Teams Books

I'm really enjoying this book as I plan development for a new collaborative software system. We had already done a great deal of work on the high-level requirements for the system when I got the book. As I read, I keep thinking, "Hey, what a great concept! Well put! Oh, yeah, that's a great idea." The authors put an astonishing amount of work into collecting and codifying these ideas. They have made a real contribution to the groupware community.

Whenever I get a new book to review, I always approach it with a mixture of anticipation, curiosity, and dread, especially given the increasing number of books about patterns and, in this case, the size -- 581 pages! When I finally found a small window and sat down with "Patterns for Computer-Mediated Interaction," I was intending to hurriedly skim as much of the text as possible to get an idea of what it was like. Several hours later, I was hooked. What a surprise this book is! Yes, it's topical. The patterns are about developing software to allow people to have the best interaction experience possible. That is where the world is headed, no doubt! The patterns in this book, however, are not just about the technical aspects of these systems, the authors also address the "socio-technical" issues that are important for the people-side of this domain. What was especially interesting to me, as a long-time "patterns fan," was the intriguing and enlightening discussion of pattern languages and the close examination of the pattern language of Christopher Alexander. I've read many essays on this topic but this presentation was very special. I learned a lot. You can't ask for more than that. I can recommend this book whole-heartedly, not only for developers in this domain but also for anyone who wants to study a model pattern language and learn more about patterns and how they work together to solve problems. Two thumbs up!

Man what a book!!!! Fortunately for me, I was a student at PSU when this game was played. Some of the players were in my classes and some of them I knew on a first name basis.

This book took me back to a time when life was simpler and simple satisfactions, like football, at the time meant little, but over time they mean a lot more.

The author takes you into the game. Not just what you saw on TV and how the announcers made it look, but really takes you into the pre-game, how the Fiesta Bowl people did what they did to get this game played on Jan 2.

He takes you on the field with each of the players 20 years later as they relive the greatest college game that they ever played. Even the insights from the Miami players makes this book totally complete.

I couldn't put it down and am glad I bought it. I gave it to my Brother and he read it in about 4 days.

Great book, great story

Mike Misannelli did a fantastic job on this well researched, well written time capsule. It helped me recall my fondest memories of a magical season.
I strongly recommend reading the book, then watching the D.V.D. of the game.

It is finally here! This book includes everything you could want to know about the Pirates. It rates the Top 100 players in Pirates history, Top 10 teams, and 10 worst teams. It includes info on all of the Pirates managers, general managers, and owners. It provides a year-by-year season recap. It has info on each of the ballparks the Bucs have called home. If you want one book for reference on Pirates history, this is the one.

By far the best book on the Pittsburgh Pirates that I've seen, complete with season-by-season recaps and stats galore. The highlight: Lifelong baseball fans Finoli and Ranier offer their picks for the 100 best players in the history of the storied franchise. It's sure to start an argument or two among fans of the black-and-gold, but that's what a good book should do. Well-researched and written, this is a must reference guide for any self-respecting Pirates fan. (And you know who you are.)

This is the perfect book for any avid NFL fan and a must buy if you pull for the Steelers.

Big Ben: 27-4 as a starter (2004-2005 seasons)---only losses (3 of which were injury-related): Patriots, 2004 AFC Championship game (if Plax holds on to sure TD pass, we are only down 7 with about 7+ minutes to go in that game; Ben did some good things and was battling thumb and toe injuries) and also in 2005 (if Randle El doesn't get `cute' and lateral that pass to Ward, we probably win; again, Ben did some good things), as well as the Bengals in 2005 (Ben has beaten Carson Palmer's Bengals 3 times: twice in 2004 and big-time in the AFC Wild-Card game in 2005; Ben had 3 TD passes in this lone defeat and was battling a thumb injury) and Indy in 2005 (as we know, he got revenge in the AFC Divisional Playoff game; Ben threw a TD pass to Ward in this Monday night defeat and was coming off an injury-induced layoff).

Ben's FIRST NFL game: 2004 Pre-season at Ford Field vs. the Lions...last game of 2005 season: 2/5/06 at FORD FIELD, SUPER BOWL XL VICTORY!!!


So Ben didn't play a superb game in Super Bowl XL and there was some controversy...

