The primary draw of the book is that it's a pretty quick read about the players and other staff who ...
581189
The authors' approach to baseball is refreshingly humble and thoughtful. The primary draw of the book is that it's a pretty quick read about the players and other staff who inhabit a weird little corner of baseball. What gives the book depth is that it's also fascinating to follow the two writers who are keenly aware of what they don't know, and the on-field baseball skills they don't have, suddenly thrust into a position of authority over professional players with a lifetime of on-field experience.
2293066
As a huge NSYNC fan during their heyday, I had to get this book.  I was surprised when Lance announced he was gay, so I was really interested in reading about his experience in the group and how he felt having to hide his true feelings from his fans and bandmates.  The book is a very quick read, and doesn't really have any major revelations.  A large part of the book talks about the group's formation, their problems with Lou Perlman, etc. and quite frankly, anyone who's a fan of the group has already heard that story numerous times.  Still, it's nice to read Lance's perspective on everything in his life.  I just got the feeling that he never really delved too deeply into anything, it was more of just "scratching the surface".  Then again, he's not even 30 yet, so maybe we can't really expect a deep, life memoir yet.
210175
From this book you can learn how and what it takes for building strong teamwork, because in football only teamwork gets the job done. To illustrate this, the author has chosen at least two dozen famous and less famous football managers, dwelling on their achievements and principles they had adhered to, to achieve greatness measured by something more than medals and trophies.

The central premise in this narrative is that good footballers don not necessarily make good players. The brain of a manager constantly competes with the infinite possibilities of eleven thinking brains on the pitch. Choosing a right formation for a team is one of the manager's concerns and embracing a right one, the manager is able to achieve multiplying effect of the player abilities. The book also highlights how the modern game has been turned into a modern celebrity show, where almost every player is fit and powerful and there is less and less demand for players who offer little beyond their physique or their engine.

I read the book voraciously. The author occasionally uses the persuasive power of metaphors to make his point. Especially I enjoyed reading about historic football games, where, as it occurs, cart horses have played against race horses; Rommel v. Montgomery and bullfighters against bulls. Recommended.
4855909
This is neither a great nor bad book on the subject of change management.  It is written in a succinct way and is therefore a quick read.  If you are reading a number of texts on the subject, you won't go wrong adding this one to the list, but make sure you read some others alongside it.  It does make a number of good points (particularly about senders and receivers of messages), but the examples aren't as powerful as other texts I have read.
2883829
First of all, potential readers/purchasers of this "companion" to the World Cup should know that it doesn't have much of anything on the 2010 World Cup -- not even the qualifying paths of the 32 finalists. Similarly, those with little to no exposure to the game should be warned that the writing assumes a familiarity with the game and its terms, so don't expect your hand to be held. There's no discussion of the game's tactics, styles, or formations. So, what does it have?

Well, it's a coffee-table book covering the history of the World Cup, and I use the term "coffee-table" in all its best and worst senses. From what I can tell, the production is going to be great, eye-popping color, great use of historical photos (these are actually the highlight of the book for me, many amazing photos I've never seen before), and it's perfect to dip into for a few minutes and put back on the table when your host comes down the stairs. However, it's basically a book of sidebars -- that is to say, tons of one or two-page articles, with no flow to it whatsoever. It's arranged more or less chronologically, recounting the highlights and lowlights of each World Cup in a few picture-heavy pages. But these are broken up with all kinds of running features (greatest goals, greatest teams, greatest rivalries, underheralded players, etc.) To a certain extent, it's almost more like clicking around a website, jumping all around between different topics. Personally, I like a little less choppiness to my books, but to each their own.

The writing is pretty decent, although a touch too jokey for my taste. Probably just the right tone for the casual soccer fan or the American sports fan who only watches soccer every four years. I could have done without some of the sections, like the worst hair tournament, and the best and worst uniforms (if you're going to bust on Croatia's checkerboard kit, at least explain that it's the national coat of arms), the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) section, etc. The descriptions of previous World Cups are engaging enough, albeit a bit thin. For example, in the section on the '82 cup, mention is made of the infamous German-Austrian collusion in a game to ensure Algeria wouldn't advance. What isn't mentioned is that this game led to a change in the group play format, whereby the final games in each group are played simultaneously to avoid teams putting the fix in. I did appreciate that, as in the above example (which includes a great big photo of Algerian fans waving money to protest the Germany-Austria game), the book doesn't shy away from some the less shining moments and aspects of the tournament, such as diving, nationalism, dirty play, etc.

