No comments about A Modern Medical Mracle.

4 comments about All the Rage: The Life of an NFL Renegade.

1. Charles Haley returns to the trenches; this time however, he uses the muck and mud to bury real and imagined enemies in the National Football League.

   "All the Rage: The Life of an NFL Renegade," are exhausting anecdotes of the petty grudges, lacking any greater reference point than "I got even," of a former football great.They say defensive linemen to be successful must be mean and meanspirited, profane and not profound. Somebody, unfortunately, offered the same advice to Haley the writer.

   At its best the book is unsportsmanlike conduct; at its worst, no gain for reader, writer and the many enemies of Mr. Haley.




2. I enjoyed Charles Haley's book very much. He talks VERY openly about the NFL and the pressures put on every player. Pressure from the coaches, the media, and the players themselves. Not to mention the disregard many players show for their own health to keep playing, and the drugs they take to do so. I enjoyed Charles' style very much. Some may find it offensive, but if you expected anything different from him what were you thinking when you bought the book?



3. Haley expresses his views (openly) on everything from racism in the NFL to the physical and emotional toll the game takes on its players. He doesn't hold anything back and just tells it how it is. Not many players get to play for two great teams (like the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers) and win Super Bowls with each. He's a legendary player and that explains why he's the only man to earn five Super Bowl rings. This is a very well-written book and a great one for the true Dallas fans!



4. I read the book when it was first released and actually I just "happened" upon it. I was and am still the BIGGEST Charles Haley fan and I was just looking to get any memorablia that I could. I thought the book was great because it explained why he played so hard and why he felt the way he did about things going on in the NFL. I think that he is a great player and he is just misunderstood by players, coaches and fans alike. If you read the book then you would gain more insight on him and his thinking. And being one of his biggest fans, I guess that I am a bit biased on this review. But he was very frank and candid in his portrayal of the NFL. He didn't sugarcoat anything. Also it showed how committed he was to playing the sport and committed to his personal life as well. The only thing that could have changed was some of the foul language but again I think that that was just him being Charles Haley. Anyone knowing anything about him knows that he does not hold his tongue, not even on live television. So you would have to expect that from his writing. I would love for him to read this so he will know that he has one devoted fan in me!

No comments about Football Pro Talk: Gems I Remember.

2 comments about Marino: On the Record.

1. Some excellent pictures of both the Dolphins and Marino. Marino speaks of both the good and the mediocre of his career from his upbringing and his family through his wife and kids. He doesn't touch on any huge surprises or vent any frustrations. A good book for the huge Marino fan. I went through it in about 1/2 an hour sitting in the store. Nice for the coffee table



2. It didn't seem that Dan reviewed this book before it was printed. One part of the book, Dan says he threw the trick play against the NY Jets to Fryar. That was wrong, it was Ingram. The next error is that he was making NY think he was going to throw it into the dirt. There is no dirt in NY, it is all Turf. Last, he said that the noice is so loud with all the NY Fans in the stadium. Everyone in NY knows that that stadium is 1/3 Dolphins Fans when Miami comes into town.

3 comments about Whole Ten Yards.

1. Frank Gifford's autobiography is a fairly interesting book that isn't dry like so many sports biographies are. I found it to be a pretty good read and learned quite a bit I hadn't known before about The Giff.

   Gifford covers his tough nomadic childhood, his rise to fame at USC, his years as a New York Giant playing in five NFL title games, his experience trying to break into the Hollywood scene, his eventual transition into broadcasting, and of course the Monday Night Football years. He also spends a lot of time at the end of the book gushing over Kathie Lee. Unfortunately this was written prior to his infamous indiscretions of the mid-1990s; it would be interesting to read his side of that story.... oh well.

   Overall I'd say "The Whole Ten Yards" is an above average sports biography. If you were a fan of MNF's first quarter-decade or of the old Giants of the 1950s & early 1960s, you will probably enjoy this book.




2. Frank Gifford is the first football player I personally remember. I can still picture him being interviewed on TV before a game, long before he was the one holding the microphone. But what interested me about his book was not only his account of his college and NFL careers or his broadcasting years but also his tribute to the high school and community college football programs in California, which have produced a number of outstanding players, and his look back on the celebrity social scene in New York City in the 1950's, the end of the Stork Club/Walter Winchell/Toot Shoor's era, where figures from the sports, journalism, political, entertainment and even literary worlds met and interacted. Another poignant moment was the meeting between Ronald Reagan and John Lennon in which the future President explained to the music legend the intricacies of football. Ironically, both would be shot; one would live, the other would not. And most of the country learned about John Lennon's murder while watching the December 8, 1980 Monday Night Football game.



