Athletics Books

I've read pretty much every book about Robert M. Knight and must say that Steve Alford's book is the best. He is honest in his opinions and praises and criticizes his old coach when he feels necessary. Better than the widely hailed "Season on the Brink," after reading this book you'll see that there truly is a method to Knight's madness and that he is truly a great man.

Steve Alford goes to Indiana University where he plays basketball for Coach Knight. He plays under Coach Knight for six years. During his six years with Coach Knight he has his ups and downs. An up is he wins a national title. A down is the war stories. The war stories are the strange ways Coach Knight gets you to understand his thinking. For instance he made two of the senior players plan how to get to the game. They had to bring all the equipment, get bus tickets, and make a starting lineup.

If you like books about basketball you should read this. One reason you should read this, is you can learn many valuable lessons. One is to try the hardest you possibly can in practice. My second reason is it's a tremendous read. I loved reading this book, because I love to play basketball. My final reason is if you play for Coach Knight in the near future you can learn what not to do, such as loafing around in a game. Which means: not hustling for loose balls, not rebounding, and not getting back on defense. These are the things that get you chewed out.

Unfortunately the media influences a lot of people to focus on the "perfectionist" Bob Knight.

That coach is the one who loses control when things don't go, in actuality, as he visualizes them in that steel trap he calls his mind.

History will, most probably, over-record those incidents he has exposed on television; and have been blown out of proportion in print. History will misplace the accomplishments of the greatest coach ever, as a coach and, most of all, as a behind the scenes parent. Not only a good father to his blood children but to those hundreds of "adopted children" who are his players, coaches and his coaches players.
The quiet coach has raised money for a myriad of purposes but has ALWAYS been there for his "kids". This is the coach that will leave a silent legacy that, not only has changed college basketball but has influenced, directly or indirectly, an untold number of our community leaders and teachers of our children.

Steve Alford is a perfect example of this. As is Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski), Dan Dakich, Jim Crews and (maybe) Mike Davis.

Indiana basketball legend Steve Alford, describes what it was like playing for the General, Bob Knight. Alford shows us in the book the genius of Bob Knight. He also talks about the temper tantrums, mind games, and manipulations he and his teammates had to go through while playing for the General. In the book, he describes some of the war stories about coach Knight. Alford, talks about the brilliance of the General and how he made him become a better player and person.
This book was very inspiring to me. Not only did I learn that Steve Alford is from my hometown, I learned many more things about his family and his relationship with his coach. In the book, Alford talks many times about how hard he had to work to achieve all of his goals in life. All of the countless hours he spent on the court and how they paid off. If you are looking for an inspiring and motivational book, this is an excellent choice. I think all younger kids that are basketball players should read this book. It may have many goods tips for them. "Playing for Knight", would definitely teach them, how hard work can get you to the top. They may also learn more about life's little lessons. Knight had the willingness to sacrifice victory just to teach his players a larger lesson about work, pride, and honor. If your are thinking of reading a book, this a great story to start with.

Alford admits that he cleaned up Knight's language in this book. Bob Knight was famous for swearing up and down the court and all around, sometimes even when the camera and microphone were on. Alford probably also had some selective memory since being a professional in basketball who would eventually go on to be a coach, he didn't need Bob Knight as an enemy. Alford and some other players admitted as much when Knight was fired from Indiana a few years ago that they weren't always as honest about what went on as maybe they could have been. But that's understandable.

If you buy into the idea that sports is another kind of warfare, then Knight's style made sense. Think Bryant and the Junction Boys here. Knight did coach military before Indiana, too. But this story is not really a book about Bobby Knight. There are bunch of those. It concentrates just on that time when Alford was there, in the 80s, probably when Knight's power and prestige were at their greatest. Despite his size (Alford is on the short side to be a basketball player) he had skill and determination, and apparently the obedience that Knight wanted in a player.

Alford's daydream at the end will never come true, at least not in the way he sees it. He saw Knight still being at Indiana, and no one would have ever thought he could be toppled from there. He thought despite the drawbacks it would still be an excellent opportunity for his son, and he wouldn't hesitate to recommend playing for Knight. It was an experience.

