2 comments about Double Dunk: The Story Earl "The Goat" Manigault.

1. good seller, quick shipment, book in good condition. also recommend the book. it's a great story.



2. My son love's basketball. He is 18. He had to have this. Great gift for any basketball lovers in your life.

No comments about The Mogul: Eddie Gottlieb, Philadelphia Sports Legend and Pro Basketball Pioneer.

3 comments about Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black PGA Golfer.

1. The story of Sifford is a very inspiring one. The book was just written in a horrible way. Every other sentance starts with the word "hell". It gets boring afterwards. The first half of the book moves very slowly, but the second half picks up a little more speed. This book will let people know that before Tiger Woods, there was Charlie, Lee Elder, and a lot of other guys too. It is a very good book. What Sifford went through was just horrid, but that's the reality of the world we live in. I could never blame him for being so bitter after all these years of obstacles and not being praised for what he has done. Never mind praise - just for not being allowed to play the game of golf. My limited grasp on golf parlance probably made it a little boring to read this book. But it's a good book, although it may make you a little sleepy.



2. I read this book a few years back before it was offered through normal distribution channels. Mr. Sifford was actually distributing this book from his home. Being from Greensboro and a golfer, I was extremely impressed by Mr. Sifford's commitment to the game and his determination to play as a PGA professional. You truly wonder what the golfing world has already missed by not allowing Mr. Sifford and other African American golfers to pursue their dreams. When Mr. Sifford was attempting to break the "color barrier" there were more black professional golfers than there is today! His story is heartbreaking and encouraing, what he and other black golfers experienced (to include in my hometown of Greensboro NC) is almost beyond belief! I would strongly recommend reading this book.



3. This book took me to a time when all african -americans could look to their heritage with pride. Jackie Robinson was a great man and I place the accomplishments of Charlie Sifford right along side of his. He showed us what real intestinal fortitude is all about. This should be required reading for all youngsters interested in participating in sports. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story of courage under enormous pressure. This book teaches us about the strength and character we all posess inside.

1 comments about Tiller: Not Your Average Joe.

1. Purchased this book for my son's 26th B'day. He is a Purdue grad and an avid football fan. He is not much of a reader until he received this book. He thanked me greatly for it and stated he can't put it down.

5 comments about The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest.

1. I'll attempt to be succinct in this one: It's not just the proverbial "who do you believe" with regard to Jon Krakauer ["Into Thin Air"] and Anatoli Boukreev ["The Climb"] but it also encompasses the whole 1996 Everest tragedy because depending on who you ask or listen to, everyone has their own opinion or, indeed, pro-Krakauer/anti-Boukreev versus anti-Krakauer/pro Boukreev mind-set. And, true enough, all in-between!
   
   Ultimately, and I render public kudos here to Amazon reviewer Tan Kheng Eng who perhaps put it best when he suggested, "read both books [...] Jon's book is by no means the official account of what happened [...] [and read] [...] Toli's account to get a balanced view." Well said! In effect, and bottom line, the 'reader' makes the ultimate call from what hopefully varied and multiple sources the reader has pursued and how much in-depth reading they have given to it.
   
   I don't suggest for one second that there are any 'easy answers' nor any 'one' source that can be termed definitive. Let's also consider this: there are folks out there who will take the view that if they can't find 'your' name among the list of so-termed "8,000ers" [** Those who have climbed and summited the world's 14 highest mountains over 8,000 meters], then you "haven't the climbing credentials to say anything about it" [!] and I consider that to be pure bosh! Nor do I believe that one must be able to demonstrate that they've been on the Everest or K2 summit to render a point of view! On the other hand, I also find far too many "this is what they should have done" [!] remarks coming from folks totally non acquainted with the existing data [** fast forward to 2006 Everest and the David Sharp matter!] and who wouldn't know a belay from a ballet or perhaps hear the word "crampons" and quite possibly believe this is the first symptoms [!] of HAPE/HACE! That happens too! I'm not talking about so-termed "armchair mountaineers" as much as those who can allegedly pinpoint what went wrong and muse on what 'should' have been done had 'they' been asked or listened to, ahhh, all would have been well. Right. Or the classic, "Well, with our technology today, weather can be fully predicted!" [!]. Right. And serac falls too, yes? Or their belief that bottled oxygen brings the user to 'sea level' [! -- most of the authorities on this one suggest a 'climbing' difference of no more than 3,000 feet] as they comment using their commercial jet experiences [!] and how wonderful they felt within the pressurized cabin at 35,000 feet! Right.
   
