3 comments about Commissioner: The Legacy of Pete Rozelle.

1. By most accounts, Rozelle is considered the greatest pro sports commissioner. If that is the case, then this books disappoints. Everybody (even Al Davis) thinks he was a nice guy with great persuasive abilities. He was also a great father. And you get a lot of detail about the Raiders leaving Oakland. But it looks like he had very few sources and the book really disappoints.
   
   There is a new book by Jeff Davis on Rozelle, hope it is better.



2. I'm a life-long Giants fan and a student of the game. Rozelle was a terrific commissioner especially because of all the events that happened on his watch. I always regretted that he never wrote about it. This book opens the door to his tenure. Unfortunately, it is far to santized to offer the real story of Al Davis, the AFL, JFK's death and the decision to play, the Hornong and Karas suspensions, race, drugs, the USFL, etc., etc. Hoprfully that book is still to be written.



3. I have always been looking for a book on Pete Rozelle and I was happy to see this book come out. The book is a quick read and was a decent book, but as somebody who has read numerous books on the NFL, I was a little disappointed as I was expecting more. Two years ago I read Michael Maccambridge's "America's Game." That book has set the standard for books on the NFL.
   
   In defense of the author, the biggest issue he probably faced was the fact that many of the people in the book were dead, including Rozelle. Because of this, I felt that much of the information I have already gathered from my own readings. The book just didn't have the freshness I was hoping for.
   
   All in all, a good book if you're interested in Rozelle, especially if you haven't read many other books on the NFL.

1 comments about Why I Didn't Say Anything: The Sheldon Kennedy Story.

1. Sheldon Kennedy was a hocky player that seemed destined for greatness. He played for Canada's gold-medal-winning at the 1988 World Junior Hockey Championship. Then when he reached the major leagues he fell apart. It never seemed that his skill or talent was too low, but the drinking, drugs and other off the court antics seemed to create an atmosphere doomed for failure. He drifted through three teams in a nine year career, never reaching the heights that seemed within his grasp.
   
   Upon his retirement, he announced that during his early years of being coached by Graham James he had been sexually molested by James several hundred times.
   
   Most of this book is on the after effects in Kennedy's life as a result of the abuse. It is a story of using drugs and alcohol in an attempt to heal what never should have been in the first place. It was a fierce struggle that is continuing to this day.

1 comments about Sweet: An Eight-Ball Odyssey.

1. This book is an easy read. It moves the reader easily through the life of one captured by the aura of playing good. Anyone who has participated in the sport will recognize themselves and those the APA. I would recommend this to anyone who has played the game.
   
   The only downside was the amount of time spent detailing the rules of the APA. I could see where some discussions was needed to carry the story, but felt it was too detailed. Most of the readership will already be familiar with them

No comments about Willie Mays: Art in the Outfield.

5 comments about Sal Maglie: Baseball's Demon Barber.

1. Fascinating and fully substantiated biography of one of the most notable figures in the greatest and quintessential American sport of Baseball. Written in polished prose this book is on one hand a page turner and on the other hand an erudite work of art, complete with multipage bibliography and citations of interviews and published articles. You don't have to be a baseball fan or even a sports fan to appreciate this book. If you enjoy reading authentic books about the lives of prominent personages, this is the one for you.
   
   I encourage all to buy and read this book.



2. All of the other reviews were quite lengthy, so I'll try to make my brief. This is a very good book and very well researched, except for one thing. The author noted that home plate is 14" wide, whereas it's actually 17" wide. A quick check of the rule would have caught that mistake by the author or her editors.
   
   Though very good I couldn't give this a 5* rating, as it didn't capivate me. The book is quite long - 407 pages of actual text less pictures. The print is 10 point, so it takes some time to read.
   
   Sal had quite a sad life. Sal's wife died at 48 from breast cancer, and left Sal with two adopted sons. He and his wife couldn't have children, so they adopted two. Being childless bothered Sal's wife no end, and she even asked relatives to adopt their yet to be born children. Sal, Jr was a problem child, became a drug addict, and died early in life. Sal, Sr. was neither a model husband or model father. Sal returned to Niagra every winter (except when he played ball), so the town remained loyal to him by honoring him with numerous Sal Maglie Days throughout his lifetime.



