Athletics Books

Well written book on all the aspects of running. I highly recommend it for people just starting out or seasoned runners.

As other reviewers have stated, this is a good book for beginning runners. The tone is positive--in the introduction, the author states that she wants to be your cheerleader--and presents a "you can do it!" attitude throughout. One of the book's strengths is its emphasis on starting out gradually if you're a beginning runner. The author is well aware of the pitfalls of beginning runners, one of which is getting discouraged and ultimately abandoning running because of unrealistic expectations. She presents a clear running program that just about anyone should be able to start with. Inspirational stories--including a now-dated piece about Oprah's first marathon--support the idea that pretty much anyone can train to run competitively (or just for fun). Well, at least if they're millionaires who can train for a total of four hours a day.

Also included are the obligatory diet recommendations, including a curious plug for vegetarianism. This is where I think the book starts to lose its focus. I realize that many people reading about running are likely looking to lose weight and incorporate vigorous exercise into a healthier lifestyle, but how many times--and in how many publications--must we read about carbs and fats? We get a brief intro to healthy eating, and then the book jumps into diet choices of runners. The organization of the book suggests that you'll go from novice runner to carbo-loading marathoner in a matter of pages.

I think that the injury section, perhaps incorporated into a larger chapter about running and its effects on various body systems and health generally, could be expanded. How to best deal with shin splints, which affect nearly all beginning runners at some point and to some degree, is barely touched on. Compartment syndrome (which is uncommon, grated) isn't mentioned at all. I think that more could be said about strength training as a complement to running, as well as detailed information about effective stretching and cool-down techniques.

Major content gripe: An entire section in the Women's Running chapter (which constitutes about a quarter of the book, so male readers may want to keep this in mind!) is devoted to avoiding the various ways that you can become a crime victim if you're not careful. It's a tired rehashing of all the "safety and security" stuff that women are exposed to on a regular basis, usually in women's magazines or on freak-out local news reports. A cop's contribution to this section details how to avoid getting pulled into a car and ultimately murdered (his solution: don't get near the car). I'm not advocating a head-in-the-sand approach; any solo runner should be alert, particularly when running in an isolated area. But jeez, do we really need a whole section to remind us to run in well-lit, populated areas? The number of pages given to this subject suggests that you're more likely than not to be the victim of a bad-intentioned male at some point during your runs.

My main problem with the book is its format. It is heavy (literally), with a glossy format consisting of giant margins, big text, and dozens of pointless photos. I understand that the book is attempting to be true to its roots: it is published by Runner's World, after all, and its page design is similar to a magazine. But it's a book and should look like a book. Even though it's paperback, it's printed on heavy stock paper and isn't the type of book you'd toss into a beach or vacation bag. And the vast majority of pictures are completely unnecessary. Page after page of very fit people in 1990s running garb (it appears that the images weren't updated for the 2004 edition) are meant to be inspiring but get really old after the first chapter: three young chicks running on a track, a fit middle-aged guy energetically moving along in front of a sunset backdrop, a forty-something gal lacing up in a park. Most of us know what fit runners look like. Do we need to see full-color photos of them on every other page? In the nutrition section, literally half a page is taken up with the image of a banana and something that looks like oats. In the footwear section, we see generic pictures of white leather running shoes with the laces undone. Zzzz....

I realize that this review is a big negative, so you may be wondering why I've given the book three stars. There is a lot of good information for people new to running, and indeed fitness and nutrition. But I'm glad that I got this book out of the library--I'd be annoyed if I paid good money for this. The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik, and the old standy, Jim Fixx's The Complete Book of Running, are better choices in my estimation.

Nice update to the hard copy version from several years ago. Well worth the $$

I'm training for my first half marathon and I picked this book up at the library. It's simple, easy to read and has excellent advice. It's easy to criticize books that are reader friendly--too many pictures and graphics, not much text per page. I find, though, that books like that are easier to pick up and read and keep reading. I recommend this book to everyone serious about running.

