No comments about Force of Nature: Mind, Body, Soul (And, of Course, Surfing).

No comments about Arsene Wenger: Pure Genius.

5 comments about Inside the Lion's Den.

1. Ken Shamrock is very compelling figure who should of been anything less than a champion. He tells the story of how can make a difference to you and you are able pick yourself up from there.



2. I had two Gracie Jiu-Jitsu books, but there was always one thing that bothered me about their philosophy and approach, they always make it seem as if all you need is really good technique and nothing else matters, and I just can't agree with their idea that weight training and muscle power aren't really that important? I think having a strong body is equally important to good technique so I thought maybe Ken Shamrock's book would incorporate that more (obviously by looking at his body that must be part of his training) Sure enough this book gave me what I was looking for, some insight into how a power wrestler/fighter goes about things. If you are sick of the wimpy Gracie way then this gives you some good perspective on the power game.



3. 
   This book will not only intrigue fans of all types of fighting styles that Ken Shamrock has competed in, it will also serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for all.
   The book is creatively and effectively divided into two parts. The first half is ghost written, or at least co-authored, and chronicles Ken's life. It is a brief, yet very thorough and captivating life story.
   
   The second half is a nuts and bolts introduction to all aspects of competing in mixed martial arts - from eating to strength training to technique.
   
   "Inside The Lion's Den" is more than just a book about a tough guy who won some fighting contests and became a pro wrestler. "Inside The Lion's Den" delves deep into the trials and tribulations that chronicle Ken's awkward upbringing. His childhood was far from, "The Cosby Show" yet it is explained in a way that is quite unlike most biographies of high profile stars that claim of such horrible childhood life.
   
   Too often are we subjected to a "Where Are They Now" documentary by some celebrity telling us that they were mentally abused, or how their horribly painful past forced them into a drug plagued life. Ken Shamrock doesn't mirror this all to common pattern. He simply tells about his life - and it doesn't appear to be one that most of us would have wanted at times.
   
   The second half of the book can, and will, put any reader who isn't a professional athlete or combatant into shape. One will be surprised at the amount of inside information that Shamrock shares. I've met many mixed martial artists and several of them couldn't complete the training regimen that is covered here.
   
   Some have belittled Shamrock for having the book co-authored, but that is a very unfair criticism. Ken Shamrock is a master fighter - an athlete - a competitor. He has a great story to share with us. Does any of that make him qualified to transfer that to paper and deliver it in a manner that is entertaining and interesting? No.
   
   That is no disrespect to Ken. He is a master at what he does. And he is very smart for having a co-author. I would assume that Ken, and most of you, have an accountant prepare your taxes. We all bring in experts to handle tasks for us. There is no shame in that.
   
   Professional wrestlers have amazing stories to tell and they are finally being shared with us all.



4. This is a great book for early history points of the UFC and to give an idea of some of the training that goes into this type of fighting, but the rivalry with Dan Severn is mis-portrayed.
   
   There have been so many different accounts as to why Ken lost this fight on the internet, some from his (Ken's) own students that I don't believe any of them anymore since there have also been similar stories as to why he lost to Fujita, Franklin, Frye, etc. I acknowledge his contribution to fighting but using Severn as the foil of this book is a mistake, as is taking shots at Royce Gracie. Severn is an all American respectful man, and his main beef with Shamrock has always been steroid allegations (make your judgement there yourself keeping baseball in mind). Also, most of the derogatory quotes about Dan come from his ex-manager who he fired so keep that in mind when reading.
   
   This was an entertaining book and Shamrock is quite the dangerous fighter, as well as a champion for the sport itself, if you havent seen his televised debate with John McCain, yes that John McCain you should. I just think some spin was put in for dramatic effect that puts a negative light on some people that are undeserving. I would have been just has entertained by Ken's background and experiences without the fluff.



5. Ken Shamrock is a living legend and his book is a classic. Get it! It has submission grappling history, conditioning, nutritional advice, and holds.
   
   If I learned one thing while publishing my own book, "The Authoritative Encyclopedia of Scientific Wrestling", it was this, people should give credit where credit is due:
   
   "Inside the Lion's Den" was published one full year before any other book on Karl Gotch-style conditioning existed. It clearly and in plain language shows you how to do hindu squats, hindu push-ups, and neck bridging exercises and much much more. It is very comprehensive and talked about solid weight lifting routines too.
   
