Athletics Books

Rick Talender creates a new view of collage football for the eyes of all involved. Talender stumbles over an unusual premonition. "Child abuse" constantly realed across his mind. He related it to the treatment of the collage players by the collages and spectators treat the players. Student dealing with collage life as well as playing tirlessly with no pay and no moral support except for the little relatotionship they have with their coach. Rick Telander casts some light on the much ignored situation.

Rick Talender creates a new view of collage football for the eyes of all involved. Talender stumbles over an unusual premonition. "Child abuse" constantly realed across his mind. He related it to the treatment of the collage players by the collages and spectators treat the players. Student dealing with collage life as well as playing tirlessly with no pay and no moral support except for the little relatotionship they have with their coach. Rick Telander casts some light on the much ignored situation.

Telander exposes rampant cheating, exploitation, and NCAA hypocrisy in this searing look at the sordid underside of college football. The author attacks amateurism as fraudulent and unworkable, and shows that scandals have recurred almost since the game's founding (by rebellious students) in the late 1800's. We also learn that athletic programs rarely turn profits or boost fund-raising for their host schools. Despite these criticisms, this author (and ex-player at Northwestern) remains as attached to the game as us fans. Telander concludes his concise and highly readable book with a sensible proposal for reform. "The Hundred Yard Lie" fell on predictably deaf ears when first published in 1989. Still, it's an eye opener for those who dare question football's relationship to education.

Read this 10 years ago, and have never viewed bigtime college athletics the same way since. In a just world, this book would be very well known. In reality, this is the type of thing that the NCAA, big 3 networks, sports magazines, and sports announcers don't want you to know about. Too many cushy, do-nothing jobs ride on the exploitation of superstar college athletes that really have no business being in college at all. Telander's writing is clear, simple, passionate, and grabbing. His arguments are lucid and well constructed. Unfortunately, they fell on deaf ears.

A good book with some slow parts in the middle where the author goes to subjects that could be shortened. Telander is a former player in college and is watching the game he played be ruined. But he honestly discloses more than once that what is being said now has been said since the 1930s.

Maybe Telander should stop tilting at windmills and just give up to fight another fight and that may be my feelings also. But then you read his well-thought suggestions for changing the game and you see they could solve the problem. Let big colleges run professional sports team for entertainment and segment other colleges. The players would be paid and would not be required to attend college. The suggestions are fascinating and seem to address most of the points of weakness in the problem. All it will take is backbone from the college presidents and a few other powerful players. Oh, well. There goes this problem as no one associated has backbone. Witness the Oklahoma president presiding in the late 80s who years later tries to downplay the problems he faced. Witness Walter Byers who presided over the NCAA and now has his own book stating that there is a problem and it should be solved. Where were you years ago Mr. Byers?

If you love college football, you should read this book. Maybe it won't change your mind but it should at least let you see there is a problem. And Mr. Telander still doesn't cover football. Nice boycott.

Intriguing, enlightening, excruciatingly detailed...if you have a passion for mlb history you will not be able to quit this exhaustive analysis.
It exposes how, nothing less than corruption was overlooked for the benefit of the continued success of the Bronx Bombers. Jeff Katz is a baseball scholar that has written an exposé that captures all the details while keeping you captive for more!

