3 comments about Steve Scott the Miler: America's Legendary Runner Talks About His Triumphs and Trials.

1. I can understand why the general public didn't buy this book. It's appeal is to those of us who have undergone the "Trial of Miles." Like Once a Runner's Cassidy, Scott gave it everything and sacrificed much, as did his family. Yet, like Cassidy, he didn't win the Gold, so the ignorant have forgotten him. Even so, he should be remembered for his dedication to the sport and his willingness to give everything, to be the front runner, to not hide until the final lap, so, like Prefontaine, he is an inspiration to runners. A very good book. I wish him and his family well.
   John Matney
   Oregon, 81



2. Near the end of his autobiography, Steve Scott talks about running in the National Cross Country Championships in Montana (there are pictures of the race in the book). It was 4 degreees and snowy. Scott was past his prime as one of the greatest milers in the world. He didn't need to run the race; few World Class milers run serious 10K cross country at any time, let alone in their declining years. But Steve Scott loves to run. He loves to train very hard and run very fast. He finished 10th that day, not far behind distance greats like Pat Porter and Todd Williams, and just a few seconds away from qualifying as a member of the U.S. team for the World Cross Counttry Championships. Afterwards he overheard a couple of young runners talking. One said, in obvious surprise, "Did you see Steve Scott finished 10th? I thought he'd retired." His friend responded, "I thought he was dead."
   Well Steve Scott ain't dead folks, and I'll bet wherever he is right now he's still running far and fast. Scott's autobiography is hard to find now. It never caught on the way some of the books for joggers did - or those about another Steve: Prefontaine. But read Scott's book if you can find it. Serious runners will love it and even joggers will be fascinated by its honesty and by the character - in both senses of the word - that Scott reveals. Jim Ryun remains the legendary American miler, but he would have been 30 meters behind Scott in their best races. Ryun gave up the sport in his early 20s because he couldn't handle the pressure; Scott raced at the highest levels for 20 years.
   With the help of Marc Bloom, the longtime dedicated chronicler of Cross Country and Track, Scott helps us understand his love for running and for being really fit. He was "Pre" without the sharp edges. He deserves to be better known and more honored. But even if that never happens, no one can ever take away what he accomplsihed. The numbers - 3:47.69, and 136 sub-4:00s - will stand for as long as runners circle the track for four laps.



3. The sport of track and field has only a limited audience in the U.S. American athletes typically receive recognition only after setting a world record or winning an Olympic gold medal. Steve Scott, America's top miler throughout the 1980s, did neither. In his book, The Miler, Scott writes of a running career in which he unquestionably was America's best miler (his U.S. record of 3:47.69, set in 1982, still stands), and certainly one of the world's best (10 consecutive years ranked among the world's top 10 milers by Track & Field News). Yet without a world record or Olympic gold medal to his credit, Scott remained virtually unknown outside the small U.S. track and field community. The Miler traces Scott's reluctant beginnings as a high school runner, his development into a national-class competitor in college, and his emergence as a world-class racer. Along the way we're treated to profiles of Scott's leading international competitors, all icons in the history of the mile: John Walker, Eamonn Coghlan, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Said Aouita. Scott beat them all, but not in either of the two races -- the '84 or '88 Olympics -- which would have brought him the recognition and financial rewards that accompany a gold medal. The Miler is not simply a book about running. Scott details the struggles he faced to support his wife and kids early in his career, when track and field was still regarded as an "amateur" sport. Scott also writes frankly of the toll the nomadic career of a track and field athlete exacted upon his marriage. Although it probably was cathartic for Scott to write these passages, it is uncomfortable for even a dedicated track & field fan to read. Despite this, I admire Scott for his willingness to write something other than the puff pieces that frequently pass for the biographies of famous athletes. He deals frankly with some of track and fields' unsavory elements -- unscrupulous meet promoters, under-the-table payments, agents, drugs, stars avoiding races with potential rivals, and track's governing bodies -- and isn't afraid of putting himself in the middle of situations that don't frame him in the best light. In fact, perhaps in an effort to balance his career's many triumphs, he frequently seems to come down too hard on himself. He writes extensively of his failures at the Olympics, but covers the race in which he set the American record for the mile in a few paragraphs. He takes great pride in having run more sub-4 minute miles (136) than any miler in history, but dwells more on how another runner, John Walker, beat him to the "media friendly" 100th sub-4 mile goal. I would have liked to have read more of his numerous triumphs, and less of his real or perceived shortcomings. Scott also write of the challenge of, and eventual triumph over, his most formidable opponent: cancer. The story of his recovery from testicular cancer and return to competition demonstrates that sheer force of will, more than physical ability, is the true mark of a champion. The Miler certainly will appeal to fans of track & field. But it should also find a wider audience among those who are curious as to the challenges, costs and rewards that come to those who strive for world class status in any field. For in The Miler Scott shows himself to be a winner not only on the track, but also in the ongoing race called life.

