5 comments about Babe: The Legend Comes to Life.

1. This is a complete and thorough examination of the life and playing career of a baseball icon. The author has done a commendable job of separating the facts from the fanciful fictions that have grown up surrounding George Herman Ruth. While his home run record has been surpassed, I still think one can argue that Ruth was the greatest baseball player when one considers that in addition to his hitting abilities Ruth was an outstanding pitcher. He was shifted to the outfield when his managers determined that he could be of greater value as an everyday player rather than pitching every third or fourth day.



2. As author of the yet to be published "Babe Ruth: The Man Behind The Legend," I have read every book I can find on the subject of Babe Ruth. The more I read, the more I appreciate Creamer's exhaustive account of Ruth's playing career. This one is, by far, the best of all and I keep it with me at all times when I am in need of reference material. It is the most thorough and comprehensive. It is easy to see why this book has endured the test of time - an amazing 33 years in print. Thank you, Robert Creamer, for your truly wonderful contribution, and may you enjoy many more years in print! Sincerely, Rebecca Rau



3. Legends transcend time. The Stories get better, the adjectives get bolder, until they become passé. Ruth was the only athlete who was already at legend at age 21. There was no reason to exaggerate, and no words to describe his ferocious dominance. And the timing of his nuclear assault on history couldn't have been better planned. Fresh from the Black Sox crisis of 1919, America's greatest sport teetered on extinction. To this day, this baby faced Neanderthal had more athletic dominance over his peers than anyone in history...and more charisma than ten W.C. Fields. He changed the sport. Some say he changed the world.
   
   Home Runs were non-existent before him. Baseball runs were earned one base at a time; singles...sacrifice bunts...a sport of hard drinking pitchers, and gritty base stealers led by Cobb. After Ruth arrived, the physical dimensions had to be rearranged just to accommodate his abilities. Mammoth stadiums were built with double the capacity, replete with awe inspiring 450+ ft fences. All because of Ruth. But the parks were no match for him. He was the all-time home run champion at age 25, HR champ 13 times in 15 years, and in his 17 years as a hitter, he hit 235 home runs 450 ft. or further. By comparision, Bonds was HR champ just twice, and hit just 3, count em, 3 450ft HRs his first 15 seasons pre-roids.
   
   I've just read the new Ruth book out called The Big Bam, but afficionado's like me still choose Beamer's documentary as the voice of record. Unlike the rest, he best captures Ruth's massive power and abilities, childhood innocence, great sense of humor and rebelliousness, and rock star image. Ruth was the real deal. He was a true legend in his own time, and wore the badge humbly on his sleeve. He lit up every room he entered, and lit up every pitcher he faced. This book is a classic, like the man himself.



4. Some personalities are too big to be contained in a single book, especially one who exemplified bigness like Babe Ruth.
   
   Ruth was not much into analyzing the whys of his greatness. As retold in Robert Creamer's 1974 biography, when asked the secret of why he hit so many home runs, he replied: "Just swinging." Asked about "the psychology of the home run" by the same reporter, Babe responded: "Say, are you kidding me?"
   
   Creamer seems to feel the same way. He's not the prose version of Jack Webb exactly, but his "Babe" is heavy on facts and remarkably light on the sort of thing modern sports writers like to fill their weighty tomes up with, cultural impact and inner-self profiling. Creamer presents teasing glimpses of Babe's revelries, and some hints of who he really was beneath the legend (one close friend says "I don't think he really loved anybody"). But his focus is on Babe the baseball player, his statistical brilliance and his awesome, game-breaking power.
   
   He broke into the majors as a pitcher, developing into "the best lefthander in the game" before it became clear, in this blessed time before the advent of the designated hitter, that he could do more to win games with his bat than his arm. What followed transformed baseball from a slightly noisier and faster version of cricket into the National Pastime. Babe Ruth didn't invent the home run, but he might as well have deserved the copyright, hitting 54 homers in 1920, more than any other entire team produced except for his Yankees, red-haired stepchildren to the fabled New York Giants until Babe arrived and changed everything.
   
   Even though his career home-run record was in the process of being broken when "Babe" was published, Ruth was about so much more than that. Creamer gets at a lot of the on-field stuff, especially, like the fact he once led the American League in batting average and, as a pitcher, produced the longest stretch of earned-run-free innings for more than 40 years.
   
