3 comments about American Son: My Story.

1. The autobiography on "The Golden Boy," who parlayed his pugilistic skills into successful business and philanthropic ventures outside the squared-circle, is an informative and inspiring story on chasing and capturing a slice of the American Dream.
   
   It works because Oscar De La Hoya is candid about every facet of his professional and business careers & personal life, while co-author Steve Springer - through his award-winning reporting in the Los Angeles Times - has literally watched the champ grow up in public.
   
   The legend truly comes to life through De La Hoya's own words and honesty. Though the final chapter in boxing will be "written" later this year, this is an outstanding look into a life that is just starting to get into a top gear.



2. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Extensively details who Oscar is and where he (and his family) came from. A truly rags-to-riches story. You cannot help but like this young man. A brisk, intelligent read for everybody especially boxing fans and people of Mexican heritage.
   
   Excellent book!



3. If you are a fan of Oscar you will love this book. It is a very short book though.

5 comments about Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.

1. Coming from a person who dabbled in ultra marathons a decade ago, Dean has motivated me to make the jump from the mundane marathon to the longer races again. This book would not let me put it down, and I ended up reading it in one long session (and I'm not a fast reader). I have a fear of jumping from the 100K to the 100 mile race due to running at night and Dean told the story of how difficult it is to achieve the 100 mile limit and beyond. I'm amazed that you can make money doing what you love and admire him for doing it. Now there is a role model (not your role of the mill).



2. This book is life changing and is a must read for everyone. The Ultramarathon Man took me from 195lbs and having high Cholesterol to 165lbs and low Cholersterol. I went from couch potatoe to running Marathons and Ultra marathons all in a 2 year period. This book was the most inspiring and life changing thing that has ever happened to me. Please read it so you can see what I'm talking about.



3. Very familiar with Karnazes' resume from Outside mag and others, but never picked up this book because it seemed to be fluffy redux of other material. I was incredibly wrong. Written in plain style, the content is inspiring and downright belivable. No superhuman motivational stuff, just lots of get-down-to-business material about taking on challenges and having a fighting spirit. I was very surprised how much I liked this book and look forward to more like this.



4. I found this book to be inspiring.
   The writing is not necessarily professional caliber, but I did not find it bad.... better than many other athlete written books.
   
   And to address a criticism from other reviews-- the book is autobiographical. Of course it is about Dean, and what Dean has done. The book would be a failure if it were about ultramarathons as a separate entity... if you wanted that, why turn to an autobiographical book by a specific ultramarathon runner?
   
   Dean may not be the BEST ultramarathoner, but he has brought much more attention to the sport and found a way to make a living doing what he loves. You have to admire that!



5. 
   I couldn't put this book down! I found myself staying up way too late because I didn't want to stop reading this book. It's an easy read, and for anyone that runs or has ever thought about running Dean's stories are inspirational.

1 comments about Don't Let The Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion.

1. Anyone who's a WNBA fan of any team other than the LA Sparks knows that the Sparks have gained the reputation of being the team you "love to hate"! But also, as a WNBA fan you have to give credit and your respect to all the women who have been responsible for the love and excitement we have for the league. They have blazed the trail for all the young talents we see today.
   
   Lisa Leslie is definitely one of those women. In her book, "Don't Let The Lipstick Fool You", you will get a better view of Lisa the person as well as the athlete. She shares her life, her beliefs, and her career. I truly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to any WNBA fan.

5 comments about Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph.

1. There are 2 things I absolutely HATED about this book...I hated having to put it down, and I hated when I finished it! Vivian Stringer's story is truly an example of courage in the midst of challenges. It's not just for sports fans. Anyone can be inspired by it.



2. I enjoyed the book. Not life changing but there are some life lessons to be learned through the reading



3. This book was absolutely fantastic. I'm not really into sports but have enjoyed basketball from time to time. Though, I've never really been into college basketball and didn't even know who C. Vivian Stringer was before the Imus incident, I was able to gain a tremendous insight into the life of a strong, confident, and resilient woman and the women she lends a hand in raising. To learn all that she has been through and how she mustered the courage to "Stand Tall" through every adversity was so inspiring, and not just for Black women but for every woman and human being. I certainly recommend that every person take the time to read this incredible story.



