5 comments about Butkus: Flesh and Blood.

1. "Flesh and Blood" is Dick Butkus' autobiography from birth to 1997.
   He begins by telling about his family and some of the mischief he perpetrated as a youth. He tells of his early love for the game of football and an older brother that pursued a career as a player.
   
   He writes with a lot of admiration about fellow Bears rookie Gale Sayers and his appreciation for the talents of the great running backs. He also explains his respect for George Allen and his disappointment when George Halas let Allen leave the Bears' staff as a defensive coordinator. Allen had a big impact on the rookie Linebacker and he maintained a friendship after that. George Allen even contemplated a trade for Butkus shortly before the Linebacker retired.
   
   Dick Butkus elaborates on the adjustments to college football and academics. He didn't get to play as a freshman for the Illini and schoolwork was more challenging.
   
   He tackles some of the false legends regarding his actions on the field.
   
   "Flesh and Blood" gives you a look at the NFL of old from a player's point of view. Like other hall-of-famers of his period, he loved the game and often-times unselfishly played when he shouldn't have.
   He sued the Bears to get paid after he had to retire because of his knee injuries. The knee surgeries before the 1971 season were brutal and you have to wonder if they weren't more damaging than helpful.
   
   Dick Butkus covers his post-football life at the end of the book. While he played like a monster, he shows a human side as a husband and father.
   
   There may never be another Middle LineBacker that intimidates opponents and disrupts a game the way that # 51 did during his short career. This is his story and I enjoyed reading it.



2. My first word as a child was: Butkus. There was a football game on TV at the hospital where I was born. The Bears were playing the Lions. Butkus had five sacks and an interception. I like cookies and milk.



3. This book is the best book I ever read. Dick Butkus is the greatest human being who ever bit of a refs ear. I would recommend anyone thinking of becoming a serial killer read this book. I like cookies and , milk.



4. A very comprehensive study of each and every season Butkus played with the Bears. But I was hoping for much more about Butkus's life off the football field. I would have liked to have heard more anecdotes about players he played with and against. Also would have been interesting to hear personal insights from Dick regarding what he felt about the awe-like reputation he inspired on the field from fans and players alike.
   
   This reads too much as a season-by-season and game-by-game account of his career. Interesting at first but repetitive and dry over time. I was hoping for more.



5. I loved it!

   But then again I am a huge Bears fan and a huge Butkus fan,good ol 51 played the game like nobody ever did and I enjoyed reading about how he grewup and about the Bears on and off the field and its mangement,I always thought Bears mangement has always been skummy and this book proved me right,I loved this book though as it was great to hear stories about the players and how they spent there time and about picciolo and sayers etc,
   I met Butkus about 4months ago and he looks great and seams to be doing well.

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.

4 comments about Tiger Woods: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1. Tiger is probably the greatest golfer of all time. He's has great poise and dignity on and off the greens. If only we could all live up to his exceptional qualities. This is a magnificent biography. I cherish it.



2. I was looking more for the values and principles Tiger Woods used to build his gaem. It covered some of this.



3. this Book is very well documented&put together. Tiger Woods is the Baddest Golfer Ever. He is a Standard in sports with his Dominance,but as a Person He is a ground-breaker in the World of Golf. this Book speaks on His Impact as a Golf Player&also the Social Impact his pressence has had on the sport. Tiger is unstoppable. His Father gave him the edge&Tiger ran with it. RIP to His Pops.



4. TIGER WOODS: A BIOGRAPHY brings the world of golf in general and the achievements of Tiger Woods in particular to life, providing a biographical which examines his participation in the sport, its particular demands, and how he lived up to his potential. A timeline of events highlights the high points, while discussions of Afro-American rights and PGA requirements provide the well-rounded background.

5 comments about Shannon Miller: America's Most Decorated Gymnast : A Biography.

1. I really enjoyed this book. I personally am a gymnast so I can relat. It is a really great book. It tells you about a girl who is the under dog but comes out on top. Then when she is on top and after her first Olympics everione says she is too oldfor a gymnast. But she goes over what everione says .And she wins the Olympic Gold



2. Here's another awesome gymnastics bio from Krista Quiner! This was a terrific, nice and detailed book about Shannon Miller's life. From the minute she was born to the end of the '96 Olympic Games, this book is the ultimate one to learn about Shannon Miller. The book had plenty of great information, and you learn tons and tons of stuff about her. There were also tons of awesome pictures too! This is a must-read for all gymnastics fans.



