5 comments about Invincible: My Journey from Fan to NFL Team Captain.

1. Great book about a super guy! Easy to read & very inspirational. I highly recommend this book for anyone intersted in the human struggle to be on top - it's not just about the money or the fame, it's about life & winning as a human being, not a sports super star.



2. Pick this book up over the movie, it is much better. The movie didn't cover the entire story. Mr. Papale tells his story in the way it should. He is very upfront and totally honest with his entire story. I've recommended this book to so many. It is definitely an inspiring story full of determination that will have you looking at your own life. A great hometown hero story.



3. I enjoyed reading Invincible and thought the book was great. I watched the movie when it came out and as usual the book was alot better than the movie. I would recommend this book to any football fans.



4. I certainly enjoyed reading Invincible. However, my opinion may be bias. You see, I grew up with Vince Papale in Glenolden, PA. We lived about three blocks apart and went to the same schools. I was two years ahead of Vince. My sister and Vince's sister were best friends. I knew almost everyone and everyplace mentioned in the book. Although I didn't see Vince after high school, I followed his career with the Philadelphia Bell, Philadelphia Eagles, and TV sport casting years. Interestingly enough, the owner of the Philadelphia Bell was the star halfback on our high school football team. If you are looking for an inspirational story about a local boy overcoming many obstacles to become a professional football player, this book is for you. Unlike some similar stories (Rocky), this one is true!



5. Vincee and I first got together at the end of my right knee. We were on opposite sides in Pee Wee football. This story is in the book. The only thing faster than this read is Vincee on the football field or on the track. If you don't come away with a tear in your eye, your not normal. I've know Vincee since we were 11 or 12. But this book reveals the inner guy I never knew. I saw the Movie in Philly and we all stood and clapped. It's been 30 years since that great summer of '76 and it feels like yesterday that I watched Vincee play his first Pre-Season game as an Eagle. To top off that great event it was right here in Canton Ohio (my new adopted town). I just about had a heart attack when I read the program and found the name Vince Papale. Now go out and get this great book. Mike Paynter

5 comments about Smokin' Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, Smokin' Joe Frazier.

1. SMOKIN' JOE is a surprisingly good examination of one of the greatest fighters of all time - Joe Frazier. Despite his status in many sportswriter's minds as a sort of foil for Muhammad Ali, "the other half" of a great rivalry, most trueblue boxing fans know that Frazier was quite a bit more than that. Smokin' Joe led a quite remarkable life which was a triumph over the odds and showed, among other things, that he was "a champion for all the people."
   
   Ghostwritten by Phil Berger, a very able writer who manages to turn what was undoubtedly a series of taped oral interviews into an enjoyably readable autobiography that communicates much of Frazier's bristling temperament, pleasure-loving attitude and downhome twang, SMOKIN' JOE traces Frazier's life from its dirt-poor roots as the son of a black sharecropper in the Jim Crow South, to his move to Philadelphia, his improbable amateur career culminating in an Olympic gold medal, and his professional boxing career, which reached a dual apex when he first captured the heavyweight title unwillingly vacated by Ali, and then whipped a comebacking Ali over 15 brutal rounds to cement his claim as the best big man on earth. Not surprisingly, a great deal of the book centers on his vitriolic relationship with the man he refers to contemptuously as "Clay" ("That's what his momma named him," Frazier sneers), and fans of Ali will not enjoy his heartfelt railings about the "so-called Greatest."
   
   To be sure, Frazier has a legitimate beef against the man, who sponged money off Frazier during his long court battle with the U.S. Government, then tried to turn the black community in America against him by "whitewashing" him as an Uncle Tom. Frazier smoulders when he recounts how his children were mercilessly taunted on the playground by Ali fans and how he, Frazier, was constantly villified - even by liberal whites - as being some kind of "white man's champion." Frazier insisted then, and insists now, that he was not a champion for black or white America but for all the people, and to call him anything else was not only unfair but cruel - and I tend to agree. Ali was great at a lot of things, and one of those things was being an irresponsible, loudmouth jerk.
   
