Recreation Books

Zirin was an important discovery for me. As a kid, I followed professional baseball and basketball with a very childlike passion. Later I got disgusted with the general state of the corporate franchises and drifted away from any interest in watching sports in any form. After being assigned as a teaching assistant to a course on the history of sports in the modern world, I picked up Zirin's first book and this one to help me appreciate the political side of professional sports. I'm of the audience Dave Marsh of XM Radio had in mind when he wrote that "the people who need to read Dave Zirin most are people who don't think sports is important at all. Zirin knows it is and he continually shows how it fits into the rest of our world."
I believe Zirin also has much to say to those who already understand the importance of sports. The debates over race, class, business, jingoism, steroids, and so on, that rage within the world of sports bear directly or indirectly on just about every area of politics and public life. In all of these essays -- which explore the political underbelly of major league baseball, the NBA, the Olympics, soccer, and more -- he shows a fine understanding of the precisely these kinds of connections and the ways people with political influence routinely use sports for their own ends.
Zirin has strong opinions, and that in itself is not unique. But he expresses his arguments more cogently and supports them more effectively than any other opinionated sports commentator I've ever heard. This is what enables him to engage and challenge the preconceived beliefs of every one of his readers. Furthermore, he's an outstanding writer. Welcome to the Terrordome frequently had me outraged over a fact or quoted statement and then, sometimes on the same page, I'd be laughing out loud at a particularly funny or audacious turn of phrase. Whether or not we agree with Zirin should not make or break the book's significance. If we really want to challenge our sometimes ossified views of the world, we've got to seek out writers like Zirin, who offer perspectives entirely lacking in the weak analysis, calculated outrage, and narrow political perspective on offer in the overwhelming majority of mainstream political commentary.
My only complaint is that there should have been some endnotes, not just to document the quotes he uses but also to help orient the book in relation to other writings on sports with which Zirin is in dialogue in his essays.

I enjoyed the book. I am glad to know about the authors website to get his new writing. I thought the book was insightful and great for a fan like me.

Sports are the world's great distraction, especially in the United
States. To really understand American culture, and other cultures too,
you have to understand sports to get why people get so very fanatical
about them. In a sense, they are a form of reality TV, except they
envelope so much more. It is very easy for radicals to dismiss sports
as a distraction from more important things, like changing the world,
but in a sense, by dismissing sports, they also dismiss sports fans,
which is a great deal of people. It's also important to understand how
sports is used to distract people, and why athletes are told to shut
up and be good soldiers. So having said all that, when Dave Zirin put
out a sequel to his first book, "What's My Name Fool?", I read it as
fast as I could.

Much like his first book, "Welcome to the Terrordome", (Chuck D
does the introduction, since the title is taken from a Public Enemy
song), the book is broken down into chapters exploring different parts, exploring
politics in the sports world. Roberto Clemente was a Hall of Fame
right-fielder for the Pittsburg Pirates from 1955 to 1972. He is often
described as baseball's Latino Jackie Robinson, in that he never shut
up and never backed down from disrespect. He was outspoken on issues
of the day, like racism, segregation, colonialism in Latin America,
civil rights, the war in Vietnam, and media mockery of minority
players. Clemente was instrumental in winning a World Series for the
Pirates in 1960, yet finished 8th in MVP voting because of his Puerto
Rican heritage. When non-white baseball players had to eat in the bus
while in the South, he led a protest against segregation and demanded
that all players be treated the same. He died in a plane crash on his
way to deliver relief supplies to victims of an earthquake in
Nicaragua a year after his retirement and remains one of the best players to ever play the game..

Another topic is how Major League Baseball sets up minimum wage
baseball sweatshops in the Caribbean and Central America, where the
only options are the army, the factory, or baseball. In the so-called
"America's Game", baseball, nearly a fourth of the league are foreign
born Latinos. During the World Baseball Classic, sponsored by MLB in
an effort to show-case homegrown talent, the Team USA was trounced by
Latin American teams. Interesting statistics like how 6 of the last 10
American League MVPs have been Latino, and here's why. In the
Dominican Republic, US teams run "baseball academies", where young
boys who have dropped out of school attend to get trained how to play
baseball, some coming with soapboxes for shoes and tattered clothing.
99 out of 100 don't make it to the MLB who attend these academies

Around the world, soccer, or football as it's known outside of
the States, is by far the most popular sport. It's famous by soccer
hooligans in Europe, full-scale riots in Latin America, and national
pride all over. Players like Diego Maradona are heroes in the third
world, for standing against corporate globalization, war, and famously
"avenging" the Falkland War in 1986 World Cup against England. In
2002, he attends the protests against the Summit of the Americas,
where he says that Argentina will never enjoy the fruits of corporate
control. Another famous player, Ronaldo of the powerful Brazil team,
goes to Palestine to meet with a Palestinian boy who wrote him a
letter asking him to meet with him, and brings international attention
to Israel's travel bans when he is stopped from meeting with him.

