Recreation Books

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

Vickie Batcheldor

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

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

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

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

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

Fantastic book/offensive system. Worded very well..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pat Jordan wrote this book about his three years playing minor league baseball trying to live up to the giant bonus the Milwaukee Braves had given him to be a pitcher for them. He chronicles what days he can remember spent in small towns, meeting interesting people, and going through the struggles any 18 year old boy must go through with the extra added pressure of having to throw a small white ball past a professional athlete.

What makes this book stand out from other such books is that Jordan is an extremely strong writer. Some of his landscape descriptions bring back Steinbeck and his tales of dankness Dreiser. He is very talented and I finished the book in about four days because of its easy flow.

The biggest disappointment was that many parts of the story are left unresolved. About halfway through the book he drops a major bomb after calling an old girlfriend and yet nothing more about it is ever mentioned. The ending too is sort of dropped on us, almost as though there is was another chapter that got cut off. I know this is a non-fiction book and sometimes real life is unresolved, but it seems as though there are parts left out. I only hope some of the answers are contained in his sequel to the book written almost 30 years later entitled "A Nice Tuesday".

Those of us who are profesional sportswriters spend a lot of time in press boxes with other writers who criticize what they see on the field, but either never played the game or never played it well. "The Suitors of Spring" is brilliantly written by Pat Jordan, who did play the game. It also brings to mind some of the best sports books ever. "Ball Four's" Jim Bouton played the game. "North Dallas Forty's" Peter Gent played the game.

Having stood on the mound, facing down a hitter with the bases loaded, the crowd yelling, the opposition hurling insults, your future on the line and the hair standing up on the back of his neck, is an experience known by few. Jordan knows it.

Here he writes about pitchers, his specialty. He writes about superstars like Tom Seaver, playboys like Bo Belinsky, hardthrowing drunks like Steve Dalkowski, 6-6 lefties who never lived up their potential, like Sam McDowell, and prep phenoms from his home state of Connecticut who met the same fate as the author.

Jordan's talent is not one that can be learned in a literary class. He is of the school of hard knoocks, rough hewn, real, human. Bravo, Pat.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM

"A False Spring" is so good I cannot do it justice here. It is, along with "Ball Four", "The Suitors of Spring" (also by Pat Jordan) and "Bo: Pitching and Wooing" by Maury Allen, one of the best baseball books ever written. This book describes minor league baseball, the hopes and dreams of a young athlete, youthful sex, raunchiness, crushing disappointment, and Americana. I read this book and memorized it, then went off to play minor league ball myself and totally lived all of it. My experiences in the Cardinal and A's organization did not resemble Jordan's, they rhymed. This book tells the story of thousands of young hopefuls who live amongst us, and many more of us can relate to it than can relate to the superhuman life and accomplishments of Barry Bonds.

Like so many baseball books, this really isn't just about baseball. It's about a young mans' journey growing up. It's about what happens to a "can't miss" prospect when he does miss. Pat Jordan looks back 15 years after he threw his last pitch--trying to figure out what happened. He's still not sure-I got the feeling he wrote this book for theraputic reasons. But we learn a lot about Mr. Jordan, and some of it is not too flattering. It's obvious he's still searching for the answers, and that's what I like the most about the book-because YOU understand while reading that he just didn't have what it takes to be a big league pitcher. A wonderful peek inside Mr. Jordan's "coming of age." Highly recommended!

I first read excerpts from "A False Spring" about 30 years ago when they appeared in three consecutive issues of Sports Illustrated. From the moment I began reading that first installment, I was entranced. It is hard to describe exactly why, but I am sure that the baseball action in the book was not the reason. Instead, I remember Jordan's vivid portrayls of such seemingly mundane things as a prarie thunderstorm, an afternoon fishing in the swamplands of Florida and the glow of the instruments on his dashboard. These depictions riveted me, I'm convinced, because they put into words how I saw the world. As an 11 year-old, this was a unique and novel experience for me.

Jordan's portrayal of his own feelings of dissatisfaction, disappointment, anger, rage and finally resignation also resonated with me. Most of the reading I had done up to that point portrayed life's events in a linear fashion that was totally at odds with what I had already experienced. I was fascinated that Jordan could take an accessible subject matter and weave all of these other elements into it.