   On the other hand, when it comes to cruelty, Frazier gives nothing away to his archenemy. He has a real blood-lust that made one reviewer of the book remark, "I loved the book, but I didn't like Frazier." He seems to take genuine pleasure in beating the living hell out of people and can reflect quite calmly on his role in turning guys like Jerry Quarry into brain-damaged vegetables. He also seems to revel in the humiliation of beaten foes like Buster Mathis, Sr., who annoyed Frazier because he lacked discipline (and never mind that his indiscipline gave Frazier his shot at the Olympics), and while granting that he flat-out got his *ss kicked by George Foreman not once but twice, he's as reluctant as any boxer to truly accept responsibility for losing.
   
   SMOKIN' JOE is an enjoyable book as much because of these things as in spite of them. It's fast-paced, cleverly written and unapologetic, and refreshingly, it lacks the politically correct gloss of many autobiographies, which are so carefully calibrated to hide the subject's flaws they end up saying almost nothing. Smokin' Joe has a lot to say, it's just a question of whether or not you've got the chin to hear it.



2. I admit that this book is hardly good literature. Yet I enjoyed reading it again and again.
   
   Though I followed boxing at one time, I am really not a big fight fan. But I love stories about people who put their heart and soul into what they do, and Joe Frazier certainly did that.
   
   He describes his impoverished childhood, his flirtaion with a life of petty crime, and then his getting into boxing from the ground up and working his way to the Olympic gold medal and eventually the heavyweight championship of the world.
   
   He also gives a glimpse of what happend after his boxing career was over and his opinion of some of the 1990's boxers.
   
   But much of the book was devoted to his wars with Mohammed Ali (who he refers to as Cassius Clay or "Butterfly"), both in and out of the ring. He talks about how badly he was stung by Ali's calling him an "Uncle Tom" (not black enough) and then calling him a Gorilla (as in subhuman; too black, too uncultured).
   
   Because I am not African American, I can't fully understand the sting of what Ali did to him (in the guise of promoting the fights) but it is clear that he was still bitter about it. That's a shame too, as Joe Frazier is clearly one of the best boxers to ever live, and one of the two boxers to beat Ali while he was at or near his prime (Norton is the other one).
   
   Oh yes, I picked up a cool "new" (to me) word: "scamboogah". I like it!



3. First things first: I am a huge Muhammad Ali fan; and, I am a huge Joe Frazier fan. On top of that, I am fascinated by the lives of boxers. It seems that to become a great boxer, one must go through a bitter struggle to get to the top of that profession.
   
   Like other great boxers, "Smokin'" Joe Frazier had a hard life, and one at which one wrong turn at the crossroads could have derailed his life.
   
   Written in 1996, when "Smokin' Joe" was 52 and still bitter at Muhammad Ali's name tauntings of him when they were professional heavyweight fighters in the 1970s, this book was quite a revealing book about Joe's life.
   
   Most of you who will read this review must be, to some extent, familiar with the boxing history between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. In this book, Frazier goes into astonishing details about his recollections which made me feel as if he were here next to me talking to me himself.
   
   The book also connects Joe's past to his present and gives you clarity on how he developed as a man. He is very inspirational in how he explains how he rose to the top from his poor upbringing, though poor only in terms of money, not pride, committment to his family, or belief in himself: areas about himself that were a wealth of possibilities as long as someone believed in him.
   
   The book begins with his childhood in South Carolina and he gives you a feel about what he was like and how close he was to his father and the relationship he had with women, his friends, and experiences he had while living in a racially segregated South.
   
   Piece by piece, step by step, "like a train", Joe literally takes us on the train ride of his life clearly explaining many fascinating details about his early fights. What impressed me was his attention to detail about his opponents. I had no idea that Oscar Bonavena was shot to death in Reno because of his affair with a woman who's husband owned a Reno. I never noticed the connection about how trainers would also fight trainers through their boxers and how fights of the 60s would directly connect fights of the 90s.
   
   There's a lot of that in this book.
   
   Then of course, there is the relationship between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. They always had an amazing chemistry between each other. The perfect complimentaries in all aspects of life. Having Read Ali's Autobiography and Smokin' Joe's Autobiography, they both present themselves the same way they presented themselves in the ring. Joe was step by step in your face while Ali was multidirectional in his autobiography.
   
