5 comments about In the Pit with Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy.

1. In the Pit With Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy does not disappoint. Raither it educates the reader with Piper not holding back. Remember, Piper is not under contract when he wrote this book so he did not pen this book out of fear of upsetting a promoter. Piper lays the wrestling business all out for the reader and the reader sees an unwritten message about the wrestling industry: "all that glitters isn't gold."
   What Piper does best in this book is he freely admits he's not perfect. He admits he did some stupid things during his time on the road. However, Piper does has a redeeming quality about his views of life on the road. In the end it was all about supporting his family and finally getting home to his family.
   Piper also shows how so many wrestlers were responsible for the boom of the WWF in the 1980s but only a select few were justly appreciated. Case in point read Piper's take on the aftermath of treatment he and Hogan received before and after Wrestlemania. Also, Piper lets the reader in on how shady promoters can be. A few saying Piper uses to illustrate this point: "if you can walk you can wrestle," and "if you're going to die die in the ring its good for business." Piper's stories about his less than friendly relationship with Mr. T is worth a look. You can't but help but understand Piper's reasons for refusing to take a dive to a movie star, they're not in his business and don't know anything about how to improve wrestling.
   Piper's book does bring up a hard fact, wrestling has changed for the worse. Piper lets the reader know how wrestling has declined and the best thing Piper does is hold out hope that improvments will come in time. In the end pick up Piper's book and be prepared to never look at the wrestling industry the same when you finish. Piper not only relates the rigors of his life in wrestling, he teaches you the two contrasting views of the wrestling business and himself. Wrestling: money comes first and to Hell with you and your family. Piper: his wife and kids come first. Piper has the better view!



2. I have been a fan of wrestling for a while now (from the days when it was cool to now, when you see a bunch of 'roided up mutants with the speed and mobility of continental drift). I bought this book because it was the only one in the local bookstore that was written by a wrestler of the previous era of wrestling.
   
   I had mixed feelings at the end of the book. On one hand it was certainly a book from the heart and there was not much (if any)ghost writing. No ghost writer could write this choppily! Far from making the book worse, the piecemeal style of Piper makes this book all the more enjoyable as you don't expect to see Shakespeare but something straight from the heart. Some stories were outright disturbing, but I liked Piper's honesty and straight-shooting style even when telling such stories. He didn't try to hide behind a facade of morality or fake regret. He seemed to call 'em as he saw 'em in the book.
   
   The story about Theodore Roosevelt Reid was especially touching and it exemplified the fickle world of wrestling. Piper told it beautifully.
   
   But there were too many things about the book that I didn't like. First, and most glaring, the self-aggrandization. Sure, Piper was a great wrestler and he could actually make squibs like Hogan look good, but to attribute to himself the sudden popularity of wrestling in the 80's and 90's is going a bit too far. He makes it sound like it was him who turned the world of wrestling around. Much as I love the guy I can't help but call bullcrap here. But to be fair to him, he does admit that he, like all other wrestlers, has a huge ego.
   
   Besides, to claim that the world of wrestling changed because of his interviews is a bit much!
   
   Another thing about this book I didn't like was the fact that a huge chunk of it was devoted to his time before the WWF and the WCW. This may have been intentional, to show the world that there was more to wrestling than WWE, but for many of us outside the US, (I am in Singapore), our first exposure to wrestling and guys like Piper was through the WWF and I personally wish that he had given greater exposure to his feuds in the WWF and WCW, because those were feuds we can relate to. He does mention occasional feuds with Adrian Adonis and especially Ric Flair, and then the Hart brothers but he could have given these more detailed coverage than a feud in a promotion no one has heard about.
   
   Of course one can't please everyone, but I wish he had.
   
   Another issue about Piper's writing which I didn't like was he tends to come off as someone who believes that the world of wrestling is immune to criticism, no matter what these guys get up to (including what might be called attempted murder). His reactions to fans who claim wrestling is fake sounds rather disturbing (including at one point saying, he'll choke your guts out before you get the words out of your mouth). While appearing to be a tough, no-nonsense streetfighter at other times, when he starts to pontificate about how tough wrestlers have it and all, he comes across as just being thin skinned and whiney.
   
   Piper was one guy who didn't need a championship belt to get over with fans. In the WWF he only won the Intercontinental title once but that did not diminish his immense appeal one bit but his writing is something that has not quite lived up to his reputation as a wrestler and speaker.



3. Informative read but also very one sided and littered with self promotion , which isnt that surprising all things considered.
   Piper is very old school in his handling of the story and his storys are told with a strong sense of " my era was about real men being real men goddamnit"
   His ego was in no way kept in check and at times hesimply got carried away with his telling of a story .
   Still i think if he'd been able to write this book back at the height of his career it might of come out a little less jaded .
   Still i was glad to see he didnt get on his soap box and rant on about the tragic death of Owen Hart , which i thought he would considering how hes addressed the subject in past .