   Having said that, I do have one general view but I preface this by saying it's simply my own opinion and therefore no more right or indeed wrong than anyone else's opinion: I believe when the "role" of the climber 'switches' from that of a solo climber to that of a compensated "guide", then the "client" or "clients" plural de facto enter the equation and therefore what one may do 'individually' [climbing without bottled oxygen [where it is normally prudent to do so] as but one example] should, IMO and so stated, factor in the clients and their needs or indeed their mountaineering shortcomings or lack of high altitude climbing experience and not to mention the ability of the guide, and in 'that' particular compensated role, to remain clear-headed. It's not a matter of getting the 'guide' to yet another summit in his/her particular style or method, but getting the 'client' there! And, of particular cogence, back down again!
   
   Let's face it, there 'are' folks who show up at places like Everest or K2 or Annapurna [et al] BC who simply shouldn't be there! Some have very deep pockets and wish to experience "the ultimate thrill" but their climbing experience may be woefully negligible. Further, and this isn't news either, there has been a proliferation of commercial entities offering to take folks to you-name-it but when that happens, the so-termed "guide" takes on the direct responsibility for the welfare of the client and thus 'personal' habits or 'styles' of the 'guide' doesn't necessarilly translate that this should then be the habit or style of the client!
   
   Again, read everything you can get your hands on with regard to the Everest 1996 climbing season but note well the highly differing views or indeed the use of the oft cited colloquialism, to wit, "who do you believe?", well, in the end, the reader has to make the call. They may be right in their call but, and this is cogent, they also may be wrong. I suppose my essential grouse comes into play when it gets down to folks who proclaim that they are 'right' ... and by default, at least in their mind-set, 'all' others holding a contrary view are supposedly wrong.
   
   
   Doc Tony



2. Parts of book by Anatoli Boukreev or related by Boukreev: 5 stars
   *Any point of the story where DeWalt offers his opinion: 1 1/2 stars
   *Post Script by DeWalt: 0 stars
   
   
   
   The story of Anatoli Boukreev is truly an amazing one, and he rightly deserved any bit of honor placed on him after behaving heroically during the Everest disaster of 1996. His tale is inspirational and a true example of a man who lived to take on the elements of nature, and conquer them. Ultimately, nature may have won, but Boukreev's spirit will live on forever. Yes, it is written in broken english, and he has trouble in some of his descriptions, but it is one that needed to be heard.
   
   His story, alone, earns 5 stars.
   
   Jon Krakauer may be an impulsive and self-rightious human being. He also may be judgemental, and yes, he probably could've been more forgiving in Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster towards Anatoli Boukreev, the brilliant and heroic mountaineer who rescued the lives of at least 3 individuals in May of 1996.
   
   With that being said, there is absolutely no excuse for G. Weston DeWalt's misleading, and downright dishonest post script. It is the main reason that I give this book only three stars. After reading this book years ago, along with Krakauer's, I picked up the revised and updated copy this week, and I have to say that DeWalt leaves me with a terrible taste in my mouth.
   
   Within his postscript, DeWalt does the exact thing that he is accusing Krakauer of, which would be leaving out facts and printing misleading quotes. He also relies way to heavily on sections that are basically "this is what person A said in their statement, but she told me something differently behind everyone's back." He accuses Krakauer of leaving out important facts that he claims mislead the reader, but then does the exact same thing himself, on numerous occasions.
   