   The book does come across as dry at points, though, focusing on Ruth's more measurable accomplishments and ignoring the less tangible stuff. Creamer doesn't overwhelm you with a lot of flowing prose, which is a good thing, but he leaves a lot of things alone that seem fertile ground for exploration. Possibly because the last bio I read was Robert Caro's "Path To Power," it felt like Creamer was light on sourcing, but that's probably because his method of research was a lot less formal, chats at the bar with old-timers over the course of decades condensed into the iceberg we get here.
   
   What Creamer wrote, he got right, though, something I know as a fact. My grandfather covered the Yankees and was Babe's favorite ghostwriter, and my father, who saw Babe in the Yankee clubhouse, swore by Creamer as one of sportwriting's best for giving the honest, unvarnished truth. It's not a book for boys, as Creamer notes, but "Babe" will make you feel like one reading about this real-life giant who walked the earth.



5. That was written for boys & swallowed every legend whole. Robert Creamer has written quite a bit on baseball. This may be about the best biography of its time. You can't do much better than Tom Parker if you take the audio route. I've read or listened to other works by Mr. Creamer & they are consistently good. That said he has alway seemed a bit to attached to the numbers. Baseball is the most satistical of sports & I do enjoy them. Ever year there is a new on that can be applied however unofficially to players of other eras such as the Babe. One of the newest ones now in vogue is the quality start.
   Six inningss minimum with three earned runs or less is a quality start. Having said that sometimes the numbers overwhelm the story. Stats on the Babe's minor league years will be forgotten about 2 seonds after you hear them. Mr Creamer endeavors to be accurate & may knock down some of the legends, or reduce them to believable proportions. The belly-ache heard round the world & The Babe hitting three home-runs in his last game are examples of the hype at the time. Creamer gets real & lifts, in the end his biography to a more adult level. I think Mr. Creamer dwells a bit more on Babe's other appetites, as well, such as women. His various ailments, injuries & suspensions have surprisingly depressed records that could have been even greater than they eventually were. Babe's juvenile behavior in his early years & the number of people in the baseball world that he irritated by his sometimes arrogant attitude through-out his career thwarted him in the thing he wanted most: to be a big league manager. That is sad & we'd have a lot more to talk about since he lived for another 10 years after he left baseball. He died relatively young but he was & still is (despite his numbers being slowly
   eclipsed) the greatest. If you wanted a truthful biography this is is a pretty good one & its available in the audio version.

5 comments about The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself.

1. Awsome book! dident know it existed, but now i have it and its super nice.



2. If your a fan of Rodney Mullen this book is a must own, as soon as it came in i couldn't put it down me being a Skater and a fan of Rodney this was a real treat. The book talks about Rodney's early life, the beginning of his career and his rise to fame, and with all the drama along the way.



3. Obviously, this is an important book to just about any skateboarder, myself being one. However, I'd like to reiterate that this story is universal and can be inspirational to anyone of any lifestyle. The overall theme of this book is different from many other "overcomming the odds" style of autobiographies. Although Rodney's achievements in life are truely astounding, the true message throughout the book is that self-expression and self-acceptance are two of the most important things you can ever achieve in life. At least that's my take on the whole story.
   I would recomend this book to anyone struggling to find themselves in life. This book, disguised as a simple skateboarder's autogiography, might just be the eye opener you've been waiting for.



4. Possibly the best book I ever read. Although the history of skating through Rodney's eyes is fascinating, the true treasure of this book is seeing the world through Rodney's eyes. It is a beautifully told story with generous honesty. Being a skater is irrelevant to liking this book. If you've ever been young and had dreams, then you should be reading it.



5. I'm 27 years old and grew up watching all the legends like Rodney, Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, etc. This is an amazing book not just because of it's relation to skateboarding, but because it tells a story of what it's like to sacrifice everything for what you love. If you are passionate about anything in your life and especially if you are young, facing opposition, reading this book may inspire you to follow your heart and what you believe.
   
   I can relate to this book a lot because my father and Rodney's were of the same batch. I also felt that we had similar struggles as misfits in life. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It's an interesting read and a great story of someone who succeeded in life.

5 comments about The Book of Landry.

1. I bought this book for three compelling reasons. First, I am a long-time Dallas Cowboys fan. Secondly, I always admired and looked up to Tom Landry as a leader and a devoted Christian gentleman. Lastly, I love to collect and use quotes. I loved reading this book for one simple reason - it exceeded all expectations for all my reasons for buying it.

   I cried the day Tom Landry died, and again the day after his death when I read articles and listened to television stories about the life and times of Tom Landry. This simple, little book brought back many of those same emotions. This book is not one author's lofty opinions about a man. It is a collection of quotes, stories, and vignettes from scores of people from all walks of life who are united in their deep love and respect for a man among men, a man of unquestioned character and integrity.

