5 comments about Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon.

1. Great book if you love running or running history or even just classic inspirational sports stories. Great story of real people who were extraordinary runners. A little too much Cuban history for my taste, but some people love that stuff. Well written, pretty quick read.



2. So thats what happen to those guys...
   Sometimes it maybe smarter to loose a race.



3. The 1982 Boston Marathon is arguably one of the greatest road races of all time. Alberto Salazar was the "golden boy" and the favorite. Dick Beardsley was an unknown journeyman runner (despite wins at the Grandma's Marathon and London Marathon). Their epic battle is told in stride for stride fashion with each runner sharing his thoughts, doubts and pains. Mr. Brant does an excellent job of fleshing out each runner's biography both before and after the race. I could not put this book down. This is one of the best running books I have ever read. It transends the sport and would be a very entertaining read for anyone!!



4. This narrative of the runner's lives is captivating and deeply sad. The author conveys the tragedy of each runner's lives after the marathon in such a stunning effect that we feel pain without having known them. Most people see elite runners as those who can push beyond the pain and barriers on the road and track, yet this is a stunning look and those elite's lives beyond the running.



5. That April day in 82 was incredible, very few were heat acclimated. I trained in the midwest and was not. The race was run at noon adn I had heard the high was 75. The road seemed to be on fire. Beardsley had the advantage of heat training Salazar not. I was only a few minutes behind them but blew up at the base of hill #2 (Auberndale station).
   
   The book gives a good accounting of the race and the battle of these fellows. The painfull part is their physical and emotional catastrophies after such a great performance.
   
   Whether it be the marathon, Ironman or other endurance event one is never the same afterward. You gain experience but you also leave some of yourself behind.

No comments about Dreamseller.

5 comments about Cabin Pressure: One Man's Desperate Attempt to Recapture His Youth as a Camp Counselor.

1. I am never at all sure why I like reading camp books. I hated the actual camp experience, due to overwhelming homesickness and general dislike of being in groups! But I love reading about camp, and this is probably the best book about it I've ever read. Josh Wolk spends the summer before getting married working as a counselor at the camp he attended for many summers as a boy. The best part of this book is that it really doesn't romantize the experience. Josh feels like a misfit much of the time, the 14 year old boys in his cabin can be very, very hard to deal with, the other counselor in the cabin doesn't pull his weight at all...but still, he has many moments of remembering what he loves about the camp. It sounds like a great camp. I have 13 and 10 year old boys, and I wish now that overnight camp wasn't out of our price range, as it sounds like it could be a wonderful experience.
   
   I hope Wolk writes more books. I'd love to hear about his life as a parent, as he seems like someone with real insights.



2. I take that title from a Frank Black song, which I think is a pretty accurate way of describing the nervous step you take into full-fledged adulthood. "Cabin Pressure" details Josh Wolk's step.
   
   I first took notice of Wolk through his terrific writing at "Entertainment Weekly." He wrote day-after commentary on the "Real World" that was so gut-bustingly hilarious my friends and I used to E-mail the highlights to each other. After a while, the writing was so good and the show so bad, we stopped watching the show and just read the wrap-ups.
   
   Wolk's best skill as a writer is his gift of observation. Give him any scenario and he can instantly break it down, expose each player's motivation, and end it all with a hilarious analogy.
   
   He brings that keen observation to "Cabin Pressure," his tale of heading back to camp as a counselor on the brink of his wedding day. Having remembered camp as a kind of innocent oasis, Josh wants to reexperience it one more time before he becomes, gulp, a husband and a father.
   
   Wolk fills us in on summer-camp life -- what he remembered from his day, what has changed, and what hasn't. The best part of the book is Wolk's interaction with the kids in his cabin. He does an amazing job of letting you know each one, whether they are charming, maddening, or depressingly and prematurely stressed-out and miserable.
   
   I don't necessarily think I bought into Josh's overall theme here -- this whole nostalgic innocence trip -- but it doesn't matter because "Cabin Pressure" is often hilarious and reading this book is like a well-spoken, really funny friend telling you his best summer-camp stories.
   
   The tone can shift from body-odor humor to some strong emotional connections with the boys, and all the while Wolk's razor-sharp observation and pitch-perfect punchlines remain.
   
   After reading Wolk in "Entertainment Weekly" all those years, and laughing my butt off, this book lives up to all of my expectations. Funny and insightful, "Cabin Pressure" is a wonderful debut book.



3. I enjoyed this book from line one. Josh Wolk is a wonderfully funny story teller. Even if you never spent any time in summer camp, you will love the stories and characters. I didn't want it to end!