"The Wrong Half of the Yankees" is about the bizarre relationship between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics in the years 1955-1960. The principal characters are A's owner Arnold Johnson and Yankees co-owners Del Webb and Dan Topping. The 3 had deep interests in the Automatic Canteen Company and Topping/Webb sold Yankee Stadium to Johnson. The Yanks main farm team was in KC. Del and Dan just happened to include in the Stadium deal the sale of the Kansas City ballpark to Johnson as well! Moreover, Del and Dan then strong-armed the American League to rubber stamp Johnson's purchase of the moribund Philadelphia A's and to approve the franchise shift from Philly to KC. This, despite the fact that higher offers were on the table, with at least one from interests that might have kept the A's in Philly. Once Johnson was safely ensconced in KC, the teams engaged in some 20 trades, nearly all favoring the Yankees. The fodder for a fine baseball story is all here but author Katz takes far too pages to tell it. Included in the text are a history of the Philly franchise and infighting twixt various members of the Mack family, who had controlled the A's for decades. The result is an almost deadening load of information which might have been fascinating had it only been served in smaller portions. WHY is one of those works which cry out for that proverbial stern editor with a sharp blue pencil to trim down the text. Not until Chapter 11 does Katz cover the good stuff: those trades. These encompass the period when this reviewer was just a kid- and a Yankee fan. Even a boy could smell a rat at some of these transactions. Most may cavil at the lopsided deal for Roger Maris but this observer recalls the round trip trades for pitcher Ralph Terry. A young RT plainly needed seasoning and wasn't going to get it in the Bronx bull pen, so he was farmed to the A's in 1957 (the Billy Martin trade). In 1959, the by then seasoned Terry was back in pinstripes! Even a 12 year old Yankees fan smelled something fishy. A nice inclusion is the images of 78 trading cards for many players. Included are 4 of Harry "Suitcase" Simpson and the '57 card of pitcher Art Ditmar listed as a Yankee -but plainly in an A's uniform! The back of that card actually acknowledged the misprint The bottom line: Insufficient space is given to the trades, far too much to kvetching about franchise shifts, stadium deals and Mack family squabbling. One suspects that some of the text qualifies as mere filler. A scaled down WHY would be excellent as a feature article in a magazine. As a full length, 200 page book it falls short.

I grew up as a Yankee fan in the 1950s and it was obvious that this was going on. Kansas City never had a good ball club but whenever they got talent they traded the player to the Yankees for very little in return. Sometimes it was just cash. The biggest gain was when KC got Roger Maris from Cleveland and after one strong year with KC he was tradedf to the Yankees where he hit 39 home runs in 1960 and 61 in 1961. The As were essentially a farm system of the Yankees but instead of being sent down to the minors a Yankee who needed seasoning was traded to KC where he could face major leaguers including the Yankees. When the Yankees thought the player was ready they brought him back. Here are some of the Yankees that went back and forth: Norm Siebern, Bob Cerv, Irv Noren Marv Throneberry, Hector Lopez. The Yankees got Bud Daley and Bobby Shantz in addition to Maris from the KC As. Billy Martin was traded to KC but only because the Yankees thought he was a bad influence on Mantle. They didn't plan to ever bring Martin back.

Of course the Commissioner ignored the obvious as he let the iwners do whatever they wanted. I never could understand why Kansas City wuld do this. This book explains it all as the KC owner seemed to share outside business interests with Topping and Webb, the Yankee owners.

If even half this well-researched, well-written, and well-argued volume is true, then-Commissioner Ford ("It's a league matter") Frick, who seemed to spend more time jerryrigging the obstruction of any attempts to break Babe Ruth's records than he did shepherding baseball, was derelict in his duties as the steward of the game. And, an awful lot of baseball fans---in New York, Philadelphia, and Kansas City alike---were had.

The incestuous relationship between Arnold Johnson and Del Webb should have been one of baseball's most grotesque scandals, enough to make the dubious manner in which the eventual Yankee sale to CBS went down (reference Bill Veeck, "The Hustler's Handbook") resemble a gentleman's agreement. Baseball government's apparent silence/inaction during the height of that relationship (although, to his rare credit, then-Cleveland Indians general manager Frank Lane did harrumph to anyone who'd listen---unlikely, considering Lane's own dubious ways of running the Tribe in those years---that, if he'd known his prime young right fielder Roger Maris would end up a Yankee, he wouldn't have swapped Maris to the A's himself) should be considered at least as much a stain on the great and glorious game as were such affairs as the gambling scandals of the 1910s-1920s, the Pete Rose contretemps, and today's contretemps over actual or alleged performance-enhancing drugs.

Yankee haters won't like this, but the shameful story of the 1950s Yankee administration viz the Kansas City Athletics makes the worst excercises of the Steinbrenner era seem tame aberrations. I'd thought for a long time that a good book needed to be written about that story, and here it is.

Kansas City is certainly not up to date. The city's citizens are constantly being made the patsies in any deal, whether it involves the organized crime of the Pendergast era, the attempt to stop light rail in the city or the building of its baseball/football complex out in Independence. Author Jeff Katz shines a bright light on baseball's cold-war era, focussing on the horrific collusion scandal of the 1950s, whereby the hated New York Yankees swiped all of KC's good baseball players under a secrecy that rivals today's steroid cover-up.

Of course, the citizens of KC always knew what was going on but couldn't stop it. Organized crime flourished and KC was appalled. Did they do anything about it? No, not for years.

