1 comments about Winning Women in Ice Hockey (Sport Success).

1. This was a great book with biographies of four great womens icehockey players and their road to success. It also gives a history ofthe game at the beggining of the book. My favorite part was the players advice at the end of their biography.

5 comments about Lombardi and Me: Players, Coaches, and Colleagues Talk About the Man and the Myth.

1. About the worst book about Lombardi I have ever read. Written is a
   total over statement, this book appears to have been put together solely to make money from Lombardi's name, not worth a quarter.



2. Having read David Maraniss's book about Lombardi gave me a complete picture of the man's life....this book by Paul Horung fills in the gaps. It presents a more-personal account by the people who knew him the best.
   Most of the chapters in the book are stories told by Lombardi's friends and associates....and at the end of each chapter, Hornung adds a small commentary about the teller...the book is a good glimpse behind the legendary curtain of one of pro football's true heroes.



3. More than thirty-five years after his death, Vince Lombardi is still identified with an almost legendary status with respect to his practices, attitudes and accomplishments coaching the Green Bay Packer football team from 1959 to 1967. Written by Paul Hornung (one of Lombardi's best players) with the assistance of Billy Reed, "Lombardi And Me: Players, Coaches, And Colleagues Talk About the Man And the Myth" offers Packer fans truly insider stories about one of professional football's enduring men of legend as revealed in anecdotal stories obtained through interviews with Bart Starr, Lary Brown, Fuzzy Thurston, Frank Gifford, Sam Huff, Lee Remmel, Willie Davis, George Dixon, Marv Fleming, Bill Cury, Vince Lombardi Jr., and many others. "Lombardi And Me" is a 'must' for all Wisconsin community library collections, and should be considered mandatory reading for Lombardi's legions of fans and admirers who remember the football glory days of the Packers under one of the most successful and charismatic coaches in the history of the game.



4. Would have enjoyed more of Lombardi, Jr.'s, and Hornung's words. Some of the offerings were better skipped. Overall the book was a keeper. Lombardi's own speeches have been reread many times. Makes you realize how little leadership there is in the current majority in Congress.



5. I have respected Paul Hornung's contributions to football and appreciate his perspectives. This is a well meaning book with some new recollections on Vince Lombardi--they help to provide additional insight into the coach and demonstrate the personal impact he had on his players and others that knew him. There are plentiful photos, most of Hornung and Lombardi ( most published before). However, this book is in need of better formatting and editing. First much of this book appears to based upon one or more of the subjects in a room and having their recollections taped. Their recollections appear to be transcribed as spoken. So you have someone referring to "you" or "you Paul" which reads awkwardly. Hornung then comments on each person who has shared their recollection. Some of these comments are just repeats of what the person said, others bring some insight into the player but not much. It would have been much better to have Hornung, summarize at the end of the book those recollections that especially resonated with him or better yet present a more detailed account of his encounters with the coach. Repeating each chapter title with for instance, Jerry Kramer on Lombardi, then, Jim Taylor on Lombardi, etc. is repetative and unnecessary.The title of the book is also misleading, it implies that the book is really about Hornung and Lombardi (yes I read the byline) when it really is about Players & Friends Remember Lombardi. The"farewell" speech by lombardi does not have any annotation so we do not know where or when and the context in which his comments were made. The farewell speach also contains an editing error where one sentence is repeated twice. Notwithstanding the issues noted, being a Packer fan, this was good read...

1 comments about The Professor.

1. I was looking for a biography on Arsene Wenger, not a synopsis of how Arsenal has done under his management.

4 comments about All Things Are Possible: The Verlen Kruger Story: 100,000 Miles by Paddle.

1. I found out about this book through an online review by Maine sea canoe adventurer Reinhard Zollitsch.
   (R. Zollitsch has a website). Very good human interest story whether paddling is your thing or not.



2. This book is readable and the pictures are terrific.
   Peterson did a great job telling the Verlen Kruger story.
   I recommend the book as both readable and beautiful!



3. If you are a fan of paddle sports, and have an interest in Verlen, you will want to read this book. It is a well written, very complete and mostly non-judgemental biography.



4. I've read books by Kruger and by Valerie Fons about Kruger. This book, by far, gives the greatest insight and objective look at a fascinating individual. Wonderful photography and good analysis of endeavors that few of us could comprehend the difficulty of. This is a well done, comprehensive biography.