4. A wrestler you loved to hate and a man you couldn't not love and respect. I had the opportunity to meet Roddy and have him sign my book.
   
   A great read and an insight to the mind and life of those who choose to wrestle. The many men who met an early demise due to this activity. I highly recommend for anyone who grew up watching professional wrestling.



5. Roddy Piper is one of the most colorful people alive. This book is a great look at his life. The book is a fascinating read about an interesting man.
   
   This book doesn't tell much about his childhood nor about his private life, but it does give a good look at his public life. As an admitted Piper fan, I absolutely loved this book.
   
   I had the pleasure of interviewing Roddy after the book was published. His regret was that too much was left out due to circumstances beyond his control. My only hope is that Roddy comes out with another book and tells more of his story.

5 comments about Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Sport and Society).

1. THis is one of the best sports biographies I have read.Its very well written, very unbiased,sensitive and portrays an accurate picture of this amazing human being. Its also a fun read and reveals a side of the Babe,her pranks,egocentric often annoying style, that few knew.In my mind she surely was the greatest woman,s athlete and this book truly does her justice.You won,t be disappointed



2. Amazing champion this lady was. Her accomplishments in a short life are dazzling. Like many others naturally gifted with athleticism and a burning desire to compete and win, Babe did just that.

   This is well written, but suffers from my own perspective with an underlying desire to document how cruel and unmodern Babe's cultural times were to not allow lesbian relationships to be openly exposed and women to be subjected to conformity.

   We live in just the reversal, where abnormality shines brightly as acceptable or even desirable, and where has this sexual revolution gotten our society?

   Babe loved the game of golf, and my interest was primarily in this achievement area of her career. She should deserve more recognition as one of the game's truly greats!




3. Since I am from Beaumont, Texas (South Park) and a fan of the BABE, I found the book a very interesting read. I was unaware of the Babe's relationship with Betty Dodd; however, I feel that an individual's sexual life is their own business. I can't help but wonder how the author could have been sure of their special relationship without ever being in the same bedroom with them??? Changing her colostomy bag is hardly a sexual act, but the type of action from a nurse, close relative or friend.



4. As a former student of Dr. Susan Cayleff, I found the book to be a wonderful and informative read. Knowing Dr. Cayleff and her constant search for truth and knowledge of women and their accomplishments, this book is one more testament to her thoroughness, her brilliance as an academic, and the passions that she imbues in her students - - the fire of wanting to know more about women,who and what they are, who and what they have been, and who and what they can become. Anything that Dr. Cayleff writes stands as witness to her intellect, her love of the written word, and her desire to spread the joyous news of women's feats and accomplishments. Is it any wonder that this book was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize? Keep them coming Susan. The next one will be terrific too, after all, I had the opportunity to be one of your research assistants for the next book. Thank you for all of it, the books, the awareness that you instilled and inspired in so many of your students and readers, for your caring about humanity in general, and women in particular.



5. Cayleff has thoroughly researched and documented Babe's life and times. She conducted extensive interviews with surviving members of Babe's family, friends, and partner (Betty Dodd). Cayleff also incorporated massive amounts of journalistic accounts--sports writers, magazines accounts, etc. This is not a fluff biography--the book will teach you about what it meant to be a woman in Babe's time, what it meant to be a female athlete, and how Babe managed--and manipulated--these things. Babe fans will learn more about her, and scholars will be able to follow up on Cayleff's work through her extensive endnotes. This is the first book to tell of Babe's relationship with Betty Dodd, but Cayleff does not label it "lesbian." That is because Babe herself never did. Remember that this was the 1950s. They were life partners, spouses. The loved each other. Cayleff's book is important for bringing this relationship to light, as well as many other hidden realities of Didrikson's life--her heroism as an "out" cancer patient (when it was taboo to talk about it), as well as how Babe manipulated the press. As dozens of published book review has stated (see quotes above at this cite), this is absolutely THE most extensive research ever done on Babe. I've seen rave reviews of the book in SOJOURNER, WEST COAST WOMAN, WOMEN'S REVIEW OF BOOKS, and SPORTS HISTORY REVIEW, among many others.

5 comments about Autumn Lightning: The Education of an American Samurai.

1. "Autumn Lightning" by Dave Lowry appeared to me as a combination of biographical sketch mixed generously with Japanese History, and Spirituality.
   
   The book (for me) was in itself, a "Fair Read," but not necessarily one that will become part of my spirit. Much of this could however, be due to my age. While reading this book, I was often reminded of the movie; "The Karate Kid." In that movie; "Daniel Larusso" becomes "Miyagi-fied" and is turned into a great Marshal Artist. Likewise, Dave Lowry in this book becomes "Kotaro-fied" and emerges as a great Occidental swordsman.
   