The citizens knew a ball park belonged in KC's downtown, but they couldn't stop the building of two stadiums in Independence. Now, KC is in deep doo-doo trying to revive its downtown, after once again refusing the chance to move the stadiums there and with the "great" Sprint Center for basketball and hockey way behind schedule.

Katz, in his poorly-titled book, uses mostly contemporary 1950s newspaper articles to build his case against the Yankees during a time when they were using the Kansas City A's as a "minor-league" outlet for fire-sale bargains. Maris, Lopez, Maas, Trucks, Dickson and many more good KC players became Yankees because the Yankees controlled the KC team and Commissioner Ford Frick and even the United States Congress allowed it to go on illegally for years. And the KC fans? They let it happen too, just as they might let a great light rail plan be emasculated by the city's so-called power brokers here in 2007.

I feel very sad for Kansas City fans. They get dumped on so easily, but they always seem to smile and forget. Maybe that's what makes this city so easy to fool. Maybe being the perfect patsy makes KC great in some, warped, crazy-little-woman way.

by Larry Rochelle, author of TEN MILE CREEK, DEATH AND DEVOTION, CRACKED CRYSTALS and BLUE ICE

Full of great drawings by Salvador Beltran, excellent quality MRI images, and handful boxes. The most didactic book on msk MRI. Greatly improved from the previous version. Definetly worth it, much better than the one from the Diagnostic Imaging series.

Best book in orthopaedic surgery. Huge amount of photos and illustraions, in detail review, almost every disease and the sports injuries are covered in this book. Very practical, easy to read, must-have for orthopadeic surgeon. This is not only the best textbook, this is the beautiful artwork.

This is the definitive work on orthopedic imaging. The illustrations and images are all of high quality. Unlike many other reference books, this one actually gives you an approach to image interpretation for each joint, in addition to detailed discussions of the pathology. There is also a sample report with images provided at the beginning of each chapter. Although it is pricey, it certainly blows the diagnostic imaging book out of the water. Highly recommended for any radiolgist interested in providing high quality reports to your referring orthopedists.

The illustrations are beautiful. There has been tremendous attention to detail. This is a definitive tome on high end orthopedic imaging. It contains information and concepts that are pretty cutting edge (that seem to just be getting into the literature). If you're looking for THE text on orthopedic imaging, this is the one. It BLOWS away the DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING Series - Orthopedics (by Dr. Stoller also).

This is a very large series of 2 books. Like that it's broken up into upper and lower extremity. Initially, cost freaked me out a bit. But, for what you get ... particularly the really high quality images and illustrations (and lots of them), it's well worth it.

This remains an essential textbook for musculoskeletal radiologists although one criticism would be that is a little dry . It steers clear of the opinion which makes books by Resnick or Helms so entertaining and useful. Stoller and some of the authors he has used for the chapters are enormously experienced and it would be good to read a more personal perspective .

Even if it didn't have spectacular content, which it does, this book is beautifully put together with colorful pictures, and backdrops. It is fun just to look at and even better to read. It is very practical, and although I have picked up most of this information from my personal research and coach, it is a great concise book on the athlete's sports diet. Not a penny wasted and the presentation is well worth the few extra bucks to get the new edition. It also has many helpful tables, charts, and important/highlight tips and info in the margins. Well written, well designed, and well published.

You don't have be be a Marathoner to benefit from this book. Once again, Nancy Clark shows that it's easy to be fit, eat well -- and go beyond. For those who are - or aspire to be - marathoners put this on the top of your list. The book is full of easy-to-understand information. The photos are beautiful, and the layout makes it a joy to use. I think this is a great book for anyone who wants to eat better, and who likes to cook easy, wholesome recipes. Go for it!

The book is very practical for somebody that is only beginning to dabble in running. For everybody else, a lot of the information is way too general and can easily be found elsewhere. I also would have liked to see more recipes in the book and less advice along the lines of "do not try food before a Marathon you haven't tried before", that is way to obvious for me.

