Players Books

This easy- to- read- page- turner provides new insight into a truly great man. I had admired him for years, but with reservations, due mostly to rumors. After reading this one-on-one report by a man who experienced the good and the bad of Ted Williams, I came away with tremendous insight into a sensitive, caring, loving, beautiful human being. Who knew?? I'm grateful for Richard Ben Cramer's memories of his thought provoking time with Ted Williams, so the rest of us can realize that there was SO much more behind this man than his remarkable life in baseball. I have purchased this book for many of my friends, due to its' uniqueness, and they have all loved it as much as myself. This little book can be read in an evening, but packs a powerful punch!

In a paper-thin volume, Richard Ben Cramer manages to capture the many contradictions of the greatest hitter who ever lived and the last man to bat over .400, Theodore Samuel (Ted) Williams. His book is must reading for any Red Sox fan, and for that matter anyone who wonders why baseball heroes like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose, Joe DiMaggio, and Williams lead such dysfunctional lives, often estranged from their own families.

Contradiction: Williams respected authority (never argued with umpires and liked the military life), but he refused to conform to societal customs, e.g. wearing a necktie.

Contradiction: He was an obsessive perfectionist, but often half-hearted on defense or while running the bases.

Contradiction: He was a self-centered loner, but unfailingly generous toward charities.

Contradiction: He resented the Boston sports press, but wanted no publicity for his unselfish work for the Jimmy Fund.

Contradiction: He came from poverty, was poorly educated, yet became a dyed-in-the-wool Republican and establishmentarian.

One thing Ted never lost was his potty-mouth, which he used to rail against the "knights of the keyboard," Boston's habitually self-righteous sports reporters who attacked him not only for his lackadaisical defensive habits but even for his failure to call his mother on holidays (she was a Salvation Army worker who wasn't home, anyway) or stay home for his daughter's birth (she was born two months prematurely, but he was supposed to have known it would happen). The more Ted cursed at his enemies in the press, the more they'd dig up irrelevant dirt to throw at him. Things never improved. He also refused to tip his cap for the fans after a home run, resentful of earlier booing.

So why did Ted Williams enjoy such a renaissance in public aspect, especially in Boston? It wasn't because he changed as a person. On the contrary, as Cramer makes clear, his later life (with his life partner, Louise, whom he settled down with after three unsuccessful marriages), was filled with the same profanity, the same volatile temper, the same need to be right all the time that the younger Ted Williams exhibited.

What happened, apparently, was that the public was no longer exposed to the constant friction between Ted and the press, and so remembered only the good stuff: his .406 batting average in 1941, his home run that decided the All-Star game that year, and the home run in his last at bat in 1960, all of which were replayed via TV highlights regularly. John Updike's dissertation on the 1960 home run helped, too.

Cramer makes us understand Ted Williams. Like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Pete Rose and Joe DiMaggio, he was no scholar. Also like them, he was able to cultivate a specific skill set on the baseball diamond. He became (arguably) the greatest hitter who ever lived. Still, his lack of education and lonely childhood left vacuums in his life...he compensated for the first by having to be right all the time, and for the second by finally admitting to Cramer, "I was a terrible husband and father."

In the interest of full disclosure, the present writer met Ted Williams at two Red Sox fantasy camps.

Richard Ben Cramer wrote a somewhat controversial but well-researched biography of Joe DiMaggio. The major difference between this excellent portrait, and the latter project, was that we see and hear the protagonist in his own words. At times, it is a loud, booming voice full of life, stories, regrets, and accomplishments of one of our sporting legends.

Mr. Cramer does a masterful job weaving this interesting portrayal. This book is rather brief compared to the DiMaggio biography; however, it has more "life." The bulk of this work concentrates upon an interview that took place in 1986. It is written in such a way that the author fades into the background. In a strange sense, the reader feels present. As if we are sitting with Mr. Williams in his living room, and spellbound to imagine what will come next. The sheer force of his personality makes this a very entertaining and informative read.