   
   Example A: In his postscript, DeWalt repeatedly refers to an article in written by Steve Weinberg in the August 1998 edition of the Columbia Journalism Review, which argued that the facts Krakauer used were in dispute, when it had been advertised as non-fiction.
   
   What Mr. DeWalt conveniently leaves out is that Weinberg is on the record as saying that he had not factchecked his own article with Krakauer, and was basing his entire thesis on what DeWalt had written because Krakauer HAD NOT written a postscript in the paperback edition of Into Thin Air. He later admitted, ON THE RECORD, that since he relied only on the evidence presented by DeWalt/Boukreev and had not confronted Krakauer with them, he had no way of knowing who was telling the truth. In fact, the only reason that Krakauer wrote his postscript was because DeWalt was running his mouth in the press, advertising this article.
   
   While accusing Krakauer of using misleading information, DeWalt has the nerve to repeatedly quote an article as though it were fact, and yet the author has disowned the article, years before DeWalt's revisions!
   
   
   EXAMPLE B: In both the Climb's postscript and in the much publicized debate that took place on Salon's website in 1998, DeWalt seems to find some sort of glee in reminding people that "No clients died on Scott Fischer's expedition (whom Boukreev was employed by)." Of course, he uses this as though Boukreev and Fischer's brilliant "plan" worked out much better than that of Rob Hall's expedition (of which Krakauer was a client).
   
   Let's look at the facts of this statement- Fischer's expedition was NOT without casualties. In fact, there were two. A sherpa and Fischer, himself. Rob Hall's expedition had four casualties. However, only one of them does the fault rest solely on the mistakes made by Adventure Consultants. If one were to cast blame for the death of Doug Hansen, then yes, it was Rob Hall's responsibility to turn his struggling client around, instead of letting him finish his trek to the summit.
   
   However, it is misleading and quite disgusting for DeWalt to act as though the other deaths would've been prevented in Fischer's group. Two of the deaths happened during rescue attempts. Scott Hall may have survived, had he left Hanson behind to save himself, and Andy Harris died attempting to rescue Hall and Hanson.
   
   This leaves the death of Yasuko Namba. Boukreev, Beidleman, and Mike Groom (the only surviving guide on Hall's team) left Namba and Weathers behind because they didn't think they would survive. With no other guides left on their expedition, there was no one left who had the experience or the energy required to make an attempt. As everyone knows, Weathers survived, but Namba perished. Her death was a tragedy, and neither team could've done anymore than had been done that evening. The reason no one perished on Boukreev's team was because those were the clients, Sandy Hill, Charlotte Fox, etc... that were still showing some signs of life.
   
   Finally, Mr. DeWalt likes to bring up the fact that maybe some of the fault lies on the fact that a member of the press, ie Jon Krakauer, was present on Hall's expedition. Ironically, Krakauer openly admits that he feels guilty and has never shied away from questions over whether his own presence helped contribute to the disaster of that day. What Mr. DeWalt leaves out is that his team also had media reports being broadcast across the world from their team as well. Not to mention that this particular person had sherpas hauling over one hundred pounds of equipment around in the Death Zone.
   
   
   There are a lot more points that I could spend time rebutting, but I feel that I have used far more space here in this review than I am supposed to.
   
   In the end, everyone who was witness to the 1996 disaster has a their own perspective on what took place. Boukreev's contributions, before his tragic death, is a welcome addition to the records. Jon Krakauer sees the events through his point of view, and Boukreev sees them through his. Neither is the definitive answer, and it may be that we will never have those answers.
   
   I will leave you with a quote from Beck Weathers, from an interview he gave to CNN online on May 9, 2000:
   
   "I think Jon Krakauer got it right. Ultimately, Anatole redeemed himself, and that's the way I prefer to remember him."