3. This book goes into great detail about Shannon's gymnastics career from the beginning up until the 96 Olympics and her professional career. It's the best book I have read on her so far. This book is great for a fan who wants this book as a "map" of her career, or for someone who did not watch gymnastics before 96.



4. I am a huge Shannon Miller fan, and this book is great. I have read it twice and I am still not bored with it. It gives great insight into her past competitions, what she went through, and the things that led up to them. It is really wonderful and detailed.



5. This is a great book to know what Shannon Miller was like what she she had to do everyday. everything she won all the times she fell and practicly everything you wanted to know.

2 comments about On the Edge: My Story.

1. I am only half way through this book but I have found the story very interesting. It is very much a story of someone going from rags to riches in the way that he moved through the different media to eventually achieve his dream job. The account proves to the reader that the chemistry that is so apparent between the crew on the set is a reality and you get a real sense of community and friendship between all. This is refreshing as we know that so often the media is a cut throat business and people are trying to win one over the other. The other aspect that is also very much a worthwhile read is Richards initial steps to recovery and how he appeared normal while in reality there were huge barriers still to get over.
   The only thing that this book leaves you wanting more of is a little bit more of a background to his childhood and his adolesence. Otherwise well worth a read.



2. I read this book in 48 hours. I am a huge Top Gear fan. Having lived in the UK most of my life and then emigrated to the US in 2003. We were in the UK for our immigration interview the day after Hammond crashed the Jet Car. It was a huge shock. We had all seen the gang on tv performing hilarious stunts in wild and expensive cars....the tv program is huge and they have a worldwide fan base. The news was so bleak, Hammond had crashed at 288 mph and he was in critical condition in hospital, the news reports constantly on TV were reporting that he may not make it. Well he did, it was remarkable, a miracle some were saying. He was up and walking about in 5 weeks. Reading his book moved me to tears. It tells of what went on behind the scenes, the stuff tv don't tell you. The remarkable courage and strength of his wife mindy who was at his side constantly in hospital. Hammond writes about his childhood, his young art student days and how he got his dream job on top gear. He writes his accounts of the day of the crash up until the point of the crash. Then his wife Mindy takes over the writing. Not to give too much away, this book is fantastic reading, it made me laugh and cry so much. It was shocking and overwhelming. This is for a true "Hamster" fan and for those who just love a happy ending.

5 comments about The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship.

1. A wonderful read. In depth of chris and martina throughout their rivalry of twenty years. I admired both players and hardly ever missed a match. If you want more insight into these two women's lives purchase it. I highly recommend this read for any tennis fan. It is fabulous!



2. There's no question that the Evert-Navratilova (or, more properly, the Navratilova-Evert) rivalry was one of the most compelling in sports. Howard's book was/is chock-full of superb details about almost EVERY aspect of this on-court saga, which started in the early '70s and lasted until 1987, with Navratilova edging Evert by an almost freakishly slim margin in terms of matches won/lost, yet both women ended-up equal at a mind-boggling 18 Grand Slams apiece. This was an era of grandeur & greatness that will never be duplicated, in terms of two potent rivals competing at the same time.
   
   It was a constant, exciting drama, and Howard covers all of the "baselines." Evert, the little "Princess" against Navratilova, who was the...um...TOUGH-girl.
   
   These women were extraordinary foils for each other, and sport will never see the like of it again. Evert (despite being utterly confused and uncertain in her early days) had minimal athletic "gifts," but consistency, coordination, strategy, and the inner-aggression of a venegeful demon.
   
   Navratilova was erratic and confused for most of *her* early career, but she also had raw potency that gave her rivals nightmares. When she eventually slimmed her body (and mind) to a razor's edge, she started beating Evert like a bongo drum from 1983-1985 (13 humiliating wins in a row).
   
   Howard explores the mindsets of both champions in their prime, and how they dealt with each other, but she failed to really capture the magnificence with which Evert finally overcame her massive slump against the souped-up, hard-working, powerhouse Martina.
   
   Evert hit the gym a bit, and switched to a graphite racquet in 1984, but she did not essentially change her game against Martina. She didn't start rushing the net or serving aces. What made the difference is that Evert (with a very little extra muscle and a new racquet) was able to suddenly hit powerful, sharply angled cross-court forehands and open-up the court in a way she had not been able to do previously against the Navratilova game, putting more pressure than before upon the lefty backhand of Martina...and then using her best-of-all-time backhand to put-away crosscourt shots more aggressively.
   