Compared to the modern day ballplayer, Mr. Williams was indeed a rare bird. He had interesting and intriguing opinions about hitting, fishing, flying jet planes, marriage, lemonade, fickle fans, and the traffic patterns of the Florida Keys. ;-) He is both arrogant and enchanting, if one can imagine such a thing. Mr. Cramer draws out Williams in a way that writers of his own era failed to do. He showed him respect and deference, but like so many of the fish that Williams loved to catch, didn't allow him off the hook on tough subjects. In a way, this interview perhaps was a cathartic exercise for Mr. Williams.

The unfortunate circumstances that surrounded his death made this book quite pertinent. What do we think of him now? The best hitter to ever live, a true American patriot, a lover of the great outdoors, and a man who defined life in his own strike zone.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this excellent work by Mr. Cramer.

This book is deceptively short, yet like Ted Williams swinging at a baseball in his prime --- it packs one hell of wallop! Amazingly, the reader gets a very well-rounded picture of Williams the man, Williams the out-sized legend, Williams the S.O.B. and of course in his most famous guise as baseball's "greatest hitter who ever lived." The last man ever to hit .400 for a season with 521 career home runs to his credit (including one on his last ever time at bat), he was also the only man ever elected to both the baseball and fly-fishing halls of fame. His life was extremely rich and full and reads like it was five lifetimes rolled into one. A fighter pilot during WWII, many argue he may have even forfeited some of his best years in baseball to serve his country.... Considering his well-established contributions to the science of hitting, that's a scary thought! Anyway, if you're looking for a short and breezy read on one of baseball's all-time-greats look no further than this book by Richard Ben Cramer.

Ted Williams lived the kind of irrepressible life that Hollywood tried to invent for its toughest actors; old-skool masculinity personified, he was the finest baseball player of a generation (if not all time), a fisherman worthy of Hemingway's prose, and a lifelong Marine who served his country in not one but TWO deadly wars, the second of which nearly cost him his own life.

He was the eternal paradox, the New England sports hero with the "When Guns Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Guns" bumper sticker on his pick-up truck, the all-time All-Star outfielder who practiced his swing while playing defense, the surly bane to those in the sports press charged with selling his image to the Boston public, and the eternal cynic who could never fully give himself to the public's adoration because he would always hear the 2 or 3 boos among the thousands of cheers his very presence on the field generated.

This book does a fine job of encapsulating the highlights of Williams' career, covered sparingly among a (then) current interview of the man as living legend approaching his 70's. But the real joy and success of the book is the author's capturing the essence of the magnitude of Williams to the point that you can't possibly help but feel that you are listening to the man thunder away in your own living room, rather than from a far-off house in the Florida Keys (or from the more appropriate peak of Mount Olympus). Most enjoyable to me is the author's penchant FOR PRINTING WILLIAMS' QUOTES IN ALL CAPS (wherein I can't help but read them aloud -and at suitable volume- to my fiancee', much to her dismay).

We have a suitable account of Williams' life after his time as an active player and manager, but before his health began to rapidly deteriorate. It is a full portrait, balancing the more infamous qualities of the man with those that Williams fiercely guarded during his lifetime; that he was, beneath the callous exterior, as warm and giving a soul that baseball would be far more fortunate than it deserves to have as an ambassador today.
It's a joy to read, seemingly almost an afterthought in its brevity, but when considered that it was only ever supposed to be an article for Esquire magazine, it surely ranks among the finest sports writing of all time.

I read the book shortly before Bobby Murcer's death and was impressed by his good nature, dignity and what has come to be known as "class". His love of family, baseball and the Yankees shines through every page. Diagnosed with a brain tumor on Christmas Eve, he never wallowed in self pity or bitterness. He was positive throughtout and, while he knew his life would be shortened by the disease, he never gave up and was an inspiration to others who were suffering from the same illness. If you are a baseball fan, or just a fan of nice people, you'll enjoy this book.

was a Chicago Cub for two seasons, during that part of his life he referred to as his "exile" from Yankee pinstripes. Near the end of his playing career, he was traded back to the Yankees for a short time before leaving the playing field for the broadcasting booth.