This is the manual for a successful "Functional Trainer" that want to know how to structure or to present natural exercises for there athletes. Gary Cool has really made it happen. The terminology is well said and understanding and easy to read. You just can't loose. Go out and pick it up. Thank you and have a great day.

This book allows you to see flaws in basic movement patterns and shows you how to correct them. It might not seem important but it could be the difference in being injuried or not.

Funny how a book needs a DVD to help demonstrate. So get the DVD too. Not much to say other than a good reference, the value is in the whole book.

This book changed the way I look at fitness and is appropriate for the weekend warrior or professional athlete. The author's expertise is expressed in such a manner that comprehension and practical application is easily reached.

This is an OUTSTANDING complement to the DVD. I hoped that the DVD and book would not merely be redundant...and they aren't! The overlap to some extent so that you can get results with only one or the other, but I am VERY glad to have both. They fill in some gaps that each has.

Every single day I turn on the news, there's some new piece about steroids in sports. People are dying, children are crying, all that. But I always wondered why the news NEVER talked about the studies proving all of these nasty things really happen... after reading this book, I FINALLY understand. Because the media is full of crap! I really enjoyed this book and learned a ton from it. It is a bit outdated in that the IOC is now 4:1 and not 6:1 in T/E, but the points are all still valid. Highly recommended!

I thought it was a pretty good read... pretty honest. The guy below who said it's smug I think is a little off. Shouldn't it be smug? The book is right. The book uses science, when the media folk use opinion. I think it SHOULD be smug and should scream "I AM RIGHT!" but that's just me. I've used steroids. I'm not dead. I won't die from steroids. This book is a breathe of fresh air. And I think the reason why steroids are killing athletics is because of how kids are looking at the games now. that's bad for the athletic organizations and the games.

I gave it four stars because I think the doctor with a sales pitch is annoying. Otherwise it's pretty good.

I really enjoyed reading Dunks Doubles & Doping - it provided an objective insight into the effects of steroids on Olympic and professional sports. Jendrick's perspective is not flatly really pro-steroids, but rather pro-legalization for the mass market (cosmetic use by adults), while still keeping them illegal for competition in sports, which he goes on to explain and justify rather nicely. There are many points in the book where you find yourself saying "Hmm, I didn't know that!" For me, perhaps the most disappointing thing I learned was confirmation from various sources that all or nearly all professional bodybuilders use steroids and/or HGH.

The Interview with Gregg Valentino (and his enormous arms) was definitely a fun read. I also found the Doping sections in Chapters 13/14 quite interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about steroids, their effect on athletes, and on sports in general.

... this book nails the haters in the sack. Like a slam dunk or a quarterback sack, this book hits hard. Figured the hype was overated but its actually good stuff. Probably 4 1/2 stars is most accurate because I would have liked to see more stuff on the pro wrestlers, but for what its after it accomplishes. Definitely was educated by reading this.

Nathan Jendrick takes the reader on a wide range of issues surrounding the use of steroids in sports and by the general public.

While his chapters seem just a bit smug - almost saying, "I am right because I am the one who has the real information" - the book has highs and lows based on who is being interviewed. And just for future reference, the spelling of the late Curt Hennig's name was not correct.

The top sections belong to Olympic champion Gary Hall - who feels that there should be a zero tolerance policy when athletes test positive for illegal drugs - to the final chapter on the potential of gene therapy as a means to take the "game" to the next scientific level.

A doctor who discusses a new psychological approach for athletes seemingly has a promotional pitch to explore and purchase his product.

The bodybuilder - featured in a recent cable special on steroids - wants to settle grudges he has against the industry. Who cares if some male bodybuilders earn extra cash by allegedly posing at parties for gay men. What does that issue have to do with the topic?

An attorney questions why professional athletes have seemingly avoided prosecution in steroid cases, while members of the general public have felt the wrath from the judicial system. But it is naive to assume that the power of the various leagues and organizations in this country will not do everything in its power to prevent their athletes being front-page fodder, being led away in handcuffs due to alleged drug transgressions.

The athletes outlined who feel remorse for their steroid use is laughable. If they weren't caught cheating I am sure they wouldn't have such tearful confessions.

