, bright, clever conversationalists like Galbreath, Muggeridge, and other intellectuals of the day.
   
   America is poorer for his passing.

1 comments about Where War Lives: A Journey into the Heart of War.

1. This book is really thought provoking. It should be particularly interesting to photographers with a political interest.

No comments about The Making of McPaper: The Inside Story of How USA Today Made It.

5 comments about Metal Cowboy: Tales from the Road Less Pedaled.

1. A "born again bicyclist" who thinks bicycles will save the world, I went to the library to get books about cycling & bicycles. I discovered The Metal Cowboy and hung on to it even though it wasn't "technical". I tried to read a funny bit aloud to my family but I was giggling too hard.
   The almost-romantic chapter is my favorite.
   Reading this book makes you feel like there is hope for America's privileged middle class kids. By getting lost on a bike we can find ourselves.
   Joe's most recent book (Momentum is Your Friend) is equally excellent.



2. From my blog: [...]
   I started reading Metal Cowboy, a collection of stories by Joe Kurmaskie, a few weeks ago at my Dad's suggestion and have had a hard time putting it down. I finished it on Thanksgiving day and knew I had to get a review up in short order. Metal Cowboy is a collection of some of Kurmaskie's stories from his long distance bike tours but I promise you that you don't need to be a cyclist to appreciate this book.
   
   Kurmaskie is a top notch storyteller who writes in a way that is relatable to anyone who would come across his material. He also has a knack for showcasing what is good among people. Joe's optimism shines through even when he is in the worst of situations while on the road. He manages to make you feel as if you are right there with him experiencing everything he does.
   
   One of my favorite stories in the book is called "The Tree Huggers versus the Tree Cutters as Told by the Fence-Sitter" and it begins with this quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
   
   "Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat."
   
   The quote is a powerful one and it foreshadows the rest of the story nicely. In a nutshell, Joe runs across a logger while at a campsite who he becomes friends with. The logger then offers to let Joe stay with him when Joe makes his way towards his house in the coming days of his trip. Joe ends up at the loggers house but he is not home so Joe decides to camp in the woods where he meets a number of the "tree huggers" who are protesting the company that Joe's logger friend works for. Joe, trying to be friends with both the loggers and the tree huggers, ends up having to explain himself to both the logger and the tree huggers and everyone ends up not caring for Joe too much since he wasn't really up front about his true beliefs.
   
   The story reminds us to not be afraid to talk about what we believe in and to be up front. It also urges us to step out of the gray twilight and take some chances. As entrepreneurs and VCs we are all taking our shot at changing the world. Yes, a lot of us will fail at some point in our lives but I, for one, would rather fail while taking a chance on something I believe in than to have never taken a chance at all and I think a lot of you probably feel the same way.
   
   That said, I highly recommend picking up Metal Cowboy. You won't regret it. My only warning is the book may cause an overwhelming urge to grab your bike, load it up and head out on an extended bike tour of your own!



3. This is the first book that I read about long distance and adventure bicycle touring. I loved the stories about the people Joe meets and the situations he got into. I liked it so much that I immediately read the second book and ordered "Momentum is Your Best Friend". I would recommend the same to anyone! This was a great book.



4. I have just completed Metal Cowboy and have ordered a couple of copies for riding and non-riding friends. Joe reminds me of Bill Bryson or an early Peter Egan.



5. As I live my life, going from one task to another, there is a part of my brain that yearns for more, something a little closer to the edge of my comfort zone. I received "Metal Cowboy" as a gift a few years ago and there it was, the life less ordinary that always seemed to escape me! Joe Kurmaskie tells wonderful stories about true humanity and the good that exists in this world. Sure, I only get to experience a slice of this life on long weekend rides and the last full week in July on RAGBRAI, but the Metal Cowboy makes me hopeful for the future.

2 comments about Ernest Hemingway.

1. Ernest Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" allows the reader to experience life on the other side of the page, so to speak, the life of the authors. Recognizing the author as a person, as having gone through the human experience, is an important aspect of the reading experience. It removes the barrier between the reader and the author thus allowing a better communication between the text and the reader. The author no longer seems distant and extraordinary, so the reader is able to absorb the book on his own terms, as one discusses life with a respected friend. Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" is particularly well-written, for Hemingway (as usual) does not talk down to the reader but rather includes the reader in his life as a matter of course. A truly remarkable bit of literature...



2. The book provides excellent insight into Hemingway's life without wasting a word. Every Hemingway fan should read it.

5 comments about Meant To Be.

1. I thought this sounded like a great book. It had all the makings for a great book but it just didn't get there for me. I enjoyed hearing about Walter Anderson's life growing up and I felt for him. I thought he was one smart and tough cookie. I think for me the book sort of fell apart at the end when he connects with his half brother. For me it just didn't live up to the build up that the reviews and book jacket gave it.
   I think I would have been a happier reader if the story had just focused on his success as a person and less on him finding his half brother.



2. Walter Anderson's story of his experiences as an abused child, son without a loving father, confused young man, Viet Nam soldier & veteran, young writer, seeker of his own personal truth, and seeker of a truth bigger than his own. This book goes beyond personal memoir. It is about the generation who came of age in post WWII, being the son of a WWII veteran who was abused in his childhood and tortured in war, and ultimately being the true offspring of a Jewish man his mother had an affair with during the war. There are many books about how childhood abuse impacts women. This book gave insight into how men are impacted by such abuse, cultural expectations of toughness and violence, and then the traumas of war....creating men who oftentimes become the men they swore they would never become, alcoholics who abuse those closest to them. I believe Anderson was able to escape this destiny because on some level he did think differently (perhaps like his birthfather), but also because of the love of three wonderful loving women: his mother Ethel, the teacher Mrs. Williams, and his wife of over 30 yrs., Loretta. I was most moved by Anderson's comments & statements when visiting the Soviet Union in the 1980's. His definition of soul and his courage in speaking out on behalf of Jews in Russia were the best parts of the book. Inspiring and moving.



3. Sad at times,but unable to put it down. The book draws you in...knowing/feeling the courage this person has. He reveals the truth about his life and tells this inspirational story..and you must read it.

   Also recommended: Nightmares Echo,Courage To Heal,Lucky




4. One of the most powerful narratives I've ever read.

   Not just because the author overcame great odds to go on and achieve great things, but because he honestly describes his lack of faith in God and then describes the day he comes to believe in the God of his real father.

   I can't say enough good things about this book, so, I'm just buying copies for all my friends, and letting them see for themselves.
   Marsha Marks, author of 101 SIMPLE LESSONS FOR LIFE.




5. I am completely in awe of this author and this book Meant To Be. So many lessons,teachings and above all courage through out this book
   I want to also recommend Nightmares Echo. It also has courage and determination.