I was brought up to be a Cubs fan, a National League fan at a time when there were few inter-league games other than the World Series. I didn't know much of what was going on "on the other side" and knew of Murcer only as a Cub.

Reading his autobiography, shortly after hearing about his death from brain cancer, I was struck by what a complete life he lived in his 60 years. Not much was wasted, either in his professional or personal life.
He seemed to regret little in his life, other than his shilling for Big Tobacco. If at the end of the day, that's all that's regretted, then it was a life well-lived.

My condolences to his wife Kay and his family.

Sorry this isn't a review of the book, but I wanted to correct a previous reviewer that said that the trade of Munson for Bobby Bonds "backfired" since Bonds was gone after one season. But look who they got for Bonds: a 20-game winning pitcher (Ed Figeuroa) and a sparkplug leadoff hitter (Mickey Rivers). I think that trade was one big reason why they won the WS in '77 and '78. So, in effect, they got those two key players for Mercer, so I wouldn't say the trade backfired.

Having been a Bobby Murcer fan for my entire adult life, this book did nothing but reinforce that. While I was saddened to learn of his cancer and even more saddened by his recent death, this book provides insight into his fight, his attitude toward the disease, and the support he received from his family, his friends, and his faith. So, while it is not just a "sports" book, it does include numerous stories about his relationships with many greats of the game...both on the field and in the broadcast booth. It is in Bobby's down-home style..full of his sense of humor including asides to himself! On the baseball side, it is a memoir of his dedication to the team that originally signed him and the team he will be remembered most playing for...the Yankees.
Bottom line? Loved it, quick read, and a must for any Bobby Murcer fan!

Bobby Murcer begins the book with the shocking news he received on Christmas Eve 2006 that he had a brain tumor. He then tells his life story in an engaging "real-person" manner with just the right amount of detail.

There are occasional remarks reserved for his wife Kay, which adds another interesting perspective to Murcer's interesting career with the Yankees, Giants, Cubs, then Yankees again.

When Murcer goes into greater depth regarding the removal of his tumor and the extensive treatments for his brain cancer, it's as if the reader can hear him speaking. He never complains about the fatal hand he has been dealt, and closes the book on an upbeat note. A truly courageous man.

All american girl is the storyr of the golden oldies of the Womens National soccer team! It shows how some 10+ ordinary girls came together to make a HUGE difference in the history of sports! Best book ever!!!!!!

This book will give you the facts and inside scoop of the wonderful ladies. Some of the stories the team tells are hilaroius. It's not the best book I've read but it's great for young girls to see how they got to the highest level.

This book is fantastic. It gives an inside look at each player to pass through the National team program for an extended period of time. Includes player interviews and a sort of "rap"sheet for each player, like their most embaressing soccer moment, their favorite number, and other interesting facts. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Womens National team. Don't Miss it!!

If u don't have this book, u must buy it because i never liked soccer untill my friend bought me it. I was hooked. I read it 5 times that is how good it was. Please buy the book. If u don't, you are missing out....... BIG time.

If you are a fan of any player on the US womens team and wonder what they do in there life (Yes they do have a life out side of soccer)this is the book for you. Your brothers picking on you saing girls cant play sports. Will now you can prove him wrong. Hand him this book tell him to read the first page, it will make him think twice before he makes fun of womens soccer again. This book has each player tell about there life in and out of soccer. They tell of all the interesting hobbies they have and some of am even rat on there team mates. If you buy this book and dont enjoy reading it you are not a true womens soccer fan.

Finally, the circle is complete. After the formative years when RPGs were simple and young, thru the past few years of more, more, more, which included money and rules. Full circle...this is a simple fun game, loaded with freedom and nostalgia. Thank you Troll Lords!

This is beautiful. Buy flowers for your wife. Take your kids out for ice cream. Howl for joy. This is the true successor to AD&D.

And if you're too young to remember, come feel the kiss of what it was like to roll up your first Dwarven fighter. Feel what it was like to realize that here is the magical world of heroes of which you've always dreamed.