   I own one other book by Mr. Lowry on the "Art of Kendo" complete with photographic examples, and many teaching comments that have been very helpful to me.
   
   Mr. Lowry writes and teaches out of sheer devotion and love of the subject, and for this; I truly applaud and respect him! I believe this to be a worthy book but, probably for a younger individual looking for a mentor of desciplines that help to develope spirit and physical attributes.



2. Dave Lowry offers a perspective in his books not often available to the Western martial arts practitioner - a considered interpretation of modern martial arts in the context of traditional (koryu) arts.
   
   Written in a exceptionally approachable style, Lowry tells the story of his introduction to martial arts, interspersed with anecdotes from Japanese martial history.
   
   Lowry's books provide me with insights into my own training and have helped me grow as a martial artist. Rather than the simple discussion of technique, his essays delve into the "-do" of the arts



3. One of my all-time favorites, it's recommended reading for all of my students. Mr. Lowry's story is similar to my own. He tells his tale with crisp and humorous writing that has you on the edge of your seat and then lets you sit back and chuckle. A wonderful classic.
   If you don't have a copy, you're really missing out.



4. This is a great read for anyone interested in learning about the history of the Yagyu Shinkage Ryu of swordmanship. Woven into this history are the events that lead Lowry into studying this Ryu and his dynamic interaction with his Sensei.



5. I've recently reread all the books I have on martial arts, Japan, Japanese culture and history. When I find a passage that really strikes me, I underline it and dog-ear the page. After finishing the handful of books I already have, I came to Amazon to find more. Dave Lowry's book seemed interesting from reading the first few pages available online. Little did I know I would be underlining and dog-earing most of the pages in the rest of the book! An excellent read for new or experienced readers in Japanese history, culture and/or martial arts. I highly recommend it!

3 comments about Billy Williams: My Sweet-Swinging Lifetime With the Cubs.

1. I adored this book. But then, I can recite the starting lineup for the 1969 Cubs. Make no mistake about it, that very special, charismatic and heartbreaking team is at the center of this book. Williams talks about Sammy Sosa, touches upon his time with Ryne Sandberg, but for the most part, this is about Kess and Beck, Santo and Pepi, Leo and Fergie and Mr. Cub, and all the other Wrigley Field heroes of the mid 60's and early 1970s. If those names don't warm your heart and make you smile, I'm not sure this book will hold your interest.
   
   Billy Williams has some terrific stories to tell about how prevalent racism was in America, and in sports, in the recent past. He reports them in austere language that somehow increases their impact. But I wish there was more about the day-to-day life of a ballplayer, and especially this extraordinary man. So many of his stories include this player's first wife or that player's new wife or so-and-so's divorce, yet Williams and his wife faced the same struggles and have been married for decades, successfully raising four daughters and doting on grandchildren Maybe it's because I'm a chick and I love a love story, but I would have enjoyed a few insights into their enduring union.



2. Williams is not shy in telling about the discrimination he and other people of color experienced during his minor league and major league career. I enjoyed his recollection and feelings regarding the Cubs' 1969 collapse and his memories of a large number of his former teammates.



3. It is an honor to be the first person to review this excellent book about the life of Billy Williams. In an age of baseball books called Vindicated and stories of steroids and other sordid aspects of the game it is refreshing to read this book about a player who exemplified class and a love for the game of baseball and a love for one woman his entire adult life.
   
   I am a lifelong Cubs fan and I began following the team in around 1965 when I was 7 years old. Everyone knew about Ernie Banks back in those days but Billy Williams was a very unsung hero of those teams. I once saw him get 5 hits in one game.
   
   In the book Billy is pretty outspoken about the racism he encountered as he moved up in the cubs organization. He came very close to quitting for good and what a shame that would have been if Buck O'Neill hadn't tracked Billy down and brought him to his senses.
   
   My favorite chapter was one where Billy goes down a long list of his cubs teammates giving us glimpses into what it was to be a baseball player before the years of free agency and exorbitant salaries.
   
   Billy also talks about his time with the Oakland A's just after they had won their three championships in a row.
   He discusses his desire to manage in the major leagues and his years of coaching for the A's and the Cubs and his experiences with Sammy Sosa during the 1998 season.
   The book concludes with the text of Billy's Hall of Fame speech.
   If you followed the Cubs during the 60's and 70's this book will be a nice trip down memory lane.

5 comments about Evangelist of Golf: The Story of Charles Blair MacDonald.

1. Not QUITE the usual coffee-table sized book, this rich volume taught me more about golf course architecture - really, the thought behind a thinking-player's course - than anything else I've read. Yes, it's a professional biography of one architect, with a lot about his protege, Seth Raynor, but MacDonald was the consummate perfectionist, studying the subject and contemplating his creations perhaps more deeply than anyone else.
   
