Athletics Books

A previous reviewer compares the author's work to Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Considering a usually successful use of self-deprecating and anecdotal humor, I can understand the comparison between the author's style and Bill Bryson's style. The author is undeniably funny. Relying entirely on the author's passion for adventure, the narrative describes a theatrical series of events fit for a screenplay.

However, that is all this book offers and why the comparison to Bill Bryson falls well short of accurate. The strength of Mr. Bryson's writing is the purpose underlying the humor, especially self-recognition through experience. The reader can internalize Mr. Bryson's experiences, see the world from Bryson's vantage and ultimately identify with Mr. Bryson's motivation for writing the book.

Mr. Davis' The Underdog falls short of Mr. Bryson's achievements. Instead of relating to narrative, the reader must watch from the sidelines. In this case the author's strength is also his weakness. How many readers can identify with first hand-experiences of bull-fighting or sumo wrestling? The effect is, essentially, a Hollywood blockbuster in a book. What you see is entertaining, but fails to stimulate any further thought.

Furthermore, and what was most disappointing to me, was the lack of conclusion. I kept waiting for the author's epiphany to explode off the pages and into my conscious, but instead of an explosion I got a series of undeveloped thoughts more analogous to a shotgun at 200 yards than a grand-finale. In the final passage, the author's last chance to tie the whole book together, he opts to wander off on a completely new tangent relating his experiences to the untapped potential of the internet (Did Wired ask you to plug The Long Tail, or was this your idea?). Instead of finishing the book with an appreciation for how this author's struggles to find his purpose in life might assist me in finding mine, I was left with questions:

Was this about the unquenchable American spirit? Or, was it about the changing definition of achievement and success? Alternately, it might have been about appreciating your own family, your talents, your opportunities, etc instead of admiring your neighbor's lawn. Honestly, I don't know.

In essence, The Underdog is a funny one time read, but certainly not deserving of such glowing reviews as it has received here on Amazon.

This author sent me an invitation to be his amazon friend. Hello! All of my reivews are bitter and sarcastic, why would I want to buy your book? Maybe I should you spam about "enlargement" products. How would you like that? The book might be a great story. Frankly, I don't care! I would rather read a book about the mating rituals of worms than me spammed by an author that wants me to buy his book.

From the moment I read the first three pages of the introduction I was hooked. This book speaks of and to the American spirit with humor and wit. Not only did I laugh out loud every time I opened it, but I cried a few times too. It's the kind of book that you read so fast because it is so good, but you don't want to so that it will last longer.

If you are looking for a book that inspires you through narrative and challenges you to go beyond your day-to-day life, or, if you want a hilarious window into the zany life of some "average" Americans, look no further. We are told to follow our dreams in a culture that is not set up to handle it when all of us do. This book is for us an answer to that problem. I look forward to many more insightful books from this talented author.

I think this book was funny and adventurous. My favorite part was the sumo wrestling. I recomend this book to parents and older kids.

A quick read; fun and emotionally transparent. Our little hero graces his way through eccentric adventure after eccentric adventure, all the while proving that even the least talented among us can be champions (or at least, very nearly so). There is a tenderness in this book. In its Quixotic madness, it transports us into worlds of danger, adventure, greatness, and saunas in Finland. A true story of sporadic unshakeable dedication and glorious redemption...and courage. The Underdog clearly underscores the ideal: it's not whether you win or lose, it's how many fat guys you can yank by the g-string. A great read.

I am a fitness freak and a fitness and dance instructor. I am always looking for a new way to challenge my body and take it to new extremes. This book really gave me an understanding of what I need to do to take my body and its strength to the next level. It is comprehensive and easy to understand. I reccommend this book to all my friends and anyone who is looking for a good fitness trainer but don't have the money for a live one, whether you are just starting out or you are stuck in a rut. He has developed workouts that fit your body type too, which makes it even more of an ideal workout because you can zone in on slimmming your trouble spots.

I have found this book to be the best on the market when you want quality information concerning nutrition and exercise. I have highlighted so many pages to reference back to. David goes into detail on so much plus there are color pictures. I also purchased his book The Ultimate New York Body Plan but found this one more practical and attainable in reaching my goals. After reading this I can see why he is known as a fitness guru, and this book has sound advice that can be beneficial to attaining a better body!

This is a good program for people who want to get in and stay in shape without spending half of their life at the gym. You do need to spend some time building your own program sheets using the info in the book. I also bought his "Ultimate New York Body Plan" (it reflects on my obsessive streak that I'd buy both!)and I think that program would be difficult to implement for most ordinary mortals. Buy this one!

There are plenty of basic and advanced versions of exercises divided by body part. The book has many pictures that clearly illustrate the exercises. There are plenty of body weight exercises, as well as with weights. I found this book to be very helpful in creating an exercise program!

There's a reason why Heidi Klum and other supermodels seek David out for his training skills. He not only focuses on the physical and nutritional elements to fitness, but also the mind and motivation. It's like having your own personal trainer right in your home and for much less money!

A great read, especially if you are from this area. I had two uncles who were raised at the Home so heard many stories. I just wish they were still alive so they could read this book. I do wish I knew where to go for additional history. JB

Twelve Mighty Orphans certainly captured not only my attention but my heart. Dent brought to light not only a completely different era of high school football but a story of underdogs fighting for glory. I fell in love with the story line and the individuals who made this a must read. This team and school epitomized the era in which the story took place.On a side note I loved the discussion and the political nature of high school athletic associations which Dent related as well as the manner in which the football players were treated in comparison to the rest of the student body.