4. Even though it's been 35 years since the first time I was a counselor, every year around Fathers Day I have the urge to grab my sleeping bag and head up to camp for staff orientation. This book reminded me of why that urge is still so strong - why I spent six summers of my life as summer camp staff, working 14 hours a day most days and making less than I could have working a virtually anywhere else.
   
   In the summer before he married and entered a new phase of life, the author chose to relive part of his childhood by becoming a camp counselor at the same camp he'd attended as an adolescent. Although older than the typical counselor and with a fiance waiting at home for him to finish his adventure, the authors experiences of feeling like he didn't quite fit in with the staff, his struggles with trying to stay upbeat after weeks of little sleep and hard physicial work and the silliness he shared with his campers mirror the experience of every counselor, whatever age. His story rang so true - although I worked at two coed YMCA camps rather than an all boys camp, the songs, jokes, activities and adolescent angst are universal.
   
   For those who were campers, it's a window into the mysterious life that counselors led. For those of us who staffed camps, it's a sometimes funny, sometimes touching reminder of why we chose spend our summers without creature comforts of home, making little money while living with other people's children.



5. About: Thirtysomething guy goes back to his boyhood camp to be a counselor
   
   Pros: Hilarious. I had to stop reading it on an airplane because I had to laugh out loud several times. Well written. The camp is a wonderful setting. Generally good character development
   
   Cons: It can be confusing as to who some of the minor characters are when they are mentioned more than once. Gets kind of repetitive, but I guess that's to be expected as summer camp only has a finite amount of activities.
   
   Grade A-

5 comments about When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes.

1. When Yogi was 14 and was asked by his teachers, in a parent-teacher meeting called to decide his fate about whether to continue his schooling. In the presence of his parents, his teacher asked: "Don't you know anything?" Yogi's answer was: "I don't even suspect anything." And with that answer, he was allowed to quit school. And as they say, the rest is history.
   
   This book is irreverent "blue collar philosophy" at its level best. Although we all joke about the apparent illogic and skilful logical disconnects and double entendres in Yogi's homespun aphorisms and jokes, they are not all to be dismissed only on their surface meanings alone. Most have a distinct deeper meaning, which if missed, gives the joker (Yogi) the last laugh.
   
   Here, in their fullest glory are some of Yogi's best productions, interspersed between a brief biography of the high and low points of his life. That there were many more high points than low, itself makes one understand who Yogi was: Not just a ballplayer/philosopher, but a warm sunny deeply interesting human being.
   
   Read and enjoy. Five Stars



2. In his famous poem, "The Road Not Taken" when "two roads diverged in a wood," Robert Frost "took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Yogi Berra, on the other hand, advises that "When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It" (the title of the book), and "you shouldn't look back." According to Mr. Berra, the "fork", is any decision.
   
   Drawing from his baseball experience, Mr. Berra tells 40 different "stories" all packed with memorable wisdom and insights. The stories range from commonly cited quotations such as "Slump? I ain't in no slump ... I just ain't hitting," and "It ain't over `til it's over" to less common sayings like "I'd rather be the Yankee catcher than the U.S. President," and "The future ain't what it used to be."
   
   For baseball fans, this little book is a necessary read. Each section (chapter) begins with a photo of defining moments in baseball. This book is inspirational. Read it for keeps.
   
   Amavilah, Author
   Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
   ISBN: 1600210465



3. Yogi Berra is hilarious.
   
   Each chapter is built around a Yogi-ism, and are delightful to read. A lot of folksy wisdom from this man who fought at Omaha Beach on D-Day AND who played in more World Series than any other baseball player.
   
   The book emphasizes hard work, following your instincts, loyalty to friends, and the importance of laughter, family, and a lot of luck.
   
   Berra was raised on "The Hill" here in St. Louis. I used to play church-league softball at "Berra Park", located a block from his boyhood homesite. His values are good ol' Midwestern, Catholic, and conservative.
   
   Yogi is a national treasure, and he is as proud of American ways of doing things as he is of the Yankees baseball club.
   
   p.s. Do you know how Berra made quite a bit of the money he now has? Baseball? Nope. After baseball, he made some timely investments in bowling alleys and YooHoo chocolate drink!!! He cashed out at the peak of interest in both.