I can only echo what the other reviews here have said... this game is a well done rules light version of 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. This system lets you create a character and be off on your first adventure in just minutes -- no cumbersome combat system to worry about, no feats and skills, etc... just lots of fun old school gaming. Definitely worth buying if you're interested in a flexible, fast game. Buy the books and the modules, you won't be disappointed.

I began gaming in 1987 on Star Frontiers by TSR. I soon got into AD&D 1st/2nd edition and played them until 1997. Career, etc... took over and I didn't actively game again until early 2006. I found some guys at work who wanted to get into it, so I went to the bookstore and found that a fascinating new version of D&D (3.5) had come out and I quickly bought a ton of the books. A couple of months into playing, something just didn't seem right. The game seemed to be too much of a tactical board game... it just didn't feel like the AD&D I remembered playing years before. Looking around the web, I discovered that many other people felt the same way and I stumbled onto C&C very recently. I have since bought the Player's Handbook as well as Monsters and Treasure. This is it! This is the something that was missing. It takes roleplaying back to it's roots and throws out the boardgame feel. Playing C&C is just like the good old days. I can't believe how a simple, elegant system like SIEGE can replace 50 million skills and feats, but it does so brilliantly. This game runs like AD&D, but takes advantage of the positive side of d20 (unified mechanic). I find it superior to the new D&D in every way.

This is exactly the system I was looking for... after buying many Star Wars RPG books from Wizards of the Coast, and becoming completely frustrated with the taxing rules & combat system. I realized that when I had gotten the itch to get back into a Fantasy RPG, that D&D 3.5e (that uses the same systems as Star Wars pretty much), wasn't going to cut it. I thought about going old school back to the original D&D Boxed Sets... Remember The Red Dragon Box Set? But that was really taking a step back in many ways. Then I found out about Castles & Crusades. Oh glorious day... it takes advantage of the unified and logical d20 dice element, but it takes out all the extra stuff that burdens down the D&D 3.5e system. What you are left with is a really clean system, that gives you enough rules to guide the game and play it fair and fun, but let's the DM or Castle Keeper as they call it, really run the show with very little need to ever slow down and check rules in the book to run the game. Heck... you don't even need miniatures to run combat... let your games come alive and use your imagination the way RPG's were meant to be! I'm free... I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

This book is about the South and northern places in the mid 60's-80's. To be sure it is about a gifted black athlete having to survive a white society that wants somehow to be with him in his quest for greatness. Much more than that, this book is about racism at its core, promise, insecurity, and reluctant goodness, and we should hope that Morris's honest and understandable "sorta" autobiographical dissertation on his homeland Mississippi will compel us to take another look at where we are as a society. We should not let Pete, Willie's mid-life dog, be the best of what we can be.

This is a must read-especially for the young athletes of today. This man was a legend! Hands down the best running back in the country during his era!
Having met him, he's a modest, humble man who loves football and loves his hometown. Would love to see this made into a movie!
Get it, you won't be disappointed!

I recently read "The Courting of Marcus Dupree" and found it to be exciting and spell binding. My entire family was caught up in it. The book is an excellent tale of the birth of a young Black male in a troubling time for the South. The way Willie Morris related Marcus' birth and powerful strength to the struggle of his town and state was awesome, he should be the Mayor of Philadelphia or the Governor of Mississippi. I expected the book to be totally about football but it proved to be much more. It made you laugh and cry at times because of the tremendous pressure on Marcus Dupree, the 17 year old athlete that was blessed with such miraculous skills. The book made you feel like you were at the games when he made some of the beautiful plays. It was so intense that you wanted to get to the next page, but never wanted the book to end. I wish it was reprinted.

I read this book again recently and it was better than I remembered. It was so interesting to see how one 17 year old boy could dominate one small town's conversations. I expected this book to be a tale of a high school football star and his recruitment, but I got more, much more. Willie Morris examines the importance of football in Mississippi and how Marcus brought blacks and whites together with his play. He had insight in to Marcus that nobody outside of his family and high school coach could have had. Overall, a great read.