While I hesitate to call this hoosiers or seabiscuit it certainly falls in that 2nd tier of quality sports books.

Wonderful book, there were more than just twelve mighty orphans! The entire home was fullof mighty orphans, all overcoming the death of their parents in one way or another. I played football against the Masonic Home Mighty Mites in the 80's, they were still a tough bunch of kids when we played them. I remember my father telling me about the tough and mean team they were sporting in the fifties, so this kind of hit home for me. I personally could not put the book down once I started reading it. If you like high school football in Texas this is a must read!

Maybe it's because I am from Fort Worth, and I consider myself to be an AMATEUR local historian; however, I just could not put this book down! I read the entire thing in one night, because I couldn't stop. The story is gripping...makes you laugh, makes you cry. This should definately be made into a movie, if it isn't being done already.

Occasionally I'll drive by the Masonic Home and imagine it in all its football glory.

My Father, Leon Pickett, was the oldest living member of he Mighty Mites until April 2, 2008. I cherish this book, I cherish the wonderful memories.
Sarah (Pickett) McGarrahan

I've read the book through a few times. You can't digest it all in one sitting. I've followed the 70< MPW week 24 week plan 2x in a row. 2 PR's by a long shot each time. FYI you need to follow the plans and be consistant. On weeks where it calls for a 10K race and there isn't a race around, you have to go out and haul *ss on your own.

If your going to do the 70 MPW plan, it helps to not have a life.

Adding a section on core work and stretching would be nice, but there are plenty of other places to find that info.

I'm setting off on the 24 week plan again, with hopes of closing in on 3 hrs. Not too shabby for 47!!

Nothing new to read here, just the same old marathon training instructions we have all heard.

This book is the finest Marathon Training Guide I've seen. It is written for any level runner from first time Marathoner to experienced veteran. The author explains in an easy to understand format the reasons behind his system. This system works! The better job I did of following the book the faster my times dropped. I've taken over 30 minutes off my marathon time in a 2 1/2 year period. The book has easy to follow running schedules for a wide variety of training circumstances.

This program is tailored for the "serious but busy" athlete.
A big plus are the scaled programs from <50 mpw to >70.
The main emphasis is on LONG HARD RUNS. It is no secret that this is the key to aerobic development (Canova, Noakes, Costill etc).
Pfitz puts it into practice w/ a well thought out program.

My only issue would be that there is no "anaerobic threshold" training e.g. 6x2k @ 10k pace. While maybe a bit of overkill, training at this pace worked well for me in the past, and is advocated by others (Vigil, etc).

Definitely worth it - I will be following the 18 week cycle (with a few of my own modifications) for my next race.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. I'll start by saying that having just followed the "below 70 miles per week" training plan pretty faithfully, I just lowered my personal best in the marathon by 19 minutes, breaking 2:50 for the first time. I also actually enjoyed running the marathon, right to the finish, did not hit "The Wall", and sustained my highest weekly mileage ever without sustaining injury. I attribute a lot of this success to this book.

You need to be fairly serious about training to benefit from this book - the training plans are best suited for those who are willing to do 60 miles per week or more. (The 70+ mile per week plan contains a section "When 93 miles per week just aren't enough"). But the book places a strong emphasis on recovery and nutrition, which I think were critical in allowing me to increase mileage without getting hurt, sick, or run-down. And you certainly don't need to be elite - just willing and able to find the time and energy for a fairly large amount of training.

There are a lot of things to get right in a marathon, and almost all of them seem to be addressed here: all the different types and intensities of training, how to make sure you recover on your "easy" days, how to replenish carbohydrate stores after long runs, how to taper, race day strategy, carbo-loading, hydration, and even how to recover intelligently in the month after the race. Impressively, the book manages to cover all these aspects while being readable and quite easy to comprehend and remember.

A lot of ideas in this book are quite similar to Daniel's Running Formula (another good book) but tuned specifically for the marathon and made a bit easier to digest because it only covers that one event.

Michael Shapiro does a superb job not only of capturing the excitement of the Brooklyn Dodgers' last pennant-winning season but also of explaining just what the Dodgers meant to so many Brooklynites. Set against the background of the Walter O'Malley-Robert Moses negotiations that would determine the fate of the Dodgers, Shapiro provides logical proof that it was not O'Malley's intention to move the ballclub but that Moses kept making a fool of him to the point where remaining in Brooklyn would have been rather humiliating for O'Malley.

Though never elected to any office, Robert Moses was the most powerful official in New York City in the late 1950s. His power was further enhanced by the fact that the Mayor at that time, Robert F. Wagner Jr. was both lazy and indifferent, and would not have gone far in politics except for the fact that his namesake father was a very popular U.S. senator. If O'Malley was going to get the land and permits to build a new ballpark, he was going to have to go through Moses and Moses couldn't have cared less as to what became of the Dodgers.

O'Malley tired desperately to be taken seriously by Moses and the NYC politicians to where he even had the Dodgers play seven "home" games in Jersey City in 1956. In the end, the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, not because O'Malley plotted to take them there but because L.A. politicians eagerly and actively courted O'Malley to move to their city while their New York counterparts, especially Moses, gave him the brush-off.

O'Malley wanted to build a ballpark at the junction of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues, where multiple subway lines and the Long Island Railroad converge. Moses at first wanted O'Malley to build a ballpark in a hard-to-reach part of Bedford-Stuyvesant and later proposed having the city build a ballpark on the site of what is now Shea Stadium. Anyone familiar with Brooklyn knows that if you're riding the subway, it's easier to get to Yankee Stadium from Brooklyn than to go out to Flushing Meadows, where Shea Stadium is.

