5 comments about The John Wooden Pyramid of Success: The Authorized Biography, Philosophy and Ultimate Guide to Life, Leadership, Friendship and Love of the Greatest Coach in the History of Sports.

1. Basketball fan or not, this is a good read. Even better if you are. John Wooden's Pyramid is a pattern for successful living with tools that provide the means & inspiration to guide you to a more worthwhile and fulfilling life. Teamwork is the foundation for success in any team effort, on or off the court. This would be a great gift for teenagers invloved in sports. Coach Wooden's teams proved you don't have to be a "glory hound" to gain recognition.



2. I think Mr. Willingham is reviewing the first edition of this book. I have seen a copy of that and there are many typos in that edition. I should know as I am a professional proofreader. But I have a copy of the second edition, the one that has the cover shown on this page, and I have found very, very few typos, and most of those small grammar things that you might find in any book. Considering this book is well over 400 pages I think it is presented very well. I do agree with Mr. Willingham that this book gives a lot of new information about the people around Coach during the Wooden Era. All in all, I find it an excellent read and a must for any Wooden follower.



3. This book has a great deal of information about John Wooden, UCLA basketball, and many of the people who were involved with Coach Wooden during the "Wooden Era". However, this book is also FULL of typographical errors, grammar problems, and such. While it does not severly impact the content, it is frustrating and irritating for such a product that has so much potential.



4. I am a licensed psychotherapist practicing in San Francisco for the past twenty years. I am always looking for books that give people a healthy and motivational structure for living life.
   John Wooden's Pyramid of Success is one of those books that I recommend to my clients. This book was recommended to me and although I did not know much about John Wooden, I was very inspired by his life and his work. His ability to educate, and help others build character, gain wisdom and expand their capacity to live a life of integrity, service and love is remarkable.
   Most people come into therapy because there is some area of their life that they are dissatisfied with. Therapy is about bringing into consciousness deeper emotional truths that can keep us from achieving a truly satisfying and meaningful life.
   The Pyramid clearly defines the actions we are taking and the decisions we are making when we are living life to the fullest. John Wooden is an important role model and teacher for us all. This book is an excellent resource for living on purpose and for reaching the upper limits of what is available to us all in life.



5. This is by far the most comprehensive book on Wooden yet. About half the book is interviews with former Wooden players, with Wooden's family, his friends, and even his former teachers. These interviews prove Wooden truly walks what he talks. The biography section is as in-depth as anything I've seen on Wooden and the amount of new information revealed is daunting. If you are a Wooden fan, or want to learn more about the former UCLA coach, this is the book for you.

4 comments about The Road to Cooperstown: A Father, Two Sons, and the Journey of a Lifetime (Thomas Dunne Books).

1. This book was given to me as a gift before my road trip to the quaint village of Cooperstown!!! My partner & I were going to Holy Grounds of baseball immortals for a few days, and as we were road tripping it from Ohio to New York, we took turns reading aloud to eachother this book. I have to tell you (having been to Cooperstown before - and being a HUGE baseball fan all my life) I could vizualize everything that was being described - page by page in Mr. Stanton's book! The personal trip for him, and hearing/reading it from his perspective was refreshing, and heartwarming! Strongly recommend this book for ANYONE who enjoys the sport of baseball...great read, and made my "Road to Cooperstown" a memorable one as well!!!
   A side note, I had the privelage of meeting the Author at a recent book signing event promoting his new book Ty & The Babe (which I purchased and I am reading now)...he is as warm, and personable as I imagine from reading the pages of his book! Thank You for a wonderful book, and sharing your personal experiences and memories ----



2. Like Tom Stanton's first book about Tiger Stadium's final season, this book combines great baseball stories into a family pilgramage. We learn not only about Cooperstown, but what it means to Stanton and his family. We get to know the Stantons in the same intimate way we come to know Cooperstown.
   
   You will very much enjoy this book.



3. Great subject and wonderful execution. Even veteran Cooperstown-goers will learn things about the town and the Hall of Fame. No one has ever repeated as a CASEY Award winner. Will Stanton be the first?



4. I loved this book, and I think most baseball fans will, too. If "Field of Dreams" is your favorite baseball film, if you believe in baseball as poetry, baseball as religion, baseball as the glue binding fathers to sons, then this book is definitely for you.