Most famously, Zirin goes into the famous head-butt incident at the
France-Italy World Cup when France's Zidane headbutted Italy's
Materazzi. Materazzi comes from an Italian fascist club, and Zidane
instantly becomes a hero in much of the Third World for responding to
Materazzi's racist taunting. It follows a culture of right-wing and
left-wing organizing in soccer fans, where political parties and other
organizations try to recruit fans at matchs and brawls often break out
over politics. (I've often wondered why there wasn't much organizing
at sporting events in the US when it seems so obvious.) The Prime
Minister of Italy even comments that "The French team is made up of
Negroes, Islamists, and Communists." In effect, people of the Third
World root to beat First World teams because of the history, and cling
to the ideals of hope and pride and dignity through them.

The world of sports is not a separate world, nor is it just for men,
and nor is a perfect world of saints. Just like all aspects of the
world we live in, the best thing to do is to understand it and
understand the people who follow it. I think I've just about always
fit into my work situations pretty fast by being a die-hard
Philadelphia sports fan, particularly the Eagles, as well as just about
everyone in this city is as well. When Donovan McNabb says that black
quarterbacks are criticized different than white quarterbacks and that
there's racism in the league, I applaud him for stating the obvious
when others are afraid to do even that. Left-wing sports fans might be
few and far between because of many on the left's complete rejection
of sports fans in general, but sports writers like Dave Zirin remind
us that the there's social justice in everything in life, if you look
behind the scenes a little bit.

The politically charged sports book Welcome to the Terrordome by Dave Zirin. The book covers the connection between social and cultural issues and sports, and it's really a great read. Among the topics Zirin connects are race relations in baseball thru Roberto Clemente, public financing of stadiums and how politicians often exploit sports figures.

While the title suggests a book about public financing battles of sports arenas, it really is suggestive of a broader context of sports and poltics. If you are reading only for the stadium connection this book might be a disappointment, but otherwise it was a delightful bonus as Zirin hits many aspects of sports, sports figures and sports coverage in the context of politics and life.

Not a book for a sports fan, but more for politically aware and interested people who enjoy sports or understand the large role it plays in our society.

A very interesting book that will leave you thinking, observing and expanding how you see the sports world....and isn't that pretty much why you would read in the first place?

-Cudo

Additional comments related to sports entertainment and operation in the Gameops.com Editor's Blog, www.blog.gameops.com.

Amongst sports writers David Zirin is a man among boys. He hasn't just mastered a single aspect of the genre; he has reinvented it with the complete package, which is showcased in Welcome to the Terrordome. Zirin combines acerbic wit, original insights (which is rare in sports journalism), a higher understanding of 20th century social history and an infallible drive to deliver "untouched" goods (partly allowed I suspect by the nature of the non-profit publishing company of the book). It's a breath of fresh air as his motives are only to inform and influence and not to sell anything or apologize for anyone.

The best part of Zirin of course is his ability to recognize and extrapolate on sports as a microcosm for important societal issues such as race, social and economic inequality. While I don't necessarily agree with all of Zirin's opinions, I found myself often putting the book down just to logically think through his positions and how they refute or support my own beliefs. I consider myself well versed in both sports history and social history yet I constantly was introduced to new events, people and history within the varied topics Zirin covers (Bonds, Olympics, Ali, Cycling, Clemente, etc.). To top it off Zirin has a great sense of sarcasm and I laughed out loud numerous times throughout.

This book is important because it has a potential to reach an audience not normally associated with higher-level intellectualism; namely sports fanatics. This is part of Zirin's overall argument in the sense that he criticizes modern sports athletes for not using their leverage to tackle social issues but are instead highly paid slaves of the corporate world.

Bottom Line: Full of energy and insight and should be read by anyone (including non-sports fan) who are interested in how the sports world is interconnected and related to various aspects of social justice. Genre defining.

This book honors in simple verse and vivid picture, the triumph of the underdog. For young and old, it celebrates that persistence can materialize and that "losers" can win and that even odd-balls can overcome poor odds. Give this as a gift of encouragement to those (male and female) that may "think" there is no hope and let them witness that even when they feel as though they may "standing out in the field, alone and hopeless" the power of BELIEF can, will and does manifest into a life victory. A sweet story of success against all odds.

