Great book by one of the veterans of the sport
584801
Honest storytelling. Great book by one of the veterans of the sport. A must for any old-school wrestling fan. Jody Hamilton has lived quite a life!
2300519
If you are considering this book and already are into bikes and bike racing theres no need to share who the author is, Phil Gaimon. Chances are good you have read an earlier book or column. Maybe not. Either way this is a great book, one of the best in my view, of both the hard no quarter given world of bike racing and chasing a dream. Even if you have never pinned a number to race Phil will bring you along for the ride. And make you laugh along the way.

Phil truly is a hero of the sport both for making it to the World Tour and being able to honestly articulate the work, sacrifice, highs and lows that come with the vocation. Buy the book. Its a winner, just like the author.
2417868
First off let me say, I am a baseball fan, not hardcore but more than a casual observer.  I am also not a fan of the Cardinals but I am a fan of Albert Pujols.  I have been aware of his Christian faith and his moral character for sometime now and I must say it nice to see true role models in professional sports these days.

Albert Pujols is one of the best baseball players of all time and this book tells of his rise to the level of the all-time greats in the game.  While it is quite heavy with statistics, it balances that with the story of how he stormed up the minor leagues and landed in the majors in a very short period.  His relationship with his wife and his faith in Jesus Christ is the focus of several chapters and serves as a bridge between his private and professional lives. It was also nice to see the explanation of Albert's perceived surliness with the media and the reason behind it.  I think he has been unfairly judged and somewhat ostracized for his unwillingness to be open with reporters.

I would recommend this book for true baseball fans, I do not think a casual fan would get near as much enjoyment from reading Pujols.

[Please note, while it did not affect my review of this book, I received this book for review purposes at no charge from BookSneeze.com.]
770987
THIS IS ABOUT WARREN SPAHN FORMER BASEBALL PITCHER FOR THE BRAVES. THIS BOOK IS BOTH AN EASY AND INTERESTING READ. IT DEALS MOSTLY WITH WARREN'S CAREER AND TOUCHES A BIT ON HIS PRIVATE LIFE. HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST WHO REALLY NEVER GOT THE FULL CREDIT HE DESERVED. AMONG HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE, WINNING 20 GAMES AN AMAZING 13 TIMES AND HIS LIFETIME TOTAL WINS OF 363 WHICH CAME WHEN HE REACHED THE MAJOR LEAGUES AT THE AGE OF 25. EVEN THOUGH THIS BOOK IS ONLY 158 PAGES IT CONTAINS ALOT OF INFO. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS.
725347
Well written.  I am old enough to fully appreciate insights about sports stars referenced in the book. I have followed the teams Bob Ryan covered.  Book was well organized. An unexpected benefit of the book was the author's sharing his many experiences in a number of the Olympic Games,
.
3026908
This is a very good overview of the greatest players in basketball history. It is dated since it was written in 2003 and hence ranks current players and players who had retired around 2003, like Drexler, Pippen, and Hakeem lower than they are viewed today.

Kalb provides you a basic look at how each player featured in the book played, what made him significant, what others thought about him. A good gimmick in the book is he includes opinions from experts when he compares a given player to a similar player, whether a contemporary or a similar player from another period.

The only weak point of the book, which prevents me from giving it 5 stars, is it is at times too heavily based on statistics. For instance, he posts Shaquille O'Neal's stats without adding the obvious point that you cannot compare the career stats of a player who is in his prime with that of a retired player since the current player will see his career averages decline due to aging, as Shaq has perfectly illustrated over recent years. Moreover, his obsession with stats ignores differences in pace. The pace in the 90's was much slower than that in the 60's yet he will compare players across eras without adjusting for pace. Similarly, he does not provide context when looking at all-NBA all-Defensive teams, which are a big component in how he ranks players. Is an all-NBA first team selection in 1996 really the same as a similar selection when there were only eight teams? His failure to look at context and obsession with stats causes him to overrate older players, especially those from the 1950's.

I noticed a lot of views complain about Michael Jordan not being ranked #1. That is no reason not to read the book. As he noted, there was debate among the experts he spoke to regarding who should be #1. Besides, is there a significant difference between #1 and #3? It is no insult to be called the third greatest player to lace them up.

Despite a significant flaw, this book is well worth reading because of the educational value it has regarding players from the past and the general idea it provides about how players rank compared to each other, at least circa 2003.
2416173
I enjoy the writing of Tom Verducci in Sports Illustrated, so I knew I wanted to get his book when it was published.  I wasn't disappointed.  The stories span generations and various aspects of the game and are wonderful to read.
524222
I remember watching Homer Bush when he was on what was arguably the greatest Major League Baseball team of all time, the 1998 New York Yankees. That team was dominant on all ends of the field, and won 125 games including the postseason, more than any team in history to date.

