Players Books

I consider myself lucky to have a hardcover copy of this book. It reads like fiction while still providing quite a bit of insight into the world of a professional blackjack team. While casino conditions have changed, most of the presented information is still valuable for any serious blackjack player.

Back in the late 70's and early 80's, Ken Uston was the king of blackjack. The Big Player is a story of his adventures where he gets recruited into a team of card counters to play and win blackjack against the casinos. This book does not present any card counting systems. It is a book about the stories he had after going up against the casinos.

He had a wild ride and discusses the never ending battle between his teams and the casinos. How they'd get barred, different tactics and strategies they used, team play, etc.

If you are interested in card counting of blackjack, you'll love this story.

My only complaint about this book was that it was too short.

I waited too long. Brashler's book sent me back in time to the 1930s and let me enter the world of Negro League baseball, and the atmospheric writing transported me there thoroughly. I'm now going to rent the DVD, and hope it's half as good as the book.

I recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of baseball history.

there was never a dull moment reading this. inspired by countless tape recordings brashler made with cool papa bell and satchel paige, this books puts you into the lives of back baseball players in the 1930's as they travel through the midwest, often encountering prejudice, con-men, loneliness and self-doubt but sticking to their guns and rising about the drama. the language brashler uses to tell the tale makes it authentic and warm. a perfect companion to the movie...

This is an incredible book of historical significance, as former major league pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant profiles the thirteen African-Americans who won 20 or more games in Major League Baseball and ten pitchers from Negro Leagues Baseball who he feels would have achieved that feat in MLB.

Grant writes from a knowledge gained from his own experience in the pro game; he is the first African-American to reach the single-season milestone in the American League and win a World Series Game for an AL club, both achieved in 1965 with the Minnesota Twins.

The updated edition includes additional text and photos and a chronicle of Grant's visit to The White House, with Dontrelle Willis of the Detroit Tigers and former fire-balling aces, Mike Norris and Ferguson Jenkins.

The MLB season is in its opening weeks and dreams are still as fresh as the sod in the stadium outfields. Each of the pitchers in the book dreamed of diamond glory and will forever be remembered for their achievements due to Grant's meticulous work in bringing their stories to life.

This book covers both the African-American Major League pitchers who have won 20 or more games in a season (the "Black Aces": 13 of them to date) and African-American pitchers from the Negro Leagues who the author thinks would have been in the "Black Aces" group (eg Satchel Paige). The lead author is Jim "Mudcat" Grant, the first AL "Black Ace" and his own experiences along with his intimate knowledge of many of the other subjects lend great authenticity and charm to the book.
It is an historical celebration of great baseball players and a reflection of trying times. I am enjoying it greatly.

Denker gives us a nice picture of the U.S. chess scene in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as his insights and much wanted and valued information on many of the great players of the era, as well as some before and after the period.I loved his chapter on Dr. Euwe and was shocked by his experience with Salo Flohr, a great player I used to admire. Grandmaster Denker, please write a sequel!

I have read at least 300 chess books in the last 25 years, and this is one of the very best. There is much information here about 20th century American players that I haven't seen elsewhere. I found out, for instance, that Arthur Dake did not learn chess until the advanced age of 17, but was beating Alekhine very one-sidedly in blitz chess just a few years later. This isn't the typical chess trivia/scandal book (e.g., the list of the 30 unusual words supposedly memorized by Pillsbury), which is exactly the sort of book we DON'T need more of.

There are plenty of games in this book, so it's not just a bunch of biographical sketches. I recommend this book to players of all levels. Even people who don't know anything about chess might enjoy this book. It's a much better read than "Searching for Bobby Fischer," another book that was, deservedly, appreciated by those with little knowledge of chess. And there is the added benefit that the author of "The Bobby Fischer I Knew" is, unlike the author of "Searching...", a very strong player in addition to being a good storyteller.

Having looked at numerous baseball photography books, from Conlon to Brace to TSN, SI, you name it, Sweet's book is one of the best I've ever laid hands on. Many of the photos have similar shots of what you see today, until you read the book and realize that Sweet was THE FIRST ONE to shoot baseball photos from these great angles. But many of the shots you'll see in here are complex shots that you likely won't see anywhere else, such as the simulated action shots of a pitcher throwing a ball (ball included) or a closeup of a fielder turning two. Sweet's photos also offer a great deal of detail via the medium format film--lots of textures of wool-uniform, felt logos, embroidered logos, sweat beads, pores, stubble. Then on top of all that you notice a slightly different take or emotional expression that Sweet had a knack for capturing. Cap it off with a bright yellow background or blue sky and the results have a timeless quality.

Where George Brace's work (black/white photography) primarily ends is where Sweet (color) picks up--1949 to present. With the invention of color film at mid-century, Sweet's early photos were taken at the dawn of a new era, and we're priviledged to be able to see those legends in full color from 1949 with Joe D to Hideki Matsui in 2005.

The focus of this book is spring training, and looking/reading through it is about as enjoyable as being there. The book has a nice 1950's vintage feel with softer colors and great use of negative space. The stories are very informative and entertaining--a commentary about the shot, each player's personality, as well as some historical info/data on the players.

Many of the photos have a vintage/retro coloring to them, as if the negative had already been oxidized a bit. and it's not clear to me whether they were intentional or just not color-corrected. In any case, the result does produce a more vintage feel, particularly the 50's-60's shots.

Baseball fans who grew up during the 50's-70's will appreciate the photos in this book. I can't see why sports photographers would pass this book up, not for someone who is considered to be the greatest by his peers.

