Players Books

Clyde Drexler was always my favorite player not only for his on the court play but for his off the court demeanor. He was always friendly and a perfect gentlemen. This book just reenforces those attributes and shows a man who is content and proud of his career.

Clyde the Glide was One of My Favorites when I was a Kid. he was always on point from Phi slamma Jamma to His days with Portland to Houston. He was a champion a Winner on the Court&Off the Court. this Book is cool because it gives his takes on various stages of his career also it has former players,coaches,etc.. who speak on what they thought of his Great career. Clyde Drexler is One of the Greatest Players Ever.

This was a great book about one of the nicest, classiest players the NBA has produced. Very insiteful, lots of good comments from family, friends, former coaches and players. I also have always loved reading anything that Kerry Eggers writes -- one of Oregon's best sports writers of all time.

The only one little thing that was missing for me -- being an absolute sports junky -- were the lack of season-by-season stats that any great biography has at the end of the book. There's nothing better than looking over regular season and playoff stats about the individual you're reading about like in so many other great sports books.

The copy I purchased also had a DVD included with an interview of Clyde. I was hoping to pop it in and see some highlight material from his playing days, but all that you see is Clyde sitting in a chair the entire DVD saying basically the same things he said in the book. Kind of a downer also.

All-in-all, I rate it a five for just a solid sports book (minus stats, mind you). This coming from a Blazer fan you loved the teams of the 80s and early 90s when Clyde, Porter, Kersey, Buck, Duck and Uncle Cliffy were lighting up the NBA!

Once again Clyde shows why he was one of the most classiest players and person in the NBA. He is one true Hall of Famer. I highly recommend this book for the true Sports fan!!!!!

What more is there to say. Book was new, promptly delivered, and prices was as agreed.

If your impatient to learn like me, this book is perfect because it's quite easy to flip back and forth. It also jumps into bass-strumming and figure-picking early, which makes the guitar sound more awesome than straight strummed chords, but with not much more difficulty. Reason for not getting 5 stars are (1) songs are not fully anotated with chords to save space. (2) On accompaning CD, you can bearly hear guitar above background music.

The reason this book is so good is it gets the beginner playing songs on the first page. This makes practicing fun and interesting, rewarding beginners right away. And by the end of the short book, you learn several different styles of strumming, alternating bass runs, and arpeggio. All of which are immediately used and practiced in various songs. Songs are from artists like Dylan, Donovan, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, and others.

In early 2006 I retooled my guitar class at Troy University department of music part of which was changing my class text from Frederick Noad "First Book for the Guitar" to The Complete Guitar Player Books 1, 2 & 3 Omnibus Edition (Complete Guitar Player) by Russ Shipton. This transition was a success; my students love this book and perspective it brings to the class. I still think the world of the Noad series of books however students have changed, and "The Complete Guitar player books have captured their imagination.

Andy Williamson

This book was so easy to read- the reader is swept into the intrigue invovlved in the women's professional tennis tour. Peter Bodo is not afraid to ask important questions: should players forgo high school and college to attempt to cash in? What sacrifices are called for to produce a champion? Who controls the money in the women's game?
More importantly, Bodo interviews his subjects and lets the reader understand something of their personalities as well as their approach to tennis.
An exciting, fun book that makes you think.

The author clearly is a knowledgeable insider of long standing and speaks with authority and personal acquaintance with the outstanding figures in the era of professional tennis. A fascinating insight into the personality, motivation, physical and moral strengths and weaknesses of the outstanding players of the modern era. No holds are barred and Peter Bodo offers his personal constructive suggestions to deal with what he views as the major problems on both the men's and women's circuits.A spellbinder and a must for any true tennis buff.I loved it

Bodo's look at the Open Era of tennis (1968-present) is the best in existence. This book is detailed, probing, funny, and has a historical perspective usually missing from books in this genre. I particularly like his psychological analysis of several famous players. Oh, and Bodo knows his tennis, too, and has interesting things to say about the strengths and weaknesses of many of the game's stars. This is really a cut above almost every other book written about the sport.