   The result of his research and reflection was a career marked by the quality rather than the quantity of his work. His courses are timeless, incorporating a similar "menu" of classic holes modified and improved to fit the local terrain and prevailing conditions.
   
   Bahto's account of MacDonald's life and work is refreshingly frank and conversational. He makes no attempt to gloss over MacDonald's cranky arrogance, perhaps because such a temperament is so often linked to genuis. In my opinion this gives the text extra credibility, as do Bahto's wonderfully precise schematic diagrams of so many of MacDonald's creations.
   
   My only complaint is that the quality of the photographs is very uneven and often poor. It's a shame that the publisher couldn't have waited a year or two and sent a professional to shoot the holes with a high-res camera in good light. I wouldn't have wanted to see calendar-style glossies, but I would have enjoyed higher contrast, less grainy photographs to match the clear and illuminating prose.
   
   Despite this minor quibble I'm giving the book a top rating, for it illustrates the Purpose behind deliberate, elegant - yet always playful - golf course design at its highest level. If you can, give this to someone who loves golf and takes it seriously. It would be a wonderful way of showing them how much you appreciate their passion for the game.



2. This is an awesome review of C.B. MacDonald but is mainly a book about the road to creating the National Golf Links.
   
   Of course, there's a healthy dose of Raynor as well, but this makes complete sense. Whereas MacDonald would create the course designs and plans, Raynor would most often turn around and handle the course development.
   
   I think the research and the writing behind this from Bahto is most excellent + no sugar coating. Simple honest unbiased delivery of what happened and how, but even more importantly you will "know" the National.
   
   Picture wise, I thought the historical pics were very interesting. However, I thought it was rather difficult to match up any "pre" and "post" pics for any of the changes that took place to any of the holes being described. Furthermore, there were several recent color pics that were repeated in various sections. Unfortunately, I didn't think several of the pictures conveyed what the text was trying to explain at times. Few angles were used to show by pictures what was making each and every hole so special.
   
   Other than that, I highly recommend this book for its content. Very well done overall. Above all, the description of each hole and how they work together to create a seamless golfing experience is the best I've read thus far. The supporting hole drawings help as well to complete the course visualizing. I just think I could visit the National tomorrow and would be as ready as possible to play it from a course management perspective. You just sense you'd know what to look out for and appreciate.
   
   There's also a strong review of the Yale course and I think the Lido review, although brief, was most interesting. What a course the Lido must have been to play.
   
   Excellent.



3. A wonderful work by Mr. Bahto. A must read for any serious golf architecture student. The photos and drawings are amazing. The chapter on National is worth the price of the book alone. Great read.



4. The "Evangalist" should be sufficient to re-direct the path of contemporary golf course design from its current preoccupation with window dressing and waterfalls to the structural soundness and strategic integrity inherent in Macdonald/Raynor's work. Devotees of this book will require hospitalization the next time they hear the hot architect of the day say that he doesn't want to adapt old principles when there are "so many new strategies yet to be developed".



5. The "Evangalist" should be sufficient to re-direct the path of contemporary golf course design from its current preoccupation with window dressing and waterfalls to the structural soundness and strategic integrity inherent in Macdonald/Raynor's work. Devotees of this book will require hospitalization the next time they hear the hot architect of the day say that he doesn't want to adapt old principles when there are "so many new strategies yet to be developed".

5 comments about The High Lonesome: Epic Solo Climbing Stories.

1. This is a collection of stories about climbing alone. Some of them are well written, some are a bit bland, but all of them are exciting. However, the appeal to non-climbers might be a bit limited, because it's hard to explain climbing's intensity to someone who hasn't been there.
   
   "Just don't fall!" said the soloist to himself.
   
   Oh, wait. That's redundant.



2. As a climber, you become comfortable with the uncomfortable, but that is because you have a rope between you and the great beyond. These stories become even more amazing when you think deeply and appreciatively of the mental control over fear that these individuals master, which goes beyond the obvious physical mastery to climb solo. The stories give you a glimpse into the psyche of people who are true individuals. Whatever your view on their sanity or motivation, it is gripping stuff. One note, if you are John Long fan, this book is edited by Long, not written by him. But he combines great stories and insightful prologues.



3. Another great John Long compilation!! Read while on a business trip & could hardly put it down, really saved me from the travel boredom. Any climber can relate to the drama & excitement!



4. This is an easy, quick read that will entertain if you like climbing stories. While I enjoyed reading this book as I have all of Long's climbing stories, I just can't see the thrill of tackling mountains alone. The element of danger is raised exponentially. Therefore, I didn't identify with the climbers and why they take this risk. It does detail these climbers and why so many feel the desire to climb alone in dangerous conditions. Personally, it just made me more comfortable on an indoor rock wall. Climbers will still enjoy the read however.