5 comments about Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story.

1. The past few years I have been reading more and more books about baseball history. I highly recommend this book.



2. If you want to know more about Mordecai Brown, this is the book. The book appears to have been thoroughly researched, and it seems unlikely a future writer or historian will be able to add much to the story. The quality of the writing isn't great, but it is solid, and the organization and clarity of the presentation is good. If you're trying to pick out a book to entertain your teenager, this is probably not it. But if the goal is to learn more about this fascinating baseball star who is too often overlooked when the all-time greatest lists are assembled, you won't do better than this book.



3. As a Deadball Era fan and researcher, I have been waiting for this biography for several years. Three Finger Brown was one of the main keys to the Cubs' success from 1906-1910, when they were the premier team of the National League. Cindy Thomson and Scott Brown have done their homework in the research that they did for this book, and they have also made it a highly enjoyable and easy read, despite the amount of research that backs up their writing.
   
   This book is also good for general baseball readers who want to read about one of the greatest pitchers in the game. And of course, Cubs fans will enjoy it, as pointed out by the introduction by Ferguson Jenkins. Finally, it is a tribute to a man who overcame a disability with hard work, humility, and grace.



4. I have hundreds of baseball books in my library including several biograhies. I found this book to be okay, but certainly not up to the standards of other five star books I have. Mordecai Brown is certainly worthy of a biography, but parts of the book didn't hold my interest the way I thought it would. I did find some interesting anecdotes such as Chicago Federal League owner Charles Weegham locating seats near the field (today's Wrigley Field) to be fan friendly, introducing concession stands so vendors wouldn't block the fans' view, and allowing fans to keep foul balls as souvenirs. Another interesting story is a conversation that baseball great George Sisler had with Brown following their retirement from the game regarding baseball when Sisler was in Terre Haute, Indiana, scouting for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and neither knew who the other was until somewhat into the conversation. Several of Brown's teammates died in the year 1947 and Brown, himself, passed away in 1948 the same year as the Babe. Incidentally, the name of former Brooklyn Dodger outfielder Pete Reiser is misspelled on page 206. The author has it spelled "Reecer". It is not a typo since it is spelled the same way in the index. The book was an okay read, and three stars is not bad. However, it certainly doesn't rate as a baseball classic by any means, and probably wasn't meant to be.



5. It took longer than it should have for a bio of this early twentieth century top pitcher to be written, considering some of the baseball bios that have been produced. Perhaps the greatest Cub pitcher ever, Mordecai Brown was also a kind, good man. This book provides good insight into his life, and some photos never before published. If anything, it could have used a bit more detail on his pitching, at least in regular season games. But we are treated to detail on some of the famous Mathewson-Brown match-ups (Brown won the career duel), and the World series appearances.
   
   Brown is the hero, but his success and abilities are underplayed, if anything. That's a relief next to several current books about players whose authors are trying to get them into the Hall of Fame. A pleasurable, easy read. The baseball stats are reliable except in one instance where the authors must have had a petite mal seizure. Page 78 states that Brown's 213 innings pitched in 1908 were "more than any other single year in his career." The number is a typo for 312, but anyway, as the authors later note, Brown pitched 343 innings the following year. But not to worry, this is a unique lapse, and pointed out here only to help readers, or correct any future edition. Thanks for this book!

1 comments about The Memoirs of Bing Devine: Stealing Lou Brock and Other Brilliant Moves by a Master G.M..

