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. Bill Veeck gives you an inside on the greatest time of life. Back before all the politics and contract negotiations and agents and BS, when baseball was FUN and honest and a game.Mr. Veeck did more for the game than anyone ever has. He is somewhat being copied now but noone is having the fun he did.I promise you will LOVE this book so much you will do as I did and buy "The Hustler's Handbook" and "Thirty Tons a Day". You won't be able to get enough Bill Veeck.



5. 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 comments about The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey.

1. I grew up with Muhammad Ali and only knew of his character from what the press was showing us. I have a new found respect and gratitude for reading about the true person behind the persona. Muhammad Ali is truly a spiritual being and a role model for all.



2. This beautiful summary of Ali's life is not just a gift to his kids but to all of America as well. In his own simple words, Ali shares with us his greatest triumphs and his worse agonies. It is all done with the same Ali, verve, upbeat spirit, and of course with smatterings of his homespun poetry. It is a superb collection of wisdom and witticisms that greatly enriches all who read them. The arc of the amplitude of his life is breathtakingly wide in scope. And I am fortunate in having had the good luck to have met him on three different occasions, and to have been touched by his style, grace and confidence on many others. All have been memorable experiences for me personally.
   
   Some of the things he shares in this short volume come as a surprise even to me, one who kept up with his career almost religiously. For instance, I never knew that the Nation of Islam was against his refusal to go to Vietnam, and that he was expelled from the sect as a result of it? Nor did I know that he was refused a seat in a Louisville restaurant in 1960 while holding both the key to the city and while wearing his Olympic Gold Medal? Nor did I even know that he had actually denounced Malcolm X and "sided" with Elijah Muhammad in the feud between his two spiritual leaders: the feud that ended in Malcolm's death? Nor did I know that he was a Sunni Moslem? Or that he had thrown his Olympic Gold Medal into the Ohio River?
   
   Although the book only reflects it indirectly, Ali is proof, that, whether black or white, we are all still part of the "American racial holocaust": A part of the Big American racial lie. The truths that Ali could not reveal directly in this book is common knowledge to all the world, that:
   
   America hated Ali the same way it hated Dr. Martin Luther King, not for his arrogance, nor for his refusal to go to the war, but for being a proud black warrior in a "white only world." And then he used his pride and his boxing skills to take over the stage of America's drama of heroism, formerly reserved for white males only (or occasionally for others designated American "sanctioned Heroes," of which Ali clearly was not one). America's highly touted religion freedoms ceased to apply when this "proud black warrior" at center stage in the American drama, where he was not supposed to be, chose to exercise that freedom to, first become a Muslim, and then to refuse to go to war to kill others at the U.S. behest.
   
   For exercising his religious freedom in these two ways, many interpreted both of his actions as the supreme insult to the nation's sensibilities. As a result, America tried to take away everything he had: his livelihood, his title, his fame, his money, the best years of his youth, his pride, his confidence: I know, I visited him in his home in Chicago during the Christmas of 1969 when he was in the deepest part of his "in country exile." But even though they took away everything else, they could not take away his pride or his confidence or his belief in his new found God.
   
   America was most gleeful about dragging him off center stage, but even off center stage, his quiet strength grew to even greater proportions than his physical strength: Ali became larger than life outside the ring, not within it. When America saw that his quiet strength was greater than his pugilistic prowess, they knew they could not defeat him, in or out of the ring. Thus, there was no choice but to capitulate: After the Supreme Court Decision, America "ate crow" but they did not apologize for stealing the best four years of his youth, or taking away his title. They just cheered wildly when Joe Frazier beat him. This humbled him enough for white America to embrace him, but still without apologies. It was done as much to continue making money off of him, and so that they could now claim him as their own, and then be able to bask in his larger than life aura, as to redeem America's much embarrassed soul.
   
   Because America's past is so ugly, it is very much the American way to pretend that nothing at all has ever happened in the past. The "bad Ali tape" was simply erased from the collective cultural memory banks: no apologies necessary, the same as it was done for Dr. Martin Luther King: one day King was a villain, the next a martyr, the next day a hero? Such is the nature of true "Black" heroes in America: Muhammad Ali, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charley Parker, Sugar Ray Robinson, Malcolm X, Paul Roberson, WEB Du Bois, Eldridge Cleaver, Stokley Carmichael, Fanny Lou Hammer and on and on.
   