This is the best book on this subject. The depth of the sociological analysis of the Open era is unprecedented. The strength of this book is due to Bodo's back and forth dual approach. In one chapter, he will paint a broad and often scathing analytical brush on one aspect of the Open era. He may even focus on the change in character of one Gran Slam tournament (Wimbledon, U.S. Open). But, the very next chapter he will likely focus on one single star and essentially write a biography about them based on his multitude of interviews he had with most of them.

Prior to the Open era, Bodo explains how tennis stood for sportsmanship, ethics, and educated well-rounded personalities catering to a sophisticated public. As a case in point, he mentions the many members of the Australian dynasty in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s who were all models of sportsmanship, and humility. They also did well in their tennis after life. These included legendary names like Laver, Rosewall, Emerson, and Newcomb among many others. On the American side, you had a series of college-educated players with mature personalities, including Dennis Ralston, Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, Stan Smith, and Bob Lutz. Some of them crossed over the Open era. But, they came from an old guard when tennis and its stars stood for something different than after the Open era.

The Open era officially started in 1968. But, per Bodo it kicked into gear in 1976 with the advent of Bjorn Borg, and Connors. All of a sudden, the game became corrupted by relentless commercialization. The money got so huge that it killed sportsmanship, humility, education, and well roundedness. The college game disappeared. If you are good enough for the pros at 18, forget college. All of a sudden tennis is manufactured as a sensational show that is becoming more like pro mud wrestling than gentlemanly tennis. The stars have become self-adulating, spoiled, uneducated, neurotic, unbalanced millionaire teenagers who will do anything to win a match. Their conduct is symmetrically opposite to the Australian heroes of yesteryears (Laver, Newcomb, etc...). But, the new stars are considered "colorful" and good for Nielsen ratings. The better-adjusted old guard sportsmanship is considered dull and unmarketable. Pete Sampras is a case in point. He was one of the greatest players of all times. He was also among the very few and ultimate sportsman in his era. But, instead of being adulated and emulated he was criticized by the public and ignored by the sponsors as being too dull.

What is really interesting about the mini biographies Bodo writes about the super stars is how unexpected they are. Often, the villains come across so much better once you get to know them better. Connors, Lendl, McEnroe, and Seles all come across as much more balanced, and more interesting than you would expect. They seem much more likeable than their on court persona. Some of their rivalries also make for a fascinating read. On the other hand, everyone's good guy Borg is a pathological Greek tragedy. Of course Borg was an incredible sportsman much like the Australians were. But, he was a monolithic truly dysfunctional character who could not see his place anywhere in the world outside of being number one. Out of all former champions, retirement has been most cruel to Borg because he had nothing to fall back on. He had no side interest, and no life to speak off outside tennis. He made an embarrassing attempt to return to tennis playing with wood racquets in an era of carbon graphite and Teflon. He failed miserably loosing to journeymen.

Bodo's book stops in the early 90s. He acknowledges at the end of the book that the Open era seemed to have turned the corner with a more sportsmanlike young emerging generation of American champions (Chang, Courier, Agassi, and Sampras). The great generation of emerging champions Bodo mentioned all have retired (except for Agassi, and as of this writing he may be months from doing so). They have been replaced by a group of interesting foreigners who may prove ultimately better for the game as the talent is more diversified.

Bodo's book even outclasses a series of excellent books on the same subject, including: "Bad News for McEnroe" by Bill Scanlon, and "Tennis Confidential" by Paul Fein. "You Can't Be Serious" by John McEnroe is in a lesser league because as one can expect it is so much more self-centered than the others. Yet, it is still an excellent and very entertaining book. This tells you how much I have appreciated all these books, and Bodo's above all.

I am quite happy with the condition of the book,it was shipped in a timely manner.

This chess book is the only one I know out here that is completely built on interviews on various chess proes. Its date springs from 1994, when legendary Miguel Najdorf was interviewed till Kasparov farewell in Linares last year. In between we really have many interesting people author talked with. I managed to count there are 30 interviews all in all. To my taste, the most interesting ones are: first interview with Garry Kasparov after he beat Anand in 1995, than with Alex Yermolinsky, and with Petra Korchonoi. Most interesting though to me seems the one with Vishy Anand, just after he become Fide World champ in 2000. He brought up some points back then that looks very visionary-like in today chess scene.
Well, its puzzling, but I concluded that actually quality of this book varies at the same way as varies the openess of Jan ten Geuzendams grandmaster interviewers.
Although most of the interviews taken here had been published in New in Chess magazine in last decade, this is still very interesting book, and by reading it one can get a mostely true picture of todays chess folclore.
Recomended for those interesting in chess life and history.

