2 comments about Double Dunk: The Story Earl "The Goat" Manigault.

1. good seller, quick shipment, book in good condition. also recommend the book. it's a great story.



2. My son love's basketball. He is 18. He had to have this. Great gift for any basketball lovers in your life.

No comments about Pete Maravich: Magician of the Hardwood (Great American Sports Legends).

1 comments about A Tiger's Walk: Memoirs of an Auburn Football Player.

1. If you love Auburn, particularly Auburn Football, this book is for you. Rob gives you the positive inside view of a great tradition as told by a young man with great talent. Once I started reading I could not put it down. This book is a great read for Auburn Lovers.

No comments about The Mogul: Eddie Gottlieb, Philadelphia Sports Legend and Pro Basketball Pioneer.

3 comments about Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black PGA Golfer.

1. The story of Sifford is a very inspiring one. The book was just written in a horrible way. Every other sentance starts with the word "hell". It gets boring afterwards. The first half of the book moves very slowly, but the second half picks up a little more speed. This book will let people know that before Tiger Woods, there was Charlie, Lee Elder, and a lot of other guys too. It is a very good book. What Sifford went through was just horrid, but that's the reality of the world we live in. I could never blame him for being so bitter after all these years of obstacles and not being praised for what he has done. Never mind praise - just for not being allowed to play the game of golf. My limited grasp on golf parlance probably made it a little boring to read this book. But it's a good book, although it may make you a little sleepy.



2. I read this book a few years back before it was offered through normal distribution channels. Mr. Sifford was actually distributing this book from his home. Being from Greensboro and a golfer, I was extremely impressed by Mr. Sifford's commitment to the game and his determination to play as a PGA professional. You truly wonder what the golfing world has already missed by not allowing Mr. Sifford and other African American golfers to pursue their dreams. When Mr. Sifford was attempting to break the "color barrier" there were more black professional golfers than there is today! His story is heartbreaking and encouraing, what he and other black golfers experienced (to include in my hometown of Greensboro NC) is almost beyond belief! I would strongly recommend reading this book.



3. This book took me to a time when all african -americans could look to their heritage with pride. Jackie Robinson was a great man and I place the accomplishments of Charlie Sifford right along side of his. He showed us what real intestinal fortitude is all about. This should be required reading for all youngsters interested in participating in sports. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story of courage under enormous pressure. This book teaches us about the strength and character we all posess inside.

5 comments about Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

1. After reading this book I realized that I would probably despise Ralston if I ever met him in real life due to conflicting personalities, but that does not take away from the sheer awesomeness of this book that will appeal to anyone who likes a good survival story with a proper touch of spirituality. Ralston tells his horrific event down to every disgusting detail with impressive narrative that many writers can't beat. Along with this are just great thoughts about life and spirituality. Every good gruesome detail is here and the pictures are amazing.



2. I found this book inspiring. His will to live drove him to make decisions that most of us cannot even imagine. It will drive readers to value their lives even more.
   
   I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because, as it is well written, it is a bit drawn out. I kept wanting to skip ahead.
   
   Overall - Very good read.



3. I've a feeling we have not heard the last of Aron Ralston, but it won't be long before we do.
   
   His narration of the nearly fatal idiocy that cost him his right hand is interspersed with flashback stories of even greater follies accomplished during previous wilderness "adventures." We are regaled with accounts of running barefoot through the snow with a bear in pursuit, leaping fully clothed into a raging Colorado River for no apparent reason, rock climbing (in sandals, no less) over, and then falling into, a patch of prickly pear cactus, having his footwear fall apart midway up the face of a 2,000-foot sheer granite wall - these apparently recounted in hopes of showing what an accomplished (or at least, passionate) outdoorsman he is - are not the stuff of legend, or inspiration, or courage; they are the tales of a bonehead in search of a Darwin Award. An Hero.
   
   I continually found myself wondering why anybody who suffered such an unbroken string of disasters brought about by poor decision-making, unpreparedness, naivete, or downright pigheadedness would be set up as an inspirational character (or why anyone would seek to publicize their own stupidity thus); but then I remember Timothy Treadwell and his ardent supporters and followers.
   
   In any event, the straw that broke this camel's back was Aron's reviling us with an event he saw as amusing and clever: he and his friends composed a "joke" distress note and put it in an empty vodka bottle which they then threw into Havasupai Creek, to flow over Mooney falls, to perhaps "be found by a jet skier in Lake Mead." Right. More likely broken glass discovered by the waders barefoot downstream.
   