   In this 200 page book, at least 50 pages and two complete chapters are dedicated in detail about the relationship between him and Ali. If you read it, it sounds as if Joe was still angry at Ali while he wrote this. But I learned in this book that Joe Frazier is a deeper person than most give him credit for. I really didn't read anger in his words of contempt towards Ali; rather a "hard-love" and maybe even some hurt and justifiable hurt of the personal bashing Ali directed at him.
   
   The book goes into amazing details some of the verbal exchanges they shared even while in the ring, nights prior to fights or other personal confrontations they had over the years.
   
   A lot of it is even humorous despite being serious. There's a great passage about Joe Frazier's taunting Ali in private about his pseudo-wife at the time Veronica Porsche when they fought "The Thrilla in Manila."
   
   If you've seen Joe Frazier fight, the book reads with the same intensity of his boxing style: penetrating and persistant.
   
   You can't help but admire this man for his ethic and philosophy on life.
   
   For those of you who think Frazier has "deep psychological hatreds towards Ali," that's a bunch of, as Frazier would put it, "scamboogah talk."
   
   As recently as June 9, 2001: Joe was quoted as saying after his daughter lost a woman's boxing match against Ali's youngest daughter: "-``It's over. I just don't want no more problems...If I see him tomorrow, I'll say, 'Hey man, let's get along. Forgive me and I'll forgive you.' I'm tired of the harsh, dirty words. I don't want to go back to that no more.''
   
   This is a must read if you love boxing, especially the historically most important years of boxing: The 1970s,when Ali and Frazier were two of the 3 (Foreman too) top masters of this Sport.



4. Obviously if you are a Joe Frazier fan you must get this book, but I would also recommend it to any boxing fan. And if you don't like Muhammad Ali, you should also read this book. (For the record, I am not an Ali hater or a big fan of his, but I am a huge boxing fan).

   If you are familar with boxing, you will know that every figher has his own unique story, and Joe is no exception. He is definitely an interesting person and has an enjoyable story.

   Clearly one of the top ten heavyweights of all time, Joe is most known for his trilogy with Muhammad Ali, and this book definitely gets into those fights, particularly the first one and the third one (which are among the biggest sporting events ever).

   Aside from the Ali fights and Joe's out of the ring hatred for Ali, this book does provide a full look at Joe's life, his ups and downs, and his comentary on various subjects such as Mike Tyson and Joe's son Marvis Frazier.




5. Smokin' Joe The Man & The Legend

   4.5 Stars

   I always thought of Joe Frazier as a machine. Put him in the ring and he's a tank with one purpose. That left hook. That left hook. That left hook.

   I have mixed feelings about this book.

   It's the autobiography of Joe Frazier - from his childhood to present day. The history of The Left Hook I found most interesting - it's not a chapter - it's information peppered throughout the book. That left hook!

   I loved the details given about his fights. How he felt before and during the fights and what was going on in his life before, during and after these fights.

   Joe had a really interesting and amazing career - Olympics, amateur and professional. He is an amazing competitor and athlete.

   Here is what I had problems with - Ali - his treatment of Muhammad Ali -

   I'm a HUGE Ali fan so take this with a grain of salt -

   Joe is incredibly bitter and angry with Ali - rightly so too, but it taints the book and gives it a bitter mood. He flat out refuses to call Ali - Ali - and only refers to him as Clay or the Butterfly - or anything else but Muhammad Ali - it's completely understandable and makes sense. Ali really layed into him and was flat out cruel at times - but it distracts and takes away from the book. It takes away from a feeling of good sportsmanship. I would go back and forth with losing respect for Joe, but in the same breath I understand why he feels this way - but again this takes away from his story.

   Ali / Frazier is forever intertwined with boxing history and boxing lore and it seems Joe resents Ali too much and that also takes away from certain aspects of the legacy and legend - but does add to other parts of it.

   Compare and contrast how he speaks of George Foreman - there's a lot of respect, admiration and good feelings towards the big man.

   I recommend this book to anyone interested in Joe Frazier and anyone interested in a legend of the ring, in one of the greatest fighters ever to lace `em up.

3 comments about Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis.