1. Bing Devine became the General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958, and I fondly remember those Cardinals teams from the 1960's onward. We have heard about the Cardinals in books from Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Bob Gibson, Bob Broeg, and others. Missing has been the story of their marvelous General Manager, Bing Devine. Just as Bill Veeck will always be associated with Eddie Gaedel, Bing Devine will always be associated with the acquisition of Lou Brock from the Chicago Cubs in 1964 in exchange for pitcher Ernie Broglio. It was Devine that brought together the 1964 All-Star game starting infield of Boyer, Groat, Javier, and White. The latter three all acquired in trades by Devine. Devine provides us with his viewpoint of his mid-season firing in 1964 when his team then went on to win the National League pennant and the World Series against the Yankees. Manager Johnny Keane was to be fired at the end of the season, before the team fooled owner Gussie Busch and won it all. Devine also explains his tenious relationship with Branch Rickey who Mr. Busch had brought in as a "senior consultant." I knew that Mr. Busch was unhappy with GM Devine and manager Johnny Keane due to a problem with shortstop Dick Groat, but I never knew the reason for it. Groat was unhappy that Keane had taken away permission from Groat to use the hit-and-run play on his own. Busch got word there was a problem with Groat, but Devine, believing the problem had been solved, didn't tell Busch when Busch asked him if he had anything to tell him. Devine then went on to join the New York Mets for three years before being rehired again as GM of the Cardinals. Devine also explains his dislike of being ordered by Mr. Busch to trade pitchers Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss against Devine's better judgment. Bing Devine does not bad mouth anybody in the book. He just gives his opinions regarding the trading of players, and his relationships with the people he has worked with over the years. As a measure of the respect Devine is held, he is now 88 years old and still is involved in an active capacity with his beloved Cardinals. St. Louis has a tremendous baseball tradition and history, and Bing Devine is responsible for a great part of it. Thank you, Mr. Devine, for this book. We needed to hear your viewpoint.

5 comments about The Tao of Bruce Lee: A Martial Arts Memoir.

1. I apologize for being this directly self-promotional. I recently learned that TAO OF BRUCE LEE was judged one of the ten best sports books the year that it was published. The following is the mini-review that was published in BOOKLIST at that time.
   
   All best, Davis Miller
   
   "Miller, Davis. The Tao of Bruce Lee: A Martial Arts Memoir
   
   Miller combines a biography of Bruce Lee with his own coming-of-age story as a "karate kid" in the early 1970s. Whether describing how a viewing of Lee's Enter the Dragon changed his life or dispelling many of the myths behind the Lee legend, Miller manages to turn the story of two lives into a fascinating study of the nature of the hero in popular culture.
   
   BILL OTT, Editor"



2. The subtitle, A Martial Arts Memoir, describes what this book is really about. It's not a biography about Bruce Lee - though various "facts" and "myths" about him are detailed or debunked. Rather, it's a tale of how Bruce Lee's movies, athleticism, martial arts prowess, focus and determination, philosophy, and larger-than-life persona awoke the dormant soul of a ninety pound weakling. The Tao of Bruce Lee details Davis Miller's transformation from sad, loner, directionless, teenage failure into an accomplished martial artist, writer and, most importantly, vibrant, purposeful human being. The misery of Miller's life before seeing Bruce Lee explode on the screen in Enter the Dragon is, in places, gut-wrenching. But the sadness and despair are replaced by optimism and an the urge to yell, "`atta-boy!" as the young Miller slowly wriggles out of his cocoon. Miller's is a story of possibilities; if he can discover himself, find meaning and contentment in life, anyone can. Beside the quasi-spiritual autobiographical stuff, Miller touches on Bruce Lee's martial arts skills and reputation, his meteoric rise to superstardom, particularly in Asia, the facts surrounding his death and his enduring worldwide impact. There is a lot about Muhammad Ali and comparisons and contrasts between these two very talented men (and what they gave to the world.) Miller brings up Ali so much, one may wonder why he didn't simply write one book, The Tao of Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. This book is better on reflection than when actually reading it. I like it more now - and would rate it higher - than I did when I turned the last page this morning. It has a good aftertaste.



3. The subtitle, A Martial Arts Memoir, describes what this book is really about. It's not a biography about Bruce Lee - though various "facts" and "myths" about him are detailed or debunked. Rather, it's a tale of how Bruce Lee's movies, athleticism, martial arts prowess, focus and determination, philosophy, and larger-than-life persona awoke the dormant soul of a ninety pound weakling. The Tao of Bruce Lee details Davis Miller's transformation from sad, loner, directionless, teenage failure into an accomplished martial artist, writer and, most importantly, vibrant, purposeful human being.
   
   The misery of Miller's life before seeing Bruce Lee explode on the screen in Enter the Dragon is, in places, gut-wrenching. But the sadness and despair are replaced by optimism and an the urge to yell, "`atta-boy!" as the young Miller slowly wriggles out of his cocoon. Miller's is a story of possibilities; if he can discover himself, find meaning and contentment in life, anyone can.
   