   You do not have to be a Dallas Cowboys fan, nor know a thing about Tom Landry, nor do you need to collect quotes to enjoy and be motivated by this book. If you are inspired by reading true accounts of moral, spiritual, and successful leaders, then this book will exceed all your expectations, too.




2. I had the privilege of meeting Tom Landry a few times and found him to be the most gracious person you could ever hope to know. These memories really took me back in time. The world is a poorer place without him



3. Famed football coach Tom Landry passed away in February 2000, leaving behind a life of accomplishment rarely equaled and never surpassed. Former Dallas Cowboys players, assistant coaches, and others close to Landry contributed to The Book Of Landry by offering fresh testimonials and remembrances of the man. Landry quotes are culled from materials published over the decades of Landry's professional and personal life. Here presented are tributes to his childhood, family, coaching philosophy, Christian faith, motivational tactics, and the Landry "Look". The Book Of Landry is "must" reading for all Landry fans.



4. It's nice to know what outsiders thought of Landry, but it's nicest to hear from insiders who knew the man. This book fills that need. It's classy, readable, beautifully organized and highly affordable and should be on every Cowboy (or Cowboy hater's) bookshelf.



5. Jennifer Briggs' "The Book of Landry" is an excellent tribute to the late Cowboy's coach, Tom Landry. I grew up in Wisconsin, where Landry and the Cowboys were "the enemy." This book gave me a whole new view of a man who is revered in Texas. He was a compassionate, principled, fun-loving and God-led man, a true hero. I keep re-reading chapter after chapter for inspiration! It's a great birthday or Father's Day gift!

5 comments about Namath: A Biography.

1. Kriegel does a masterful job at covering Namath for the reader. That said, I found the book way too long for the subject matter. Definitely mainline skimming after Namath retires from the Jets. The author really covers Namath's flaws. He appears to have always been an industrial strength drinker with little regard for most of his teammates and others. Not an easy person to like. Consequently, I found myself asking why am I reading all of these words about such a person. The football parts are really good, especially I would think for old line Jets fans. However, other parts are less intriguing. I've noticed that authors who are also journalists tend to think we care as much about all the details as do they. I found Kriegel's book, Pistol, about Pete Maravich is a better read.



2. Namath, through his legal mouthpiece, refused to cooperate with the author of "Namath: A Biography." A terrific researcher and writer, Mark Kriegel didn't need him. Joe left enough bitter friends, teammates, and business partners who were willing to share the lowdown on Broadway Joe. Ain't a pretty picture, but neither is pro football.
   
   This was one of the most talented and courageous players ever to step onto a football field. The author pays due homage to Joe Namath, QB. Plenty of fascinating stuff on Beaver Falls, Alabama, and Jets heroics. His athleticism was a great gift; his grit in making the most of it was unyielding. If you utterly idolized him as #12, leave that as your only memory.
   
   What this book presents is Namath as man in full; which is to say, a user without peer, a smalltown pool hustler who brought that ethos to all that touched his life. There's me, and there are the suckers. When he was finished with you, you learned it this way: your phone calls were not returned. Out. Finis. A buddy for twenty years now dying? A teammate for a dozen years? Sorry. Your services in the lifelong promotion that remains Joe Willie "White Shoes" are no longer required. Perhaps the best example cited by the author of the crassness of Namath the man was when he wanted 60G to attend a charity golf tournament organized by his Jets teammates. Unfortunately that sum would drain the total funds earned by the event. So no Joe. Not that he wanted to go; that was the point of the exhorbitant fee--he didn't need them.
   
   When the primetime hustle that was Broadway Joe finally petered out, Namath decided it was family that mattered. He had always tried to take care of his natural family, which was a broken one. But he had no practice at real life. He waited too long. He soon married a user half his age who hustled him: she left him because she wanted to be a "serious actress" and "find herself," as Kriegel painfully quotes her. This she did by ditching Broadway Joe for her own personal Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. She took the two Namath daughters with her, leaving her husband shellshocked as to how such a thing could happen to The Man Himself. He quickly returned to that which best sustained him through his desultory off-field existence: booze.
   
   Kriegel throughout makes the point that the Namath con is all part of the Big Con: The Enteraintment and Sports Sell. The original power behind Namath as Broadway Joe was Sonny Werblin, New York TV superagent and hustler extraordinnaire when he became a minority Jets owner. At the time, pro football was bringing up the rear in the American sports pantheon. Its owners still labored under the delusion they were in the football business. Namath-Werblin changed that. It was the perfect marriage in Joe's life. Joe and Sonny, Football and Show Biz.
   
