The Blind Side Evolution of a Game
April 13, 2009 by Football Games · Leave a Comment
The Blind Side Evolution of a Game
“Lewis has such a gift for storytelling…he writes as lucidly for sports fans as for those who read him for other reasons.”—Janet Maslin, New York Times One day Michael Oher will be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or how to read or write. He takes up football, and school, after a rich, white, evangelical family plucks him from the streets. Then two great forces alter Oher: the family’s love and the evolution of professional football itself into a game in which the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist becomes the priceless package of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback’s greatest vulnerability: his blind side. This paperback edition contains a brand-new 2007 afterword.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Well done
The author of “Moneyball” gives another great effort in this story. He takes multiple anecdotes to talk about the emerging importance of the left tackle but the best comes from the unique story of Michael Oher, soon to be a first round NFL Draft pick. The author is close with Oher’s adoptive family so that raises some questions, but he tries to answer them. Worth the purchase.
4 Stars Great insight into the evolution of football
As a huge fan of football on all levels and a fantasy sports junkie, I found this book really captivating.
It has changed the way I watch a football game and given me context into why the game has evolved in the way it has. I find myself watching the left side of the line in every game — the crucial battle where most games are won or lost because of the ability or inability of the offense to neutralize the best defensive player on the field.
4 Stars Great personal story, but not enough details on the LT position
Lewis tracks the rise of a high school sport star and how the left tackle (LT) position has changed the past 20 years. I found the stories about the 49ners influence on the passing game almost as interesting as the Michael Oher story. Too bad there is only a chapter and a half about this.
In the afterword, Lewis mentions that he couldn’t wait to write this story. I think he knew Oher would be coming out after his junior year and wanted to cash in. In fact Oher decided to stay through his senior season. Lewis should have waited. Michael’s story is not complete. The book has a bit of a slap-dash feel to it.
5 Stars Good Economics
As I read the book I laughed out loud and I cried. I am glad that one family’s reaching out served the greater good. My faith in mankind has been reaffirmed and I am inspired to contribute more as well.
In several ways this book has good economics lessons to learn. First we learn about the gap in material well-being between inner city residents and those in the suburbs in the US through the example of Memphis, Tennessee. Then, through pro football, we see an example of how value in our economic system evolves over time.
While likely not his intent (a la Adam Smith) Michael Lewis has shown why the monopoly structure of sports in the US should be broken up and replaced by a more free market competitive environment. Memphis, like the other 100 of so metropolitan areas in the US, possesses many young men (and women) such as Michael Oher whose access is blocked by the artificial monopoly world of sport abetted by our government.
An open environment of business competition would surely lead to more teams being formed to capture the monopoly profit. With more spots available at the pro level, self interested “brokers” at all levels of coaching would have a greater incentive to search the more difficult areas for prospects.
Michael Lewis has demonstrated that sports have become a huge part of our culture. Fear not that the economic “pie” from sport will shrink by this new competition, for only the share of those with access will shrink.
3 Stars The Blind Side
Anyone looking for a rags to riches story involving football, this is the book for you! A great story, but the narrative is a bit slow in places. A great book for anyone wanting to understand where the different offenses came from, and the importance of the left offensive tackle position.
The Winners Manual For the Game of Life
April 13, 2009 by Football Games · Leave a Comment
The Winners Manual For the Game of Life
The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life shares Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel’s “Big Ten” fundamentals for success: Attitude, Discipline, Faith, Handling Adversity & Success, Excellence, Love, Toughness, Responsibility, Team, and Hope. Peppered with personal stories from Coach Tressel’s storied coaching career, this book shares the fundamental lessons that he has been imparting to his players and coaching staffs for the past 20 years. A perfect blend of football stories, spiritual insights, motivational reading, and practical application, The Winners Manual provides an inside look at the core philosophy that has positively impacted the lives of thousands of student athletes and served as the foundation for two of the most successful college football programs of all time. Includes 8 pages of color photos and a foreword from NYT best-selling author John Maxwell. All of the proceeds from the book are being donated directly to the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library Renovation Campaign.
Other features:
- Each chapter closes with a practical application section, where readers will be “coached” on how they can apply the lessons imparted throughout the book to their own lives, via the establishment of measurable goals.
- Provides a rare inside glimpse into the mind of one of the most respected coaches in college football history and into the huddle of one of the most successful football programs of all time.
- Filled with hundreds of inspirational stories, quotes and anecdotes.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars The Winners Manual
This book is outstanding not only for a coach like myself but anyone can benefit from reading this. It is excellent for all walks of life.