3. I never heard of Judith Testa before, but she has done an outstanding job in bringing Sal "The Barber" Maglie to life. Maglie's career encompassed the decade of the 1950's in which he became one of only a few major leaguers to play on all three New York teams. Sal's experience in the Mexican League during the 1940s proved to be a mixed bag for him. Playing conditions and life in Mexico left a lot to be desired, but it reunited him with manager Dolf Luque who rescued Sal's career by changing him from a thrower to a pitcher. Sal benefited from Luque's instruction on his return to the major leagues in the early 1950s. Sal became part of several historic baseball events such as Bobby Thompson's legendary home run in 1951, the four game sweep of the Indians in the 1954 World Series, and being on the losing end of Don Larsen's perfecto in the 1956 World Series. Most people probably remember Maglie as a member of the Giants, but Sal stated his experiences with the Brooklyn Dodgers remained the most memorable to him. Maglie moving from the Giants to the Dodgers was akin to Leo Durocher moving from manager of the Dodgers to the Giants. It was with Brooklyn with the 1956 season winding down that Sal tossed his no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies. Once bitter rivals such as Jackie Robinson and Carl Furillo became close friends of Sal upon his joining the Dodgers. Baseball's Barber spent brief periods with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cardinals while later serving as a pitching coach with the Red Sox and the one-year 1969 Seattle Pilots. His post-baseball years were not especially kind to Sal since he, like several other players of his era, had a difficult time adjusting to a lower standard of living with only a small pension to live on. If you grew up during the 1950s like I did Sal Maglie was an integral part of the baseball scene whether you a fan of his team or not. Songwriter Terry Cashman honored Sal in his song "Willie, Mickey, and The Duke" and when I think of a photo of Sal Maglie it is the 1953 Bowman color baseball card with a sinister look on his face as he ponders the batter at home plate who has the audacity to bring a bat up to the plate. A ton of thanks to writer Judith Testa for writing this book, and to her subject who played such a significant part in baseball's glorious history. Honor your baseball library with the inclusion of this book.



4. Judith Testa's book on Sal Maglie is the best book I have read about a baseball player. It is refreshing to read a sports book that is well-written and that reached deep into the players life without becoming boring. Testa handles Maglie's career and life skillfully - she always seems to include enough detail to make you feel like you were there, but not so much that you lose interest.
   
   Sal Maglie was an interesting man and fascinating pitcher in the 1950s. Reading about some of his life was of great interest to me as a fan and collector of the old New York Giants. Learning about Sal's childhood, marriage, family and time in the Mexican League with Dolph Luque was fascinating. Reading about many of the summer games he pitched in was all new to me as you usually only read about the major games, such as his no hitter, his participation in the "Shot Heard Around the World" game, Larsen's no hitter and the Willie Mays catch off of Vic Wertz game in the 1954 World Series. The anecdotes that Judith was able to capture thru players still living that played with Maglie added a great deal to her writing. I also enjoyed reading about Maglies coaching days with the Red Sox and how he helped to educate some of the younger ballplayers about how to pitch inside and take control of the plate from the batter.
   
   Judith is a fan of the game and the era, a talented writer who is not a baseball writer per se. I can only hope she chooses to write another baseball book!



5. When I first laid eyes on the book: "Sal Maglie, Baseball's Demon Barber" (Northern Illinois University Press, 2007) I remember wondering if I was ready for 400 pages on Sal Maglie. Wouldn't a nice summary of his life suffice for my interest? Having recently finished this compelling book, I know now that the answer to my question is a resounding and emphatic "Yes!" This is Sal Maglie... plus a whole lot more; and "Sal Maglie, Baseball's Demon Barber" is a book that should be read by all serious students of the game. In broad terms, it covers baseball in the 1940's and 1950's with Sal Maglie's life and times overlaid upon this era. But this trite characterization does not do a bit of justice to the breath and scope of this far-reaching, ambitious book. This is a new generation of baseball biography, and in Judith Testa's talented hands, it emerges at its very best.
   