   But the racist American system can never "own" Ali, no matter how many Olympic torches they allow him to carry around the stadium, because he beat the American system in the same way he beat all of his opponents in the ring: fair and square. He looked it in the eye and refused to buckle. And this book proves that Ali won, this, his most important bout, with the strength of his character



3. A third of this book is pure junk, purely awful. A third of it is okay, interesting in spots. A third of it gets you inside the soul of a great man, and you come away with a new idea of who he was and what it takes, in the heart, to be like that. Most great athletes are interesting because they're great athletes, though, objectively, reading about them, reading what they have to say, their athletic greatness, you have to say, is coincidental to who they are as men. With Ali, it seems different. You're tempted to believe he was a great fighter because he was a great man. This book helps one understand that.



4. "All the world's a stage,
   and all the men and women merely players"
   said who? William shakespear.
   
   I say the world is a boxing ring and we are the fighters, fighting for everything, everyone even ourselves.
   well knitted by Hana yasmeen Ali "The soul of butterfly" reveals the true character of Muhammad Ali, three time world heavy weight champion, who conquered the world with his skills and now conquering it with his wisdom. The book is all about Ali's journey through life, about events that tested him and his virtues, and how everytime he stood by his words like a true fighter.



5. I was very pleased with my purchase of this book. It arrived early and in great condition

5 comments about I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It.

1. I'm not a team sports fan so I only bought this book because it was selling for a buck in a fund raiser. I didn't find anything new in it, though it brought back memories of discussions I've had with friends and coworkers. But the fact that an ex pro basketball player talks frankly and positively, in a way that might reach young teens, particularly poor blacks, is a good thing.
   
   His message is positive about working hard rather expecting things to drift our way and kids needing to look to parents as role models rather than to sports heros.
   
   His point about how the "black community" labels as "oreos" those blacks who try to achieve reminded me of conversations I've had with some professional black collegues and friends. One was a senior military officer, the other an engineer, both brothers from Chicago. They were said they found it hard to visit their childhood friends, because the friends would label them as "Uncle Toms" or "Oreos" (black out and white in) for attempting to achieve something in life. Clearly this self-destructive idea is something blacks (and others from whatever race) need to get over. Barkley mentioned something I hadn't heard about Native Americans, which is that they sometimes refer to Natives who try to achieve as "apples", red on the outside, white on the inside.
   
   Barkley isn't the only prominent black to point this out, but too often the Jesse Jacksons of the country don't talk about this. Unfortunately, they get listened to far too much. When the day comes that more black youth listen to the likes of Barkley, Collin Powell, Clarence Thomas, etc, they will be able to truly progress. Let's hope that happens soon.
   
   If Barkley wants to keep on talking about the need for our country's youth to study, work hard and make something of themselves, whatever the race or gender, then I'm 100% behind him.



2. After reading this book and the many "opinions" espoused by Mr. Barkley, I can fully understand while Charles was a basketball superstar and not a scholar. I for one could not recommend this book to anyone. You could likely get more insight at your local pub or barbershop. Charles - - - stick to sports commentary and try thinking before you speak.



3. Charles Barkley says that the goal of his book I MAY BE WRONG is to promote dialogue. If the number of times I have referenced the book since reading it is any indication, he has succeeded. Using examples from professional sports, mass media and his personal life to illustrate American structures of power and image, he makes a convincing case that racism is a structure rather than a belief. He speaks a commonsense language that invites you into his conversation, which may surprise readers who expect arrogant rhetoric. I can't wait to read WHO'S AFRAID OF A LARGE BLACK MAN? and to see how else Mr. Barkley will use his influence to change America.



4. You never know what to expect when you tune in to Charles Barkley or begin reading one of his books, but it's safe to assume that it's going to be interesting and most likely controversial. This book lives up to those expectations. In it, Barkley covers a wide range of topics, many dealing with race or race relations in one way or another, and mostly in a sports setting.
   
   I found the book to be interesting and, in many instances, enlightening, but also to be lacking in Barkely's usual charm and humor. And, although I agree with almost all of what Barkley had to say, I was somewhat disappointed in what he didn't say. By that I mean that Barkely seemed to look at the world from only his own perspective. I would like to have seen what he had to say about the other side of the coin. But no one else ever addresses that side of the coin either, so that was probably too much to expect.
   
