Football Books

If you're a Pitt fan, then you're longing for that day when Penn State will bow to the Panthers again (sadly, never again in old Pitt Stadium, razed in 1999). If you're a Penn State fan, you've seen that blue and gold nemesis to the west fade from its once high point of gridiron glory. But whether you're a Panther or a Nittany Lion, you've got to appreciate the 107 year old rivalry between these two storied squads. Pannacio's book is a game-by-game history of the series, from the first snowy meeting in 1893, to the day in 1981 when underdog Penn State smooshed then-No.1-ranked Pitt (going into the game 10-0 under Jackie Sherril) in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, Panaccio's book ends in 1981, but it captures the best years of the rivalry, as Pitt has gone 3-10-1 against the team from Happy Valley in the ensuing years. Sadly, the rivalry was interrupted 1993-1996, but four more games were scheduled for 1997-2000, so the thrill temporarily lives on. Hopefully these two schools will continue to schedule one another for the long term. In the meantime, enjoy Pannacio's nicely written work. It's full of photos, newspaper clippings, and gripping highlights.

Whenever psychical researchers discuss the best evidence on record for the survival of consciousness after physical death, i.e., life after death, the so-called "Cross-Correspondences" are often listed as number one. "...the Cross-Correspondences are considered by many knowledgeable judges to be among the very best - if not the very best - evidence we have for survival of death, and moreover for survival of death with memory and intellectual vigor apparently undimmed," says Professor David Fontana, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

However, the researchers always point out that the Cross-Correspondences cases are so complex that they are beyond the comprehension of anyone who is not a classical scholar and not prepared to spend dozens of hours in studying the messages. "Whatever else they are, they are eminently communications from a man of letters, to be interpreted by scholars, and they are full of obscure classical allusions," wrote Sir Oliver Lodge, the distinguished physicist and electricity pioneer of yesteryear.

If they can be summarized, the Cross-Correspondences were fragments of information that came through different mediums and which in themselves meant nothing. However, when pieced together they formed coherent messages. The objective was for the communicating spirits to demonstrate that the messages were not coming from the conscious or subconscious of a single medium, or by means of telepathy from another human, or from some cosmic memory bank. It was as if the spirit communicators devised a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle with the pieces scattered in various parts of the world.

The purported spirit communicators were for the most part the early pioneers of psychical research, including the three men generally credited with founding the Society for Psychical Research in London in 1882 - Frederic W. H. Myers, Edmund Gurney, and Henry Sidgwick. All were Cambridge scholars well versed in classical literature, Myers especially. Harvard professor William James said that Myers "will always be remembered in psychology as the pioneer who staked out a vast tract of mental wilderness and planted the flag of genuine science upon [psychical research]."

As the story goes, these three men and several others continued their work after they crossed over to the Other Side, Myers taking the lead after his death in January 1901, finding gifted mediums in different parts of the world to communicate messages back to members of the society which they helped establish several decades earlier.

In this book, Archie E. Roy, professor emeritus of astronomy and honorary research fellow in the University of Glasgow, closely examines the Cross-Correspondences, including the spirit communicators, the researchers receiving the messages on this side of the veil, the various mediums through whom the messages came, and the messages themselves, putting together a fascinating story of love and intrigue during the Edwardian age.

As one reads this near-600 page book, the characters come alive. Chief among the characters still in this realm of existence at the time are Arthur James Balfour, prime-minister of England from 1902-06, Lord Gerald William Balfour, his brother, Winifred Coombe-Tennant, an affluent English woman (British delegate to the League of Nations) who used the pseudonym "Mrs. Willett" so that no one would know that she was a medium, and Henry Coombe-Tennant, her son, who was completely unaware for most of his life of his mother's mediumship or his own involvement in many of the cross-correspondence messages.

Three love stories unfold, two of them of frustrated love made manifest on the Other Side and the third a somewhat scandalous affair resulting in a love child. One of first two is known as the "The Palm Sunday Story." "Many who have studied this case have accepted that it is a remarkable demonstration of undying love and devotion by people on both sides of that inevitable and inescapable appointment we call death," Professor Roy writes.