In any case Los Angeles made O'malley an offer he couldn't refuse--300 acres in the heart of the city, where multiple freeways converge. New York officials made no effort to compete as Brooklyn didn't count for much in their eyes. When the Mets were created a few years later there was no question in their minds that they should represent New York and use the orange "NY" logo formerly used by the New York Giants, rather than the Brooklyn Dodgers' "B."

50 years have now passed since the Dodgers moved, and Walter O'Malley has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ballpark he built and paid for (which opened in 1962) remains one of the most beautiful and popular in major league baseball. Shea Stadium, on the other hand, built by Robert Moses with taxpayers' money and opened in 1964, will soon be torn down. What is more, New Jersey Nets owner Bruce Ratner is currently trying to arrange to move his NBA basketball team to that same junction in Brooklyn that O'Malley originally wanted.

Michael Shapiro is an excellent writer and his book is highly recommended!

THE LAST GOOD SEASON, by Michael Shapiro, earns itself a provisional rating of FIVE STARS in my mind, based primarily on the quality of the writing (which is uniformly excellent) and the depth of the research (which, within limits, is exhaustive). Yet the book deserves, like Roger Maris' "61*", to be only a qualified ***(**) success.

Much of that qualification comes from Shapiro's heavily touted and slanted thesis that Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley was not responsible for the Dodgers' departure from Brooklyn in 1957, after Robert Moses refused to build a replacement for the aging Ebbets Field.

Shapiro's grasp of the facts regarding Brooklyn is somewhat fuzzy. He says, "Jews went to Midwood [High School], poor blacks to Jefferson." Yet in the Dodger era, Brownsville was predominantly (70%) Jewish. It was not until later that Brownsville became a black neighborhood. Shapiro waxes rhapsodic about Midwood (his childhood home?) but slights the rest of Brooklyn. He admits that by the time he became aware of the Dodgers they were gone. Ironically enough, even while granting O'Malley absolution in absentia he makes and supports every argument as to why the man did not deserve it.

Shapiro blames, among other things, "white flight" for the Dodgers' relocation, but then argues that fans come in all colors. It's as if, in pardoning O'Malley, he is trying to convince us of something he really doesn't believe himself.

According to Shapiro, "Robert Moses is the bad guy in this story." This is an incredibly strong statement, particularly since Shapiro admits in many places that O'Malley was mendacious, that he was arrogant, that his plans for a new Buckminster Fuller-styled stadium seemed, at best, to be for public consumption only (O'Malley stole the scale model from the actual designer, Billy Kleinsasser, and used it without permission or recompense at public events), that he dealt with player and staff salaries in increments of hundreds and thousands of dollars not hundreds OF thousands of dollars (i.e., star pitcher Preacher Roe claims his highest Dodger salary was a paltry $28,000.00 in 1955), that he did not understand the "Little People" who were Dodger fans, that he once (as a youngster) traded a stack of Dodger baseball cards for one Giants' Christy Mathewson, that he fined employees who mentioned Branch Rickey's name in his presence, and, in short, that he was not really a fan of the team he owned.

Shapiro wants to paint horns on Robert Moses' head, and in some sense they do belong there, but not necessarily in the sense that Shapiro would prefer. Like the Master Builders of Ancient Egypt he had virtually unlimited power in his sphere. The ironically-named Moses was a man with a vision for New York, and he set about creating that vision of shining, rising buildings (such as Lincoln Center), vast bridges (the Throgs Neck, the Whitestone, The Triborough, and the frighteningly huge Verrazano are all his), and endless parkways (as a sampling, the Cross Island, the Belt, the Northern State, the Southern State, the Meadowbrook and the Wantagh) linking New York City and its expanding suburbs in a net of urban development. Yet this visionary had pathological flaws. Monomaniacal in his sphere, he had no compunction about unilaterally razing hundreds of city blocks, evicting tens of thousands, and altering the neighborhoods and neighborhood patterns of New York without a thought. Such changes brought other, unanticipated changes---the "through" expressways of The Bronx relegated it to a kind of backwater status accelerating its descent into slum conditions, and Moses' chopping up of neighborhoods in Brooklyn balkanized the Borough into a patchwork of disconnected rich and poor enclaves. Moses was more successful on sparsely-settled Long Island and in Westchester, where his road network created rather than changed demographic patterns.

When these two prima donnas met head-to-head, they treated each other with barely-concealed contempt. Although Moses was at first favorably disposed to a new stadium in downtown Brooklyn, this agreement soured within days. Without access to O'Malley's papers (which he was refused by the O'Malley family), the reason for this sudden souring is unknown, and ripe for speculation. Moses pressed, at first, for a new stadium in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a declining neighborhood; O'Malley refused. Moses promised him a new stadium in Flushing Meadow, Queens (the future Shea); again, O'Malley refused, declaring that the team was to remain in Brooklyn---he countered with an offer to build in Brooklyn, on the site of a ramshackle meat market. Moses refused to condemn the property (a first for him).

This bickering was never about questions of civic-mindedness, fan appreciation, nor humanitarianism. This was strictly a personal issue between the two men that affected millions of people.