As an OU fan and a person who remember Marcus Dupree light up Norman during his brief time, I was very excited to have a little bit more background on this fascinating person.

The book hits several different topics. Obviously his recruitment of many football schools at times take center stage. But much of the book also discusses the effect of a black athlete becoming a state hero in Mississippi and gaining fans of all races. The foil of Dupree's time to that of two decades earlier when three cival rights activists were brutally murdered by the Klan. And the author, Willie Morris, contrasting and comparing his life with what he sees around him while following Dupree.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great personal account that takes you back to 1981 Mississippi, civil rights, and the power of football.

While baseball is an integral part of the plot of this story, it is more a tale about life and how hard it can be. The Fielder family, the true origin of the title, lives in the small town of Smackover in Arkansas. There are three brothers, whose names from the eldest to youngest are Jugs, Jax and Jude. The story is narrated by Jax and is the story of his life from high school through the years immediately after World War II. Jugs is an incurable practical joker and the catcher for the high school baseball team. Jax is a pitcher and good enough to play briefly in the major leagues. However, when he balks in the winning run and costs the St. Louis Browns the 1941 pennant, he is labeled as a choker.
By that time, Jugs has become a naval aviator, stationed on the aircraft carrier Enterprise. Shortly after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Jax enlists in the hope of also becoming a pilot. He attends flight school and does fairly well, but when Jugs is lost and presumed dead, he loses something. However, he manages to become a member of the crew of a Superfortress bombing the Japanese mainland.
His plane is attacked during a bombing mission and he is inadvertently ejected from the plane. He parachutes to "safety" but is immediately captured and placed in a POW camp. Life there is harsh and he is eventually put in solitary confinement in a piece of pipe. After being freed from that ordeal, he is recognized by a Japanese Admiral as a former baseball player. Jax is then made a gardener at the Admiral's estate and begins to teach the Admiral's son how to pitch. When the war is over and Jax comes back to the states, he tries to resume his baseball career. Many things go wrong and he is falsely accused of treason.
While the circumstances of this story are extreme, many men who patriotically went off to win the Second World War experienced similar circumstances. They came back changed men only to learn that their points of origin had changed even more. Despite their sacrifice and victories in battle, many of them came back to situations where they had to struggle to make a life. While occasionally funny and certainly touching, this is a sad story about a good and decent man who truly deserved better than the hand he was dealt. Although as the title implies, Jax accepts the consequences of the choices he has made.

Norman's first novel shows his deftness with balancing both the humorous and serious sides of life. It is difficult to call this book a comedy, yet equally difficult to call it a drama, a trait that makes this book truly special. My 11th grade students loved it, and so did their teacher, proving it to be an enjoyable read for young and old alike.

I read Fielder's Choice for the first time not long after it was published. Since then, I've reread it a dozen times, I think.

This novel is written in first person, in the voice of Gooseball Fielder, whose promising major league career with the St. Louis Browns stumbles to a halt almost as soon as it gets started. Weeks later, the news of Pearl Harbor fills the US airwaves, and Fielder signs up, finding the anonymity afforded by an army uniform a welcome relief.

Fielder tells his story to a US Army major in early 1946 after having been accused of aiding and abetting the enemy while being held as a prisoner of war in Japan. From these snippets, you might expect a dark novel, even brooding. Fielder's Choice is anything but.

The name of Fielder's hometown in Arkansas--Smackover--is a clue in itself that this is a novel that will make you laugh. Fielder's narrative voice is reminiscent of Henry Wiggen's in Mark Harris's first novel, The Southpaw; it seems obvious to me that Rick Norman is well acquainted with Harris's work. But Fielder is more naïve than Wiggen, less worldly, and the story he relates bears this out.

The humor in Fielder's Choice is nicely balanced by the hardships Fielder endures, both at home and in the prison camp. But the darkness the novel touches on is never overwrought, partly due to Norman's wisdom in using Fielder's own voice to tell the story. Fielder finds redemption long before the ending of the novel, though the Merkle-esque welcome he receives a quarter century after his fall from grace is a welcome touch at the end.