There are some interesting sidebar stories, such as Henry Coombe-Tennant's escape from a German prison camp during World War II and his trek across Germany and France with two other prisoners. On his return to England, he was on his way to visit his mother with a brother officer when their car broke down. As they were walking up the road, they were offered a ride by a charming young woman, the current Queen of England.

Even if one is not interested in the subject of life after death, the book offers much as a period piece. "There are still many of the older members of the present population who have at least a vague knowledge of that era, though in this philistine age of dumbing-down, even more people, in their lack of an adequate and systematic education in history, might be excused in their ignorance, for confusing Victoria with the first Elizabeth and, if asked, hazard a guess that her first major war was fought against Hitler," Roy offers.

The entire story would make for a great movie, but a movie would no doubt fail to capture the intricacies of the people, their stories, and the messages so thoroughly researched by the author.

First of all, I avoided buying this book because of that brutal cover. I mean, is that the worst drawing ever of a soccer shirt. Did a 3 y/o do it? They couldn't get a real pic of Pele? Or maybe of the confetti showers created by Argentina soccer crowds?

Well, never judge a book by its cover. This is as brilliant as Futebol by Alex Bellos. The stuff on how Mexican soccer is controled by Televisa was particularly insightful. The early Columbian breakway league of the post-WWII era was something new for me and adds to the nacrodollar mystique of the Columbian league always being way out of the norm. I just loved the explanations of the Menottistas vs. Bilardistos in Argentina and the Fla-Flu rivalry in Brazil.

The only chapter that is a complete waste is the one on Latin American amateur leagues in the UK. Frankly, who cares? Every nation with an immigrant population has these leagues and I couldn't really see the relevancy at all to his dissection of Latin American soccer. I'd sonner have seen another chapter on maybe one or two of the other nations the author didn't quite get into.

sweet looking photos and touches on everything from his days at Notre Dame to the 49ers to the Chiefs to his sports cards and joe montana memorbilia and shows tons of stats. awsome book. there are two versions though. this one, and a paper back edition, althought you can't tell until you open the paper back book and look at the pages. regardless, a great book for Montana fans.

You knew where you stood with Woody. Furthermore, he was a teacher and would help his students. The man was a throw back to helping man-kind. You need to read the book. rpmotz

The Germans may have taken an undignified whipping at Munich last year when the English were just too strong for them in every department of the game and they were overwhelmed by an avalanche of goals and quality - but they do have a rather nice word for "malicious enjoyment of another's misfortune".

This book is very well written. This book will help teens in a lot of ways. I never read a book like this were i just want to keep reading. I am even getting the rest of the book for Christmas because it was so good!

I really dug this book. It looks great on my coffee table at work and everyone always picks it up. I also like "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football." It's a good one too.
I highly recommend both titles.

Go Vols!

If you are a Panther fan, this book is fun reading from the "voice" of the Panthers. Written in an informal, very casual conversational style.
Quick read, but fun!

This biography is a super read and a must for the bookshelf of any"Shanks"fan.Anything about Shankly is interesting and entertaining but this one by Stephen F.Kelly is probably the most comprehensive I have read so far.I am an avid Bill Shankly admirer and I was enthralled in this book,I just hated to put it down when my eyes were calling for sleep.From the coal face in Glenbuck,Ayrshire,Scotland,the small mining village where he was born,we are taken on a wonderful soccer journey to Liverpool via Carlisle,Preston,Grimsby and Huddersfield,its all there,the hard times,the Scottish pride,the humour and the great,never ending enthusiasm for the game.You can just see the sparkle in his eyes as he slaps one of his players on the back and proclaims to one and all,"What a great day for football all we need is some green grass and a ball." You also have to chuckle as he briefs his Liverpool team before a big game against a top European team with the words,"You have nothing to worry about,they are just a load of cab horses."Yes this is a football story,a story about a man who was one of a kind,a fiercely proud man,a players manager, a knowledgeable manager loved by many people in the football world.moreso by the Liverpool fans.This book tells it all,you travel the road with Shanks and really could it be better than that,I don't think so.