Mind you, all of this came to me from reading the three SI excerpts. I never did read the book until, by chance, I was searching on this site and came across a name I remembered. So, 30 years later, I got a copy and tried to find out whether this book would have meaning for me anything like what I experienced as an 11 year-old.

Some pompous windbag spoke at my college graduation ceremony about the test for what he called "clahsic stahtus." According to this guy, any writing qualified for that status if one could read the work at widely spaced intervals and still feel the same spark as in the previous readings. He assumed, I guess, that peoples' perceptions and interests change over the years and that only writing that had a certain breadth would be able to appeal to a reader who had undergone those changes.

"A False Spring" certainly passed the test. All of the vivid descriptions -- the hand-me-down uniforms, the barracks-like atmosphere of minor league spring training, the experience of pitching in frozen northern outposts-- remained as vital and gripping as before, as did Jordan's portrayal of the unravelling of his baseball career. With the benefit of 30 years' experience, I was able to understand the author's struggles in more than the visceral way I did as an 11 year-old. Further, I got the strong sense -- confirmed in Jordan's later memoir, "A Nice Tuesday" -- that Jordan himself had not figured out exactly why things had gone so wrong for him.

At times, reading this book was like watching someone reliving some horrible nightmare. At other times, it was simply a pleasant experience to read Jordan's description of day-to-day life in small town America in the late 50s. Throughout, the book was just as gripping as those SI excerpts that grabbed me 30 years ago.

I have read that Pat Jordan set about to create a persona in this book and that the portrayal of that persona was calculated and not always accurate. Even so, this book reveals enough of the real experiences of the man that it withstands the test of time. I'm not so interested in absolute historical accuracy when I come across a book that can hold my attention and bring me back for more 30 years after the first reading.

One of the best books ever. Simple, straight-forward, and extreme effective. A must-read. I wish I had this book as a child playing junior golf. I would have performed much better. It is applicable in golf and applicable in many other activities as well including life in general. Good for 5 year olds as well as 85 year olds. I've read just about every books on peak performance for golf and other subjects, and this is clearly a must-have!

As a competitive swimmer at an early age, I was aware of the concept of "the Zone".It's the place where you can't fail, your body is working in sync with your mind, and there's absolutly no question of your capability. It's when you just know, without doubt, what you're capable of achieving. Suffering from anxiety and challenges as an adult caught me off guard. After reading this book, I realized that I could apply the same core lessons I had applied to sports at an early age to many other facets of thought. "Finding Your Zone" is a simple explanation of a complex process you may or may not be using in your life already. This book helped me understand what was going on in my mind & how I could use my power of thought to my advantage. Definatly a must read!!

This book offers sound and practical advice for anyone looking to improve performance in sports or business. Dr. Lardon has done an excellent job of researching this subject and has organized the information in a format that's easy to understand and implement.

I sat down to read this book without any expectations. After all, there are so many books out there along the lines of "The Five Steps to ..." etc., etc., could this really be much different? But after reading one of the early chapters on dreams, it became clear to me that this book was a labor of love by Dr. Lardon, and that he had a great deal of original and insightful things to share.

First, the book is very accessible. It is not a difficult or slow read at all, as Dr. Lardon brings each chapter alive with entertaining and enlightening stories from many of the elite professional athletes he has known and worked with. The book can be read for the pure enjoyment of these vignettes alone!

Yet along with all the interesting anecdotes, Dr. Lardon succeeds in presenting his ideas in how to "Find Your Zone" in a way that the average person can understand. The book is instructive without ever being dry or pedantic, and the lessons can be applied by anyone, to almost any endeavor. Perhaps that's why he titled it "Finding Your Zone" as opposed to "Finding the Zone". I can't imagine anyone reading it and not coming away with some insight into how to improve their performance, no matter what their field or occupation.

And despite the easy readability and entertaining aspects of the book, make no mistake, this is a serious effort at explaining a very real phenomenon, and for anyone engaged in a competitive pursuit, the book should be an invaluable tool, one that can put to lifelong use for achieving their goals.

I hope this is the first of many such efforts from Dr, Lardon.

I started reading this book, and could not put it down. A few hours later I was finished, read it literally cover to cover. All I can say is WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!! It's great. I'll read it again and again (I'm like that-- I read good books over and over).