4. How important it is to have women, young and old, to know the power and authority that lies within and that you have the perfect example in
   "the Coach" of all times. Ms Stringer has given us this jewel at a time more important that any other that I can remember when so many young women are suffering from low self-esteem and rejection and so many older women are caught in the throws of life. Thanks to Ms. Stringer we have renewed HOPE!!!



5. This woman is completely amazing!! Being from Iowa, I fondly remember the Vivian Stringer era. I was part of the 22,000+ that atttended the game against Ohio State, setting the attendance record at the time as part of C. Vivian Stringer's vision. I am in awe of her and hearing her own story in her own words has had a profound impact on me. She mentions in the book her decision to fight for her spot on the cheerleading squad at her high school not only to cheer the team on, but to pave the way for future generations She talks about how later on, she realized that those "future generations" were her own neices.
   
   In thinking about that story and others in the book, I realized the impact that Vivian Stringer has had on my own daughter - a basketball and volleyball player, both directly and indirectly through other generations of Stringer girls with Stringer values.
   
   Amazing story!! Amazing Woman!!

5 comments about Among the Thugs.

1. This is a fantastic book, and what's more, it has served as a model and inspiration for the many (many, many) football hooligan books that followed.
   
   I won't really comment on the absolute cliched tripe served up by one reviewer who gave this book one star, but I would point out that he might want to take some time out from an all-knowing banality spouting, error decrying, schedule, and consult a calendar.
   
   Among The Thugs - 1993. Most of the others? 1999 and later, including the 2005(!) Gardner tome. This book, almost alone, spawned a veritable minor industry of Football Hooligan memoirs and reportage. Don't believe me? Head over to amazon.co.uk and check it out all the related items with this book over there.
   
   By the way, I think it was sort of the point of the experiment that an editor of a (very popular in the right circles) literary magazine like Granta went and did what he did, and reported what he saw. And in the Granta tradition, he expounds a bit on What It All Means. That gets a little dull at times, but by no means lessens the overall interest of the book.
   
   Among the Thugs is not meant to be a piece of documentary journalism, oral history, or a PhD thesis. It's a subjective and personal account, and the author makes no bones about that. The author did, objectively, get beaten to a pulp by Italian cops, so there's some credibility right there.



2. Bill Buford offers an engaging narrative about violent British soccer fans, yet one does begin to suspect some exaggeration and ornamentation. Saying that these fans behave the way they do because they lack a solid home base is reductionist and not helpful at all. Many millions around the world live in conditions that leave a great deal to be desired--indeed far worse than the living conditions of a violent soccer fan--yet they don't engage in what the British call "antisocial behavior."
   
   There is no excuse for hooliganism and bad behavior. To find "causes" for lawbreaking, be it soccer violence in Europe or drug dealing in America, is a step toward tolerating and even forgiving it.
   
   Generations of black Americans have been raised under the impression that racism is an insurmountable problem and that they have to go outside the law to survive. This perception is so strong that Barack Obama's presidential bid was dismissed early on by some of the most seasoned political analysts as well as civil rights leaders in this country. They thought that America was simply too racist to even consider a black president. Obana was jumping the gun, they said, damaging his own chances in a distant future. When those whose words make public opinion are so out of touch with the American reality, what can one expect of a black teenager who is attending an under-funded school? Getting away from the subject? Not really. The world knows American black youth culture largely through hip-hop music and all the fashion, DVDs, games and other paraphernalia it generates. Many teenagers all around the world, in their angst and search for identity, claim victimhood and try to emulate a thug life with various degrees of conviction. The British "antisocilas" are themselves informed by such imported gangsterism. Few understand that for every gangsta or gagsta wannabe there are thousands of black Americans who go to college, fill professional echelons or start legitimate businesses.
   
   Instead of trying to "understand" thugs, of whatever color or stripe, let's concentrate on those who really understand and avoid thug life under any guise for the boring, graceless, destructive existence it is without ever being sullied by it.