   Oh, I could go on and on.. and Aron does. A litany of grief and stupidity haunts this guy and anyone who does business with him. He manages to lose not only his ice axe on one winter ascent, but the team's only map as well, resulting in abandonment of their summit bid in lieu of an emergency hunt for a way off the mountain.
   
   I think of the disaster that befell the Everest climbers in Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", or the mystery of what happened to Irvine and Mallory detailed in "Ghosts of Everest" and innumerable other actually heroic stories, of excruciating ordeals, unbelievable fortitude and character displayed by many climbers and outdoorsfolk, and then I think of this clown losing his team's map while traipsing around on a 14,000 foot mountain, for cripe sake.
   
   I think about this jamoke going out in the wintertime to scale Colorado's mountains without proper clothing or food, or common sense or respect for the nature in general and mountains in particular. He hikes up mountains in the wintertime but has not the sense to put his chocolate bars or water in an inside pocket where they won't freeze, then bemoans the fact as if it were some giant life lesson Gaia bestows only on hardy souls (who venture forth thus unencumbered with brains).
   
   Feh. Do yourself a favor and skim the tripe. There are perhaps 100 readable pages in the book, and don't swallow any of Aron's stultifying psuedo-religious gobbledygook or cerulean blue prose-poems; it's mostly blather perpetrated by a not-too-bright adrenaline junkie who very well could be the next famous bear scat.



4. I think readers would be better served by skipping every other chapter in this book or just searching online for Aron Ralston, you'll find it. A reader above mentioned he doesn't come off as bragging about his exploits, I found exactly the opposite.
   
   On one hand, Aron and I have been in many of the same places, (probably around the same time) and in a way, reading about his adventures in various places brought back great memories for me. On the other hand, If I wanted to read about his memoir, I'd have bought that book. Halfway through the book I found myself saying, just cut it off already!
   
   While I do respect his accomplishments in his winter solo ascents, I simply don't respecting his risky backcountry decisions. He is redeemed though by calling himself out, recognizing that he's lost friends over his past irresponsible backcountry recklessness. In a sense, the book is a primer for what not to do in the winter backcountry.
   
   I thought it was interesting how with Ralston's considerable experience, intelligence, engineering rigging skills and strength none of it mattered in the end. Just a guy with no more options that did what needed to be done.



5. Aron is an inspiration to all of us and an incredible writer. He fully acknowledges his flaws as a human being which makes this book all the more powerful. He loves life to the limit and paid a high price to do so.
   
   My son was seriously injured in the Iraq war and I purchased a copy for him. It takes courage to make a good life...and Aron has no shortage of that.

1 comments about Tiller: Not Your Average Joe.

1. Purchased this book for my son's 26th B'day. He is a Purdue grad and an avid football fan. He is not much of a reader until he received this book. He thanked me greatly for it and stated he can't put it down.

1 comments about Jay Yelas: A Champion's Journey of Faith, Family, and Fishing.

1. Al fishermen should give it a chance. What a great story of life,love,and christianity. About a man who searched for and found his God,his Savior and how he related his life's committment to Jesus Christ to his success in his career.A book all aspiring fishermen should read. Great job Jay!...Look forward to seeing more like this...Good luck in your life-long career...

5 comments about The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest.

1. I'll attempt to be succinct in this one: It's not just the proverbial "who do you believe" with regard to Jon Krakauer ["Into Thin Air"] and Anatoli Boukreev ["The Climb"] but it also encompasses the whole 1996 Everest tragedy because depending on who you ask or listen to, everyone has their own opinion or, indeed, pro-Krakauer/anti-Boukreev versus anti-Krakauer/pro Boukreev mind-set. And, true enough, all in-between!
   
   Ultimately, and I render public kudos here to Amazon reviewer Tan Kheng Eng who perhaps put it best when he suggested, "read both books [...] Jon's book is by no means the official account of what happened [...] [and read] [...] Toli's account to get a balanced view." Well said! In effect, and bottom line, the 'reader' makes the ultimate call from what hopefully varied and multiple sources the reader has pursued and how much in-depth reading they have given to it.
   