   In all truth, it was this combination that made a huge difference for Evert. Too, some spectacular Grand Slam wins (French Open 85, 86) gave her some psychological ammunition.
   
   The trouble with this book, now, is that Howard makes such a point of "contrast" in the "off-court" lives of the two champs. Navratilova comes across as the personal "flake," in many respects, with her controversial lesbian relationships, while emphasis is placed upon Evert as being far more "typical." For Howard, Navratilova is often wrecked by her romantic "choices," while one failed "Evert marriage" is utterly redeemed by an everlasting love (to skier Andy Mill)--a union that Evert (and Howard) celebrates with enthusiasm, replete with the darling children to 'complete' the image.
   
   The problem is that Howard focused too much upon this latter aspect, and Evert has, in very recent times, proved herself stunningly capable of horrific public "choices" via her involvement in a terribly intrusive marital scandal. She jettisoned Mill, her husband of nearly 20 years, to take-up with high-profile golfer Greg Norman, and opted (sadly) to appear intimately with him in public while he was still married, and vice versa. In a grotesque miscalculation, the irony is that Evert tarnished her image (which Howard wrote about so admantly) by public appearances that belittled and humiliated her ex-husband and Norman's wife...most conspicuously and dismayingly on the very day that the latter's divorce was final...by canoodling in the crowd at the US Open.
   
   This aspect would not be mentioned had not Howard spilled so much ink in this book documenting Evert as such an extraordinarily happy wife and family-woman with Mill (after the utter failure of her first union with John Lloyd). Since, Evert has conducted herself with actions that do obliterate Howard's carefully delineated portrayal in the book, and, because such issues are so very important and pertinent to this actual book, certain aspects of the "rivalry" are now dated and odd.
   
   Now, it is surprising how much easier it has become to adopt Navratilova as the much greater of the two. Again, Howard wrote an excellent account of the actual rivalry, with Evert's "public image" ever at the forefront. That aspect has been radically changed, within the context of Howard's treatment, and I (for one) am now glad that Martina had the upper-hand against Chris...and I never thought I'd say that...in my life.
   
   In any case, get this book for a striking, extraordinary analysis of what was likely the greatest one-on-one rivalry in the history of all sport, between two of the greatest, most unforgiving and ferocious competitors. It's amazing.



3. THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING AND WELL WRITTEN BOOK ABOUT THE TENNIS RIVALRY CONCERNING CHRIS EVERT AND MARTINA NAVRATILOVA. THERE MATCHES WERE LEGEND DURING THE 1980'S. THE BOOK COVERS ALOT MORE THAN JUST THIS. IT GIVES A LOOK AT THE PRIVATE LIVES OF CHRISSIE AND MARTINA. CHRISSIE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MARRIED LIFE. MARTINA ADMITTED TO BE BEING GAY AND ALSO DEFECTED FROM HER HOME COUNTRY OF CZECHOLSLOVAKIA TO ESCAPE COMMUNISM. THEY BOTH ARE LEGENDS IN THE TENNIS WORLD AND HELPED THE GROWTH OF TENNIS TO THE VERY POPULAR SPORT IT IS TODAY. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL SPORTS FANS. THE AUTHOR DOES A GREAT JOB SHOWING US THE HUMAN SIDE OF BOTH RIVALS



4. This book offers an insightful look into the lives of Martina and Chris.
   If you're a fan of either you'll enjoy their perspectives individually.
   If you're a fan of both...all the better for you. You will read how each supported, coaxed, teased, fought, encouraged and ultimately validated each other and each other's career.
   I think this book de-mythologizes much of what we've heard before about Chris and Martina's relationship. At the same time, it re-inforces things we already knew, but adds a little more depth: incredible friends, incredible rivals...A friendship that transcends their rivalry and a rivalry that transcended sport.



5. In The Rivals, a middling addition to the tennis book industry, Johnette Howard argues that the Evert-Navratilova rivalry both reflected and changed women's tennis and women's role in professional sports. Fair enough. She also portrays the rivals as two intelligent, highly skilled and articulate women whose friendship was tested and strengthened by their on-court competition. Fair enough again. Also, the book is a quick, good read, albeit in the style of a 270 page sports column, where everybody always talks in the present tense. When all that is conceded though, what new perspective or insight does The Rivals bring to the party? In my view, not much, if anything, that couldn't be found by reading the autobiographies of the two champions, which Howard generously cites frequently. As for the writing on tennis here, there is nothing that can come close to John McPhee's classic Levels of the Game in recreating the context, tension, and skill of tennis at the highest levels.