   Beside the quasi-spiritual autobiographical stuff, Miller touches on Bruce Lee's martial arts skills and reputation, his meteoric rise to superstardom, particularly in Asia, the facts surrounding his death and his enduring worldwide impact. There is a lot about Muhammad Ali and comparisons and contrasts between these two very talented men (and what they gave to the world.) Miller brings up Ali so much, one may wonder why he didn't simply write one book, The Tao of Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee.
   
   This book is better on reflection than when actually reading it. I like it more now - and would rate it higher - than I did when I turned the last page this morning. It has a good aftertaste.



4. When I first read the Tao of Bruce Lee, I was expecting another biography of Lee (and being a die-hard fan of Lee, that would have been perfectly fine), but this book turned out to be a lot more than that.
   
   The first half of the book deals with the life of Davis Miller himself - growing up as a scrawny, ninety pound kid in North Carolina - and the profound impact Lee had on his life. Inspired by Lee, Miller finds the motivation to try and better his meaningless life by practicing hard to become the greatest Martial Artist alive (or as he puts it: "lightning on limbs"). I am sure the discipline and dedication he learnt while practicing Martial Arts helped him later in his life as a writer.
   
   The second half of the book focuses more on Lee, and tries to remove the "thick mist of money making" that has obscured the true story of Bruce Lee by presenting a very honest and well researched account of Lee's life. Overall, an extremely well written and readable book.



5. "I desperately need something to read", I suddenly recalled when I was heading for my favourite coffeshop. So, I popped in and started to look for something, and this book sort of beamed at me. I got it under the impression that it was a biography about Bruce Lee, but it turns out that it is more a book about Davis Miller's relation to Bruce Lee and how Lee has influenced him. It is very easy reading and a quite nice book, and at page 97 and onwards a small biography about Bruce Lee (or Li Jun Fan, which was his real name) appears. Apparently it is hard to find any books with true facts, Davis Miller claims that this one shall be rather close to truth, and you will learn that Bruce Lee wasn't the lonely martial arts master that one thinks. If you like martial arts in general, and more specifically Bruce Lee, get this book, you will finish it within a couple of days and it is fun reading.

2 comments about Autobiography of Jim Redman: Six Times World Motorcycle Champion.

1. I bought this book out of curiousity. I am not much of a sports fan but when I read that Jim Redman was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire), I needed to read about his response to such an honor by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Also, I got a taste of his contributions to sports especially motorcycle racing which is still a popular masculine sport. Jim Redman's biography is rather revealing but not too much. I was surprised by how long it took him to get his M.B.E. because he was busy touring and racing. I found his book to be modest, humble, and rather engaging as well as charming. Good luck to Jim Redman MBE!



2. I have had the pleasure of meeting Jim Redman as well as reading his book. Jim is a modest hero, to whom a 100 mile per hour "parade" is going slowly around the track. Jim's book is a great antidote for an era where people are afraid of taking chances and living their dreams.

5 comments about Mr Nastase: The Autobiography.

1. Illie's book isn't exactly what I expected but it was worth the read.
   I learned a lot of things about him that I never knew.
   
   Unfortunately, I felt he was very biased at times and all too often
   he was boasting. It seemed as though I tried to justify immoral actions
   that he made on and off the court. But who am I to judge.
   
   If you grew up playing tennis or learning how to play back when wooden
   rackets were all we had you'll gain from the book. Even if you
   grew up watching tennis or playing after the wooden racket era this
   book will give you a window into how we played back in the old days
   and the pros and cons of playing during that time.
   
   Illie especially provides a great view what European players used to
   deal with on the tour and their approach to tennis. This book shows
   tennis as it was in the 70's and 80's while Blake's book is more focused
   on playing in the late 1990's and early 21st century.



2. Not great literature, just a great story of a great player, in a great era, playing a great game. Nasty was a charismatic tennis player who had the benefit of playing at an incredible time traveling the world and meeting interesting people. But this book also covers his background growing up in a Communist country and how his talent allowed him to circumvent the tough conditions of most citizens.
   
   Maybe the most interesting news in the book is how little he trained early in his career. This of course could never happen now in the current incredibly competitive and lucrative sport. But he consistently talks about how little he trained and how inexperienced he really was as he started his rise as a Junior player.
   
   Most people will be interested in the personalities and they are all here, Ion Tiriac and their unique relationship, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Of course he must also touch on his personal life of three marriages and children that he loved even though he may not always have been around as a father.
   