   The dream of visiting Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame first took hold of author Tom Stanton in the summer of 1972. His mother's illness prevented the trip from happening then, but an invitation to speak at the shrine after publication of his first book ("The Final Season") finally made it happen. He asked his father and older brother to join him, the men who first awakened in him the love of the game.

   Chapters about their trip and the hall itself are interspersed with chapters looking back to 1972. Baseball memories, and the theme of the game as a metaphor for life, provide the interconnecting thread. It's a journey across the miles for the Stantons, but also a journey through the years. I'm glad to have been able to share it with them, and I hope you will, too.

No comments about Beyond XS and OS: My Thirty Years in the NFL.

1 comments about Guardians: The Secret Life Of Goalies.

1. I've been a fan more and more of goaltenders and wondered how they handle the stresses of their position. This book answered that question and many more as it really showed the mind and people who are behind that mask.

   Interesting superstitions, ritual, and some things that surprised me, are all in this book.

   If you love goaltenders or are fascinated by them in any way and want to know that they truly do opperate differently then the rest of the team, this is the book for you.

5 comments about Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life.

1. Hermann Maier's story is inspiring. He tells us all just what it might take to be a world champion. No one has had the same mountians to climb to stand on the top.
   
   A must read



2. This book gave me insight into the competitive world of ski racing and I found it very informative. Maier's comeback from his horrible accident is indeed inspiring, but I found the book way too long and detailed to keep my interest from waning. I finished it, but it was tedious. A good editor and a little more flair could have made this a great book.



3. Herman's book can be subtitled "Don't count me down and out just yet...." And this is the recurring theme throughout.
   
   Perhaps it's the translation into English, but the Herminator comes across as not only a great athlete, but a little too self-centered! It's as everything revolves around his being and return to winning, no make that crushing his competitors and not just the race hill. You can almost "see and hear" the snorting, growling, grimacing in the start gate as you read this book - yet you don't really get a true feeling of what all this means to him other than competition, endorsements, and being the all conquering focus for the Austrians - not even his team mates. But somewhat like Bode Miller, Maier came from "outside" the alpine racing mainstream and perhaps that's why he appears to remain somewhat outside the norm.
   
   I read Bode's book at the same time and in the end, you sure know which guy you want to sit and have a beer with or ski a run with.



4. I have always been a fan of Hermann Maier - not many have the ability to bounce back like he can. I bought the book for my son who is just learning to ski and he really enjoyed the biography. It is a good against all odds story and I would encourage anyone looking for a gift for an aspiring skier to send them a copy.
   
   We have learned that Hermann has a talent for skiing but the guy can write too. The book also teaches good sportsmanship and I want my son to grow up respecting his team mates and have a good attitude. Being a good sport is not just about big sponsors.
   
   We really enjoyed watching him ski and win medals at the Olympics!! And we really enjoyed his book!



5. I thought that Hermann Maier wrote a very candid and authentic book about his victories and struggles in the world of expert skiing...a help to the layman and an inspiration to the professionals about not giving up and how to reach for those goals/dreams!
   
   This book is a realistic perspective of a true hero and athlete and it's a great read for young and old!
   
   I enjoyed it very much and I applaud Hermann for his perspective on life and on skiing.

5 comments about The Lost Explorer : Finding Mallory On Mount Everest.

1. George Leigh Mallory was probably the greatest mountaineer ever to scale a mountain. This book does him justice. Though we'll never know if Mallory and Irvine actually made it to the top of Everest, the circumstantial evidence I think points to the probability that they did in fact do that. When Conrad Anker and his team discovered Mallory's remains, they discovered that Mallory's goggles were secure in his back pack. This means that Mallory was mountaineering after the sun had set. One of Mallory's teammates reported that he had seen Mallory and Irvine on the second step, less than 500 feet from the peak, in the early afternoon when the sun was bright. Thus, it seems very probable that Mallory and Irvine made it to the top and, during their descent, took off their goggles because of the increasing darkness. If anyone could have made it to the top using the inferior equipment avaiable in the early 1920s, it was Mallory. Given the fact that he was within 500 feet of the top of Everest in the early afternoon makes it more than likely that Mallory and Irvine were the first to conquer Everest.