No comments about Cristiano Ronaldo: The True Story of the Greatest Footballer on Earth.

5 comments about Walking a Golden Mile.

1. WILLIAM REGAL DOES A GREAT JOB IN THIS MUST READ BOOK FOR ALL WRESTLING FANS. ORIGINALLY FROM ENGLAND, HIS REAL NAME IS DARREN MATHEWS. WILLIAM TELLS US OF HIS EARLY LIFE IN THE UK AS A WRESTLER AND FROM THERE HE TELL US IN DETAIL HOW HIS LIFE SPIRALED DOWN AND DOWN. HE BECAME ADDICTED TO PAIN KILLERS, BOOZE AND SOME REAL HARD CORE DRUGS. AS A RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC I CAN RELATE TO HIS FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS. HIS VERY FRIGHTENING AND DANGEROUS JOURNEY IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND QUITE HONEST. IN AND OUT OF REHAB BECAUSE OF DENIAL AND A VERY DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE MIND WILLIAM IS SO BLESSED TO BE ALIVE TO TELL HIS STORY. I FOUND HIS STORY TO BE BOTH QUITE GRIPPING AND TOTALLY WORTH READING. HIS STORY WOULD BE A GREAT READ FOR ALL WHO HAVE ADDICITION PROBLEMS AND ALL WHO ENJOY HIM PERFORM IN THE WRESTLING WORLD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



2. I first became a fan of William Regal when he worked Bill Goldberg and showed him how a real wrestler works during a WCW Saturday Nights Main Event... It was during Bill Goldberg's "undefeated" streak... Regal worked Goldberg so hard that I immediately became a fan...
   
   The book provides outstanding, if not painful, insight into the life and career of William Regal. Anytime Regal walks to the ring, get ready for an outstanding match...



3. I liked this book in that it gave the perspective of a pro wrestler who learned his trade in small cities in England. How William Regal made it to the WWE and the big time is almost by chance and luck. Regal is a talent, but his real ability is his ability to just hang in there.
   I was somewhat puzzled and troubled by his drug addictions and problems with steroid use. As with any addict, you can never be sure when they are being 100% honest or when they are just setting the table for another relapse. But at any rate, this book is well worth reading. Lots of insights and behind the scenes secrets.



4. I have read that this was one of the better wrestling books ever written so I read it with interest to find that it was readable but little else.
   
   The story of a man who wanted to be a wrestler and started off at the carnivals in England then progressed to the US, where he found fame but also drugs.
   
   I think the problem with the book was the lack of depth to the writing. We were told that Regal wrestled for years but you wouldn't know it based on the anecdotes and stories that were told (very minimal).
   
   There is very little about the wrestlers indeed very little of substance in the book.



5. This book was very helpful to me as it is a mixture of two of my favorite recreational activities, wrestling and drug abuse. I am a recovering drug abuser, and am trying to get into pro wrestling. I was very impressed by what William wrote in his book.

5 comments about The Perfect Distance - Ovett and Coe: The Record-Breaking Rivalry.

1. This was a very enjoyable book about the great Ovett/Coe rivalry. The book delves into the roots/family influences of the two very talented middle distance runners including Ovett's very influential mother and Coe's father and coach. The author captures the excitement of breaking world records, running in the Olympic games and the expectations associated with being athletes at thier prime. Two very different personalities are contrasted both in their private and public impressions. A fascinating read.



2. Excellent book for anyone who followed track in the 70s and 80s.
   
   Lots of light shed on what may have been the most significant and consistent rivalry on the oval. The backgrounds of both runners are very revealing; Coe's training routines, while widely discussed, were revolutionary. Meanwhile, Ovett is shown as an agressive and confident runner, and nothing like the arrogant antagonist that the media portrayed. Additionally, he was immersed in the science of footwear and helping develop better products for runners. Why he never got the acclaim he deserved is a mystery.
   
   A great read for those who have been there.