While there is information that rarely is covered in major media sources, Jendrick never gets around to telling the reader, "How Steroids are Killing American Athletics."

Rather, it seems as if Jendrick leans to making the use of steroids legal for those age 21 and over, but reserving the right for governing athletic bodies to continue to make such usage illegal by its competitors.

This book complete's any running book collection. It goes in depth into the biomechanics of running, specific weight training exersizes for breakthrough running, and specific stretching for runners. This book covers the information that most other books only breifly skim over. The knowledge that Michael Yessis shares in this book could be eaisily added to any running program, to make you a faster, and more efficient runner. I would reccommend this book to anyone who is serious about running and looking to add more specifity to their running program. If you want to run faster, and farther without getting injured this is a book for you.

This book is everything the title says it is . . .explosive. I noticed benefits in terms of my speed and endurance from the start of training. I was also gratified to read the authors endorsement of barefoot running! If you are a serious runner seeking to improve your speed, endurance and running economy. This is the book for you.

Tim
Anacortes, Washington

Almost. Yessis and Yessis (two authors) focus on the biomechanics of running, which is unusual and perhaps distinctive among publications - we've got the way to train, mostly from Jack D., and now this is an almost good book for telling us how to run. The descriptions of proper running style, and the exercises to achieve proper running style, are in the book.

But you really have to dig. What makes this book 'almost good' is that there is no structure or system to its presentation. Y & Y say what they have to say. Once. Twice, a different way. Third, a different way. And so on.

The redundancy is really not the bad point - the bad point is that there's so much laid out, it's hard to tell what you should do first. Doing it all, well, that would take eight hours a set.

Another bad point. There are far, far more 'non-examples' of runners displaying INcorrect running style than examples of runners displaying correct running style. For the typical reader (I presume I am among them), I want to see someone running right . . . not endless pictures of people who are running and are doing two, three, or four things wrong.

It seems like Y & Y have one favorite sprinter in the book who does it all right. Everyone else, be they your average marathon runner or the state high school 1,500 meeter champ or a nationally ranked 5,000 meter competitor, displays a running style per Y & Y that is "almost, but not quite, right."

The pictures are a great, great idea - but next version show us how to run, biomechanically, the right way. Give us pictures of people who either naturally or with training, are doing it ALL right. (A value-added add-on of course would be a DVD with video clips of runners running the right way.)

The explanations are helpful - but somehow, some way, please structure the presentation. Provide exercises per running element, or simple to easy, or beginner to advanced, SOME sort of organization that makes sense so that as readers we can figure out fairly easily what it is we each should incorporate into our workout schedule.

This book would be great for anyone who is serious about running and desires to find ways to increase performance. The sections that break down the actual mechanics of running are complicated, but I found them to be interesting. The sections on stretching and weightlifting exercises specifically for running are outstanding. The chapter on the effects shoes have on feet and the case for spending more time barefoot is also a highlight.

If you are a casual runner who is happy and not interested in making running a top priority in your life, then I would personally skip this book. If you are "into" running and seeking a deeper understanding of what the mechanics of the run are and how to improve your run, then I cannot see how this book would not help you.

I bought this book wondering if it would show me any tips to improve my running technique. The book does serve as a good introduction to running technique and I would suggest the book to a person who knows nothing on the topic. However, the book left me more convinced than ever before that one cannot improve technique from lessons in a book. Coaches exist for a reason and this is one of them. Runners who have great body and muscle awareness are not going to have major problems and thus are not going to need this book. On the other hand, runners who have poor body awareness are going to need a knowledgable person (a coach) to watch them run and identify the problem. So they don't need the book either and are better of spending their money on a coaching session. This book might be useful for a student taking a college course in coaching running but that is about it.

Beside this general complaint the book itself leaves a lot to be desired. The photographs in the book are rather poor. They are simply clips from a video and suffer from all the problems that causes. It was really mind boggling to me that the publisher was so cheap as to not pay for a still camera to take photos. The poor quality images make it difficult at times to really understand what the author is refering to in the picture. It is most unfortunate that the authors obvious knoweledge is hindered by this problem. Further, there isn't a modern fad (running barefoot, neuromuscler training) that the author doesn't fall for. It used to be "muscle memory" was all the rage. The book would have been stronger if these issues were left out as the author comes across as pandering.