5. This Book was awesome. It kept me on the edge of my feet. John Long is a great climbing author and I haven't read a bad book from him yet. If you want to be on your feet and like to be excited, this is the one for you.

5 comments about Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion.

1. Informative book of a great climber who was destroyed both professionally and personally with never proven claims of doping. Like probably almost all of his generation Pantani almost certainly doped yet he was the one who was singled out. Such a sad story of a great climber who eventaully died from non-performance enhancing drug abuse.



2. This is an excelent chronicle of one of history's greatest climbers. Because it presents both sides of the story, this book is worth a read. Contains scientific data as well as multitudes of tabloid-ish material. However, because it does, it tells the whole story. Marco Pantani, while an outstanding athlete, was the Britney Spears of Italian Cycling. This book captures that scene well!



3. One does not expect great literature in a sports biography and this book meets those expectations. However, it does succeed in making you feel like you do get to know Pantani - and it does give a lot of facts that help you to piece together the story and, probably, what was behind it.
   
   Anyone who still thinks that "certain riders" didn't take performance-enhancing substances should read this book (especially the interview with his ex-girlfriend).
   
   Anyone who wants more insight into the TDF should read this book.
   
   Anyone who knows even a little about Pantani and wants to understand his tragic story should read this book.



4. Beginning with Marco's own words written on nine pages torn from his own passport mere months before his tragic death, "Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion" both starts and culminates with his final goodbye to the world with his last defiant act fired back at those he felt were ultimately responsible for his demise. The book retraces Marco's remarkable assent to the top of both his sport and life starting from his meager upbringing as a plumbers son in Cesena, Italy to his drug induced death on valentines day 2004.
   
   Aboard his first racing bike, a bright red Vicini, Marco won his first race at the age of 14 and never looked back. Although a quick read at only 181 pages, the authors not only rekindle Marco's spirit in the reader, but allow one to step back in time and relive some of the most memorable exploits in modern cycling history when many of us sat riveted in front of our televisions, saying to ourselves, "There he goes", as the mountains pitched upward. For how welcoming these memories are however, the tragic side of the plot is intertwined throughout, reaching a climax with the only published interview to date of Marco's estranged girlfriend of seven years Christina Jonsson.
   
   Although Marco's ultimate public demise might have begun on June 5, 1999 at Madonna di Campiglio.... "that black day when his Giro d'Italia pink jersey was tarnished with blood", Marco's fall into his own personal abyss ran far deeper than most would ever know. Christina openly acknowledges in her interview of Marco's competitive doping practices. With nothing held back beyond the tears, she goes as far as telling how she would assist in holding his arm while he injected himself and of the "products he had forever in a sealed container in the fridge". The beautiful sport of cycling has become, she states, "an incredible hypocrisy..... Marco had to accept to race in a system that didn't allow him not to dope". She goes on to say what most of us choose not to or simply hope isn't the case when adding up the current state of the professional peleton..... "To dope means searching to improve your performance to give a better show and to feed dreams. They pay these athletes because they allow people to dream, that's all. If there is no longer a show there's no more emotion and nothing to relate to."
   
   Governing bodies need to make a statement from time to time to legitimize their ability to turn a blind eye to he true reality of the situation. One might have hoped that the circumstances behind Marco's passing could serve as a wakeup call for both cycling and the greater sporting world, but it seems that history does in fact tend to repeat itself and the cancer in cycling only continues to grow. One only needs to look at the recent expulsion of Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso (among others) from starting the 2006 Tour de France. Marco wasn't the first tragic story and he will by no means be the last. Let's just hope the stories of others don't end with the same misfortune as that of Marco. Tragic yes... champion even more so.
   
   The thumb screws were tightened in Marco's case such that his tragic spiral downward appeared to be of his own hand from outward appearances. Is it natural for speeds to increase steadily from year to year far beyond the pace of enhancements in technologies and/or training methods? Or was Marco simply a scapegoat of the system in which he found himself entangled in the web of cycling's programmatic unfairness. This book gives a compelling argument toward the latter through the life and times of Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion.



5. It's always sad when something has a wonderful opportunity to be great but settles for being merely average. That was never the way of Italian cycling icon Marco Pantani, but it is, sadly, the only way to look at Marco Pantani: the Legend of a Tragic Champion.
   
   Pantani deserved better. He was obviously -- and fatally -- flawed, but through his flamboyant personality, dramatic cycling moves, and unmistakable appearance he also brought much-needed color to a sport increasingly dominated by single-minded robot-like riders. He died a dramatic, tragic, and pitiful death, and the world of sport was left poorer for it.
   