My husband and I are expecting our first child in June. I bought this as a gift for my husband to read to the baby. He was so excited to receive this! He read the book and immediately declared it, "Wicked Awesome." Get it! Every other line rhymes, and they are are not simplistic. We both have our degrees in education and feel this a good book to help develop children's personal histories.
Get it!

Our small grandson received one as he joined his dad and grandfathers (yes, one lives near Denver) for the current World Series. In his Red Sox regalia, he wanted it read to him again and again. His great-grandfather had seen the last Series before this one, just like the book talks about, and anyone with children who need to be raised as True Believers should make sure they have a copy to pass on to their children in the future.

Although this is a children's book, people of all ages will delight in it. The illustrations are genuine masterpieces.

The book warms up with a Red Sox game in 1918. Somebody's Great-Grandfather watches that game and celebrates the Red Sox' 2004 victory, poignantly reminicing about that 1918 victory. At the time of this review, Boston is celebrating the 2007 Sweep in the World Series against the Colorado Rockies! Go Boston!

Dirty Water was the anthem of the 2007 World Series. The Standells' classic was very a propos!

The illustrations bring history into the picture, literally with the Duck Float Parade; the 1918 lineup and the excitement of the game! Varitek, who helped the Red Sox barrel into victory in 2004 was also part of the Victory Team in 2007! Go, Boston!

I recommend this book for everyone. If you like good baseball and you love Boston, then you want this book. It will hit a home run into the hearts of all readers, just as Lowell hit that winning home run in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series! Go Boston!

Excellent book for any Red Sox fan young or old. Great story for the young, great nostalgia for the not-so-young! A must for any Bostonian!

As I read this book, I felt like I was with Pam as she crossed Alaska. A truly well written book which gives the reader a wonderful insight into the beauty of Alaska and most of all into the human emotions of such an arduous journey. It is a book of truimph, beating all the odds!

Excellent true story, well told with many explanations so the reader understands what is going on.

This is a great book that will inspire you to be a stronger, more adventursome person than you might otherwise be. I like the way the author incorporates diary entries from her expedition, and also the text inserts including helpful background information that might otherwise have bogged down the flow of the story. I bought both this (the version for adults or teens) and the companion book, Big Enough Anna, which tells the same story in a manner appropriate for young children. Both are fantastic, and I plan to give copies to friends as gifts. Way to go, Pam Flowers!!!

Dear Pam,
I am from Burton Valley Elementry and in third grade.You did an amazing show!I loved it!I have one of your books .I have 'Big Enough ,Anna.Ihope to get more of your books.You have amazing and incredible adventures!I am a BIG fan of your work.Can we buy another copy of Big Enough, Anna and have it signed by you? (...).Thank You for your great books and presentations!

Thank you,
Iris Wagner

I needed something to read during the benchmarks, so I ran to the library during passing time and grabbed the first book I could find on mushing (I'm an addicted musher). I had a hard time putting it down. The pictures were wonderful, and the story was great. It was a pretty fast read, I finished it that day, but I enjoyed it. I've reread it twice since I bought my own copy.

I loved the book. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened to the main character, "Sticky." It's not the kind of book you have to use a dictionary all the time. It's written in plain simple language.
The only draw back was the lines that were repeated. Other than that, it was an excelent story. I even got motivated to dig the old basketball out of the closet. Good show!

I liked his book because it was about basketball and I have played basketball for the last nine years. I felt like I understood the book because I know a lot about basketball. It also told of a story about a boy growing up in the foster carte system.
Sticky was the main character of this book. It starts out when he is 16 years old waiting for a chance to play a pick up game at the recreation center. All the guys from the neighborhood like to hang out there. He is the only white player on the court. The other players make fun of his name. It was a nickname his mother gave him so he likes it and gets angry because they wanted him to say his real name or change it.
The book flips back and forth from his rough childhood with his single mother, to his multiple foster parents, to current time. It took him through rough and good experiences with friends and foes.
He meets a girl from high school who he likes and they start dating. They want to go to the same college so Sticky has to try really hard to get a basketball scholarship.
He learned life lessons throughout the book. Most of his lessons were learned on the court at the recreation center. There were lots of fights, laughter, and yelling, homeless people, young and old people.
I give this book a 5 star rating and you should for sure buy Ball don't lie if you don't you'll be missing out.

