1 comments about Horses That Buck: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith (Western Legacies).

1. Horses That Buck: The Story of Champion Bronc Rider Bill Smith is a carefully researched and engagingly presented biography of champion saddle bronc rider Bill Smith, who loved the wildness of horses that fought against being ridden. He broke more than a few bones following his passion, earning no less than thirteen trips to the national finals. When he was facing retirement in his thirties, he met schoolteacher and cowgirl Carole O'Rourke on the national rodeo circuit, and together they bought their own land upon which to raise horses. Gathering information from interviews, experience, and historical records, Margot Kahn gives an up close and personal look at the rodeo circuit in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and offers a captivating portrait of a man who truly embodied the spirit of the western frontier long after the west was won.

5 comments about Transformed by Triathlon: The Making of an Improbable Athlete.

1. Couldn't get past the fifth chapter. I left the book on the airplane on purpose! I love triathlon's and heartwarming stories but this was not either.



2. I thought this book was great, I couldn't put it down until I was finished. She tells her story of her start with triathlon from the beginning, it was informative, it will make you laugh out loud, if you do triathlon it will make you remember your start and if you thought you could never do something like triathlon she just might help you decide different!



3. Recently, the word Triathlon entered my life. I do not know where it came from, but I am being pushed by this "Rogue Code" to become a triathlete...very much like the author's experience. Reading about Jane Booth's experience has helped show me what my life will be like as I progress from newbie enthusiast to triathlete. I related emotionally with the author, and I had tears in my eyes when she completed her first endurance event. In my opinion, this is a must read book for anyone who wants to try something new, something challenging, even if one is fearful of the activity or activities involved. This book shows that with faith and confidence, support from others, that "regular" people can overcome their fears and succeed in reaching their goals! Transformed by Triathlon is not only inspirational, but very motivational, too. Well Done Jane!



4. I loved this book. Jane Booth is incredibly inspirational. She gives us a very personal and entertaining view of her journey from ordinary to extraordinary! I enjoyed Jane's comical and insightful description of herself as a true novice transformed into an experienced athlete. She has a way of bringing you along for the ride. Her descriptions of the San Francisco Bay Area were amazing, too.



5. Although I am not now, never have been, and never will be a triathlete (I *walk* faster than I run!) I found this book to be entertaining, suspenseful, heart-warming, and all-in-all a good read. The description of Jane squeezing into a wet-suit borders on the erotic. And at the end, she even has a sort of revelation!

5 comments about The Scorecard Always Lies: A Year Behind the Scenes on the PGA Tour.

1. As an avid golf reader, I was surprised to see this book appear as an Amazon suggestion. Why hadn't I heard of it? Now I know why. Besides the numerous factual errors previously mentioned, this guy lets his personal politics seep (or maybe creep is a better word) into the book throughout. Early on he takes a cheap shot at Rush Limbaugh. Later he ridicules home schoolers. He delights in naming the few PGA tour democrats and snidely refers to the rest as "God and Country" types. He has a breathless man crush on Tiger. (Hey, Chris, he's married. And straight.) I imagine his comrades in the environmental movement are on him for sacrificing even one tree for this drivel. Save your $17.16. This "God and Country" type wishes he had.



2. There are so many factual errors, many more than listed in the reviews to date, that one can't really trust anything in the book.
   
   And let me add that the incessant promotion of Sports Illustrated and its second rate golf writers gets really old.
   
   Even golf addicts, maybe especially golf addicts, should leave this one be. Shame on the author and publisher for such shoddy work.



3. Chris Lewis does exactly what he sets out to do in his introduction. He gives flesh and blood--personality--to PGA Tour players, and he does it very well...very, very well.
   
   In an age where members of the media have become personalities themselves, often making their "names" at the expense of the people they cover, Lewis' book is a welcome addition to golf writing and publications...
   
   It's nice to know who these guys are away from the light and glare of public view and to learn about their relationships with other golfers. A very fine book. Highly recommended.



4. I had a whole list of things I found wrong in the book and was prepared to put them here but then I read the reviews and found that the previous posters listed most of the ones I found. But not all of them:
   
   The author mentions Ben Curtis won the 2002 British Open. It was the 2003 British Open.
   