   The quality and depth of the author's research is quite simply breathtaking, and to say that she has done a thorough job in her research would be a gross understatement. As is befitting her status as a retired college professor, Judith Testa has succeeded in elevating baseball research to a new, higher standard of excellence. This is not your typical baseball biography, and for those seeking the usual lighthearted baseball fare (think Robert Creamer's "The Babe"), this may not be the book for them. It's a more serious, scholarly approach to baseball biography, and for those who make the effort to read it in its entirety, the rewards are significant. To her immense credit and as a testament to her talent as a writer, Testa succeeds in converting this detailed biography into one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I've ever read - one that kept me turning the pages from start to finish. The writing and editing are simply superb. If there was even one typo or misstatement of fact, I was not aware of it. Testa's description of Eddie "The Brat" Stanky gives a sample of her skill in penning vivid characterizations:
   
   "A pleasant man off the field, when he played, a personality emerged that seemed composed of equal parts of barbed wire, itching powder, and broken glass."
   
   That's Eddie Stanky all right! Testa peppers the highly sourced manuscript with a steady dose of unvarnished baseball dialogue, with all the profanities and obscenities heard in the dugouts of that era given full exposure. The book is not for prudes or the faint of heart. The characters are presented with their often-dysfunctional personalities on full display. No one is spared and no one is portrayed in the standard sanitized version, not even the saintly Jackie Robinson, who, in later years, could give as well as he took. Here we read the uncut, uncensored version of Maglie's conflicts with volatile manager Leo Durocher, with Leo spewing forth the crudest profanities at his players, opponents, and umpires. All this gives the book a rare, refreshing air of realism and accuracy, seldom found in other books of this genre.
   
   Sal Maglie was an interesting character whose life was full of contrasts and contradictions. He was unquestionably a remarkable pitcher whose grit, determination, perseverance, and mastery of the art of intimidation transformed him from a career minor leaguer into one of the most feared and dominant pitchers of his. Salvatore Anthony Maglie was the son of Italian immigrants and was a star athletic in his home town of Niagara Falls, New York. Judith Testa follows Maglie through his high school years; his romance and subsequent elopement with Kay Pileggi; the Minor Leagues; his two years in the Mexican League, where he was the most successful of the "jumpers" from the Majors; his storied Major League career, where he achieved stardom and was one of a few in history who played for all three New York teams; his mostly successful years as a coach for the Red Sox, including the turbulent year of 1967 under Dick Williams; the disastrous, embarrassing year as pitching coach for the Seattle Pilots; and his life after baseball with its own mix of successes and personal tragedies. No aspect of his life is left unexplored. By the end of the book, the reader feels a genuine emotional attachment to Sal Maglie and wife Kay, almost as if they were blood relatives. The reader cares for them and can feel Kay's agony as she yearns unsuccessfully to conceive a child. Her desperation was so deep and compelling that she actually thought other family members should give her one of their own children for her to raise. They can cry with Sal when he loses Kay to cancer in 1967, and then sees his adopted son, Sal, Jr. lead a life of utter dissipation and ultimately to early demise. There are not many baseball books with character development of quite this depth and magnitude.
   
   Of course it was while pitching for the Giants as the ace of the staff in the early Fifties where Sal achieved his most enduring fame. In 1950, he somehow made the Giants pitching staff at the ripe age of 32 as an unremarkable reliever in whom Durocher showed little confidence. Sal started the season poorly - a trait that would become a recurring theme throughout his career - as did the Giants as a team. Sal fully expected a return trip to the minors and even contemplated retirement. He was so sure of the coming demotion that he and wife Kay lived in a hotel, refusing to tempt fate by leasing an apartment. But he managed to survive to the All-star game, and then Sal suddenly caught fire. He miraculously resurrected his career, and, as the season wore on, he became the Giants' most effective pitcher. The stage was set for his breakout year of 1951, where he would become the ace of the staff, going 23-6, pitching 298 innings, with an ERA of 2.93, and leading the Giants to their first pennant in 14 years.
   