4. While the basis of this book is a collection of some of the Yogi-isms, which always contain a great deal of truth, the best part is that Yogi explains his thoughts on each one of them, While he was a great player for a series of great Yankee teams, Berra was always thought of as a bit of a simpleton. His most famous sayings, where he used internal contradictions to make a point, are funny and seem to indicate a lack of knowledge of English and how it is used. However, it is that internal contradiction that makes the point so well. For example, some of the -isms explained in this book are:
   
   *) It gets late early out there
   *) We have deep depth
   *) Always go to other peoples funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours
   *) You can observe a lot by watching
   
   After each of the -isms, Berra explains the context within which he made the statement and reveals a great deal of the history of his life, his thoughts about life in general and the directions that baseball is going. He comes across as a man who came from humble beginnings, yet has never lost contact with those roots and who was always in control of his actions. He harbors no jealousy regarding what modern ballplayers make, although he has some negative words concerning their off the field actions. He is also saddened by the decline in the popularity of young people playing baseball. It is a rare occasion when you see pickup games being played on the sandlots. He also laments the situation in organized youth baseball such as little league. Like all other youth sports, there is a fierce and counter-productive competitiveness that destroys the joy that children have the right to feel when they are playing engaged in sports.
   This is a book about and by a man that is close to being the most quoted person in the American society. His phrases are used in many facets of our lives, from sports to politics. Hardly a week goes by when I don't hear one of his phrases and I often use them myself. It was fun to read Yogi's explanations of them.



5. Yogi Berra has learned that when someone offers to publish your book, take it. Make the most of living, it can get late early out there. Better make your book forty chapters, the public may not be hungry for fifty.
   
   More of a look into the thoughts, values and beliefs of the baseball legend than a biography, Yogi keeps things pretty straight. Unapologetic and proud of his life, Yogi is not above owning up to a character flaw or two. If he seems to occasionally contradict himself, he comes across as all the more human. This is certainly preferable to the self-service approach others have taken in this type of book, making it a cut above the "self-help from athletes" genre. Every chapter is titled with a piece of philosophical advice, virtually all from Yogisms or in one case a Dimaggioism. Sometimes the content of a chapter is shoehorned to fit the title, but most of the time they mesh.
   
   The best part of the book are the photos that appear at the beginning of each chapter. Rarely seen family and career photos are incorporated with such gems as Yogi and Phil Rizzuto working during the off season at a men's clothing store. These photos tell more about the Yogi that you didn't know than the text does.
   
   If this review doesn't make you want to read this book, I'm not going to try and stop you. Then again, if these type of books get too popular, no one's going to want to read them anymore.

5 comments about The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender To #45472.

1. LOOKED FOR THIS IN A HARDCOVER FOR YEARS. HAVEN'T READ THIS STORY IN YEARS.. VERY HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND THIS AGAIN.. GREAT SERVICE PRODUCT AS PROMISED..



2. This a great story.please "game of fools" by charles wooten the story of glenn summerford who is still in prison doing a 99 year sentence ffrom a case like hurricanes that consisted of predujuice and lies.



3. If you have seen "The Hurricane" motion picture, starring Denzel Washington (an amazing peformance), surely you'd think that you know everything there is to know about Rubin Carter. Unfortunately, that's incorrect. Furthermore, it's not even close.
   Don't get me wrong - the motion picture is fantastic and it surely includes all the important details, but regardless to what kind of movie it is - you should know, and I can tell you that for sure because I read this book, that there are A LOT of details that aren't mentioned in the movie.
   If you want to know the whole story I must implore you to take a long look at that book. But I should also tell you that there's a downside: The book can make you read even five pages in a row without any important or interesting thing coming up; it can also make your patience burst if you're expecting something to happen but it takes long pages, sometimes not even discribed so interestingly.
   Bottom line: if Rubin Carter and his amazing story interests you - I would suggest you read this book. It will make you see the big picture about this man.



4. I bought this book my sophomore year of high school and that was over 7 years ago. It has literally been my bible to life. Rubin and his book have changed my life more than anything else I have ever encountered. Too often than not we find false heroes in this world. People like Paris Hilton who some look up to as a hero or a role model, but the true heroes in this life are often over looked or never seen at all. Rubin Carter is a true hero, I have never even heard of such a troubled life an to come out on top both a champion of his sport and one in life. A wise man told me once that it is now how we live this life but what we do during it. If your looking for a uplifting book of a true hero an a book that will give you strength when all doubt you, this is the one.



5. Obviously no one can write his story better than Rubin himself. This story is both and inspiring story of a man who has never stopped fighting and a terrifying reality check into the American judicial system. This book is filled with an anger that is only kept in check by the author's own love and compassion.

   The reader whould of course keep in mind this is an autobiography and therefore is skewed to the writer's point of view and emotional state.

5 comments about Yogi: The Life and Times of an American Original.