   I don't suggest for one second that there are any 'easy answers' nor any 'one' source that can be termed definitive. Let's also consider this: there are folks out there who will take the view that if they can't find 'your' name among the list of so-termed "8,000ers" [** Those who have climbed and summited the world's 14 highest mountains over 8,000 meters], then you "haven't the climbing credentials to say anything about it" [!] and I consider that to be pure bosh! Nor do I believe that one must be able to demonstrate that they've been on the Everest or K2 summit to render a point of view! On the other hand, I also find far too many "this is what they should have done" [!] remarks coming from folks totally non acquainted with the existing data [** fast forward to 2006 Everest and the David Sharp matter!] and who wouldn't know a belay from a ballet or perhaps hear the word "crampons" and quite possibly believe this is the first symptoms [!] of HAPE/HACE! That happens too! I'm not talking about so-termed "armchair mountaineers" as much as those who can allegedly pinpoint what went wrong and muse on what 'should' have been done had 'they' been asked or listened to, ahhh, all would have been well. Right. Or the classic, "Well, with our technology today, weather can be fully predicted!" [!]. Right. And serac falls too, yes? Or their belief that bottled oxygen brings the user to 'sea level' [! -- most of the authorities on this one suggest a 'climbing' difference of no more than 3,000 feet] as they comment using their commercial jet experiences [!] and how wonderful they felt within the pressurized cabin at 35,000 feet! Right.
   
   Having said that, I do have one general view but I preface this by saying it's simply my own opinion and therefore no more right or indeed wrong than anyone else's opinion: I believe when the "role" of the climber 'switches' from that of a solo climber to that of a compensated "guide", then the "client" or "clients" plural de facto enter the equation and therefore what one may do 'individually' [climbing without bottled oxygen [where it is normally prudent to do so] as but one example] should, IMO and so stated, factor in the clients and their needs or indeed their mountaineering shortcomings or lack of high altitude climbing experience and not to mention the ability of the guide, and in 'that' particular compensated role, to remain clear-headed. It's not a matter of getting the 'guide' to yet another summit in his/her particular style or method, but getting the 'client' there! And, of particular cogence, back down again!
   
   Let's face it, there 'are' folks who show up at places like Everest or K2 or Annapurna [et al] BC who simply shouldn't be there! Some have very deep pockets and wish to experience "the ultimate thrill" but their climbing experience may be woefully negligible. Further, and this isn't news either, there has been a proliferation of commercial entities offering to take folks to you-name-it but when that happens, the so-termed "guide" takes on the direct responsibility for the welfare of the client and thus 'personal' habits or 'styles' of the 'guide' doesn't necessarilly translate that this should then be the habit or style of the client!
   
   Again, read everything you can get your hands on with regard to the Everest 1996 climbing season but note well the highly differing views or indeed the use of the oft cited colloquialism, to wit, "who do you believe?", well, in the end, the reader has to make the call. They may be right in their call but, and this is cogent, they also may be wrong. I suppose my essential grouse comes into play when it gets down to folks who proclaim that they are 'right' ... and by default, at least in their mind-set, 'all' others holding a contrary view are supposedly wrong.
   
   
   Doc Tony



2. Parts of book by Anatoli Boukreev or related by Boukreev: 5 stars
   *Any point of the story where DeWalt offers his opinion: 1 1/2 stars
   *Post Script by DeWalt: 0 stars
   
   
   
   The story of Anatoli Boukreev is truly an amazing one, and he rightly deserved any bit of honor placed on him after behaving heroically during the Everest disaster of 1996. His tale is inspirational and a true example of a man who lived to take on the elements of nature, and conquer them. Ultimately, nature may have won, but Boukreev's spirit will live on forever. Yes, it is written in broken english, and he has trouble in some of his descriptions, but it is one that needed to be heard.
   
   His story, alone, earns 5 stars.
   
   Jon Krakauer may be an impulsive and self-rightious human being. He also may be judgemental, and yes, he probably could've been more forgiving in Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster towards Anatoli Boukreev, the brilliant and heroic mountaineer who rescued the lives of at least 3 individuals in May of 1996.
   
   With that being said, there is absolutely no excuse for G. Weston DeWalt's misleading, and downright dishonest post script. It is the main reason that I give this book only three stars. After reading this book years ago, along with Krakauer's, I picked up the revised and updated copy this week, and I have to say that DeWalt leaves me with a terrible taste in my mouth.
   
   Within his postscript, DeWalt does the exact thing that he is accusing Krakauer of, which would be leaving out facts and printing misleading quotes. He also relies way to heavily on sections that are basically "this is what person A said in their statement, but she told me something differently behind everyone's back." He accuses Krakauer of leaving out important facts that he claims mislead the reader, but then does the exact same thing himself, on numerous occasions.
   
   
   Example A: In his postscript, DeWalt repeatedly refers to an article in written by Steve Weinberg in the August 1998 edition of the Columbia Journalism Review, which argued that the facts Krakauer used were in dispute, when it had been advertised as non-fiction.
   