You can't beat this book for those who like to read about the goings on in the world of chess and its top players. higly recommended

The many chess books on the market give the "How to..." and the detailed analyses of games and styles, yet rarely the human side of the player that creates his/her strategy and counterplay.

ten Guezendam compiles disparate interviews that still cohere nicely in this book. I found they could be read in any order and still have enjoyable continuity, especially Kasparov and Kramnik. Buying it mainly for Kasparov, I soon found Kramnik most interesting in his "there is life beyond chess" philosophy.

While becoming active again in the black and white jungle, this book is a great addition to understanding those masters we admire and learn from.

This is a good quality paperback with thick stock that is an easy and informative read. You'll come away from this book more at ease that serious chess and daily life's demands can find balance.

This review originally appeared on my Weblog:...

While Providence may not have had a major league team since 1884, in R.D. Rosen's world, Providence is a major league team, home to the Providence Jewels, along with an architectural treasure of a ball park located somewhere around India Point park.

Rosen has written a series of mysteries featuring Harvey Blissberg, a former Providence Jewel player turned detective turned motivational speaker. Blissberg is a great detective character- by turns blustery, unsure of himself, and self-effacing. He's a very likable character, flaws and all. And of course, seeing places like Wayland Square, Haven Brothers, and the Industrial National Bank Building is very interesting for the Rhode Island savvy among us.

Rosen's geography is a little off (in Dead Ball, he has Routes 95 and 195 confused at points-- 195 passes over Richmond Street, not 95!) but that's a tiny niggle. He gets lots of geographical things right too!

The books are great fun if you like mysteries. The plots move along relatively quickly, and reading about Providence and the mythical Providence Jewels makes you wish we did have a ball club (forget about the headaches of traffic, parking, and corruption for a minute.)

Read the books, you'll be glad you did!

It looks like Providence Jewel outfielder, Moss Cooley, may be ready to do the impossible. His bat is red hot; he's hit in 46 consecutive games, and he's zeroing in on DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak record...the record, experts said, that would never be broken. But not everyone is thrilled by the possibility, and with all his success and notoriety, comes hate mail. When Moss receives a headless lawn jockey with a death threat attached, team management decides to call in the big guns, former Jewel's center fielder, turned private detective, Harvey Blissberg, to protect their star player. But "babysitting" isn't enough for Harvey, and once he sinks his teeth into the case and starts digging, he can't let go until he gets to the truth..... Mystery lovers and baseball enthusiasts will be glad to know that Richard Rosen is finally back, after a long hiatus, with another Harvey Blissberg mystery. Dead Ball is a well paced, intriguing, page turner, full of great characters, vivid scenes, and subtle plot twists that keep you off balance and guessing to the end. But it's Mr Rosen's smart, crisp, intelligent writing, and witty and irreverent dialogue that really makes this novel stand out, and his obvious love of the game, and knowledge of baseball history adds real credibility to the story. With its stunning conclusion, and very satisfying ending, Dead Ball is a novel that should definitely be placed at the top of every mystery fan's "Must Read" list. If you're new to the Harvey Blissberg series, start at the beginning with Strike Three, You're Dead, and read them all. If you're already a groupie, Harvey's back, and better than ever!

Harvey Blisberg was once a good outfielder for the Providence Jewels. After retiring he became a private investigator until all the evil he witnessed threatened to turn him into a madman. He quit to become a motivational speaker, but gave up on that too because he did not believe his own words.

Harvey accepts a job as bodyguard to Jewel's superstar Moss Cooley, a black man closing in on Joe DiMaggio's once unbreakable hitting record. The excellent baseball player has (not surprisingly) begun receiving hate mail but there is one death threat that worries team officials because they think that someone is very serious about harming Moss. As he watches over his client, Harvey realizes that this is not about breaking a record by a black man, but is about Moss and someone connected to him. Harvey places himself in peril by following the serpentine trail from Moss to his tormentor.