2. This story is told in a dual format style; Anker uses the 1st person and Roberts the third, recounting the history of the 1924 British expedition, and the loss of Mallory and Irvine. The backgrounds of both these hardy early climbers is investigated in great detail, including several earlier scouting expeditions.
   The book was a fabulous read and I finished it in two sittings. I was interested in the subject, having seen the BBC/NOVA TV production and heard the comments of other climbers on the discovery of the lost Mallory.
   I was impressed on the multi-points-of-view taken by both co-authors, and the discussions of what the range of possibilities were for the results that were discovered. At the same time, there are many interesting yarns recounted by both writers, themselves very strong and sensitive adventurers.
   If you are going to read only one book on the subject, let it be this one!!



3. This is an interesting, concise account of the 1999 discovery of George Mallory, possibly the first to climb Mt. Everest.
   
   In 1924 Everest veteran Mallory and his promising junior partner Andrew Irvine famously disappeared some 1000 feet below the summit. Did they reach it before they perished, 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? In 1999, Conrad Anker of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition found Mallory. Yet the great question remains.
   
   In this book Anker and fellow climber David Roberts discuss Mallory's life, the discovery, what Mallory and Irvine mean to them. Anker recounts his attempt to replicate a key part of Mallory's climb. Roberts' biography of Mallory alternates with Anker's account of the events of 1999.
   
   After finding Mallory, Anker's team removed key items he was carrying, which were both clues and historic artifacts. They also published photographs of part of the body. Some called this desecration. Anker responds.
   
   Interestingly, Anker and his collegues all initially thought they had found Irvine.
   
   Mallory's camera was absent, much to everyone's disappointment. A few days later, Anker and his partners assisted in a rescue. Afterwards, fresh snow obscured the search region, scrapping a planned search for Irvine and the camera.
   
   Roberts discusses Mallory's somewhat bohemian youth, his attitudes about bottled oxygen, his prior climbing achievements, and his famous quote: "Because it's there". A full chapter is devoted to the 1924 expedition, discussing why Mallory chose to climb with Irvine, Teddy Norton and David Somervell's record climb just before Mallory's attempt, and Noel Odell's tantalizing last sight of the lost pair.
   
   The book concludes with Anker's account of his own summit climb, his near-disastrous descent, and his best speculation about George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's fate. His reluctant conclusion: the key obstacle called the Second Step was most likely unclimbable under 1924 conditions, the two turned back there if not earlier, and they fell to their deaths descending as fresh snow fell.
   
   This fascinating book is dedicated to Mallory and Irvine, who both authors greatly admire regardless of the exact events of June 8, 1924.



4. They found George Mallory's body on Everest. I had the pleasure of hearing this story- before I read the book- from Conrad Anker himself at a Wilderness Medical Conference this past year. What an amazing story. Some have been critical of the handling of the remains and possessions but there is no doubt in my mind after meeting the man that the intention was to 'do the right thing'. It's just that the right thing isn't so clear in this situation. What do you do when you find the remains of a legend in an environment as inhospitable as Mt. Everest? The profits or a portion thereof of book sales at the conference were donated to charity-the Alex Lowe foundation and the possessions recovered, as I recall, were turned over to family members or historical societies- it's not like Anker is selling them on Ebay. Also, maybe there is some pride or ego in the discovery but rightfully so. I think it would be hard to accurately describe the events without sounding a little boastful, although again, Mr. Anker seems like quite an unassuming man and I didn't get that impression in person. The book is interesting and a quick easy read to gain historical perspective about George Mallory, Sandy Irvine and company and the early exploration of Everest and about the discovery of Mallory's body which is monumental in mountaineering circles. In fact, I think I'm going to go read it again.
   ...just some thoughts, not a full review of the book...



5. Quite recently I picked up a book titled "Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine." A fascinating book, extensively documented, the story Mallory's final attempt upon Everest caught my imagination, as did the man himself.

   While "Lost Explorer" may not have all of the details about the 1924 expedition, or lengthy lists of sponsors for the expeditions, it has something that I found lacking in "Ghosts of Everest." Anker, while maybe not the most eloquent of writers, provides readers with an intensely personal view of his experiences. His version of the story seems altogether more truthful and honest than "Ghosts of Everest" which takes a more picturesque view of the events. Anker goes on to tell about a harrowing, high-altitude rescue and his own summit of Everest. Also, "Lost Explorer", though David Roberts's writing, provides the reader with a more intimate view of Mallory's life.

   "Lost Explorer" is a passionate, fascinating, and, most importantly, personal story about extraordinary men (both past and present) and their journey on the same mountain.

1 comments about Put Me In, Coach: Confessions of a Football Wife.