1. VERY GOOD RELAXING READING. FUN TO READ ABOUT WARREN MILLER'S YOUNGER DAYS. NEED MORE "WOMEN" SIDE OF STORY IN THE BOOK, THOUGH.
   
   I ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH. MUST READ LIST FOR YOU, SKIER AND WHO LOVE TO DO WHAT HE LIKES TO DO.....



2. Warren Miller, in his youth, is here shown to have been a criminal genius. Poaching, trespassing, littering, sneaking onto chairlifts, and running over prize hens. And let's not go into how they thawed out their car engine.

   I found my old grandfather's first edition copy of this seminal text by consummate ski bum Warren Miller. I give it six stars, reduced to five, because this book is entirely too short. It's hilarious, packed cover-to-cover with Miller's dry, matter-of-fact storytelling. If you've seen enough of his films, you can even read the whole thing in Warren's voice.

   If you fancy yourself a ski bum, read this and learn just how far you have to go in enduring privations before you'll stack up against Warren Miller.




3. What a great tale - the story detailing the beginnings of the ultimate ski bum! I thoroughly enjoyed Warren's recounting of his early days. While fun and light, this book communicates his passion for skiing and all it involves. My only complaint is that the book is way to short!

5 comments about Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.

1. This is the best book that I have ever read. What a devastating, yet inspiration story all at once. The tragidy that society placed on minority groups in the past has to be told and this is told so eloquently. This is a must read for every man, woman, and child in our society today. We must never forget the past so that we do not go there again. This tragedy should never be repeated. The story of what life is all about is in this book. It will touch you like no other book has before.



2. I really enjoyed the Ruber Carter biography The 16th Round. Carter is an amazing writer and he has an amazing life story. I figured this book would be sort of a follow up to his book taking us from incarceration in the end of 16th Round to freedom in Lazarus...
   Instead of getting to the story like Carter was able to the authors of this book felt the need to give a over done bio on Lesra Martin, who would come to befriend Carter. While it seems their intentions were positive for this kid they tend to paint his pre Canada picture as almost insulting this poor kid because of how he talked and acted, and I found the actual presenting his dialogue in supposed Brooklyn slang to be slightly distracting, and we could have done without the language lesson in "Black English"
   Sadly after this intro to the character of Lesra they really fail to mention him much after the story gets going. Lesra is lost to countless stories of trips to see Carter in prison and legal insight.
   The authors who are not Americans seem to almost take enjoyment in bashing the American legal system. They offer a very uneducated assumption based point of view on facts and issues I feel they had little understanding of. And while personally I feel Carter was not guilty of the crimes, the authors paint Carter as a tragic hero you should feel bad for, however that is by far over shadowed by their self-righteous telling of the legal battle in which they take the light that is supposed to be on Carter and apply it to them. They seem to want to have the reader view them as these people who are so good hearted and do everything to aide Carter so well that you can't help but love them.
   
   This book is good to get more facts but if you are looking for a follow up to Carter's story it's not here, this is instead an undiverse retelling of Carter's legal battle, less from the point of view of legal experts and more so that of "crusaders" who were out to see Carter free.
   I respect what they helped do for Carter but find the way they recall the story to be offensive and at times selfish.



3. This book is not as well-written as some of the other books out there, but the stories it tackles are certainly interesting.
   
   Rubin Carter, the brash young boxer turned local cop fall-guy, has a heartbreaking story that begins the moment he is taken in for questioning in a murder that he didn't commit, and ends years later, when he is finally exonerated as an older man.
   
   Lesra has an even more heartbreaking story; as a pre-teen, he is in a prison of his own, the prison of a miserably poor life in the ghetto that has deprived his good genes of achieving their potential.
   
   The book tracks the arrest and imprisonment of Carter, and the story of Lesra as he is taken in by a group of Canadian liberals who wish to give him a better chance at life. To me, the story of Lesra was even more interesting than the story of Carter. The most compelling scenes in the book happen when Lesra begins to adjust to his new lifestyle, and to transform from a physically stunted, uneducated boy into a sensitive and articulate young man. It gives pause to anyone who has ever said that those who live in poor urban America just need to work a little harder if they want to get out. The book makes the argument that the environment of the ghetto is so harmful that just being born and raised there creates a version of you that is almost incapable of rising above the more obvious obstacles.
   