Baseball fans are going to love this exciting sports mystery that stars an endearing curmudgeon as a hero. The action is fast-paced and the characters, especially Harvey and Moss, feel genuine. With MEAN STREET, RD Rosen hits a home run to rival that of Maz.

Harriet Klausner

Harvey Blissberg, PI, ex-center fielder is back with his old major league team, the Providence Jewels, who have a new park since he played for them, 15 years before. The Jewels superstar, Moss Cooley, is close to breaking Di Maggio's 56 game hitting streak, but someone is trying to rattle him. The team hires Blissberg to protect Cooley.

Harvey and Moss learn to trust and respect each other and little by little, the mystery is unraveled. I was sure I would dislike this book, since I find professional sports boring and Providence is one of my least favorite cities. I was wrong. Rosen makes the game and the people interesting and exciting again (I stopped following baseball when the Giants left New York, when it was a game and not big business as it is today.) Bits and pieces of baseball history are woven into the story as is Providence and its landmarks including Haven's Brothers, a prototype the first diner.

I always enjoy a good mystery, but this book offered more. Debs Kafka is a professor of Criminal Justice, yet yearns to play professional baseball. Triggered by the murder of a priest, this San Francisco plot swept me away in a whirlwind of criminology, romance, University politics, and baseball trivia, all entwined with the threads of scandal facing the Catholic Church today. A good read! I hope to see more of Debs Kafka on the bookshelves soon.

OK, so you were afraid to get out of school and go face the real world. So you stayed in school. Now you're about to get your Ph.D. and all of a sudden you realize that the world of academia sucks (it really does).

At the same time, your girl friend has told you to kiss-off, and with no good-bye kiss. Then your major professor (and priest) gets murdered. (You know what's been happening with priests and little boys.) So you get a chance to start over, you take a chance and get a shot at your childhood dream, professional baseball.

Then you learn that the killer is now threatening to kill the star pitcher. Even worse, this dastardly fellow is planning this evil crime right in the final days of a tight pennant race. Can you imagine such a thing?

Well, it's certainly a good thing that your Ph.D. is (about to be) in criminology. Guess what happens now....

This book is very easily read and completely entertaining. For those familiar with San Francisco, the landmarks and familiar hot spots mentioned are a nice touch!! I'll be looking for the next Debs Kafka mystery...

Having been a fan of Rob Elias's non-fiction works, I was eager to see how he would fare in his initial foray into the world of murder mystery novels. Set in and about the San Francisco Bay area, from the first chapter on it is clear that Professor Elias and his protagonist Debs Kafka have hit a homerun. This whodunit has something for everyone- religion (specifically Catholicism), baseball, and higher education. Could anything be more timely? The result is a wonderfully engrosssing story that keeps the reader guessing throughout and has a climax that will literally blow you away. Let's hope that the bookcover's notation that this is a "Debs Kafka Mystery" means that we can look forward to more from Mssrs. Elias and Kafka in the future.

This book is great in all senses: the information about the man and the epoch, the chess tournaments, the life of without doubt the greatest chess master ever, and probably he will remain insuperable, because he was not "only" a chess world champion, but also a "real" philosopher and mathematician in all the sense of those terms. So is sad when you hear that he has been called "a chess-coffee master" or something like that... ¿How dare them? His triumphs in life as a whole are innumerables, and in chess, without equal... "In august 1936 (Nottingham 1936), he once again amazed the chess world by a performance no one could possibly expect of him... achieved what seemed a miracle at the beginning of the tournament: he had caught up with the leaders every one of whom ranked among the world's top-players and was by decades his juniors (Botvinnik, Capablanca, Euwe, Fine, Reshevsky and Alekhine)... To have maintained his place among those leaders at the age of 68 was, perhaps, one of the greatest achievements in Lasker's long career..." (pgs. 297,299). This book, moreover, is beautifully written.