4 comments about Sayers: My Life and Times.

1. This book does not flow in chronological order, but it eventually covers all the necessary bases. Sayers leaves no holds barred in sharing his opinions on opportunites for minorities in sports and business, the war in Iraq, and the showboating that is prevalent in today's NFL.
   
   The last 30 pages or so are devoted to brief career summaries of Sayers' All-Time Chicago Bears team, which contained lots of whiny remarks by the stars of yesterday. This is a book I should have checked out at the library.



2. awesome...buy this book if you are a fan of old time football, back when men were men...it made me nostalgic for the way the game used to be played...no football fan will be disappointed by this book...plus, I read in the paper that all proceeds of sayers' book sales are going to the gayle sayers center, which is an after-school care program for Chicago's underprivileged youth...to me, that's unselfishness seldom seen in athletes today...



3. I recently purchased the book for my husband, but I ended up reading it when he wouldn't stop talking about it. It was well written and really captured what goes on behind the scenes. It's a great gift for all the football fans in your life!



4. Wow !! This is the best football book I have read in 20 years, and I have read a lot of them. It is so refreshing to hear the truth from a great hall of Fame player about today's spoiled players. Gale Sayers never had to come off the field to catch his breath after every long run he made like the 2007 NFL running back. He is now a huge success in the business world, so every high school and college athlete should read this book. If they don't make it in the NFL they should have an education to fall back on to get them a good job for the rest of their life. If they do play in the NFL, they have to think about setting themselves up in the business world for when their playing days end. I will be using this book for Christmas gifts for all my friends who love the game-- Great job Gale!!

5 comments about Bottom of the Ninth.

1. Sports fans admire and respect natural talent but they absolutely love hustle. Kirk Gibson was one of those rare athletes who had both. An All-American in baseball and football at Michigan State, Gibson could have easily had a successful NFL career but he chose baseball instead partly because he wanted a challenge. Kirk Gibson rarely chose the easiest path.
   
   Gibson was one of my favorites because he was the ultimate gamer, someone who thrived in the clutch and simply wanted to win at any cost. Unfortunately, usually that cost was his health. His willingness to put his body on the line helped his teams win a lot of games but it also kept him from having a Hall of Fame-caliber career. Somehow I don't think Kirk minds. After all, he was a key member of two World Champion teams and he had several unforgettable moments -- the 523 foot blast over the Tiger Stadium roof, the World Series-clinching home run against personal nemesis Goose Gossage in 1984, and, of course, the inspiring pinch hit home run off Dennis Eckersley in game one of the 1988 World Series that cemented Gibson's place in baseball lore forever.
   
   Bottom of the Ninth is like most autobiographies -- part truth, part legend, part ego. But anyone who admired Kirk Gibson will enjoy this trip down memory lane, as told by the man himself.