   Namath's latest promotion has been his autobiography, surprisingly titled, "Namath." This was the reason Joe risked an interview late last year with Sixty Minutes, notorious for slapping the self-satisfied smiles off its subjects. No problem: his attorney likely made sure he got what he wanted, a puff-piece where he charmingly skates Oprahesque across the wreckage of his life while walking a Florida beach. Trying to stay booze-free once again, moving on metal knees and arthritic hips, the man's hustle hasn't lost a step. And he may be alone, still devoted to his daughters, but he's certainly not lonely (wink, wink). Broadway Joe lives.
   
   If you want a well-written take on Namath that is as gritty as the man and his world, read the Kriegel book. It's all about Joe William Namath, who remains one of the most extraordinary football players I ever watched. And wish I could pay good U.S. money to go back and watch again in the autumn dust of Shea Stadium, New York.



3. Great book. I feel sad for a man who peaked at 25.
   
   J!E!T!S! Jets Jets Jets



4. Everybody knows Joe Namath (okay, most people have heard of him). Of our knowledge and recollections of Namath, most go back to about 40 years ago, when he was a young quarterback on fragile knees, had a shotgun arm, a team jelling around him that lead to The Guarantee, a Super Bowl win . . . and he was Joe Namath, The Swankiest Dude in NYC, ladies at his beck and call, llama rug, fur coat, bachelor lifestyle, etc. After that, it all kind of fades to memory: years of frustration, a year with the Rams and retirement. Once in a while you'd hear about him, starring in the theater of all places, but the memory goes back to when he was 26 and an American idol.
   
   Kriegel wrote a heck of a book, cutting through the cobwebs of our collective memories to give us a much different portrait of a man than the hype had provided to us: one who cared about family, one who respected the father figures of his life, one who cared deeply and was loyal to his friends - but one who reinvented himself at various times of his life and left his old friends behind. His reinvention of his life led to marriage and a family, where he wanted a stable, loving family around him - but didn't quite achieve that. Now, the reinvention goes on - new relationships, new family relations as his children got older, but the old life he lived has never quite been shaken off.
   
   This book was written without the direct help of Namath or through his lawyer, Jim Walsh. It appears that Namath's policy is that his personal life is nobody's business but his, and I respect that: he's had years in the spotlight and what he chooses to reveal to the world should be just that which he chooses. Walsh, a lawyer who has as his sole business that of Joe Namath, requested a huge sum of money for access to Namath and his story. That I have little respect for. I think that Kriegel's version without the help of Namath and Walsh give us a much better, more honest view of the man than if Namath had cooperated in the writing and editing. The result is a book that sheds a good deal of light on a much more complex man than we thought we knew.



5. Time has a way of marching on. In every sport there are a certain amount of sport stars that made their mark not only in the history of their particular sport but upon society in general. Joe Willie Nemet (his real name)made that and more.
   
   A larger than life character is brought to life in this wonderful read. From his roots in growinup up in a rough and tumble mill town of Beaver Falls to the bright lights of Broadway. Namath had the ability to overcome many demons with a unreal atheltic arm and mind. Today's professional athlete - football, baseball, basketball - should lay down and thank the Namath's of professional sport as the ones who made it possible for them to earn these out of sight salary figures kicked around today. Joe brought not only guts and grit to his game but a dertermination and intellegence to run an offense without all the help of modern coaching input seen in today's game. They just don't make em' like the Namaths', Title's, Unitas's, and Baugh's much anymore.
   
   Rank this one up there with it's realistic approach to how it was. A fun ride.

5 comments about Caught Inside: A Surfer's Year on the California Coast.

1. I haven't finished the book yet, but as far as I am concerned, this book deserves all the 5 stars I gave it!
   I live in a place surrounded by mountains, where people are very narrow-minded, and distant sooo many miles from my beloved USA; therefore, I am always looking for a book that keeps me company during the cold months of winter that separates me from my summer vacation in California.
   I need this to keep my mind occupied, and I definitely enjoy books that can describe the coast and the deep feelings and believings of surfers so thoroughly.
   What I particularly appreciate about this book is the way he describes the surfing and other facts (history, sharks and otters ways of living, etc.) related to the life of a surfer.
   I definitely recommend this book, you gotta give it a try!



2. What a total waste of time this book was. I read, or should I say endured, about 60-pages of it before wanting to throw it out a closed window. No story-line, just some incoherent ramblings. He would have been better to take the year off and do a creative writing course.