3. There's a lot to hope for in this book, but it fails badly. The author never comes across as even remotely credible. His writing reflects his snobbish background and beliefs. He went to college at Berkeley, then elite Cambridge, and he clearly feels that he is above the subjects of the book in every way. The jacket says he edits a literary magazine, and now he thinks he can ingratiate himself with football thugs? Please. He may be American, but he's apparently been infected with that classic British class thing. His book is full of comments on how stupid and ugly the people he is interviewing are. He talks at length about how he tries to get the "animals" at various pitches to let him interview them. Too bad he was posing the whole time, trying to be "cool" but really manipulating his subjects for his own use. In fact one gets the impression that this was Mr. Well Educated/Snobby Lit Magazine Guy doing his bit of slumming. I'm sure he's drunk many a glass of wine, chuckling with his tweed-wearing Eton buddies, self congratulating on how he survived many nights in those nasty pubs, coaches and terraces with the "idiotic" football supporters. Minor but telling points: he can't even get Bill Gardner's name right (West Ham's top man with the ICF) and lastly, that cover photo is not even of a football thug, it's called "The Smoker" by some random photographer. Can't get Bill Gardner's name right and he's doing a book on football violence? Good Lord, there's an entire book about Bill: "Good Afternoon Gentlemen, The Name's Bill Gardner." There's his name, pal. And we're supposed to believe your book is the real deal? Sorry man--go back to where you belong--editing James Joyce or something--and don't pretend to be what are not. This book is from a poser and not worth a purchase.



4. This is a great book, albiet the first one I have read on football hooligans. This is not limited to one single firm though, as some of the many ICF books are. Buford runs with the Man. United firm, has a run in with the National Front, and has the grand finale with English hooligans during the world cup. This is really an eye opener into a section of history and life I never knew about in England, and Buford does an excellent job sharing it. There were a few points where he starts to ramble about unrelated crowd violence elsewhere, but these nuances are insignificant by the close of the book. At just over 300 pages I finished this book in 5 days, it's an engrossing book, funny, disturbing, and horrific at times. An excellent read. I would thouroughly reccomend this to any football fan, fan of Green Street Hooligans, or just about anyone else.



5. Fantastic book and a page turner. Opened my eyes to hooliganism in the sport of football. This was probably common knowledge to most people outside the U.S. Great story from an unbiased source.

5 comments about The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection.

1. More of a comprehensive collection of past interviews and accomplishments, as opposed to unique insights or details many Federer fans may look for. The book is well written, but as far as sports biographies are concerned, I found James Blake's bio as well as Lance Armstrong's more interesting.



2. The jury seems already to be in; this guy plays the game of tennis better than anyone! He has all the tools, plus the ingenuity to use them creatively and instinctly. Plus, he's a good guy.
   
   Although at times this read was, as other reviewers have noted, to be just a sequence of scores of matches one after another. However, the author worked in the personal interest stuff and what was going on in the guy's life.
   
   What was there from the outset was amazing potential, but his immaturity and temper preventing him from exposing his greatness too early. This was the revelatory part for me, that Roger was not always the dominant player he is now, but struggled.
   
   I appreciate so much his temparement and his kindness. The last few chapters on such were well done and contributed much.



3. The Roger Federer Story: Quest for Perfection is the real thing. Written by a real journalist about a real achiever. The author, Rene Stauffer, is a recognized figure in sports writing in Europe, and he is not at all embarassed to be smitten with Roger, as we all have been. But the biography is not gushy and it's not celebrity worship. Stauffer has done his own legwork and reveals the person behind the statistics and the worldwide recognition. Readers will not be surprised to learn that solid rearing by sensible parents and hard work on the court are the dominant factors in Federer's life. And of course now he must be a businessman, and we learn about that, too. This is a superior sports biography, at its core, good writing about a good person. You will read straight through and be glad you did.



4. What a waste of a tree. This book is little more than a narrative of Roger Federer's travel movements and his match scores. Most of it could have been written using the ATP fixtures and match results. The rest could have been gathered from internet news searches.
   
