Barry Bonds Books

I don't care what nobody says about Barry Bonds I'll always be cool with the Man,because he is a 5 tool player who can Hit,run,play field,Hit for Power&create a winning situation for his team. Barry Bonds is the Best Hitter.

Barry Bonds is one of the best hitters in the game. His records are a testament to that. A great book on a great man and player. There are more goals and records out there to break and he's the man to do it!

Baseball star Barry Bonds was one of the sport's greatest hitters, and John Bloom's biographical sketch BARRY BONDS joins others in the `Greatest Hitters' series presenting a review of his life and talents. Chapters detail his statistical performance, his controversial public image, and the accusations of steroid use which cloud his reputation today. An intriguing coverage.

The hitting prowess of Barry Bonds is probably the greatest in the history of baseball. He is steadily but surely becoming a legend in his own time. This is an interesting and absorbing book. It has fascinated me and pinnacled my interest in this sports super star.

This is an in-depth look at Barry Bonds who is one of the greatest hitters of the game of baseball. The statistics are there in the record book but what is behind those numbers? This book tries to be objective on this subject. Fame and Barry Bonds' place in the history of baseball is a timely issue and this book is worth reading.

As we share Shiner's nostalgia, we rediscover Aaron, Mays, McCovey, Mantle, and Gibson, old heros, old memories. Baseballs Greatest Players, The Saga Continues is more than a Who's Who of baseball, it's a way of life, a catalog of events, a collection of memories. As Shiner reveals the greatest players, we, who are old enough to remember, bask in their glory and relive our own unachieved ambitions.

But Shiner does more than take us back, he bundles the past with the present and into the future, tyingthe memories together forever in our minds. McGuire's record-setting season rekindles other home run hitters: Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, even Babe Ruth. We connect to the present, even anticipate the future. McGuire's 70 home run season triggers a vision of people diving into San Francisco Bay to retrieve the balls Barry Bonds his in 2001, the year he surpassed McGuire's record.

Baseball fans will love this book, others will like it. It's clearly, simply, and accurately presented and guaranteed to stir a memory or two.

It's hard not to enjoy this well written, easily readable book on baseball's best players of the past 50 years. Lively anecdotes plus comprehensive (but not boring) analysis shows exactly why these are the best players of the game. I got a kick out of remembering a lot of things I had almost forgotten, like just how good Bob Gibson was. Some of the facts are amazing, like that in the last two years Sandy Koufax pitched, there were 8 games where the Dodgers only scored one run for him--but he won 4 of them. This book also avoids wallowing in sex and drug garbage. It's a baseball book, not National Enquirer. Balanced, interesting, a really solid piece of work.

With the writing of Baseball's Greatest Players, author David Shiner takes a serious risk. The only thing a sports fan loves more than making a "greatest list" is arguing voluably about why the other guy's list is WRONG! One read of this book will shut down most any other greatest list's chances, and it does so with style, wit, and a healthy dose of readable fact.

In its text, Shiner's book fulfils both the needs of casual fan's interest and the SABR-members desire for solid, quantifiable statistical evidence. But it goes beyond just fact and storytelling to get to the intangibles that separate the players truly great between the white lines from those whose personality and dedication supported not just their teams, but the game itself.

Baseball, more than any other sport (though Canadian hockey fans will rightly take exception to this) carries its past with it. This continuity, this love of the game that both transcends and unites generations is served well by Shiner's writing. Buy Baseball's Greatest Players, and take it to a sports bar near you. You won't go wrong.

Brief synopses of baseball's best players during the past 50 years. Fun and informative. Enjoyed reading this, think others would also.

What an enjoyable book! I loved it. Great short biographies of the greatest baseball players from the past 50 years. For the serious baseball fan or the novice (or anyone who wants to know the story behind legendary players like Mantle and Mays, or why Ricky Henderson really IS one of the greatest players ever). Whether you are ten or eighty, this book is fun, interesting, and helps explain why millions love baseball--and their heroes! Makes a great gift for kids or adults. Exciting stories, well written.

the Yankees are my Team,but Barry Bonds is the Greatest Baseball Player that I have Ever seen.two things I always keep up with during baseball season: first how my Yankees did&then how Barry Bonds is doing.this is another cool Book about the Baddest Player in the game.a easy read but also on Point about the Greatest.

Prospective buyers should know that F. J McCormack, a friend of a rival sportwriter, is pushing misinformation. Jeff Savage and not that other fellow (who engages in enough self promotion that he shouldn't need to resort to having friends step all over Savage's work) is the author of this book.