Finally a nutritional guide for marathoners! And one that is written to the reader and not in scientific lingo most of the public cannot understand. This book is definitely easy to read, not full of text, and filled with colorful, appllicable pictures. I love how Nancy highlites certain information and puts it into charts and paragraphs away from the main text so it catches our eyes. Nancy tells us all we need to know about vitamins and supplements, dispells myths about carbohydrates and tells us exactly what to do the week of the marathon. I would reommend it to any of my clients!
Bobbi Hitchcock, RD, LD of Rebecca Bitzer, MS, RD and Associates

Nancy Clark hits another home run with her latest sports nutrition book. She covers everything a marathoner needs for optimum nutrition during training, the night before the big day, pre-race guidelines, hydration and fuel during the marathon, and even recovery from training or the event itself. If your goal is to complete your first marathon, set a PR, or end the race feeling great, Clark's book gives you the tips and guidelines you need. It's written in a friendly style, like sitting down and talking with a good friend; of course it's a friend who is one of the most well-known sports nutitionists in the country!

I was a high school runner when Coe and Ovett burst upon the world Track and Field scene. I was awed by their performances and read everything I could about them, which wasn't much on this side of the Atlantic. Seeing them (and Cram) compete head-to-head in person at the 1984 Olympic Games was such a thrill for me and my late father, who was also a huge T&F fan. Butcher's excellent writing truly took me back to those exciting times. This outstanding book also provides clear, fascinating and entertaining insights into Coe's and Ovett's rise to the world stage of T&F. Their personalities, how they got into running, the discovery of their talents, the ups and downs of their training and careers, the relationships and people who influenced them - it's all here in this eminently readable short book. As an added bonus, Butcher also recounts the "British Tradition" of miling, its rich history as well as other famous pairs of nineteenth and twentieth century milers. This is a fun read and a fantastic contribution to the small but growing genre of T&F books.

This was a very enjoyable book about the great Ovett/Coe rivalry. The book delves into the roots/family influences of the two very talented middle distance runners including Ovett's very influential mother and Coe's father and coach. The author captures the excitement of breaking world records, running in the Olympic games and the expectations associated with being athletes at thier prime. Two very different personalities are contrasted both in their private and public impressions. A fascinating read.

Excellent book for anyone who followed track in the 70s and 80s.

Lots of light shed on what may have been the most significant and consistent rivalry on the oval. The backgrounds of both runners are very revealing; Coe's training routines, while widely discussed, were revolutionary. Meanwhile, Ovett is shown as an agressive and confident runner, and nothing like the arrogant antagonist that the media portrayed. Additionally, he was immersed in the science of footwear and helping develop better products for runners. Why he never got the acclaim he deserved is a mystery.

A great read for those who have been there.

Very good book, well written, not boring at all, interesting information not only about the lifes of the two runners subject of the book but also of the sport of running in general those days in Europe. I am a "serious" runner a serious reader and also a writer myself. As such, I collect all sorts of books about running. Many are forgetable, this is not the top of the line but very good and worth reading

This is a very detailed and rich biography not only of Ovett and Coe but of history of the mile particularly from the British view point. As the author notes, the emergency of Ovett and Coe strides right into British middle distance runners dominating the world scene in the late 70s and early 80s with Cram, Elliott and Moorcroft. The Ovett and Coe duo are so different in racing styles, personalities and family life as Ovett emerges from blue collar roots with a very strong guarded mother and wonderful grand parents while Coe comes from a more upper class conservative family coached by an efficient and strong willed father. Butcher captures both athlete's abilities in detail with Ovett's amazing ability to run the sprints and high jump at early age to running events aside from 800 and 1500 to the 5K ,cross country and even jumping into a half marathon. Coe develops slightly slower but run as if a greyhound taking the pace to avoid contact with his 119 pounds particularly dominating the 800 while he and Ovett trade the 1500 and mile back and forth. The differences in mental and emotional make up between the two men is captured well in an excellent photograph of the two after a surprise loss to a relative unknown in a championship 800 where Coe literally looks crushed while Ovett has dangled his arm around Coe while looking off with chin up as in "well another day". The comparison between the Hagg and Anderson (includes interviews) and Ovett and Coe are well done as Ovett and Coe dominates the English sports news. Americans may require a little more patience as the author does discuss the world's best milers that include Walker, Bayi, Wessingham along with the US's Scott and Maree but the focus is on the English with running clubs and their depth of great runners at that time. Also, unlike Coorder Nelson's great book on Jim Ryan, this book has more depth into the history of middle distance running and the athletes' personal lives. Amusing that the author identifies Kenny Moore as an excellent writer but identifies him as a fourth place marathoner at the Montreal games when it was actually at Munich and he confuses the details of the New York and Boston Marathon's of Rosy Ruiz into one race. The book also contains some interesting British humor and phrases. I wish there was a more detail on the races in Moscow particularly the 1500 as Coe steals one from Ovett to avenge his 800 upset. It is quite tragic that Ovett became so ill at the LA Olympics that he became hospitalized but continued to compete and make he finals in both the 800 and 1500. He literally looks like death going into the last lap of the 1500. And Coe comes back from devastating illness to get in world class shape after being written off to be the only man to win successive Olympic 1500 titles. This was a glorious time for Track & Field when these two men from the same country seesawed world records back and forth almost weekly.