   Overall this book does an excellent job of detailing the life of a 1970s fun loving tennis pro who was not on the court all day but rather in the discos and bars every night. Nasty, a true legend, on the court and off.



3. The greatest tennis talent that ever lived - but how he lived!



4. This is an entertaining book about one of the most charismatic players of the Open era. Win or loose he enjoyed the game like few ever did. He was active on the ATP tour until 37. And, he still reached the 4th round of the US Open at 36.
   
   The book's appendix discloses fascinating statistics. You can see his win/loss track record against many players. His career being so long, it tied the Australian era to the Open era. Thus, he had a 9-2 record against an aging Rod Laver (8 years older) but a 3-5 record against a young McEnroe (13 years younger). These records don't mean anything. One champion is aging while the other is entering his prime.
   
   As a man, he had much fun. Per his own estimate, he bedded 2,500 groupies. He had a wonderful love affair during his first marriage. Even though it predictably ended in divorce , the divorce was not wrenching affair vs what Becker and McEnroe endured. Nastase's relationship with women was similar to the one he had with the public. No one could be mad at him for too long.
   
   Nastase lost mental control in his matches. Unlike Connors and McEnroe who could create winning strategies out of the chaos, Nastase was the victim of his shenanigans. His bad behavior cost him tens of thousands of dollars in penalties.
   
   As a result of his lack of mental control, Nastase's legacy is a fraction of what his talent warranted. He won only two Grand Slam tournaments (73 French Open and 72 US Open). Tens of players have far greater legacies.
   
   Nevertheless, Nastase still fascinates. In fact Federer's versatile game most resembles Nastase. Both men have the ability to win on any surface against any opponents, and hit shots nobody else can. Adding Nastase's unpredictable behavior to the versatility of his game just contributed to the legend.
   
   There is no doubt Nastase was an all around extraordinarily gifted athlete. As an aging star, he had to play sports he had never learned for various TV shows. After just 5 minutes of learning the grip, he hit par on his first golf hole. After Ion Tiriac teaches him ice hockey. Within 15 minutes Nastase was chasing Tiriac around the skating rink. Not bad for a guy who had never skated.
   
   The biography gets even more interesting as he retires from the ATP circuit. Because of his profile, he met everybody. He is on a first name basis with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, George Bush Sr. and Jr, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger. He likes everyone of them. Nastase also describes the chronic political crisis plaguing Romania. His firsthand experience makes for a fascinating account about the living condition in this country.
   
   If you like this book, I also recommend McEnroe's "You Can't Be Serious" and Becker's "The Player." They are definitely all multidimensional fascinating complex personalities.



5. If I'm not missing any, this is the fourth book published about the charismatic and controversial Ilie Nastase (two of which were published in France). This speaks volumes for the popularity enjoyed by this genius of tennis.
   
   Nastase is one of the reasons tennis became so hugely popular back in the 1970s. His talent and personality brought millions of new fans to the game. His combined singles titles (57) and doubles (51) of Grand Prix, WCT and ATP sanctioned tournaments of Open Tennis (since 1968) is only surpassed by John McEnroe - no coincidence here since they are the two greatest natural talents seen in tennis. His Davis Cup record is also phenomenal, playing and winning more matches than anybody else, except Nikki Pietrangeli. Contrary to some erroneous assumptions made by another reviewer, Nastase never left Romania. He did not need to do so, since he was allowed to keep all his earnings. This was part of the deal made with the Romanian Communist authorities, in return for his free and unconditional availability of playing Davis Cup matches.
   
   Reading the book I discovered with great surprise and regret that he is not yet a member of the Wimbledon All England Club. After all, this is the guy that won three Wimbledon doubles titles and played in other two singles finals (the one from 1972 is still regarded as one of the most beautiful and memorable ever played at Wimbledon!). Last but not least, he is the one that saved Wimbledon in 1973 when almost all of the big names boycotted the tournament.....I sincerely believe is still not too late for Wimbledon to rectify this injustice.....
   
   Finally, I would like to recommend in addition to this wonderful book another excellent one on Nastase. This one, by Richard Evans, was published in 1977 here in USA under "Nasty: Ilie Nastase vs. Tennis" and in England under "Nastase". Any of these and "Mr. Nastase" would certainly make any Nastase fan very, very happy!!

No comments about One Gear, No Breaks: Lori-Ann Muenzer's Ride to Belief, Belonging, and a Gold Medal.