The book was fascinating, and put so many pieces of the puzzle together for me regarding optimizing your mental state to perform well in sports (or life as the case may be). I've been in that Zone in my athletic life, but wasn't quite sure how I got there or why. I definitely enjoyed being there, and often wondered when that magic would come back. And I feel like I now have the tools to put me back, which is a nice feeling. So, I thank the kind doctor for taking the time to write a book like this.

If you're an athlete, and especially in a sport that involves intense concentration with nerves often defining the moments, like tennis, golf, ping pong, fencing, etc., this book is a MUST READ. Wait, let me say that again, MUST READ.

I have ordered over 18 copies of this book to give to friends/family/business associates. It's that good.

"It's a comprehensive and exhaustively researched offering and a fine addition to Wolf's career in helping Pennsylvania anglers better know and respect their home waters. With its detailed maps and hatch charts, it also will help traveling anglers find and fish their way around the Keystone State."

"Over the years, a number of books have been written offering insight to the best places where (fishing) opportunity can be found. However, none is as complete as recently released, Dave Wolf's, Flyfishers Guide to Pennsylvania. This book is complete and provides tidbits of information overlooked in the past, but not in this book. The book can not only serve as a fishing guide, but for travel as well, covering where to stay, restaurants, fly shops and much more."

"Wolf, although an ardent trout fisherman, includes in this book information for the ever-growing number of anglers that have taken to fishing for cool and warm-water species using buggy-whip techniques. And it doesn't end there. It is a great reference to the special waters of Pennsylvania even for bait and spinning tackle anglers....

If you are looking for a book to give you general knowledge on better known trout fishing streams in Pennsylvania, then this book will meet your needs. Unfortunately, the author does not do a good job of covering remote streams in many parts of the state that are excellent producing streams and beautiful places to fish. I was especially disappointed in his lack of coverage of streams in McKean and Warren County. I would not recommend this book to an avid Pennsylvania fisherman. The book is adequate for an out-of-state fisherman who is looking to fish some of the more popular streams in PA.

I've had this book for several years and I've found it to be a very useful resource. The hatch charts are extremely helpful, especially for trout anglers. While the author made a better than average attempt to cover the warmwater opportunities in the Keystone State, for the most part only the most well known sites were covered. Certainly Pennsylvania has some world famous trout streams, but the variety and quality of our warmwater fisheries is truly extraordinary. Some of the streams that were covered specifically for the trout they hold probably offer better bass fishing over most of their length. Trout centered thinking is far too prevalent in the fly fishing community and as a result this sort of overemphasis on trout is typical of many fly fishing guides. Indeed, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is guilty of killing thousands of trout annually by stocking them in waters so warm they are almost certain to all die by Memorial Day. I know that Mr. Wolf is a skilled and avid warmwater fly fisher. I hope in the future he will update this guide and give our warmwater fisheries the coverage they deserve.

GLORY ROAD IS ABOUT TEXAS WESTERN COLLEGE WHO WON THE 1966 NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. THE BOOK IS WRITTEN BY DON HASKINS WHO COACHED THIS GROUND BREAKING TEAM. BY THAT I MEAN FIVE BLACKS WERE IN THE STARTING LINEUP AN UNHEARD OF THING BACK IN THE 1960'S. HASKINS REALLY KICKED PREJUDICE IN THE ASS. HE WAS NOT PREDJUCIDE TO COLOR BUT TO GUYS WHO WOULD NOT GIVE A 100% EFFORT. HE WAS A REAL S.O.B. TO PLAY FOR, MAKING HIS TEAM PRACTICE VERY HARD AND LONG. (SOMETIMES EVEN AFTER A GAME HE WOULD WORK THEM UNTIL WELL INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS) THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR TODAY WOULD GET HIM SUED OR TEMINATED OR BOTH. HE IS VERY DRIVEN AND VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT WINNING. HE ALSO TRIES TO COME ACROSS AS BEING A NO EGO TYPE OF GUY BUT HE ALSO BRAGS HOW GREAT A POOL PLAYER HE WAS. NOT ALOT OF THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE ACTUAL 1966 TOURNAMENT ITSELF BUT MORE ABOUT HIS RESPECT FOR LEGENDARY COACH HANK IBA AND MORE ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS WHO HELPED MAKE THEM CHAMPIONS. THIS IS A VERY GOOD READ AND I RECOMMEND IT MOSTLY FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL FANS.