While this was going on, the 1956 Dodgers struggled successfully through their World Champion season. Shapiro's snapshot of the team is far more detailed than his portrait of the politics, and is a joy to read. Shapiro is at his best as he describes the dynamic tensions that existed between the various Dodgers, the great negotiator of personalities, Pee Wee Reese, and their fanbase. It is clear that Ebbets Field was no longer a suitable home, at least without major modifications. Parking was very poor, a serious concern in the emerging era of the suburban commuter fan; the stadium itself needed to be revamped, the plumbing fixed, the seating rearranged. Still, Ebbets Field was only 45 years old, and was a solid structure, despite its flaws.

If O'Malley was indeed "desperate to stay in Brooklyn" as Shapiro posits, then why weren't his efforts directed toward staying? Why was he engaged in a stalemated battle of wills with Moses over a new stadium? Perhaps O'Malley simply wasn't "desperate" enough. Certainly, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park still stand in less than desirable locations, but they draw dedicated fans nonetheless. Had O'Malley spent a part of his considerable fortune buying up some surrounding properties and building a parking complex, and then incrementally improved Ebbets Field with better seating and new amenities, the Dodger fanbase would have continued to travel to Flatbush.

O'Malley did not do this. He wanted land, and a lot of it, on the cheap---had Moses condemned the meat market, O'Malley would have bought the property for pennies on the dollar, a very attractive possibility to a man who squeezed a penny hard enough to put a permanent wave in Lincoln's beard. Los Angeles offered him that and he jumped, literally across a continent, to get it, taking his team about as far from Brooklyn as it was possible to go in his desperation to stay. Yet, if he'd REALLY wanted to stay, Flushing Meadow beckoned. And despite the fact that Flushing is not Brooklyn, the New York football Giants play in New Jersey's Meadowlands and still remain a New York team (the O'Malley-inspired move of the baseball Giants from Manhattan to San Francisco is another issue). In 1957, many of Brooklyn's fans were Long Island transplants, and more would be as time passed. Queens, while not the best of all possible worlds, would have been a convenient waypoint for fans from the old and new neighborhoods.

For that matter, had either O'Malley or Moses given a damn about Brooklyn, they would have cooperated in building a new stadium and reinvigorating Brooklyn. Neither cared to.

"Walter O'Malley was not a bad man. He was devoted to his wife and his children loved him," Shapiro points out. That's nice to know. But O'Malley was also an S.O.B. in business. The two are not mutually exclusive. "Only a sentimental man," Shapiro writes, "would have stayed." Maybe so. But the Dodgers and the Dodger fanbase needed a sentimental man, they needed a fellow fan, they needed a man who loved the team and who loved Brooklyn. What they had was Walter O'Malley, who saw the team merely as a moneymaking concern. O'Malley's actions speak for themselves, regardless of Shapiro's revisionism. And if O'Malley was "not unique" among team owners but merely "so obvious" about his profit motives, the blame is still his for eroding the spirit of The Game, and beginning the slide to where we are today in baseball with its overly mobile nonentity franchises, bloated payrolls, stars on steroids, cupidity and stupidity, and fan disinterest.

In the face of necessity, sentiment oft-times does not serve. But in circumstances of choice, such as faced by the Dodgers, sentiment can be a hedge against callousness.

What O'Malley (and Moses) failed to grasp is that a ball team is more than an agglomeration of men in uniform standing around in an open field. He (they) failed to grasp that a baseball game is more than just nine innings and a cold toting of runs, hits, and errors. It is a conversation at a water cooler, a friendly argument over lunch, an invitation to meet at the ballpark on Saturday afternoon for dogs and beer and a chance to see The Duke of Flatbush. It is a sense of neighborliness, a sense of pride, and was---still is---an important part of Brooklyn's special identity.

As Roger Kahn says in The Boys of Summer, "In the best of all possible worlds the Dodgers would be in Brooklyn and Los Angeles would have the Mets."

That's as it should have been.

This book probably doesn't get the sales or the attention it deserves, because the title and the cover make it look as if it's intended just for baseball junkies. But it's far more than that. In just 332 pages, Shapiro tells four stories:

1. The story of the National League pennant race in 1956.
2. The story of why the Dodgers (and therefore the Giants as well) decided to move to California in 1958.
3. The social, demographic, and economic changes that Brooklyn (and, by extension, much of urban America) experienced in the post-World War II era.
4. Thumbnail sketches of the personal lives of the core players in the Brooklyn Dodger lineup from 1947 through 1956.

None of these four themes is given short shrift. Furthermore, Shapiro has organized this book beautifully. He seems to have done a perfect job in choosing exactly where to break the narrative of the Dodgers' wins and losses, and insert a section about the changing character of a neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Not only that, but Shapiro's writing is superb. Here is his account of the last pitch of the last Dodger game of the regular season - a game they had to win in order to clinch the championship, with Dodger Don Bessent pitching to Pittsburgh's Hank Foiles:

*****
Don Bessent went into his windup. The last thing he thought before releasing the ball was, he later said, "Tight, keep it tight."

Hank Foiles swung. The next thing he heard was the thud of the ball in Roy Campanella's mitt.
*****

You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this book. You just have to enjoy good writing and a wonderful story, wonderfully told.

I have long been interested in the old Brooklyn Dodgers, having read multiple books on the subject. This is among the best. First of all, it is an excellent read. There is plenty of baseball included in its pages, and the Dodgers teams of the 50s were always interesting. But I learned much more than I expected from this book about the politics that led to the team's move to California. It's too bad the franchise couldn't have remained in Brooklyn, but the reasons they left were different than I would have imagined. The book also paints the picture of a post-World War II New York that was rapidly changing. As a lover of baseball, history and baseball history, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Wow. First let me say that I'm not a Brooklyn resident or a Dodger fan and picked this book up without knowing anything about it. The book turned out to be one of the best baseball books I've read in quite some time.