   Pantani's persona is just one of the reasons this volume should have been much, much better than it is.
   
   Another equally important reason is that editor John Wilcockson assembled a virtual Dream Team of cycling writers for the project, from venerable Italian journalist Pier Bergonzi, the chief writer with the pink-paged La Gazetta dello Sport, to his insightful friendly rival Sergio Neri at BiciSport. Add France's Guillaume Prabois, and the staff of the U.S.-based VeloNews. Even Graham Watson, the best-known photographer in the business, contributed some of his signature images.
   
   These guys pulled out all the stops, tracking down the Ukrainian maid who cleaned Pantani's room in the hotel where he died of a drug overdose (he kept he very warm, she said) and the tourist who was the last person to see Pantani alive (he said Pantani told him, in a local dialect, "I don't know if there will be another day"). Swiss journalist Michel Beuret even manages a thoughtful interview with Christina Jonsson, Pantani's former girlfriend, who avoided the press in the wake of the cyclist's death.
   
   But I think Mr. Wilcockson fails the effort just as a team captain fails his support riders when the pace is too much for him, despite their hard work and preparation.
   
   There are many problems. Sloppy editing means that there are contradictory bits scattered all through the text: at one point the book says only four men ever won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year; in other parts it says there were seven (seven is correct). At several points it says the 2003 Giro was Pantani's last race, but in the appendix is points out (correctly) that he competed without distinction in the challenging Tour of the Basque Country five weeks later.
   
   What's more, the writing is uneven, plodding, and predictable. Of course, one reason for that is because the bulk of the book was written in Italian and much of what's left was written in French. But giving it a more unified feel and level of quality has to have been on Mr. Wilcockson's list of duties as editor. Don't blame the translator: he got it to this point. Someone needed to finish the job.
   
   And don't get me started on the title. The world "legend" first and foremost means something "presented as history but unlikely to be true." While, technically, the word can also refer to someone so admired they seem to be the stuff of a legend, this is referring to the story. Besides, why the confusion? Why not simply call it "Marco Pantani: The STORY of a Tragic Champion"? Or "The LESSON of a Tragic Champion"? "Or we could get alliterative with "The Tragedy of a Troubled Champion." Should I go on?
   
   I must say I am very tempted to award this review only two stars, but I think its subject earns it a gentleman's C. Still, I had hoped for much more. Chances are, you do, too.

5 comments about By George: The Autobiography of George Foreman.

1. I thought this was going to be a very hokey book. I expected a lot of George was mean and angry his whole life then he meets Jesus then everything is shiny and happy, jokes about George eating too much, George has a dream to heavyweight champion again, George makes the dream come true, and more George and Jesus stuff but this book was surprisingly candid and interesting.
   
   He talks about his anti-social childhood in the crime infested 5th ward in Houston. Going into the job corps where he started boxing and his meteoric rise to the top of the amateur boxing world where he ended up winning an olympic gold medal after having only been boxing for a VERY short time. His "first" pro career including his fights with Frazier, Norton, Ali and others, his nervous breakdown/religious experience after the Jimmy Young fight and his retirement, his ten year layoff, and the comeback which culminated in him recapturing the heavyweight championship of the world.
   
   George is a bit of a shady individual and from a few first hand accounts I have heard he is just as mean as he ever was. That smile instantly disappears from his face and the nice guy act flies out the window the second those HBO or "grilling machine" infomercial cameras turn off. George really sold himself off as I used to be mean but I found Jesus and now I'm Mr. Niceguy to the public and got rich as a result so what really surprised me is how candid he was about problems he has had over the years with women, his kids and his own flaws in his personal life.



2. This is the fifth autobiography I've read of a great heavyweight boxer. By George takes us into the mind of the former Heavyweight Champion of the World who destroyed "Smokin' Joe Frazier" in the 70s and was thought at one point in time to be unstoppable.
   
   Foreman takes us on the journey from his childhood in poverty, being one of 9 children (the only from a different father) to his troubled adolescence to his miraculous thrust into greatness as an unexpected heavyweight champion of the world to his fall from boxing, to his born again discovery of God, to his amazing run at becoming the oldest heavyweight boxing champion in history.
   
   We get amazing insight on the women of his life and how they affected him. We get an amazing recollection of his memory of circumstances prior to important fights such as how he was not allowed to leave Venezuela without paying taxes to the government after defeating Ken Norton.
   
   Throughout the book, you will get a feel of the soft side of this man once perceived by the public as an angry bully. Behind that tough tiger is a very sensitive lion with a thorn in his side.
   
   I was impressed by his stories of Sonny Liston and his impression of various boxer's during his time. I found the complex relationship he had with his biological father to be powerful. Although sensationalistic at times, even his various prophecy like passages that he contributes to his realization of his belief in God, to be deep.
   