As the author notes, these two were such amazing competitors even the Falkland Islands were bumped in Britian foir the news of what Coe and Ovett did the night before.

"The Quotable Runner: Great Moments of Wisdom, Inspiration, Wrongheadedness, and Humor" is a gift book, but for the runner, it is a fun gift.

Runners aren't known for effusive Knute Rockne sorts of locker room speeches, or Yogi Berra witticisms, but, as seen here, they should be.

Quoted here are great runners and writers about running, from Shakespeare to high school mile record holder, Alan Webb.

Read what Lasse Viren, Emil Zatopek, Bill Bowerman, and Steve Prefontaine all had to say.

Readers of "Runner's World" may know many of these names, but there are some unexpected voices. Oprah Winfrey is there more than once, including, "I'm never going to run another marathon."

There's honesty. Distance star Rob de Castella on marathoning, "If you feel bad after 10 miles, you're in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you're normal. If you don't feel bad at 26 miles, you're abnormal."

There's wit. Don Kardong frankly said about registering a race with hills, "You entered a marathon with hills? You idiot."

Then there is the curious odd quotes. Finland's great Olympic marathoner, Lasse Viren enthusiastically revealed his secret to racing success, "Reindeer milk!" Whatever might be dubious about Viren's claim is difficult to argue. Viren won four gold medals.

A treat at the end is a few lines on each person quoted, a sort of mini-bio. I enjoyed learning the new names, and accomplishments of those quoted.

I fully recommend, "The Quotable Runner." It'll put a spark in your day as you head out on the lonely road on runners know.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

This book was given to me by a training partner a few days before my first marathon. Just flipping through the book, I found quote after quote that I connected with. Others gave me great inspiration. They were so good, I decided to read the book from cover to cover and couldn't put the book down. I love Mark's comentary on each subject "Training", "Coaches", "Fear", "Pain", "The Marathon". I want to stock up on this book so I can give it as gifts to my running friends!

I just finished this book and it has been such an inspiration!! It is boiling over with insight and wisdom about what we all feel as runners. It touches the human spirit in the struggles and triumphs related to the experience of running and everyday life. Each chapter is filled with quotes from famous runners about such subjects as: The Starting Line, Coaches, Training, Fear, Racing, Hills, The Marathon, The Mile, Mind Over Matter, Pain, The Olympics, The Finish Line, Victories and Defeats. This book really captures the SOUL of running!

I ended up returning this one to the bookstore after trying to push through the first few chapters...I've had easier marathons.

Most of the quotes in here are long winded personal accounts that don't provide the pithy punch and true quotability I was looking for from the title.

If your a runner...and even if you're not this book will inspire you to do things that you never thought possible. It will help you make goals...and then gradually surpass them. This book describes running as more than just a sport, but a way of life. Thumbs up to Mark Will-Weber on putting together a book that defines the greatest past-time in the world.

This book is easy to read, yet has very good explanations of techniques and exercises to improve your running. Very good information.

This is not a single running "plan", but 12 articles relating to distance running, and related subjects.
Some of the articles - maximizing recovery (Pfitzinger), Maintaining Fitness While Injured (Douglas - coauthor of several books with Pfitz), Supplement Guide (Pfeffer), are very focused and well written. They directly address the question for any serious runner - "Are certain activities going to improve my running, by how much, and is it really worth it?"
Others such as Rubio's training plan are anecdotal and rambling. "I qualified for the Trials using this plan, so you can too". This is non-specific nonsense that is of no use.

The listed references are not sorted or even footnoted in the text - weak. There are 5-6 websites listed, again with no guidance.

The editors obviously solicited articles from a wide range of practioners and published (in realtively unedited form) the 12 best, covering what they believed were the most current subjects in distance running. It is a stretch to call this a "book", but still quite useful.