   He tells a story of a flight Geoff Ogilvy took with Aaron Baddeley's wife, a reporter, and some other people. The reporter recites a line from the movie "Almost Famous" which he delivers as "We're flying over Wichita, Kansas and we're gonna die." The line is "We're flying over Tupelo, Mississippi and we're gonna die." Maybe the reporter delivered it incorrectly, but whatever, it's still wrong.
   
   Near the end, he writes not once, but twice, that Tiger Woods won the "Williams World Challenge." Um, did his caddy suddenly get the tournament named after him? I think not. I've been to it 4 years in a row and every year it has been the "Target World Challenge."
   
   I thought the book was interesting, but man, I just couldn't get over all of the factual and grammatical errors everyone has mentioned so far. It's one of the more poorly written books I've read in a long time.



5. It's unbelievable that a reputable publishing house could put out something this bad. The spelling and grammar were bad enough. The factual inaccuracies appalling. But perhaps the worst part was the pervasive snarkiness. There were times that I was sure this had been written by a 14 year old. Not even close to Feinstein and Frost.

5 comments about Veeck--As In Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck.

1. This is one of the single funniest books that I have ever read. Moreover, it is a book that you can reread again and again and still find amusing years after your initial reading. It is that good.
   
   Bill Veeck was the son of a sportswriter (William Veeck, Sr.) who later became a top executive with the Chicago Cubs and helped rebuild the organization. As a young man, Veeck, himself, worked for the Cubs and played an important role in remodeling the bleachers and adding many of the signature features to Wrigley Field. Later, he owned and operated a successful minor league team (the Milwaukee Brewers), a World Series Championship team (the Cleveland Indians), and he presided over the demise of the poorest team in baseball (the St. Louis Browns) before putting in two stints as the head owner of the Chicago White Sox (including the 1959 pennant winning club).
   
   From this unique perspective, Veeck takes the reader on a wild booze fueled ride that explores the joys, the sorrows and hypocrisies of professional baseball. During the Fifties, Veeck was essentially blackballed by his fellow American League owners and compelled to sell his stock in the struggling St. Louis club. As soon as Veeck was out of the picture, the new owner was permitted to move the team to a greener ballfield in Baltimore. The other owners resented Veeck's flair for showmanship. Today, virtually all baseball clubs imitate the promotions that Veeck pioneered.
   
   Someday, I can only hope that Bill Murray succeeds in his ambition to adapt this marvelously humorous book into a motion picture.



2. I'm biased, since Veeck -- As In Wreck was a childhood favorite, but I still say it's the best book ever written on professional baseball. It's a great take on the sport -- baseball's supposed to be FUN for the fans, and this book is a great primer on how to make it so.



3. I gave this book to my brother who is a baseball nut and he loved it. He couldn't wait to get off work so he could sit in the subway and read it all the way home.
   
   He is a historian and found it accurate and a page turner.



4. My thanks goes out to Bill Veeck for being one of the men that saved baseball on the South Side of Chicago. Even though it is not all included in his autobiography, he worked to keep the White Sox in Chicago multiple times. This is one of the reasons many people closely associate Veeck with the White Sox.
   
   On page 352, Veeck writes, "To the White Sox rooter, there is nothing casual about baseball. Wake him up in the middle of the night, ask him who he is and he will say, 'I am a carpenter and a White Sox fan.' He may or may not have inherited his trade from his father, but chances are that he inherited his rooting interest in the Sox. This kind of family solidarity can only come out of adversity and trial by fire." This is the blue collar attitude he brought to baseball ownership. He was also an entertainer and promoter the likes of which baseball will never see again.
   
   "Veeck as in Wreck" is a wildly entertaining ride. While Veeck occasionally gets bogged down in mathematics and finances, his baseball stories compensate. The midget that Veeck sent to bat in St. Louis is discussed. The wild promotions that attracted record crowds are included, though he could not possibly include them all. The book only omits his second tenure in Chicago which included the dubious Disco Demolition Night. Veeck started in the early 1900's when his father owned the Cubs. While his heart may have been with the Cubs, his best work came with the White Sox.
   