This is a very complete book that summarizes many aspects of running for beginners and intermediate runners. It is very well edited and is full of nice pictures which makes it a very pleasant reading experience. I only found it a little repetitive in the chapter about psychological aspects of running and a little bit shallow regarding the last chapter on marathon training. Overall, it is worth reading and buying. It should not be used as a reference book, but as a motivational tool to start, keep or improve your running experience.

Save your money, just do pushups, pullups, situps, and run or swim. You may enjoy the sections on the history of the Seals but over all the book was just the above mentioned exercises with workouts that changed the order of the exercises around on different days. I'm 50 years old and the workouts were not very tough at all.

Sorry to be negative on this review, but there just wasn't much to the book that you probably weren't already doing if you included body weight exercises into your normal workout regime.

Great work out, but its to darn hard to read the words, look at the pictures and do the stuff. Next time its a DVD

This is great book to have if you want to get fit but dont have a gym or weights. There are pictures of all the excercises.
The book has the Seal workouts phase 1& 2 and also phase 3 which is very tough. There is also a section about weight training if you want to add that in as well although most of these workouts centre around Pull-ups, push-ups and sit- ups and running. Nutrition is covered ,but not as well as i would like so thats why i give the book only 4 stars..but apart from that i would rate this book highly.

This is a good book for calisthenics and stretching exercises. The descriptions are easy to follow, and every exercise is illustrated with several photographs plus (what I really like) a drawing showing the muscles used in the exercise. Is it well known that stretching and certain exercises such as squats can be dangerous if done improperly. Perhaps the best feature of this book is that SPECIFIC warnings are given for a lot of these exercises about the dangers involved. I have already modified my strength training routine based on the advice given in this book. It is commendable that a book of this sort avoids "no pain, no gain" stupidities, and instead offers exercises that are founded on sound physiological grounds.

Navy SEALs (Team members of BUD/S which stands for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) are a group whose training physically and mentally is tough, demanding, and requires ability far above that of most men. Most men will quit before passing through the months of before being permitted to wear the SEAL insignia. For those who do make it through they are extremely skilled and have a right to be very proud.

This book is not an official workout programme or an official Navy SEAL document. However the man who put it together, Commander Master Chief Dennis C. Chalker, is a SEAL. Now retired, he reminds people that one don't stop being a Seal -- one is a member of the Team until he dies. One of the things that makes BUD/S training so hard is that in addition to being tough every minute he can quit simply by ringing the bell and saying 'I QUIT!' A lot like fitness in real life - you can quit, or you can succeed; it is up to you.

In this book there is a little bit here and there about the history of the Navy SEALs. Lots of their training is secret, and much of their routine is kept from public eyes because of the nature of their missions. BUD/S training is heavy on running and heavy on swimming. Most of the book is pretty standard exercise manual content, concentrating on particular exercises that are used in training. They have motivational quotes from SEALs throughout the text.

Warm-ups and Cool-downs
Warm-ups and cool-downs concentrate on big movements that involve large muscle groups, just to get the body tuned up and blood and oxygen flowing through the muscles. It also gets the heart pumping more to be ready for the coming exercise. These exercises also include stretches that limber up the muscles.

Stretches are often the most overlooked part of an exercise routine, but just from simply counting the pages in this book you can see the importance it should have. There are 40 pages of stretching exercises, and 60 pages of basic calisthenics, which is what people think of when they think of exercise.

One good thing about the descriptions of the stretches and exercises in this book is that they list advantages and disadvantages of the exercise, and warnings. What will this exercise help you do? What are the problems in doing it? What should you be warned about? For example, with the Achilles stretch, the warning is to not overdo it by overstretch, because that is easy to do.

Calisthenics
Calisthenics are the core of fitness programmes for most of the military, and that includes BUD/S. One thing that is needed is a place to do pull-ups.