All in all I think this is a book that might serve some useful purpose for a person who knows little about proper running technique. But for a person with difficulties it is not a substitute for a some sessions with a good coach.

This is an exceptionally well-produced and well-organized book which oozes quality and is a joy to read. If you need a reference or a bearing for understanding what youth sports is all about and what it should do to encourage and develop your child, this is it. If you are looking for one book to cover it all, provide insight, and suggest ways to make the sports experience positive, this is the book you need. If you have been stunned by the neanderthal tactics of your team's coach or wonder what is wrong with the youth sports picture in the US, also buy a copy of "Just Let the Kids Play" by Bigelow, Moroney and Hall.

Chapter after chapter we hear about how "winning at all cost," over-competitiveness and how kids specialize in a sport way too soon (before high school varsity level), the author goes against every piece of advice she's given. She admits that when her young sons were faced with a soccer league that was competitive and *gasp* co-ed, instead of allowing them to play, she started her own league! What? It took away the credibility of the entire book. I just can't listen to "do as I say, not as I do."

(Note: this review was based on an uncorrected publishers' proof.)

I heard author De Lench talking on NPR national radio last week about this book and all of the work she has done (is doing) with preventing catastrophic injuries and death of kids in youth sports. I had no idea what I was in store for when I read the book. In fact her advice may just save my kids lives. And, the chapter on Preventing Child Abuse in youth sports is another must read. Again, I now know that the hollering that one coach does to my 6 year old and his team mates is downright abuse. Better yet, I know (from her lessons) how to advocate for my kids to keep them emotionally safe and physically sound. I found her chapter on how to start a new team to be FABULOUS! Bravo-De Lench-You go girl! Kids were being excluded so she rallied her parent pals and started their own all-inclusive group with rules that we all would die for--no bad mouthing eachother, open dialog with the coaches, all kids play the same amount of time (coaches kids included), etc.

The chapter on Politics is a must read! And, the one on parenting/coaching girls and theother on how to parent boy athletes is very interesting.

The only folks who won't love this book are the bad coaches who are nervous that we all will become so well educated that they may lose their coaching jobs.

This book is a "must read" for any parent whose child is involved in youth sports at any level. It is really like a survival guide and was full of some great advice and ideas that made alot of sense. It makes life easier too when you know that you are not alone in a particular situation, as there obviously needs to be some serious reform in high school sports in my opinion. Ms. de Lench deserves alot of praise for tackling this difficult issue head on and gives many of us parents out there a much needed voice!!

I am raising five sports active kids and was intrigued enough to suggest and select Home Team Advantage as my book clubs (five fellow female attorneys) November read. Between us we have 21 children ages 6-19, who have been or for the most part are, in sports programs. We are each litigators practicing outside of Philly.

I speak for the group: If you are a mother or a father and you have children in sports you really ought to read this book. It may help save a kid's physical and emotional life if you do. We each agreed that the author is incredibly forward thinking in the way she synthesized her first hand in-the-trenches information, data and research to provide us with the big picture, especially with the chapters on politics, abuse, injury prevention and how to improve the culture of youth sports. Her depth of information and breadth of knowledge quite frankly is pretty brilliant and damn gutsy. We could not put the book down. Well written and ample interesting first hand stories. As a collective group we could relate to just about everything she wrote about. We talked for hours on each of her chapter topics. de Lench has the answers for all of our questions and concerns.

One negative; we each agreed that the phrase "hardwiring" (the new Politically Correct term for hormones) was used in place of hormones too often and gets a bit old. It did, however, inform us to the empirical data out there on the fact that boys in sports are very different than girls. Something we knew but could not confirm until reading this book.

Very enlightening read for anyone raising athletic children.

As an outdoor fitness instructor, I have been able to use several of the exercises. Great suggestion from my Chiropractor!

This book is not written that well. It could be organized better. It reminds me of a term paper thrown together from bits and pieces of other reports.

I find the exercise drawings hard to follow. Photo sequences would have been better.