3. Anyone who needs to place blame about the 1996 Everest disaster can pick one of many problems that happened on that climb -from manmade to "acts of God". Into Thin Air gives one climber's view, the documentary, Storm Over Everest, by David Breashears gives more views by those who climbed, and Boukreev's The Climb gives his account. Each persons' experiences and memories are different so few of them will ever match each others, and blame will never be able to be fully placed.
   This is a more tedious book to read than Into Thin Air, but what a gift to read about this incredible man who appeared a bit of a villain in Krakauer's book. Boukreev seems like he was a unique, caring man, a poet in his love of the mountains, and of great physical and mental strength. He knew he belonged on the mountains, lived his life embracing them and eventually died there. Why? Because no one can be in control of nature, certainly not in extreme circumstances like high-altitude climbing. Those that feel they can keep themselves safe with the addition of "guiding" a group of climbers is acting with an even increased amount of hubrus. Even the brilliant Boukreev, as a consultant, could barely keep his expedition to Everest in 1997 together.
   Those of you with dreams - I wish you luck in your endeavors but let the Everest disaster be a warning - know your field, know what is expected and don't count on others to push you through.
   Read this book to understand the heart of those who push past limits to do what they love.



4. Having read Krakauer's book, seen the movie and watched the PBS doc, I read this, purported to be the closest to the ten sides of the truth in this adventure/disaster.
   In a nutshell, Krakauer looks bad from this perspective, Sandy Hill Pittman still looks like a phony new money weasel, and Fischer looks much better than anywhere else; he is unfairly slammed in the tv movie if this book is at all true, and it does ring truer than the other projects (though the PBS doc Storm Over Everest is a must-see).
   Worth reading for anyone into climbing and/or this incident, which says so much about our massive egos and small brains.



5. This book appears to be written primarily to rebut certain incidents mentioned in Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air. I have no doubt that Boukreev was an experienced and dedicated climber but this book is presented as if he did nothing wrong up on Everest in 1996.
   
   I have read almost every book published about the deaths on Everest in 1996 and the concensus of opinion is that everybody did something that contributed to the disaster. Boukreev made his share of mistakes and I would have been more impressed with this book if that concession had been made.

5 comments about Ed Delahanty in the Emerald Age of Baseball.

1. This is a well written book on the life of Ed Delehanty and the Delahanty family. It is thoroughly researched. I could not put this book down once I started reading it.



2. I just finished reading Jerrold Casway's epic work which focuses on the life, times and career of "contract-jumper" Ed Delahanty, little-known (at least to me, up until I read this book) Hall of Fame baseball player who starred in the late 1800s- early 1900s.
   
   This book is painstakingly and meticulously researched (45 pages of footnotes alone, no less!)-- and the enormity of this undertaking by a highly skilled author is readily apparent with every turn of the page. Anyone who appreciates and enjoys the game of baseball (formerly called "Base Ball" as so documented in the book) should find this to be a VERY insightful read-- not only about the EVOLUTION of our National pastime (artfully related IN CONTEXT with key news, events, and "snapshots" of the surrounding world outside-- i.e. Presidents, wars, strife, natural disasters, etc. at any given time along the continuum in which the story is being told)-- but also about the life, times, mighty feats, travails and the ultimate demise of a skilled but wanton, highly intemperate (off the field) slugger.
   
   To this reader, it became apparent while reading this masterpiece is that a great many parallels can be drawn from a MANAGEMENT/PLAYER relations standpoint between today's game and that of yesteryear. In other words-- "the more things change, the more they stay the same". I have now learned that adversarial relationships have always existed between these parties. This is not at all unique to today. Skilled ballplayers sought the highest bidder for their services then, as now. Ed Delahanty, though, was the ultimate "contract-jumper". He'd strike a new deal while the ink was still drying on another one that he had just signed. Being mindful of the limited window of opportunity that he had (before his playing skills would deteriorate), he played this card for all it was worth-- or not.
   