Free Weight Training
This book shows very basic weight training exercises. This is not a body-builder book that will concentrate on each individual muscle to maximize each one, but it does concentrate on overall strength building. SEALs need to be strong, not necessarily good looking.

Running and Swimming
This book does not give much detail about these. There are just three pages on running and five pages on swimming. Swimming in BUD/S usually involves equipment and scuba kinds of events so it is difficult for the person at home to do these. For swimming, BUD/S training prefers the basic side-stroke. For running, it gives some distances and advice, but that's about it for running. One thing that anyone who really wants a taste of BUD/S training is to do sand running in boots. Don't try this without being in good shape.

Workout Schedules
This small section shows just how tough the training is. It starts out easy enough - low reps and low number of sets for basic exercises like push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups, not too much running or swimming, but within a matter of weeks the dedicated are pulling 20 sets of 25 sit-ups (and yes, the math makes that 500 sit-ups) and running 13 miles a week at a fast pace and more pull-ups than anyone would ever think possible!

Airborne, Nutrition, Team, Motivation
These small pieces at the end talk about the addition stuff that SEALs do. One advantage of working out so hard is that one can eat almost anything and still lose weight! SEALs during some weeks of training are shoveling in up to 6000 calories a day and still dropping weight. So SEAL nutrition isn't really what is called for in civilian life certainly. BUD/S graduates attend Basic Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning Georgia for basic parachuting, and this is talked about.

This is a tough book, and it is demanding. Because of that, it might actually be discouraging to an extent for people who can never reach the level of doing all that SEALs do. But don't let that discourage you - do your best, and this book will help.

THis was a great book.it shows that he worked hard and acheieved his goals. IT bascially a bio on terrell. THis book is very inspirational.

Terrell Owens came off so well in this book. Here is a guy with spectacular football abilities, wealth and charisma, yet he comes off as down to earth and a well-grounded individual.

I think it would be easy to criticise a big-time athlete and say that their books are self-serving and full of lies and half-truths but until one gets to actually be in their shoes and feel the pressures that they have to perform for us, we cannot grumble.

Is TO a saint? No, I am sure he is difficult in the locker room and has (as he admits) his moods, but don't we all?

A good read on an exciting athlete.

This book was very inspirational and gives the reader a glimpse into the life of Terrell Owens that you won't see in the media.

He clearly does not practice what he preaches. This book is just a facade for arrogance and self-serving attitude. He's probably looking for more money since he wasn't able to get it out of Philadelphia. Once a fan of his in his early Niners years, I have learn to not respect someone who does not respect the game, his teammates or anyone else he works with but himself. He's miles below the great players of this game in terms of character and sportsmanship.

This book is a poor attempt at recovering whatever was left of his reputation, thinly veiled and clearly self-serving. Other naïve readers might buy it, but I'll believe it when I see him stopping being "all about me".

Living as an Eagle fan in CA can be trying. When the Eagles signed TO all of my 49er friends said that it wouldn't last. TO's true colors would show sooner or later. I then read the book and encouraged them to do the same. TO does an excellent job of portraying himelf as the victim. He claims to need the money for his family and his future. My family could easily live off his paycheck now and well into the future. After reading this book, I was sold on TO and as an Eagle fan I thought he was the answer but then his true colors came out just as my 49er friends said they would. This book should be changed to fiction.

If you are serious about running a marathon this book is very helpful. I may not have won anything but I did enter and finish.

This is a good option if you are plannig to run your firs marathon. I follow it on my trainnig for New York marathon wich I spent 4 hours 6 minutes.

This was the only book i had for my first marathon. i read it at least 20 times. i found her down to earth attitude refreashing. hey, anyone who encourages you to eat pizza is fabulous. the most helpful part for me was the lengthy sections on h ow to prepare for the marathon, a week before, a day before, day of, etc. not only was it my frist marathon, it was my first race (not smart). I felt very prepared and have recommended this book to many many people.