1. Anyone who loves football, the University of Georgia, the SEC, or simply a good story should read this book.
   
   Lucy Adams, UGA Alumni and author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny

5 comments about Home and Away: Memior of a Fan.

1. Home and Away : Memoir of a Fan is a great book and not just for sports fans. Like Scott Simon I am a "Chicagoan Away" living in the Washington, DC area. He evoked the nostalgia and the connection of many a boy, and more than a few girls, to their hometown sports connections in their adult lives. Add to that, for Chicagoans, the bittersweet Chicago fan experience of intense loyalty through decades of defeat and disapointment.
   
   Like him, I was a northsider and a Cubs fan, though I spent a few contrary years as a White Sox fans. As a political appointee both at the federal level and for the Mayor of Chicago I experienced the collision of feelings and connections in a town that is both a sports and a political town. Like him, I experienced special connections to my father through sports, since we were both Northwestern alums. Unlike Scott I wasn't much of a sports fan, but it became a part of me nevertheless. It came up when I lobbied a Republican House Committee chair from Chicago, using the White Sox as a common reference point despite a wide gulf in our politics relating to civil rights issues. Home and Away is full of personal recollections both while he lived in Chicago and away when it allowed him to bridge differences that would've otherwise been enormous with sports recollections.
   
   He writes about sitting alone as a new Washingtonian in a largely gay steak house in DC and sharing the experience of a Chicago sports fan away from home with a stranger. I've been there, actually to the same restaurant. So many of us have made those sorts of connections. And while the Chicago experience is unique, the special feelings we develop for the sports teams that we follow in our youth keep us connected as we travel far away from our neighborhoods, literally or merely symbolically.
   
   He talks about Michael Jordan, a superstar and a Chicago winner standing above a lifetime of sports letdowns. He talks about the Mike Ditka's Bears who won the Superbowl in the 1980's and how it affected him (I worked for the Mayor at the time). I remember getting my hopes up, which Chicago fans do only cautiously, only to hear, while traveling in Japan, that after winning two playoffs, my Cubs were knocked out by the Padres. We revel in our winners, in sports and politics, though we will stand by our losers as well because we are Chicagoans. Is it any wonder that Barack Obama is our current political superstar!
   
   Scott Simon's writing is as personal as his pieces on NPR. He has just written a new novel, Windy City, about Chicago and its ethnic politics. It will feature a South Asian alderman who becomes acting Mayor in a turbulent time. Much like the death of Mayor Harold Washington that I lived through,though as an Asian American I must note that there have never been any Asian American aldermen, Congresspeople or state representatives in Illinois despite rapidly growing communities. I hope Scott is just a little ahead of reality. I can't wait to read it.



2. Scott Simon does an excellent job recreating the atmosphere in Chicago during his childhood, and up to the end of the Michael Jordan era.
   
   Having grown up there (10 years behind Scott), I could really relate to his storytelling and history. His vivid descriptions brought back lots of great memories.
   
   I enjoyed the way he tied the sports into larger issues going on in his life, in society, and in the world. I really got a good feeling how American sports create good will around the planet.
   
   This book is mandatory for any Chicago sports fan, and will be enjoyable for anyone who ever related to their father via sports.



3. Any sports fan (especially from the Chicago area) will definitely enjoy this story of growing up as a fan in Chicago. The only thing that keeps me from giving this book 4 stars is the inaccuracies. In several instances, Simon gives incorrect scores, dates and places. You would think it would be easy for someone in his position to have the correct info, so this unfortunately distracted me from an otherwise fine read.



4. I admit, as a transplanted Chicagoan and die-hard sports fan, its hard to be objective about this book. Scott Simon cleverly weaves his own personal remembrances of growing up in Chicago, into an historic timeline of sports and politics, which amounts to must read for anyone who wants a true glimpse into the soul of 'the city with big shoulders'.
   I laughed hard and often at the family anecdotes, its easy to see where Simon gets his sense of humor, thrilled at reliving the Cub season of '69 and saddened, once again, at Brian Piccolo's courageous battle with cancer.
   After finishing 'Home and Away', I was compelled to send copies to a few of my sports buddies...less fortunate souls having grown up in cities of less character.
   I am a fan of the city, its teams (except the Sox...go Cubbies), and this writer ,who embodies it all so well in this book.
   Bravo.