   Bottom line: if you like submission grappling Inside The Lion's Den is essential to have in your library.

5 comments about The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, the Team, and the Cost of Greatness.

1. This book is a worthy companion to David Halberstam's excellent "October 1964", another book about the decline of another Yankee dynasty. As a Yankee fan, we celebrate the tradition and history of the Yankees, but often bristle at the hubris by which some in the organization think they can create champions by spending money on the wrong players. As Mr. Olney correctly points out near the end of his book (indeed as a theme throughout), it was the unique team chemsitry and not the salaries that made the recent Yankee dynasty. The Yankees won in spite of and not because of Mr. Steinbrenner's hysteria. His contribution to the success of the Yankees has indeed been his driving desire to win and the resources to back that up, but in deferring to his baseball people, Gene Michael, Brian Cashman, and others, he has been held in restraint.
   
   What we have now (the Yankees of 2008) is a team that seems disjointed, not playing together, only the expectation of success driving them. This is a difficult culture to maintain. The dynasty years are over, despite the presence of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees are doing what built the dynasty to begin with - developing and promoting young players (with the the passion and camraderie of Joba Chamberlain and Shelly Duncan as examples). When you add smart baseball decisions with the resources and the tradition and the fans - the Yankees are a force to deal with. When they merely survive by clinging to old business models and aging and expensive players, they fail.
   
   Mr. Cashman, Mr. Michael and others in the front office know how to do this, they have done it before. One can only hope that Mr. Steinbrenner's sons can maintain the culture of winning but make smart decisions in the process.
   
   Mr. Olney's book is an excellent baseball book, and not just for Yankee fans. I found many of its lessons applicable in my business career as well.



2. A must read, ESPECIALLY if you are a Yankees fan (although you would think the opposite!). It gives you insight into all sorts of things about Game 7 (and the Yankees in general) that will have you saying "Wow!" to yourself. There are so many more little "what if's" that could have changed the outcome of that game, long before Torre's decision to play the infield in for Luis Gonzalez's last at bat. You'll also understand why the "winning the World Series is the only goal" attitude worked so well for the 1998-2001 teams, as opposed to the post-2001 Yankee rosters of All-Stars.
   
   You might want to wait until closer to the release of the 2001 World Series boxset however... you will DEFINITELY want to see Game 7 again after reading this book!



3. I loved this book. Olney does a tremendous job of providing background on the many significant parts that contributed to the Yankees success during the late 90s, interpersing them with the historic Game 7 of the '01 World Series. This is not only a MUST-HAVE for any sports and Yankees fan, but anyone who still thinks that baseball isn't the epitome of a TEAM sport.



4. Buster Olney, one of the only sentient and honest people still at ESPN (now that Dan Patrick is gone), has written one the best, most comprehensive sports books of all time.
   
   Proof of this is how accurate his prognosis for the next seven years of Yankee mediocrity has become. It takes insight to determine this, and Olney succeeds. The personal stories/flashbacks are great---as is this book. A must read for any baseball fan, and I am FAR from a NYY fan.



5. A recent personal project required that I read a half dozen books on baseball over the course of about as many weeks. Buster Olney's cool, lapidary prose made a nice sorbet with which to chase down the overweening lyricism of one of the game's Grand Old Men of American Lettahs, and the pomposity of a second. (I resist, with difficulty, the temptation to name names.)
   