2. That reader from Chicago has got to be kidding!! Besides GIBSON admits in his younger days he was very obnoxious so whats the big secret?? The book reads extremely well even if your not a GIBSON fan.The book also shows that with DRIVE and DETERMINATION you can be a success in almost anything!! A great book for youngsters to read!!!Remember GIBSON wasn't a natural gifted athlete at baseball he excelled because he would not give up!!I wish the TIGERS had a whole team of GIBSONS!!Think of what a great country we would have if we had more people with GIBSONS attitude and drive to not give in to the BEAST of defeat! (transam_92584@yahoo.com)



3. I found this to be an exceptional book. I personally am a big Kirk Gibson fan. I was able to learn alot about one of the most intense baseball players of the modern era. A great book for collectors or any sports fan in general



4. Is what the excited announcer on TV repeated after Gibby limped to the plate and banged the greatest homer in Game 1 World Series history.

   Gibby was obnoxious. He was cocky. But as he grew older, he became humble and even friendly. You can read about this epiphany in this book. Packed with great photos.

   For anyone who saw Gibby play football at MSU -- single handedly beating Michigan in 1978 -- or charge his way around the basepaths at Tiger Stadium, there has to be admiration. He hit more clutch homeruns than anyone. He was a competitor, a leader and a winner.




5. This is easily one of the worst baseball books I have ever read. Gibson's arrogance is cleverly kept from the reader by his ghostwriter. Trust me, I have met Gibson several times and he is not the person he would like you to think he is. In fact Gibson is the total opposite, and the decision to make the book oversized was probably his so he could cheat whatever fans he has out of a few extra dollars.

1 comments about Annapurna South Face: The Classic Account of Survival (Adrenaline).

1. The first ascent of the South Face of Annapurna is told in Bonington's characteristically engaging style. No detail of organization, logistics or communication is left out, with the result that we end up knowing quite a lot about what the climbers had for breakfast and what was said during their radio conversations; but I see this as a good thing. The book is slightly lacking in exciting scenes of actual climbing, as many expedition books unfortunately tend to be, but has plenty of gripping material nevertheless.

5 comments about A Necessary Spectacle: Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs, and the Tennis Match That Leveled the Game.

1. she changed the world that nite. read this to know how.



2. Some interesting archaeology about the now nearly forgotten King-Riggs tennis match. Roberts, of the NYT, brings to life how important this thing seemed at the time, even though it all looks decidedly quaint today. Where the author goes off is when she tries to relate this to the federal Title 9 law on equality for women in sports. It's a bit forced, even if valid. Perhaps it's the book's herky-jerky structure that is just not nuanced enough to make this work. She also includes some interesting background about the Williams sisters, the relevance being that they later reaped what Billie Jean King sowed, financially. Maybe so. In the end, Riggs comes off more sympathetic than pathetic, and King is a bit too deified. Still, this is some high quality social history about an episode whose effects still have an echo.



3. The subtitle of this book 'the Tennis Match that Leveled the Game' isn't quite strong enough. This single match, called the 'Battle of the Sexes' was far, far more than a tennis match, and the aftereffect was far, far more than levelling the tennis game.
   
   For a tennis standpoint, before The Match womens tennis was not a serious sport. The women played, but almost by themselves. The money, the sponsors, television, the fame wasn't there. After it was all there.
   
   From a legal standpoint, The Match put power behind Title IX that required equal funding in schools for men and womens atheletic programs. From the overall women's rights viewpoint The Match was in 1973, so was Row v. Wade.
   
   Ms. Roberts is a sports columnist. This training gives her a newspaper like writing style that is very well suited to the subject she is covering here. The book reads almost like a novel, an excellent novel but also conveys the impact of The Match that changed women's sports forever.



4. I'VE FOLLOWED BJK'S CAREER SINCE SHE WON HER 1ST WIMBLEDON TITLE IN 1961! THIS BOOK GIVES YOU A VERY CANDID LOOK INTO THE LIFE OF THIS GREAT TENNIS LEGEND, THE STUGGLES SHE FOUGHT BOTH PERSONAL & PUBLIC.
   INTERSTING DETAILS ON THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES WITH BOBBY RIGGS AND HIS LIFE.
   AN EASY ENJOYABLE READ FOR ANYONE, BUT ESP. FOR TENNIS FANS FROM THE 60'S70'S ON!