I was drawn into the book immediately. It is clear in the Prologue that Shapiro is a very good writer and that the book is as much about the fifties and Brooklyn as it is about a pennant race. The book is enjoyable on both fronts.

Shapiro does a great job of weaving a portrait of the changes going on in Brooklyn in the mid-fifties and giving younger readers a good idea of what it was like to grow up in that era. It is clear that Shapiro has done quite a bit of research and I think the reader really gets a good look into the personalities of the players and other characters in the story.

Any fan of baseball history will do himself a favor in buying this book. It truly deserves more acclaim than it has received.

I received the book in a very timely manner, it came exactly as it was stated it would. I would purchase from this seller again.

I was so moved by C. Vivian Stringer's account of her rise to stardom in the competitive world of college athletics. The predjudice and personal tragedies she endured and her ability to keep balance in her life and focus through it all is truly inspiring. She is an amazing woman.

I enjoyed the book. Not life changing but there are some life lessons to be learned through the reading

There are 2 things I absolutely HATED about this book...I hated having to put it down, and I hated when I finished it! Vivian Stringer's story is truly an example of courage in the midst of challenges. It's not just for sports fans. Anyone can be inspired by it.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I'm not really into sports but have enjoyed basketball from time to time. Though, I've never really been into college basketball and didn't even know who C. Vivian Stringer was before the Imus incident, I was able to gain a tremendous insight into the life of a strong, confident, and resilient woman and the women she lends a hand in raising. To learn all that she has been through and how she mustered the courage to "Stand Tall" through every adversity was so inspiring, and not just for Black women but for every woman and human being. I certainly recommend that every person take the time to read this incredible story.

I really enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down. The reason I gave it three stars was that I found the written descriptions of the stunts, etc. REALLY hard to picture in my mind's eye, and it was frustrating. Obviously, I am NOT an ex-cheerleader!

So that's what drags my score down. Now, that "faux movie trailer" here on Amazon REALLY helped me envision the moves. It was cool to see the three teams "come to life." It is AMAZING what these true athletes can do.

I have been in the cheerleading world for 11+ years, competing at high school, collegic and All Star level. Reading this book was a great experience for me as I no longer get to cheer in the college environment, but do miss it. Reading this book was a walk down memory lane for me.

In some places throughout the book, I had trouble following the descriptions of the of the routines. I would have done better with the use of the technical terms of each move, rather than the verbose descriptions, as I didn't really have the patients to read the full descriptions. I'm not sure how they will translate to someone who is not familiar with the sport.

What is really exciting about this book is the accuracy. Many modern portrayals of cheerleading treat it as a joke. This book explains the sport, why it's difficult, how dangerous the sport really is and isn't. It is really refreshing in that aspect.

There is a word of caution: THIS BOOK COVERS MATURE CONTENT. There are references to the very ugly sides of college cheerleading like: drug use, and eating disorders. As a coach, I wish this book had taken a stronger stance against these practices. There are MANY college cheerleaders who do not take drugs, and who do not have eating restrictions. This is a very sensitive subject, and I would hate for young cheerleaders to aspire to this type of behavior because of heroes found in this book.

All in all, this was a good book, and I would recommend it.

Cheer Three Teams on a Quest for College Cheerleading's Ultimate Prize follows three college cheer squads as they work towards their ultimate goal....a national cheer championship. From tryouts to the final competition Kate Torgovnick accompanies the three teams, all girl team from Memphis State, the Stephen F. Austin coed team, and the team from historically black college Southern University. These squads mirror much of the realities on any college athletic program. The big programs, the proven winners, have school funding, scholarships and heavy expectations from alumni as well as themselves. The all girl squad has to scramble and compete with the coed squad to get scholarships, financial backing, their own coaching and respect, even though they are proven winners. Southern University has to raise the money to travel and to find a championship competition to enter, as the stages Black colleges evaporate, despite being a proven crowd draw. Cheerleaders have their own struggles....leaving school to care for an ailing parent, romances, "ringchasing" (transferring from one program to another in hopes of winning a championship ring), balancing work and school, injuries, pregnancies, eating disorders and coaching changes. No matter what, they are expected to bound onto the field with endless enthusiasm and cheer.


I have to admit a bias; I am a band geek, through and through. After growing up in Texas, I swore no child of mine would do either of these two things... cheerleading or football. I forgot to tell my children! During their high school years I developed a healthy respect for the amount of work and athleticism involved in cheer. I also developed a deep dread that still rises in my throat when watching a particularly dangerous stunt or a missed catch. Torgovnick follows each squad throughout their year and is able to show the inner workings of the sport, warts and all. The challenges each program faces seem insurmountable at times. Ultimately it is the individuals behind the smiles that carry the squad. She treats the participants with respect and steps back just enough to be honest. Cheer was an unexpected good read.

What do you really know about cheerleading? Not the silly dance-stepping of Lakers girls, but competitive cheerleading, where extreme athletes fight to get into the colleges with the best teams, and train obsessively to compete in National Championships, where trained gymnasts are thrown thirty feet into the air with only the hope that their partner will catch them before they hit the ground. Kate Torgovnick has done a fascinating job of reporting, and this book will open your eyes to a whole new sport.