   Despite describing himself as "one of the world's leading tennis journalists", René Stauffer offers little personal insight into Roger Federer, man or tennis player. Nor has there been any substantial research into the views of people who know him well enough to provide such insight.
   
   Federer has stable personal life and he is not a party animal, so there is no expectation by the reader of great revelations in this area. But there are some things the reader of a tennis biography would like to know, such as:
   
   * Why did Federer use a single-handed backhand when most players of his generation use a double-handed back-hand?
   
   * How did he develop that balletic and devastating forehand?
   
   * Did he naturally have great footwork or did he (or someone else) decide to develop it?
   
   * Who taught him to serve that way?
   
   * How has he changed or developed his groundstrokes over the years?
   
   * When does he try to hit a winner?
   
   * What tactics does he use against different opponents?
   
   And so on.
   
   And what was he trying to do in those big matches? What makes Federer tick? This is the essence of biography.
   
   Obviously Federer himself will not reveal his thinking and tactics, but one would expect one of the "world's leading tennis journalists" to provide some analysis - or to get it from others.



5. This is a really great book. It'a a must for every Federer's fan !!
   It's translate in a easy english. I strongly suggest to read it.

5 comments about Ball Four.

1. This was a provocative book when it was first published. Jim Bouton, who had been a star pitcher for the New York Yankees, was trying to mount a comeback by working on a knuckleball in the bullpen of the expansion team Seattle Pilots less than five years later. He was a world away from pitching in two World Series in two successive seasons with players like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris as team mates.
   
   His fastball could no longer shatter a pane of glass, but his astute observations about professional sports broke many barriers that had existed between the owners, players and the fans. Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn publicly condemned the book.
   
   Bouton was traded to Houston before the season ended. The last place Seattle Pilots faded and died. The team was sold and transferred to Milwaukee after only one year. As such, it is something of a historic artifact of the failed Pilots team as well as a humorous look at the National Pastime.



2. Jim Bouton is a very bright man who probably could have been a scientist if he didn't go into baseball. In the 1960s when he played nobody wrote colorful exposes of the behind the scenes and road trip life of major league ball players. Bouton was the first with this book. It ended many friendships with teammates and probably broke up his marriage. The book might seem tame by todays standard. Alcohol was the players drug in those days and no one was shooting up steroids back then. But the book was racy, groundbreaking and controversial in its time much like Canseco's books are today.
   
   You will also see that it led to several other books by Jim Bouton and even one by his ex wife (another analogy to Canseco whose ex wife also wrote a book). Bouton was a great pitcher but alas for only the period from 1961-1964. 1963 was his best season but even though he pitched well in that world series the Yankees got steamrolled by the Dodger staff with Drysdale and Koufax leading the way. After retirementhe came back to pitch for the Seattle Pilots expansion team in their first year. He had developed a knuckle ball and that allowed him some limited success. Bulldog Jim wrote a book about that experience too. He had a trick when he pitched for the Yankees. He wouldd deliberately wear a very loose fitting cap that would usually fall off his head as he delivered the pitch. This was distracting for the hitters. But in his day Bouton had a good fastball and a deceptive changeup and he was part of a great pitching rotation in 1963 that included Ford, Downing and Terry.



3. even now, the contents of "ball four" are as equally as contrary to what you think about the order of things as say the first time you hear that hawaiians aren't happy about being american. what this book has to say about institutions make it as valuable an american document as "on the road".
   the only real debate i think that could be made over this assertion is who took more speed; kerouac or bouton?
   the answer is kerouac.
   leaving only one other question:
   who took more speed; kerouac or doc ellis?
   i can't answer that question but i can say that beaning batters successively until you get thrown out of a major league baseball game is much cooler than anything kerouac ever did.



4. Ball Four is a journal of Jim Bouton's days in baseball. It is light hearted and pokes fun at himself and tells it like it was in the 1960's. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the behind the scenes and what happens in the locker room.



5. Hubby had knee surgery and was laid up for 3 months.. did alot of reading when he wasn't in physical therapy.... GREAT BOOK

5 comments about Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond.