   Young Lesra becomes interested in Carter after reading his book, and he and his guardians become involved in trying to achieve justice for Carter. After a long and trying bureaucratic battle, they finally help to free Rubin Carter, whose innocence could not be questioned by anyone remotely acquainted with the facts of his case.
   
   As much as I liked the stories, the writing was not very good, and often impaired my enjoyment. The fact that the authors are Lesra's Canadian friends is treated rather awkwardly, and characterizations of all of the main characters is pretty subjective, with the kindest possible spin given to every harsh word or action.
   
   This contributes to a feeling that the authors are not being completely honest about the story; it's not that I think they're lying, but rather that they aren't willing to evaluate everything with a critical and objective eye. In one sense, the most important sense, the idea of six comparatively wealthy do-gooders taking a boy out of the ghetto and then taking the ghetto out of the boy is noble and uplifting. But another way to look at it, as a group of meddlers playing God with a human guinea pig, is never really addressed. It kind of reminded me of My Fair Lady in some ways. It's not that I disagree with the wonderful gift that they have given to Lesra; it's just that I think there's more to the story of how they came to decide to do that particular good act.
   
   Overall, I do recommend this book because it has a lot to say, and to prove, about race relations and injustice in America. The unveiling of the corruption of those who sought to have Carter imprisoned is absolutely and unequivocally shocking. The difficulties that the innocent Carter encounters are just disgusting; he's not an innocent man in prison seeking to establish his innocence, but rather an innocent man in prison whose innocence is well-documented, and who can't seem to get anyone to listen, despite resources and national attention well beyond what most prisoners have. Lesra is equally exemplary of another serious problem; how can we expect good citizenship from America's urban poor when their environment is so suffused with negativity and animalistic treatment, 24 hours a day and seven days a week? The pull-themselves-up-by-the-bootstraps argument never seemed so hollow.



4. Two stories in one book, the first part about a young man named Lesra (short for Lazarus) and then the full history of Rubin Carter known as the Hurricane, a black American framed for a crime he never committed and wrongfully imprisoned. A third influence which shadows both stories is a group of people known as the Canadians, their motivations are not revealed to the reader yet without the actions taken by these Canadians the stories with happy endings told in this book would not have been possible.
   
   Lesra was 15 when he was hired to work at a lab in Brooklyn as part of an government funded summer program for inner city youth, it was there that he met a group of Canadians who were working at the lab on a research project. He was invited to visit them later for a weekend in Toronto and they were shocked at the appalling state of his education, though in high school he was unable to read or write and had an extremely limited vocabulary, didn't know how to read a map and had never run on grass. Lesra moved in with them in Canada and they took over his education, Lesra eventually went to university and his whole story of being rescued from a ghetto life and realizing his full potential in a different environment is uplifting.
   
   As Lesra is discovering whole new worlds through books he comes across, "The Sixteenth Round" by Rubin Carter, and Lesra begins writing to Rubin in prison. The group of Canadians become involved with the Hurricane and the rest of the book is devoted to the freeing of Rubin Carter, the incredible amount of work it took and the history of Carter's case in the courts of New Jersey.
   
   Though the book was engrossing there is too much left hanging, mainly what is the motivation of the Canadians and who are they really? Also the title is somewhat misleading as we don't hear much about Lesra except at the beginning. Finally, if it is true as suggested in other reviews here that Rubin was having a love affair that went on for several years with one of the Canadians, then that would most certainly be a glaring omission giving quite a different view of the same story.



5. This story is an inspiration. The idea that good can win over evil. That the poor and uneducated will be taken in and educated and the wrongly accused will be freed is a very nice idea. While I'm sure that many of the gritty details of have been over looked or glossed over, I believe that adds to the inspirational value of the book. Afterall, if this story did not have a happy ending Rubin Carter would still be in jail and we would have all forgotten about him long ago.

5 comments about Wrecking Crew: The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates.

1. Great book - read this book. Funny stories about junkies and a few bits about playing baseball as well.



2. I'm a picky reader and I normally don't dish out five stars for delightment. Well, here's my two cents:
   
   I never liked baseball that much. Now a book about baseball would frighten me away. I've never been interested in reading about people involved with drugs, cross-dressers, call-girl romances, alcoholics, and even crazy sexual exploits.
   