Don't waste your time on this book, even for 1st timers this stuff is old and out of date. Get Jeff Galloway's Marathon instead.

Laughably weak effort -- the "running book" equivalent of a 9 hr marathon. The advice is incredibly banal. I bought it used for the postage plus 1 cent and still felt cheated. Unreal that this kind of junk gets published!

No Excuses takes a no holds barred approach to working out. As a previous reviewer has stated, the book is more suited for those already engaged in some form of training. The reason for this is Mr. Sabato believes in working out non-stop which equals a really tuff workout.

The book itself is very motivational and inspirational. Also, the book is filled with quality pictures showing you exactally how to do something. One of the things I noticed most is that Antonio doesn't use free weights alot, but instead prefers machines. What I got most out of Antonio's book is his training methodology and dedication.

No Excuses doesnt show you anything you most likely havne't seen before. However, the motivation factor and his mind-sets alone make it worth it. I would recommend it to anyone serious about training and want to fine tune there physique.

I originally bought this book for a girl who had a crush on Mr. Sabato, but I found the book so interesting and motivating, I had to keep it.

Antonio goes into the benefits of supersetting, without resting between sets. This gives a really lean look. If you want to look like those models on Men's Health magazine (definition, symmetry, toned muscle), this workout is for you. It is also very beneficial for people who do not like cardio workouts (I get bored on the treadmill). By supersetting the exercises, you take care of the cardio while building muscle.

I have one suggestion, and I am surprised the book doesn't go into this. When starting the workout, you should focus on just going through the routine of supersets, and not so much intensity. After your body builds up the endurance and gets used to the workout, you can then go for higher intensity on each set. Trying to go through this workout head on will be too exhausting and discourage you from continuing, like it did with me.

I loved the design and the content of the book as well as the philosophy behind the book. The salient points from the book can be summed up as follows:

* Stresses on the benefits of SUPERSETS. This is the cornerstone of the book.

* Working out should be a lifestyle and not just a passing fad. We should workout throughout the year (and our lives) not for vanity's sake (and he's a model cum actor) but for health reasons.

* The workout plan presented is not rigid and can be tailored accordingly.

* He dispels the myth that cardio and weight/strength/resistance training should be performed separately. His suggested workout plan encompasses both aspects in a compact one hour session.

* Stresses that symmetry is important and should not be ignored. Most muscles have an equal and opposite muscle which should be worked too.

* Gives due credit to his trainer.

* Preaches the message of steroid/supplement free lifestyle.

This brings me to the point that super-setting is the cornerstone of this book yet it is not adequately explained.

For example, is Sabato's definition of super-setting:

1) I do lat-pulldown immediately followed by bench press done thrice in a row is 3 supersets?

2) I do lat-pulldown (3 sets) followed immediately by bench press (3 sets) is 3 supersets?

I have a gut feeling that it is option 1 but I am unsure. Even though the book is excellent but there are "No Excuses" for not defining the concept of supersets properly.

I have been following this workout for about a month now, and it is amazing. If anyone thinks that this isn't an effective workout, then they haven't tried it. I have tried many other workout regimens and this is truly the most intense. The results that anyone will enjoy come very quickly. If you are sick and tired of toying around with different workouts, get this book and the guesswork is over. It is the best way to build a body that is ready for anything that you are ready to throw at it. The nutritional advice also proves that you don't have to be a nutritionist to support a healthy body. Read it, try it, and you will understand.

I am not a very thin man nor am i a very motivated man but after reading this book i am more motivated than i have ever been,It has to be the hardest workout i have ever under gone and i have been at the gym for a few years.Antonio makes you realize that you dont need big bulging muscles but long flexable ones with wich you get more benefite out of in life basically your ready for anything,this book is a life saver,thank you antonio sabato jr.

Gable was not the biggest, strongest or most athletic wrestler. But he took advantage of the tools he had and maximized them to their fullest. His drive for success pushed him & his teams to unbelievable heights. A must read for any wrestling fan or sports enthusiast.

