2 comments about Dice-K: The First Season of the Red Sox $100 Million Man.

1. There are some players who produce seasons that transcend mere success or failure, and Daisuke Matsuzaka was one of them in 2007. Fortunately, Ian Browne was able to expertly chronicle what became a rivoting story within a story. The book is thorough, insightful and entertaining, more than doing justice to a year-long drama no baseball fan will soon forget.



2. Ian Browne, who so ably chronicles the Red Sox for mlb.com, has provided us with a wonderful inside look at one of the most compelling stories from the team's 2007 season. In describing the acquisition and first season of Japanese pitching star Daisuke Matsuzaka, he gives us a clear picture of the business decision making process that brought Dice-K to the team and then thoughtfully interweaves vignettes focusing on cultural diversity, team-building, and the road to a World Series championship. The book is far more than an expanded internet column. Even for those of us who follow the Red Sox all season, this book is a nail-biter. It should provide reading pleasure to both baseball lovers and others interested in the interfaces among business, sports, and intercultural challenges.

3 comments about My Greatest Shot: The Top Players Share Their Defining Golf Moments.

1. Good book, well worth the read, but something short of an eagle or a 5-star rating...like that eagle putt that comes up just short. Still a good effort and good score, but not quite as good as it could be....But who complains about a birdie, right? And there are no complaints about this book. Well worth the read.
   
   The concept is exceptional--tour players describing their own greatest shots and the greatest shots they have seen in their own words--and the cooperation of some of golf's greatest appears to be remarkable.
   
   Those descriptions that were written by hand on personal note cards or stationary were especially interesting. Frankly, even the logos of some of the typed responses were interesting. (All responses are presented exactly as sent or presented to the editors which adds much to the book.)
   
   All in all, a good book, a good read. Can't say it is a great additon to golf literature, but as the years go by, it may become more and more significant to golf history, legend and lore.



2. This book of entertaining and successfully compiled letters from the best golfers in the world, past and present, brings memories and the love of the game to the forefront. A great idea and a special book espcially for those who have been following the game for a long time. This book will be greatly appreciated by any golf enthusiast.



3. This book shares the pros greatest shots that we mortals that play golf can only dream of. It is terrific to hear the pros describe in their own words, the shots that made an impression on these bigger than life performers who routinely make amazing shots every day. Great reading and a great book to give as a gift to anyone who plays, watches, or dreams about golf.

5 comments about The Crossing: The Curious Story of the First Man to Swim the English Channel.

1. This is a good reading if you are planning to attempt any challenging swim or if you simply want to be inspired.



2. A little book with a big story. It tells the story of the first man to swim the English Channel. Its a solid story, with all the drama of a Tour de France drug scandal.



3. As an open-water swimmer myself, I was attracted to this book about the famous first crossing by Capt. Webb I've heard about for years. The author clearly shows that she did her research on failed swims of the past and on how present-day Channel swimmers conquered the Channel between England and France.

   To Watson's credit, the actual channel crossing is only a minor part of the entire book. The author looks at Capt. Webb as something more than the first man to swim across the English Channel; she examines him as the Victorian age's first mega-celebrity...think Mickey Mantle meets Michael Jordan at the turn of the century.

   She meticulously pieces together newspaper reports of the day regarding Webb's exploits after the famous Channel swim, actually building sympathy for Capt. Webb and the hucksters who set him up for swim after swim (and even more ridiculous feats of endurance).

   I only wish that this book had a biography so I could explore more stories about Capt. Webb and open-water swimming. However, you don't have to be a swimmer to enjoy this book - Watson clearly markets it to the casual reader, and it's small size makes it perfect for summertime reading.




4. Time was when every schoolboy in Britain knew about Capt.Webb; matchboxes carried his name and image; he figured high on the list of heroes and tales of derring-do - I'm not sure if the same holds true nowadays, so this book is an attempt to set the record straight (even so, we are surprised to discover that someone had beaten Webb to it ... but not by swimming),

   Written in an accessible, flowing conversational style, it goes beyond 'the Crossing' to trace the life and exploits of this remarkable man. Incidentally, Ms.Watson (no relation) aspires to be a channel swimmer - this lends a certain authority and credence to the rest of the book; not that it needs it, the research into Webb's life is meticulous.

   At the time, swimming the channel was as daunting as climbing Everest; many authorities stating categorically that it was an impossible feat. However, Webb seems to have suffered from no such fears - totally confident, he persuades backers with his no-nonsense charm, incidentally laying the basis of the British love-affair with swimming.