Let's repeat: Jeff Savage, and no one else, is the author of this book.

As he has established a reputation for doing, Jeff Savage has put together a well-written, easily-readable and always interesting book about a star athlete. Readers young and old will enjoy this book - which was written by JEFF SAVAGE and no one else.

This insightful, well-written book is a must-read for the sports fan interested in a personal, inside view of the multi-faceted personality of the immensely talented Barry Bonds.

Bonds has provided few people with the access and insight he provided Steve Travers, the author. History will prove it to be the definitive work on one of baseball's greatest players.

Frank McCormack

This is a great book for anyone who likes baseball. It tell all about Barry Bonds one of the greates baseball players of all time. trust me i am one of his biggest fans and this is a good book about his life.

nobody is touching Barry Bonds and the Greatness of his Baseball Genius. this Book explores his great 2001 season and also touches on his hard work deidication and all around greatness as a player. who cares if endorsers pass on him or so called journalist don't like him..etc.. what he does on the field is all the talking and understanding we need. nobody has ever played the game better than him ever. i've always been a fan and always will be. He is the Baddest Cat to ever play Major League Baseball. 5 tool and beyond one of a kind SuperStar.

In the film "Wall Street" Gordon Gekko said "Greed is good, greed is right. Greed works!"

Gordon Gekko is unfit to tie the sandals of Alan Bond.

Bond built a $5Billion empire in Australia in the 1980's, starting in 1983 when he won the America's Cup. By the end of the 1990's he was bankrupt with millions of dollars hidden offshore in places that don't like to co-operate with bankrupcy trustees.

Bond performed a miracle - he lost money selling beer to Australians.

Paul Barry writes a rollicking yarn of a scoundrel of the highest order. A must read for the greedy or those who like to watch the greedy get away with it.

This is quite simply one of the best sports biographies I have ever read. It is written in a very readable and interesting manner. Very highly recommended.

This book is ironically titled because the real Barry Bonds, who you feel like they know after finishing Jeff Pearlman's thrilling biography, is a man one can neither love nor hate. His excellence is tarnished by his personality which is so obviously confused that, despite the brutality with which he treats others, renders one incapable of hating him. Barry Bonds is yet another example of self-esteem having an inverse relationship with success. Had Bonds been a satisfied young man, he would have never expended every particle of his physical and mental energy conquering a craft which would one day make him a national celebrity and a fabulously wealthy person. Bonds's infinitesimal self-doubt caused him to train like, and with, Jerry Rice and even cry on the rare occasion he had to miss a game, but it also alienated almost everyone he came into contact with. He is a petty, abrasive, and irritable man who is entirely devoid of social skills. This reality makes one pity him which is not the reaction one expects to have towards a finger pointing, whining mega-millionaire. When you look at the numbers over the course of his career, it is readily apparent that Bonds really is the Michael Jordan of baseball, and that most of us don't realize it is directly related to the horrendous way with which he interacts with peers, the press, the fans, and your average citizen. I am a fairly hardened person, but I was shocked to read the passages documenting this icon's habit of berating small children who ask for his autograph. He seems to insult and slight others for absolutely no reason whatsoever. As for steroids and BALCO, Pearlman does not hedge on the issue which is quite appropriate considering the evidence. The author is certain that the allegations against Bonds are true, and the stigma he is now under is doubly tragic because the reality is that the Giant would have gone to the Hall of Fame without an ounce of illegal substance. After the scandal, it's now a crap shoot as to whether or not he'll ever make it to Cooperstown. This is a cautionary tale.

Excellent book. Very entertaining. If you are a baseball fan this is a must have as it talks of Bonds throughout his baseball career. There are many quotes from his teammates on the Pirates and the Giants as well as items from his college days.

The book talks about his marriages and his relationship with his dad.

I finished this book in a week when it usually takes me a month or so to finish a book. I could not put it down.

I thought this would be a good book for a teen to read, however, there was much too much foul language.

The author certainly did his homework by interviewing over 500 people who have had some interaction with Bonds over his life in order to write this book. What was grat about this book was that it wasn't written by Bonds or from the perspective of the author it was more other peoples true experiences about Bonds spun into a book. This was a fresh look at this guy and not written to drag him down or to glorify him, you are left to make your own opinion. I liked it.

This one is interesting to read now that we know more about Bonds. It holds up well and is very well written. I loved it!