3. This book is ok - not excellent - if you give it 5 stars you really need to read some more books. It is somewhat interesting in describing the life of a surfer but its extremely repetitive, it drags on and its lacking in any action and that certain something that seperates the wheat from the chafe.
   
   You can almost feel the editor saying we need to spice this up - what about sharks - so there are forays into sharks and surfers. It gets ridiculous when he writes about being scared to pee in the water because a great white will smell it and come in and chomp you. Yes - that is really a huge concern I think 100 surfers were eaten by great whites last after they peed in the ocean.
   
   If you are going to read this book - read the first few chapters and then put it down because the book, you won't miss anything later on - except for silly shark myths.



4. Look, If you want to read a book about the important aspects of life, more important than making money and going to school (sure it seems impossible and even I have fallen into the monotonous doldrum of capitalist existance) read this memoir. It will teach you life. I've read it 3 times over the past year and each time my yearning for the coast grows. Unfortunately I'm stuck in Cleveland, Ohio and all I have are dreams and books.



5. Daniel Duane got it right in "Caught Inside". I know the neighborhood well and the town and coast that the author describes. I am a local. It is a time and place well observed and thoughtfully related. If you don't surf, don't be put off by the title. It is even better if you do surf, as you will recognize some of the characters in the book and the rich experiences in the water. With wry wit and enthusiasm, the tale unfolds of a year spent in the pure pursuit of living. By the way, it's freezing here, the surf sucks and the water is full of sharks.

5 comments about Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life.

1. Play "Fill In The Blanks" and say, "Hammerin' Hank ___________," and many baseball fans will answer (correctly) "Aaron." Others will answer (just as correctly) "Greenberg," for before there was Hammerin' Hank Aaron of the Braves there was Hammerin' Hank Greenberg (1911-1986) of the Tigers. Greenberg played baseball for the Tigers in the mid-1930s to mid-1940s, and is considered by many pundits to be the third greatest hitter in baseball history, after Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. With 58 homers in 1938, he nearly matched the Babe's single season home run record of 60; with 182 RBIs in 1937, he nearly matched the Iron Horse's record of 183. A target of vicious abuse because of his ethnicity, he has been compared to Jackie Robinson as well.
   
   To call Greenberg "the Jewish Jackie Robinson" however, is not entirely accurate. Although baseball could never have been identified as a "Jewish" sport (as were basketball and boxing at various times), Jews have played baseball professionally since the inception of the game. Baseball has always been dominated by men with rural backgrounds. Many Jewish players changed their names in the era of Restriction---Johnny Cooney was Jacob Cohen off the field---but Jews did take a small but active role in our National Pastime, nonetheless.
   
   Few Jewish players were as conspicuous as Greenberg, however, and none had yet made the Hall of Fame. A prodigious hitter, the 6-4, 215 lb. Greenberg was hard to miss. In an era of unrestrained "bench jockeying," Greenberg was a favored target. Bench jockeys played a nasty but effective role in keeping opposing players off-balance by yelling all kinds of obscenities and epithets from the dugout. Nothing was out-of-bounds, and this was particularly true with Greenberg, who was called everything from "Moses" to "Hook Nose," and far worse.
   
   Much to Greenberg's credit, he does not dwell overlong on anti-Semitism in this autobiography. Unfinished at the time of his death, the book was edited by Greenberg's friend Ira Berkow, who relied on the record books, newspapers and reminiscences of Greenberg's friends, relatives, and professional colleagues to provide missing background material and a sense of continuity to Greenberg's story. The result is an interesting amalgam: For example, Greenberg gives little credence to the idea that he was foiled in breaking the Babe's home run record because opposing pitchers did not want a Jew (in particular) to hit 61; however, others admit that this was at least a partial motivation amongst some pitchers. Greenberg modestly describes his success as due to very hard work, saying that he was "not a natural player." Other voices disagree. His two American League MVP elections might be due to either or both. His elevation to the Hall of Fame was especially well-deserved. Still, Greenberg says that had the NBA existed in his youth he would have chosen to play basketball instead.
   
   Sandy Koufax, the Brooklyn Dodger pitcher, and the only other Jewish player elected to the Hall of Fame, was once asked if Greenberg had been his inspiration. Koufax admitted that he had hardly heard of Greenberg before entering baseball, and that he had initially been less interested in playing professional baseball than in playing pro basketball!
   
   Both Greenberg and Koufax made headlines by refusing to play in World Series games on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish year. Greenberg was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956. Koufax was elected in 1972. Greenberg and Koufax are the first two Jewish players so honored.
   