1. Former feature writer for "Mirror" magazine Carlo DeVito presents Yogi: The Life & Times of an American Original, a solid biography of one of America's most successful sportsmen. the celebrated Yankee baseball team member Lawrence Peter Berra, a.k.a. "Yogi". The son of Italian immigrants, Yogi overcame his short height and taunting from his teammates, opponents, and the media to earn a phenomenal three MVP awards, ten World Series championships, and an assortment of catching records. Yogi's career in baseball didn't end with his retirement; he went on to manage a team from league of the World Series. He encountered famous people ranging from DiMaggio to Hemingway and Sinatra, inspired an enduringly popular cartoon character (Yogi Bear), and even enriched the American lexicon with an assortment of malapropisms. A handful of black-and-white photographs enrich this down-to-earth chronicle of one of baseball's most beloved celebrities.



2. There is, and always will be, only one Yogi. And thank heavens that he's still with us. The Hall of Fame Yankee catcher and everyman philosopher is brillently covered in this wonderful book. If you are a fan of baseball, the Yankees, or just love Yogi, you gotta have this one.



3. I have to admit some bias first. Yogi has been one of my favorite Yankees forever, I love baseball books and I know some of the people involved in this book. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful read, a trip from a St. Louis neighborhood to the big leagues, the Big Apple and a look at one of the biggest hearts in sportsdom. Though I've gotten the Yogi story in bits and pieces before, I still enjoyed reading it. As the man himself would say, "It's like deja vu all over again." If you love baseball, read this book!



4. I only knew Yogi as the cuddly master of the malaprop who had played some ball years ago. What I learned is that he's one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of sports - and a pretty shrwed businessman, too. A well written and ubiased bio that's must read for any baseball fan and recommended for anyone who wants to read the story of a guy who came from nothing to become an American legend.



5. ** BASEBALL HALL OF FAME ** 3 MVP AWARDS ** 21 WORLD SERIES (14 AS A PLAYER - 2 AS A MANAGER - 5 AS A COACH) ** 10 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AS A PLAYER - 3 AS A COACH ** 15 ALL STAR GAMES ** 285 LIFETIME AVERAGE ** 358 HOMERUNS ** 1,430 RUNS BATTED IN **
   
   That is YOGI BERRA!
   
   ** "NOBODY GOES THERE ANYMORE; IT'S TOO CROWDED!" ** "IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER." ** "ALWAYS GO TO OTHER PEOPLE'S FUNERALS; OTHERWISE THEY WON'T COME TO YOURS." ** "BASEBALL IS 90 PERCENT MENTAL THE OTHER HALF IS PHYSICAL."
   
   This also is YOGI BERRA!
   
   I am not a Yankee fan, but I am an "old-school" baseball fanatic. And any true "die-in-the-wool" baseball fan will enjoy this detailed recollection of when baseball truly was the "National Pastime". This biography covers Yogi and his family's life from the time his Italian parents landed on Ellis Island. It chronicles his growing up in a mostly Italian American neighborhood up on "The Hill" in St. Louis, where one of his best friends was a mediocre future Major Leaguer, who would hit it big in radio and TV Joe Garagiola. Joe's future success was neatly packaged around stories of his youthful days with Yogi on "The Hill". Yogi's Father Pietro was hard working, loving and a stern disciplinarian in the house. He thought playing baseball was a waste of time, and of course no way to make a living. Yogi's three older brothers, Anthony, Mike, and John, were all good baseball players and had been offered tryouts and contracts with professional teams. But Pietro would not hear of it and did not allow it. When Yogi was in the eighth grade he had no use for school and wanted to quit school and go after his dream of playing Major League baseball. Though Yogi feared his Father's wrath he confronted him with his desire and dream. It became a family war that eventually even included the family's priest. Pietro finally relented as long as Yogi got a regular job to contribute to the family's livelihood while he tried to get a baseball contract. Yogi sold newspapers, where his favorite customer was his baseball idol (And my mother's favorite player.) Joe "Ducky" Medwick. He also had a few factory jobs. Then he was signed by the New York Yankees, and the rest as they say is history. When he reached the big leagues, Joe DiMaggio was the undisputed leader of the team but within a few years as Joe's career came to an end the Yankee torch was passed from Joe to Yogi. A lot of baseball revisionists say it went from DiMaggio to Mantle but that isn't so. The history of uncrowned Yankee leadership actually went from Ruth to Gehrig to DiMaggio to Berra to Mantle. Yogi not only became known as one of the greatest clutch hitters in history, but he was also one of the greatest "bad ball" hitters in history, so it was extremely tough to pitch to him in crucial situations. His ten world championship rings as a player is unmatched in the annals of baseball history. One extremely sad part of this story is all the abuse Yogi took because of his looks and "supposed" lack of intellect. Yet he is probably the most successful Yankee in history after his playing days. This story also conjures up many of the old fan rivalries of the 40's and 50's between the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers. Since the Dodgers and Yankees played each other seven times in the World Series during this period there is a lot of information about Yogi's competition with Roy Campanella, another catcher with 3 MVP's right across town in Brooklyn, and some wonderful quotes by Jackie Robinson as to Yogi's greatness. This story covers it all from Casey Stengel to Yogi's refusing to return to Yankee stadium for fourteen years after his firing by George Steinbrenner. Yogi was one hell of a ballplayer and reading about it was "LIKE DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN!"