I am one of the few Barry Bonds fans around, so when I decided to find a book on him, I was disappointed to find that there were surprisingly few. Noticing that "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" was purported to be in-depth, not just another glossy biography and had good reviews on Amazon.com, I decided to make the purchase. Now, after reading it and piecing a few things together, I must say that I am thoroughly let-down. A few observations:

1) The cover and title are cheesy. I know that the book's author may not have had any say in this, but using "Baseball's Superman" as a title makes it sound like a cover story for Sports Illustrated for Kids.

2) The book is not written well. It is very choppy and author Steven Travers has a tendency to ramble off-topic for pages on end.

3) Not that I'm some avatar of morality, but what's the deal with all the sexual references? [...]

4) There are contradictions sprinkled throughout the book. For instance, on page 36, Travers quotes Bonds as saying: "My father and I were never really close when I was growing up." Then, just five pages later, he quotes Bonds as saying: "My father and I have always been very close." Sure, Bonds is the one contradicting himself, but Travers never points this out, just one example of the multiple occasions where I almost laughed out loud at the book's inconsistencies.

5) How many times are we to hear that Travers played pro ball? Big deal, you struck out 15 guys in a minor league game. There are minor-leaguers who have hit 60 homers, thrown perfect games, etc. and they are nobodies. I do not mean this as a slight, just a point that we do not need to hear incessantly about things such as "Stan Javier played with me" or how you sat in Randy Johnson's recliner, or how an interview subject calls you "Trav." The book is about Barry Bonds, not Steven Travers.

[...]

The bottom line is that Travers squandered a golden opportunity. Rolling the dice early in 2001 that Bonds would break the home run record, getting permission to do a book, and then seeing him acutally do it is akin to hitting the lottery for a sports journalist. Unfortunately, the finished product seems hastily thrown together, poorly edited, and foolishly out-of-bounds in many areas. Too often we hear about sexual hijinks that have nothing to do with Bonds, and we also get Travers's opinions on a multitude of subjects that I don't care to know his thoughts on. The fact that I'd never even heard of this book should have been enough of a red flag, but it wasn't, and therefore I got what I deserved. This book isn't terrible, but it also is not good, and therefore I would not recommend it. Fans of Barry Bonds should just wait until a comprehensive biography comes out on him when his playing days are over.

With the multitude of books written regarding the sport of baseball, Steven Travers writes with a unique insight into not only the sport, but the day to day lives of Bonds and his peers. As a former professional baseball player, Travers touches on the subject matter with a unique insight and perspective. Additionally, Travers attended and graduated from USC during the time Bonds played at Arizona State (Pac-10). As such, Travers is not only a writer, but a fan. Travers not only documents Bond's achievement of becoming baseball's all-time single season homerun champion, but he touches on Bond's trials and tribulations with his peers and the media. Ultimately, the reader soon realizes that Travers was able to do what many has tried and failed at; that is, he was able to garner the respect and support of Bonds in the ability to tell his amazing story to the whole world. As a former Pac-10 pitcher at USC who battled Bonds on many occasions, I found Traver's insight very refreshing and commendable. I found the book a very easy read that kept me entertained throughout.
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I have lived overseas for many years but was an avid Giants fan in the 60's & 70's. Steven Travers' book on Barry Bonds was a welcome gift. I had read various news articles about the "controversial" Bonds and feel that Travers' book puts things right. I especially enjoyed the insights into the life styles of high powered sports figures. The build-up to Bonds' record setting home run season was handled in an excellent manner. This book is a great read for any baseball fan.

This insightful, well-written book is a must-read for the sports fan interested in a personal, inside view of the multi-faceted personality of the immensely talented Barry Bonds.

Bonds has provided few people with the access and insight he provided Steve Travers, the author. History will prove it to be the definitive work on one of baseball's greatest players.

Frank McCormack

Any true fan of baseball will love this book. Not only does it provide factual reporting, but is presented in a way that anyone who picks it up can read it & understand.

It is nowhere near a "long read," it's long, but is written in a way that it will suck you in until you flip that last page. I liked it so much I ordered a copy for my dad!

I am nowhere near a Barry Bonds fan, but this book doesn't 100% focus on Bonds. A great read!!!

Bought this for my husband... he loves it. Good read for those into Baseball and baseball history.

I am a big baseball fan so i had to read this book and , altough, it is a sad thing to find out how huge is this problem, i am grateful that those who have lied and hide this problem have been prosecuted.This book is a great account of the problems of drugs in sports.So far, everything that the authors have said in this book have been proven true.This book is a no non-sense approach to the story with the authors putting all the cards on the table and not holding back.I think their approach to the subject is fantastic and the fact that they have researched and documented all their information is a testimony to that.Great book!!