5. I loved this book! I'm not a huge tennis fan so as I began reading, I was shocked at how quickly this story pulled me in and kept me fascinated. It's about so much more than tennis. The personalities and motivations of Billie Jean and Bobby were so thoroughly explored that as this spectacle of a match was becoming imminent, I could feel the pressure and the tension that must have been felt not only by them, but by many women and men in the 1970s as gender lines were being tested. This book did a great job of framing the importance of that one event, as circus-like as it was. Billie Jean and Bobby brought discussions of gender roles into people's living rooms that day and the consequences have paved the way for women and for the athletes we cheer on today. "A Necessary Spectacle" gave me new insight. Excellent!

2 comments about Jack Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler.

1. Jack Dempsey has always been my favorite boxer, , Randy Roberts did his home work before writing this wonderful book. He went into great detail, when Dempsey fought Firpo ,and when he lost his title to Gene Tunney.Anyone who enjoys reading about heavyweight champions from the past, will really love this book. i still go back and read my favorite chapters over again. Kenny Hetrick



2. Jack Dempsy: The Manassa Mauler by Randy Roberts (Professor of History, Purdue University) is a solidly written biography of the famous Heavyweight Champion of the World who held that title from 1919 to 1926. From Jack Dempsy's childhood and his rough-and-tumble beginning of a boxing career at 16; to his rise to the top -- and eventual defeat; to his retirement from boxing in 1940 with sixty-four victories (forty-nine of them by knockout), and more, Jack Dempsy: The Manassa Mauler is an excellent and very highly recommended contribution to Professional Boxing History, and a "must read" biography for dedicated fans of "the sweet science".

No comments about A Bloody Canvas - The Mike McTigue Story.

5 comments about Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything.

1. First, the book is easy to read, it is interesting, the author has a good humour. This is a good beginning for any newcomer to the world of NFL.
   
   The style is ok, there are some great stories of the players of Patriots, but the author handles the subject of the book as a person without any mistakes, someone on a par with Mother Theresa. Brady is a great player and a great man, but there are too many words on his greatness, his ability to play as a teammate.



2. I found this book to be very interesting and a must read for every No. 12 jersey wearing Patriots' fan! It tells about the rise of Tom Brady and how he came to become the legend that he is through his hard work and dedication. It went behind the scenes of just what he does on the playing field and went into his personal life which I thought was interesting. It's a must read for every Patriots fan. It goes quick and I'm sure it will be enjoyed.
   
   Gerard Zemek
   husband of author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"



3. this book is not the typical football book in which details of football startegy are dissected and analyzed.Instead it deals with how Tom Brady developed as an QB thru high school,the trials and tribulations of his days at Michigan and finally his arrival to the NFL and his eventual taking over the reins of the Patriots and the rest is history.Its not an book I would recommend for anyone looking for pure football strategy its more of an comprehensive look at an young qbs development thru several different areas



4. As an aside, the other good book that talks
   a lot about Tom Brady is Charlie Wies fine
   book, "No Excuses". Brady simply is the best
   QB of his generation in the NFL and not a
   Media creation like P. Manning, who will
   never be fit to carry out Braids garbage!
   
   I rate Brady as the seventh best QB in Pro
   Football history right now, behind only:
   John Elway, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Phil
   Simms, Warren Moon and Johnny Unitas. Fol-
   lowed by; Doug Flutie, Russ Jackson, Otto
   Graham, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach
   and Bob Griese. Flutie, Moon and especially
   the Canadian Jackson did their best work
   in the equally good CFL, which predates
   the NFL by 11 years. Messy somewhat in
   the writing style of the co-author, but
   Brady in his own words is very good. Who
   wants to bet when the smoke clears that
   Brady will NOT be the best QB ever? I
   wouldn't! Probably two more Super Bowls
   coming his way in '09 and 2010!