5 comments about One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro.

1. One Good Run: The Legend of Burt Munro
   Anyone who has seen the movie "World's Fastest Indian" must read this book. I couldn't put it down -- tremendous



2. I have seen The worlds fastest indian eleven times now and read both books.If you are really into bikes you must do both the film and the books.Burt was a genius and a real character and I wish I had met him.Watch the film and read the book.If you love bikes and a good laugh,you will enjoy both.



3. Tim Hanna, the author, has nailed the essence of both Burt Munro and late '60s hot rodding. This book is delightful in its exposition of what it's like to follow a dream, even into old age. It's a treatise on just being yourself, without pandering to society. It's about learning to talk to people to win them over. It's about doing with your own hands what "the experts" say can't be done.
   
   If ever there was an opposite to "chick lit" this is truly it.



4. An awesome insight into the life of this brilliant man, warts & all. The detail of machines, races & records as well as his personal nuances makes very easy reading. Anybody who had heard of Bert or the film based on his record run will find this book gives life to the details!



5. Covers his full life and details his relationships w/ the character in the film, as well defines his incredible determination and personality and lust of life

No comments about Un sueno americano: Mi historia.

No comments about Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape: The Remarkable Life of Jacques Anquetil, the First Five-Times Winner of the Tour de France.

5 comments about An American Journey: My Life on the Field, in the Air, and on the Air.

1. Former Yankee Jerry Coleman recalls his playing days: second baseman played his entire nine-year career in New York and appeared in six World Series.(Turn ... An article from: Baseball Digest
   
   
   Great Read! Jerry is true example of what real heros are made of. How many players would unselfishly leave the game not once, but two times to serve their country in combat? This is the stuff Pat Tillman was made of. Jerry is a great guy! You never hear him speak of any of this unless asked. He is a San Diego treasure.



2. I can't wait to read this book. Amazon makes ordering new and used items so easy. I am a customer for life.



3. I bought this book for my father as he has been an avid Padre fan since 1969. He just loves it. Jerry Coleman is the San Diego Padres.
   
   Scott
   El CAJON, CA



4. I don't know how many "with." books I have read not 100 but more than fifty. Even wrote two of them. YOGI IT AIN'T OVER WITH YOGI and THE OCTOBER TWELVE with PHIL RIZZUTO.Jerry Coleman's "WITH" RICHARD GOLDSTEIN did an outstanding job. I envy him but not for writing the book. Writing is hard work. Spending time in the company of Jerry Coleman is a joy. A tonic for the soul.



5. Jerry Coleman has honorably served America both as a military man, as a baseball player during the 1950's for the New York Yankees, and as an announcer for the Yankees, CBS, and as an announcer/manager for the San Diego Padres. He considers his greatest achievement in life to be the five years he spent as a marine during both World War II and the Korean War. He grew up in a home with a physically abusive father, and a very devoted mother. His best friends with the Yankees were Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, Ed Lopat, Bobby Brown, and Charlie Silvera. Coleman believes Mickey Mantle's alcohol problems became full blown after he retired from the game and the cheering stopped. Coleman vividly recalls the incident in May of 1957 when Yankees' infielder Gil McDougald lined Cleveland Indians' pitcher Herb Score in the eye. This had a great emotional effect on McDougald who considered quitting the game. Coleman's one year at the helm of the Padres did not go well. His players viewed him as the team's announcer, and a relic from the past. Coleman gives his views on various things regarding the game such as the size of players compared to when he played, and the effect large contracts can have on some players. He blames the players' union for fighting against a strong drug program which has ultimately harmed players who play by the rules. Coleman considers Aaron to be the all-time home run leader with Maris to be the home run leader for a single season. This book is light easy reading, and I enjoyed reading about one of the bubble gum cards of my youth.