   What Mr. DeWalt conveniently leaves out is that Weinberg is on the record as saying that he had not factchecked his own article with Krakauer, and was basing his entire thesis on what DeWalt had written because Krakauer HAD NOT written a postscript in the paperback edition of Into Thin Air. He later admitted, ON THE RECORD, that since he relied only on the evidence presented by DeWalt/Boukreev and had not confronted Krakauer with them, he had no way of knowing who was telling the truth. In fact, the only reason that Krakauer wrote his postscript was because DeWalt was running his mouth in the press, advertising this article.
   
   While accusing Krakauer of using misleading information, DeWalt has the nerve to repeatedly quote an article as though it were fact, and yet the author has disowned the article, years before DeWalt's revisions!
   
   
   EXAMPLE B: In both the Climb's postscript and in the much publicized debate that took place on Salon's website in 1998, DeWalt seems to find some sort of glee in reminding people that "No clients died on Scott Fischer's expedition (whom Boukreev was employed by)." Of course, he uses this as though Boukreev and Fischer's brilliant "plan" worked out much better than that of Rob Hall's expedition (of which Krakauer was a client).
   
   Let's look at the facts of this statement- Fischer's expedition was NOT without casualties. In fact, there were two. A sherpa and Fischer, himself. Rob Hall's expedition had four casualties. However, only one of them does the fault rest solely on the mistakes made by Adventure Consultants. If one were to cast blame for the death of Doug Hansen, then yes, it was Rob Hall's responsibility to turn his struggling client around, instead of letting him finish his trek to the summit.
   
   However, it is misleading and quite disgusting for DeWalt to act as though the other deaths would've been prevented in Fischer's group. Two of the deaths happened during rescue attempts. Scott Hall may have survived, had he left Hanson behind to save himself, and Andy Harris died attempting to rescue Hall and Hanson.
   
   This leaves the death of Yasuko Namba. Boukreev, Beidleman, and Mike Groom (the only surviving guide on Hall's team) left Namba and Weathers behind because they didn't think they would survive. With no other guides left on their expedition, there was no one left who had the experience or the energy required to make an attempt. As everyone knows, Weathers survived, but Namba perished. Her death was a tragedy, and neither team could've done anymore than had been done that evening. The reason no one perished on Boukreev's team was because those were the clients, Sandy Hill, Charlotte Fox, etc... that were still showing some signs of life.
   
   Finally, Mr. DeWalt likes to bring up the fact that maybe some of the fault lies on the fact that a member of the press, ie Jon Krakauer, was present on Hall's expedition. Ironically, Krakauer openly admits that he feels guilty and has never shied away from questions over whether his own presence helped contribute to the disaster of that day. What Mr. DeWalt leaves out is that his team also had media reports being broadcast across the world from their team as well. Not to mention that this particular person had sherpas hauling over one hundred pounds of equipment around in the Death Zone.
   
   
   There are a lot more points that I could spend time rebutting, but I feel that I have used far more space here in this review than I am supposed to.
   
   In the end, everyone who was witness to the 1996 disaster has a their own perspective on what took place. Boukreev's contributions, before his tragic death, is a welcome addition to the records. Jon Krakauer sees the events through his point of view, and Boukreev sees them through his. Neither is the definitive answer, and it may be that we will never have those answers.
   
   I will leave you with a quote from Beck Weathers, from an interview he gave to CNN online on May 9, 2000:
   
   "I think Jon Krakauer got it right. Ultimately, Anatole redeemed himself, and that's the way I prefer to remember him."



3. Anyone who needs to place blame about the 1996 Everest disaster can pick one of many problems that happened on that climb -from manmade to "acts of God". Into Thin Air gives one climber's view, the documentary, Storm Over Everest, by David Breashears gives more views by those who climbed, and Boukreev's The Climb gives his account. Each persons' experiences and memories are different so few of them will ever match each others, and blame will never be able to be fully placed.
   This is a more tedious book to read than Into Thin Air, but what a gift to read about this incredible man who appeared a bit of a villain in Krakauer's book. Boukreev seems like he was a unique, caring man, a poet in his love of the mountains, and of great physical and mental strength. He knew he belonged on the mountains, lived his life embracing them and eventually died there. Why? Because no one can be in control of nature, certainly not in extreme circumstances like high-altitude climbing. Those that feel they can keep themselves safe with the addition of "guiding" a group of climbers is acting with an even increased amount of hubrus. Even the brilliant Boukreev, as a consultant, could barely keep his expedition to Everest in 1997 together.
   Those of you with dreams - I wish you luck in your endeavors but let the Everest disaster be a warning - know your field, know what is expected and don't count on others to push you through.
   Read this book to understand the heart of those who push past limits to do what they love.