Another Dover reprint! You know I rate Dover books highly. This one is top notch too, reaching their usual high standards for binding etc. The original print is retained which is good as the diagrams from the hardcover edition were excellent. [For computer users they are the Hastings font ] The translation to English was done by Heinrich Fraenkel ('Assiac') and is excellent. The games are typical of Lasker - all fighting games ( there are losses) and all show his grim determination to win. But the best part is the biography. Lasker was a highly intelligent man, who only played chess out of necessity. We are treated to a description of his youth, his relationship with his brother, Berthold, who became a famous Doctor. But the real story is his romancing of Martha his wife. Great human interest, great chess, and we also get the crosstables for the events that Lasker played in. A must buy for all players no matter their strength.

Emanuel Lasker was one of the four or five greatest chess players of all time, an outstanding player of many other games, and an outstanding mathematician and philosopher. The biography is a good read, but the games alone are worth the price of the book. They are in descriptive notation. I know a lot of players don't like descriptive notation, but there is a mountain of low-priced classic chess literature in descriptive notation, of which this book is just one of the many outstanding examples. Take my advice: Learn descriptive and read the classics. You won't regret the experience.

This book is a combination of a biography and game collection. There are 102 games in the book. The games are given in descriptive notation. The annotations were collected. Many of them are from the original book of the tournament that they were played in, however there are alot of games annotated by Reinfeld and Reti. Most of the annotations are light, and there is only one diagram per game. For about 60% of the tournaments that Lasker played in, full results are given. The theory in the book that Lasker played pyschological chess was Reti's theory.
The biography side of the book is pretty interesting. For the sake of those who aren't Yiddish speakers, the term 'chammer', which appears in the beginning of the book, really should be 'chammore', and means donkey. For some reason, this is the Yiddish phrase used to insult someone of less than average intelligence.

Arthur K. Dugan, an avid reader.

Andrea Jaeger's book " FIRST SERVICE " is one of the finest I have ever read on personal spirituality and I have read many. Her life of service to God through the giving of all her great amount of money to develop a place for children with cancer called The Silver Foundation. As I read through her book she reminds me of dedicated people like Mother Teresa in her work with the poor. I will read the book again and highly recommend it to others and how each of us needs to be aware of the less fortunate.

Andrea is defintely an exceptional person, first as a tennis pro, then as a philanthropist. The latter is easily her passion and her excelling service to God.

She relates this story as it unfolds in personal memoir of her life and its turns, each one very much influenced by experiential leadings by God. This continues to develop as she senses signs which she responds to which eventually culminate in the founding of her magnificent work with cancer children.

Puzzling and of concern is her admission that she was babe in the Scriptures and still seems to be convinced by outward confirmation of rather bizarre happenings, rather than clear fountain of God's Holy Word. For example, her story in Detroit with the key to the kingdom is more poignantly given in Scripture repeatedly said to be Christ crucified for sins, e.g. Luke 24 et al.

While truly a model for all, but especially young and talented, to serve humanity, her tendency to follow outward occurrences and inward emotions to the exclusion and reduction of clearly revealed Word of God is dangerous and suspicious.

Don't let any of this reviewer's spiritual concerns detract anyone from this fine read and inspiration to all to get involved and serve.

In the early 1980s, Andrea Jaeger was a household name, even among people who had little or no interest in tennis, the sport that catapulted her into the limelight. One of the youngest players ever to turn pro, Jaeger at 14 was everywhere --- in newspapers and magazines, on television. Her signature long, blonde pigtails made her immediately recognizable. She was the media darling of the tennis world.

Her career was cut short by an injury, prompting her to pursue a dream she had had since childhood --- not all that long ago, at the time --- to work with children. After spending several years acquiring business skills and other related experience, Jaeger and a friend moved to Aspen, Colorado, where they eventually set up a foundation and started a ministry to reach out to cancer-stricken children at a place now known as the Silver Lining Ranch. Jaeger's entire $1.4 million in lifetime earnings provided the seed money for the organization.

That's the straightforward account of what happened. In FIRST SERVICE, Jaeger fills in the details, the often remarkable, behind-the-scenes story of a woman whose childlike faith in God never questioned that He would bring to pass the hopes and dreams she held out for the future --- a future she always knew would not find its center in professional tennis. In her telling of the story of her life, her faith and her ministry, Jaeger clearly demonstrates that what was once considered to be her youthful exuberance is instead who she really is, because her energy, excitement and enthusiasm for life is every bit as much a part of her personality today, at the age of 38, as it was when she was a celebrity teenager.