   The first thing to do is to set aside that contentious title. Olney, who covered the Yankees for four seasons for the New York Times, is a nonpartisan, or does a fine impression of one. His book is neither the inflammatory crowing of a Yankee hater nor the pessimistic keening of a demoralized loyalist. He uses the seventh game of the 2001 Yankees/Diamondbacks World Series as the springboard for a close analysis of the franchise's history in the years approaching and following the turn of the 21st century, and the treatment is both dispassionate and compassionate. The book's structure has a cinematic quality, with players taking their turns in focused, background-providing flashbacks generated by the inning-by-inning action on the field. Olney's narrative is not an innovation, but with his scrutiny of the decisions (good and bad) that led up to this game, and his attention to the personalities involved, he achieves something rare and tricky. He reminds us that every big game, like every snowflake, is distinct from all others, and suggests that the outcome of Game Seven was foreordained by the confluence of circumstances and people (both on the field and at the executive level) representing the clubs on this night. Put another way, a big game is never one big story; it's a significant point within dozens of smaller stories -- the stories of the uniformed people you see on the field, businesspeople you may recognize in the boxes and clubhouses, and others whose names you might never have heard. If anyone were removed from the tapestry, the whole would be altered. All the obvious slides get their time under the microscope -- Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, George Steinbrenner, et al -- but the author also finds space, in a crisp 355 pages, for pertinent and illuminating studies of relative peripherals: the intellectually brilliant but fatally detached former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette; the obsessive-compulsive early/mid-1990s Yankee manager Buck Showalter; the gifted, infuriatingly undisciplined former Yankee pitcher David Wells, whose "bloated body camouflaged exceptional athleticism," in Olney's words.
   
   The book, as suggested above, casts a wide net, but every one of its portraits has the subtlety and finish of a fine aquarelle. Indeed, some of Olney's most eloquent passages are those devoted to men who were not on the field for the game in question, but who played important parts in seasons leading up to it. I think here particularly of the section on the gracious and articulate yet driven David Cone, a Yankee starting pitcher nearing the end of a distinguished career and attempting (sometimes successfully, other times not) to do with guile and sheer force of will what he could no longer do with velocity and power. And the chapter on substance-abusing Darryl Strawberry's many second chances, and many subsequent relapses, makes something poignant out of material grown hackneyed in both news and fiction. "[T]hrough addictions, incarcerations, and hearings, he had never lost the beautiful buggy-whip swing he'd had when the Mets picked him first in the 1980 draft," writes Olney, and that unshowy yet felicitous phrase (especially that splendid description of the swing) finds just the right note with which to begin a chapter on a man of prodigious natural gifts and abysmal judgment, a package made up of the extraordinary and the dismayingly, even tragically ordinary.
   
   I have taken pains not to reveal my own allegiances, because they are not really at issue here. Whether one roots for or against the Yankees, this is an engrossing and educational book, a potent blend of anecdote and psychology from the perspective of an astute insider. Go along with the author or not on his central point that the seventh-game loss to the Diamondbacks in 2001 was, by itself, of epochal character; but he compellingly makes his case that this franchise, historically restless and overachieving from the top down, was in some way due for sobering disappointment, retrenchment and reevaluation. Though occasioned by a bruising postseason loss, this taking of stock need not have been an entirely bad thing. For baseball franchises, as in life in general, survival is renewal.
   
   Likely to become a classic within its field.

5 comments about Tamata and the Alliance: A Memoir.

1. I am a huge fan of Bernard, and LOVED "The Long Way". Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this lengthy diatribe involving his youth in Indochina and the stages of his life. I made it through about 3/4 of the book but his going on and on and on about his gardening methods and coconut planting just made me impatient; frankly, I just lost interest. It seemed a bit narcissistic to me also, and, when he was younger, he found it very entertaining to hunt and kill beautiful animals with his slingshot for entertainment, which really upset me.
   This is my least favorite of his books I've read; my husband loved it. It does contain his usual themes of freedom and bucking the materialistic establishment, though he seems to come from a very privileged background and also seems to enjoy making money when he can do it some of the time.
   We do happen to be sailors and I read most of this on our sailboat. Sorry, I just didn't get it and feel I am a pretty discriminating reader.
   It just went on way too long and in detail I found to be boring and excessive. Just my opinion; everyone else seems to love it.



2. Bernard Moitessier's writings are a true work of art. I was so inspired by this book, that I have just had a 28' wooden sloop restored for Circumnaviation. The boat's name:
   ESPRIT DE MOITESSIER ( Spirit of Moitessier ).
   Tamata and the Alliance is not just a sailing book, but is a magical window into the mind and soul of a peaceful man, whos wonderful ideas and insights have the power to change your vision of the world ... for the better.
   Don't miss out .... buy Tamata and the Alliance.