In the Authors Note to CHEER!, Kate Torgovnick writes that "I wanted to fell the story of competitive cheerleading." MS. Torgovnick thus informs the reader that hers is to be a non-fiction journalistic endeaver. Kate reinforces this understanding between writer and reader by thanking her high school teacher for making Kate the journalist that she is today.
"Journalism" is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as "[t]he style of writing characteristic of material in newspapers and magazines, consisting of direct presentation of facts or occurrences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation." Think: Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Joe "Nothing-But-The-Facts" Friday; "fly-on-the-wall" reporting.
When Ms. Torgovnick decides to be a journalist, her writing is nothing short of phenomenal. She has an uncanny ability to create images, most notably of people, by the use of unique vocabulary. Her blondes are not the trite and overused "platinum", her large men not "Hercules". The descriptions were all fresh. Kate also has a remarkable talent for conveying emotions simply and efficiently. For instance, when Southern University Coach James is pounding that floor a this teams' final performance, I'm right there with him, ecstatic for both him and his team. (To be honest, I found myself crying?!?) Ms. Torgovnick has a deft ear for conversations. I believe them to be accurate in their retelling. Finally, MS. Torgovnick is a very good interviewer. She asks short, simple, and intelligent questions that compel mor than a "yes" or "no", and then gets out of the way and lets the answers flow.
And for 95% of the book, Kate decides to be a journalist. The book only veers from perfection when Kate occasionally abandons journalist and either (1) becomes an opinionist, or, even worse, (2) becomes part of the story.
As an example of the first cited offense, I offer up the writing on page 64. On her first trip to Stephen F. Austin University, Kate met Coach Brad. On her second trip she learned that Coach Brad had quit to take another job out of state. When discussing the resignation of SFA Coach Brad, team member Kali Seitzer says that she is not good with change. Kate responded "Neither am I. What had seemed like a sure-win year just a few months ago now seems like a gamble." These sentences cause real problems for Kate. First, as a reader I've got to ask: Who cares what Kate thinks? Nobody ever cares what the fly thinks. Just report the facts, i.e. what the team members think! Second, as a reader I've got to be annoyed with Kate: It is awfully presumptuous of her to think that in a few short weeks of watching only three squads she feels capable of assessing a team's chances in nationals when she obviously has no real experience in the field and she has not seen the many other squads. Third, as a reader I've got to ask: On what basis are you making this proclamation? You are a journalist - present me the facts to support your conclusion. But of course, she didn't provide any factual support for her claim.
A fantastic journalistic opportunity on the issue of safety training is lost when Ms Torgovnick merely notes her distaste with the training (page 66), rather than delve into the issue and develop the problem and the proposed cure.
Kate asks what I consider to be a brilliant question regarding steroid, to wit - "I wonder if performance enhancer use could be a side effect of so many coaches right out of college rather than the absolute "adults" who coach other sports?", but then fails to put back on her journalistic cap and do some research and develop the argument. Especially in this testosterone-drenched era, when every participants in cycling to beach volleyball is suspect, Ms. Torgovnicj had, but dropped, the opportunity to blow this subject wide open in the world of cheerleading.
My advice is to either keep your opinions to yourself or make them, but then follow them up with journalistic investigation and reporting.
The other glaring error was in Kate's becoming a character in her story rather than an outside observer. She admits as much on page 85 when, reporting about Southern U's teak prayer for victory the following day, kate writes "...I am no longer just observing. I am a part of the circle holding hands with the team, my head bowed too....All I want in this moment is for them to win tomorrow."
In my humble opinion, Kate, as merely a chronicler of events, should have "no dog in this race."
There was one point in the book that absolutely enraged me; that caused me to want to hurl the book into the roaring fireplace. At pages 140-141, when writing about the feeling of a Southern U. cheerleader from New Orleans whose family was impacted by Hurricane Katrina, Kate wrote "...While the situation in New Orleans got worse, the government seemingly turning its back on rescue efforts because the grand majority of the people remaining in the city were black." This Liberal canard is demonstrably untrue, and the publication of it unfortunately establishes Ms. Torgovnick's ignorance and liberal bias.
I have a small quibble regarding the physical stunts. Although each stunt was adequately described in words, both in the text and in a Dictionary at the back of the book, I still wanted either a picture (or series of pictures" of each stunt, or at the minimum a drawing or graphic.
Finally, I found one spelling error and one grammatical error. This is surprising to see considering the publisher is the well respected Simon and Shuster. An editor is supposed to cover your back, not stab it.
While I seem to have spent the vast majority of this review picking apart this book, it is not really the case. I consider this book to be a major tour de force and the author to be an up and coming star in the field of Modern American Journalism.
So only two questions remain -
(1) What is next for Ms. Torgovnick? I can't believe that Kate wants at the end of her career to be known as the Queen of the cheerleading literature genre. Hopefully she has aspirations that far exceed in seriousness the world of cheerleading. The world of politics beckons Kate to next turn her guns.
(2) Can Ms. Torgovnick grow? Can she attain wisdom in correlation to her biological clock? One does not ordinarily expect such from an "Ivy League" alumna from New York City, but Kate is no ordinary liberal. Kate's May 2006 JANE article, "Welcome to Screw U." demonstrates that she DOES get it, that she is capable of mature (i.e. conservative) thought.
I'm a big fan and I'm look forward to future books!
***Full disclosure: I am Ms Torgovnick's oldest first cousin. Her father and my mother are brother and sister.***
BTW - LCLM - "Land clean, land mean"

I'm training for the Breast Cancer 3Day walk -- 60 miles in three days -- and stumbled across this book during an internet search for blister prevention and cures. I got a copy right away. I have never before participated in any endurance sports and needed as much good advice as I could find and believe me, this book delivered. Certainly, there are parts of it that don't apply to my current activities, however the quality of the information, the helpful references to products and where to access them, and clear instructions in foot care have saved me countless blisters so far. I love the focus on prevention. The section on duct tape was particularly intriguing and helpful for me. I'm telling all my fellow distance walkers about this book!