1. Disclaimer -- Paul is my cousin, so of course I am going to tell you to go buy this book, right now!! In fact, buy three copies. Keep one in plastic to sell on eBay in 20 years, give one to a friend, and read the third. :)
   
   That being said, this book gave me an unequaled insider's view of life in the NBA. Paul pulls few punches, tells it like it is, and doesn't worry about making friends with his assessment of players, coaches, and fans.
   
   I enjoyed his wry observations on life, though I did at times wonder why he keeps up with this lifestyle when it seems he isn't getting too much joy out of it (he does "sardonic" better than "enthusiastic").
   
   Overall, though, I was entertained and captured by this rare view inside the locker room. And I was relieved that he didn't skewer his extended family on the pages. :)



2. For all those people who didn't like this book because of the so-called "whining" and complaining - this book isn't really for them. I suggest they go to the self-help section of the bookstore and grab something there . . . or perhaps join the Oprah Book Club. For the people who've enjoyed Paul Shirley's blog over the years, you'd expect this book to be full of negative comments and complaints . . . as Paul himself said in the book, he writes better when the chips are down (p.54 - Jan. 12 entry) so y'all have been warned early on . . . However, as a pessimist and a cynic myself - I really didn't see his whining and complaining as such . . . it really is just an honest observation and being a basketball player that travels halfway around the globe - those observations are truly interesting and his witty remarks makes the book entertaining as well. It's well-written and would recommend the book to almost anybody (except Oprah and Dr. Phil).



3. I was sick and looking for something to take my mind off it when I picked up Can I keep My Jersey. It's the story of Paul Shirley, a basketball player who's really, really good. He's never gonna be a NBA star but he keeps trying and between NBA stints and his experiences with the CBA, the ABA and the European leagues this is a funny book. It has a few flaws of course, Shirley is a horrible snob and there were times when I found myself wishing that somebody when give him a good smack in the mouth but then all would be forgiven when he'd tell another story about the ridiculous aspects of life on the edge of the NBA.
   
   The chapter on his nightmare trip to Russia--horrible place--- is worth the price of the book alone. It's not the greatest sports memoir ever written but it's amusing and I found myself hoping that eventually Shirley gives up chasing the impossible dream and either starts a writing career or falls back on that engineering degree of his.



4. Paul Shirley is one funny guy. He's got that dry sense of humor that I love. This book is about his first few years playing pro basketball...in the NBA and over sea. I loved the book and I would recommend it to any basketball fan.



5. 
   Unfortunately, the book doesnt live up to a great title.
   
   In 50 years of reading pretty much anything that I can lay hands on, for the first time I looked for the editor's name. This is for you, Chris Schluep: you need a refresher in Editing 101. The parenthetical asides needed to go. They are distracting, unnecessary, and so not funny. We get that he doesnt like religion or tuna-no need to go on about them forever. It is also obvious that he doesnt much care for the world outside of Kansas, or the people in it. Much is made of his 'cynical, dry' sense of humor, that one needs to be of the right demographic to appreciate it. Sorry, that wont fly. Sour carping and egregious insults does not make for 'humor.'
   
   The author comes across as pretty much what he is: an immature, arrogant young man who isnt quite as smart as he thinks he is. He could be a pretty decent writer-there were flashes here and there-and if he does someday grow up, I suspect he'll look back on this book and be embarrassed by its immaturity and callowness.

5 comments about Iceman: My Fighting Life.

1. Chuck Liddell is a great fighter and his fights are entertaining. The contradiction of his ferocity in the Octagon to his mild-mannered nature outside of it is fascinating. I wish the book had more depth and exposed more of the real Chuck. But after reading about how Chuck was raised and getting a glimpse into his demeanor and lifestyle, it makes sense why the book is rather shallow. I enjoyed and appreciated the insight Chuck gives into each of his fights (e.g., his opinions on this opponents, his disposition towards the fight, the technical breakdown and strategy employed, etc.). But I could do without his bragging, the awkward-at-best and poor-at-worst writing, and the general lack of biographical meat.