   Including his riffs with the owners who included current commissioner Bud Selig, Veeck was a fan's owner. Although long, this is a great read for baseball fans. White Sox fans should find it extra sweet.



5. I must preface this by saying that I read this book after it was reccomended to me by the sports editor of a local paper.
   
   This book, and Veeck's life, are nothing short of amazing. In these times of high ticket prices and salaries, it is fasciniating to read about how Veeck bought and sold major league franchises, sometimes with little to no capital or cash to start with.
   
   Veeck is also the pioneer of the idea of going to a baseball game and being entertained. He came up with some of the wackiest and funniest promotions and ideas ever and they are all contained in this book. On top of that, he was a genuinely funny guy, which also comes across throughout the course of the book.
   
   Every baseball fan should read this book to realize exactly how much Veeck shaped the experience of going to a baseball game like we know it today.

1 comments about Mark Spitz: The Extraordinary Life of an Olympic Champion.

1. Great book on this Olympic icon. Very timely with the Olympics coming up. Don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy this book. Spitz was an amazing athlete and person and this book presents a lot of previously unkown stories about him.

5 comments about Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria.

1. If you want to know about the Andrea Dorea or have read about it before this is a must read.



2. After reading "Shadow Divers", I was drawn to read more about the people and about diving the Andrea Doria. "Deep Descent" is a well-written account of the people and dangers of deep wreck diving on the Andrea Doria by an author who has personally dived the wreck several times and interviewed all of the significant players. Once I started, it was hard to put this book down. It is a great read for diver and non-diver alike.
   
   The focus is on the personalities and the emotions driving those involved and how they were a factor in many of the deaths for this dangerous dive. It recounts interesting personalities of the dive boat captains and key Doria divers, their competition, and their concerns. It includes both sides of many issues whose schisms are clear in some of the other books. It is not a travelogue of the ship itself nor is it very technical -- neither detracts from the enjoyment of the book and allows it to retain its appeal for non-divers. He also talks about how advances in diving gases and equipment have made such deep dives safer and reachable for less experienced divers, yet divers continue to die for many of the same fundamental reasons -- driven to the limits of their abilities and beyond.
   
   If you want a book on the technical aspects of deep wreck diving, or accounts of the scenery of the wreck, this is not your book. Otherwise, you will find this a very enjoyable read.



3. There are many other books about real - and harrowing - experiences diving that are much better written. A true disappointment - don't bother.



4. Kevin McMurray produced an exciting and revealing account of the men and women who dive the Andrea Doria. Its a very good book for people just getting into the sport, because it deals with the pioneers.



5. This was a great book from two standpoints. As a reader, I appreciated how well-organized the book was. The chapters are not broken down chronologically but rather by weaving important ideas into a coherent story about the history of diving the Doria. McMurray knows exactly how to turn possibly hundreds of hours of interviews into a suspenseful adventure for the reader. As someone who has just started diving, it was a great way to cement some of the lessons taught by my instructors regarding panic under water, narcosis, and equipment malfunctions/hazards. This is also a great book if you want to read about some legendary divers in the 80s and 90s. McMurray paints a detailed and honest picture of the book's characters, allowing the reader to step into their shoes and understand their motivations. Thankfully, he didn't seem to baby the reader when it came to explaining the science behind the risks of diving. As a diver himself, he kept the explanations short and simple for those who are not already familiar with the concepts. The only drawback of the book is McMurray's sometimes sparse recountings. Parts of the book were very matter-of-fact as if it were taken out of a newspaper article when I wished he could provide more detail. However, these parts didn't detract from the overall good quality of the writing.
   
   All in all, a great read for anyone interested in the Andrea Doria, deep wreck diving, or a piece of diving history.

5 comments about Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict.

1. This candid book tells the story of Alice Cooper as well as him giving tips on golf. If you thought it was only about golf, it is not. In fact it is so much more! Alice takes us from the very beginning of his life and keeps us hooked to the last page. He has some amusing stories to tell as well as some sad. You will learn the truth about the chicken on the stage incident and relive other highlights throughout his career..Alice is a true rocker and he still rocks hard today. The original shock rocker and still the best! Alice Rules!