   The game was in a rather constant state of "flux" during Delahanty's time-- what with new "upstart" leagues raiding the incumbent leagues for key talent. Legal decisions and eventual reversals of those decisions abounded. Signed contracts would ultimately be voided by the courts. The emotional turmoil of being "caught in the middle" of this tug of war.. A "pickle" of his own making.. Whilst feeling the "crunch" of legal obligation to several teams at once-- was a source of great distress to Delahanty... and helped lead to his eventual demise... His liquor problems notwithstanding.
   
   But there is much, much more to the story. I simply suggest that you just pick up this book and read it. You will not be disappointed. Another aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed was the manner in which the author "works in" various "snippets" of columns written by the sportswriters of that era-- offering their "take" on the various baseball news items-- and there are many-- that came up. This book is extremely well-documented.
   
   One caveat- unless you are a Evelyn Wood grad, you will find it very difficult to "speed-read" through. That is because a great many paragraphs are jam-packed with facts and detail. This book is also written for the intelligentsia amongst the baseball/Irish history buff contingent. In other words, this is a college-level book. If your reading level is 6th-grade, for example, you may not be able to keep up. On the other hand, this book is VERY intellectually stimulating to those of us that truly appreciate MASTERFUL application of the English language-- a very COLORFUL and ARTFUL one, at that. So, grab your favorite beverage, curl up on the couch and enjoy this fine work.
   
   I rate this book FIVE AND A HALF-STARS OUT OF A POSSIBLE FOUR!
   
   Tim Fitzgerald, Chicago IL



3. While this biography of a fine, mysterious player is adequate, Casway's assertion that 19th Century baseball was an "Emerald Age," due to Irish dominance is ludicrous. Almost all the top ball players were of English ancestry at the time, which reflected the U.S. immigrant population. With the exclusion of Negroes, Latins etc. Irish did stand out as a "colorful" minority.



4. This is one of the best baseball biographies I have read. Unlike some that mainly take you on a timeline from one noteworthy game (with dutiful descriptions of achievements or failures) to the next, Casway does an excellent job of going behind the player to reveal the person, flaws and all. It is fascinating to see the 1890s version of the immature superstar with only one marketable skill (crushing a baseball) as he tries to cope with personal and family problems as that skill rapidly deteriorates. You know the outcome, but it is still a great read. I found the descriptions of the Phillies management very interesting, and learned a few new things about John McGraw. Clearly a lot of careful research went into this book. If you enjoy baseball biographies, you'll like this one.



5. We all know of players like Cy Young and Ty Cobb, but for most of the baseball world, the late 1890's and Early 19th century is a forgotten period of baseball. Even Larry Anderson, one of the Philadelphia Phillies broadcasters, was unaware of how teh late Phils slugger Ed Delahanty died. (I'm not telling you, you'll find out easy enough, anyway.) He only found out recently during a blow out game, when a certain player had a chance for hitting 4 home runs in single game. A feat, which was accomplished by the Only Del.
   
   In the 1890's, the Phillies had one of the best teams ever to be featured on a baseball diamond. None the less, they were never able to put together a champion. Most of the blame should go to the Phillies owners, who insisted on paying their players far below their worth, and the hiring of string after string of bad managers, not to mention constant inteferance with said managers by the Front Office.
   
   Of Course, the players didn't have much say in any of these things. They could do what they did on the playing field, but a pay raise was hard to come by. In fact, many players saw their salaries go the other way during the 1890's. The reserve clause bound you to your team, and the others in the league weren't allowed to sign you. This set of circumstances led to the creation of the short lived Player's League in the early part of the 1890's and later the formation of the American League in 1901. (At least in part.)
   
   Ed was one of the many great Irish players in baseball at the time. The Irish far outnumbered any other minority in baseball during this period. Irish Ed was one of the greatest players of his (or any other) time, and other teams repeatedly offered the Phillies rather large sums of money in exchange for Big Ed. Ed batted over .400 for a good chunk of his career, and played at every position except pitcher and catcher. He was an amazing left fielder, but kept being moved back to first base for various reasons. (Injuries to other player's, mostly.)
   