--Super Bowl IX, 1/12/75: Steelers win 16-6 over the Vikings---Future Hall-of-Famer Terry Bradshaw is only 9 for 14 for 96 yards...BEN WAS 9 FOR 21 FOR 123 YARDS...Bradshaw threw a lone TD...BEN RAN FOR A LONE TD... Future Hall-of-Famer Fran Tarkenton's numbers were putrid: 11 for 26 for 102 yards, 3 interceptions, NO TD's! We were only winning 2-0 going into the third quarter (on a safety); a boring game. The Steelers wore their white shirts and Terry had a beard (the other 3 Super Bowls: black-and-gold shirts, Terry clean shaven)...WE WORE OUR WHITE SHIRTS IN XL AND BEN HAD A BEARD...the game turned on a VERY controversial "fumble-that-wasn't" by the Steelers Larry Brown: the Steelers left the field dejected, the Vikings were in prime territory...then the officials ruled Brown was down before the ball came loose (no way!!!!!)...and the rest is history;

--Super Bowl X, 1/18/76: Steelers win 21-17 over the Cowboys---Future Hall-of-Famer Roger Staubach almost pulled out another miracle comeback...Swann's great falling-to-the-ground acrobatic catch led to no points (!);

--Super Bowl XIII, 1/21/79: Steelers win 35-31 over the Cowboys---the Cowboys' Jackie Smith drops a SURE TD pass that would have tied the game AND our go-ahead TD was aided by a very controversial tripping penalty that cost Dallas 33 yards: Lynn Swann fell over Benny Barnes's ankles and, as Bradshaw has admitted, it shouldn't have been a flag...we were ahead 35-17 at one point...Staubach almost brought them back (35-31);

--GAME BEFORE SUPERBOWL XIV: AFC Championship game vs. the Oilers, 1/6/80: Steelers win 27-13---late in the third quarter, officials ruled that Oilers receiver Mike Renfro did not have possession of what appeared to be a game-tying TD (WRONG!!!! He was in bounds; bad, bad call)...and the rest is history...

---Super Bowl XIV, 1/20/80: Steelers win 31-19 over the Rams---Bradshaw threw 3 INTERCEPTIONS and we were losing for most of the game...until Lambert saved our butts by intercepting QB Vince Ferragamo's pass...and the rest is history
(Steelers in the 1970's: regular season---99-44-1; playoffs: 14-4)

NON-STEELER SUPER BOWL "LUCK"---
Super Bowl XXV, 1/27/91: Giants defeat Bills BECAUSE SCOTT NORWOOD BARELY MISSES A RELATIVELY EASY FIELD GOAL, one of the biggest blown plays ever!;
All 3 of the Patriots victories were by exactly 3 points...and the Eagles really blew it with poor clock management (sound familiar?)!;
Super Bowl XXXIV, 1/30/00: Rams defeat Titans, 23-16--- The Rams' Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line as time expired. Dyson would have tied the game; Super Bowl V, 1/17/71: Colts beat Cowboys, 16-13, via a field goal... Dallas' Chuck Howley, who picked off two passes, became the first defensive player and the first player from a losing team to be named MVP.



The Steelers have been in the Super Bowl in the 1970's. 1980's, 1990's, and in the new millennium (2000's)---
IX (1975), X (1976), XIII (1979), XIV (played in 1980), XXX (played in 1996), XL (2006)

Big Ben---ONLY QB to ever go to Championship game his first two years; youngest to win the Super Bowl (Steelers: first 6th seed to go/ win; only team to beat #1, #2, and #3 seeds on the road and win; three-way tie for most Super Bowl victories: 5, along with Dallas and San Francisco; tied for second with most Super Bowl appearances: 6, along with Denver [who have `only' won 2])...comparison to other Hall-of-Fame and/or outstanding QBs---
Jim Kelly: 0 for 4; never won a Super Bowl;
Fran Tarkenton: 0 for 4; never won a Super Bowl;
Dan Marino: 0 for 1; never won a Super Bowl;
Kenny Anderson: 0 for 1; never won a Super Bowl
Len Dawson: won one Super Bowl (and lost one, as well);
Johnny Unitas: won one Super Bowl (and lost one, as well);
Joe Theismann: won one Super Bowl (and lost one, as well);
Brett Favre: won one Super Bowl (and lost one, as well);
Kurt Warner: won one Super Bowl (and lost one, as well);
Ken Stabler: won one Super Bowl
Joe Namath: won one Super Bowl;
Phil Simms: won one Super Bowl;
Steve Young: won one Super Bowl;
Also: John Elway: after FIFTEEN YEARS IN THE LEAGUE, won two...after losing 3 very badly!