2. Where do I start? This book not only arrived in mint conditon thanks to the wonderful service provided by Amazon, but was the absolute perfect addition to my collection of everything Alice Cooper! If you love Rock n Roll, if you love Alice Cooper, or even if you just love playing Golf and need some awesome Golf Tips you gotta buy this book! Great price! This book isn't all about Golf either, because anyone who has had an addcition problem can relate to this, and it's nice to know that even a celebrity can have normal issues that we all face in life and overcome them! GREAT READ!!!



3. First, I'm old an school Cooper fan - it was a band, not a person. Second, I don't like golf; I think it's nearly as boring as Zipper Catches Skin. So I waded through the rock and roll chapters (skipping the clearly-labeled dozen golfing ones interspersed through the book) and finished it feeling not particularly wiser about Alice Cooper. In short, it is a very homogenized history of Cooper the musician. Like many reformed alcoholics, he'll tell you he was *the* hellman booze fiend of all time. I wished he'd spent more time discussing the minutia of his early days. (And let's face it, bar a couple of fluke hits, there hasn't been much of note from him since 1977). The tedium of his drinking is equalled only by that of his Christianity, but at least he doesn't proselytise. One can only hope that in time someone will write a true and accurate history of the original five Coopers, a band of trailblazers who have a story definitely worth telling.
   Now, to the golf. And this is where Alice is really scary. I decided to wade through the golf stuff and, to be honest, got more out of that than the rest of the book. In fact, by the end of his 12 chapters on golf, I wanted to go down to the local links and sign up for some lessons. Seriously. I still do, three days later. And I've never held a golf club in my life. My only complaint with the golf stuff - about which I know absolutely zilch! - was that it came across in parts as a big advertisement for a particular brand of clubs. But besides that, I'm thinking "Why not?". Hey, if it's good enough for J Mascis and the Coop...



4. Exelent book, writen in a way that you feel that Alice is next to you talking about his life, mixing the chapters between his Rock life and his Golf life... and what a life! Thanks Alice for sharing all those moments, the good and the bad, all I can say is... What a life my friend, WHAT A LIFE!!!!!!!



5. As a die hard Alice Cooper fan and a keen less than amatuer golfer. I was a bit dissappointed about the content of the golfing stories that was over run by The Coop's autobiography. Although his life story was interesting and very easy to read, the lack of golfing issues ruined my taste to continue the book. Dedicated pages to his golf story was minimal and it was really his philosophy of golf that was portrayed and not how he became addicted to the sport. Towards the end of the book Alice's preaching of him becoming a christian was an ill omen to read, the several pages or so found it hard to continue the book to the end. However, his instructional pages at the end of the book was very basic, but was too be expected.
   
   Overall the book shed some light on his career and how it began. Not too mention his demons with alcohol that he had overcome and I applaud him for that success. The book is very digestible and seems to be written for people of all ages. I felt that the title should have been someting like " A Rock n Roller's life with a hint of golf" would have been more appropiate.

5 comments about Grand Slam, The: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf.

1. In The Grand Slam, Mark Frost tells the story of Bobby Jones and the way in which his inconceivable 1930 championship run changed the sport of golf forever, in such a lively and engaging way that readers will be on the edge of their seats even though the outcome has been assured for 75+ years. Each of Jones' Grand Slam wins is recounted in painstaking detail, giving Frost the opportunity to paint an illuminating portrait of the golf world of the 20's and to set Bob's accomplishments against the backdrop of the times in which he lived. He reached his athletic peak at a time when people were beginning to tire of the frenetic pace of the Jazz Age and longed for a simpler time. Bob Jones possessed all the qualities Americans appeared to be searching for, and so, like the other sports heroes of the Golden Age he was quickly elevated to demi-god status. Frost does a wonderful job of peeling back the layers of the legend to reveal the human being underneath. He has proven yet again why he is one of the best writers working today. This book is a must for all true students of the game, but should appeal to non-golf fans as well.



2. I had high hopes for this book. I read it in preparation to attend the Masters, which I got to do this year and it was amazing.
   