   My biggest disappointment with the book, however, was that, although its contents most likely reflect Barkely's true beliefs, its language doesn't appear to be his. I loved to watch Barkely perform as a player and have always enjoyed listening to him express his views and opinions. In this book, I had hoped to read what he had to say in his own words rather than in the more grammatically correct language of an editor. Simply throwing in the word s_ _t every now and then just didn't seem to cut it.



5. After being born in a poor Atlanta neighborhood, former NBA star, Charles Barkley shows the reader how a little hope can go a long way. Barkley begins his story growing up and playing basketball in Atlanta; his basketball skills got him a scholarship to the University of Auburn. Fortunately, Charles's mother lived near Auburn and tried to go to all of his games. As you can see, the bond between him and his mother was very strong. After years in Auburn, Charles was then drafted to the Phoenix Suns; from then on he became one of the most renowned basketball players ever. He was traded to the Houston Rockets and retired, being known as one of the best in the NBA. TNT offers Charles as a job as a studio analysis. The question on everyone's lips now is "what will Barkley do next?"
   Personally, this is my favorite book. Although, I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It is an adult book, this book is perfect for those who enjoy reading popular sports books and is not easily offended. Barkley hold nothing back but manages to teach the reader some life-long morals about life.

5 comments about True Speed: My Racing Life.

1. Its Christmas 2007 and I am a big Tony Stewart fan. I received this book from family and wasnt all that thrilled since it only goes up to 2002 and to be honest I know absolutely nothing about dirt racing, sprint cars, midget cars, USAC, IRL, or Kart racing.
   Well I do now.
   I started glancing through the book and got hooked. Its written by Tony (with another writer Mark Bourcier ) so its in his own words. Its Tonys thoughts and memories. It gave me a huge insight into a racer I thought I already knew a lot about. I really enjoyed reading it, from his start as a child up to his NASCAR career. It has a lot of comments from a lot of people he has met in his life as a racer and a regular guy. If you are a Tony fan or a racing fan, this is really a good read. I doubt if hes this open now but he is just as honest and he hasnt changed his feelings.He discusses his honesty and troubles and fans and lots and lots of racing. I knew he was good but after reading this I came away more impressed than ever. I plan on checking through Amazon for more. more. more.



2. I loved this book. It was very entertaining. It really held my attention. As a matter of fact it only took me a week to read it all. That is pretty good for me and always a sign of a good book. I highly recommend it. It had some pretty funny stuff in it.



3. this book is a great tool for those wanting to know just how someone as talented as Tony Stewart got where he is. Its a book on racing and stays out of being too personal.



4. Well, I would think it would be a great book, however, I have been waiting for more than two (2) months for Amazon to sent it to me. I hope those of you who order it have months to wait for it to be shipped to you. Good luck and happy racing!



5. That's a question that race fans have either heard or wondered a good deal over the past few years. To anyone who's followed the sport of NASCAR for a few months two things become obvious: Tony has an unbelievable amount of talent and he seems to attract trouble. Some are his doing and some is not.
   
   In "True Speed" you'll get a lot of background information on Tony the person and Tony the racer straight from himself. There are certain things in life that motivate us all. Tony explains his desire to succeed and attempts (successfully if you ask me) to explain what motivates him. If you've ever wondered why Tony acts the way he does, read this book and find out.

5 comments about Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel.

1. I just finished reading this book and I totally recommend it to the diehard wrestling fan out there. It goes thru Brody's early years in the sport to how he became the legend that he is. It gives you the prespective from his widow Barbara and you get see Brody outside the ring as a loving father and husband. Its especially heartbreaking to hear his widows take on his brutal murder in Puerto Rico. Pleae read this book to get a great take on this great legend who was hardcore before there was such a thing as hardcore



2. I am a huge fan of Larry Matysik the co-author and Bruiser Brody the wrestler. Larry's previous book Wrestling at The Chase was awesome and this book contained a lot of material from that book. Also the book included way too much material on Barbara Goodish the co-author and widow of Bruiser Brody. I bought it to read about Bruiser Brody. I didn't need an autobiography of his wife.