This is not a traditional training book like Daniels or Coe and Martin, nor is it one of the scores of "Explain Everything About Running to the Beginner" books out there. Instead, it focuses on the aspects of training with which even experienced runners may be unfamiliar. For example, it discusses lifting weights, stretching, dietary concerns, etc. in addition to topics directly related to running such as peaking for a race, improving leg speed, addressing long-term aerobic development, multi-pace training, etc.

This is a valuable book because even if you know a lot about running, you will probably find something new in here. Keep in mind what many of the authors say must be taken with a grain of salt. The jury is still out on whether lower-body exercises and form drills will make you a better distance runner, for example. If you tried to do all the supplementary training discussed in this book, you would probably be working out three hours a day at least. You'll have to try different things and decide for yourself if they are helping your running or just wasting your time and energy. But hey, if you're like most serious runners, you're willing to try almost anything if it will keep you healthy and make you faster. So check the book out for yourself.

Regardless of your running level, this concise collection of essays addresses many issues and will surely provide useful information and inspiration from which the runner can pick and choose. Interesting and informative, it will reinforce or realign your current regimen with clarity and effective advice.

I learned several new stretches and ways to add a little bit more efficiency to my running style. Very Helpful

I'm an adult onset runner (48 yrs old, 200 lbs) and started running in Sept 07. I had read Glover's "The Runner's Handbook" which is fantastic! After my 3rd month (when I got to running 3 miles 3-4 times a week) I decided to start a log. I had looked at a few others (Runner's World, Training for Mortals, etc.) and liked the setup of Glover's logbook the best.

It doesn't have set dates, so you can start using it in the middle of the year. Lots of great charts in the back. The log entries let you put in quite a lot of info as well as weekly summaries.

Well worth the money and a great motivator as you see your miles accumulate. I'm aiming for my first marathon in Apr 08!

Highly recommended

Finally, a logbook that has charts for the slower runners of this world! Somebody finally realizes that not everybody runs a 9:00 minute mile! Thank you!

I was very disappointed with the Runner's Training Diary, particularly with the "log" portion of the book. The design seemed dated and too confining. I never had enough room to write much, and it was visually unpleasant with its boxes of various grey shadings for the different categories. I did find the articles and charts generally useful, but to me, the "log" portion is the heart of any logbook, and I ended up ditching my Training Diary and bought The Ultimate Runner's Journal, which was much more flexible, has a much "cleaner" design, great articles, and included color pictures to boot!

My husband and I have been using this log for nine years. Two new logs are our annual new year's present to each other. One year he tried a different one, another year I tried a different one, but we both find this log to have the best format, charts, extra info, etc. If you don't keep a log, try it. You'll be amazed at how helpful and interesting it is to have a diary of your runs.

I'm now placing my order for my sixth consecutive yearly training diary. It's easy to use, attractively designed and there's plenty of room for recording your daily runs. I use all the charts in the back: the week-by-week mileage chart, the training mileage graph, record of races, pr chart. The pacing charts and race time comparison and predictor charts are indispensable (yes, you can find this info on the web, but it's great to have right here in the book for when you are traveling).

Every runner should keep a log like this. It helps keep you motivated and see your progress.

In the 2002 reprint of the early-1990s publication, Murray A. Sperber utilizes unexamined documents from the Notre Dame sports archives and digs even further into unmasking the myths surrounding the beginnings of football as a (inter)national institution at the university.

For example, Sperber found Knute Rockne's personal and athletic department correspondence in the basement of a campus library. And though the rules for recruiting were much different in Rockne's time, Sperber concludes that institutional control became nearly impossible as the coach became a living legend. Some things never change, I guess.

Though Rockne takes center-stage in the history, Sperber devotes ample space to the founding of the school by French priests and the growth of the university during the times of rampant anti-Catholicisim. Go no further than what the "Orange" nickname actually meant at Syracuse University to understand that issue.

Sperber follows the path of the program through the hiring of Frank Leahy in 1941, though his conclusions - as timely now as they were more than a decade ago - takes aim at the money-go-round of major college athletics and the rumblings it can cause in the foundation of the university framework.

In 2006, Sperber presented several lectures on the Rockne legend and ND football, proving the book is still reaching fans and those interested in the college's rich tradition on the gridiron that has made it "America's Team," to love or hate.