The book tries really hard to touch on a lot of different topics, and to me, it never really came together and offered me a new perspective or insight. I can't say I learned anything new about the sport or the World Cup, but then again, I sat through all 13 hours of the excellent&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/History-of-Soccer-DVD-set/dp/B0000C238U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">History of Soccer DVD set</a>. I'm not saying it's not worth a look, but just don't expect it to be something amazing or to tell you anything about the 2010 World Cup.
4878554
A good quick read that offers an insightful glimpse into life on a SF team.
First-hand history is the best history.
1881811
Like most NHL fans, this years players' lockout had me missing hockey. So, I did the next best thing and picked up last year's Christmas gift: Canucks at Forty. This is nostalgic, positive look at the team's history and accomplishments brought back a lot of memories and reminded me of many things I'd forgotten. For instance, the Canucks first game took place on October 9, 1970 against the LA Kings, and the highest priced tickets were $6.50.

The book focuses on short reminisces from players, GMs, and others involved with the organization. While it was fun to read about players and coaches from thirty and forty years ago, I wish there'd been a little more balance in the storytelling. Sure, the heartbreaking Stanley Cup loss in 1994 was mentioned, but other difficult times were either glossed over or ignored altogether. The book therefore comes across as a promotional puff piece filled with feel-good moments, which was probably the intent for a coffee table book. However, I would have preferred more insight to the struggles the team's endured to gain a more candid picture of the Canucks' journey.

Still, great photos comprise half the book, and another two volumes would have had to be written to tell a more thorough story. True Canucks fans who've followed the team from the beginning will enjoy this trip down memory lane.
4840020
The book is well written.  I enjoyed reading about the players.  However, I was expecting there to be more in depth stories of the player's years at Alabama and their experiences paying football for Coach Bryant.

Peggy Amado
4320322
There are not many books in circulation that cover the subject of football officiating, especially those that speak toward "moving up" and progressing toward the upper echelon of the craft. I don't believe Mr. Liner's sole intention of his book is to cover those subjects exclusively, but rather to share his story of the journey he took to get there. Along the way, he does share some tips and suggestions that are helpful in the process. I appreciated the personal tone of the book, and the stories from "the inside" of officiating are enjoyable to read if you are an official. Sports officials are largely unknown to the general public (and that is usually a good thing!), but Mr. Liner has opened up his world to the reader in these pages. I will say, it is more of a specific audience that will enjoy the book, but it is a good, easy read.
2559967
I remember the game and "the call", and I remember how surprised I was about all of the harsh personal attacks on the referees.  The book looks at the call from "the Perspective" of the author.  Whether you think the call was right or not, you have to admit that his perspective of the call is all that really mattered.  The first half of the book goes into detail (but not too much) abobut the call.  It also goes over a lot of fascinating insight about being a Ref in the NFL.  (Anybody interested in that sort of profession would be wise to read this book.)  The author seems to have an interesting, long-running background in referee-ing, and is a real pro.  He also goes into how he and his family were negatively affected by the backlash from enraged fans...but I never got a sense he was saying "poor me".  In fact, he used the event as a learning experience and puts forth - in the second part of the book - a concept acronymed as "DEAF", which I won't go into here.  It was an easy read.
4973650
This book explains how not just football plays came about, but how the coaches intertwined with each other.  It's a multi read book
1170269
The book is fairly short, extremely readable, and a good example of how NOT to do this sort of thing.  The author wrote up a list of extreme sports events he wanted to experience, despite being a self-described "couch potato".  Bane did several items on his "list" without anything like the proper training or preparation.
The short length of the book means that a disappointingly brief chapter covers each item on the list.  There's not a lot of technical or "how to do it" information in here, though I doubt many will read this book for that.  I admit I'd hoped for some discussion of the boring old administrative stuff involved in setting up adventures like these. There is some discussion of his internal mental experience, and a sort of rough-and-ready sports psychology.
I enjoyed the book, but it scared the bejeezus out of me that anyone would do these things this hastily!  An entertaining read for armchair extreme sporters, but not much more than that.
4724655
The book has a good amount of sound leadership advice, and it is a quick and easy read. I do feel a little bored by it at points, and I don't think the author has broken down all of the major points into a way that is easy to remember and apply.
1146596
This book is essentially a transcription of the Alabama High School Football Coaching Clinic from 2012.  It's similar in format to the Nike Coach of the Year Clinic Manuals edited by Earl Browning but not as in-depth or with as much variety.  Biggest positives are cost and solid content.  $ 4 for Kindle download or free to borrow with Prime.  Three stars since I read the whole thing and it was inexpensive.  If you look at the table of contents, you'll notice it's a lot of material to cover in approximately 100 pages.  I assume each presenter at the clinic had 50 minutes for a joke, a story, and speech so it's more of an appetizer than a meal on each topic.  The diagrams really suffer in Kindle format.  The first few pages of each chapter are also career summaries of coaching stops for the speaker.  I won't be buying next year's addition.  I do highly recommend Chris Brown's Essential Smart Football if you want a more comprehensive overview of football strategy.
4385741
"NFL players aren't any different from the rest of us," writes Curtis Eichelberger, "but their problems are magnified a thousandfold." Men of Sunday is the story of those NFL players, their faith, and how the NFL presents unique challenges for people striving to honor the Lord. Eichelberger wrote this book for the average person, for the folks who go to church on Sunday, come home, and change into their team's jersey.