5. I picked up Home and Away because I like to read books on sports by sophisticated minds. And initially, I wasn't disappointed. Scott Simon delivers a vivid depiction of his childhood and his childhood love for sports, offering touching and revealing personal moments in the process. When he discusses his father and stepfather, we see the fan in a context larger than just the game, which I appreciated and admired.

   But after the stepfather's criminal conviction, the narrative transitions into the story of the recent Bulls dynasty. Here is where book's self-indulgent love for Chicago turns to insufferable, sentimental cheese. In addition to slathering extra layers of sentimental goo on the Bulls--more than Simon previously appropriated for either Butkus's or Ditka's Bears--Simon covers ground already covered expertly and thoroughly by David Halberstam in Playing for Keeps. Only unlike Halberstam, Simon all but kisses Michael Jordan's behind, assessing no blame and even offering excuses for the star's occasional bad behavior. To me, the blatant sycophancy (is that a word?) on the part of the author makes me wonder if he willfully compromised his journalistic integrity or if that occurrence was inadvertant. Either way, I was thoroughly disappointed and had to stop reading. As do most Chicagoans, Simon simply got unBearably self-indulgent in his love for his city.

5 comments about Good Afternoon Gentlemen, The Name's Bill Gardner.

1. Though Gardner does indulge in some whining and some defensive CYA rhetoric, his book exceeds the genre's standards because he actually speaks about the game and its players as much as the aggro that occurred off the pitch. Most of these books have very little to say about the game at all.



2. this gives a great account of the infamous bill gardiner from HIMSELF, not from many of the others who have included him in their hooligan literary works. surprisingly, he comes across as an easy going, loner type, who points out on several occasions he was never part of any firm, he always went alone. this is true to an extent, but from other readings youy can see people formed a firm around this guy knowing that when it hit the fan, this bloke was always the last man standing. so in effect he went alone, but others woudl follow... he is very passionate west ham fan, who would do anything for the club, including organising tours with fans and coaching and scouting for juniors. he shows his human side and how he got caught up in it, and then his perspective of west ham football club and where they are headed. i was expecting a series of violent bloody encounters but it let me down there, but it was good to hear about the feller from himself. he wasnt random in his violence, he did it because he wanted to watch west ham and wouldnt let anyone stand in his way.



3. A little disappointed. Gardner spent more time trying to disprove that he was a thug than providing the reader with real action. He was a true Hammer fan and I would love to share a pint with Bill and get the real story.



4. Bill Gardner was a top member of the ICF, the firm that supported (supports) West Ham United in London's East End. What that means is, he kicked butt in the many battles between firms that were huge in the 60s, 70's, and 80s. These are not minor fisticuffs, people. These are full-on wars between hundreds of experienced fighting men. He made a name for himself as a fearless leader. His telling of those battles comes across as honest and, believe it or not, humble. He doesn't want to talk himself up, he isn't looking to crown himself the baddest of the "hooligan" element. (And Gardner didn't go around trashing chippys or doing random hooligan vandalism, he was looking for the lads of the opposing firms, just for the record.) He just remembers the crazy years on the terraces and on the streets after matches, where it all kicks off and it could be a serious, dangerous battle to get back to your tube station. He gives a straight forward and entertaining tale about many, many classic battles between Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, and of course Millwall, amongst many others,
   
   Gardner is famous for not using weapons (unlike the Everton mob, for example), just his fists and cojones, and his presence was enough to put opponent firms on the retreat. His story telling is great, and there is even a great section on when he worked the door at some gnarly clubs that saw equally fierce action. The book is great and comes from a man who never was looking for the limelight, just a winning West Ham football game and a good steaming in afterwards!



5. The book is a GREAT read.
   I have many WHU friends - some of whom are top flight.
   Gardner's writting is very self-effacing.
   He brings to life the banter. Banter that can only be heard down Millwall or West Ham and maybe the Orient. A unique humour. Scousers and Mancs don't have it. The north London clubs don't possess it. The west London clubs wouldn't understand it.
   There's a sibling rivalry between WHU and MFC, whether you're from Bethnal Green or Bermondsey - maybe it's a docks thing? Hard times are always coupled with humour.
   Football violence of the late 60s. 70s and 80s can never be replicated, because of how stadiums are built now and security and the onus of bad behavier being ultimately with the club.
   This is a social history book. A good book.

No comments about Red Army General: Leading Britain's Biggest Hooligan Firm.