5 Stars The Winners Manual
Whether they win or lose, Jim Tressel has led a group of young men to be winners on and off the field. Wonderful book. I recommend it to anyone whether they are a Buckeye fan or not.
5 Stars One to Keep Handy
I checked this book out of the library on the recommendation of a friend. After I read it, I ordered my own copy to keep and nine more to give out to friends and family members. Coach Tressel lays out an abundance of life lessons, anecdotes, quotes, and valuable nuggets of information in this book. You will take something away from this book when you read it. If you are in a rut or if you are about to take on a big project in your life, I highly recommend this book to help you along.
5 Stars Winner Manual by Jim Tressel
Excellent book. No a football book…it is for anyone who wants to excel in life. Jim Tressel is a class act!
4 Stars A Fan of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success Would Appreciate This Book
The SEC is my favorite football conference, but I wanted to read this book. Jim Tressel shows readers that there is more to his life than football after reading this book. Chris Fabry collaborated well with Tressel. I own 10 different books about John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and the Block O had its genesis from Tressel’s interest in the pyramid. This is not a stereotypical coaches book that centers on four yards and a cloud of dust. This expands to real life. John Maxwell writing the forward is indicative of that.
I was impressed with his mentioning of hearing Bobby Richardson and being impacting by hs quote, “If the game of life ended tonight, would you be a winner?” The influence of his parents, especially his father was interesting. I especially saw insights about his thoughts about his dad when he mentioned his dad coaching at Baldwin Wallace University.
I like the anecdote about James Laurinaitis visiting the boy in the hospital who was wearing his jersey when injured in a lawn-mower accident. The by cried when they cut his jersey. I appreciated Tressel mentioning the impact of the American soldiers who are fans of The Ohio State University.
Tressel is an interesting person as a subject for a sports fan. Even though in a short span he went from coaching Youngstown State University to coaching The Ohio State University to a national championship, he considers being more important than doing. That was expressed by his contrition for telling a YSU after he committed a personal foul, “You are not worth 15 yards.”
I feel better as a person for reading this book. There are some things I would have liked to have seen in the book. I wished Tressel would have mentioned what he learned as a person from dealing with Maurice Clarett. It would have been nice it book were bigger to include more about The Winners Manual as long as he did not give away information that would be harmful to his team or helpful to his opponent.
I would recommend a coach reading this book and making sure their players read the book for personal development for the whole person.
The Best Game Ever Giants vs Colts 1958 and the Birth of the Modern NFL
April 13, 2009 by Football Games · Leave a Comment
The Best Game Ever Giants vs Colts 1958 and the Birth of the Modern NFL
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Review of the Best Game Ever
The Best Game Ever is a fairly good account of what is probably the most famous game in NFL history - the 1958 NFL Championship game where the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants 23-17 in the NFL’s first sudden death overtime game. The game pitted some of the greatest players of all time against one another such as Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry of the Colts, and Frank Gifford and Sam Huff of the Giants. The game also sported three legendary coaches, Vince Lombardi on offense for the Giants, Tom Landry on defense for the Giants, and Weeb Ewbank, head coach of Baltimore who went on to win another seminal NFL Championship when his New York Jets upset his former team, the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.
As most who follow football closely know, this game is considered the launching point of the modern NFL because it occurred in the early years of television and at least the last part of the game was seen by an estimated 30 million people. After this game the popularity of professional football took off, particularly because the action is well suited for television viewing.
This book tells the story of the game mostly from the players’ perspective, focusing somewhat more on the Baltimore Colts, particularly Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry, who both had phenomenal performances in this game. But it also tells the story of other key players on both sides of the ball to greater or lesser degrees. It does a less stellar job of building the drama of the game, maybe because we already know the outcome. But overall it completely documents the game and the key turning points that lead to the eventual outcome, including Frank Gifford not making a first down on third and short that would have allowed the Giants to run out the clock to win the game, and the Unitas to Barry connection on an improvised play for a first down on the final drive in regulation to tie the game.
For a football fan this is certainly an enjoyable book and provides some insight into the game and the players, particularly Raymond Berry who gets the most coverage. While I wouldn’t classify this as The Best Football Book Ever, it is well done and worth reading.