   Like many physically imposing men, Greenberg was a quiet man, who got into few altercations, although he occasionally does admit to "wanting to beat the [ahem]" out of mouthy players. He greeted Jackie Robinson's debut enthusiastically, and was one of the few players in baseball to openly befriend Jackie in 1947 (Greenberg's last year on the field). Both men had problems with Ben Chapman, a player/manager who once released a black cat onto the field while Robinson was playing and openly admitted he hated Robinson for his color. Greenberg is uncharacteristically sharp about Chapman, calling him a "Jew-baiter" who "hated" him as well. Such is Mr. Chapman's legacy.
   
   Greenberg became a team owner/manager after his retirement. His career-long observations on the business of baseball are enlightening: "Branch Rickey would have rather had a second place team since he didn't have to pay his players as much, but could still rely on a good gate," in describing the foibles of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The business of baseball as Greenberg sees it, is cutthroat, owners have "no integrity" and players have little value except as commodities. Greenberg admits candidly that his opinions come partly from his disgust with the manner in which he was treated by Tigers management after sixteen seasons. That may be why Greenberg helped establish the Players Pension Plan, and why he supported Free Agency. In his earliest years, Greenberg held out for decent pay, and his contract negotiation letters to Tigers owner Frank Navin are overly cocky. Fortunately, Navin saw talent in the young Greenberg, and compensated him well, though not as well as Greenberg would have liked. Still, he was making $35,000.00 a year during the Depression, not chicken feed. Years later, with new management, Greenberg left the Tigers over a salary dispute, although the Tigers put the onus on Greenberg for wearing Yankee pinstripes during an Armed Services morale-building exhibition game in 1945 (no Detriot Tigers uniform was available for Greenberg).
   
   Hank Greenberg lost four solid seasons during the war years. It is open to speculation what he would have accomplished in those years, as he was still in the prime of his career. In 1946, Greenberg held the season record for home runs; in 1947, he was unceremoniously sent from the first place AL Tigers to the last place NL Pirates, where he played desultory baseball. Then he retired to become a club owner and an investment banker.
   
   Having left NYU to play ball, he never got his Baccalaureate Degree, but he accomplished so much else. A memorable player whose accomplishments have been dimmed by time, Greenberg "should have been Commissioner of Baseball," according to Ralph Kiner. "No one was better qualified."
   
   As for himself, Greenberg says self-deprecatingly that he is the "bum" of Mr. and Mrs. Greenberg's children.
   
   Had Hank Greenberg been ten years younger he probably would have played for his hometown, been a Brooklyn Bum, and an outstanding addition to The Boys of Summer.
   
   A fine story, by and about a fine human being, HANK GREENBERG: THE STORY OF MY LIFE is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



2. This book was a popular success and it inspired the production of first rate documentary film. Hank Greenberg was a phenomenal baseball player, who perfected his hitting techniques through long hours of practice. As one of the few Jewish athletes in professional sports, Greenberg, who was largely secular in his personal life, became a target for anti-Semites and a symbol to Jewish children and sports fans. Although raised in New York, Greenberg was signed by the Detroit Tigers and spent most of his career in the Motor City. He played on four pennant teams, including two World Series champions. He served in World War Two and rejoined the Tigers in time to help the club win 1945 pennant by hitting a grand slam on the last day of the season. Greenberg won the American League MVP award at two different positions, first base and outfield. He was a productive slugger who drove in runs constantly. Greenberg felt RBIs were the most important statistical category for hitters. After his playing career concluded with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Greenberg became a baseball executive, but the book does not dwell on that too much. Nevertheless, this autobiography is most enjoyable. Greenberg died before completing the manuscript, but a capable baseball writer, Ira Berkow, was able to finish the book.



3. This revealing autobiography of slugger Hank Greenberg (1911-1986) makes for excellent reading. Greenberg was baseball's first Jewish superstar, a massive (6-4, 215 lbs), popular, intelligent player. Greenberg's immigrant parents disliked his decision to play baseball, but by the mid-1930's he was slugging the Detroit Tigers to pennants and his mother found herself a celebrity in her mostly-Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx. Greenberg's popularity probably reduced the amount of anti-Semitic abuse he faced - abuse that he often answered with his bat. Greenberg lost nearly five seasons to military service during World War II, and he left the game after 1947 to become a talented baseball executive and later an investment broker. All is described in these readable pages, along with Greenberg's views on famous controversies. Did opposing hurlers purposely walk him as he closed in on Babe Ruth's home run record in 1938? Was he unfairly drafted prior to Pearl Harbor? Should he play on major Jewish holidays? His answers ("no") are given at length. In his last year with Pittsburgh, Greenberg also encouraged a rookie named Jackie Robinson who faced similar but much greater abuse.
   