Throughout her life, as well as the pages of the book, God plays the dominant role. From an early age, Jaeger sensed the presence of God even though she did not grow up in a strong faith environment. Many of her experiences with God have been nothing short of mystical; as a child, she had a vision of the Children's Crusade long before she ever knew anything about the actual event in history. Her narrative is sprinkled with accounts of dreams and visions that are bound to make believers shiver with supernatural delight and skeptics question her grounding in reality. But much of what she saw in those dreams and visions has come to pass and has contributed to the success of the ranch, so the skeptics may have to look elsewhere for something to disbelieve.

True to her nature, which apparently is an extraordinarily generous one, Jaeger is donating all of her proceeds from sales of FIRST SERVICE to help hurting children. In addition to the Silver Lining Ranch, Jaeger and the Silver Lining Foundation (www.silverliningfoundation.org) support children's charities in the U.S. and around the world.

This book by Andrea Jaeger is ideal for anyone who wants to get insight into finding out what is important in life. Andrea was a great tennis player but she has found joy and purpose off the court -- helping others and being close to her faith. She tells her story in a way that makes it clear how others, too, can find joy. The book is also excitng to read as you learn about miracle after miracle that has helped her build a beauitful ranch in Aspen, CO, where children with cancer go to have great days of peace and joy. Andrea rocks! This book is a perfect gift for anyone you love.

What a wonderful book to inspire young girls to do and be anything they want! This book is a great launching pad for a discussion about girls and sports and what they have not been allowed to do because of prejudices. Wonderful pictures, too!

Title: The Girl who struck out Babe Ruth
Author: Jean L.S. Patrick
Reading Level: 2nd to 5th

I loved the book It was great.
I liked the book because it was different that a Girl struck out famous baseball players!
Baseball fans would like it !

Title: The Girl who struck out Babe Ruth
Author: Jean L.S. Patrick
Reading Level: 2nd to 5th

I loved the book It was great.
I liked the book because it was different that a Girl struck out famous baseball players!
Baseball fans would like it !

Excellent description of the life of a 17 year old girl whowasan amazing sportswoman. She actually did strike out Babe Ruth andLou Gehrig in succession. The author portrays this young baseball player in an excellent fashion, giving girls a vision of their unlimited potential.

An inspiring message for girls of all ages!

Author Patrick also offers workshops that give further detail about this amazing young woman, including actual film footage of the event.

The Golf Guide for Parents and Players is a wonderful resource for any Jr. Golfer wanting to accelerate their development as a golfer and have fun along the way. It is also a tremendous guide to parents as they create the road map for their children to get the most out of their Jr. and College golf experience. Both Jacqui and Johnny provide a great perspective that is a must read for any Jr. Golfer and their parents.

This book is chock-full of useful information at any stage of the golf timeline a parent or player might be in. It's nice to have one book that you can continually reference to and not have to buy two or three books. The Golf Guide has skills and drills for the player but also gives parents and players a big picture for a career in golf as a player and/or at a golf course. I bought it for my son and I look forward to having both of us use this book as a reference tool.

Professional golfers Jacqui Nicoletti McSorley and Johnny Gonzales combine their wisdom in the field to present Golf Guide for Parents and Players: Secrets of Success for Junior & College Golf, Professional Tour and Beyond, an excellent introduction to golf for children, young adults, college-aged adults, and parents with children interested in the sport. Chapters discuss how to motivate one's kids to keep practicing, save on lessons, find scholarships and sponsors, golf organizations and agents, how to pursue college golf or a career in professional golf, and much more. Written in plain terms for readers of all backgrounds, and featuring an index for quick and easy reference, Golf Guide for Parents and Players lives up to its title with gusto.

I am a PGA member. I can not recommend this book highly enough for parents and juniors. It is extremely well written and has very valuable information for juniors at all stages of the game. I particularly like how the authors used real life examples to make their points clearer. It is the only book written of its kind. I feel that this book will help juniors make better choices for themselves. It will also help them enjoy and appreciate the game of golf for their lifetime.