Make sure you examine this one at the bookstore before you order it.

This book explains, with easy to understand illustrations, various exercises for power, speed and agility (to enhance athletic performance). All exercises have little pictures of all sports which especially benefit from these exercises, like baseball, basketball or power lifting...even more `exotic' sports such as fencing, skiing or horseback riding.
The exercises suggested in this book can be used for specific athletic training or to add some fun and variety to your own workouts :-)

This book does an excellent job introducing the topic of plyometrics to the reader. It discusses the different types and categories of jumps as well as the varying intensities. It even gives sport specific plyos as well as sample programs. However, this is not the definitive book on plyometrics. I think of it as more as a good reference tool. I would really recommend "High-Powered Plyometrics" for even more in depth info on this wonderful method of training.

this book is a top recommended reading from all leading authors in strength and conditioning. However, you should also buy the companion dvd in order to help facilitate the exercises in the book.

I've used this journal for 10+ years now. I like it's layout and functionality.

I have just started to use this training diary, my 4th week, and it is wonderful.

The feature I enjoy the most of all in the weekly entries is the amount of space available to write on each day's workout and performance! Plus, the daily weight recording area is big enough to include your body fat percentage too. The summary space is perfect for any comments that you have for that week's runs.

This is my first bought training journal, and I look forward to filling it up!

I guess I'm being picky. Okay I know Sunday is really the first day of the week but for those of us tracking miles by week (especially important for building your bases so you don't over do it) you usually can't break the weekend apart. Sometimes due to your time schedule you can train long on Saturday and sometimes you have to do it on Sunday. Let's say your building for a marathon. You do 5 - five milers during the week and a 15 mile run on Sunday. Next week you do the same but have to do the 15 on Saturday. According to the book you did 25 miles one week and 55 miles the next. How's that for tracking weekly miles? The better training log's leave the days of the week blank so you can fill it in. And yes I know you could always cross out the days of the week in this log and rewrite it but why should you have to?

The training diary is solid because the format has not drastically changed over the years. The log has ample space to chronicle your feelings/outlooks/goals and you fill in the dates, so a person does not have to "start" on January 1 to use the entire book in a year.

Also, those who don't run, but need a book for swimming, cycling, etc., will find it a practical investment compared with other available sport-specific diaries. This is a great investment to chronicle the road traveled...and the miles ahead.

One of the main reasons I like this diary so much is that it is spiral bound. You can't tell from the Amazon photo. So I keep it open to the week I'm running in to make entries quick.
I have been keeping track of my runs for 5 years with these diaries - they have enough room in them for one year of dates and comments. The comments area for each day gives you enough room for a few sentences.
For me, a casual runner/10K'er who does about 500 miles a year, I feel that keeping a diary has kept me going. It is alarming to see that I already can't go as fast as I used to, but I've run a total of more miles each year. The used/resold versions are only a few bucks.

If Lydiard is "outdated" as you sugest, then how do you explain this:

Mark Wetmore(Colorado @ Boulder - Buffaloes) uses a slightly modified version of Ludiard's training (so that his athletes are able to peak three times a year). They obviously have had much success.

To those who say his theories are outdated, show me the results where Americans pounding the intervals or following a Daniels type plan are beating those like the Kenyans and the Japanese marathoners and Paula Radcliffe who train much more like Lydiard suggests. It's not a coincidence that Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi became the first two Americans to win Olympic marathon medals in 20 years. They are also two of the few Americans who follow a Lydiard-based training philosophy. The Kenyans do not train at LT pace all the time. Anyone who knows how they train knows that they train much like Lydiard suggests.

Yes, his writings are hard to read. He has a great mind when it comes to running technique but not quite so great when it comes to writing style. However, the wealth of wisdom in his writings is worth working yourself through the less than spectacular writing style if you are interested in racing performance.

Criticism of Lydiard based on the idea that he recommended "long slow running" indicates that the reviewer didn't actually try paying attention to what Lydiard wrote. If a three-hour marathoner running his Monday ten-miler at 6:30 pace and his Friday 10-miler at 6:15 pace - not even in base phase, this is in conditioning BEFORE you get to base phase - it that is your idea of "slow" distance, then your idea varies greatly from mine. Go back and read what he says comprises "half-effort" - for a 5:00 miler, Lydiard's version of half-effort is 5:16. If you're going to criticize an author, please read the source document.