5. One of the best sports writers ever, Charlie once again writes with precision and incredible depth using the spontaneous wit that earmarks his writng style. Whether you are a Patriots fan, a Brady wannabee, or a curious west-coaster, you will find this book difficult to put down. I bought copies for myself, my 89yo father-in-law, my 35 yo son, and my 11yo grandson...all were pleased with comments ranging from "a great sports biograpy' to "Yowzer awesome".
   In the pursuit for everything, Peirce wins.
   5 stars for sure

5 comments about Batista Unleashed.

1. I've never read any of the other books from any of the other wrestlers before, but I'm very glad I decided to get this one. I never knew all the difficulties and hard work it takes to be a wrestler, plus reading about Batistas personal struggles made it even better of a book to read. You really get the experience of this mans life and becoming the Animal. If your a fan of Batista or even just a fan of professional wrestling, this is one book to get.



2. I have started reading this book and I am impressed. For those people who don't like how Batista treated his wife, we all make mistakes. Maybe he has learned from them and things will be better. Not every relationship is perfect. You have my full support, Batista.



3. Thank you Amazon.com, for once again providing perfect professional service. The delivery, packaging and substance of my order was spot on! I enjoyed reading about the Fantastic Batista! How candid and open-hearted this look inside the man behind the Animal! To Dave Bautista, I enjoyed getting to know you through your words and pictures. I am your ardent fan...Be Loved and Be Blessed.....Love Tam of Birmingham, Alabama



4. He is the greatest wrestler. I think he's awesome. The book is really interesting. Great reading!!



5. Excellent book.. Very easy to read.
   A bit of language used.. but this gives it that personal touch... so, you really get to know what Batista was going through and how he felt.
   
   If you want a story of how a bouncer turns his life around for his family to become one of the best Champions the WWE has ever seen, then this is definately the book for you.
   
   Great story... Can't say a bad thing about it.
   Well Done Dave!!

5 comments about Facing Ali: 15 Fighters / 15 Stories.

1. This is one of the more fascinating studies of Ali's life because the stories are told from the perspective of those who faced him. Some harbor hostility (Joe Frazier), some admire him tremendously (Norton, Foreman, Coopman, Dunn), some attempt to demythologize him and show him to be a man with flaws (Holmes).
   
   Any Ali fan is going to want to have this book! Stephen Blunt does a good job of tracking down the fighters (some, like Jurgen Blin and Karl Mildenberger, are more anonymous and are remembered primarily for facing Ali and were not as easy to locate).
   
   Highly recommended.



2. To be completely honest, it feels a little bad giving this book only a lukewarm review. It is, after all, a great idea for a book and a great find for anyone who became a fight fan in the era of Ali, Frazier, Norton, Foreman and the rest. But somehow, this manages to be a boxing book without much of anything to say about boxing. Instead of an up-close look at the characters as they rise or fall to their moment with Ali, we get a series of mini biographies about men who aren't necessarily all that interesting. Sure, Jurgen Blin and Joe Bugner may be nice enough men, but do their uninspired performances against Muhammad Ali make them worth spending any time with? Actually, considering the merciless and unforgiving nature of their chosen sport, the story of even the dullest mismatch could be interesting. But the author gives us too much back story on his subjects' lives, not enough on the euphoria, hope, sense of dread or foolish confidence that must have come with getting a crack at 'The Greatest.'
   
