Category Archives: reviews

The Great Romantic: Cricket And The Golden Age Of Neville Cardus

It has been nearly half a century since the death of Sir Neville Cardus. And yet, his influence on telling the tales of cricket to the world hasn’t dimmed a bit. His signature style has transformed sports writing tremendously. What used to be mere reporting has turned to an entirely new genre based on the love for cricket.

When British Author Duncan Hamilton chose Neville Cardus as the muse for his latest memoir, he couldn’t have made a better choice. The book titled “The Great Romantic: Cricket and the golden age of Neville Cardus” was released in 2019. It has received great appreciation.

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Review: ‘The Presidents and the Pastime’

The political landscape is as divisive as ever. There are still a few things that we can nearly all agree on, baseball is the quintessential American sport, and every U.S. President since the Civil War has had a close association with the sport.

There have been some presidents with a tight bond to the game like both Bush presidents and some are more known for their love of another sport (Gerald Ford with football), but still have interesting baseball stories about them.

‘The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball & the White House’ by Curt Smith chronologically goes through each presidency from the infancy of the game thru Teddy Roosevelt and then longer stories about each president all the way to the current president, Donald J. Trump.

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Review: “The Ultimate Yankee Book”

When a team wins 27 World Series, they deserve a big book of facts, trivia and an oral history from those who lived to see all the big moments in the history of the New York Yankees.

The Ultimate Yankee Book: From the Beginning to Today: Trivia, Facts and Stats, Oral History, Marker Moments and Legendary Personalities―A History and … Book About Baseball’s Greatest Franchise by Harvey Frommer is filled with every single thing one would ever want to know about the Bronx Bombers

Want to know which pitchers gave up every single homer during Babe Ruth’s 60-homer season in 1927? It even lists which game number and if they were home or away.

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“KidPoker” Review: Negreanu, the Quintessential Poker Star

The mark of any sporting great is the ability to transcend their chosen discipline and cross borders into the mainstream. Michael Jordan did it in basketball, Muhammad Ali in boxing and Tiger Woods did it in golf.

Having the necessary skills to rise to the top in sports is one thing, but having the ability to rise above the niche and make non-fans aware of your presence is quite another. Naturally, athletes such as Jordan, Ali and Woods are few and far between. However, when one does emerge, a movie or a book, like Super Bowl Gold, which we reviewed, often follows.

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Review: “Super Bowl Gold: 50 Years of the Big Game”

I’m a sucker for books with beautiful pictures. I’ve been his way since I was young, not because I hated to read, but because a beautiful photo can sometimes say what words cannot describe.

The editors of Sports Illustrated has put out a book called “Super Bowl Gold: 50 Years of the Big Game”. It’s everything you have come to expect from Sports Illustrated, but in a fantastically laid-out book.

If you’re a fan of the NFL and want to fondly remember some of the best pictures and detailed descriptions from the Big Game over the years, this is a perfect book to sit on your coffee table.

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Review: “Wooden: A Coach’s Life” by Seth Davis

I was sent “Wooden: A Coach’s Life” two months ago and it took me quite awhile to finish the 608-page behemoth. I usually avoid books this length, not because I hate reading, but I often read a few books at a time. I thought this would be a pain to read due to its length, but I found myself really looking forward to my time with the book.

John Wooden is the best basketball coach of all-time. Not just the best college basketball coach, but I believe he is the best basketball coach at any level. His X’s & O’s were great, but he made boys into young men. His ‘Pyramid of Success’ is more about life than it is about basketball.

CBS Sports college basketball analyst Seth Davis really made a work of art. He was able to get inside the mind of Wooden. He’s a talented author and this book is on par or better than his great Larry Bird/Magic Johnson book, “When March Went Mad”.

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Review: “Wrigley Field: An Oral And Narrative History Of The Home Of The Chicago Cubs” by Ira Berkow

Spring Training is fast approaching and so is the season when great baseball books are released. “Wrigley Field: An Oral And Narrative History Of The Chicago Cubs” could be the gem of the year.

Ira Berkow went all out and made the most all-encompassing book about Wrigley Field ever printed. Not only are there interesting stories, but the photos in this book are amazing. Panoramic shots from various seats in the bleachers and rooftop seats to intimate portraits of early Cubs players.

This isn’t a small book. It’s a ‘coffee table’ book in size, but with enough written content to read and not just flip through.

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Review: “The Summer of Beer and Whiskey” by Edward Achorn

If you enjoy reading about baseball history, you often know all the names and stories of past baseball greats. Even if an author claims to have a new story of an early team, the book is often filled with commonly-known players who have been written about numerous times.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey claims to be a new story and author Edward Achorn follows it up with a fresh, interesting story about St. Louis baseball in the 1880s.

Do you ever wonder why drinking beer is such an entrenched part of watching a baseball game? If beer didn’t exist, life would be boring, and the game of baseball may not have caught on.

If you’re a baseball fan, even if you don’t usually read books about pre-Babe Ruth baseball, you’ll find this story interesting. Continue reading →

Review: “Point Your Face At This” by Demetri Martin

If you’re a fan of stand-up comedy, you’re very familiar with Demetri Martin’s work.

Martin uses his drawings (and many venn diagrams) to enhance his comedy on stage. Most of his art is very simple and often portrays many common phrases using the most literal definition.

Martin just released a new book called Point Your Face At This. It’s a collection of drawings in the same style of the art he uses in his comedy routine.

You could assume that a book of his drawings would only be around 100 pages. Well, Martin is giving his readers their money’s worth…this book is 288 pages! Continue reading →

Review: “The Power of Negative Thinking” by Bobby Knight

If you asked a group of 100 college basketball fans to write down their top-five college basketball coaches of all-time, Bobby Knight will appear on every fan’s list.

Knight is memorable for accomplishing great things (three national championships and eleven Big Ten titles) and some of the most controversial moments in college basketball history.

The Power of Negative Thinking bundles all the negativity you sense in Coach Knight and explains how you can push yourself into achieving great things in life. It’s an odd method, but Knight’s “realist” common sense approach is refreshing in a book in this genre.

Knight shares anecdotes about his time coaching against Michael Jordan in college, what he learned during his time at Texas Tech and memories of Keith Smart’s shot that won Indiana a National championship in 1987. Continue reading →

Review: “Closer” by Kevin Neary

In baseball, the closer position is still the newest position in baseball. The term didn’t come into the baseball lexicon until the 1970s.

In today’s game, having a good closer has been part of the equation for success. Even though a closer’s role has changed greatly since its inception. Today’s closer only pitch one inning at most. Closers like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage (both in the Baseball Hall of Fame) often pitched multiple innings.

Closer by Kevin Neary and Leigh A. Tobin chronicles the careers of various closers over the years. They break down closer in three different eras (“The Early Years”, The Transition Years” & “The Modern Day Closer”).

We review Closer and let you know why this book is a must-have for every baseball historian. Continue reading →

Review: Any Given Monday by Dr. James Andrews

As a fan, you dread hearing “Player X visited Dr. James Andrews this morning”, because you know an athlete most likely suffered a major injury. He is the most famous orthopedic surgeon on Earth. He specializes in ulner collateral ligament reconstruction, otherwise known as Tommy John surgery, ACL reconstruction surgery, and other major procedures. He is also the team doctor for Auburn and Alabama universities and the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

Any Given Monday: Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them, For Athletes, Parents, and Coaches – Based on My Life in Sports Medicine was written by Dr. Andrews with Don Yaeger. It’s an informative book on injuries in youth sports and methods to help reduce them.

Here is our review of Dr. Andrews’ book, Any Given Monday. Continue reading →