Norman's first novel, Fielder's Choice deserves a place as one of the great works of baseball fiction.

I`ve read a book called Fielders Coice and it is the
best book i`ve read so far.It is an interesting book
to read for the ones you like sports.You will enjoy it about midway through the book where he lost a game and quit to go to the war.

I purchased Fielder's Choice for my son and to reach the minimum dollar amount on my [Amazon.com] order to get free shipping. Just by chance, I picked it up for a quick browse and to my surprise, didn't put the book down until I finished reading it. This is basiclly a story about about a boy coming of age,growing into manhood, told through the background of baseball and war. Fielder's Choice is a warm hearted story full of both laughs and tears. The main character, Gooseball Fielder is the persona of Forrest Gump in baseball flannels discovering that life throws the hardest curves .

Rick Norman is a great story teller. He constructed the book in such a fashion, that after finishing it, I needed to check baseball references to see if the story of Gooseball Fielder was true.

This is a great book, it is about two friends who were like brothers. This story is told by Bo Kimble. Hank Gathers had a good friend, like a brother named Bo Kimble. He tells how him and Hank grow up and what they had to go though. Bo tells alot about when him and Hank was in the NCAA. Hank was a good player. Bo loved Hank very munch, but Hank died of heart failure on the count. Bo tells that he misses Hank very munch and he will always have a place in his heart. Hank's #44 was retire, so if you don't got this book get it because it is sad because the things Bo tells you about Hank. Bo went to the NBA, but did not do what he wanted to do. Hank Gathers a Legend.

I picked this book up a few years ago and read it prior to the annual NCAA Mens' Basketball Tournament. It was a fascinating read, and takes the reader along with Hank and Bo as if all were teammates. My memories of this book made seeing the retiring of the Gathers and Kimble Jerseys at LMU last season an extra special event.

I have read this book and I would recommend it to anyone for future reading. It illustrates the true meaning of friendship and brotherly love. While reading this book, I felt the heartache of the lost of Hank. I have had the privilege of meeting these young men, while playing round ball at Taft College and this book gives an accurate account of their friendship. This is a must read book to anyone who has lost a special individual in their life.

This is a great book, it is about two friends who were like brothers. This story is told by Bo Kimble. Hank Gathers had a good friend, like a brother named Bo Kimble. He tells how him and Hank grow up and what they had to go though. Bo tells alot about when him and Hank was in the NCAA. Hank was a good player. Bo loved Hank very munch, but Hank died of heart failure on the count. Bo tells that he misses Hank very munch and he will always have a place in his heart. Hank's #44 was retire, so if you don't got this book get it because it is sad because the things Bo tells you about Hank. Bo went to the NBA, but did not do what he wanted to do. Hank Gathers a Legend.

Bo Kimble shows all facets of Hank Gathers' personality. He does not try to make him better than he was, much less dis him. Bo knows... This booka lso shows the love of the game both Hank and Bo had.

This book was awesome, I could not put it down. You can really tell that he wrote it. It makes you understand what goes on in his head.

Jason McElwain's autobiography is well written and informative.
It describes the essential details of his life. The book presents
interviews with the most important people who have interacted with
Jason. It is highly recommended reading.
Jason's coping with his autism is relieved by his pleasure of
playing basketball. Jason in one basketball game colossally surmounts
being autistic by being artistic with his incredible three point shooting
accuracy. He sinks a total of twenty points with six three point shots and a two point field goal( where he mistakenly was standing on the three point line ) within the last three minutes and nine seconds of
his team's game. This performance was so incredibly phenomenal Jason's
life story is currently being developed into a national movie release.
One facet of Jason ( "J-Mac's" ) personal basketball practice
( "shootarounds" ) was never revealed in his autobiography that might
potentially be interesting to the public is his personal "best" basketball
shooting statistics and records. What percentage of three point shots
and free throws did Jason sink in practice? What were the most consecutive
three point shots or most consecutive free throws Jason ever sank in practice? What was the longest practice session shot Jason ever sank? Did Jason ever sink or perfect any practice "trick shots" or any other trick basketball handling or dribbling skills such as spinning the basketball upon his finger? I am an internationally famous basketball trick shooter and inspirational and motivational speaker named JIM "TRICK SHOT" LISTER.
I sink many of the most unusual and most difficult basketball trick
shots in basketball history with an astonishingly high degree of accuracy
despite shooting the basketball with a crippled right shooting hand.
My own personal basketball triumph over adversity is considered
by some basketball experts to be one of the greatest true basketball stories of all time.
I personally rate Jason McElwain's heart-wrenchingly and tear-jerkingly basketball triumph-over-an-obstacle accomplishment as the
single greatest true basketball story of all time!!!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK VERY QUICKLY. GREAT CONDITION. REAL BARGAIN. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SELLER!