To most Americans, the idyllic, idealistic era of college football in the early 20th century was summed up by Pat O'Brien as Knute Rockne and Ronald Reagan as George Gipp in the film "Knute Rockne All-American." Sperber's meticulously-detailed and well-researched book debunks many of the popular myths about Rockne that grew from the film while chronicling the growth of college football into a big-time endeavor that is sometimes only tenuously connected to collegiate education.

While the author does not explicitly connect the sport of the 1920s with the sport of today, the cliche about history repeating itself comes to mind again and again when reading this book. College football in the days of Knute Rockne, similar to college football in the present days of the BCS, was filled with highly-paid coaches threatening to leave their team for more lucrative pastures, questionable recruiting tactics, players who spent more time in pool halls than in the classroom, allegations over weak "cupcake" scheduling, huge payouts by boosters for matchups in Soldier Field or Yankee Stadium and other headlines that still appear in modern sports pages.

Notre Dame fans would enjoy an objective, unique story about the most famous program in collegiate athletics, while sports fans in general should also enjoy this revealing picture of how college football was transformed into the multi million dollar behemoth it is today.

All ND fans should read this book and keep it in their library.
The most comprehensive history of the early days of ND football.

Dr. Sperber unearthed Knute Rockne's personal and athletic department correspondence in the basement of Hesburgh Library and relied heavily upon it to create this insightful account of the times and tenure of Knute Rockne. Anyone who longs for the old days but wants to know what they were really like will find this book fascinating. Over time, the world has forgotten the way the nation mourned the passing of the great coach. It has also forgotten the genius, showman, businessman, and competitor that produced football's greatest record of achievement.

This book relies upon primary documents to breathe life into old attendance figures, names enshrined in Monogram Hall, and won-loss records. Newspaper accounts of the time and Rockne's correspondence reveal the corruption of the officiating, eligibility rules, and recruiting of his contemporaries but does not absolve him from his role. Preview: "Pop Warner football" should bear a different name.

Shortcomings include the meandering accounts of coaches, trends, and University presidents that can quickly become confusing. I strongly recommend "The Notre Dame Football Encyclopedia" (Marder, Spellen and Donovan, Citadel Press, 2001) as a companion to put the results of critical wins, losses, and seasons into perspective. The author's treatment of individual topics (the Rockne biopick, Geoge Gipp, etc.) separately tends to make the context of the seasons and their results hard to follow.

Dr. Sperber also shows his opions about big-time college athletics too boldly. He describes the "reform" movement of Rockne's era deftly but cannot help editorializing from his own campaigns at Indiana University, going so far as to name Coach Bob Knight in a footnote as an example of sport gone awry. Although his distinguished American Studies background serves him and the reader very well, his views come through clearly.

This book is excellent and provides wonderful insight into how Notre Dame football came to life.

SHAKE DOWN THE THUNDER is a scholarly look at a sports phenomenon - the creation and early development of football at Notre Dame to 1941 and the hiring of Frank Leahy as coach. Much of the book is devoted to the politics within the university community among the coaches, administrators and influential alumni. It is also a story about the rise of Notre Dame football during a period when Catholics were striving for more influence politically and more acceptance in general in the United States.

The author makes much use of the private correspondence of Knute Rockne and paints a very unromantic picture of the great coach and some of his star players. Based on this book Lee Marvin or Robert Mitchum instead of Ronald Reagan are the best choices to play the part of George Gipp in a movie.

SHAKE DOWN THE THUNDER is more of a cultural history than a football story. It contains very little football action. The book is well-researched and shows how both the urge to overemphasize college football and the resulting forces trying to contain it have been in existence for a long time.

This book provides great insight to a variety of training methods and should be a must for any coach, at any level. There is a level of specificity and clarity to each of the different chapters, and I am particularly caught with the ease of reading even the most technical terms. One could argue that the sprinter training developed is much more specific than the distance running, but the effort, energy and research put into this book's development is solid.

Great book for beginning coaches. Supplement it with a book that includes more info on drills and training routines.

The book arrived in PERFECT new condition. One of the best coaching resourses available in print. Highly recomend to coaches experienced and novice.

Wonderful purchase. This is an informative text with information for beginners as well as veterans of track and field.

This is a great Track and Field Coaching Manual. It covers everything Track and Field. This is a manual that every coach should start with. It has very good relay techniques and philosophy as well. I wish that the book cover information on how to best help an athlete recover after races to get ready for additional races that day, or a race on the following day.