   To Dodger fans, "Sal the Barber" came to symbolize all that was hated about the Giants. His dominance of the Dodgers, especially in Ebbets Field, attained mythic proportions. With an intimidating mound presence that unnerved his Dodger opponents, and with a coolness under fire that his teammates came to expect, Sal Maglie was always ready to take the ball when it mattered the most - when the season was on the line - and more often than not, he emerged victoriously. Feuds with Furillo and Robinson were legendary. And yet, when later in his career he was traded to the hated Dodgers, the Brooklyn fans embraced him with a deep affection, acknowledging his greatness as an uncompromising competitor. Resurrecting his career again, he became a dominant pitcher for the Dodgers as they won the 1956 pennant. He pitched a no-hitter in the season's final week, and won the first game of the World Series. He was masterful in a losing effort in Game Five, a day in which he was completely overshadowed by Don Larsen's perfect game.
   
   Testa's description of Maglie's role in the epic '51 pennant drive, his antagonistic, combustible relationship with Durocher, and the three-game playoff which culminated in Bobby Thomson's dramatic homerun, is classic. Maglie pitched eight strong innings in the final, climatic game, and as the dramatic ninth inning unfolded, he was already on his way to the club house shower anticipating a Giant loss. As he plodded naked toward the shower, he encountered none other than Giants' owner Horace Stoneham who chose this unlikely setting to tell Sal how much he had meant to the team. While morosing over the Giants' impending loss of the pennant to the hated Dodgers, they suddenly heard an ear-shattering roar that shook the Giants' club house to its rafters. Startled, they stopped in mid conversation and stared blankly at each other. What's happening??...Could it really be??...Suddenly the realization overcame their collective consciousness...THE GIANTS HAVE WON THE PENNANT! What a scene!...What a year!...What great writing!
   
   What's the final verdict on Sal Maglie? That he was a great pitcher in his time, one of the fiercest competitors that game has ever seen, there can be no doubt. Yet he possessed the rare ability to leave his battles on the field, never carrying grudges after the final out was made. Of his famous feuds with Carl Furillo and Jackie Robinson, we learn that they were basically one way: they hated him. To Maglie, the feuds were never personal and the hatreds were never reciprocated. When traded to the Dodger later in his career, he befriended both Robinson and Furillo. The "head-hunter" image was cultivated mainly for its intimidation value. Sal "beaned" only two batters his entire career, and he was well below the league average year after year for hit batsmen.
   
   Off the field, we learn that Sal was a kind, warmhearted, generous, unpretentious man, devoted to his family in the best old-world Italian tradition. He loved children and his many fans, never tired of signing autographs, and whose fame never seemed to swell his head. To his extended family, he always remained the same beloved "Uncle Sal." In one of the book's great quotes, he was described by Art Pennington, the Negro League player and teammate from the Mexican League as "the most unprejudiced white man I ever met." Quite a characterization for the son of Italian immigrants in the 1940's. In pre-Jackie Robinson baseball, at a time when racial divisions were at their peak, he had no problems playing for a black manager - the great Martin Dihigo - while in Cuba. And yet he succumbed to some of crudest vices that pervaded baseball, including adultery at a time his wife was dying of cancer; and he was such a distant father to his adopted second son Joey that the son incredibly claims to have no recollection of his father before the age of nine. During his career he drank heavily, but only with ballplayers and old friends, and there are no reports of him ever approaching alcoholism. He spewed the crudest profanities, but always directed at his enemies inside the white lines. In later years he became a prolific gambler, but dropped the habit when it started to affect his family's financial stability.
   
   A great pitcher? Yes, most definitely. A flawed human being? Again, an emphatic "yes," and in "Sal Maglie: Baseball's Demon Barber" all sides of the man are on graphic display. This book will obviously have its widest appeal in New York where the rivalries among its three great teams - and Sal Maglie's pivotal role in those rivalries - has never been quite forgotten. But it is a book for all serious students of the game and is one that I highly recommend. Judith Testa has turned out a tour de force...and baseball biography may never be the same again.

No comments about Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup.

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

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



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



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



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



5. Charles Barkely is truly one of a kind. Most people eather love Charles, or hate Charles. I can't get enough of the man. He is an honest man, who will not hesitate to speak his mind. I admire that about him.
   
