Players Books

This book provides a great, short history of college basketball players that forces you down memory lane if you are a college basketball fan. Many contemporary writers struggle with rating players from previous generations. But while there was some weighting to players of the last 20 years, Mike did a good job of including many very old players, some of whom I was not familiar with.

This is a great coffee table book positioned where you view games on TV. You'll be surprised how many people will pick up the book and then start debating the rankings. It's a great book to start conversations.

DISCLOSURE: Mike is a friend of mine who I met when he lived in Memphis in the mid 90s. I have followed his career to The Sporting News and enjoy his articles as well as friendly banter on his opinions of college basketball. Mike is a respected sports journalist who is just now beginning to get the recognition he deserves.

so many incredible Players have come through the College ranks.somehow saying that seems like another time period because more&more Kids are going straight too the Pros.but this Book reflects when alot of Guys made a name for themselves in the COllege ranks&leaped off of that.this Book has great reflections.for the Basketball fan especially the College Fan this is a must have.

Review: Legends of the Dallas Cowboys

Monk, Cody. Legends of the Dallas Cowboys, Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC. 2004 184p, illus. list: 24.95, ISBN 1-58261-707-4

This lavishly illustrated "coffee-table" sized book covers the greatest legends of the Cowboys, starting with Tom Landry. It includes chapters for some of the original Cowboys like GM Tex Schramm, QB Don Meredith, DT Bob Lilly, MLB Lee Roy Jordan, DB Mel Renfro, and WR Bob Hayes.

Stars from the 70s who made the Cowboys "America's Team" include QB Roger Staubach, twin safeties Cliff Harris & Charlie Waters, LB Hollywood Henderson, DE Ed Jones, DT Randy White and RB Tony Dorsett.

The book closes with the "Triplets" of the 90s, Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. As expected of a coffee-table book, it is lavishly illustrated.

© Fred Goodwin, Feb 23, 2008

My husband was thrilled to get the book and is enjoying reading it.

I love this book. As a life long Bengals fan I can read this book over and over. It's well written and provides lots of interesting information on the clubs greatest ever players. This book should be of interest to all Bengal fans, particularly if you are a young fan or have recently began supporting the team and have never heard of great players like Bill Bergy, David Fulcher etc...It is not very expensive and is definately worth 20 dollars

Chick Ludwig does a very nice job taking you through the history of the Bengals via firsthand looks at the players. He covers the key franchise players, even if they weren't there all that long.
There is a nice summary of where they are, gametime recollections and ample pictures from his Dayton Daily News reporting trove.

Evoked a lot of great memories and filled in some of the holes from the early Bengals era for me. Stofa, Cook, Esiason, Anderson, Munoz, Ickey, Gregg, Wyche and a lot of recent history
rather forgotten. There aren't many books about the Bengals but this one definitely is worth putting on your bookshelf.

Now if Nflfilms would start bringing out some Bengals dvds of the Bengals 80/81/88 seasons. Need something to tide us over until they reach the pinnacle again.

Thanks Chick for a great book!

When it comes to baseball poetry, nobody knows his stuff better than Tim Wiles, and that expertise is evident in the outstanding quality of this collection. Many of the expected poets are here, but so are many I'd never heard of before whose work I am glad to have been exposed to. The poems range in tone from somber and serious to playful and irreverent. One of my particular favorites is the entry by former pitcher Dan Quisenberry, who was a funny guy and had quite a way with words.

I keep this book on my nightstand and try to read one poem each night before I go to sleep. Except I often have a hard time reading just one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Sometimes with anthologies of sports-related fiction/poetry, I've been disappointed because there seemed to be differing levels of quality. With Line Drives, I was satisfied because all of the poems were worth reading-they offered a consistently high level of quality and all had interesting insights or fun ideas. Then there were a number of them that were among the best baseball poems I have ever read. Katharine Harer's "The Cure" speaks with a tremendous depth of understanding of the game and the emotions that go into our continued obsession with it. Joseph Stanton's "Stealing Home" uses an engaging poetic technique to compare the difficult return to the place where we grew up with that difficult play in the game. Dan Quisenberry's "Baseball Cards" offers an important perspective on players' insecurities and the myriad aspects of their lives that fans never see.

I also appreciated that the poems collected here do not revert to cliché comparisons or images when they connect baseball to life. In fact, some of them work against clichés. David C. Ward's "Isn't it pretty to think so?" challenges the idealization of fathers and sons playing catch and reminds us that individual experience is much more powerful and thought-provoking than any (false) perfect image. The poems felt fresh and that was in large part because many of the poets used personal experience as the starting point, reaching out to the game to make connections between their lives and those of the reader. As a result, I think that even those who are not baseball fans would appreciate and enjoy many of these poems. As a baseball fan, I know I'll enjoy rereading this collection and I think most baseball fans would as well.