3. I just finished this book, and some of my comments would parallel those of the
   previous reviewer. A NY Giants fan from Gifford's playing era ('50s-mid-60s) would find the
   book pretty enjoyable, I think, as he tells of the times (and incidents) from those
   days; including stuff about Lombardi, Landry, and some of his experiences with a couple
   of his head coaches that were sort of funny. I laughed a good bit about the time his
   stern old coach was making a curfew check the night before a game and opened a door
   to a couple of star players' room while (both naked), one was allegedly trying to pop
   the aching back of his roommate (at the roommate's request) in the dim light!:)
   
   Unfortunately, Frank is a bit of a name-dropper, and this gets a little thick in the book.
   I also had to just skim/skip over the gushy latter chapter about the wonderful, joyous,
   cuddly, heart-popping life he lives with his love, Kathie Lee Gifford. Like the previous
   reviewer, I find it amusing that this book was written before Frank got caught
   with the whore in the hotel (with pictures of course). I don't think Frank's a bad
   guy though, never have. I think the book is worth a read, even for those with
   only a mild interest in football.

3 comments about Ditka: An Autobiography.

1. The fiery New Orleans Saints head coach provides fans with an insightful look on his childhood, playing career with the Bears, Eagles and Cowboys and transformation from an assistant coach to a head coach. Ditka also discusses his coaching philosophy, relationships with many of his star players and family life. You will not be disappointed.



2. DITKA IS A VERY ENJOYABLE BOOK. MR. DITKA DOES A GREAT JOB TELLING THE STORY OF THIS LIFE AND CAREER. I FOUND HIS OPINIONS AND INSIGHT VERY HUMAN AND INTENSE. HE WAS CERTAINLY A GLADIATOR ON THE FIELD AND A TAKE NOTHING FROM NOBODY COACH. I REALLY LIKE HIS STYLE AND HONESTY IN THIS BOOK. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS AND ESPECIALLY FOR BEAR FANS. HE IS ONE OF THE FIVE GREATEST BEARS OF THE MODERN ERA HALAS, SAYERS, PAYTON, BUTKUS, BEING THE OTHERS. A MUST READ



3. Ditka : an Autobiography by Mike Ditka is boofy old Iron Mike's story. He tells what it was like to be a tough guy and a hardarse, and to plan with ridiculous injury levels and what that did to him.
   
   Oh yeah, and a bit on that whole coaching and Superbowl thing as well. Not too bad for this sort of book.

1 comments about Size Doesn't Matter: My Rugby Life.

1. I was unsure of what to expect from this book. Most sports autobiographies are ghost written, but this book has no ghost writing credit and was actually Neil Back's own work.

   The only other books of this nature I had to compare to "Size Doesn't Matter" is Mick Foley's pro wrestling autobiography "Have a Nice Day" and it's followup "Foley is Good." (Neither of these were ghost written either.. a fact he spends about 2 chapters discussing in his second book.) Other than that, I've never read a sports autobiography of any kind.

   Now, Rugby and Pro Wrestling are sports that are miles apart. Some argue Pro Wrestling isn't a sport, but I won't even get into that here. Foley's two books are genius, no doubt. Neil Back is at that level as well.

   The book starts out at his birth, as is most logical. For the first 2 or 3 chapters, he jumps between time periods quite quickly, and that is a bit disconcerting. He's talkign about when he was 5 and participating in his first Rugby match and then is suddenly talking about a British Lions tour, and is then back to when he was 5. This settles down quickly, though, and the temporal flow becomes much better.

   You need to know a bit about Rugby to truly appreciate this book, as he doesn't explain many terms at all, and doesn't really explain the importance of positions. But it doesn't matter that much.. it makes it a little bit less confusing if you know the difference between a Flanker, Winger and Hooker, though.

   He progresses through his life to right up after the disappointing British Lions tour of Australia in 2001. Well written the whole way. The only gripe I have is that Neil uses too much British jargon. He gives everyone nicknames.. Jonno, Lol, Robbo, Hilly, Catty, Backy (referring to himself), Deanno and so on. Honestly, by the end of the book, I had forgotten who "Deanno" was and had to go back thru the earlier parts of the book in an attempt to find out. He also makes references to british celebrities, which totally goes over my head... but I can't really dock him for that, as this book was more intended for a British audience, I think.

   Overall, if you're a Rugby fan.. even if you don't like English Rugby.. this book is definately one to get.

1 comments about Bobby Bowden: Win by Win.

1. A very well written book with great, rare photographs. Much more than just a game by game analysis of Bobby Bowdens career. This book gives behind the scenes look at the decisions he made in the games and in his career - I am sure happy he did not take the LSU or Alabama positions when he was considering them! A great book about the all-time coaching win leader!. Well researched.

No comments about The Book of Deacon: The Wit and Wisdom of Deacon Jones.

2 comments about Petals from a Rose.

1. This is a touching story about a seemingly ordinary family. The strength, determination, pride and faith of the Pagna's Rose reaches all members of the family and guides them through their lives. For a career football coach who has primarily dealt with "X's and O's", Tom Pagna displays a great command of the written word in describing this remarkable woman, his mother. I suspect that this book will remind all of its readers of the Rose in their family and the extraordinary things mothers do to nurture, goad, challange, encourage and love their children.



2. tom pagna was the coach that recruited me as a student athlete at the univ. of notre dame. coach pagna believes in family, teamwork and togetherness...this was indicated in his book with his mother rose and his family. the teamwork and togetherness of the family is the way coach pagna exemplified as a coach. after reading petals from a rose i feel i learned so much about not only coach pagna and his family but the true meaning of what a family should be like.