3. I loved Larry Matysik's Wrestling at the Chase, so was excited when I heard that he was also doing a book on Bruiser Brody. Unfortunately my excitement was misplaced. This book offers little--if anything--new to anyone that has the most basic knowledge of Brody's career. I thought that having Barbara Goodish (Frank's widow) involved as a co-writer would mean a more in-depth look at this colorful, larger than life character. Sadly her contributions are superficial and reveal little. Dave Meltzer's informative and knowledgeable introduction is easily the highlight of the book.



4. Good insight into a very entertaining character. The flow of the book was alittle off as it switched from Matysik to Barbara. One voice intergarting all of the stories might have been better.
   
   I feel Matysik is writing this books as an ego ride for himself. He constantly talked about all the things he did. If he is so important in pro wrestling, why do historians like Dave Meltzer not mention him in the same regard as a Mushnick or Vince Sr.?



5. The legend of Bruiser Brody has finally been documented on paper by the people who knew him by both his personas; First there was Frank Goodish - the gentle giant, caring human being, loyal friend, loving husband, and proud father; And then there was Bruiser Brody - the wild and often controversial wrestler that most of us are familiar with. This combination of distinct characteristics bundled together to create complex and entertaining MAN who was loved by those who knew him personally and admired by fans who knew him professionally - although many greedy promoters knew him as a seven foot tall walking talking headache. Larry Matysik (the voice of St. Louis wrestling, announcer for the famed "Wrestling at the Chase," and author of a wonderful book by the same name) joined forces with Barbara Goodish, the widow of Frank and mother of his only child, Geoff, to boldly present the life and times of Frank "Bruiser" Brody.
   
   With the exception of the big two, WWF and WCW, Bruiser Brody literally worked everywhere on the wrestling planet. He developed one of the most unbalanced reputations in the history of the wrestling industry. Starting out in Texas, then making a name for himself in St. Louis under the guidance of promoter Sam Muchnick, hitting virtually every territory in the country, dominating the wrestling circuit in Japan, and taking advantage of the national exposure by appearing in Verne Gagne's AWA. The road-map of Brody's career literally circled the globe and he did it all with an iron fist and a steadfast commitment to preserving his own character as well as the integrity of the sport. His insistence on getting every penny he earned often left a bad taste in the mouths of unscrupulous promoters, who would inevitably book him again due to one unavoidable principle - Brody could "draw" the fans like no other.
   
   Personally, I have always been very much intrigued by Bruiser Brody. My limited exposure to his matches, and fuzzy low-quality compilation tape left me terribly curious about this mysterious figure that seemingly has the entire wrestling world in the palm of his hand. Very few wrestlers could attract the attention of his audience as well as Bruiser Brody, and perhaps (no I'm pretty sure it is) that's the reason he was able to make so much money in so many territories. Bruiser Brody, sometimes known as "King Kong" Brody (as not to infringe on Dick The Bruiser's notoriety), will go down in history as one of the most all-around fan-friendly professional wrestlers ever - despite what role, heel or face, he was playing.
   
   Thanks to the courage of his widow, Barbara, fans of the legendary Bruiser Brody have been formally introduced to the man behind the wild persona known as Mr. Frank Goodish. This is a book about Frank's early life, football career, pro-wrestling career, his famously firm philosophies, becoming a LEGEND in Japan, and of course the tragic events leading up to his murder in Puerto Rico at the hands of another wrestler who never spent a single day in jail. Also included in this book are touching stories of Goodish meeting his wife while touring New Zealand, and the effect their first child had on his life. Both writers theorize on what the wrestling landscape would be like were it not for Brody's untimely death in 1988.
   
   "BRODY" is a truly fascinating look at a man that captured the imagination of every person fortunate enough to experience a Bruiser Brody match and/or wrestling interview while Brody was still with us on this earth.
   
   Rating: 9 / 10

5 comments about Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story.

1. Authors Cindy Thomson and Scott Brown pen an all-star book for the Hot Stove League that chronicles the life of one of the greatest pitchers in the "Dead Ball Era" of Major League Baseball, Mordecai "Three Fingered" of "Miner" Brown.
   