   I learned about the book through a friend and thought to myself, "oh what the heck. If I hate it after the first three chapters, I'll sell the book."
   
   I read the first page, then the second and for some reason, I found myself on the fourth chapter. After that, I couldn't put the book down. It has practically everything that I mentioned above (drugs, sex, cross-dressing etc) and with a dollop of baseball. Perhaps the fact that it is a memoir that makes it all the more of a page-turner. I kept thinking to myself, "wow, this is an entirely other world with people trying to survive Hollywood." And throughout the book, I sympathize for all the characters (well, they're real-life people). Also, Mr. Albert gives the truth about "Hollywood's Wasteland": people who dream of making it big but fall short. Baseball becomes their road to recovery.
   
   Because Mr. Albert was able to hold my attention for all those pages, I must give him five stars. (btw, I'm keeping the book!)



3. I read this book a few weeks ago and have been pondering how to phrase my review ever since. At first, I wanted to say simply that I couldn't put the book down. I read it in a 24-hour period, losing sleep in order to get to the end. How often has that happened in my life? First time was with Witch of Blackbird Pond when I was 10. Then Outsiders at 12. And Exorcist at 14. But as an adult? I think the last time was Ironweed.
   
   The writing is that good. The story that engrossing.
   
   But there's more to it. I've been a baseball fan forever. And one of my most memorable dates was in New York, watching the sun setting over the stadium, wrapped in a boyfriend's arms and sneaking sips of beer from his plastic cup. It was romance in motion, set at the ballgame.
   
   This book is nothing like that.
   
   Flash forward to same boyfriend in L.A. We'd both moved to Los Angeles within months of each other, and were inseparable. Until he took me to a Dodger game and explained that he still wanted to see me, but now that he was trying to be an actor, he wanted to be available to f*ck some starlets, too. Same game. Same man. Different coast. Different setting.
   
   This book is much more like that.
   
   I'm giving it to my friends this year on their birthdays. I'm reading it over again when the images start to fade. And I'm writing gushing fan letters to John Albert to tell him that he pulled me in from start to finish.



4. A good one here. The writing is good, the story is catchy and the characters are OK. It may be the jock in me but i actually wish there was more baseball in the story. But anyone 30+ who lived or still lives in the punk hardcore world should appreciate it.
   
   More than anything else, i got a real sense of Southern California life from this book. It captured the true nature and setting of the place better than anything else i have ever read. God, i hate California, and this shows me why. Cool tidbits on how life as a youth has changed from then to now as well.



5. Great story about junkies/go-no-wheres uniting to create a sanctuary of sanity through baseball. Great snapshots of meandering lives and decisions gone awry. Some name dropping from the punk/metal/rock scene that could make it worth any Jane's Addiction fan's time worth while. Couldn't stop reading. Ripped right through it.

5 comments about Cy Young: A Baseball Life.

1. This book is for baseball fans. It answers the question of Who was Cy Young? Every year Major League Baseball gives an award in both leagues and I doubt that the vast majority of baseball fans can write two sentences about Cy Young. I found his accomplishments stunning in an era when pitchers started every third day, the good ones threw more than 400 innings a year and finished their own games.
   
   Baseball was clearly not the game then that it is today. This tells how it has changed. For example, in Young's day, fans were called "cranks." I think this is an apt description of even today's fans! It was common to call the police to settle on-field arguments! Wow! Read this before the season starts if you are a fan. If you aren't a baseball fan...why not?
   
   Jim



2. We are very interested in baseball's history, so this book is a welcome addtion to our library.



3. Cy Young spent most of his life in a small Ohio village. He left in 1890 to play baseball for the Cleveland Spiders, and returned in 1912 after racking up a truly impressive pitching career: 511 wins, pitched the first perfect game, won more than 30 games a season five times.
   
   This modern biography (written in 2000) is equally impressive for focusing on his baseball career instead of making spurious accusations about his psychological makeup and personal life. It also gives an excellent historical background and explanation of the rule changes during the period, and touches on a few personal areas without going into excessive detail; his life from 1867-1890 and 1912-1955 is covered in just two chapters.
   