   That said, this book was just average. I felt like the author added things to the book without a true need. I appreciate the fact that Frost was trying to explain the times that Mr. Jones was rooted in, but he seemed to stray from the main topic on numerous occassions.
   
   There were points when he was talking about golf, Mr. Jones and the courses they played... then he would stray into international politics and not for a brief explanation but rather 2 to 3 pages on the industrial revolution or WWI or the Depression. I get that those are important subjects to mention but the explanations got in the way of the biography I thought.
   
   In addition, the explanation of the golf read like a front page story or first-hand recap in the USA Today not a backstory of the event. I understand the need to recap key matches but Frost appeared to recap nearly every match and it got to be too much. I did appreciate the brief bios of other golfers of the period. That was interesting and necessary.
   
   The bio was roughly 450 pages. The same story could have been told in 300 pages and included the same key points. I would have liked more anecdotes and interesting stories that described Jones the man not Jones the golfer and/or ball-striker etc.
   
   I might recommend another book on Jones that doesn't detail things that really don't educate you that much about who he was and what he stood for.



3. Purchasing this book I had expected nothing more than the chronicle of Bobby Jones' assualt on the 4 golf majors of 1930. I got so much more. This book is certainly one of the better biographies I've ever read. Though Frost never goes too in depth into the private life of Jones, the writing style is exceptional, the sports action is compelling, but the most amazing thing is how the entire thing is brought together and every new section begins with an exceptional framing of where the event stands within the confines of history. Truly an amazing first rate bio.



4. Frost's follow-up effort to the outstanding "The Greatest Game Ever Played" - the movie adaptation of which will be released by Disney this fall - this meandering tale tracks the career of Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur golfer of all time, climaxing with his assault on the Grand Slam (back then, it was the US and British Open and Amateur titles) in 1930. After winning the Slam, Jones retired from tournament competition, at the age of 29. After reading Frost's harrowing account of his physical and mental anguish during the ordeal, you'll certain understand why.
   
   Aesthetically, this book doesn't hold together nearly as well as "Greatest Game". Frost includes far too much "background" information (most of which is, quite honestly, common knowledge) about everything from the origins of World War I to the Scopes "Monkey Trial". The bits of early 20th-century lore than festooned the pages of "Greatest Game" were a welcome addition to the storyline, helping us to understand the time and place. Here, they are an annoying intrusion. Despite this unfortunate slip, Frost's prose is still enjoyable to read, and the story will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the history of golf.



5. Any golfer has heard about Bobby Jones, this book brings his life into focus for all of us. Bobby Jones played this game as an amateur and never was a professional golfer. He won many tournaments both here and in England as was able to afford this by the help of his father.
   
   He was married and they lived with his parents as the many travels Bobby had to make playing golf, it made it handy for his family to be cared for. I was surprised that Bobby Jones had quite a temper and his language was not the best either. He tried to control this but he was such a prefectionist that whenever he made an error he let out his frustration this way.
   
   This book covers all his winnings from a very young age until he won the Grand Slam with were all the big tournament in one year. A terrific feat that has not been done to this day. Until Tiger Woods did it but his was done covering from one year to the next.
   
   If you love history and love golf, this book is worth the read.
   
   Letta Meinen

5 comments about Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks.

1. Both of my sons and my husband enjoyed this book. A lot of fun to read.



2. Amazing that in a few weeks, Mick Foley poured his life and soul into 760 pages of notebook paper that would make it, lightly cut and without any major edits, onto book, and earn it's New York Times #1 Bestseller's List. If only it weren't for that Oprah! (readers of the book will understand)
   
   Starting from childhood, he makes it quick, but sweet as he tells humorous stories about his friends, and the origin of the name "Cactus Jack", and his time in college, including the inspiration for Dude Love and the start of his wrestling career.
   
   Foley's writing is so personal and engrossing that he easily captures our attention with riveting stories ranging from lying to his parents and almost getting caught skipping a bus to college in order to catch a wrestling show (the famous Madison Square Garden match between Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco), to gaining the respect and friendship of ex-wrestler and trainer Dominic DeNucci and being taken under his wing, knowing Foley couldn't afford classes, by reducing his fee, and then not charging altogether.
   