I'm not usually a big book guy, but I knew I had to read my boy "Cali's" first book. We play ball together at the Prospect YMCA. So I went and bought a copy to show my support. Then I didn;t read it for about six months. Well I just finished it last night. I couldn't believe how good it was. This dude can really write. And I love the story. It's sad, but in the end you feel like the main character is going to be alright. Speaking of the main character. He's from the west coast which usually means he'd be soft, but this kid has got some heart. so get get a copy of this book and support my boy Cali. You'll be happy you did.

This book starts out really slow and boring because you are blinded by all of the basketball details. So you think "here's another boring sports book" and by chapter 3 it is already unraveling into a book you just can't put down. Sticky is a ghetto and rough-around-the-edges white guy that has grown up on the streets, moving from foster pad to foster pad, eventually making it to an area where he is daily playing ball with the regular crew down at Lincoln Rec. He knows that he has to have something special to get out of this life he doesn't want to be stuck with forever. It really does suck you in and has you going through every trial with Sticky from past to present making you feel as if it were you telling the story of Sticky's crazy and hectic life.

It is a shame that this novel hasn't gotten more recognition in the literary world. True it has appeared on a couple very notable best-of lists, but it deserves more. No reviews in any major newspapers, no evaluation in the major literary journals, and no pub in the pedestrian sports books like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. That's a disgrace. It merits prominent attention from the tastemakers. Sports fans consistently beg for prose and films that are faithful and sincere depictions of the world they revere with unbridled, rampant passion. Literary folks, in turn, constantly, and quietly, whisper on college campuses, at book readings and within intellectual circles about the pathos of modern fiction. Yet, here sits on the shelves of Amazon a debut, which should be considered groundbreaking and ingenuous to these two separate sets that could not be on further ends of the flavor spectrum.

A reader can feel simultaneously honored and stupefied by the prose of de la peña. Honored because a stranger is ushered comfortably into a world of truth and stupefied because this same candid world can feel so foreign to our "normal" emotional barometer. Venice, CA is a magical place to anyone who has stepped off the well-treaded boardwalk and into the tangled vines of class, dreams and race on its narrow, overgrown streets. de la peña not only steps, he stomps into these neighborhoods, pulling no punches as he acts as a literary translator to the hieroglyph of Venice culture on the papyrus of constricted beach walk-thrus, unrecognized sandy ghettos and voiceless orators of working-class ethos. This author is a troublemaker.

Venice has always been an eccentric enclave by the sea that attracts and rears troublemakers. Usually these so-called troublemakers are castaways from the mainstream. Aging hippies, counter-culture punk-rock surfers, gangsters, skaters, and visionary "deadbeats" historically have made Venice their home. These folks had no place in Outback Steakhouse Americana, so they found their way to a milieu where they could safely and loudly challenge the status quo. After all, Venice had the first major pocket of African-American owned land in Los Angeles (Ghost Town) and Dogtown essentially birthed the X-Games lifestyle here. Folks come to Venice to find themselves and then let the world know that they are here in the most unique and idiosyncratic of voices.

Sticky is a hoarse foster kid that needs to be heard. On the surface, he is a typical Venice knucklehead, looking to throw down with society because that is what is expected of a troublemaker who's been dealt a foldable hand. But dig deeper with de la peña and find a wounded soul in need of a venue to squeeze out some kind of meaningful expression. Like most Venice residents, he burns to take on the median with defying, counter-culture articulation. To do something meaningful, this kid with literally nothing needs magic and, luckily for him, he resides on the streets of a magical enclave.

Basketball, and more specifically the sports' necessary skills honed on the streets, has long been a barometer of heart. Many have stepped on asphalt or hardwood with sick talent only to find that their heart shrank to the size of a pea when the crowds unnerved them. Fear pumps through blood streams at half-court and great talents evaporate on this hallowed proving ground when bodies surround it. You see one can't hide from a crowd. Crowds are an exposure of truth: You either got it or you don't. Venice is known for its crowds as much as it is for its magic.

Sticky finds magic in the soft touch of worn synthetic leather. Between the fading lines of a rundown court filled with Venice troublemakers, he waves a wand made of magical fingertips and stands out from a crowd of dreaming hoop players. In a world of fast-paced, kinetic movement, Sticky is able to curb a debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder because he sees a playground game in refined slow motion. He thrives on court vision and instinct. And instinct is the main artery of navigation, just like Lincoln Blvd, that runs the width of Venice. A kid with instinct can survive out here. A kid with instinct can throw it all back in the face of the proverbial man. Alva did it on his skateboard, Dennis Hopper did it on his camera, and Sticky will do it with a beat-up basketball stolen from a group home. The question is, as it was with Alva and Hopper, can he simultaneously do it with meaning and go unscathed.

de la peña deconstructs race and class in this book with a hand gentler than Morrison or Wright. Racism and classism can be cruel and there is a sense of the tragically absurd in the cruel life that is Sticky. Humor eases him into questionable mentoring and pushes him into painful rites of passage. That's always been the genius of special works. Hit us with humor and twist the knife in the gut of our protagonist. Denis Johnson does it, Spike Lee does it, and Joe Strummer did it.