This advice is sure to get all athletes off on the right foot. Learn how to care for any foot problem and prepare your feet for that upcoming race.

Have you ever hiked or ran and ruined your feet? Have you ever felt discouraged about your feet, didn't know what to do about it or, most importantly, what to do the Next Time?
Then Fixing Your Feet will be the answer to your prayers. No one else addresses the myriad problems that can arise when your feet are stressed to the max. John Vonhof leaves no stone unturned, pun intended, in this most thorough book about foot problems such as blisters, corns, structural problems. He deals with prevention as well as treatment. It's not just His viewpoint. He has interviewed countless athletes, hikers and endurance runners and quotes from their experiences and solutions.
He offers concrete advice with specific product recommendations and yet perhaps the best advice of all, stated over and over again, is not to take your feet for granted. They are the most important part of any trek or race you plan.
Even if you have never had any foot problems, if you are planning a hike or race, read this book and be prepared. You'll still be walking or running while others have to drop out.

This should be the ultrarunner's bible- or any runner's bible! It is a great book with some of the best advice out there. It is an easy read and a good book to have on hand for quick reference.

I only review & critique books I actually have read, how else can you make an educated and realistic critique?

As a 19-year Ultraq vRunner I certainly had a reason to buy anmdn read this book, especially since I run now exclusively on trails.

Unless peple are into long-distance running,few people have any idea on how to fix your feet, especially prevent injutries before theu happen.

I know the author and other people who contributed to this booki and can verify their expertise in the field of running and fixing feet.
The book is very detailed, covers almost every imaginable aspect of ultra running. It covers most potential problems that can arise from teh sport and it's preventions and solutions if trouble occurs.

No ultra runner should be without this book as it could save you from lots of potential misery.

I really like this book. It is wonderful guidance. The only thing I don't love about the book is the over the top "spirituality" of it.

The guide to living mindfully is wonderful.
The book really shows how fitness and transformation must take place in all aspects of life.

The workouts, yoga, and meditation guidance is top notch.
But, like I said, it does get a bit cheesy from time to time, so just know that going into it.

This workout program is well thought out, very balanced, and it works. It's genius to recognize the importance of meditation to making gains at the gym. I had never done yoga before reading this book, and have worked hard to teach myself the moves in this book. I "try" to do yoga three times a week in my office, and I have found Il'g positions to be far more challenging then ones taught in classes around here.

This program works.

An excellent mind/body wholistic health educator, that not only gets one into to great shape, but also help's one deal with the whole range of emotional issues that accompanies a fitness program. I have found that the techniques learned in this book extends way past the gym, and into every aspect of my day-to-day life. One doesn't need to purchase useless pills, prepared meals, or powders to full-fill the author's well thought out programs and nutritional advice. In fact, one can do most of the book's mind/body exercises on the local walking trail or in one's bedroom, and all the proper foods can be purchased at one's local grocery store.

PS. I've also lost 30 lbs and I'm in better shape now at the age of 36, than I was at the age of 18.

This a very thorough book. I continue to like it more as time passes. It has detailed instructions for weight training, yoga , and aerobics. Who else will give you a superlative set of istructions for 'downward dog', and soon after do the same for 'overhead squats'?,(usually used as an adjuct to olympic weighlifters' training regimens). Ilg understands that the three systems must each stand alone technically to be done properly, but he also understands the synergy of the three. To paraphrase one of Ilg's thoughts: Yoga gives one the body awareness to improve at weight training, and weight training gives one strength to improve at yoga. This a wonderful insight, and it's this type of thinking that adds up to making this sytem the single best for most fitness seekers. (( It's available from Amazon's 'new & used' sources for quite a low price. )) I only have one complaint: Many of Ilg's promotional photos show him using yoga blocks, but the book uses no blocks .

This book is phenomenal.
I really love Steve's focus on functional strength, as opposed to
strength for strengths sake.
Ilg combines Yoga, Strength, Cardio, Meditation and Nutrition.

The workouts are challenging and extremely effective, they will transform your body (and mind) if you follow through. Steve's encouragements all throughout the book are very helpful/motivating.

A Very complete guide that will help any athlete and an excellent resource for baseball players searching for how to train for their sport.

This text represents a comprehensive look at the application of current principles of conditioning and training for the baseball player. It is an extremely well written text. Dr. Coleman does an excellent job of blending both the theoretical aspects of training with the practical aspects he knows to be viable because of his years of experience working with, not only major league players, but also younger players. The application of the concept of periodization to baseball conditioning is extremely important for the development of strength, power, speed, and agility. With improvement in these areas, the ability to enhance performance is optimized. The use of humor throughout the text also serves as a good buffer between the various theoretical sections. The Forward to the book by Nolan Ryan and the Introduction to the ýPhysical Demands of the Gameý set the stage for an extremely thorough look at the various aspects of conditioning that are involved in developing the baseball player. The examples of different players who developed at different rates indicate that players of all levels can benefit by applying the theories and programs presented in this text to their individual programs. Dr. Colemanýs presentation of a year-round periodization model blends the theoretical aspects of this type of training with the reality of the baseball season. By defining the plans as he has, Dr. Coleman provides the individual with an idea of what is expected throughout each training regime.

Specifically important in the first section is the workout order. Many players train very inefficiently. By Dr. Coleman delineating the optimal order for performance enhancement, players gets an idea of how to best plan their entire training program.