   Foley's tales of his independent circuit runs are definitely a grungy, and in some cases heartwrenchingly painful experiences, which his natural humor and goodnatured attitude help liven up and spare us the angst he must have felt, but without completely sugarcoating it.
   
   All along the way, Foley maintains a very brilliantly hidden line between kayfabe and shoot, though focusing more on the shoot aspect (for nonwrestling fans, kayfabe means the "fake" world of wrestling, including storylines and gimmicks, shoot is reality) and readily admits his talent isn't in technical or even very good wrestling, but rather in taking bumps and making the other guy and himself look good.
   
   From hellish stories of being stalked by crazed female fans thinking his real name is "Cactus Jack Manson" to wrestling in Nigeria and almost getting robbed by the corrupt government police, to losing out on a 3,000$ paycheck in Africa after the president of the country he wrestled in (who organized the event) was assassinated and the regime overthrown within weeks of his departure, Foley's wit and charm keep the story of his life so lively, you'd think it has to be fiction.
   
   Moving on to his time in WCW, he recounts the horrors of the backstage mechanics, from Ric Flair's awful booking and the backstage team's failure to recognize great potential talent, and hiring college TV production students to man their editing, to Foley's disillusionment as the feud between he and Vader was played down, a massive bump taken by Foley which the commentators could have brilliantly sold was sardonically mocked with a derogatory statement like "that's got to be excedrin headache #9!!", and Cactus Jack being attempted to be turned into a childishly ridiculous heel that would have ruined Foley's career.
   
   Then came Foley's run on the independent circuit, and shows for ECW, including full transcripts of some of his best, and in my opinion some of the best ever, promos, trying to be anti-hardcore and promoting WCW and trying to get Tommy Dreamer to go to WCW and be the pretty boy wrestler again.
   
   From the independent circuit, to stardom in the WWF, Foley is never sparse on details about stories while on the road, his many friends along the way from Mr. Haiti in Africa, to Steve Austin and Steve (William) Regal, The Undertaker, Sting, Owen Hart, Vader, and of course Terry Funk. Virtually every stop from his career, including the Japanese tours, the King of the Deathmatch, etc, and the evolution from "Mason the Mutilator" to "Mankind the Mutilator" to "Mankind" and the use of all three of his gimmicks in the WWF to eventual WWF Championship gold.
   
   Throughout it all, Foley never loses his charm or wit, or the incessant Al Snow bashing, with plenty of pictures scattered around the text and plenty of personal stories (like the time he shared a house with a junkie, a guy who was having sex with his girlfriend's 16 year old daughter, and the 16 year old trying to flirt with Mick) and stories with friends (like "Vader" Leon White's spendthrifting with hotels, or Owen Hart's penchanse for practical jokes) that his story never gets old or repetitive and when the story finally ends, you feel like you've known Mick his entire life.
   
   This is THE shining example of a great book about a pro wrestler's life, and I hope his other two books are just as great.



3. Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day" is his first and his best. It is a whimsical journey in the life of one of the greatest hardcore wrestlers ever. Foley has always had the gift of gab, and it translates very well to the written page. Hysterical, insightful, and heartwarming.



4. If you are interested in the behind the scenes of wrestling, here's a great place to start. Mick speaks on his rise from childhood fan to wrestling superstar. He even talks breifly about the Boiler Room Brawl and his Cleveland promos! (I wish he would have went more in-depth on these topics, though.)



5. See a different side of wrestling with this autobiographical book. You'll laugh your way through this brilliant work of art and ask yourself how Foley survived.

5 comments about Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.

1. I read this book while in middle school and it inspired me. Yes even a Red Sox fan enjoyed this book. This is not a book about a Yankee or baseball but a story about an amazing person.



2. Author Jonathan Eig has written a fantastic character study of New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig, a shy, Momma's boy who always followed the rules and didn't want to let anyone down. A proud man, Gehrig always handled himself with class. He had few equals on or off the field.
   
   Eig paints a sensitive portrait of Gehrig while discussing his relationships with his mother, his wife, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and his other teammates as well as Yankees management.
   
   Never considered colorful enough to merit the press' attention, Gehrig played in the shadows of Ruth and DiMaggio.
   