   Of the six baseball biographies I've read recently it truly stands out. The author did a great job of explaining how baseball worked back then, both in terms of the game itself and the teams/managers--and, as you can imagine, professional baseball was more than a wee bit different in 1890 than it is today. He uses copious references and footnotes, and makes it clear when he's speculating rather than writing based on fact. (In particular we don't know for sure what player salaries were like during the time. He has a helpful appendix explaining his reasoning.)
   
   If you have any interest in baseball history pre-1920, or are just curious, it's well worth reading. It's one of the best modern biographies I've read.



4. Reed Browning set the model for baseball bios, and it's too bad the scores of works that have come out since this volume have not been up to the mark set. Mr. Browning is a history professor, but other professors who have written about their favorite players have been less accurate and unbiased. Browning has done his homework thoroughly and with no errors. Of course, with Cy Young it's easier to be unbiased and still show him to be among the greatest of all time.
   Browning has the perfect combination: all the detail about Cy Young's personal life he could get and keep the book flowing; all the baseball anecdotes worth telling; a fine writing style; and all the live action game and year by year stats and events you can want.



5. Considering the lack of material, Mr. Browning does an excellent job recounting Cy Young's life. While he is forced to make a number of guesses, they are all well reasoned. Some biographies give a game by game description of what the subject did year by year. Mr. Browning thankfully does not do that, instead focusing on the high points of each year. The book includes a number of informative discussions about the evolution of the rules in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.

No comments about Dennis Rodman: I Should Be Dead by Now.

2 comments about Nat's Nat and That's That : A Surfing Legend.

1. Humble family beginings to world champion, husband to father, party animal to entrepreneur. Through all this Nat Young was destined to be a surfer and one of the best the world would ever see. This book is a fascinating combination of surfing history (Australian in particular) and the history of a man who pushed to get every ounce of enjoyment out of life. This is a very informative, yet light hearted book with more than its share of incredible surfing tales. From surfing the best waves the world has to offer, the early days of the world tour and the unavoidable changes of the 70's. This book is nothing short of the ultimate life style a surfer could wish for. Reading this book inspired me on more than one occassions to get out in the waves and make the most of my life. A must read for all surfers.



2. This book is long overdue. As a surfer and skier who grew up in the 70's and 80's Nat Young was the inspiration to us then and to teenagers today. He was one of the front runners who not only showed us how to do it but he did it with a passionate, laid back style. This read gives you the chance to know Nat as a person and to be inspired by his youthful, adventurous soul.

   NAT YOUNG BRODZIAK - CINCINNATI, OHIO (9/9/99)

No comments about The Old Man: The Biography of Walter J. Travis.

5 comments about Richie Ashburn Remembered.

1. Very first class informative history of Richie Ashburn. Was a fan growing up and found this book very helpful to answer questions and complete information that I often wondered about.



2. I grew up as a fan of Richie on the field and through his announcing games for the Phillies I was able to keep following him over the years until the day he died. This is a wonderful book and a fine tribute to him as a player and a man. To me he was one of a kind and this book does him justice. I thought I'd seen every photo of him but there were several surprises in the book. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who's interested in Richie-lots of great memories.



3. I was a bit taken back on the format once this came. Its very short, only about 100 pages of real material, and has very large font. Otherwise, it was a good book about Whitey.



4. I just finished reading this lovely tribute to Richie Ashburn. I can remember him so well. My Pop used to listen to the Phillies on the radio before there was tv. So I grew up with the Phillies and he was one of the best and most endearing characters ever. Fran did a great job of capturing his great character and personality. He was truly one of a kind. Good job Fran!



5. I was recently the greatful recipient of the above mentioned book. This is the 3rd book I have read by author Fran Zimniuch. His (past) books answer many of the questions you ponder. Like what ever happened to ???? Fran gives it all to you. This latest book is a wonderful tribute to Richie Ashburn and you can tell that the author truely loves the sport of baseball. It is more than a story to him. Way to go Fran and keep them coming......Now what ever happened to Bobby Rydell, Don Cannon and the rest of the oldies...