There is no way to make a positive case for anabolic steroids or HGH in any sport. The story of BALCO and the involvement of one of the biggest names in sports makes for an interesting read Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports albeit one of the darkest sides of professional sports.

Hidden behind a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" back-drop, the book names people who became contenders by buying into the back street sales of steroids in order to build strength, enhance musculature, elongate careers and cheat their way into the record books with the excuse that they were better than other players but just needed that edge to be best, as though it was their divine right! Gone were the days of Willie Mays, Roger Maris, Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle, those who made and broke records by sheer talent and will. The days of steroids were now foisted upon an unsuspecting public via Victor Conte, a self-made, self-serving and self-proclaimed nutritionist who became a "cocktail" mixer to the super stars of sports. Throw into that mix the world of Major League Baseball, who, along with its Commissioners, owners, managers, trainers and pumped up stars, turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to all that was happening around them. Together, they've turned a wonderful, healthy and beautiful sport that was America's Favorite Pastime into a debacle of muscle-bound "terminators" whose job it is to hit the long ball and keep people coming to fields and stadiums where they can witness the side-show of freaks which once was, the heart of American sports.

"Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports" details the story of how performance-enhancing drugs have entered the world of sports. As of this time, the case has not been completely wrapped up, with Barry Bonds still awaiting trial for perjury and tax evasion. The book is really a definitive reference to performance drugs, their composition, their effect in bodies and why they work. As banned drugs in most sports, there has been a constant game of cat-and-mouse between athletes and governing bodies to stay one step ahead of the other, to prevent these drugs from being used. In baseball's case, the only governing body for athletes and owners was greed, so using the drugs was winked at by both. The result of this was the creation of records by people who never would have come close to creating them. Equally incredible was the creation of "mutations" (for lack of a better word) in the bodies of users: Barry Bonds, for example, had his shoe size grow from 10½ to 13, his jersey size increase from 42 to 52, and his head grow two sizes, despite being bald - all in his late 30s, long after the normal body grows anything close to this much. No telling what kind of health risks he will be running in the years to come. This is no doubt, though, that this is a riveting book - despite what may seem to be a boring topic, the authors make it a thorough and interesting book.

While this book is very interesting to read, that interest is generated more by the descriptions of the movies than it is by the explanation of the physics. Parker is clearly a huge fan of 007 James Bond and he lists the movies, the actors that played Bond, the plots and all the incredible stunts and gadgets carried out and used by the super spy. However, there is relatively little space devoted to the physics of the stunts or the devices. There are images of some of the most memorable vehicles as well as simple pictures of Bond's favorite pistol and a GPS receiver. I didn't do a precise count, but it seemed that images of the devices outnumbered the images similar to those you would find in a standard physics textbook.
Don't misunderstand; I loved this book, the summaries of the movie plots kept my interest throughout. However, that is what it really is and the sections where the physics is described generally seem to be an afterthought rather than the primary point of the book.

This book discusses physics as applied to the world of James Bond 007, but is done for more of entertainment value. It should not be taken to be a serious book, but rather for pleasure. The physics is rather basic/simple in nature, lacking any real depth of content, but does address some physical concepts that 007 may be up against.

When I bought this book, I was expecting some brief descriptions of the various stunts, gadgets and weapons used in the James Bond movies, along with a brief scientific critique of how realistic they are (or could be) in real life. Although the book's content wasn't quite like that, I did thoroughly enjoy it. The author, who clearly appears to be an avid James Bond fan, has written a book that seems to have a double focus: (i) to describe several scenes from all the James Bond movies along with a summary of each of the plots, and (ii) to describe some of the physics involved regarding some of the stunts, gadgets, weapons and technology portrayed in these movies. The scene descriptions that are presented are very exciting and well detailed (in some cases, too detailed), but most are without commentary on the reality of the physics involved; some of these descriptions are repeated in the book. The physics that is described, complete with simple formulas, is quite entertaining, although there are several misprints and a few errors, e.g., use of "increase" when "decrease" should have been used - something that more careful editing would have easily fixed. In some cases, the author does comment on physical possibility of some of the technology used in these movies. The writing style is very engaging and the book is difficult to put down. Overall, I found this book quite entertaining. I recommend it to James Bond fans, old and new, as well as to those interested in seeing simple formulas used to describe how certain aspects of the world work.