   Greenberg was intelligent, dedicated, and surprisingly modest. He passed away before this book was finished, at which point journalist Ira Berkow filled in the gaps with interviews and anecdotes. This is an intelligent and readable biography about one of baseball's most impressive men.



4. Hank Greenberg's parents and the people of his neighborhood thought he would be a 'bum' because all he wanted to do was play ball. As a child and young man he played and practiced. And awkward because of his unusual height and size he in a way hid from the world by being on the ballfield. As a result of this practice he became one of the greatest right- hand hitters the game ever saw, and the first great Jewish baseball star.
   This book tells his story with clarity, and frankness. It very much captures the spirit of a more innocent time. It too is an example of the American dream come true, of how through hard work and application one can rise to the top.
   Greenberg missed four years of his career because of the Second World War but when he came home he again led his team to a world - championship.
   He also proved himself a person of character in the way he dealt with the many insults he received from other ballplayers. He used them to help further motivate himself to excellence on the playing field.
   His parents again feared that he would become a 'bum'. But instead he proved to be one of the greatest long-ball hitters the game has ever seen.



5. Reading this book gave me a good understanding of Hank Greenberg the ballplayer as well as Hank Greenberg the man. In terms of the former, Greenberg's words as well as the words of others make it quite clear that he was extremely competitive and incredibly hard working as well. These attributes, as well as his size, strength, and intelligence were undoubtedly of the utmost importance in the making of a Hall of Fame performer.
   
   Of course, Greenberg was more than just a baseball player, and one thing that impressed me as I read this book was his ability as a businessman. It's obvious that he handled his own contract negotiations quite well when he was playing, and as we learn in this book, he also became an accomplished baseball executive as well as a capable stock market investor after his playing days were over.
   
   I assume that most people know about the anti-Semitic taunts that Greenberg had do deal with when he played, and this is certainly one aspect of his experience that is captured in the book. However, more importantly, his story allows us to understand that while he hated those taunts, he also used them to motivate himself. This I found most impressive.
   
   Hank Greenberg was certainly not a perfect man, and reading between the lines I can see how his competitive nature and his pride might have rubbed some people the wrong way. Yet, all in all, he comes across as a thoughtful and generous person, and as a role model for past, present, and future generations.

2 comments about Put Me Back on My Bike: In Search of Tom Simpson.

1. A quick and engaging book for anyone interested in professional cycling and a historical perspective on one of the most impactful events of TDF history. Written without judgement and very matter of fact regarding drug use and how the "wink and a nod" attitude about it was so pervasive in the early 1960's cycling scene.



2. As a bike-mad teenager growing up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Tom Simpson was the closest thing to a childhood hero that I had. His racing exploits used to make the headlines in the local paper, and I went to the cinema to see the Movietone News reports of his Classic wins in Europe. On a gas-pipe special bike that was far too big for me I tore around the lanes thinking that I was almost as fast as Tom. Along with thousands of other naive bike racing fans I stood out in the rain the day he was buried in Harworth, and cried, and did not understand.

   I read all the books and articles subsequently written about Tom, watched all the programs and videos, and over the years have been left with a cardboard-cutout impression of a talented, ambitious athlete who just tried too hard. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, after all, a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Now William Fotheringham's new book has added a whole new dimension to that flat cardboard cutout, and put real flesh and blood on the dry bones of Tom's story. Far more than a seedy drugs expose, the book puts the many aspects of Tom's character and the various pressures on him in his chosen career into perspective, and into the context of his life and untimely death. There is neither commendation nor condemnation of Tom, but he emerges from this book, as from no other book, as a real person, a real character, a real "lad".

   I am now in my second childhood, and Tom is still my hero, and tears still come to my eyes when I think about him, but now I do believe I finally understand.

5 comments about Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game.

1. but I loved reading this book. So much info in there about the history of the game and the Boston Celtics. We'll miss ya Red!



2. great book awesome stories. i actual went by the restaurant wherte they eat. The game lost an amazing lifer.