While baseball was a popular game before the 1920's, during that era it became a true national icon. No person did more for a single sport than Babe Ruth, and it was in this decade that he did what is still an amazing feat. He transformed the sport from a one-base-at-a-time form of offense into a power game. Before his power changed the game, the league leader in home runs generally was in the 10-15 range. After that, it was often in the fifties.
However, there were many other major changes in baseball in the twenties. 1919 was a year of great scandal, when several members of the American league champion Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the World Series. Major league baseball was able to repair the damage, but only by engaging in draconian measures against players who were innocent of any physical wrongdoing.
This book is an excellent chronicle of these events, packed with pictures and statistics; it is a thorough description of a decade when baseball underwent dramatic changes, both on and off the field. It is a must-read for all fans of the history of baseball.

"The Lively Ball" volume in the World of Baseball series covers how Babe Ruth transformed the sport in the 1920's. James A. Cox's book sets the stage for the Bambino by looking at the Black Sox Scandal and the establishment of Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the "Competent Despot" installed as Commissioner. After chapters devoted to Babe Ruth and the fan's enthrallment with "Thunder at the Plate," Cox looks at manager John McGraw and Walter "Big Train" Johnson as well as the emergence of radio broadcasts and the minor league farm system. The final pair of chapters look at the most colorful team of the decade, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the most dominant, the New York Yankees. "The Lively Ball" features profiles on the great players such as Rogers Hornsby and Dazzy Vance, as well as sportswriters like Damon Runyon, ballparks like League Park and Yankee Stadium, with statistics for the 1920's tacked on at the end of the book. As with the rest of this imitation Time-Life series, the book is filled with illustrations, not just photographs but cartoons, magazine covers, and statistical charts. Obviously inspired by the interest in the sport following Ken Burns' classic "Baseball" documentary, the World of Baseball series is certainly in that same spirit of love for the game.

Through all her trials and tribulation chris has always emerged as winner. One quote which sums up chris evert career Wimbledon quote "IF YOU CAN FACE TRIUMP AND DISASTER AND TREAT THOSE TWO IMPOSTERS JUST THE SAME THEN YOU ARE A CHAMPION" chris evert face should be engraved in these words.... Thanks, Chris for the Memories

Tim

This book give you a small look at chris evert at her best. She reveals the pain and glory of her career. What makes this book so great was that through all her ups and downs of her career she has maintain her feminity with grace and charm.

Steve Nash, Dallas Maverick #13, at his earliest stage growing up into a great basketball player. This biography is great for all those Steve Nash fans as well as an athlete seeking inspiration from a determined and hardworking pro.

With a personal and business point of view, Jeff Rud encapsulates how hard work and determination can help you succeed. The hard work of Steve Nash helped to fulfill his lifetime dream, setting an example to our youth that in all of us no matter the dream, there is a" Steve Nash."

Hi Chet, Lets hope you have not forgotton me I talked to Doris EDWARDS SHE TOLD ME YOU HAD WRITTEN A BOOK AND I SEE IT IS OUT OF PRINT I WOULD LIKE A COPY DO YOU HAVE A EXTRA ONE? SEND IT TO 1427 CALVIN AVE. MUSKEGON,MICH, 49442 THANKS

Hi Chet, Lets hope you have not forgotton me I talked to Doris EDWARDS SHE TOLD ME YOU HAD WRITTEN A BOOK AND I SEE IT IS OUT OF PRINT I WOULD LIKE A COPY DO YOU HAVE A EXTRA ONE? SEND IT TO 1427 CALVIN AVE. MUSKEGON,MICH, 49442 THANKS

If you are a true Canadian Hockey fan, then you already have this book! Can you imagine Wayne Gretsky whispering in your ear "You're gonna be a legend"! Truly inspiring and very well written. You'll keep the pages turning.

The fact that there was a loonie at centre ice during the Salt Lake City Olympics only makes the double gold that much sweeter.
I loved reading about how the loonie came to be as well as how the Canadian teams perceived it. This story is for the true Canadian Hockey fan and will remain a legend for years to come.

I devoured this short read of Canadian history in one sitting.

Having grown up in the New York metropolitan area as a baseball fan, I was well acquainted with the story of Lou Gehrig. At least I thought I was until I listened to Carol Birch's spirited retelling of his life. I knew of his statistics and his tragic demise, but Carol brought this American hero to life. Too many baseball fans are unaware of those who so gracefully pioneered the game. However, Carol's story will be enjoyed not only by baseball aficionados but also by anyone who enjoys a good story - which covers everyone.

This is an excellent CD. It highlights the life of a man who started with humble beginnings and rose to true greatness. Carol Birch reveals not only the highlights that made Lou Gehrig a superb ball player, but she also paints a portrait of a man who understood humility and viewed his achievements as a gift he received.

It is a fascinating dialog that reminds us that a true hero is one who gives of himself asking nothing in return and faces difficulty with courage. Quite a contrast to the shooting stars of today that receive so much undeserving praise. This CD was enjoyed by everyone in my family.