   The book I May Be Wrong but I doubt It i thought was great. Charles covered many topics in this book. Charles grew up in a small, poor Alabama town. Growing up, he did not have the best relationship with his father who lived across the country. Charles had many problems growing up which he overcame. He went on to play 3 years of basketball at Auburn University. He then turned pro and was drafted 5th overall by the Philidelphia 76ers. There Charles got a chance to grow as a player with great veterans on the team. Charles ended up also playing for Pheonix and Houston. He also covers a lot of other different topics in the book. He talks about racism and how wrong it is. He also talks about how America discriminates against poor people. Charles makes some very good points. If you enjoy watching Charles on TV, this is a great book for you.

No comments about Grantland Rice and His Heroes: The Sportswriter as Mythmaker in the 1920s.

5 comments about Real Men Work in the Pits: A Life in NASCAR Racing.

1. Real Men Work In The Pits by Jeff Hammond could have been a lot better.
   
   The 2005 effort by Fox Sports personality and longtime NASCAR crew chief Jeff Hammond has no ghostwriter listed which means Hammond made all the name misspellings himself. From Felix "Sabatas" Sabates to Jim "Tommy VanDiver" Vandiver, Hammond cannot seem to get it right.
   
   Getting past that, my other big complaint would be that 2/3 of this book deals with 1976-1986. True, those were his big years with Junior Johnson but the way he skimmed over 1993-2000 was humorous. Obviously, he had little success but the book is more an autobiography of Junior Johnson and Darrell Waltrip than it is Hammond's life in NASCAR racing.
   
   One interesting thing that could have been added onto more was in 1996 when he hooked back up with DW for the final part of the season, only to be fired after the team's Christmas party.
   
   I enjoyed the honesty, though, including the strained relationship with Dale Earnhardt that Hammond touched on after The Intimidator wrecked Waltrip at Richmond in 1986.
   
   Hammond offered an inside look at the Junior Johnson operation and it now has me wanting to read about ol' JJ.
   
   In reality, the book was something of an anti-love letter to Darrell Waltrip. The banter they share on Fox leads you to believe they had nothing but fun together but according to Hammond in the book, DW was a money-hungry egomaniac. Here I thought he was just an egomaniac!
   
   Still, for a crew chief autobiography this was pretty interesting. It needed a better editor.



2. Jeff Hammond has written a fantastic book. He's captured the racing action, development of the sport and most importantly some of the people that have made the sport what it is.
   
   `Real men work in the pits' is written in an easy reading, conversational manner that never seems forced, making it a hard book to put down once you've started reading.
   
   NASCAR very rarely screens on TV in Australia, and when it does it's often a five minute highlights package so you never get to see a whole race. But even for someone with low exposure to the sport it's still a great book to read.
   
   If you're a fan of any sort of motor sport, then you'll enjoy this book for the spirit of competition. Even if you're not into racing, this book would still make an enjoyable read for the colourful way in which the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, and Junior Johnson are described and one man's career in racing is told. Well worth adding to your bookshelf.



3. I started reading this book when I went to bed and couldn't put it down until it was finished. Jeff writes about his father racing dirt tracks and how he worked with his uncle on his dad's race car at the age of 12. From those days, he and his brother went on to build cars on their own and get drivers to drive for them. This led to Jeff putting aside his dream for playing college football and become involved with Junior Johnson's team working his way up the ranks to Crew Chief.
   I found it interesting to read about the relationship Junior had with his workers and the respect that was held for him.
   There are many neat personal stories about Cal Yarbrough, Junior Johnson and many pages about the relationship Darrell Waltrip had with Jeff before and after becoming his crew chief.
   The underlying thread in this book from my perspective was the loyalty Jeff had for his family, Junior, teammates and friends. I really enjoyed the book and hope someday to meet Jeff in person.



4. Some people really know how to market themselves. During the last few years, Jeff Hammond has went from being a succesful NASCAR crew chief to TV anlayst, pitchman, professional wrestler, rodeo competitor and now book author. This man has quite an agent!
   