Sticky is a lonely ship navigating the treacherous Venice canals without supervision or necessary guidance. His advice comes at the bottom of a forty proof guttural throat or from the high-pitched nasal whine of an overbearing liberal do-gooder. But, like all of us in this life, advice is only that, advice, and Sticky must make his own way with just the truthful eloquence of a honed skill set to drive him. In this case, that skill set is on a basketball court.

de la peña has put together a powerful memo that puts the powers-that-be on notice: The voiceless will not sit back without voice any longer. There is something daring to this work. It is tangible and magical. Ball Don't Lie will not leave you apathetic.

de la peña should be considered an innovative auteur. He has exposed the ironies of the daily morality, politics and race in this country with a slight of hand that would make the thief in his lead character proud.

Ball Don't Lie is homage to the power of a writer's observation and recollection of environment. It ranks alongside The Bluest Eye as a genuinely groundbreaking first novel. We should all hope that this extraordinary work is the first installation in a powerful chorus of prose to come. It should be a notable book in the New York Times review. It should be mentioned in Sports Illustrated. People are sleeping on this important piece of fiction, but that should be expected. After all, it is about Venice: The land of counter-culture and in-your-face expression. Ball Don't Lie may be overlooked, but it cannot go ignored.

This volume is an absolute must for those interested in baseball history from 1900 to 1991 or fans who want to see how the uniforms of their favorite teams have changed over the years.

The book was recommended to me - when it was initially published - by an artist who was working at that time for a major trading card company. You will notice that most of the current uniforms borrow style points from years past. I guess the "retro" look of stadiums led to a "retro" look in the home garb.

Since its publication, teams have literally flooded the market with variations of their standard home and away uniforms. An update of the book may not be cost efficient due to this situation, but I hope at some point a companion volume will be published to chronicle the years starting from 1992.

Extremely comprehensive for any baseball historian. Very informative and extremely interesting. Much like everyone else who submitted a review, I would love to see a revised edition of this book - especially with the onslaught of alternate jerseys and sleeve patches.

Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century is THE definitive reference on baseball uniforms. Nowhere will you find a more complete list illustrating every major league uniform used every single year. Do you know when the Astros introduced their "rainbow" uniforms? What year did the White Sox sport Bermuda shorts? Did you know that the New York Giants once wore plaid uniforms? It's all in this book. I find it odd that this book was written to represent the uniforms of the 20th century seven years before the century's end. This book is crying out for a second edition. There have already been dozens of uniform changes since 1993. Marc Okkonen, I'm beggin' ya. PLEASE!

When I discovered BASEBALL UNIFORMS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, I was overjoyed. It is a true missing link of baseball information. Of all the pictures of ball players I poured over through the years, players who graced the diamonds during the first 50 years of this century, the one thing I could never discern was the COLOR of their uniforms. However hard you studied the permeations of gray and black in the photographs, you could not accurately guess the colors. Similarly, it was difficult to detect the exact year each major league uniform changed. This book solved those mysteries for me. I place it among my most valuable baseball books, a collection which encompasses maybe 80 books. I would love to see a similar book done on baseball uniforms of the 1870s-1890s, as well as a book on football uniforms of the 20th Century. Kudos to the author and publisher!

I have been collecting MLB replica/current baseball caps since the late sixties. I guess that makes me a fanatic. I received a postcard from Marc Okkonen a few years ago, and thought his 1991 volume was without sequel. Now I have heard that there is a 1993 revision of this fine book, with corrections. (Baseball lovers need this). I started getting serious about tracing the history of team caps in 1995, so I have a bit of a gap that a "new" Okkonen could help me fill. I have found a few errors in the book; in fact the author said there were some. Where can anyone go to improve and update Okkonen? Until further notice, he is my constant reference for cap styles, a monumental piece of research, which I use "for the love of the game."

One of the most useful, informative publications I have ever seen on the subject of scuba diving. Coleman has packed a lot of extremely useful stuff into one place. This book is mandatory for all new divers and useful for divers of all experience levels.

This is a fantastic book. It covers just about every thing and is easy to understand. He even attempts a little humor. Well worth the price!!!!