4 Stars The Epic Review
By A.C. Beatty
I read the book “The Best Game Ever” By: Mark Bowden. The book is about the 1958 NFC Championship between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts. In this epic game there were many to be Hall of Famers, including Johnny Unitas, coach Vince Lombardi, and Tom Landry. It was the best offense in the league vs the best defense in the leaque. Who ever won the game went to the Super Bowl that year. That night 45 million people, the most ever to watch a single game tuned in. The Colts dominated the first half. But the Giants soon started an epic comeback! The Giants had a 2 point lead with 2 minuites in the fourth. Unitas led one of the greatest comebacks in the history of football that night. But back then it was very rare games went to overtime or “sudden death”. Few of the players had ever heard about this overtime ordeal. Then the future Hall of Famer led an amazing 13 play drive with an almost unbelieveable score to win the game in sudden death and advance to the Super Bowl. This was know as the “Greatest Game Ever Played due to its amazing play, and it’s suspense and Super Bowl tickets for the winner! Everything was on the line in that game! I thought this was an amazing book, and would reccomend it to any one who loves football or just loves sports!!!
5 Stars Sports Writing As Good As It Gets
This book is an instant addition to the Sports Writing Hall of Fame. Bowden takes us back to an earlier time, a time when football as we now know it did not yet exist. He brings us to the game that might well mark the birth of today’s NFL, and he captures the moment with uncanny clarity and style. He sets the stage by introducing us to the game as it was played before TV made it a weekly spectacle, when its players often had to hold second jobs in the off-season just to make ends meet, thus making them more accessible and somehow more real to fans. He introduces us to a group of dedicated men doing something they loved, and he shows us the old game through their eyes. His portrait of Raymond Berry is exquisite, helping me appreciate Berry’s eventual term as head coach of the New England Patriots in my own time. Then he shows us The Game with a style that is detailed yet smooth and flowing. His account is riveting, even though we know the outcome from the start. Football, with so much going on in every play, is a sport made for TV, with its instant replay and multitude of camera angles. Describing it in writing is a tricky proposition that rarely rises above flat and boring, but Bowden pulls it off. He captures the grit, the pain, the excitement and the flow without ever losing sight of his larger theme. He gives us sportswriting at its best. Bowden had me wishing that someone had had the foresight to somehow tape the game as it was broadcast so we latter day fans could watch that epic game today. It’s more than a little ironic that the TV broadcast is, as Bowden tells us, lost to history, but the radio broadcast was recorded and preserved. Nonetheless, Bowden brilliantly brings The Game back to life for our current generation. Bowden’s book ranks with “Instant Replay” and “Ball Four” as my personal favorite sports books
5 Stars an evocative and gripping journalistic description of a pivotal sports moment
Appropriately dedicated to David Halberstam, “The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL” seamlessly blends a gripping journalistic description of the thrilling National Football League championship game with riveting personal stories of participants and witnesses. Author Mark Bowen clearly outlines the background and significance of the contest; he does so with both admiration and considerable affection for the men who fought on the semi-frozen Yankee Stadium turf that late December afternoon and evening. If Bowen extols the performance of the favored Giants, he reserves his greatest warmth for the underdog Baltimore Colts. Seventeen members of the NFL Hall of Fame participated in the contest, “the greatest concentration of football talent ever assembled for a single game.”
Bowen provides compelling portraits of some of the sport’s iconic figures: Vince Lombardi, Sam Huff, Tom Landry, Frank Gifford, Art “Fatso” Donovan, Lenny Moore and Johnny Unitas. However, Raymond Berry, the self-made wide receiver for the Colts holds a special place in Bowen’s heart. Undersized and undervalued, Berry quietly revolutionized the sport with his meticulous preparation and unceasing quest for information. As the Colts marched down the field for the winning touchdown, the public address announcer’s repetitious statement, “Unitas to Berry,” exemplified two emerging stars summoning peak performances during moments of unbearable pressure.
“The Best Game Ever” contains marvelous anecdotes about the game and its witnesses. Bowen informs us that some of the players did not know about the “sudden death” rule, designed to produce a winner in a championship game. He gives life to the most famous photograph of the day, one taken by a teenager who gained access to an end-zone perspective by pushing wheelchair-bound veterans to one end of the field. As well, Bowen expertly analyzes the nascent confluence of television and football, a relationship nurtured by prescient NFL commissioner Bert Bell.
Ardent fans of professional football and students of American culture will find something to cherish in “The Best Game Ever.”
4 Stars Silly Point
Good book but if I recall correctly the bar in Glen Burnie was Henny Mack’s not Henry Mack’s. Typo?