4. Having read Krakauer's book, seen the movie and watched the PBS doc, I read this, purported to be the closest to the ten sides of the truth in this adventure/disaster.
   In a nutshell, Krakauer looks bad from this perspective, Sandy Hill Pittman still looks like a phony new money weasel, and Fischer looks much better than anywhere else; he is unfairly slammed in the tv movie if this book is at all true, and it does ring truer than the other projects (though the PBS doc Storm Over Everest is a must-see).
   Worth reading for anyone into climbing and/or this incident, which says so much about our massive egos and small brains.



5. This book appears to be written primarily to rebut certain incidents mentioned in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air. I have no doubt that Boukreev was an experienced and dedicated climber but this book is presented as if he did nothing wrong up on Everest in 1996.
   
   I have read almost every book published about the deaths on Everest in 1996 and the concensus of opinion is that everybody did something that contributed to the disaster. Boukreev made his share of mistakes and I would have been more impressed with this book if that concession had been made.

5 comments about Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum.

1. I wish I could give Tatum a -----***** in honor of Stingley's death today. What a self-centered jerk!!!



2. Aside from Tatum's whining about every game the Raiders lost, and his incessant bad-mouthing of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 70's, I actually enjoyed Tatum's first book, "They Call Me Assassin". Tatum's second book, "They Still Call Me Assassin", was almost an exact reprint of the first book, except it included a few more of Tatum's self-serving rants that would interest no one outside of Tatum's immediate family. Now, in this third installment, we are given exact reprints of both books. Amazingly, the reprinted portions of "They Call me Assassin" that were in "They Still Call Me Assassin" are left in "Final Confessions", so much of the reprinted material in "Final Confessions" appears twice in the book! The actual `new' material takes up a whole 12 pages in the 348 page fiasco. Don't waste your money now, simply wait until the fourth Tatum book appears on the market, "I Still Have Final Confessions", and has the exact reprints of volumes 1-3.



3. Buy "They Call Me Assassin" rather than spend your money on this release. It is simply too dry a read; especially when compared to his first book.



4. Brutally honest, shockingly factual, this book is the best ever written on the REAL world of professional sports.

   "Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum" is an exact reprint of Jack's previous two books, "They Call Me Assassin" and "They Still Call Me Assassin - Here We Go Again". It also contains additional opinions and conclusions that Jack reached on a variety of subjects.

   This compilation of events in the life of an NFL superstar reveals an athletically gifted, well educated, courageous and practical man who was raised to believe that truth, no matter how painful or revealing is more important than maintaining a phony status quo.

   In this book, Jack has finally put to rest the whole issue of his insensitivity towards Darryl Stingley. He has taken a lot of undeserved heat for something completely out of his control. He indicates that he tried to visit and talk to Stingley more than once and was refused an audience. In spite of these unfortunate refusals, he has written words of praise for the man.

   Honesty is not a behavior pattern for a reckless "loud mouth", it is the trait of a thinking man with values. This book is a celebration of honesty.

   Just as time has transformed the public perception of Muhammad Ali from the "Louisville Lip" to one of the world's most beloved sports figures, this book proves that Jack Tatum deserves to be acknowledged as one of the greatest legends in sports history.

   Jack Tatum deserves to be in the NFL Hall Of Fame because of his phenomenal play on the field and his courageously honest words off the field and in print.

   If you want unvarnished truth about "pre through post" life in the NFL, This Is It!!




5. "Final Confessions" is actually two books: "They Call Me Assassin" (1979) and "They Still Call Me Assassin" (1996), which discuss the football career of Jack Tatum, a former Oakland Raider defensive back who was one of the hardest-hitters in the history of the NFL.

   Tatum was criticized sharply in the press for his hard hits, which often injured or knocked out opposing players. The criticism turned into an uproar on August 12, 1978, after an exhibition game between the Raiders and New England Patriots, in which Tatum made a vicious (but clean) tackle of Darryl Stingley that permanently paralyzed Stingley. That coupled with Tatum's unfortunate tendency to fire off his mouth, the "bad boy" image of the Raiders, and Raider Owner Al Davis' own conflict with Pete Rozelle and the NFL led to Tatum being characterized as an outlaw.

   In his defense, Tatum responds, (1) professional football is a vicious and brutal game, (2) I was paid to hit people hard, and (3) I generally played up to but within the limits of the rules. He has a point. Half of the second book is simply a rehash (often verbatim) of the first book. The other half is taken up with stories about Tatum. Jack Tatum may have an interesting story to tell, but you won't learn it reading this book. Only the oldest die-hard Raider fans will find anything of interest in it.