In Chapter One on Postseason training, his presentation of the dietary needs of the athlete for training is very concise and straightforward. He presents a good plan for maintaining fitness during this period of time. By organizing his Off-season training program (Chapter Two) by positions, he deals with one of the primary aspects of physical development--specificity of training. He shows that although there are general exercises that all can do, there are certain exercises that are position specific. In this section he presents a simple yet thorough presentation of dietary needs, which is quite important to the individual.

By including baseball specific drills in Chapter Three, Preseason One training, he again focuses on the need for specificity of training. The section on avoiding arm problems is very important because oftentimes players are overzealous about trying to get ready for the season. This can cause setbacks rather than getting them ready for the upcoming season. His concluding comments on fueling the body with supplements are extremely well stated. He writes, ýEating a diet high in carbohydrates and training hard are the best ergogenic aids available. They are safe, cheap, and effective.ý So many players today are looking for a quick and easy way to develop their physical abilities. In reality, the best way to do it as Dr. Coleman suggests is to eat right and work hard.

Also in this chapter, his baseball ratings test is a good guideline for players to use to see how much they have improved. Although his criteria may not be appropriate for the specific player, individual players can use this to measure gains over time. Monitoring themselves on these various parameters can provide two checks: 1) if their conditioning program is effective and 2) if they are over training and/or stale.

The Preseason Two chapter further emphasizes specificity of training when he discusses simulated innings training and fueling the body. His ten best food tips are a realistic look at the current state of society. Although it is ideal for people to prepare meals, in many cases this is not possible. His suggestions are well taken.

His In Season program (Chapter Five) focuses on the importance of maintaining what has been gained. At this time many players, because they are working on game specific drills, neglect things such as speed and agility. It is critical that Dr. Colemanýs comments be heeded in this section.

Under the section on running, he states, ýThe key to strength is intensity not volumeý. This relates to another important training concept ý overload. He focuses on how critical it is to be efficient in your training. Teaching players to train (and perform) better, not harder, is a critical element of successful coaching. An example with pitching is if you want to learn to pitch fast you should practice pitching fast.

The section on eating in popular restaurants discusses how important it is to eat a good diet. His examples of foods to order and foods to skip are quite good.

Part 2 of the text presents the meat of the material. Although I feel that this could have been placed at the beginning to give the reader an idea of what was to follow, I am sure Dr. Colemanýs decision to place them in this order is based on his background and skill in the field. He presents 16 principles at the beginning of Part 2. These are so critical in developing a sound philosophy of how to train. It is important that these be read and reread before a training program is developed.

Chapter Six discusses the importance of warm-up and cool down in the development of flexibility and in the optimization of training. It contains a series of game specific activities that can help prepare the performer. The use of diagrams and the description of these exercises are quite thorough and build a good base for his training program.

Chapter Seven on core strength training is quite well done. He describes circuit weight training; multiple set training, pyramid training, and four-day split training, along with six day split training. Although a little more detail could have been included in some of these descriptions, enough is presented for the reader to at least ask a conditioning coach for suggestions for developing an individualized program. He presents a concise model for designing the components of your strength program discussing the specifics of sets and reps.

Again, following with the practical nature of the book, the section on the ýdos and donýts of crunchesý is quite well stated. The pictures and descriptions of the daily core are very thorough and very informative. His use of various mediums including medballs and plyometrics points out how complex the field of training is today.

Chapter Eight dealing with the development of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and hand is quite necessary for the development of throwing for both fielders and pitchers. His cautions about the exercises that can hurt your shoulder are very important. His rotator cuff program is very specific to the baseball player.

Speed (Chapter Nine) is an area that is often overlooked. His five key components to the development of speed concisely present all that is necessary for the individual. His description of the components of running helps the individual player in a very simplistic way ý what needs to be done to run fast. This goes back to specificity of training ý in order to run fast you must run fast.

Finally, Chapter Ten on power and the plyometric element of training to baseball is important. The use of medballs and bounding are quite critical to the complete development of the baseball player.

In conclusion, I feel that this is an excellent text that deals with a number of elements that the player must consider in conditioning. Baseball is not something that is just played during the season. You do not get better by just fielding more grounders or taking more swings. The physical abilities necessary to play the game must be developed. Fitness and conditioning for baseball must be a year-round project.

Applying exercise science to a ritually traditional sport is what Dr. Coleman has done with 52 Week Baseball Training. Excellent sections on scouting and seasonal training methods. I enjoyed the division of training into 5 phases with gradual intensity and specificity of training during those phases. Any strength trainer, exercise physiologist or coach that works with baseball/softball players will feather the pages of this book because it will be used and referred to so much. If only it came in hardcover!

Gene Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is a definitive, practical, effective program for the aspiring athlete to achieve and maintain top physical conditioning for baseball, whether competing for a spot in the major or minor leagues, or just enjoying softball league or sandlot games. Coleman provides day-by-day, week-by-week, season-by-season workouts (including resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities) in a training plan that can be applied in high school, college, and summer-league schedules. Highly recommended for all novice as well as seasoned players, Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is laid out in four sequential phases: Postseason (active rest and recovery); Off-Season (fitness training); Preseason (training to play); and In-Season (training to win).

Having trained both amateur and professional baseball players, I can say that Dr. Coleman continues to be at the forefront of strength and conditioning, particularly with respect to baseball. This book will be a useful resource for any player or coach wanting to reach peak baseball performance through improving strength, speed, and agility. I highly recommend this book!