If you only have one book on diving in your bookshelf the "Certified Diver's Handbook" must be a top contender.
One of the most informative handbooks I have ever read. I no way does Clay Coleman try to overwhelm with a "I know it all" attitude. He gives sound solid advice based on experience and analysis of many years diving.
Covers almost every aspect of recreational diving in an easy to read and easy to remember layout. A book for divers that have 5 to 500 dives in their logbooks.

Simply excellent!

the idiots who put this book together placed a segment of 35 pages in upside down and backwards.... who lets that kind of mistake pass thru quality control. there was no info on my invoice like a number to call or a place to email to complain and return the book. This book was under the description as "NEW." Very upset with Amazon lately.

The Certified Diver's Handbook is a wonderful reivew book for all divers, new and old school. This book provides a great reference for new divers to continue improving their diving habits. It's also a good review book for divers who do not have the opportunity to dive on a regular basis.

I first had the pleasure of reading "Charlie's Touchdown" in 2004. I have recently savored the story again and enjoyed it just as much. The story, told through the eyes of his mother, focuses on Charlie, a courageous and inspiring boy who was born with multiple heart anomalies. The book is written in a conversant manner; you can't help but feel like you come to know Charlie and his family. The summation of Charlie's life is so much more than his medical problems. The truest meaning of life is exemplified by the example of this young man. His life, though relatively brief, was a woven tapestry of hope, determination, faith, trust, love, humilty, joy and gave validity to the value of suffering.
I highly recommend this book. After reading "Charlie's Touchdown" you will readily see the appropriateness of the book's title.

Vickie Batcheldor

"Charlie's Touchdown" is an awesome testimony of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness (no matter the daily struggles, the never-ending challenges, the pain of human suffering, and the grief of the human heart). Charlie, his family, and their faith will inspire you. And you will find plenty of the Holy Spirit all along the way!

A powerful read for anyone; an especially uplifting read for bereaved parents and those grieving the loss of a loved one.

"Charlie's Touchdown" is a very personal account of a family's joys and sorrows in living with a member with a physical disability. As I read this true story, written by the mother, I felt as though she was actually taking me with her and her husband and her family as they lived with Charlie and his gift. I laughed and I cried as I went through the years with Charlie. One wonders why I would call Charlie's disability a "gift", especially in our society, which no longer values people with disabilities and actually eliminates them through untold abortions and the growing tide of euthanasia. I call it a "gift", because when seen with the eyes of faith, one is able to connect all sufferings up to the Cross of Christ, which is the greatest gift we have been given. Then, our sufferings can, indeed, become redemptive as St. Paul states in Colossians, chapter 1, verse 24: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, the Church..." God gives us the opportunity, as He gave Charlie and his family, to grow in love through suffering. I highly recommend this book for all, especially those who struggle to see the value of suffering in our world today. Read the book and you will be uplifted.

This is a beautiful and well written true story of love, perseverance, tragedy, humor, and faith. Every parent, no, every person, should read this story!

This book is an inspiring example of how much we can rely on God to help us through the pain of this life. Mary Jo's reliance on faith to provide strength in her most painful and difficult experiences helped me see that we can and must TRUST God ... His plan is eternel and reaches far beyond this life. Thank you, Mary Jo, for sharing this experience with the world and demonstrating the very faith and trust that Jesus told us was possible.

Fantastic book/offensive system. Worded very well..

Pros:
- Quarterback and Wide Reciever play is focused on thouroughly and is very clear
- The system is very efficient in terms of play names etc
- Playbook section in the back sets up the young coach with plenty to base his offense off as a start
- Read progressions for every play are simple, very organized
- Provides a sample practice plan
- Describes how the huddle should be run
- Provides a template for an effective call sheet
- Running system is extremely simple

Cons:
- While a template is provided for the call sheet, Coach Jenkins doesn't do a complete job of identifying what type of plays can fill out the sheet. A beginner coach might have trouble creating his sheet using this book as his pure source.
- While the running system is defined, runningback play and run-blocking is somewhat ignored. Coach makes it clear that offensive line play is something that he feels is up to the personal coach so he does not go into detail.
- Unlike most coaching books, Coach doesn't list the specific characteristics the WCO coach should be looking for at each position

well that was difficult trying to find cons lol..great book, 5 stars

I just heard coach Jenkins speak at the Irvine Mega Clinic and he was probably the best speaker there. I don't think he even mentioned his books, but I bought all three. His books are the best out there, bar none! I highly recommend all three of his books.