After seeing the tail end of Jason's recent appearance on "Larry King Live", I immediately went on line to buy "The Game of My Life". Jason's compelling story kept me up past 2:00 a.m. last night because I couldn't get enough of his unique ponderings on the importance of "focus" and his astonishing feat [20 points in just over 4 minutes of playing time!] on the basketball court.

Many parts of his narrative made me smile while others moved me to tears. I was even reminded of the brilliant screenplay penned by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for their 1997 breakout film, "Good Will Hunting".

I can't wait to see the movie based on Jason "J-Mac" McElwain's life and to see who plays the lead role. If I were directing, I would cast J-Mac to star as himself!

Many people probably remember hearing about Jason McElwain on the news back in 2006. He scored a record six three-point shots for his high school basketball team. That might not have been outstanding for a superior high school player, but Jason was the team manager, not a first string player. And, in addition to that, he was a young man diagnosed as autistic.

In THE GAME OF MY LIFE, Jason McElwain tells his story. He shares what he recalls from family stories about his early childhood years, unable to communicate or even tolerate his mother's loving touch. Extensive medical testing resulted in a diagnosis of severe autism. With the help of dedicated parents, Jason was able to learn coping skills and manage many of his autistic outbursts. Sports provided a focus point and an outlet for his energy, and ultimately earned Jason his moments of fame.

Jason's unique voice can be clearly heard as he tells his memories of early treatments thought to reduce the symptoms of autism. He explains the frustration of moving from one school to the next as school administrators searched for the best programs to help him. As Jason became interested and involved in a variety of sports, he found not only friends, but also a way to achieve success. Always in touch with reality, Jason knew his skills were adequate but not exceptional, and his success came as a chance to just be part of a team. But with the care and concern of his coach and teammates, his part on the team gave him the chance of his life and memories that have changed him forever.

THE GAME OF MY LIFE is an inspiring story about living with an increasingly common condition. It is an excellent book for teens suffering with autism or connected to someone with the condition. Jason's positive, up-beat personality is refreshing, as well as direct and realistic.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

I grew up a Met fan in the 70's but his career in NY was a bit vague to me. I knew him better down the pike in Philly while unfortunately having to root against him. I learned so much about him while turning every page and he made me laugh and later brought me close to tears. The book was splended and showed many of his peaks and valleys, reminded me and informed me of his baseball career. Its often said that "this (one) is unique," but Tug truly was one-of-a-kind and apparently a joy to many. The adversity he experienced was wide-spread and unfortunately it may've trickled down to his children, specifically the now renown, Tim McGraw. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially those that knew him during his sports career; the final 100 pages were riveting as you get a front row seat at his final months riding a bad roller-coaster.

First off I will admit to no small amount of prejucice when it comes to this book. I have been a Phillies fan since the 1970's and was a huge fan of Tug Mc Graw's growing up. In saying this perhaps this book had a deeper effect on me than the average person as I was aware of a lot of the events that Tug relates in this narrative of his life. What I was not aware of was his incredible courage while he was fighting this illness and the amazing warmth and generosity of his son, C&W star Tim Mc Graw. I feel you have to have grown up as part of Tug's generation to understand his motivations and behaviors. I am not saying that excuses the mistakes he made but it did help me to understand the WHY of what he did. In addition it made me appreciate all the more the courage it took him to admit those mistakes and the effort he put forth trying to correct them. This is an extremely moving and emotional tale with tremendous highs and lows and should effect everyone who reads it. Also this is an incredibly honest insight into the psyche of professional athletes in the 70's and 80's. Highly recommended for its' passion and honesty.