An amazing person as well as basketball player and coach, Don Haskins relates the history of Texas Western/UTEP basketball in a way that the movie "Glory Road" (though very good) simply could not. Even though the title makes it sound like the 1966 season is all that is covered, this book actually tells the history of Haskins' long tenure here at UTEP, from his first years at the school through the historic championship in '66, and beyond. His insights into the players, coaches, and personalities he came into contact with were enthralling, and the wonderful storytelling really makes you feel like you were there through all the good times and bad. I read it cover to cover the same afternoon I bought it, and highly recommend it to any fan of UTEP, Coach Haskins, or basketball in general. Thanks for everything you've done for the city of El Paso, our university, and the game of basketball, Mr. Haskins.

Your current published reviews are enthusiastic but in some cases contain factual inaccuracies. The movie and the book are related in title and subject (Don Haskins); but that is about as far as it goes. The movie which focuses on 1966 is moving and concludes with a happy and factual ending - that is, that Texas Western won that game in 1966 --- but the movie not always true to the facts. Understandably I suppose when you try to compress a life story, even if only one year of a life, into a 2 hour or so movie. The book, from someone who played for Coach, reviewed and commented on the galley proof, and has represented Coach Haskins and the '66 team as a lawyer and a friend for 35 plus years, is "spot-on" and should be read by everyone who has ever had an interest in basketball.

As to the fortunes of 1966 team and the gentlemen representing that team so well, then and now, suffice it to say that the past 3 or 4 years have indeed been a trip down Glory Road: The team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA this past April, only the 6th team to ever be so honored - and the first collegiate team --- with the enshrinement proceedings to be held on September 7 and 8, 2007 at the HOF facility. The team has also been honored with dinner and a movie at the White House with President and Mrs. Bush; the team will be inducted in the Boys Clubs of New York Hall of Fame in October of 2007, and some of the members volunteered to take an Armed Services Entertainment Tour to Germany, the Netherlands and England in February of 2007 to entertain our country's troops and their families. Also, Texas Western's victory on March 19, 1966 in College Park, Maryland over Hall of Fame Coach Adolph Rupp and his great Kentucky Wildcat team, that included Pat Riley, Louie Dampier and Larry Conley, among others, was selected by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") as one of 25 defining moments in the 100 year History of NCAA sports.

I could go on but I think this should at least clear up a few matters and hopefully whet the appetite of prospective readers and reviewers to pause and consider reading this book, viewing the movie. Coach Haskin's story is presented in an interesting manner, containing both Coach Haskin's well known skills as a pick-up riding around story teller and the literary skills of Dan Wetzel who spent hours upon hours riding, listening and recording those stories.

It is well written and factual to a fault; and points out what people can do when they put aside prejudices, rediculous stereoptypes (blacks had no discipline, couldn't be a point guard or quarterback) and circumstances and judge people by character and performance; not color and privilege. Every one of those (then but now not so) young men -- all are still alive except Bobby Joe Hill who passed away of a heart attack in 2002 --- that comprised the Texas Western Team in 1966 had talent and skill; more importantly they had character and heart and respect for each other and their coaches and that combination took them to over the top.

Enjoy this story and share it with others - because of their courage and accomplishments, and those of others in other aspects of the 60's civil rights movement, questions surrounding recruiting, playing, starting and honoring people of color in sports today seem strangely quaint, and beyond the imagination of most people born after the '60s. But it wasn't always so and for this all of society owes a debt of gratitude to Don Haskins, the members of his '66 team, the University of Texas at El Paso (formerly Texas Western College) and the citizens of El Paso for contributing to the environment in which we now find ourselves with respect to race relations in sports.

I have the honor of being Don Haskins teammate at Oklahoma A & M, now Oklahoma State University and couldn't be prouder and happier for a very good film about a very historic Coach and athletic event. Please be advised that Don's whole 1966 team was just inducted into the new Collegiate Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri. Buy it, you will like it...!

In one of those quirky moments in the book and movie industries, the autobiography of coach Don Haskins was already "in the pipeline" before the development of the picture.

The book and movie share the title - Glory Road - which is a name of a street on the UTEP campus to commemorate the championship basketball season.

The book obviously gives a more fuller picture of Haskins and does not solely focus on the monumental victory by Texas Western College (UTEP) over Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA Finals. There will be areas "filled-in" where the movie takes artistic license with some facts/scenes to push the plot along.