   All in all, reading his story was one that should have a profound affect on providing people information about someone who grew up with nothing in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in all of the US and came out of the other side, a great man who has suceeded.
   
   I still am amazed at how far he went given his limited boxing skills. After reading this book, I am convinced that had been better trained, he would have been the greatest boxer of all time.



3. I'm basically a one-dimensional boxing fan whose least favorite division is heavyweight;I couldn't have cared less what the Louisville Loudmouth did inside the ring and I didn't pay any attention to his trash talk outside of it("I ain't got
   nuthin' against them Viet Cong...").All boxers lose-and for a better take on the
   'Rumble in The Jungle'(than the fight itself) between Loudmouth and George Foreman,check the award-winning documentary,'When We Were Kings'
   or Foreman's excellent-and honest-autobiography,'By George' about the thug from Houston who engineered,possibly the comeback
   of the twentieth century.And "comebacks" are at the heart of what boxing is about.After losing to the recently deceased Jimmy Young in 1977(my favorite heavyweight of that era-who was robbed in his fight with Ali),Foreman underwent a religious transformation,took off 10 years and in 1994,at 45,became the oldest man to ever win the heavyweight title,by stopping Michael Moorer-no bum-in the tenth round.Actually, the public should've expected this from Foreman,who made his first public impact by waving the American flag after winning the heavyweight title in the '68 games-unfortunately probably best remembered for the black power salutes of John Carlos and Tommie Smith.But maybe the most important reason to buy this autobiography is because of its Introduction:"...I never make references to a human being's color.As I did with bad language,I've eliminated from my vocabulary words that distinguish between people.They're irrelevent to me,and their use only divides us from each other.I know from my own life that the issue of prejudice is much broader than the frame into which people usually try to squeeze it.What separates us is not color but behavior.I once came across some words by Victor Frankl,a man who'd survived terrible atrocities in a Nazi concentration camp at the hands of men,who after all,were the same color as he:"There are only two races of people in the world,the decent and the indecent."So when reading this book,if you find yourself guessing or wondering about one person or another's color,please ask yourself why you need to know."Amen.



4. Love biographies of real people in the world today that are honest and this one really is - George takes us into his whacky and fun world and where he's been and why ... you may not agree with him but you gotta love him. We'd all benefit by being more like George



5. Whether it's for his knockouts in the ring, or his grills that knockout the fat, just about everyone in the civilized world knows the name George Foreman. While most sports fans know that Foreman wasn't always the oversized teddy bear that he is now, the stories relayed in the first half of his autobiography, BY GEORGE, will amaze you.
   
   Throughout the book, Foreman not only outlines the rise of his boxing career from the Olympics to the professional ranks and the heavyweight championship (twice), but he also delves into his personal life in a detailed manner that provides the reader with an in-depth look into the George Foreman that many never knew existed.
   
   The somewhat underlying story in this book is his relationship with God. In the first half of the book, Foreman tells of how, when he was young, he thought that religion was for the weak and it wasn't something he needed in his life. More amazing is that Foreman, now a Baptist minister, nearly became a Muslim before his legendary fight with Muhammad Ali in 1974. Following his bout with Jimmy Young in 1977, his final fight before his 10 year layoff, Foreman had a 'religious experience' in his locker room, found the Lord, and started to become the George Foreman that the world knows and loves today. In the second half of the book, the reader truly begins to see Foreman's love for God, and how God influences every aspect of his life.
   
   While many know the ups and downs of his boxing career, it's very interesting to relive those moments through the eyes of the man who was there. His mentality change between his first and second boxing careers is astonishing. As a Christian, this book has added meaning for me due to the issues mentioned above. Simply put, this is a book that is an inspiration to one and all.

5 comments about The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant.

1. "The Last Coach" is a newer and perhaps more comprehensive biography of the man simply known as "Bear". The book covers several aspects of Coach Bryant's life:
   
   1. Early life in Moro Bottom and Fordyce, Arkansas.
   2. Early interest in football as a way for him to escape the dirt-poor life he was raised in.
   3. College years at the Univesity of Alabama.
   4. Coaching jobs at Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama, and other places.
   5. Relationship with several players (Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Pat Trammel, and others).
   6. Relationship with politicians, college presidents, Hollywood figures, and others.
   7. Later family life.
   8. Details of the long funeral procession and thousands of people who turned out to pay respect for Bryant.
   9. Different versions of how Bryant got the nickname "Bear".
   
   While Bryant's personal life did have some questions (drinking, supposed womanizing, etc.) there is no doubt that he was also one of college football's greatest coaches.
   
   Whatever you think of Bryant or the University of Alabama football, "The Last Coach" is an informative read. Recommended.



