Biography & Autobiography & Sports

Luckiest Man - The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

5 stars (The Way Baseball Should Be!) - This book is tremendous ... on so many levels. Most importantly, it gives the reader a good and solid understanding of the man. I have always been a Lou Gehrig fan but I have never fully appreciated the complete humility of the man. Additionally, the description of baseball and its players, clearly illustrates the tremendous differences between the game as we know it today and the way it once was. 4 stars (Moving and Lively Book) - This was a very well-written and moving book. As a huge Yankee fan and someone who has read many baseball books, this book is great. One gets a real sense of the times, along with Gehrig the person, and the beauty of the sport of baseball. As a student of the important philosophy Aesthetic Realism (www.aestheticrealism.org) founded by Eli Siegel, poet and critic, I've learned what makes a thing beautiful from a work of art to a great leaping catch in baseball. Mr. Siegel stated, "All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves." Certain sentences and descriptions in this book I found beautiful -- they have a relation of energy, zip and also exactitude. These are opposites that the game of baseball has too. I have recommended this book to others. 4 stars (What made Gehrig tick) - You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate LUCKIEST MAN. Certainly there's enough diamond action to satisfy the sport fan, but Eig's objective seems to be more of a psychological analysis of the great Yankee clean-up hitter (Ruth hit third). Eig goes into great depth about Gehrig's relationship with his mother. Apparently no woman was good enough for her son. Gehrig was thirty before he finally took a wife and that seemed to be an act of desperation as he sent Eleanor a diamond necklace before they actually went out on a date. For me the best part of the book was when Gehrig found out he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Talk about grace u...
Simon - Schuster :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: United States :: Sports - General :: Sports - Baseball :: Patients :: Gehrig :: Lou :: :: Biography&Autobiography :: Biography & A :: Luckiest Man - The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

Juiced - Wild Times- Rampant -Roids- Smash Hits- and How Baseball Got Big

4 stars (Thoughtful and Important) - Conseco begins by stating that he believes inteligent use of steroids, combined with human growth hormone, will one day be accepted and standard practice. (Add genetic engineering to the list - my opinion.) Conseco was a fair-to-middling minor-league player until he vowed to his dying mother that he was "Going to be the best athlete in the world." Shortly after that he began using steriods after reading up on the topic and considerable discussion with a "regular." Initially it was scary - he wasn't certain what would happen, or even if anything would change. After about two weeks he began to see and feel changes. At the same time, Conseco also undertook a strenuous program of exercise - particularly exercises that emphasized speed, not muscle mass. A third enhancement came from intense studying of pitchers to better guess their next pitch, rather than just reacting. Eventually Conseco added about 70 lbs. of muscle, and increased his running and swinging speeds. An additional benefit was building endurance - he no longer lost energy as the season wore on - like most players. Mark McGwire soon became a pupil and followedd a similar regimen - adding 50 lbs to his frame. Both McGwire and Conseco had great swings at the start, and Conseco stresses that steroids will not make a great athlete out of someone lacking talent. Conseco is sensitive to possible damage from steroid use, and credits his avoidance to careful attention to amounts and types used. He also believes that baseball players have an advantage over football players when it comes to steroid use because they are not so inclined to overdo it in an effort to reach 300+ lbs. Conseco eventually became well-known for steroid use - probably because he taught so many other players and trainers about it. Conseco, however, also thought it was due to racial bias - he was from Cuba. Clearly Conseco, McGwire and others reached great success via steroids, and do not appear t...
Regan Books :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: United States :: Sports - General :: Sports - Baseball :: Sports (Specific Aspects) :: Salaries :: etc :: Personal Memoirs :: D :: Juiced - Wild Times- Rampant -Roids- Smash Hits- and How Baseball Got Big

The Rivals- Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship

4 stars (Match Point (4.5 Stars)) - This is a well-written account of women's tennis between the years of 1971 and 1987 as told through the stories of Martina and Chrissie (no last names needed!). In those years, there really weren't any other women stars with staying power, and these two women were the face of the sport. The contrast in their childhood upbringings and off-court relationships and training practices are covered well and thankfully not in laborious detail. I would have liked to hear more from Tracy Austin, Hana Mandlikova, and other players to help balance the Martina/Chrissie rememberances, but other than that, this book is very good. 5 stars (Aces, straight sets, a winner) - For those of us old enough to remember the growth of tennis, particularly women's tennis, in the early 70's through 80's, this is an insider's walk down memory lane. Well researched, well written, and sensitive, it tells the inside story of what (and who) made the two title women tick, but also provides the necessary background for what was going on around them. Fans of women's sports,heck, sports in general, but particularly tennis, will enjoy this read. 5 stars (Best sports book I've ever read) - I thought I knew so much about Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova until I read Johnette Howard's extraordinary book. From start to finish, I couldn't put it down. The narrative is so compelling. It's not so much a biography as a wonderful story that unfolds page after page. The book is full of anecdotes that stay with you, and Howard draws detailed, insightful, often poignant portraits of Martina and Chris that go far beyond anything I've ever read about them before. Most importantly, to me, Howard excelled at putting Chrissie and Martina's rivalry in human terms. And she provides the sort of historical context that makes this not just a sports book, but a book that reads like a short cultural history of the time that Martina and Chris came along. The chapter about Martin...
Broadway :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: Women :: United States :: Tennis players :: Tennis :: Sports rivalries :: Sports - General :: Navratilova :: Martina :: :: Evert :: Ch :: The Rivals- Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship

The Last Coach- A Life of Paul -Bear- Bryant

5 stars (THE LAST COACH - THE END OF AN ERA) - Okay, I'm only half way through this book, but I have to say that this is truly one of the best books I have ever read. It's a funny feeling you get when you read this book. As a man, I don't know if I respect Paul Bryant more or less (as a coach, no one compares). What I do know is that I have learned a lot. I love the game of college football, and I long for the days of men like The Bear. 5 stars (researcher par excellance) - Allen Barra is the finest researcher author in the area of sports books. His ability to delve into Bryant's character and his coaching career speaks volumes on his researching ability. Allen has an interesting writing style that captures the readers attention, and makes the book that much more enjoyable. As a fellow historian/researcher and former college football coach I highly recommend this book. 5 stars (An American hero) - It's hard to believe, but it took more than twenty years after Bear Bryant's death to produce a book worthy of a great American hero. Barra has accurately summed up Bryant's greatness as well as his shortcomings and gives an honest objective look at both. Nitpickers with grudges can criticize all they like, but this book will stand up over the years. Paul Hornung was indeed the most sought after football player to come out of Kentucky in his senior year; I know, I was there, and Barra tells the story of his unsuccesful recrutiment by Coach Bryant with total accuracy. Alan Page was indeed the first black starter on the Notre Dame football player, a fact recorded in many places. As for Coach Bryant's drinking, the subject is handled with fairness and taste. Anyone who doesn't approve of Bryant's drinking would be well advised to remember Lincoln's reply when he was told that General Grant drank; every football coach in the country should be given a case of whatever Bryant liked. ...
W W Norton :: Sports & Recreation & General :: Sports & Recreation & Football :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: University of Alabama :: United States :: Sports - Gene :: The Last Coach- A Life of Paul -Bear- Bryant