The team did it as a team, with a different hero every night, and people who followed that team will remember Homer Bush, the author of this book.

Homer had the difficult job of being someone who didn't play every day, yet despite not being a part of the daily lineup, he hit very well that season putting up an impressive .380 batting average in 78 plate appearances.

After he was traded to the Blue Jays the following year, where he earned the starting job, he hit .320.

He has since served as a hitting coach in the Padres organization, and basically, he knows hitting.

This book is written well, and goes into a detailed explanation about many facets of hitting, arguing that hitters should look for pitches low in the zone, as a means of upping their numbers. He talks about how sabremetrics can be overrated and why, and gives some thoughts on the shift that is hurting so many lefty batters today. He also gives some hitting tips as well.

The book is short, and definitely worth the time it takes because of the discussion it will generate.

I recommend it.
1122868
Well written, honest as tries to be, informative, and would be a good book for even one not close to horse racing. As one who has followed racing for decades and horse interests all my life, many of the stories told were new to me in knowledge and expertise as shared by the pro. The glossary is helpful for newcomers. The bits about riding techniques and insight into horses in general and those mentioned in specific are priceless examples of how the game is played from the eye of the jockey. It was also so interesting how Gary Stevens overcame many of his body's physical obstacles to keep riding, then return to riding after retirement. I also appreciated hearing him speak about how much he studied the other horses in a race in which he was riding to plan his strategy. I very much respect the effort that went into this book.
2929861
This book was written in the 1880s by an amazing early ballplayer.  It  essentially explains the fundamentals of the game, as they were in the 19th century.  What makes this book so interesting for the beginner and the hard core fan is two things.  1- it is amazing how little the game has actually changed, reading his theories on pitching fielding and base running can easily be applied to today's game.  The hitting explanations are definitely dated, but still interesting.  2- for the advanced fan of baseball, you will be interested in some of the names that Ward cites, I read this book going back and forth between baseball reference.com and I couldn't believe how many quality players I had never heard of.  Very easy read.
4495672
Great book, I hope many people read it and enjoy it as I have. Many years ago I tried to remind Red that he coached two years, but he couldn't get it. Now I know why. I am amazed at how accurate this book is and how much it fills in things I never knew as a player.
4339461
Great insider's look into rookies entering the NBA back in the day. I especially liked the passage about Keith Van Horn of the Nets shooting around by the world-famous Bendix Diner. Author Mike Monroe--who's been covering the NBA since Michael Jordan's rookie year--is a great sportswriter and an even better storyteller. This book is definitely worth searching out.
412923
Great Book! I am a 36 year old Mets fan who grew up listening to Howie Rose on WHN and WFAN during the glory days of the 80's.
The Mets Extra show and the hot stove shows he did during the off-season were must-listen radio for die-hard Mets fans in a time when there
was no internet. I feel I learned more listening to Howie as a 10 year old than anywehere else.
I have always been a big fan of Howie Rose so I decided to buy the book.
The book is not about dirt or juicy info on old players (although there is some interesting stuff on managers, especially Bobby V).
Oh yeah, and Jeff Kent was a jerk!
The book is primarily about Howie's life and how he became a Mets fan and how he broke into the business.
For those who grew up in Brooklyn and Queens and are Howie's age, I'm sure you will love reading the book and reminiscing.
For those who are in their 30's like myself, you can learn a lot about the Mets early years and what it was like at Shea Stadium when
the Mets finally became a winner in '69.
You learn a lot about the day to day work of a broadcaster and all the preparation that goes into a game.
Howie also talks a lot about his love for the Rangers growing up and how Marv Albert helped him get into the business.
4244180
Really enjoyed the book. Great insight into Rick Ankiel's life and issues with his 'demons'. If you ever played baseball at any level you will get something from this book. I happened to meet Rick recently at a Cardinals Fantasy Camp and he is a great guy. He has managed to get past his issues and most importantly for him he seems to be a great father to his 2 boys.
3284858
While many recall Skip as the New York Mets closer this book covers his experiences and mental preparation that led up to those great years. Skip met and played with many legends along the way and this book tells stories that bring those people to life. It was great to recall legends like Tom Seaver, Catfish Hunter, Yogi Berra, Charley Finley, Satchel Paige and Jesse Owens just to name a few. If you enjoy baseball  you will enjoy this book.
4699360
Rick's sports and journey to ski and understand, would be good for today's players to read.  As and old hockey, footballer and skier  -- I feel it covered many of the runs I did back in the day.
4780356
i love this book!  Mia Hamm is a great soccer player who knows what shes talking about.  i recomend it to anyone who is serious about soccer and wants to learn how to improove thier game.  it has pictures about the world cup in 1999 and of her as a kid.  it is great for coaches, players, and pretty much anyone. it also tells about mia's life outside of soccer.  hanging out with her friends, family, and teammates.  overall this is a great book.