The years after the title run are especially interesting, since the basketball program somewhat faded from national view as the sport became a multi-billion-dollar industry.

It is a shame that history - especially when it comes to matters of race - oftentimes become blurry as the years lumber forward. Though Haskins has always downplayed his role in what was a defining moment on the court of race & athletics, he truly deserved the attention from the national platform that propelled the book to national bestseller status.

The lessons learned along that glory road are as important today as they were 40 years ago.

Unlike other outdoor recreation guides for this area that solely write about one type of activity, this one is different, it offers three. Personally I like to mix biking and hiking up so it really suits my style and delivers all the information I could ever want.

Marin County and San Francisco have to be the most beautiful of all the places to get outside around here. I use this book as a trail finder mostly for dayhikes and coastal rides. It's unfussy and since the authors are natives and know the terrain so well, list plenty of places that are not on the postcards. The writing style is fresh and humor is interjected here in unsuspecting places. It's a unbelievable value for residents.

Last June I became aware of this guide. I hadn't realized that some of the best hiking in the world is in my own backyard....Marin County and San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Trailblazer opens the doors to every trail in the area and even includes bike routes. On Friday evenings my husband and I read over the hikes we want to take on the weekend. So many are shorties and are wonderful outings for our 5 and 7 year olds. There's a trail map for the Golden Gate Park as well as the San Francisco downtown and the design is very reader friendly. For anyone just visiting it makes for an ideal itinerary planner.

If you like getting outdoors for a walk or hike in San Fran or Marin and want to get advice from two Bay Area natives, get this guide. I recommend it for its thoroughness and presentation. For people like me who have just moved here, it's worth every penny.

The authors style puts adventurers at ease as they dissect the complex world of city streets and highways that lead to the trailheads. There's no trolling through pages of dense text. It's all broken up with pictures and maps and cleanly numbered trail lists and descriptions. It's by far the best I've come across for this area.

I found this book mentioned on a northern California traveler's blog and immediately went out and bought it for the family. Now that we've been using it for about a month it's opened up a whole new world of mountain trails, parks and off-the-radar beaches like Tennessee Valley which is tucked away near Mill Valley.

While there are heaps of travel books on the San Francisco Bay Area, I find this one is better than all the others. It has a good mix of activities and is laid out really logically. If you're on a budget it's a good fit since everything in it is free. Your own energy and curiousity is all that's needed. In addition to their long list of insider spots they've added some California history, just enough to make the outing interesting. This book will never go out of style.

I would say it's one of the most helpful travel books I've ever bought. The detailed descriptions for family walks around San Francisco and through the Marin woods were especially good. It's organized. The writing style is colorful, direct, and amusing. Buy this book and you might want to buy a restaurant guide to to along with it. Going to California is now going to be a yearly ritual.Zagat 2008 San Francisco Restaurants

I thoroughly enjoyed GROWING UP BASEBALL. It was definitely a memorable reading experience. --David Dewse

A new book is out that takes an original approach to baseball. "Growing up baseball, an oral history," lets players tell their stories in their own words. Among those who write about their childhood baseball memories: Mark Grace, Bob Feller, Dom DiMaggio, Sam McDowell, Don Larsen and Mike Scioscia, manager of the Anaheim Angels, who vanquished the Giants in the World Series.

By Harvey and Frederic Frommer, the book is a quick and satisfying read about the innocent youth of baseball stars.

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The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues". I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there.

Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Kostner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game. Even presidents are drawn to the game, our current president owned a team, Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball". It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game.

In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present, ones who had afleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons- discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and /or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game.

Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization.

Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old.

Jose Cardenal -Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball. His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors.

The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men.

While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of majors leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be.
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"Ambitious, very interesting. The wonderful oral histories humazine the players so much."

The title and premise intrigued me. A series of mini-bios told in the first person by men who had actually made it to the "Big Leagues." I was looking for an answer, into my own psyche perhaps as to why the game is so compelling. Why do I stay up late for Opening Day and to watch every possible minute of the World Series? Why is Opening Day for my home team so important that I consider it a national holiday and have not missed an opening day game most of my adult life, even traveling over 300 miles to be there?

Why are celebrities like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Billy Crystal so obviously obsessed with the game? Even presidents are drawn to the game. Our current president owned a team. Bill Clinton is said to be "bonkers about baseball." It is not just America that is taken with the game. The Japanese passion is well documented as well as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I thought if I could hear in their own words what brought many major leaguers to the game I could find a commonality and understand why I am so gripped by the game.