3. Bernard Moitessier was more than the "Father of singlehanded sailboat racing", his book is that of a poet in action-all his life. Reading The Long Way first would be well recomended to better understand Bernard's references in this book. The author has put his heart & soul into writing this for us as he did working to elevate social awareness. If you've ever been daunted by Cape Horn, yearned to live on a deserted Atoll, or thought World Powers should make the world a better place, then this is for you! If you want to bring Western ways to the Paradise of Sea and Sand, you'll not likely understand what the title means!! :)))



4. This was my first Bernard Moitessier book. I picked it up after reading "Godforsaken Sea" by Derek Lundy. Lundy referred to Moitessier several times through the book as the father of single-hand sailboat racing.

   The book was not at all what I expected, about solo long-distance blue water racing, but I enjoyed the first half about Moitessier's childhood in Indochina, how he came to love the sea and set out to follow his dreams. It was an account of the history of Indochina that I found facsinating, told through the eyes of an adolescent that loved that part of the world. Moitessier can be an excellent writer.

   Unfortunately, the second half of the book turned into a self-absorbed, preachy lecture about his trying to "find himself." What was forgivable wanderlust and adolescent idealism in a teen and twenty-year-old, turned into a sad tale of a middle-aged guy who could never grow up. He tried to legitimize his behavior as his attempt to save the world from war and poverty (from Tahiti, mind you). On several occasions I felt like saying "Get a life!"

   I probably will read Moitessier's classic, "The Long Way." I hope that it is as good as he says it is in "Tamata and the Alliance!"




5. The book is for anyone with the insight and vision to look within themselves for the answers to the questions that plague man. Bernard Moitessier once wrote, "to feast at the great table, you must have a great hunger and a willingness to go unfed. Only one in amillion have both." This book illustrates that beautifully. This book isn't about sailing. It is about man's struggle within himself to reach peace and harmony. This book is about the hope and triumph of man's indomitable spirit. It is about man's fortitude to pursue dreams and follow their passions. The ideals contained in this book are like the messages in the bottles that Moitessier alludes to in the book. Some of them will bear fruit immediately, others, only after many years, and yet others will be washed up on desert islands where they will fade and wither dismally with age.

5 comments about Sweet.

1. As a female and a bona fide pool addict I tend to read just about every pool story I can get my hands on. Almost always, said story is about the adventures of pool hustlers and gamblers. While I can appreciate the fortitude and skill a "hustler" must possess in order to survive, they often boil down to seedy, conniving characters that have to steal from unsuspecting weaker players to make a living... and they're proud of it! It's refreshing to read about the passion and allure that drew the author to a game that has a purity for many, an endless fascination for others, and even becomes a religion to the truely annoited - and all from a woman's perspective. While Byer's narrative gives her away as a lower skilled player, her passion for the game and the comraderie and fulfillment she finds while shooting for her pool team is contagious. It had me itching to go out and practice, to listen to the quiet click of the balls, to feel the satisfaction that comes with every good shot, to engage in the thrill of competition.



2. I loved this book. Rarely do I find memoirs to be page-turners like this one. I found myself looking forward to my morning subway ride so I could find out the next installment of Heather Byer's "Odyssey," in which she contends with her own Cyclops, lotus eaters, and Circe (in the form of ill-tempered, icily cold, and just plain loony pool players from New York's pool league scene). Readers get an intimate look at an intelligent, keenly observant, and very funny woman as she learns to maneuver her pool balls across the billiard table and herself through a social milieu far different from the professional world for which her midwestern, Ivy League upbringing had prepared her. As a casual pool player myself, the book taught me a great deal about the game and inspired me to find a local watering hole with a pool table and chalk up a cue.



3. A fun romp through the New York bar pool scene. The author gets a little too cute with the language at times ("The glasses looked forlorn."), which elevates the cheese factor.



4. ...or for anyone looking for a story about transformation.
   
   Anyone who plays pool, however casually, will appreciate Byer's descriptions of nail-biting games. And anyone who has tried to learn something new as an adult will appreciate her frustrations as her game alternately improves and falls into slumps. I'm not sure what felt most familiar to me--her descriptions of New York City, her passionate love for the game, or Byer herself, a smart strong woman who is used to being good at things and who finds herself struggling madly to grasp this complicated and under-appreciated game. Her depictions of the world of league pool are so vivid, those who play will nod with recognition, and those who don't will feel as if they do. Most important, we get to watch her grow and change both as a player and as a person. If pool is your game you must read this book. Even if it's not, this is a beautifully-told story of a woman learning to hold her own in a world largely dominated by men. I couldn't put it down.