I was at a football clinic this past weekend and a guy comes out of one of the talks and makes the guy selling the books unpack (he had just packed up and was walking out the door). He said he needed a "West Coast Offense" book. So he opens two or three cartons and takes out "Coaching The Multiple West Coast Offense" (the second edition for what it's worth). So I decide to go ahead and get a copy for myself because it must be good? Long story short -It's the best darn book on football out there! Just a lucky timing thing and I really love the offense. We are bringing the author out to our school to install the offense..... An outstanding book that I found because of luck. It's that good........

This book is very indepth and comprehensive. It not only diagrams plays, but it also explains the techniques and read progressions that make the plays work. It's a great book if you are looking for an offense or just looking to add to your own.

Excellent, best-of-breed books on the West Coast offense, especially for those who haven't lived in the system from ground zero as a player or a coach.

HS coaches should beware...the WCO works well, BUT only if you have a stellar athlete/passer as a QB and at least one receiver w/great speed who is capable of consuming the cushion, tracking the ball, and acting as a complete deep threat. The strength of the WCO (the desired traits in the QB and WR) is also its achilles heel, in the same way as the WCO's mirror-opposite, the wishbone (you must have a dominating FB who can draw defenders at the point of attack). Given the paucity of talented QBs who are able to throw 40 - 70 yards with great accuracy consistently and WRs who demand and get consistent double coverage, it would behoove you to think twice about installing the WCO at the HS level.

If you make the mistake of pushing the WCO as a template on a HS team w/out the QB and WR, you are going to be in for a long and painful season. Defensive backs will congregate in the short zones, defensive coaches will send 6 - 7 defenders in full blitz, and if your QB isn't mobile you can count on numerous sacks, missed throwes, interceptions, or an injured QB (the shotgun, a favorite in the WCO, only delays the agony).

Good luck, and this book is as good as it gets for the HS coach seeking to implement the WCO.

I got this for my husband for his birthday because he lived for 5 years in Africa as a child and his father used to hunt big game, so he loves reading books like this, and he said this one was an outstanding read.

Reading books by authors like Capstick is a very good alternative to reading fiction. When you are reading fiction, however scary, thrilling and realistic it may be, at the back of your mind you know that it is fiction. Some of it may not even be plausible. When you are reading true adventure, it is then that you can realise the closeness of death to life, you can identify with the characters more closely, and you can feel their fear of something as primeval and primitive as claws, fangs and horns. You can also feel their elation at escaping injury.
This book is not meant only for hunters and any one reading it will learn something new on practically every second page.On the whole I did not like it as much as much as "death in the long grass". Still, the book has its chilling moments. It also has its share of dark humor. The author does not defend hunting and "cropping" of elephants as much as he does in death in the long grass.
Halfway through the chapter on leopards, I lost touch with what the author was trying to say.

Originally published in 1983, this book describes big game hunting in Africa. After a brief introduction, each subsequent chapter contains details and anecdotes about hunting each of the Big Five game animals of Africa (Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, and Lion). In particular, this book is largely about the dangers of hunting each of the Big Five. All I can say is that being a safari guide/hunter must be an incredible life. I purchased this after reading Hemingway's `Green Hills of Africa' and Robert Ruark's `Robert Ruark's Africa' and was not disappointed. There isn't really a single narrative through this book, it is written in a more of a conversational style, almost as if you are sitting with Capstick in camp in the evening after a day of hunting and he is recounting various tales, `urban legands', and historical anecdotes about hunting each of the big five over a Scotch whiskey. If you don't know who he was, Peter Capstick was a hunter, guide, and prolific author who passed away in 1996. Capstick writes about a much later era than Ruark or Hemingway, things have clearly changed. There are more people about (farming, grazing animals, etc.), and the game is heavily controlled by the national authorities. Overall this is a very good, if not uniquely outstanding, read. Capstick writes with an easy prose, and the pages just sail by. After working through this book, you're quite likely to get the urge to pack up a few of your shootin' irons and buy an airline ticket to Nairobi (I know I did!). I give it only four stars though as much of the ground covered by Capstick has been well tread by others (e.g. everyone seems to feel the need to give their opinion about which of the big five is the most dangerous). I also liked Ruark's writing style more, and there was something more romantic and dangerous about safari hunting in Ruark's era (this is no fault of PC though) - they really were out in Indian territory. The more modern safari isn't quite so wild. In any case, if you love the outdoors, hunting, and testing your mettle against some of the world most dangerous game (or at least reading about it!), I would highly recommend this book. A little different than hunting white-tailed deer!