I thouroughly enjoyed viewing the old and new photos in Ozzie Sweet's new book and reading the accompanying stories. His photographic style is unmatched even today in the unique way in which he posed his shots. It's amazing how he captures such such great colors and seems to look into the souls of his subjects. After reading the book it is amazing how many current day sports photographers look at him as a baseball player would look at Babe Ruth. Whether you are a camera buff or a sports fan, I highly recommend this book.

The Brass Player's Cookbook is filled with tidbits of wonderful advice. Covering topics ranging from easier travelling for gigs, vibrato, respiration, goal planning, mouthpiece selection...a plethora of insights written in succinct, easily read "recipes."

Recommendable for nearly everyone as the scope ensures something beneficial can be attained from the reading.

This book is an excellent piece of literature for any serious brass player. The advice from the pros is invaluable! Also ideal for a collegiate brass student.

I bought this book for my nephew and he loved it! It's a nice hardcover and had great pictures.

I just finished Jim Sumner's book. It's called "Tales From The Duke Blue Devils
Hardwood". It's a great read and nearly impossible to put down. The Book Chronicles Duke Basketball history beginning with Wilbur "Cap " Card a Trinity College graduate from 1902 who returned to introduce basketball at Trinity in 1906 and culminates with the Blue Devils 15th ACC title in 2005.
The majority of the book was taken from interviews from the likes of Mark Alarie,Tate Armstrong, Gene Banks, Joe Belmont,Vic Bubas, Tom Butters, Johnny Dawkins,Randy Denton,Danny Ferry, Mike Gminski,Bernie Janicki,Jack Marin,Dan Meagher,Gary Melchionni, Jim Spanarkel and Robby West to name a few.

I have improved a lot after I got this book. It's very good for advanced players.

For Intermediate Plus/Advanced players.
Perhaps 350 problems in 24 chapters covering all aspects of defense. You will be exposed to many types/categories of defensive problems. Such as:

- opening leads
- signaling
- inferences from bidding (shape, HCP)
- counting the hand (shape, HCP)
- avoiding end plays
- 2nd hand High
- Ducking
- Giving Declarer a losing option
- Carding technique (pinning/smother play)

Many of the hands took me several minutes to think about.
Not that I could do that at the table, but it helps focus you on what the correct thought processes are.

Very worthwhile book

I enjoyed the 88 pages of quality reading as much as I did the way in which Butterworth was able to intertwine a collection of pertinent stories. Each section of the book was backed up by a personal story told by the author that helped to demonstrate its purpose. Additionally, Butterworth continued to reflect on and develop the stories as he revealed the books academic points.
The tone of the book reflected Butterworth's recommendations for teamwork as he invited you to be part of the story when interjecting questions to the reader prompting a moment of reflection. This book is a very enjoyable read with some terrific points for building successful teams.

5+ highly recommended.

In this excellent book, author Bill Butterworth quotes Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's Buena Vista Distribution. His view of teamwork: "Don't think golf. Think football."

Imagine. You've just finished your weekly staff meeting on time--yet the 60-minute gathering had that same familiar feel: BORING. A small staff that meets at least 48 weeks out of 52 will invest a minimum of $10,000 in salary time alone on staff meetings. Suggestion: spend ten bucks on this book to ensure your staff meetings have substance and will connect meaningfully with felt needs.

If you've heard Bill Butterworth speak--you already know he has memorable content and a Pro Bowl delivery. He's also laugh-out-loud funny! His book doesn't disappoint either--and it's packed with team building essentials. It's perfect for that five-minute inspirational/motivational blurb at a staff meeting--or as an outline for a team-building retreat.

Butterworth believes there are four great barriers to teamwork: 1) the barrier of personal insecurity; 2) the barrier of unhealthy competition; 3) the barrier of noncommunication; and 4) the barrier of being afraid to change. That's a month's worth of staff meeting topics packaged in an 89-page book--and wrapped in a hilarious, but poignant story, "Everything I Know About Teamwork I Learned at Carnegie Hall."

It's quick-reading, but long-lasting. I read it last week "on-the-fly" and my fellow passengers wondered why I was laughing so much!

In the book, he mentions that Andy Reid, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles football team, takes an offensive lineman's approach to teamwork. In an interview in the Los Angeles Times, Reid pointed out, "Each guy doesn't have to be an all-star; they just have to be able to master their little [3' x 3'] box on the field. Then you can master that big box which is the actual football field. You take that approach to it, you'll be OK."

So, here are two of Butterworth's questions (from the book) that every team member must answer: 1) What's your three-by-three box on the team? And 2) Can you describe it in one sentence? Buy this book!

I read this through in the bookstore, and was pretty impressed. In almost a children's version of "The Only Way I Know," Cal uses examples throughout his childhood and his baseball career to demonstrate how determination pays off, and how good character counts. For example, Cal tells about how, as a boy, he used to cheat his friends and brothers in board games, because he wanted to win so badly. The events that result from his cheating genuinely teach him that "cheating only cheats yourself." Cal had long since stood as a symbol of the American work ethic, for his 2632 cinsecutive game streak, not to mention his good sportsmanship and genuine love for baseball. This book might be a little too long or difficult to read for younger children to tackle by themselves, but it's a great choice for any family in which Ripken's image plays a central part. Young baseball fans and older Ripken fans alike will find something to enjoy here.

This book is a great book.Anyone could read it.It tells about Cal Ripken Jr.'s life and he does a great job putting in in a smaller form.I read this book and now I want to read his other book. A simply great book.