BEST run in sports history (as confirmed by a Congressional resolution!): won 8 in a row---
Bears (who had an 8-game winning streak), Vikings on the road (who had a 6 game winning streak...and Cowher NEVER won in a dome stadium before!), Browns on the road, and Detroit on 1/1/06 (where, unbeknownst to us at the time, we were headed for 2/5/06!); Bengals on the road (#3 seed, previously beat us), Colts on the road (#1 seed, league's best record, heavily favored, dome stadium, previously beat us; the Fumble, the Tackle, and the Miss), Broncos on the road (#2 seed, favored, 10-0 at home)...and the #1 NFC seeded Seahawks "on the road" in another dome, Detroit's Ford Field (where Big Ben started his NFL career vs. the Lions in the 2004 pre-season!!!)

YOU HAVE TO GET THE TWO-DVD SET "STEELERS: THE COMPLETE HISTORY" (2005; NFL Films), 1933-2004 (too bad they didn't wait a year haha!)---the main feature is 2 hours and 20 minutes long and covers 1933 up to and including Beg Ben's 2004 season; incredible. All the `lean years' (1930's-1960's; 1980's) are covered, NOT just the "glory seasons"---Kordell, Brister, Malone, Stoudt, Hanratty, etc. etc. etc. The bonus feautures are awesome, ESPECIALLY the 45-minute Jerome Bettis special-VERY IRONIC!! You will see Tommy Maddox with the Bus when they were both Rams in 1995...excellent miked-on-the-field comments, often funny, by Bus, Ward, and Cowher...Jan. 2005 AFC lowlights, Hines Ward crying, Jerome's reaction, and the tantalizing hint that Super Bowl XL wil be played in Jerome's hometown of Detroit...which makes what they did in 2005/2006 VERY story book! Also: the Bill Cowher, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Myron Cope, Dick Hoak, and Bill Saul segments/ specials are very entertaining, as is the Super Bowl XIII feature..get this...as well as the SUPER BOWL XL DVD---2005 season highlights included, as well as the 2006 playoffs!

These two guys from Canada (I think) have achieved an excellent balance between warning and reassuring about the expected pandemic. As a physician I have seen the effects of both panic and complacency in health matters and this publication avoids both. I am using it as the core of a teaching package for my family and friends as we try to prepare, within a budget. It is user friendly yet technically sophisticated, an unusual combination. The interface with the birdfluinsider.com website makes it easy to follow the constant changes in this world-wide phenomenon. Recommended without reservation.

Being a mother and a business woman I was concerned about Bird Flu for my family and my enterprise. The explanations in the book about avian influenza, the potential pandemic and how to prepare have given me a solid foundation to plan and research further.

The book proved to be an excellent starting point and I recommend Bird Flu Preparedness Planner as a companion book.

I played ball for the Bard basketball team this past season, and upon hearing of my decision to sign up, my dad gave me this book to read. Charlie Rosen and Disco sought out a school like Bard to coach basketball at its purist, with no pretense of talent, no real shot at success, at a school that provided no institutional support whatsoever for athletics (just imagining playing ball in the building the school used as a gym when the book was written sends chills down my spine). The complexion of the Bard team has changed a bit, as the school recently built a multi-million dollar facility and began an ernest attempt to recruit athletes, but there were still a couple of throwbacks to the kind of players you would have seen on the "Players and Pretenders" squad. Experiencing small-school college hoops vicariously through Players and Pretenders gives the reader a glimpse of a world where sports at advanced levels can still be played with the reckless abandon and brevity of a 3rd grade basketball team. I'd have played for coaches Rosen and Disco Dodds' "ship of fools" any day.

This is the true story of charlie rosen and myself (disco) (not my real name) coaching the Bard College basketball team. It is an amusing tale of a group of strangers that come together and touch each other's lives for a year, and then go their own way. Of the other central "characters" in the book, I have recently been in touch with Lance Lavender, full of life then and now, and Matt out in California, who calls to check in evry few years. I would certainly be interested in how our other team members are doing. Back to the book, other than being an amusing read, this tells the story of what its like to play on a small college team where you play because you love to play, knowing you are just an average player, and this is your one chance to be on a team. And the growth of this group of young men and two coaches, who learn what it takes to stick together. Highly recommended! And you get to read about me, disco!!!!