   Sporting a lifetime MLB record of 239-130, with 1375 strikeouts and an amazing 2.06 ERA, Brown is oftentimes more known for his main nickname, which was due to a farm-machinery accident as a youth, losing parts of two fingers. His other nickname came from his work in the Indiana coal mines before baseball became his profession.
   
   His is truly an American story, as Brown sparked the Chicago Cubs to victories over the Detroit Tigers in the 1907-1908 Fall Classics, turned away from threats by mobsters in 1908 to throw a game and attempted to end the MLB monopoly on the pro game by joining the "outlaw" Federal League.
   
   But its in retirement where Brown gave back to the sport - and to the local fans who followed his pro career - that made him a household name. When back home again in (Terre Haute) Indiana, he played in the minors, participated in exhibition games and also coached. Brown also operated a gas station in Terre Haute.
   
   Like home plate being dusted off after a long winter, the biography brings to life a legend who was buried under yellowed pages of newspapers that had been weathered by time and neglect.



2. Excellent book. Provided new insight into a storied career. Shipment and quality were excellent.



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



4. 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.



5. 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.

5 comments about Dan Rooney: My 75 Years With the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL.

1. This is a very good book, but I did not appreciate the black magic marker mark on the bottom part of the book. It made it look like that book was retrieved from the garbage pile at the printers.
   
   The book provides a very good history of the Rooney family and the Steelers.



2. There are few people who have been around for virtually the entire history of the NFL. Dan Rooney is the last survivor of the day when men who could think past the end of their own bank account ran the league. His stories about how his father and men like Wellington Mara and George Halas made the NFL are worth the time even for non-Steeler fans. Should be a mandatory read for Jerry Jones and Dan Synder.



3. Excellent history of the Pittsburgh Steelers especially now that there is talk of the Steelers possibly being sold. A wonderful family governed by Art Sr. A must read for Steeler fans and those who appreciate history of the NFL.



4. This book is an easy read. My husband, who is not much of a reader, however is a HUGE Pittsburg Steelers fan. I bought him this book for Christmas and he read it within 2 days. It was surely an easy read and quite humorous. There are several interesting stories shared, which allows you to peek in the life of Dan Rooney.



5. As a lifelong Steeler fan, this was a must-read, a tome that belongs on my bookshelf along with "Doing it Right" by Jim O'Brien. Mr. Rooney's accounting of history is first-hand and basically unscrubbed. He talks about the things he, his father, and the Steeler staff did right over the years, and the things they did wrong (e.g., Unitas, Marino). He tells you who are the good guys and the troublemakers. He takes you from the earliest beginnings of the NFL on through to the hiring of Mike Tomlin. It's a little tricky to follow chronologically because he gets off-topic and rambles now and then (I found myself thinking "wait a minute, that's not... what year was this supposed to be?). And there are some outright errors, which are mentioned in other reviews. The style is very (very!) homey, as you would expect, with an almost turn-of-the-century charm throughout. But in the end, you believe that Dan Rooney really is that sincere and genuine, and schmaltzy, and that's why so many people love him. Come to think of it, who doesn't like Dan Rooney? (Sorry, I haven't read Al Davis' book).

5 comments about Mike Singletary One-on-One: The Determination That Inspired Him to Give God His Very Best.

1. I loved this book and God more than my pants and Jesus. It is a great read if you can read. I cannot. However, my pants is off and I am about to jiggle like the year of our lord 19 and 99. This is a best book forever. Get it or I will get you. Got it?



2. I purchased this book from a friend he said this is a great book, and he enjoyed every single page, although im not a football/sports fan I may read this book for myself.



3. 
   I'm no longer a gung-ho supporter of any professional football team. (Although I probably still lean a little toward the Miami Dolphins - my first gridiron love dating back to 1972 and their undefeated season.) But in 1984, I was a big fan of the Los Angeles Raiders (my hometown team) who were then the reigning Super Bowl champions, and I can still recall watching a game against the Chicago Bears on the lobotomizer (TV). To my utter amazement, four Raiders had to be assisted off the field that day. My jaw fell open! This was the sort of manhandling treatment that the OTHER teams customarily suffered when playing the men in (Silver And) Black. That was the day that I sat up and took notice of the new Monsters Of The Midway, and that wild-eyed linebacker wreaking havoc on everything over the middle - MIKE SINGLETARY.
   