5. An out-of-town girl learns to play pool in this fun memoir. New Yorkers will also love the flavor of their city throughout the book.

5 comments about Lessons of the Game: The Untold Story of High School Football.

1. The book, Lessons of the game by Derek Sparks tells about something that parents and many high school students do not even know about. Derek Sparks who wrote about his life growing up through high school; he lived a life far diverse than the average teenager. While other kids and students are working hard to keep good grades by staying in class and studying; nothing like that applied to Derek in high school. Everything was taken care of and it did not really matter who was doing all of this. While other normal families struggle with money, Derek had money shoved into his pocket, and if he desired food or any thing like that there was always someone who would go out and get it for him. He did not have an existent Dad as he walked out on him and he left his Mother who lives in Texas to play high school football in California. Derek did not go out to California by himself as his Uncle Jay brought him out there and tried to do what was best for him. As he could not live with his Uncle Jay, each high school had plenty to offer Derek including living in his own home or apartment near the school with all the expenses being taken care of.
   You follow Derek on and off the field and learn how people would sell him out and not protect him from what he should not have to deal with as a young kid. Not only would people not do what was best for him but also they would do what ever they could to have him on their team or make money out of him because of being a "star" athlete and having the ability of becoming a professional. This is a great book and a must read for any one who is interested in sports. Even if you are not, I would recommend Lessons of the Game by Derek Sparks because once you start reading, you will not want to put it down.



2. Lessons of the Game is truly an amazing book. Although a non-avid reader, I recently picked up this book and read it within two days. Derek's writing style is very easy to understand. His choice of words to describe things made me know exactly where he was coming from and what it was like at points in Derek's life. I found myself laughing out loud several times as he described scenes as well as almost shedding a tear. This book gives the reader an inside look into Derek's life and true test of character. I believe this book is for the young, old, athletes, non-athletes, or anyone who is ready for an excellent book to read! It is a must read and won't be put down until finished!!!



3. Hello,
   I just finished this book and found it very interesting being as how i just finished my first season as a high school quarterback, and i have many of the same aspirations to do what he dreamed of doing. I was wondering though how much of a sugarcoat was put on derek in this book. it played out looking like everyone else were the bad guys. I wondered if one of the so called bad guys were to write a book stating his side who would you belive. But anyhow it was an exelent book and i encourage every one to give this book a try!!!



4. I would highly recommend this book for all young athletes who aspire to compete at a higher level. It is an excellent example of how a young athlete can be convinced he is immune to the rules of the game. As a former high school athlete and coach it also serves as a warning for parents and coaches on how their own behavior can have devasting effects on a young athlete's career and life.



5. I became a fan of Derek Sparks after hearing him speak at the YMCA Apple Cup Rally Benefit Dinner. He was amazing! Today, a month later, I can still feel the power of the GAMETIME message. I am 33 years old and Derek helped me examine myself and my life . I have a renewed spirit and confidence in the days ahead. I applaud Derek for his work with youth and his courage to make a difference.

   His life story is sad and heart wrenching, but at the same time refreshing to know that we all can survive the Lessons of Life and live to tell the good news.

5 comments about When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan's Last Comeback.

1. Published in 2004, author Michael Leahy shares his experiences during Michael Jordan's last comeback to the National Basketball Association.
   
   Leahy's potrayal of Jordan showed a different side of the basketball legend which is not normally seen in the eyes of the public. Jordan, the "the most marketed player in the history of the NBA," was finally..."mortal" and did go through the same trials and tribulations (from a heightened perspective) that we all go through at some point in our lives. Leahy accounts the days wherein Jordan was at his best and would score 35 points over the span of several games to the days wherein he wasn't unstoppable and hit his career lows of 8 and 2 points respectively.
   
   What stood out for me was Jordan's lambasting of players who didn't play up to his standards. Leahy quotes Jordan on numerous occasions wherein he would lambast teammates. Coach Fred "Tex" Winter, an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers and former assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls summed it up best, "you either work hard or Michael has no use for you."
   