3. This is a very detailed and rich biography not only of Ovett and Coe but of history of the mile particularly from the British view point. As the author notes, the emergency of Ovett and Coe strides right into British middle distance runners dominating the world scene in the late 70s and early 80s with Cram, Elliott and Moorcroft. The Ovett and Coe duo are so different in racing styles, personalities and family life as Ovett emerges from blue collar roots with a very strong guarded mother and wonderful grand parents while Coe comes from a more upper class conservative family coached by an efficient and strong willed father. Butcher captures both athlete's abilities in detail with Ovett's amazing ability to run the sprints and high jump at early age to running events aside from 800 and 1500 to the 5K ,cross country and even jumping into a half marathon. Coe develops slightly slower but run as if a greyhound taking the pace to avoid contact with his 119 pounds particularly dominating the 800 while he and Ovett trade the 1500 and mile back and forth. The differences in mental and emotional make up between the two men is captured well in an excellent photograph of the two after a surprise loss to a relative unknown in a championship 800 where Coe literally looks crushed while Ovett has dangled his arm around Coe while looking off with chin up as in "well another day". The comparison between the Hagg and Anderson (includes interviews) and Ovett and Coe are well done as Ovett and Coe dominates the English sports news. Americans may require a little more patience as the author does discuss the world's best milers that include Walker, Bayi, Wessingham along with the US's Scott and Maree but the focus is on the English with running clubs and their depth of great runners at that time. Also, unlike Coorder Nelson's great book on Jim Ryan, this book has more depth into the history of middle distance running and the athletes' personal lives. Amusing that the author identifies Kenny Moore as an excellent writer but identifies him as a fourth place marathoner at the Montreal games when it was actually at Munich and he confuses the details of the New York and Boston Marathon's of Rosy Ruiz into one race. The book also contains some interesting British humor and phrases. I wish there was a more detail on the races in Moscow particularly the 1500 as Coe steals one from Ovett to avenge his 800 upset. It is quite tragic that Ovett became so ill at the LA Olympics that he became hospitalized but continued to compete and make he finals in both the 800 and 1500. He literally looks like death going into the last lap of the 1500. And Coe comes back from devastating illness to get in world class shape after being written off to be the only man to win successive Olympic 1500 titles. This was a glorious time for Track & Field when these two men from the same country seesawed world records back and forth almost weekly.
   
   As the author notes, these two were such amazing competitors even the Falkland Islands were bumped in Britian foir the news of what Coe and Ovett did the night before.



4. Very good book, well written, not boring at all, interesting information not only about the lifes of the two runners subject of the book but also of the sport of running in general those days in Europe. I am a "serious" runner a serious reader and also a writer myself. As such, I collect all sorts of books about running. Many are forgetable, this is not the top of the line but very good and worth reading



5. Mr. Butcher has produced an outstanding book. All great books start with a great story and this a great story. This rivalry began in the mid '70's and carried through to the '84 LA Olympics. Mr. Butcher has a runner's knowledge of the sport and a writer's command of the language. This book was meticulously researched , many of the principles have participated in the telling of this tale. The "British" slang is sometimes is difficult to follow but does not detract from the telling of the story. I like the fact that Mr. Butcher does not hesitate to share his opinions. This is a GREAT READ for any track fan.

5 comments about Racing the Sunset: An Athlete's Quest for Life After Sport.

1. This is a superb introspective look at the fear an athlete feels when the sound of clapping is silenced. This is a true literary gem that takes a qualitatively research based look at a problem too often ignored. I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever suddenly changed stages in life without benefit of a rule book to follow. You will find it engrossing and mind altering.



2. Scott Tinley has experienced firsthand the challenging life transition from adulated winning sports star to over-the-hill retiring athlete. Being introspective, he studied athlete retirement in depth. He threw himself into this project with as much intensity as he engaged in physical training for triathlons. On the way, he acquired two masters' degrees, one in writing and the other in sport psychology. And, he is currently studying on a Doctorate. Tinley completed this book in 2003 at the same time he finished an 18 month long seminal research paper on athlete retirement at San Diego State University. His research became the knowledge foundation for this book.
   
   The book is excellent. Tinley has a breezy writing style that renders the book very easy to read. While his research paper is very interesting. The book is a lot more fun. This is because the book reflects his firsthand experience of his sports career from childhood till his transition into academia. Instead, his research paper is focused on 16 other athletes and covers exclusively their post retirement experience.
   