   To this day, Singletary (inducted into the Football Hall Of Fame in 1998) remains the best linebacker I've ever seen, and no football fan from my generation will ever forget those eyes under his helmet, wide open, huge, like two motherships scanning the terrain for something to zap into smithereens. And what an awesome force this man was on the field, flattening runningbacks and pulverizing quarterbacks and dealing similarly with any other fool who got in his way! Singletary was the indisputable leader of what came to be known as "The Junkyard Dog Defense." In this book, `MIKE SINGLETARY: ONE ON ONE', Jay Carty calls him "the most intense man I have ever met." Over two decades ago, a friend gave me the nickname, "Mister Intense", and although admittedly I have mellowed a little with age, I'm still occasionally called by that moniker. And it was Singletary's intensity and reputation as a good man that appealed to me even while I hated his '85 team - which I will confess is the greatest football team I've ever rooted against.....and better than any team I ever rooted for, too.
   
   (Mike writes: "The huge amount of pressure was most intense on game day. I got really revved up. I would hyperventilate and build up a rapid heart rate. While everyone else listened to rock, rap and hip-hop to amp up, I would listen to Beethoven to try to calm down." Ha-Ha! Yeah, this dude was created for the game of football!)
   
   `MIKE SINGLETARY: ONE ON ONE' is a book containing 60 Christian lessons (broken up into daily study) which ex-L.A. Laker and current minister, Jay Carty, based upon the reminiscences of Mike's playing days. On the left-hand page is a brief football-related story by Mike, and on the right-hand page is the Christian (usually Bible-based) insight that Jay associates with the story. Following his text, Carty includes a little prayer related to the theme and then gives some Bible passages for the reader to explore the idea more fully.
   
   I found Carty's original prayers (and commentary) to be rather silly at times (and really, with the exception of a few Holy Spirit-filled prayers that one should memorize, effective prayer really needs to be spontaneous and come from the individual's heart - not from someone else's heart), and in a few of the lessons, I felt that Carty was really reaching to find a spiritual message based on what Singletary had to say. Even so, I found myself highlighting as much of Carty's text as Singletary's, and there is no question that Jay is a very sincere man who desires to live a Christ-like life.
   
   There were less than flattering comments made about a couple of other players (e.g., Day 20, in which Singletary discusses William "The Refrigerator" Perry's lack of commitment and self-discipline) that probably weren't necessary, and probably don't belong in a book of this nature. But they were made more palatable by the honesty of both writers who did not shy away from pointing out times in their own lives when they too had gotten off the track.
   
   `ONE ON ONE' contained many interesting stories: you'll learn who Singletary ranks as the best quarterbacks he ever played against and which two linemen hit him as hard as he hit others; you'll learn what qualities Mike and Jay believe constitutes a "real man"; and you'll learn about the "miraculous moment" when Singletary is sure that God intervened on his behalf, saving him from a possible career ending injury.
   
   The book is informative, easy reading, and according to my own understanding, mostly Biblically sound. Also, I feel that God actually delivered a personal message to me through the lesson for Day 21 - what more could one ask for? `MIKE SINGLETARY: ONE ON ONE' would make an especially excellent gift for a young man who is involved in athletics and needs to see how a very motivated, competitive player can also be a good man and what being a good man really entails.
   
   Mike Singletary is one of my all-time favorite athletes. His Mother believed that we must "let God be God." And for that reason, she ignored the advice of her doctors when they recommended that she have an abortion. Mike was born as a result of her letting God be God. I'm glad she did!



4. Having read several of Jay Carty's books now I have to say he is an incredibly inspiring writer and person to say the least. I am so excited each month as I check for new "stuff" from Jay Carty as it is always refreshing and different yet always connected to God with a three stranded cord. If you haven't been a reader of his books for long there are many to choose from and this writer never stops searching for Gods will in his daily efforts to continue to provide hearty reading material for all groups and all stages from salvation, and growth to a mature level of one's spiritual walk. I highly recommend anything he puts his hands on because I know the hand of God is on him. Some of what I have read and or listened to on tape are:"Discovering your natural talents", "Counter Attack: taking back ground lost to sin", "Playing with fire", "Something's fishy Getting rid of the carp in your life","Coach Wooden One on One", "Coach Wooden's Piramid of success", Darrell Waltrip - One on One, "Mike Singletary- One on One" all keeping me captivated from cover to cover!
   