I am six years old and just started playing baseball this year. It was great to read a book about a boy who loved baseball so much even if his team wasn't winning. The end was very good and very exciting.

Our family loves Fred Bowen's books because each story includes a little real sports history. The history in Playoff Dreams is about Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs. He was a fantastic player with a fantastic attitude. He never got down on the game even though his team never made it to the World Series. The main character in Playoff Dreams is a centerfielder named Brendan. He is a really good player but he's bummed because his teammates stink. He goes to a game at Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs). The whole scene at Wrigley Field is very interesting and readers will be surprised at what Brendan does (reluctantly) because of a long-standing real-life tradition with Cubs fans. (It's really neat the way the author pulls in real history.) Brendan learns about the legend of Ernie Banks at Wrigley Field and the lesson about optimism takes root slowly in Brendan. Parents will love the moral of the story and kids will love all the sports action (there's lots of it.)

This is the first book of this type that I have read where the subject in the book risked their lives with the first adventure and then repeated the task multiple times. Each description brings a great deal of insight to the barrenness of the harsh deserts and their effect on the human body. While these racers could have braved this battle alone the book points out the benefits physically, mentally and emotionally that a team adds to overcome great obstacles.

While I enjoy fiction, I enjoy non-fiction adventure a great deal. Since childhood, I've loved to read adventurers who sailed that Atlantic (Chichester) or did something that seemed out of the ordinary (UltraMarathon Man)

As an avid runner, I've lately found myself reading about distance running. But how many of us take the next step, and head out on an adventure of our own?

The Power of Team is an excellent story about a couple and a good friend who set out on an adventure - something crazy - a race across the driest desert in the world - at altitude. They're not sure what they're getting into. Yet, they pursue their dream - and survive it. But then, the dream gets bigger - and they continue to pursue it.

Along the way, they learn a bit about themselves and others. They impart a lot of their practical experience for others who might plan on doing "something crazy" like run a 150 mile stage race across a desert carrying a 30 lb pack with all of the food they plan to eat over 7 days.

Reading the book one has the sense of being there - and the photos help make it even more real. It was great to be a long for the run - though I'm not too sure I'd have done as well enduring all that they did.

I think the thing I enjoyed the most is their sharing what they learned - and letting us into their lives in a very honest way. I've passed this book onto friends and think they'll enjoy the journey as well.

This book is a great resource for anyone involved in playing fantasy basketball. It provides insightful commentary along with per game statistics that let you know how even the most little-used bench warmer would perform if given a starting job in the NBA. Last year's book predicted great things for Zach Randolph and Michael Redd, and this year's book is packed with great articles and helpful info.

I wish I'd known about this book two years ago!

This is a detailed analysis of virtually every player (I can't think of any he missed, but there could have been one or two). Each team has a couple of pages describing where they are, what happened last year and what it expected next year.

Then it gets really interesting. Mr. Hollinger has developed a fairly sophisticated set of statistical standards that he then applies to each player on the team. This includes such things as analyzing the per-minute of play performance rather than the game performance. This says that a player getting ten points in ten minutes is better than a player getting 30 points a game (The results are something the NBA management should check out). Other statistics are likewise specially developed for this book. It makes you wonder if even the teams know this much about their players.

John Hollinger never played in the NBA, he never coached, he just has spearheaded this new more analytical approach to pro basketball.

I have to agree with Harvey Zucker from The Jersey Journal when he says every true basketball fans owe Chic Hess a great deal of debt for bringing to light the story of one of basketball's forgoten heroes. I found Zucker's warning to be accurate, "Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down until finished." Prof Blood's biography is a masterpiece to be enjoyed by all coaches and fans.

If you like basketball to the extent you would like to know about how the game developed through the years this book is for you. The research and documentation by author Dr. Chic Hess is mind-boggling. It is a true story about a high school coach in New Jersey whose system of play was so far ahead of its time that his teams ran over opponents in such impressive fashion his teams were dubbed The Wonder Teams.There is no question the book should be made into a movie so as to acquaint people with the development of basketball and this great human interest story. Dr. Hess has made a valuable contribution to the world of sports and I congratulate him on his effort. Norman Jones - author of Growing Up in Indiana: The Culture & Hoosier Hysteria Revisited