   But the one paragraph in Leahy's entire book which rocked my very foundation of emulating Michael Jordan was the following:
   
   "His people had held him up as a man to be emulated, making Jordan more than a half-billion in endorsement dollars in the process...he had raised the bar on his behavior during 17 years of unremitting self-promotion, in campaigns approved by the Jordan camp and coordinated by Nike and other corporate sponsors that elevated him from great athlete to hero and, finally, to moral symbol.
   
   ...when you present yourself as virtuous in years of ad campaigns and TV commercials, you will be fairly held in time to that standard. Fairly held because uou have sold your basketball shoes to people plunking down in excess of $100 not merely for a chance at better Ups but for a way to rub up against your aura, to feel a tiny sense of you in that admittedly silly way people feel when they wish to emulate anybody, to be inspired by your class and elegance, your morality and grace, as they've heard it told. And if some of that was artifice, then so, too, was everything you sold with your likeness on it."
   
   Disturbing but quite true, personally, I have seen myself on many occasions wanting to "be like Mike." I've bought the shoes, worn the clothes, gotten the cards, read the books...and it is only now I realized. What about me? Leahy's book showed me that. In the years that I have been collecting "Jordan" in order to be inspired, all I needed to do in the end was look in the mirror in order to be inspired.
   
   This is a great book that puts any not only Michael Jordan's life in perspective but also that of your own, especially if you are a Jordan fan who has collected his paraphernalia over the years.



2. Michael Leahy obviously likes to tear down icons. In doing so he comes over as petulant and singularly lacking in the understanding of what it takes for a Michael Jordan to be as successful as he was.
   
   All of the NBA elite are tough in an over the top alpha male hyper competitive environment. If they are not, they quickly fall by the way side. Obviously the author failed to grasp this fact.
   
   That Jordan wasn't a crack executive is neither here nor there. His single minded successful quest to be the best player ever, did not leave him much room to observe and learn board room politics.
   
   If Mr. Leahy ecomes half the writer that MJ was as a player he would have world's of success and probably win a Pulitzer, however, he will more likely have a career mirroring a Brad Sellers, just not good in the clutch!



3. Mr. Leahy is a very talented reporter, but his interesting, carefully collected raw material is poisoned by his obvious agenda, which is to make the case that Michael Jordan is a terribly flawed man who never truly deserved the admiration of his fans. By the end of the book, Mr. Leahy's perspective just seems childish. He is forever blaming others for telling part of the truth, but concealing the rest--yet that is precisely what he does throughout the book. Certainly, Jordan had his faults as a teammate and as an employee, but what about the admirable features of his "last comeback"? What other fading sports star tried to turn around a miserable franchise? What other fading sports star remained one of the best players in the world at 39 years old, even though his performance was limited by a serious knee injury? What other sports legend risked spoiling an absolutely PERFECT conclusion to a brilliant career just because he loved the game and wasn't ready to give it up forever? Jordan took on an extraordinary challenge and didn't succeed. That may seem pathetic and selfish to Mr. Leahy, but I don't see why readers should view Jordan's struggles as a Wizard in that way.



4. The Michael Jordan story always seems to be told in extremes. Either he is heralded as an icon so mindlessly that the storytelling appears uninteresting or he is vilified, as previous writers knew the value of tearing down an icon.
   
   When Nothing Else Matters is a portrait of a man that feels honest, Jordan is neither vilified nor overly praised; instead Micheal Leahy has given us a view of a man experiencing his only real failure in his career as a professional basketball player. A failure that is proven by the simple fact the Washington Wizards, with Jordan in a powerful position off, then on the court, never ascended the heights of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Eastern Conference. It is a fascinating look at the world's most famous basketball player, during a time period where he seemed unable to transition his on the court reputation and success, to a career in management.
   
   Jordan, the man, had grown comfortable being an icon and as his skills faded and his team missed the playoffs, Leahy reveals someone whose disconnect from the world around him made him unable to finesse his way to off the court success. Therefore his last games for the Wizards are revealed to have been one last chance to court the spotlight as a prime-time player, as the chances to move forward off the court didn't exist, Leahy lays out these realities, and Jordan's apparent blindness to them, that shows Jordan as a very accomplished yet out-of-the-loop figure who couldn't overcome his last challenge in the N.B.A. It also makes clear what Micheal Jordan was to the Washington Wizards management, a cash infusion.
   