This is an excellent review of many of the details that only a coach and his wrestlers see and feel everyday. I definately think anyone who is a fan, parent, coach or participant of wrestling, and especially college wrestling should read this great book.

"A Season on the Mat" is simply the best book about the greatest wrestler and coach ever to grace the the mat. You will lose yourself as you read about Gable's struggles in pursuing yet another NCAA title. Read about how Gable sucked up the pain for one final season and set an example for the 1996 Hawks. Buying this book is the best way a fan can remember DG's final year on the sidelines.

...but you can't help but be taken in by the story of Dan Gable. The lessons that he preaches, and embodies, go way beyond the mat--perserverance, hard work, dedication, and perhaps most importantly, leading by example.

For that reason, I enjoyed the book, and got through it pretty quickly. I would have no reservations about recommending this book based on that alone.

But, I'll admit, it gets bogged down quite a bit as it becomes a point-by-point recap of the season. Starts to feel like the same things over and over again. I'll agree with other posters who say that it may have lacked some of the intensity and emotion that it could have had. For that, I would recommend "Four days to Glory." An awesome book on high-school wrestling that seems to be to do a better job of making you feel the drama of what wrestlers go through and why they do what they do.

I'd say buy both of these books for a pretty complete picture of Iowa wrestling "from cradle to grave." The afterword in the paperback version of "A season on the mat" does a good job of bringing closure to both books (hard to explain, but you'll see what I mean).

As an ex-wrestler turned journalist (and someone who has interviewed Dan Gable), Zavoral's book is a decent look into Gable and the Iowa program. However, the writer at times tries to be bigger than his subject(s) using silly similies(describing Lincoln McIlravy's wrestling style as a man probing an ear or corn) and far flung analogies. The book also lacks logic in some areas, but does a good job of explaining the nuances of amateur wrestling to the uninitiated -- which is no easy task. Typos are also pretty prevalent, but that's the editor's job to catch it.

I really enjoyed this book. Its actually 2 books kind of throw together -- one by the paleo author, and one by Joe Friel. Although I have not been a big fan of Friel's writing style in his other books, he actually does a great job of explaining the nutritional pre- and post-phases for athletes. This alone is worth the price of the book.

As far as the paleo specific stuff, it was very interesting. However, realistically speaking, this diet is impossible to follow in this day and age, unless you don't have a job and have nothing better to do but stay home all day and prepare your food. Additionally, the food just doesn't sound good. Any diet that has crappy, bland food is a recipe for cheating and failure in this day and age.

I think the science of the paleo diet is questionable. I'm not a scientist, nor a dietician, but hasn't the obesity problem in the world really only come about over the last 50-60 years due primarily to processed foods? Blaming the obesity problem on agriculture and domesticated animals is a stretch because they have existed for thousands of years with no obesity problems.

Interesting information -- this is why I gave it a four star.

I didn't think this book was an easy read. I think many other diet books flow better. I can't imagine eating salmon for breakfast every day!

I thought this book was very helpful and believeful and I started out as a total skeptic. I think think these principles are sound, although I find them hard to follow. This book is very easy to understand, even for a lay person and many sports 'self help' books aren't. I find that this book gives enough scientific evidence that makes it good, but not so much that its boring or hard to understand. Definitely a must-have for endurance athletes' reference collection.

I have followed a low-carb diet for about 3 years now, and in the last year have gradually become an avid runner. I was looking for info on how to add carbs into my diet to support my running, and this book has specific, useful info on that topic. I do not agree with all of his dietary advice in general (for general info on low-carb diets I would recommend that you read a variety of books to gather well-rounded advice on this diet, as each author contributes a different piece of the puzzle), however I do highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for advice on how to properly integrate diet and sports, or who is suffering some sort of chronic problem during high-intensity athletic training - this book may straighten your problem out, even if you don't currently see it as related to your diet. This book is a valuable and much-needed addition on the topic of nutrition and sport.