How Soccer Explains the World An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
April 13, 2009 by Football Games · Leave a Comment
How Soccer Explains the World An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross–currents of today’s world, with all its joys and its sorrows. In this remarkably insightful, wide–ranging work of reportage, Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between. How Soccer Explains the World is an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Easy read, keep your expectations low
First the picture on the cover caught my eye, when I was browsing the books in the “social sciences” section of my local bookstore. And then, not the title, but the sub-title made me pick this book up. In the book, Foer aims to lay down a “theory” for explaining the dynamics of globalization through “World’s most popular sport”. In each chapter, he picks up a case based on a team or a national league and tries to articulate on the politically or socially motivated relations between soccer and “different forms of power” (such as mob, money, national politics etc.) Well, I can’t quiet say that he achieves his goal in this book. Despite its strong title and sub-title, content is very light weight and the book is an easy read on a 5-hour flight (not necessarily from Seattle to Atlanta :)) rather than a source for understanding the impact of globalization from a different angle. Bottom line, keep your expectations low and enjoy the accounts that Foer tells.
4 Stars Good read for Soccer lovers
Enjoyable, but I’m not sure if someone who doesn’t know the game would be thrilled with it. But if you give it a chance, it gives Americans an understanding of the most popular sport in the world and its impact on life everywhere else. The author really went around the world to develop the stories for this book.
1 Star ILL-INFORMED
The biggest problem with this book is that, in support of its underlying theory, it presents as fact a multitude of false premises, bigoted stereotypes and gross inaccuracies. From a soccer standpoint, anyone who is familiar with the world game will find this to be an amateurish read, as some other reviewers have already documented. For example, his characterization of the play in Italy’s top league, one of the most talent-laden in the world, comes down to the absurd statement that “complaints and gamesmanship provide the decisive advantage in games.” Maybe his target audience is people who have never actually seen a game, but are you kidding me? In an effort to support his globalization theory, the author uses a handful of selected incidents to make sweeping generalizations about entire groups of people. Worse, he makes remarkable accusations with no support, as when he casually asserts that “Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Glasgow Rangers, Red Star Belgrade, and almost half the teams in Italy” suffer from “virulent racism.” Overall, the writing betrays a rudimentary knowledge of the game and a bigoted view of many of its participants and followers.
3 Stars To the Uninitiated…
What does the average American know about the global picture of soccer? About as much as he or she knows about African politics or the migratory patterns of South American birds.
Other reviewers have commented on specific aspects of this book, what it gets right, what it gets wrong, but for the uninitated American reader, the importance rests in simply an opening of the eyes to a wider world. I will probably find that much of what the other reviewers have said is true, but before I read this book, I had no clue about how the game has been played - in every sense of the phrase - in so many nations around the world.
5 Stars A Must Read for Ever Soccer Fan
If you are a soccer fan, you simply must read this book. Every person I have passed the book along to has loved it and, like me, could not put it down. After reading the book I have switched my gentle allegiance from Real Madrid to Barcelona (I am really an Arsenal fan). Read the book to understand why!
The Baffled Parents Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer
April 13, 2009 by Football Games · Leave a Comment
The Baffled Parents Guide to Coaching Youth Soccer
Written by soccer great and championship Stanford coach Bobby Clark, COACHING YOUTH SOCCER: THE BAFFLED PARENT’S GUIDE tells you how, starting at point zero, an uninitiated coach can meld kids into a team and help them enjoy one of the most rewarding experiences of their youth. (In the end, you may be the one who reaps the biggest reward, as you watch kids learn and grow in an experience they’ll treasure for a lifetime.)
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Highly recommended
I was volunteered to coach soccer for older kids. I highly recommend this book if you find yourself in the same position.
The author’s recommendations about coaching and drills made the season a complete success.
5 Stars Helpful
I bought this for my daughter who volunteered to be Soccer Coach for the first time. I say she wanted to do it but perhaps was more stong armed into doing it. She found it helpful.
5 Stars coaching soccer-a baffled parents guide
The book gave very helpful information. I have never coached anything and it gave helpful insight into giving the best experience I can into my son’s 4 yr old soccer team.
5 Stars Great Book!
I’m a second year coach with very limited playing experience. I played soccer during elementary school but it was essentially mob ball. This book has helped a great deal. It gives great suggestions for organizing practices and the drills, ahem I mean games, are great. The problem, analysis, solution section is also very helpful.
5 Stars Wonderful! Highly Recommended!
This book helped organize my practices and provided ideas for drills that kept my U8 Boys team interested the entire season. I received numerous compliments from parents that their kids enjoyed the variety of “games” (i.e. drills) we played in practice. My team went 11-2 this past season and all my players chose to return for the spring season over baseball and other sports. I honestly feel this book improved my coaching style and played a large part in the success of our team.