My favorite part of this book was the insider perspective. I have followed the NFL for more than two decades, but I learned many new things from this book. As an example, I had no idea that the NFL sponsored an annual Super Bowl breakfast where present and past players have spoken about their faith, how it informs their lives, and then led prayers for anyone present who wished to give their lives to Christ. Those sorts of insights make this a great book for believers who follow the NFL.

The personal stories of faith provide the book's other great element. Trent Dilfer's tearful account of the loss of his son only further deepened my respect for a godly former quarterback who now works for ESPN. Men of Sunday is full of firsthand stories of faith, trial, and temptation among NFL players, coaches, and wives.

This book receives a 3-star rating because I liked it but can't recommend it for much beyond an insightful look into the faith of NFL personnel. I am this author's ideal reader-a Christian NFL fan-but the audience is not too much broader. This could be a fun gift book for the football fan in your life, but this isn't a devotional or a comprehensive treatment of faith in the NFL. I enjoyed it, but I won't recommend it to everyone.

The publisher kindly sent me a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own unless otherwise indicated.
4588928
At barely over 200 pages Lew Freedman's Early Wynn, the Go Go Sox and the 1959 World Series is best characterized as mostly a series of short biographies of and anecdotes about the team's players, manager and owner, chiefly starting pitcher Early Wynn, shortstop Louis Aparicio and second baseman Nellie Fox.  Some of the season's highlights and the 1959 World Series, which saw the Sox lose to the L.A. Dodgers in six games, are also covered.

Freedman's account begins slowly, largely focused on former General Manager Frank "Trader" Lane, whose numerous moves, some good some bad, were responsible for the bulk of the Go-Go Sox's roster by 1959. This isn't a bad thing by any stretch.  Especially prior to free agency, teams were built slowly and some of Lane's moves certainly warrant coverage.  However, Lane himself wasn't with the club in 1959, and therefore a discussion of the moves he made for players that were also gone by 1959 are mostly off topic.

Wynn, purportedly a chief focus of the book judging by its title, appears in the introduction but then is largely absent until the third chapter.  After that, he emerges only periodically, mostly in the context of stories about his willingness to hit batters for something as innocuous as hitting the ball up the middle (including his teammates in batting practice).  Freedman does have some interesting things to say about Wynn, though, including his warrior mentality and constant fear of being driven from the game despite his long and successful Hall of Fame career.  Most interesting is his account of how Wynn's discovery of Joe DiMaggio's inability to hit the high inside fastball in 1951 after suffering a broken collarbone quickly got around the league, leading the Clipper to opt for retirement at season's end.

Another strength of the book is Freedman's portrayal of Sox owner Bill Veeck.  A showman at heart who happened to choose baseball as his stage, Veeck's antics are well known, and Freedman hits the highlights.  Freedman mines the best Veeck stories from Veeck's memoirs and presents them in a way that aptly portrays the zany feel Southside Chicago baseball had during the 1950s.  Still, the anecdotes regarding Wynn, Veeck, shortstop Lou Aparicio, second baseman Nellie Fox and the team's other starters leaves relatively little space for narrative of the 1959 season itself, and Freedman largely eschews any attempt to recreate it in any detail.

Finally, Freedman conveys the city's excitement for a pennant contending team.  The White Sox's last pennant in 1919 was tainted, and the team had suffered many losing seasons before righting the ship in the 1950s.  Their 1959 championship would mark both the culmination and the high point of these efforts, as the Sox began to slip in the 1960s, not winning another championship until 2005.  Freedman notes that the 1959 team is honored at the stadium that replaced the old Comiskey Park after the 1990 season, ensuring the today's Sox fans will still have the chance to appreciate Wynn, Aparicio, Fox and the others who made 1959 a memorable baseball season in Chicago.
3352100
Author Phil Pepe is a much-respected sportswriter who has covered the Yankees for several years.  This book contains chapters on several Yankee notables such as Berra, DiMaggio, Mantle, Maris, Martin, Munson, Stengel, Steinbrenner, Jeter, Reggie, among others.  If you have read other books on the Yankees you will find much the same anecdotes in this one.  There is an interesting comment from Joe DiMaggio after signing an item for Pepe that I found humorous.  I found the most interesting chapter to be the one on Thurman Munson.  In the final chapter Pepe ventilates on a number of gripes he has regarding announcers and sportswriters.  I found the book to be an okay read but if you've read several of the wealth of books on the team you won't find much new information here.