2. This book tells a good story and gives you a peek at the explosively popular world of MMA. Chuck Liddell is an example for America's youth to look up to. Honest, hardworking and straight to the point. Very happy with this purchase.



3. I read Chuck Liddell's book in about a 3 week span, inbetween work and working out and other activities. Although it was a quick read, it was a very insightful and entertaining book. Growing up in SLO and his problems with his father not being in the picture. To playing HS football and then being a near perfect student-athlete at Cal Poly. Until his fighting days in obscure bare knuckle fights in Brazil to what we have as the UFC today, with all the highlights and lowlights pinpointed and brought to life in a fun way. Kickass Book!



4. I wasn't a Chuck Liddell fan until I read this book.I'll being cheering for him to win his fights until he retires now.Thanks Chuck!



5. Sometimes there are icons of sports. In the UFC, Chuck Liddell is a name that immediately comes to mind. His fights with Tito Ortiz are legendary, and the trilogy with Randy Couture is even more so. His kick to the head of Renato, "Babalu" Sobral, is still a highlight KO to this day! And the painful comeback fight with "Ramapage" Jackson that didn't even make 2 minutes in the first round still lingers in the hearts of UFC fans. But who is Chuck Liddell? What makes him tick? Read this book to find out!
   
   He's been called the baddest man on the planet, and he will always be a legend in the UFC. But you learn that he's always loved to fight. Whether in a bar, or on a simple street corner, or, of course, in the Octagon, just waiting to load up for that knock out punch that will end it all. You'll read about it all in this. From his days of football and wrestling, to when he stepped into a dojo, and simply longed to spar. You'll find out about The Pit, and about the man John Hackleman is. And you'll read about most of his fights. He really gets into it, and he loves to talk fighting.
   
   But you'll also see a man outside the Octagon, the man who likes to party and hang with the ladies. Somewhat of a lifestyle that has had many saying he lives a rock-star MMA life.
   
   All in all, you'll find out about Chuck. When reading the book by Matt Hughes, I was impressed, despite the fact that he didn't go into detail all that much like Liddell did. And Liddell does indeed go into detail, because he's proud of who he is. Sometimes he offers a little too much information, attempting not to boast.
   
   But he knows what it's like to be the best, and to be beaten by the best. But he's still ready for a fight or two. And until he can't get in that cage anymore, he wants to keep on fighting! Quite interesting overall.

1 comments about Giant: The Road to the Super Bowl.

1. If you're a real pro-football fan and have ever dreamed of having an NFL star come over to your house and spend the weekend... have a couple of beers... talk about all the stuff that really goes on in the clubhouse... on the field... in their private lives... what their childhood was like... and just shoot the "crap" with each other... just like you and I do with our buddies all year long... then this book is the absolute next best thing.
   
   Plaxico Burress the wide receiver on the 2007 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, who not only caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, but played the greatest game I have ever seen a receiver play in a championship game in the frozen tundra of Green Bay... 11 catches for 154 yards with the temperature at *MINUS-ONE-DEGREE-BELOW ZERO* with the *WIND-CHILL-FACTOR AT "MINUS-TWENTY-THREE-DEGREES-BELOW-ZERO*!. It was so cold that when a player tried to spit, the spit would freeze to the face mask of their helmet. The teams didn't have Gatorade on the sideline, it was all chicken broth. "No water, no Gatorade, just chicken broth."
   
   How was Plaxico shaped into the man he became, that led to these historical games? Burress will tell you himself through the pages of this "ONE-OF-A-KIND" autobiography. I have read hundreds and hundreds of sports books in my life, but I have never read one that the subject pulls absolutely no punches, whether he's talking about touchdowns, partying, loving his Mother, or describing opponents and teammates, owners or coaches. I am not exaggerating even one iota! There is a co-author mentioned in the title of the book... but with no disrespect meant... I don't believe he did anything but turn on a tape recorder and let Plaxico speak from his heart to his unrestricted self-content... and then had it transcribed. Any football fan... and it doesn't matter what team you root for... you can't miss this book! There has never been an opportunity to have an NFL star come into your family room and tell you "the-way-it-is"... and I mean "ALL-OF-THE-WAY-IT-IS"!
   