In Growing Up Baseball players from the past and present - ones who had a fleeting time in the major leagues to ones who are icons - discuss their intimate childhood memories of the game. Players who grew up with and without TV and/or in areas where there was no access to major or minor league teams and areas where cities have several major league teams all have the same passion for the game.

Chuck Stevens - Played three years for the St. Louis Browns. Grew up occasionally hearing games on the radio and reading ticker tape reports of World Series games. But spent 23 years in the Browns organization.

Scott Brosius - NY Yankees third baseman, knew he wanted to be a major leaguer from age three, but never saw a major league game until he was drafted by the Oakland A's at 22-years old.

Jose Cardenal - Native of Cuba whose whole family's life was devoted to baseball. His father played, his older brother played for the Army League, his cousin is Bert "Campy" Campaneris and his sister was the only female official scorer in Cuba. Signed by the Giants but couldn't get very much playing time due to the existing outfield of Mays, McCovey and the Alou brothers, was later traded and played 18 years in the majors.

The stories recount tales of parents who encouraged, parents who discouraged. Idols who became mentors. Boys who became men.

While Growing Up Baseball was not able to give me insight into my own obsession it does give intimate details and takes a peak into the childhood of major leaguers who we love so much and always wanted to be.

The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards
Accurately explains the physics of all pool shots and techniques as the basis for teaching each shot. The only book that actually teaches how to make bank and kick shots without the usual mumbo-jumbo and mysticism contained in all other books. All teaching is immediately useful. If this doesn't improve your game, nothing will. Has serious, no-bull training on correctly using English. Book has links to free mpg demonstrations of all principals.

I would say outright the easiest billiards book I have came across. It goes from the basics to the strong techniques. A step by step program to improve your game. My game has increased dramatically using the simple guidelines in this book.

I bought this book for myself last year. It is an excellent reference for everyone from the beginner to those who would like to learn and refine more complex shots. It explains the physics of pool, and best of all, there are links to a web site where you can see every shot demonstrated. That was invaluable to me, as I can see exactly where the cue is positioned on the ball, how the stroke is delivered, and the end result in cue ball position. I highly recommend this book, and bought it this year for my brother-in-law, so he can be better competition for me (smile).

Win at Pocket BilliardsRack Up a VictoryRunning the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler

I'm returning to pool playing and found this book helpful. It's a lot more informative then the books from the 80'. I learn something on every page. Even stuff that I already thought I knew about pool after reading 99 Critical Shots.
I would recommend "rack up a victory" for kicking and banking and "Running the Tables" about Kid Delicious's life as a Hustler.
I'm looking forward to purchasing "Win at Pocket Billiards" for more information on Kicking and Banking.

I was surprised at the rather low price being asked for this book, but after receiving it, it became perfectly clear that I had been mislead into believing that all instruction was included with the book, including a CD.
If you don't have a High Band Width computer hook-up, your really going to be surprised that the only way to get what you thought you had paid for is to send an addition $18 to $24 to get the CD or DVD.
The book was fairly well written, but the CD/DVD business left a bad taste in my mouth.

This book needs to be in every horseman's (and women's) library. Clear, concise, easy to follow, great photos and best of all AWESOME Advice!!!

This book is a great book when starting your weanling on a course of training. Unfortunately for me I had already read Imprint Training by Dr Robert Miller and most of the training covered by John Lyons had already been covered in the Imprint Training book. However if you were to start training at weanling stage this would be an excellent book to begin with. Both methods are very similar the choice is up to the individual whether they wish to begin training @ birth or wait until they are weaned. All in all a very informative book. Highly recommended.

My baby isn't born yet but this book is easy to understand and should be very helpful in the future.

I find John Lyon's Bringing up Baby very informative! The pictures do a great job illustrating each lesson. I just purchased a filly, and I want to give her the best life possible. I think by following John's techinques you can't go wrong. His videos are great too!

Sometimes we forget to use common sense when working with horses, and if you pay attention to them and learn to properly communicate, you will find a great new enjoyment with your horses!

this book is great for illustrating kind, consistent lessons to educate yourself and you young weanling. if you want to establish a good relationship, and have your youngster become willing, accepting and to like you, then buy this book.