   This is not to say, though, that there aren't some bright spots. Foreman, Frazier and Norton are all solid components of the legend, and their storied careers pretty much ensure more interesting chapters than the career of, say, Jean-Pierre Coopman. Even chapters on a few of the second and third-tier challengers (Chuvalo, Wepner) make for some good reading. But what we never learn, really, is what it was like for a Chuck Wepner to be picked from obscurity to fight for the title. We find out that Chuck got to train full time (for the first time in his life) at a resort in the Catskills. But did his shot at the title make his life better...worse? Did sudden fame lead to the end of his marriage and involvement, for a time, with drugs? Did he understand that he was a bit player in a very big show? He certainly seems to be a good guy, but was Wepner actually closer to being a 'goodfella' in those days?
   
   This certainly isn't a bad book, and real fight fans will find it interesting, at least in places. But it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Tales of shady powerbrokers who control the fight game are hinted at here and there, but never mined as they might have been...we're often not given a clear picture of how most of these men are living these days, save for most of the British and European fighters who seem to have fared well. There are also a few factual errors which are a bit offputting. (in regard to Wepner, for instance, the author wonders whether the fighter will be remembered as the man who scored a questionable knockdown against the champ....or the man who was stopped by Ali in the 11th round. In truth, Wepner quite famously came within seconds of going the full 15 rounds.) Again, not a bad book, but one that feels like it could have been better.



3. I've been reading a lot of boxing books lately despite not being a big fan, mainly because it seems like the people who are involved in it are some of the most interesting people in any sport. This book is another one which strongly reiterates that. Like many of the other reviews say, you really do feel like you get to know something about these guys, about what they're like as people and nobody comes across as two dimensional.



4. Muhummad Ali is the most-photographed, most-written about, most-quoted, and most-popular athlete of all-time. So how does an author come up with a "new" angle on the Ali story that has not already been covered? Well, Author Stephan Brunt comes up with a new tact - 15 fighters who faced Ali in the squared circle tell about their experieces in their own words. This is a unique concept that has not been attempted before in the annals of boxing literature. My hat is tipped to Mr. Brunt for coming up with such a unique angle. I also applaud him for not severely editing the commentary of the opponents stories. The words are there warts and all, especially in the bitterness expressed by Joe Frazier.
   
   The book presents 15 fights, and the individual stories of the opponents are written in vivid detail. Brunt gives a brief history of the opponent, how he became a fighter, how he came to fight Ali, and what happened to him afterwards. The 15 fighters represent several of Ali's best fights, including Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Ernie Shavers. Too bad we could not have read about Ali's greatest upset fight, i.e. Sony Liston's experience in words - now that would heve been eye-popping! (Liston died of an apparent drug overdose in late 1970.)
   
   Brunt does a thorough job with each fighter. He does not so much concentrate on the blow to blow action in the fight, but rather, what the opponent was thinking and feeling before, during, and after the fight. It makes for very interesting reading for boxing fans in general, and of course Ali fans.
   
   I could not give it a 5-star ranking as it was not spell-binding, but for being unique and holding my interest throughout, it deserves a solid 4-stars.
   
   Jim "Konedog" Koenig



5. Stephen Brunt's excellent book poignantly tells the stories of fifteen men who fought Muhammad Ali. Brunt tells us in his introduction that we generally only hear one side of the story - usually the side of the star of the show. Since there have been few stars who have shone as brightly as Ali in the boxing world (or in the world in general for that matter), the stories of his opponents, even the ones who were champions in their own right, have tended to be forgotten, if not completely ignored.
   
   The stories provide a fresh perspective on Ali through the course of the book, since many of these men developed a relationship with him that transcended their battle(s) with him in the ring, but the spotlight here is directly on the lives of these fifteen men. Each of their stories is unique. Some are funny, some are tragic, some offer us lessons if we care to look. All the stories show us how these men's lives were altered by their moment in the spotlight. With the exception of Joe Frazier, who gets the longest section of the book devoted to him, every man conveys a fondness and respect for Ali even if they had differences with him.
   
   Brunt is a great writer who is able to convey something essential about each of the men he dedicates a chapter to. There isn't a trace of sentimentality and every portrait comes across as being fair to it's subject. "Facing Ali" is a masterpiece of sports writing and belongs on the shelf of every boxing fan.