Two stars for the Paleo Diet but Zero stars for the "modifications."

I was severely disappointed with this book. I hoped that an athlete would adopt the diet and adapt his training to the demands of the sound science that Dr. Cordain authored with his Paleo Diet. Instead, we have an athlete who has basically adapted the Paleo Diet to the high carbohydrate nonsense that permeates the "endurance world", which leads to good results, but bad health. How many of our great athletes have to continue sacrificing their long-term health for short term goals?

Recovery is not a good enough reason to "adapt" and modify the diet. The goal of training is to race, not more training. I don't think enough athletes understand that. There is a large section in this book about overtraining, but the authors "overcome" this seeming limitation ironically with the very thing that the Paleo Diet attempts to cure us from - - a misplaced reliance on excessive glucose which is responsible for the majority of the maladies that currently afflict us.

"Periodization" is also a problem. I'll leave you this quote by Olympian Gordon Pirie which accurately details the issue:

"Another popular aspect of training which I think is very dangerous is that known as "periodization" - that is, breaking down the training year into various "phases", each of which is divorced from the others. Thus, the beginning of the year may be devoted to a slow distance "build-up", the second portion of the year devoted to hill training, a third part devoted to interval work and then speed training, and finally (though most of these runners never get this far) a racing season undertaken. The difficulty with training in this manner is that you go along quite well with one aspect of training (e.g. long distance running), and then suddenly, on a certain day, "Bang!". You start hill-bounding, or speed-training, or something new, and the body simply is not ready for the change, and invariably, year in and year out, you are more often than not injured. The body should be trained in all aspects of running, all of the time. Only the emphasis should change as you progress through the year; no aspect of training should be entirely given up for any significant length of time. The balance between different types of training (distance running, intervals, hill running and speed training) should be adjusted as the year progresses" Pirie, "Running Fast and Injury Free", Page 86.

This balance can be achieved with adequate rest. When an athlete gives up his dependance on sugar, he will find that he has much more strength and steady energy reserves. Sure, you don't recover as quickly, but this is an indication that training is too hard, and one needs to adjust this training in order to successfully make it to the starting line. The science by Phinney and others clearly demonstrates that athletes, when given sufficient time to adapt to fat burning, were able to repeat their athletic performance. Frequency was a problem, but again, the goal of training is to race, not more training.

I'm disappointed that Dr. Cordain could not find an athlete willing to test his theories with sound and intelligent training, rather than the usual carb-load glucose-laden mess we've been stuck with. There are many low carb runners and cyclists out there who address the issues covered in this book far more intelligently and in a way that does not compromise their long term health as this approach potentially does.

This book is a marvel of reporting. A tightly written exposure of eth Yawkey traditions and how the cronyism of the Sox ownership was teh real "curse" of the Sox. Sheds a whole new light on many Sox ball players such as Teddy, Joe Cronin, Pumpsie Green, Reggie Smith, Jim Rice, Yaz, Fisk, Ellis Burks, and Mo Vaughn. Bryant does a great job of weaving teh Red Sox pight witrh that of the Boston news media (Globe was a rag apparently not all too long ago) and teh city itself. As a new resident to the Boston area, I can still see the deep racial segregation that Bryant speaks of today. The odd thing as that the "economics of winning", meaning you pay for teh top player regardless of race, may be the end of racism in baseball. Capitalism trumps racism. Whooda thunk?