Tug McGraw has had a shameful life story that not many people have known about. He had done some very bad things like neglecting his son, country singer Tim McGraw, because he refused to believe that he was his son. When he was dying he forgave everybody and was nice to all of his relatives, and admitted to all of the wrong things he did. He really showed that he was sorry for everything and he would have changed a lot if he could.

I was truly impressed by how he handled everything when he was dying. He is definitely an amazing man, in more than one way.

He had many family-related problems that he got through. He was a little crazy too, but a motivational speaker really got him to the World Series by telling him, "Ya Gotta Believe!"

Tug McGraw was a bonafide original. From his thigh slap to his screwball to his love of a good time, Tug did things his way. But as he says during the book, sometimes his way was the selfish way. The most compelling part of the book for me was him discussing his relationship with his son Tim. From refusing to acknowledge his fatherhood to completely ignoring him (other than one visit in Houston) to finally coming around and taking responsibilty for himself and his son.

That's a main theme in this book, taking responsibility. Unlike his ex-teammate Pete Rose who seemingly blamed everyone under the sun for his problems other than himself, Tug steps up and admits his mistakes. He says that he was not a good husband or father. He was determined not to make the same mistakes with his youngest son Matthew. His children all rallied around him as he battled brain cancer.

Sadly this story doesn't have a happy ending as Tug passes away in January of 2004, a month before this book was released. The final chapter of this book is very touching as Don Yaeger describes Tug's final days. This book shows that it's never too late to say you're sorry and it's never too late to make things right. An excellent book, highly recommended.

Wow! I'm not a baseball fan, or a Tug McGraw fan for that matter, but I read this book in a day. I love, love, love Tug's son Tim McGraw and it was amazing to read how Tug treated his children, Tim especially and they way Tim loved Tug so unconditionally-even paying for his medical bills, rent, furnishing a home for his father and spending hours on end just holding Tug's hand in Tug's final days. It makes me an even bigger fan of Tims. Tug's own childhood/family life was heartbreaking to read about, as well. The baseball parts were interesting, but not very exciting for me, as I am not a big fan of the sport, but baseball fans will definitely enjoy this book.
There are some great pictures in the book also.

Originally found this book lying around in a dusty drawer, but was thoroughly entertained by it from beginning to end. Very easy reading and it's fun going back to it over and over and over. Really makes me wish there was a Louise Gehrig out there somewhere.

This book was not only incredible but an inspriration to me, before I left for school and began playing college softball! This book isn't just for atheletes though, my best friend who is the polar opposite of an athelete love this book as well.I would suggest this book to anyone who loves sports,The Yankees, Billie Holiday, or even loves to read.

Where does he get it? Louise Gehrig is an amazing heroine, and the Manhattan Meteorites are my second favorite team, right after the Mets.

You can tell from "Balls" that Gorman Bechard is a New York Mets fanatic. But I'll forgive him, 'cause the guy writes one heckuva a novel. His lovably loopy story of the first female professional baseballer has a ring of truth, most notably in terms of his view of expansion; the league he concocted back in the early `90s bears a startling similarity to the overstuffed Major League of 1999. If only Mr. Bechard would accept the fact that the Cubs are infinitely superior to his beloved Metsies, I think he'll be just fine...

Not only did the author create an interesting set of characters, but he also created a fully realized vision of baseball in the year 2000 (this was written in 1995). Yogi Berra and Hank Aaron as league presidents; new teams added and others in different cities; standings for all of the teams; and best of all... Baseball Commissioner Dan Quayle.

The book mixes baseball with speculative fiction, a little romance, and some suspense.

A winner all around