   The professional athlete post-retirement transition is psychologically brutal. Athletes typically face this transition with no college degree, no professional skills, and little financial wherewithal. Tinley uncovered much research disclosing startling facts about athletes' retirement. Fewer than half of pro athletes get to choose when they retire.
   The divorce rate for retired athletes in the major professional leagues is over 60%.
   Retirement is especially harsh on NFL players. This painful transition is compounded by NFL careers being the shortest at less than five years in average. The suicide rate among retired NFL players is six times the average. Offensive and Defensive linemen have a 52% greater risk of dying of heart disease than the general population. Also, two thirds of football players retire with a permanent injury.
   
   Tinley was not spared the psychological ordeal of the retired sports star. When he retired, his income decreased by 90% (take out a zero as he puts it. That entails he made $100K a year as a triathlete). He experienced marital problems. He suffered a long bout of depression and tried several anti-depressant prescription drugs (Prozac, Zoloft) without much success. He sought therapy. And, he gradually pulled himself together thanks to his success in academia as a student, college teacher, psychologist researcher, and writer.
   
   His own research indicates an inverse relationship between money earned as a pro athlete and successful post retirement transition. Two opposite examples of this are Bjorn Borg, who never quite recovered his footing after retiring from a very lucrative tennis career. His life has been plagued by a succession of failed marriages, palimony suits, depression bouts, and bad business decisions that have nearly jeopardize his financial independence. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Tinley mentions Eric Heiden the five time Olympic gold medalist in 1980 who goes back to Stanford goes on to med school and becomes a successful orthopedic surgeon. "To me what is mythic about Eric is the seamlessness of his transitions between professions, between lives." Eric says "What I do now is so much more meaningful." Tinley states that big money is really a curse. It renders the individual so much more invested in their sport image that the upcoming retirement triggers a devastating identity crisis from which many never fully recover. And, he feels the key to surviving the retirement transition is how you perceived yourself beforehand. The more your self-identity had an obsessive single dimension as a sport star, the less prepared you are for retirement and the more you will suffer psychologically.
   
   If you enjoy this book, I also recommend John McEnroe's You Cannot Be Serious and Boris Becker's The Player. McEnroe is a good example of a sport star that has become very successful in post-retirement. Becker is an example of one who is still fighting his demons. Both books make for very interesting and entertaining reading.



3. Sorry Scott; I wanted to like this book. I have read pretty much everything you have written and will probably continue to do so, despite this book. Why? Because of all you have done that I can only dream of. And read of thanks to you. But with "Racing the Sunset" you have tried to go into creative non-fiction and take us beyond your experiences. Good on ya! But gee Scott, it really needs another re-write. It reads like a not-quite-finished draft. I don't know if this is a problem of editing, as another reviewer has suggested, or of writing. Read Bill McKibben's "Long Distance" if you haven't already and please keep writing.



4. I've been a Tinley fan (as a writer) for years and looked forward to reading this. It provided an excellent insight into Scott Tinley, and the way that he's approached his triathlon, and life. The way that he contrasts his ups and downs is excellent. The talks with other athletes and the empathy shown with other retired athletes speaks volumes to the character of the man.

   Unfortunately, there were a few times when a particularly well made point was undone by possibly poor editing. An example for me was when he was complaining about air travel - with which I can heartily concur, but then ruins the point by following it up by stating that he was travelling first class. (You should try it economy!) It ends up coming across as whinging.

   Nevertheless, I found this book an excellent read, and provided a unique insight into something we often don't see - athletes who never really learnt to "grow up" because they never had to.

   One thing worthy of note is to try and read it from Scott's point of view, and to not impose our own individual values on his comments. If you can achieve this, you can get past viewing it as a whinge, and see it for the gem that it really is.




5. before you can race the sunset, you first need to get a jump on dawn, and mr. san diego has been racing the rosy-fingered hues of early mornings for two decades as he defined, shaped, sculpted this athletic calling now known as triathlon. as the founder of tri-athlete magazine, i used to resent the fact that this bona-fide beach boy with cornflower silk hair and chiseled bod knew how to write--and write well. "jocks" shouldn't be known as true authors. tinley, the man he describes in this heartfelt confessional memoir, is still testing himself against seen and unseen obstacles. the memoir is both a trip down memory lane in the aero tucked position and a homage to the retired jock syndrome (rjs). every athlete must face that time in his or her life when age takes its toll. but that is not a call for surrender. tinley doesn't go DNF on us. nor does he want to. his writing the book was an act of courage--a private correspondence with a very public self.