   Thanks to locating letters between Gehrig and his physicians at the Mayo Clinic, Eig is able to shed light on the relationship the Yankee great had with his physicians, what the doctors told him about his disease (ALS) and how he handled it.
   
   After reading Eig's biography, you'll have a deeper understanding of Gehrig, the man, and a better appreciation of Gehrig, the baseball player.



3. Lou Gehrig has always been an interesting subject for me. I'm a so-so baseball fan, but I am a fan of individual's who appear to have the same values and morals that I hold.
   
   Jonathan Eig does a very nice job in this book of focusing on Gehrig's baseball qualities and his qualities as a man. I really enjoyed the book that gave a tremendous insight into how Gehrig acted behind closed doors.
   
   A few things that really interested me:
   
   I didn't know he was nearly that good of a baseball player. If ALS wouldn't have ended his career he might have gone down as the greatest first baseman ever. Eig did a very nice job in citing statistics and comparing those to other players in Gehrig's era and in the modern era.
   
   I also didn't know that a number of times Gehrig would play an inning or two and get credit for a game. I appreciate the fact that the writer didn't get caught up in the legend of Gehrig and pointed out the streak and how it lived basically because of the manipulation of Gehrig and Yankee manager Joe McCarthy. That definitely diminshes the accomplishment of consecutive games played in my mind... not by much because Gehrig did play with a lot of injuries and issues.... but it does diminish it. It also puts that much more of a wow factor into the consecutive games streak of Cal Ripken because I believe he had to play 5 innings to get credit for a game.
   
   That said, Eig did a really nice job in pointing out that Gehrig really was much more than just "An Iron Horse" at first base. The stats, the clutch hitting, etc. were well documented by Eig.
   
   I also liked the detail that Eig provided on ALS and Gehrig's final years. As I was reading the book, I was thinking we are sure flying through his playing career and there is a whole lot of book left here. That was because Eig wanted to take some time to describe in detail Gehrig's final years and he did a very nice job.
   
   I would suggest this book to anyone wanting to know more about Gehrig, Yankees history, or if you just want to read a great account of a man who should be well-admired for his work ethic and moral values.
   
   A great book and great subject matter.



4. I'm a Yankee hater, but I loved this book. I always found the story of Lou Gehrig to be an inspirational one. Jonathan Eig did a great job of not only telling Gehrig's story, but also making you want to root for Gehrig to survive. At times I found myself forgetting that he dies in the end, only wanting to read more about his amazing feats on the ball field. A great book that everyone should read.



5. Looking through the glass of hindsight, everyone just flat out looks better. Life is funny that way. If you were mean in reality, history may classify you as "gritty." If you were thoughtful, history may remember you as "genius." Or if you were fat, you may be labeled as "stout and strong." The story of Lou Gehrig is not necessarily an example of this. In reality I will never know. The author will probably not know either. Lou is painted as larger than life in "Luckiest Man." He was thoughtful, kind, humble, and amazing. Not only that, but he brought to the public the story of ALS and its affects. It became real and tangible to the whole world. His personal health tragedy no doubt amplifies his kinder qualities, as it would in most people's remembrance. Not to say it is undeserved, but in this book, it seems exaggerated. Gehrig is not really made into a real person. He is made into a monolithic figure. In baseball, he was one, but in his personal life, he would have hated this.
   
   I have always had a soft spot for heroes, especially heroes in baseball. No doubt Lou Gehrig is a hero in this regard. He played in the shadow of one of the largest figures in history, Babe Ruth. Not only did he thrive, but he made a name for himself that, in my opinion, out shined Ruth on the field. No one could outshine him off of it. I have no doubt that if the opposite had occurred, Ruth would never have made it in Gehrig's shadow. His accomplishments, unlike his character and personality, are in black and white. His statistics say it all. Amazing in his steadfast play, he also shone when it counted most, the World Series. Back in those days baseball meant something to everyone, and he had the privilege of playing and delivering in those times.
   
   Gehrig was a great role model, and a great player. His character and approach to the game are things I would teach my children, and plan to. These type of stories may not be completely true, but sometimes it is the legend and myth that build from simple beginnings that can shape our lives and build on our own morality.