   Ed had a love for the arts, and this is the only part of the book that is never really expanded on. Big lived a "Superstar" lifestyle without much regard for his or his families future, rather foolishly thinking that baseball could support him forever. Sadly, he only wanted to be paid what he was worth, and this led him to jump to the American League's Washington Senators in 1902. The departure of Delahanty and the core of the great Phillies team left the Phils in such a state that it took the franchise years, even decades to recover.
   
   Big Ed didn't seem to be as loved in Washington as he was in Philadelphia. At first, maybe, but as time went on, most of the media and cranks (Rowdy bleacher fans) turned on him. During this period of time, Ed began his descent that would end in his death. He had problems with gambling and alcohol late in his life, and after losing a good chunk of cash betting on the racetrack Ed attempted to jump back to the National League for the New York Giants. It was a lucrative contract with a huge, unheard of, bonus for it's time. But it didn't work out. Ed was beset by the owners of the Phillies and Senators, and the rest of the League Owners, and eventually during the winter and spring of 1903, Ed was forced to return to the Senators.
   
   He had already spent most of his bonus, and the two teams agreed to take the money out of Ed's salary. Ed was now being paid almost nothing for his services, and debts began to mount for him and his family.
   
   Ed continued to have deeper and deeper problems with alcohol, depression, and gambling as the season went on, in that order. He wasn't in great shape, and his playing suffered at times. Finally, desperate, drunk, and depressed Ed decided to try to Jump again to the Giants after a few players had successfully switched leagues just recently. After a drinking binge and subsequent confrontation by his monther and teammates in Detroit, Ed boarded a train leaving them behind and heading across Canada for Buffalo, where he would switch to a train bound for New York. He never told anyone where he was heading, and even left his mother strnaded in Detroit, with no money to return to Cleveland, their familiy home.
   
   He never arrived in New York. It is a sad tale, but a tale worth reading. Casway has written a fine book, one of the most detailed books about baseball ever written. The Life and Times of Ed Delahanty will come to life in this book. It truely was the Emerald Age of baseball, and it should not ever be forgotten again. If you think for a moment that my desciption of this book in any way gives you the jist of the story, you are sadly mistaken. No review could come close to ever doing this magnificent book justice. If you like baseball, or just sad tales of the death of Kings, this book is a must read

1 comments about Paper Tiger: An Old Sportswriter's Reminiscences of People, Newspapers, War, and Work.

1. Stanley Woodward published his memoir and "hymn to newspapering" in 1963. On December 30, 2003, Jonathan Yardley penned an appreciation of Woodward and "Paper Tiger" in The Washington Post (the book was then out of print). The next four paragraphs are excerpts from Mr. Yardley's article.
   
   Stanley Woodward stood 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighed 225 pounds and was strong as the proverbial ox. He loved sports but was injured repeatedly and had exceedingly bad eyesight, so he had to quit long before he was ready. He found a substitute. After World War I he got into journalism and in the 1930s went to the New York Herald Tribune, where he soon became "the best sports editor in the Tribune's, or probably any paper's, history.".
   
   That is the judgment of Richard Kluger, as expressed in his monumental "The Paper: The Life and Death of the New York Herald Tribune." Today, nearly four decades after Woodward's death, it is a view near-universally held in the inner circles of sports journalism. During his two stints at the Trib, from 1930 to 1948 and 1959 to 1962, Kluger writes, its "sports pages achieved an unmatched level of pungent literacy," the full credit for which rested with Woodward. According to Frank Graham Jr., one of the many gifted writers who worked with him, he had "high standards and unfailing courage," including the courage to speak his mind to bosses who didn't always like what he said.
   
   He was "direct, blunt, uncompromising and honest." That is the testimony of the best writer to grace his or anyone else's sports pages, Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith, whom Woodward rescued from inexplicable obscurity at the Philadelphia Record in 1945 and who quickly became a star of incomparable brilliance. Woodward said Smith "was a complete newspaper man" who "had been through the mill and had come out with a high polish." Woodward was baffled that no other New York paper had "grabbed him," but thought he knew the reason: ". . . most writing sports editors don't want a man around who is obviously better than they. I took the opposite view on this question. I wanted no writer on the staff who couldn't beat me or at least compete with me. This was a question of policy."
   