   Leahy's even handed treatment may prevent When Nothing Else Matters from being extreme in its presentation, but it doesn't prevent it from being an extreme success as it stands as a historical document for basketball fans to turn to when looking at a honest portrait of life in the N.B.A.



5. I was hoping that Leahy had recaptured some of the magic that Sam Smith used when he wrote 'The Jordan Rules,' and early on I wasn't disappointed. However, halfway through the book I realized that the magic ran out. It's possible that the magic ran out because Jordan himself ran out of magic when he came back with The Wizards.
   
   This book does a fine job detailing the downward spiral of Jordan's NBA life, but becomes tedious and boring in the latter half. Much like the Wiz stopped selling out their arena during Jordan's comeback as fans lost interest, I started losing interest. The ending of the book chronicling Jordan's 2nd Wizards season is a desultory piece of writing without a strong narrative flow.
   
   Recommended for hoops diehards, but not the casual fan.

2 comments about Sir Edmund Hillary: An Extraordinary Life.

1. Sir Edmund Hillary, the great mountaineer from New Zealand and Sherpa colleague Tenzing Norgay, battled their way across the slanting snowfields and violent winds, up rocky cliffs and around the icy cornices to the 29,002-foot summit of Mt. Everest. Indeed, a New Zealand beekeeper was one of the first two men ever to stand on top of the world. Hillary was to be even more deeply respected in his lifetime because of the way he used his fame. His strength was not merely physical. It was spiritual, too, which gave him the higher purpose of devoting his later energies to the welfare of the Sherpas - buildings, schools and clinics, bridges, airfields and monastery reconstructions that were sponsored by his Himalayan Trust. During his next 55 years, he was to become one of the most honored men on earth. The most unpretentious and unpompous of mountaineers, He was the opposite of that contemporary mediocrity, the Celebrity, and a genuinely heroic non-celeb. In 2008, He died at the age of 88.
   
   Edmund Hillary went to Nepal to climb Mount Everest. He left behind schools, hospitals and health clinics. Today, more often than not climbers arrive with helicopters and TV cameras and in their wake leave a mountain littered with trash and corpses. Hillary was a humble and selfless, insisting that he and Sherpa colleague conquered the mountain as one, refusing the distinction of being the first. Climbers today pound their chests and stuff their bottomless egos with self-aggrandizement. With Sir Edmund Hillary's passing, much of the mountaineering world's remaining grace, humility and reverence have vanished.
   
   - Brian D'Ambrosio



2. Sir Edmund Hillary was an extraordinary man, who grew up in the most humble surroundings and driven, ultimately by his lifelong sense of being inadequate: of not measuring up. He suffered this at the hands of a cold father, and at a prestigious school that offered discouragement to young Edmund - labelling him as as an awkward misfit.
   
   Solitary by nature, he found in New Zealand a love for the outdoors and a passion for the mountains. Of course by 1953 his fitness, and drive, took him to the top of Mt Everest, alongside Tenzing Norgay, and for the next 55 years Hillary lived in the shadow of that mountain.
   
   By his choice he spent most of these incredible years giving himself to the people of Nepal - helping build schools, hospitals and airstrips not only through fund raising, but through hard physical work. In a sense he found a place where he really belonged and where he was loved.
   
   Ed Hillary's own books suffer somewhat because his story has been too often repeated. How many times has he been asked to describe the feat of scaling Everest? Over the years the story has been worn through familiarity and its power eroded - and his own writing has shown not only this natural erosion, but has also revealed his own taciturn unwillingness to discuss himself in depth.
   
   In this volume however, Johnston performs a wonderful job in capturing the heart of the man, and the glory of his personal journey. His commitment to the people of Nepal is an inspiration that has helped fire many others including fellow mountaieer Greg Mortenson Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.
   
   Many of our world heroes, I'm thinking of Gagarin, or of Neil Armstrong, largely withdrew from public life. Hillary, perhaps because of his personal self-doubt kept trying to conquer his own sense of inadequacy, and as a result became an accessible soul who will continue to inspire.
   
   This book is, in my view, the best of the Hillary books available.

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

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



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



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



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



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