   After the success of the crossing, we see more of Webb's bravado and determination ... but directed into increasingly desperate money-making schemes, culminating in the one that would end his life.
   One feels for the man, driven as he was by some inner need, but reduced to exhibitionism instead of taking an easier option on life.

   A very enjoyable read. *****




5. Kathy Watson has crafted a jewel of a book, an exotic Victoria portrait that goes far beyond the simple description of Captain Webb and his extraordinary swimming of the English Channel - the first person ever to do so in recorded history.

   For in this miniature we certainly see bits and pieces and touches of ouselves in ways that force us to immediately recognize the subject of the book: the having done a daring, or honorable, or brave, or even brilliant act in our past, one that defined us as eminently worthwhile members of the human family. Perhaps only we knew about what we had done, perhaps we did it only in silence, perhaps there was never outside recognition; but most of us have one or more of those moments, just as Capt. Webb had when he did his extraordinary feat, only less so. He was certainly recognized and feted and admired; he received cash and other rewards for demonstrating British pluck in his accomplishment. And then...glory was taken away from him. Not in one fell swoop, but gradually and ignominiously over a period of 8 years, when he ended his life as a boastful freak who attempted to swim the Whirlpool Rapids at Niagara Falls and failed.

   The story of this brilliant meteor and its crash is splendidly narrated; the prose is redolent with Victorian language without being Victorian prose. Meticulous research has obviously been used to underpin the narrative, and the author's joy and enthusiasm is everywhere: "Niagara," she explains "had become the primary port of call in North America for daredevils, con men, suicides, sensation-seekers, and nutcases" in 1883 when Capt. Webb arrived.

   Ms. Watson gives statistics, but does not burden us with them; since Capt Webb there have been 500 or so people who have swum the Channel, but today it is much easier (but not easy) because of the expert knowledge that has built over the years on how to prepare for, and execute, a crossing. Not so when Jabez Wolffe made his first attempt in 1906, nor in the ensuing years, when he tried 22 times and never succeeded in his quest.

   Whether one swims or not, this is an exciting and delightful book. Yes, it ends in the defeat of Capt. Webb, but somehow this failure totally pales when compared to his success; and because of that, this is an upbeat book of optimism and hope, brilliantly written.

2 comments about Whitey Ford.

1. Mr. Coverdale may be the most accurate baseball biographer, but he ranks among the driest. This book details about every start Ford ever made as a major leaguer. It's like a set of 460 box scores made into prose. What it lacks is any description of Whitey's private life after he became a Yankee, including the fun times with Mickey. The most famous stories are repeated in brief: the Copacabana incident, the Phil Linz harmonica strife, and Whitey's late career scuffing of the ball. But seek in vain for a "life" story here. And the book abruptly ends with Whitey's retirement. If you like Whitey, as I do, even though I'm not a Yankee fan, you want to know more about him. Has he been happy these last 39 years?



2. As a lifelong Yankee fan and an avid reader of sports biographies, Mr. Coverdale's Whitey Ford ranks number one in my book. Meticulously researched and consequently bereft of the inaccuracies which mar so many sport biographies, the book fully captures the excitement and mystique of the Yankee glory years in the 1950's and 60's.

4 comments about Serenity: A Boxing Memoir.

1. I was a great fan of Ralph Wiley's regular columns on ESPN's Page 2, and when he passed on (earlier this summer) I decided that it was well past time to get one of his books and see how he did in a longer form.
   
   I'm glad I did. Wiley wrote a vivid description of the art and science of boxing; with every page offering insights that are provocative, disturbing, and important. It's as much about Wiley as it is about Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Ali, and Tyson. That's not a problem as Wiley was an articulate, interesting, and experienced Black man.
   
   Wiley relates that when he was a copyboy for the Oakland Trib, he would type "RALPH WILEY IS THE GREATEST SPORTSWRITER OF ALL TIME, BAR NONE" on the old IBM Selectric from time to time. It's a shame that so few sports fans seem to know him these days, especially now that he's gone. This great little book, which destroys boxing as completely as boxing seems to destroy its greatest talents, is quite an argument for Wiley's place in the pantheon of the greatest sports writers of all time.
   
   If you enjoyed Wiley's columns, or his writing in SI, or his work on other subjects, OR if you have a passing interest in, or disgust over, or passion for boxing, you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy reading about one man's developing views on an activity that he at first approached with veneration and eventually came to see as horrific, you will enjoy this book. If you read Bill Simmons' columns, you will enjoy this book.
   