   Journalism has produced surprisingly few good memoirs, perhaps because journalists tend to be reactive rather than reflective, perhaps because they are so accustomed to protecting their sources that when the opportunity arises to spill the beans, they instinctively recoil from it. "Paper Tiger" is the exception: candid and uncompromising, like its author, but also engaging and funny, at times uproariously so.
   
   Thank you to the University of Nebraska Press and Bison Books for resurrecting "Paper Tiger". Highly recommended.

No comments about The Unbeatable Martin Brodeur.

1 comments about Why I Didn't Say Anything: The Sheldon Kennedy Story.

1. Sheldon Kennedy was a hocky player that seemed destined for greatness. He played for Canada's gold-medal-winning at the 1988 World Junior Hockey Championship. Then when he reached the major leagues he fell apart. It never seemed that his skill or talent was too low, but the drinking, drugs and other off the court antics seemed to create an atmosphere doomed for failure. He drifted through three teams in a nine year career, never reaching the heights that seemed within his grasp.
   
   Upon his retirement, he announced that during his early years of being coached by Graham James he had been sexually molested by James several hundred times.
   
   Most of this book is on the after effects in Kennedy's life as a result of the abuse. It is a story of using drugs and alcohol in an attempt to heal what never should have been in the first place. It was a fierce struggle that is continuing to this day.

5 comments about Fred Claire: My 30 Years in Dodger Blue.

1. Claire's book on his time with the LA Dodgers is a great read for any baseball fan. He provides a clear picture of the behind the scenes events in the front office of one of the most revered sports franchises.



2. Fred Claire writes about his days with the Dodgers-- and does it well. The book flows together in a way that makes you love reading, with in-depth stories and experiences, one of the best GMs of all-time amazes baseball fans with his profound book.



3. How many times have true baseball fans wanted to be a fly on the wall in a baseball general manager's office? Fred Claire's book, "My 30 Years in Dodger Blue," does just that. It is an interesting, informative and very entertaining look at baseball from the inside out.
   
   This behind the scenes look at how a baseball organization operates includes an insiders look at the game. Much like a ballplayer who does more for his team than shows up in the box score, Claire's book takes into account the personalities that make up an organization. He explains player transactions and some of the politics that are part of every team.
   
   In short, "My 30 Years in Dodger Blue" is a must read for die-hard baseball fans as well as casual fans who would like to learn more about the game. After reading this book, I sincerely hope that Fred Claire will grace us with another book about baseball. It would be well worth reading.



4. I am a big Dodger fan and found this book very interesting. The book focuses mostly on the 1987/88 seasons and the Mike Piazza trade. I don't read a lot of books and I found this one interesting and an easy read. The chapters are short and the language is very easy to read. I actually read the whole book over a weekend.



5. Fred Claire's story is a virtual travelogue of 30 years of baseball history, a blast for anyone who loves baseball, especially Dodger fans. He brings a variety of perspectives to his story, falling for the game as a boy in Ohio, covering the game as a beat writer for the Angels and Dodgers, becoming an insider as the Dodgers' publicity director, and building a world championship club as a general manager.
   
   Along the way, Claire recounts unforgettable stories, everything from his own one-game Spring Training "tryout" to signing World Series hero Kirk Gibson, from the release of Orel Hershiser to the day Tommy Lasorda nearly gave up bleeding Dodger Blue to join George Steinbrenner's Yankees. Claire also shares a behind-the-scenes look into the business side of baseball, tracing the Dodgers' evolution from a family-owned business under the legendary O'Malley family to a piece of Rupert Murdoch's Fox empire.
   
   Claire remains connected to the game through a radio show and column for [...] If you've heard or read his work there, "My 30 Years in Dodger Blue" won't disappoint.