Many other reviewers have characterized "Death in the Dark Continent" very, very well. It is a bit more graphic than Capstick's earlier "Death in the Long Grass", but not much.
But you definitely do NOT have to be a hunter to thoroughly enjoy Capstick. I think, though, there are a lot of non-hunters who simply haven't discovered how good Capstick really is at "grabbing you, making you sweat blood, and not releasing you until you've died three times, passed Elvis and Hoffa twice, and are coming around for heart attack number 4. Capstick is not just " a hunter with a typewriter". He is Hannibal Lecter mixed with Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King multiplied by Norman Bates and home-schooled by JAWS. If you thought Amityville and Elm Street were scary, you were wrong. Peter Capstick will show you Scary in "Death in the Dark Continent". If you thought "The Pit and the Pendulum" was mind-wrecking, you were wrong. "Mind-wrecking" starts on page 152 of Death in the Silent Places. Read it early in the day.

If you havent read Capstick, you are missing out on a treat. Not only are his stories, graphic, exciting and compelling, his style of writing is nothing short of superb. Genuinly exciting, and often laugh out loud funny, all of his books are fantastic. When talking about the turn of the century past-time of "galloping lions" (described as "dangerous as typhoid") he writes:" THe elements recquired for the monotony breaking past time were a fast horse, a good rifle, a few lions and not much concern about the future".

Not for the faint of heart, there is a number of gory stories about the fatal encouters that people have, and some well placed warnings about taking any dangerous animal lightly.

A lot like his first book, "death in the long grass" Capstick writes about individual animals- with a chapter on the "big five", Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard ( the best chapter in the book- beatifully written) and Lion. As before he relates his own experinces, plus encouters as described by his friends.

I would recommend Death in the LOng Grass as a first Capstick book, but this is still most highly recommended.

This book creates an air of baseball that few books allow. From star to skunk, it includes them all. But the stories from their own letters is all that surround baseball -- the aura itself. Great reading.

This book is great! It's a quick read but fascinating! The photographs are excellent and the handwritten replies give you a really cool perspective on the players. This book is one you will keep on the coffee table, so you can always pick it up and read a letter--especially the one regarding Shoeless Joe Jackson--it's touching.

I'm a huge baseball fan..I love anything and everything about it. I got this book for Christmas and I read it in less then a day. It was so addicting! I mean the stories in it are truely wonderful ( Turk Wendall...wild! lol ) I love to read stories of the greats and the players of today, the book has a great mixture of both! It's an awesome book and one you will cherish forever! I really recommend it ( A LOT! ) Baseball 4ever!

"EVERY PITCHER TELL A STORY"

Seth Swirsky is a Beverly Hills sports memorabilia collector who has spent a lifetime writing to baseball players and keeping the many letters and notes sent to him in return. "Every Pitcher Tells A Story" (1999, Time Books) is a compilation of those letters. While many of the athletes are not pitchers, Seth has a special fondness for moundsmen.
"But the tales that pitchers tell stand out above those told by all other players," Swirsky writes. "A pitcher stands alone on the mound..." Swirsky has compiled letters by pitchers in the Hall of Fame, and by pitchers the average baseball fan never heard of. His letters go back as far as Walter Johnson, but also includes such modern non-luminaries as Turk Wendell.
Superstar Steve Carlton writes that he went silent because the press was "breaking the trust that came with their access to the players." Roger Clemens refers to himself as "ROCKET". Cy Young's almost-indiscernible handwritten letter states that baseball cannot be learned "overnight." Cy spent about 30 years in the big leagues, so he ought to know. Bill "Spaceman" Lee probably sprinkled too much marijuana on his pancakes the day he wrote his chicken-scratch letter to Swirsky. Other letters of note include one from Dick Nixon on the Vice President's stationary; a once-classified order from O.S.S. boss "Wild Bill" Donavan directing catcher-turned-spy Moe Berg to capture a Nazi rocket scientist (Berg was later confused by a movie producer with the "Three Stooges" Moe); and self-publicity from "Ball Four" pitcher/author Jim Bouton.
Perhaps the most interesting is the1923 typed correspondence on letterhead saying "BASEBALL," in which Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis crushes banned "Black Sox" star "Shoeless Joe" Jackson's desperate hope for re-instatement.

My favorite part in this book is Turk Wendall's story. It is so funny. This book is very interesting and teaches you stuff you never knew before. Seth writes to pitchers asking them a uestion. The pitcher then returns with an answer and it is published. This is a great book and fun for anyone who likes baseball. If you have do not forget to read page 20 Turk Wendall's story.