He's trained 18 olympians, has taken years of physiology, and has been perfecting his programs since the 60's. This is definitely the book to get. I was one of the people who didn't know what the training did, so I got fired up and hammered it every day. Thankfully, I was able to learn about Lydiard and find a real way to train. He explains all of the physiology behind running so you have a revamped knowledge and know what to do instead of training blindly. Definitely a must have.

My first thoughts were - "This is a book?" This is the most unprofessional job I have ever seen. The forward is one the most laughable English translations I have ever seen printed. As for the body of the text, it is clearly a compilation of various things Lydiard wrote over the years. The editors took all this different stuff, threw it together, and called it a book. The end has some charts sitting around with absolutely no explanation. The book repeats itself a lot, and there is a long section written exclusively about rugby. Apparently Lydiard once adapted his training ideas to rugby, and the resulting article was thrown into the book as a "bonus" or something.

That aside, it is fun to read some old Lydiard stuff. This book takes me way back to the glory days of the running boom, to Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers running in their heydays, which is funny since I was born in 1984. Always nice to hear that the reason "the negroid" is beating me is that he can lift his knees while leaning forward. Thousands of people have been trying for years to find out why the East Africans are so dominant, and here Lydiard had it all figured out years ago!

Joking aside, this is a decent book about training. Lydiard is not a proponent of Long Slow Distance. He supports Long Steady Distance. His focus on high mileage and basic speed is key. Many well-informed people believe that if Americans would spend more time developing their aerobic bases and less time on the track doing hard intervals, they would run much faster. I have found this to be true in my own running.

One thing I would have liked is a better description of the hill-bounding exercises. Lydiard mentions that you should do bounding exercises up a hill, but he doesn't go into the detail of exactly what this bounding should look like. That's my only true complaint.

Jim Kaese and Paul Huddle have given us a reference work, not a discussion of what it means to be an athletic-minded traveler nor how to become athletic minded if you are a traveler doubling as a couch potato.

Mind the subtitle: 'Where to work out and stay when fitness is a priority.'

If a reference book for your or your travel agent is what you need, this is your book.

If you want to figure out how to maintain some level of fitness in an ever-changing travel environment that seems to mock the very thought of it, this is not your book. Those books do exist (see my other reviews) and you'd be wise to buy one of them.

The book under review here is organized by major U.S. metropolitan areas. Since airport fitness facilities are still not widely available, the writers have to presume you're willing to part company with two taxi fares for many of the venues. Things get a little better on the hotel side, where noticable improvement in most major hotel chains now makes it possible to get a workout without falling down the steps, where you are fortunate to be found within the week.

Bottom line: the book delivers what the subtitle promises.

JUST QUICKLY SKIMMED THROUGH YOUR BOOK.
THIS IS GOOD FOR THE BEGINER, BUT I CAN NAME AT LEAST A DOZEN HIGH ENERGY TOP OF THE LINE PLACES TO WORK-OUT WHILE TRAVELING.
I CAN DO THAT IN ABOUT THREE MORE CITIES.
I THINK THIS IS GOOD FOR TRAVELERS IN THEIR OWN HOTEL.
PERIOD.
MY WIFE COMPETES IN TRI'S ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND I AM THE VACATION PLANNER.
WE BOTH LIKE TO HAVE UPDATED EQUIPMENT WHEN WE TRAVEL, SO I MAKE IT A POINT TO INVESTIGATE THE AREAS.
NICE ATTEMPT, BUT THEY MISSED MANY GREAT PLACES.

AL

I received the Athletic Minded Traveler for Christmas. I was skeptical at first since I thought it was just another travel guide. Once I started looking at the book, however, I realized that it was extrememly helpful and the pithy writing made it a pleasure to read. Morover, the easy to use summary for the hotels allowed me to quickly and easily choose a hotel on my first business trip of 2006. (The guide was right on the money about the hotel.) This is an invaluable tool for anyone who travels, whether for business or pleasure--it even covers smaller cities like Cleveland and Madison, WI). Today, whilst surfing the web I found the author's website, which expands on the book. The site has even more information such as running routes and thorough restaurants recommendations for healthy eating on the road. From now on, I'm going to consult the book and the web site before I travel.