   It's such shame that we don't have Wiley with us any more; and I'll miss him, but now that he's gone on maybe he's met Joe Louis at the gates and had that talk with him. We can only hope so.



2. this was where you truly could appreciate the Greatness of Ralph Wiley.He knew His Boxing&the way He broke down each subject matter is Classic.Boxing has had many Fighters but you know the Guys that you still debate&talk about many years later.Great takes on Ali,HitMan hearns,Sugar Ray Leonard,Mike Tyson&Everyone else mentioned.A Knockout of a Book from start to finish.



3. Intellectuals have long had a fascination with boxing, an athletic contest reduced to its very essence-two semi-naked men trying to kill each other for the enjoyment of a crowd. That's about as stark as it gets. A long and varied list of literary heavyweights have fallen under boxing's spell-Hemingway, Mailer, Oates, Earley, etc., etc., etc. Ralph Wiley belongs up there with the best of them. The ideas he expresses in "Serenity" are meaty and delivered in a style that is both clear and artistic. Mr. Wiley can flat-out write and my goodness does he have an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue. His descriptions of knockout blows are downright poetic; one fighter "... went out like a broken light bulb"; another was struck so hard that the blow "... sent his eyes into the top of his head like snapped windowshades". The sights and sounds and smells of the gym all ring true in "Serenity", from the lowliest trainer ("...with a trainwreck of a yellowing smile") to the beatific Ali.

   Mr. Wiley defines serenity as "...the inner peace which comes from doing something well enough to understand it". Boxers, per Wiley, can only acheive pugilistic serenity after they understand that pain, and maybe death, are part of the equation. Pain can not be avoided, no matter how skilled the fighter. So why do so many of them continue on, or return for more once they retire, even (or, perhaps, especially) the successful ones? Larry Holmes, one of the best, (whose latest comeback, at age 50, was against a 300 pound sideshow attraction named "Butterbean") is quoted that a fighter has "... gotta enjoy the ones you take just like the ones you give". Sugar Ray Leonard, like Holmes a wealthy man, made more comebacks than Marley's ghost and risked permanent blindness in the process. Bobby Chacon, another champion, "...smiles at the sight of his own blood". The title of a Gerald Earley essay-"I Only Like It Better When The Pain Comes"-is a direct quote from an early '80's crowd-pleasing Philadelphia middleweight Frank "The Animal" Fletcher. (Aside-Frank "The Animal" once fought James "Hard Rock" Green in a brutal, blood-gushing bout, a great nickname bout, where Mr. Fletcher's mother spurred her son on by leading the crowd in chants of "AN-I-MAL, AN-I-MAL, AN-I-MAL".) Do these otherwise intelligent men actually enjoy getting hit? Hardly. Mr. Wiley has delved deeply into the psyches of men who fight for pay searching for motive, for purpose, and he has succeeded. This is good stuff. "Serenity", like Evander Holyfield, is the Real Deal.




4. Serenity, as Ralph Wiley tells it, is a state of mind that all fighters try to find. It's not easy, but then, writing a book about the most personal side of boxing - the fighters - isn't easy, either. Especially a good one. But Wiley has done that here. He includes himself a bit, which works, and uses a sharp, witty style that brings the fighters he writes about to life. Best are the chapters on Larry Holmes, and also a letter he writes to his son, Cole. Wiley is enormously gifted, and he will definitely be a writer to watch in the future.

No comments about Play Ball: Stories of the Diamond Field (McFarland Historical Baseball Library) (Mcfarland Historical Baseball Library).

1 comments about Connie Mack's '29 Triumph: The Rise and Fall of the Philadelphia Athletes Dynasty.

1. bill certainly does his homework on this one. he holds a great aurguement on the fact that the numbers speak for themselve. yes, the yanks were & are great, that doesn't discount the A's stats & record during that time period. especially when they were head to head against the yanks. if any reader enjoys joys this book they are only going to enjoy the rest of his baseball books. we are truly lucky regionaly & nationally to have a writer of his caliber especially on phillies & pennsylvania baseball history. YOU GO BILL !!!!

No comments about More Than a Game: One Woman's Fight for Gender Equity in sport.

No comments about Mia Hamm (Sports Heroes).

1 comments about The Big If: The Life and Death of Johnny Owen.

1. Boxing aficionados should devour this book. Others will get to
   meet a beautiful person. On occasion I felt the author wandered
   off the main road, thankfully he always returned to Johnny. This
   book was well overdue. I found it hard to put it down. If your
   tear ducts need a little lubrication this might do the trick. I
   think Johnny was loved by all those who came in contact with him, I believe it was rightfully so.