For all the talk of curses and other such nonsense, there is a very simple reason why the Boston Red Sox didn't win a championship for eighty six years. Racisim and poor managment. Howard Bryant reporting is impeccable. Whether Tom Yawkey was an outward racist isn't really the point. His orginization employed people who used race as a barometer for judgeing talent. Bryant brings to light in vivid detail Yawkey's penchant for handing over the keys to men of dubious character. Pinky Higgins a well known and notorious racist was repeatedly rehired over and over. Obviously signing a Jackie Robinson or Willie Mays wouldn't have guaranteed a championship, however the racial practices continued for years.Howard Bryant has done a compeling job of how race and plain stupidity kept the Red Sox SHUT OUT FOR EIGHTY SIX YEARS.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING BOOK AT TIMES AND VERY TRUE. THE AUTHOR SEEMS TO KEEP TELLING US ABOUT THE WORKOUT JACKIE ROBINSON HAD WITH THE RED SOX THAT WAS STAGED TO COVERUP THE TRUTH ABOUT PREJUDICE ON THE RED SOX. I GOT TIRED OF HEARING THE SAME THING TIME AFTER TIME IN THIS BOOK. ON THE GOOD SIDE HE MAKES A LOT OF POINTS WITH BILL RUSSELL, PUMPSIE GREEN, JIM RICE ETC. HE TRULY SHOWS HOW THE RED SOX HAD MANY OPPORTUNITIES SLIP THRU THEIR HANDS BECAUSE OF THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARD BLACKS. WORTH READING.

In my opinion, the exploration of racism in the Boston Red Sox baseball organization is just an awesome, interesting topic for a book. Unfortunately Howard Bryant, the author of "Shut Out", is a man not nearly proficient enough to tell the tale.

As has been mentioned by numerous previous posters, his writing style is that which annoying repetition replaces clear and intelligible writing that would require him to make a point only once. (I figured out that Larry Whiteside was the first black sprotswriter for the Boston Globe on the first time I read it, but Bryant reiterates THE SAME EXACT POINT roughly another dozen times.)

His fact checking as well leaves a bit to be desired--to wit, Ken "Hawk" Harrelson played for the Sox in 1967-68, and was not--repeat, NOT--ever a teammate of Jim Rice, who first made it up to the big club in 1974. A quick perusal of baseball-reference.com could've confirmed that fact for Bryant.

Also, whoever it was that edited this book should consider finding another line of work. Rarely have I read a book from a supposedly "legitimate" publisher (i.e., not self published) that contained so many misspellings, grammatical and punctuation errors.

According to the book's jacket, Bryant is a journalist covering the Yankees for the Bergan Record. This tidbit tells me one of two things: either (1) Bryant's writing style is inherently more suited for 600 word newspaper articles than a 250 page book, or (2) the Bergan Record is a crappy newspaper that will hire just about anyone who wants a job.

This book isn't all bad...but it's a whole lot more bad than good. I don't think I've been more dissapointed in a book in quite some time. I give this two stars; it would've been one, but I'll give Bryant credit for coming up with an intriguing topic, despite his inability to do it justice.

My rating of four stars is based on my interest level while author Howard Bryant deserves five stars for his in-depth effort on the subject of the Boston Red Sox and the racial problems that have cast a cloud over the storied franchise. The author relates the story of the farcical tryout of Jackie Robinson at Fenway Park along with two other blacks in 1945 with the Red Sox using the excuse they couldn't sign Robinson since he would have had to report to a minor league team of theirs located in the south where he would have had to deal with a segregated society. The same held true for Willie Mays who could have been patrolling center field for the Sox. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey purchased the team in 1933 and surrounded himself with a trio of cronies and drinking buddies named Eddie Collins, Joe Cronin, and buffoon racist Mike "Pinky" Higgins. It is certainly true that racism was not limited to the Red Sox during the 1950's, but they were last in integrating their team with the signing of Elijah "Pumpsie" Green in 1959, and as long as the specter of Collins, Cronin, and Higgins were involved nothing was going to change. Yawkey, as owner was certainly no leader, as he entrusted his franchise to these three men and passively accepted their beliefs. Author Bryant also goes into detail on the experiences of Reggie Smith, Jim Rice, Ellis Burks, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, Luis Tiant, and Mo Vaughn during their stays in Boston. Some of the book covers non-baseball racially related incidents over the years, and how the team has suffered in trying to get free agents to sign with the Red Sox. When Pumpsie Green joined the club in '59 Ted Williams sent a strong message to teammates and other bigots by warming up with Green prior to the games. Seemingly little things like this can loom large when someone is trying to gain acceptance. Green, himself, summed things up quite well in the year 2000 by saying, "Sometimes when I think of the things people like me had to go through, it just sounds so unnecessary. When you think about it, it is almost silly, how much time and energy was wasted hating." This is not simply another baseball book, but one that provides a look into the Boston Red Sox' role in race relations involving their storied ball club. You need not be a fan of the Bosox, I'm not, to enjoy the book.