3. Of all the Sports that Feinstein covers I think he covers Basketball Best.
   This is a superb tale of the Legendary Boston Celtic's LEADER. I was told that Red grew up in the DC area going to a Segregated Roosevelt High School. I wondered how someone coming from a Segregated Environment could draft one of the first 3 African Americans in the Now NBA. Also how he could select the first African American Coach. Well he grew up in Brooklyn in a multi-cultural Neighborhood. Fascinating stories about the Carnegie Deli area. He went to college in DC (GW) (Which I knew), and then later taught at Roosevelt (Which may have been where the confusion started.) I think it helped that I have been in the Chinatown Restaurants that are the setting for a lot of the stories, This an absolutely Great Read, and one of Feinstein's best.



4. I have never been a fan of the Celtics, but a big basketball fan none the less. Having said that, this book was perfect for me. It is a in-depth, personal look into the life of the greatest coach in basketball history, as told not only by the man himself, but the great writer John Feinstein. This book gives great insight not only the the makings of the Celtic dynasty, but into the beginnings of the games, and how Red has shaped the game into what it is today. Must read for all basketball fans.



5. I'm not the greatest John Feinstein fan. Sometimes he's really good, but sometimes he just seems like he's trying to be elitist. But when I heard about this book, I put it on my list to buy. Two years later I finally got around to it. My loss.
   
   Red Auerbach was the institutional memory of the NBA as well as the guy who created the Celtic dynasty. He was a master storyteller and collector of people. This book is the story of lunch with Red every Tuesday, 11am @ the China Doll restaurant. Just as importantly it is the story of the people Red collected and his influence on their lives.
   
   No one will claim this book is objective-it's not supposed to be. I'm sure Red had flaws, but I really don't care. For older boomers he and John Wooden define greatness in basketball. I'm just glad to have the stories.

2 comments about Waterlog.

1. This book kept me company through a cold late winter and spring, easing me through green waterways and onward toward more and more pure experience. Reading it, I felt as if I were lying somewhere sylvan, watching light flicker through leaves. Deakin's prose is so infused with his appreciation of the natural world that the reader breathes it in and feels more relaxed and, well, at one with the world. His vignettes of the quirky people who practice wild swimming are great mini-essays, too, more gentle and sympathetic than, say, Bill Bryson's. I for one will miss his voice sorely.



2. Perhaps this will appeal mostly to readers with some history and experience of the UK landscape. Deakin is eccentric in his passion for swimming "wild" and takes us with him on a personal odyssey of exploring the coastal and inland swims around Britain.

   His writing very effectively describes both the athletic demands of his undertaking and things ecological and to do with the natural history of UK waters, in vibrant detail. The sceptics among us are nevertheless buoyed up by his passion for the subject.
   In addition, he has researched the local history of most of the swimming venues and is able to account some interesting tidbit with each swim. Deakin entertained me with his various references to other literary works and to more generally celebrated persons or events in the British psyche. This all combines to create a gently nostalgic account of British water-landscapes, which are in the most part lost to the majority of its inhabitants today.

   I was left knowing very little about the man, but hungry for more anecdotes of other swims. Quite charming.

1 comments about Counterfeit Amateurs: An Athlete's Journey Through the Sixties to the Age of Academic Capitalism.

1. This book is poignant, shocking, and true.
   
   I've read over a dozen books on the problems of college athletes and college athletics and all the hypocrisy and failed attempts to solve these problems.
   
   What makes this book so fascinating is that it's not a dry study or philosophical discussion. This book is first-hand information. The author actually was a superlative football player at Notre Dame, who turned down an offer from the pros, and immediately entered graduate school and obtained his Ph.D.
   
   Dr. Sack has devoted his professional life to the pursuit of the purity of amateur athleticism in college sports. You won't believe the obstacles he has encountered -- and overcome -- in becoming a true expert on the subject.
   
   If you could own only one book about the power and politics of college athletics and how they have literally taken control over the NCAA, college presidents, athletic directors, coaches, boosters, players, and even the court system, GET THIS BOOK. You will see an old-boys' network that got started over a half century ago, and has created and nurtured a monster that is out of control -- and out of view of almost every fan in the country.
   
   What's in this book, you will never see on ESPN or the mainstream media (sports or otherwise), who genuflect at the cash cow of college sports and refuse to upset the gravy train. If you think that entire major college sport dynasties can't come crashing down overnight -- and the wrecking crew may already be in Washington, D.C. -- GET THIS BOOK.
   
   Bluntly, there is an incredible amount of hype and glitter to college sports. From outward appearances, it seems so strong, so vibrant, so pervasive. Closer inspection shows it's rotting from within and its influence is ruining the lives of college athletes. Dr. Sack doesn't just give you the problems, he gives you the solution, and that clarion call may be the only salvation for college athletics.