2. I've read many of the Bryant books and simply put, this is the best.
   
   If you are a fan of college football then you'd do well to read this book from a historical standpoint. For those who think they know college football, this book is illuminating with regards to the "national" game in the early days vs. now (2007) and how championships were determined largely by geographics and not by talent or strength of schedule.
   
   Excellent.



3. I have read quite a few books on Paul "Bear" Bryant (including his audobiography) so I wasn't sure if the information in this book would be facts I already knew or information I was not aware of. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Yes, there was all the well-known facts about his life, but to my surprise there was quite a bit of information that I was reading for the first time.
   
   The author has done an outstanding job of detailed research and brings a clear steady style to the book. It is without question the most comprehensive book on Coach Bryant's life that I have ever read.
   
   If you're an Alabama football fan, this is a must read.



4. The Bear was the last coach. Now it is a business. Anyone that loves college football, especially SEC football, should read this book. Barra has done a good job capturing the times of Paul "Bear" Bryant.



5. From the Junction boy days and even earlier. This book has it all. One of my favorites! Excellent reading!

2 comments about Garrincha: The Triumph & Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero.

1. I first read Ruy Castro's 'Bossa Nova' and wanted more! Then I found his book 'Rio de Janeiro', and loved it. I then went on to read Ruy Castro's next book (translated into English) Garrincha which is about a Futebol star. I am not into soccer but I loved the book.



2. Although some people may disagree - the entire population of Argentina, I suspect - Brazil are widely considered the top dogs of world soccer. As a nation they've won the World Cup five times and the Maracanã - where Brazil play their home games - is one of the sport's most famous stadiums. Any discussion about the soccer's greatest players will feature several Brazilians - Pelé, Jairzinho, Zico, Romário, Bebeto, Falcão, Sócrates and Ronaldinho would surely be in contention. Manuel Francisco dos Santos, most commonly known as "Garrincha", may not be as widely known as his countrymen but he fully deserves to be included on that list. He is, however, quite clearly honoured in his home country where he is still known as the "Joy of the People".
   
   Garrincha was born in 1933 in a small town called Pau Grande. Amazingly, for such a gifted sportsman, he was born with 'bent' legs - his left bent out and his right bent in. When young, he was also smaller than the kids his own age and was christened 'garrincha' (the local name for a 'little bird') by his sister. His hometown was founded by the English in the 1870s and was centred around the América Fabril factory - the factory, it seems, practically employed the town's entire population. The town's soccer club - Sport Club Pau Grande - was founded in 1908 and, although an amateur team, was the first senior club Garrincha played for. He eventually moved to Botafogo, one of Rio's professional teams - it was here he played his best football, and he won the Carioca (Rio's State Championship) several times. He played for Brazil 60 times, winning the World Cup twice; he dismantled and demoralised the highly-rated USSR team in the 1958 Finals and, some say, won the tournament nearly single-handedly in 1962. Garrincha, however, played primarily for enjoyment - he didn't always turn up for training and still enjoyed playing with his friends on Pau Grande's dangerous pitch. Money seemed nearly irrelevant to him and he was practically taken advantage of by his club's directors. He'd regularly sign a blank contract, with the salary to be filled in later - as the team's star player he was then paid less than he was worth.
   
   Garrincha's life was also hugely colourful off the pitch. He was, allegedly, very well endowed, which may help explain why he was so popular with the ladies. He fathered (at least) 14 children by 5 different women, including eight daughters with his first wife, Nair, and a son in Sweden - conceived while on tour with Botafogo. It seems he was anything other than a devoted husband to Nair. Throughout his marriage to her, he regularly chased other women - he had a number of girlfriends and one-night stands and had children with several of them. Only one woman came close to 'taming' him : Elza Soares, a well-known singing star and every Brazilian man's fantasy. The pair met in 1961 and began their affair the following year. However, the public were less than impressed when news of their relationship broke, something that caused a great deal of trouble for them. Garrincha also suffered from alcoholism - cachaça, made from fermented sugar cane, was a particular favourite - and it was this affliction that led to his death at the age of 49. It also caused a great deal of trouble for his friends, relations and colleagues.
   
   The book is subtitled "The Triumph and Tragedy of Brazil's Forgotten Footballing Hero" and, as time goes by, the tragedies become more and more commonplace. At times, it is very difficult not to feel sorry for Garrincha, Nair and Elza - I certainly felt a great deal of regret that things didn't work out differently. The book was written by Ruy Castro, and was originally published in 1995 - he has quite clearly researched the book meticulously and has written a very engaging book. A great deal of credit must also go to Andrew Downie, who translated the book into English in 2004. A highly recommended book, that should appeal to more than just the soccer fan - largely because of Garrincha's colourful personal life. However, because of his personal life, I wouldn't think it's ideal reading for the kids !