Great book on nutrition, and inforative on his experiences and journey with body building. Enjoy the book, not just from the informational aspect but also learning of his journey and the things he had experienced!

I have read a lot of book on nutrition for athlets.
This one has exceeded my expectation.
Very symple to understand and " back to the basic" type of approach.

This book is amazing,not only suggests what to eat, but also tells one how much to eat, and the reasons why he recommends it, taking into account that everybody is different all at the same time.
Again great source of information.

I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone interested in knowing how the body works. As someone who is interested simply in cutting my body fat level and staying in shape, rather than body building, I found it to be extremely valuable. I lost several pounds in a week or so after reading the book simply by following some of the general ideas alone.

This book is the worst book on nutrition that I have ever read. Imagine recommending 3 large meals accompanied by beer or wine as an appropriate nutritional regieme for a modern athlete. The only value this book has as is an historical document which demonstrates how ignorant we were about nutrition not all that long ago. If you follow the advice in this book you had better be on steroids if you think you are going to get big. Absolute rubbish.

This is an "OK" book. If you want to know about Miami football, this book is a good start. It traces the history of the program, from its inception to the the first championship season in 1983, all the way to the end of the 2004 season. Along the way the reader encounters many of the players and personalities that made UM what it is. And from that perspective, it's a decent book.

However, even though I am a UM fan, I found it to be somewhat biased. Referring to the team as a "dynasty" is a bit much, especially in light of the team's recent struggles. UM had a nice run, but all teams have their rough stretches too. One could make the argument that USC or a few others are just as much of a "dynasty" as UM.

Still, it was easy reading, and it was mostly fun to read. But I warn anyone who is not a UM fan - you should not read this book, because you will get turned off by its favortism for the U. But for those who don't mind, it is informative, and helps you remember some of those championship seasons!

Three stars.

I ordered the book an I had it in my hands within 3 business days. Excellent service. I would definitely recommend this seller 100%. The book is great; it tells great stories about players, coaches and the program itself. It is amazing how the U became a powerhouse.

If you are NOT a fan of the Miami Hurricanes, you should really be a sports junkie to invest the time in reading this. But if you are, this book will be endlessly entertaining, even though it's a little (maybe a lot) rough around the edges.

Hmmm... let me guess... Bruce Feldman went to the University of Miami? He did? Shocking!

The only reason I continued reading this book is because I am a big college football fan. The book goes something like this...

Feldman spends a few hundred pages defending the thuggery, classlessness, and corruption that is the University of Miami football program. It is a boring and pathetic defense, in which he blames administrators (wow, people actually want to emphasize academic integrity and sportsmanship?), the media (EVERYONE is just out to get the "U"!) and America (they hate us because we're black). Feldman, fess up: Miami is a pure embarrassment not only to college football, but to anybody with a degree from "Suntan U". Move on, folks. Some things just don't deserve a defense-- Miami football is one of them.

(Also, try to avoid listening to this guy whine when he's on ESPN. Brutal.)

This book describes the history (mostly recent) of the football powerhouse of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The author, Feldman, describes the beginnings of the Cane attitude, the former players and how they still feel part of the team, the problems that the team and the program have gone through, and the misperceptions. There won't be any incredible insights in the book, but it is a fun, entertaining, easy read. Good for a long plane ride.