   Some examples: "Coach Sullivan is a military guy. He went to Army and he's gone to the airborne, ranger, and air-assault schools. Because of that, he looks at life the same way I do. You hear a lot of people refer to football as war and he's real sensitive to that because has been to war. He understands football is not really like, war, so he doesn't take it like that." (Personal note: I am a Viet Nam era veteran so that means an awful lot to me.) When he was a teenager, his hardworking Mother who he loved more than words could ever say... "Then one day my mom was going through my pants and she found it. She found two empty bags and smelled it. I told her I didn't know what it was. She knew. She just went into her room and cried. THAT'S WHEN I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW HARD SHE WORKED AND I REALIZED HOW GUILTY I FELT. SHE HANDLED EVERYTHING DIFFERENTLY. SHE CRIED AND IT HURT ME SO BAD. SHE'S WORKING THIS HARD FOR ME AND I'M DOING THIS IN RETURN. I PROBABLY DID IT FOR ABOUT A SUMMER, BUT ONCE SHE FOUND IT, I QUIT. I STILL HUNG AROUND EVERYONE WHO DID IT. I KNEW WHAT IT WAS ABOUT."
   
   More directly from Plaxico's heart: "The way I grew up, we had hard times, we had rough times. But I have no regrets about how I grew up. I wouldn't change a thing. My mom, she would never have done anything to hurt anybody, but she didn't bow down to no one, either. SHE WAS MY HERO." When he went to Michigan State on a football scholarship he played for Nick Saban and did not like him at all. "When Coach Saban cussed out defensive end Robaire Smith on national television, that was his biggest problem. When Saban got mad or something happened, he would just spaz out, flip out. He shouldn't coach at the NFL level, he has to coach college ball because he's so over controlling as far as talking to people. You can't talk to grown men that way." After Burress had a record setting game against Michigan he admitted he stopped going to class because he knew he was going to be a high first round draft choice.
   
   When he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers he was coached by Bill Cowher who he says: "Coach Cowher is one of my best friends. I love Coach to death. He came to my Mom's funeral. Everybody thinks he is tough, and he is pretty tough on the sidelines, but he's not a tough guy that you can't talk to. He has got one of the biggest hearts and he's a player's coach. He is one of the people who you want to work hard for. He just wants you to tell him straight, don't lie to him." When Plaxico left the Steelers it was simply because their type of offense would not highlight his talents. The ownership of Pittsburgh even gave the Giants a strong personal reference before he signed with New York.
   
   While Plaxico is "visiting-your-house" he will share such "doozies" as: Rodney Harris is the Patriot's biggest trash talker, "and he's a cheap-shot artist." Or when he was a free agent he didn't want to play with the Philadelphia Eagles: "I WASN'T GOING TO GO THERE TO PLAY WITH TERRELL OWENS. THAT'S JUST SOMEONE I DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY WITH FROM WHAT I SAW OF HIM."
   
   What impressed me most about Burris is that he is an ABSOLUTE-STAND-UP-GUY. He tells it like it is! People ask him why he and loud, brash, and misunderstood teammate Jeremy Shockey are such good friends? They say: "WHY DO YOU AND SHOCK HAVE THIS GREAT RELATIONSHIP? IT'S BECAUSE HE IS JUST ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO, WHEN YOU TALK TO HIM, YOU AIN'T GOT TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING A KNIFE IN YOUR BACK. THAT'S JUST THE TYPE OF PERSON HE IS. IF HE'S GOT A PROBLEM WITH YOU, HE'S JUST GOING TO TELL YOU HOW HE FEELS. HE DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T LIKE HIM OR IF ANYBODY ELSE LIKES HIM."
   
   Invite Plaxico over to your house... even with all the "aint's... double-don'ts... and nothing's... you'll be spoken to like no sports star has ever openly spoken to a fan (you) before. He is truly a breath of fresh air in this cliché ridden business. Plaxico... my door is always open for you... I hope you come back again real soon.