I gave several of these as xmas gifts to friends who travel for business
and all of them can't stop raving about how useful it is--the authors
obviously did their homework. I even got an email from one of my friends
while he was on a business trip to tell me that he just got back from a
health club recommended in the book where he ended up running next to a
woman who asked him out for a date! Bet the authors never thought they
would be making love matches!

I've actually used this book in a number of the cities and it saved me time and energy trying to find someplace to workout.

Real information the hotels won't give you. How many times have we called hotels and been told they have something only to get there and its not the case?

This book will make working out on the road extremely simple whether you are a casual athlete or an Ironman Triathlete!!!!

THIS BOOK IS A REAL "SLEEPER". BRETON TAKES THE EVENTFUL LIFE OF ONE LATIN BALLPLAYER AND INTERTWINES THIS WITH THE HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE OF ALL LATIN BALLPLAYERS. THE STORY OF SOME OF THE LATIN PIONEERS IS AN UNEXPLORED TERRITORY IN BASEBALL HISTORY. BRETON BRINGS THESE STORIES OF PREJUDICE, TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY TO THE SURFACE. I LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS BOOK, AND WAS WELL ENTERTAINED IN THE PROCESS.

This book is awesome, one of my favorites. I have read it more than once it is so good. What makes it so great is it tells the story of the latin baseball player that happens so often these days. From step to step, the book shows the reader how Miguel Tejada got from the barrios to America, to MLB star. What makes this bok so special is what a great story Miguel Tejada is. In his town, he was not regarded as a great player. But as soon as he was in a league there, he was great and never stopped. Now he has an MVP. A great job by Marcos Breton for the book and Jose Luis Villegas for the great pictures.

I was a fan of shortstop Miguel Tejada before I read this book and was overjoyed when he won the AL MVP honors this past year. The book opened my eyes to the incredible struggle and long odds that Dominican players - or any Latin players - face to make it in the major leagues. It makes Tejada's accomplishment seem that much more amazing and important to me. His story is interwoven with a lot of baseball history that I would not have otherwise known, and it is one that kids my age and up (8th grade) would enjoy because it makes you think.

Being a baseball fan since Orlando Cepeda led the Cardinals over Yaz's 1967 Red Sox, I thought I was well versed about the history of minorities in major league baseball. (The Jackie Robinson story became gospel in my house.) After reading "Away Games," I had to eat some humble pie. The sports pages, which I read cover-to-cover as a youth, never made mention on how the Clementes, Tiants, and Marchials made it to the majors. Authors Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas provide that missing story. "Away Games" is about how major baseball exploits young Latino men in the same way that the film "Hoop Dreams" documented basketball's exploitation of inner city black youth. Breton and Villegas elaborate on how the baseball establishment entices Dominicans into their camps and then uses them like throw away parts. I only wish the authors would have kept their focus on Miguel Tejada- "the star" of the book- rather than flip-flopping between his "life and times" with the history of Latino baseball players. (Actually, there are two books in one here- Tejada's baseball journey and the history of major league baseball in the Caribbean.) Far from being an enjoyable book, "Away Games" is often painful to read especially for gung-ho baseball fans; however, it should be included right next to the censored sports page as we're implored to "root, root for the home team."

Breton and Villegas make the case that Latin ballplayers are exploited and then, in the overwhelming majority of cases, tossed away by major league teams. Miguel Tejada was one of those who, it turned out, wasn't just cheap filler for an organization's minor league chain, but instead broke through to the majors. This surprised the A's organization which originally ranked him below other Dominicans who have since faded and returned to island obscurity or the life of an undocumented alien in New York City. Unfortunately, the author's case is buried by some truly stilted prose in a narrative that wanders all over the map without giving Tejada himself much more life in the book than as a paradigm for the author's argument. I happen to know already a fair amount about Latin ballplayers so this book brought me neither increased insight into them as a group or to Tejada as an individual.