   As for the new book, there's not a lot of new ground. Although Hammond claims that he is willing to speak out and criticize NASCAR when necessary, there is very little commentary in the book about anything.
   
   Along the way he provides a number of interesting stories regarding his relationships and experiences with people such as Junior Johnson and Darrell Waltrip but it is merely a recounting of his career with little detail and insight. What I found somewhat surprising is that Hammond spent his last year as a crew chief working with Kurt Busch and for Jack Roush. That was Busch's rookie season and he is now Nextel Cup Champ, but you won't get to learn a single thing about what the new champ is like from reading this book and very little about car owner Roush who has now won two championships in a row.
   
   It's written well and an easy read but not a great literary work. The good news is that Hammond is likable, the stories are interesting and it's probably worth the three hours or so that it will take to read this book. That being said, Waltrip's recent book is much more detailed and more worthy of your attention. The even better news is that Hammond will remain on Fox covering NASCAR where he is one of the best in broadcast analysis of the sport.



5. If there is any sport that is team oriented but where the team gets almost no recognition it's NASCAR racing. The driver gets all the glory, the kisses of the pretty girls, the photographs holding the trophy.
   
   This book is a story of almost thirty years of being in the crew, a lot of years as the jack man. I've always thoought that the jack man had just about the hardest job of them all -- those jacks are heavy, they've got to be positioned right, and they've got to be moved fast. I guess that's a good place to start, because from there he went on to become one of the more successful crew chiefs in the business.
   
   The book is one that will delight NASCAR fans. It's the inside story of what goes on behind the scenes, it's what you have to do to win races, it's the people who were there during the time when NASCAR was moving from the small unknown side aspect of racing to the big time national sport that it is today.
   
   It is the stories of the people that make this such an enjoyable book.

1 comments about Paper Tiger: An Old Sportswriter's Reminiscences of People, Newspapers, War, and Work.

1. Stanley Woodward published his memoir and "hymn to newspapering" in 1963. On December 30, 2003, Jonathan Yardley penned an appreciation of Woodward and "Paper Tiger" in The Washington Post (the book was then out of print). The next four paragraphs are excerpts from Mr. Yardley's article.
   
   Stanley Woodward stood 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighed 225 pounds and was strong as the proverbial ox. He loved sports but was injured repeatedly and had exceedingly bad eyesight, so he had to quit long before he was ready. He found a substitute. After World War I he got into journalism and in the 1930s went to the New York Herald Tribune, where he soon became "the best sports editor in the Tribune's, or probably any paper's, history.".
   
   That is the judgment of Richard Kluger, as expressed in his monumental "The Paper: The Life and Death of the New York Herald Tribune." Today, nearly four decades after Woodward's death, it is a view near-universally held in the inner circles of sports journalism. During his two stints at the Trib, from 1930 to 1948 and 1959 to 1962, Kluger writes, its "sports pages achieved an unmatched level of pungent literacy," the full credit for which rested with Woodward. According to Frank Graham Jr., one of the many gifted writers who worked with him, he had "high standards and unfailing courage," including the courage to speak his mind to bosses who didn't always like what he said.
   
   He was "direct, blunt, uncompromising and honest." That is the testimony of the best writer to grace his or anyone else's sports pages, Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith, whom Woodward rescued from inexplicable obscurity at the Philadelphia Record in 1945 and who quickly became a star of incomparable brilliance. Woodward said Smith "was a complete newspaper man" who "had been through the mill and had come out with a high polish." Woodward was baffled that no other New York paper had "grabbed him," but thought he knew the reason: ". . . most writing sports editors don't want a man around who is obviously better than they. I took the opposite view on this question. I wanted no writer on the staff who couldn't beat me or at least compete with me. This was a question of policy."
   
   Journalism has produced surprisingly few good memoirs, perhaps because journalists tend to be reactive rather than reflective, perhaps because they are so accustomed to protecting their sources that when the opportunity arises to spill the beans, they instinctively recoil from it. "Paper Tiger" is the exception: candid and uncompromising, like its author, but also engaging and funny, at times uproariously so.
   
   Thank you to the University of Nebraska Press and Bison Books for resurrecting "Paper Tiger". Highly recommended.