   Dora Wolfe - CA



5. Whoever Jay Carty is - He's on to something special. This book is the second one I read. First John Wooden, now Mike Singletary. I loved UCLA basketball and I loved the '85 Bears. This book gives you tastes of both again, along with some nice balance to other things in life. Great read!

5 comments about I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson.

1. A very positive role model for our youth (and adults!) Jackie Robinson was courageous man. I learned about the barriers and obstacles he faced as well as all African-Americans faced during this era. And still face today.



2. I read this book when I did a research paper on Jackie Robinson in 11th grade English class back in 2003. It was a great autobiography and I couldn't put the book down. Not only tells the story of the man as a baseball player, but it tells how he struggled being a "black man in a white world." If you are interested in baseball, civil rights, or even just want to read a good book and learn more about the time, I highly recommend this book.



3. This was just dynamite. Jackie holds nothing back. I've read a lot of baseball books, and I've read a lot of autobiographies. This was hands-down the best, period! If you only want to read about his baseball accomplishments, go elsewhere. He covers his entire life, and there was a lot more than just baseball. The incidents from other episodes of his life serve to quantify what an advocate he was, and how difficult it was to take the abuse heaped upon him in his first two seasons with the Dodgers without responding. Bravo to a well-lived life, Jackie!



4. The autobiography of Jackie Robinsons Life "I never had it made" was an inspiring book to not stop trying. I enjoyed this book as a learner of the old ages and as a young fan of baseball. Jackie inspired millions of African Americans to do what they always have dreamed of doing. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was because I thought they talked too much about his life after he retired from baseball. The book talks about the hardships Jackie went through and the journey he made to become such a phenomenal athlete and role model. Some of the people that Jackie worked with were greats known as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. After retirement Jackie opens up his own charities and organizations to help the not so fortunate African Americans of today's society. I recommend this book to anyone that has trouble with their self-confidence because this book makes you appreciate your life more. Unfortunately Jackie will be remembered just because of his baseball accomplishments and not what he did off the field.



5. They say to whom much is given, much is expected. In Jackie's case he didn't ask to take on this feat- but nonetheless he accepted the mission and gave it his all- and succeeded- perhaps at the expense of his own personal life and serenity. This man had a huge task and he never shirked when it seemed to be insurmountable...the crux of the challenge was that jackie was told that he would be up against jeering crowds, small minds, hostile people that would do their best to get his goat- and that it was imperative that jackie did not resist and defend- and he upheld his end of the bargain.Jackie shows us all the high road.I am no sports fan but I did love this book- because it is about focus, strength and grace in the face of opposition, and a trailblazer personality that lit the way for many many people.

4 comments about Golf Dads: Fathers, Sons, and the Greatest Game.

1. Really good portrayal of the essence of golfing w/ your dad. All the experiences of the game w/ the emotional attachment of enjoying each others company!



2. Golf Dads: Fathers, Sons, and the Greatest Game is a terrific book that I found easy to read and interesting in its exploration of the complexity of relationships of fathers and sons and how golf affects communication between generations. I am not a golf enthusiast but I loved Curt Sampson's style of writing and illuminating content. The stories of fathers and sons / daughters is a book well worth reading. I would highly recommend this book.



3. I loved it. More than any book I've ever read, this one included me, if that makes any sense. I would read for a bit and then find myself lost in some memory of my own father, reminded of it by something that Sampson had written and written well. Every emotion in life, both the good and the bad, was played out in a round of golf with Dad. This book touches them all.



4. Despite my two stars rating, I really enjoyed this book. Why the mediocre rating? Because I found myself wanting a lot more. As a weekend golfer and one who watches a lot of golf on televison -- I thoroughly enjoyed the stories about Wie, Trevino, Feherty and Jacobsen. But the rest of stories were just okay but not ones I can relate to. This subject matter had so much potential and I just think Sampson came up short. Recommendation: If you need a quick golf read, then find a used copy because its not worth the $20. I love Sampson's books but this one failed to live up to my expectations. I guarantee that if Mr. Sampson did a sequel it would be much, much better.