No comments about Bo Ryan: Another Hill to Climb.

3 comments about Pete Maravich: The Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete.

1. After reading this book I was surprised to learn about many details I did not previously know about Pistol in both the early years as well as the later years. I did not know the depth of his convictions once he found the meaning in his life and his true calling. I really felt like I was able to truly understand Pistols struggles and ultimate triumphs. A very truthful yet uplifting and hopeful account of a great athlete and a great man.



2. Having known the Maravich family all of my life;from my perspective so much is missing. Glossing over Press and Helen, doesn't make sense. Helen was a wonderful and kind person. Both she and Press were raised through difficult circumstances. I guess that wasn't important to Pete's biography. I've read the other books, and I didn't care for this one at all. I wish the authors could have understood Basketball, then maybe they could have got to understanding Pete. When Jackie was interviewed on ESPN, she said she was always asked, "What's it like to be married to Pistol Pete?" And she said, " I don't know I married Pete Maravich. I wish that could have come through in this book. Pete was mortal and Jackie knew it too well.



3. OK, I read the hard-cover version of this book (Maravich) a couple years back and found it - far and away - the most comprehensive and informative book ever written on the Pistol (and I've read them all).
   
   This is basically the paperback version of that book but with an added forward by James Dobson. Yes, THAT James Dobson. He was with Pete the day he died. (Focus on the Family published this version - which doesn't bother me but I won't be lending it to my sister.)
   
   What sets Pete Maravich: The Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete apart is the astonishing detail of every aspect of Pete's life (Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, LSU, the NBA, Christianity, and his legacy). For example - there's an entire chapter on Pete's year at prep-school (Southwood College) and another on his failed attempt to make the 1968 Olympic basketball team.
   
   It was written with the full co-operation of the Maravich family and it shows. The private letters from Pete to his wife and boys are beautiful and heart-breaking.
   
   My only complaint is that Ronnie Maravich is referred to as Pete's "step" brother when, in fact, he was Pete's "half" brother.
   
   This is the book (along with the CBS documentary) that future historians will resource when chronicling his life. ESPN called it "The definitive biography of Pistol Pete Maravich." The NY Times called it the "essential biography of Pete Maravich."
   
   It's that and so much more.

5 comments about Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich.

1. I should say this up front - The best sports books are always about more than sports. This is the best sports book I have ever read because it is really a compelling story about the love between a father and his son and what binds them together happens to be - a basketball.
   Pete Maravich was, quite possibly the greatest ball handler/shooter of all time. If you look at the NBA stats lots of players scored more points but no one could put them up like the Pistol. On a given night, he simply was incapable of being guarded by anyone. He did things with a basketball that Michael Jordan could not do. He shot a basketball as Larry Bird could not do. He passed and handled a ball as the great Oscar Robertson could not do. He was once called the 'white Globetrotter' and there has never before -nor will ever be - another like him.
   The book is really about two people - Press Maravich and his son Pete. The author Rick Kriegel, also the author of "Namath" (another excellent sports book on celebrity and the NFL) takes us through Press' childhood and his playing days in PA and, later, Pete's childhood, first as a prodigy and then, in demand, as the greatest high school/college player of his generation. Kriegel deals with the sports memories efficiently and the family issues with great care. The story of Pete's mother will tug at your heart.
   The biography unfolds as Press' story slowly merges into Pete's, until the two pretty much become one life - bonded together by the sport. Pete carries Press' pioneering basketball acumen and coaching skills to new heights as the two create "Showtime" long before Kareem, Magic and Riley appeared on the horizon. You will learn much about basketball strategy, but you will learn more about the human sacrifice it takes to mold talent into greatness.
   Kreigel covers Pete's career in full and addresses how he was heavily criticized for putting up big numbers on bad teams. Some even have gone so far as to suggest that the Pistol was hyped simply because of his (lack of color). Check out Youtube under "Maravich" and just watch the Pistol play HORSE. You may find yourself saying "WOW" more than a few times. If Jordan was "air," the Pistol was the magician who turned passing into an art form that all current point guards in the NBA can only aspire to. Oh, and he could shoot a little too.
   Pete was on the Hawks (a good team but not great) the Jazz (a bad team) and the Celtics (just before their run with Bird) If handled by a great coach and surrounded by good players, Pete could have easily adapted his game to suit any type of team. But in the end, fans always demanded he be the 'Pistol' and in some ways, he could not refuse them. After all, they bought the tickets and he always felt obligated to put on a show for them. Maybe that fact, more than any other led some to consider the Pistol a failure. He created LSU basketball and was responsible for arenas at LSU Atlanta and New Orleans. He brought millions of dollars into the NBA and was part of the push (in addition to Dr J) for the ABA and NBA to merge. He was a basketball star when the NBA was considered a distant third as a national sport behind baseball and football. In some ways, he was the Joe Namath of the NBA. The book covers all that in great detail but the story always comes back to the sad eyed son who was happiest on the court and always struggling to find meaning off of it.
   Shortly before the end of his life, he finally found that holding a basketball did not mean as much as holding his child and finding an open lane did not compare with finding someone to share the most important moments in life. Kreigel's handling of the final act of an all too short life are moving and leave a lasting impression that don't have as much to do with basketball as they do with a son making his father proud, but more importantly finding peace within himself in the little time he was given here.
   The legend of the Pistol is true. Believe it. But also consider that, in the end, it didn't matter as much to him as holding his son on his shoulders at the amusement park. He was given a fraction of the time with his two sons as he had with his own father. The brilliance of his game combined with that cruel irony make "Pistol" one of the most compelling and tragic stories of our time.
   Kreigel should be commended for handling it with such care. Great book.



2. This book dived into the upbringing and background of all facets of the Maravich family. You really began to understood why things went the way they did for Pete based on his upbringing. I knew Pete as an athlete but had no idea as to the internal struggles he faced throughout his life. I still remember Pete coming to the Omaha Civic Auditorium for a game against the Kansas City/Omaha Kings and scoring 22 points in the 1st quarter! He was an amazing athlete who (as an NBA player) was not utilized to his full potential. It would of been great if he could of stuck around the Celtics and got the ring. One of the best books I have ever read.



3. Along with countless other boys from the 1970s, I wore floppy hair and droopy socks as a nod to Pistol Pete Maravich. But even with my socks pulled down, Maravich was never my favorite basketball player. What he represented was coolness. Maravich was an unrepentant showboat and gunner whose teams generally lost. But he had a trump card to cover these sins that America accepted, Pistol Pete was never boring. Not once.
   
   Washington Post movie critic Stephen Hunter has argued that Quentin Tarentino in his movies defines sin as boredom. Murder is acceptable as long as you are not boring. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, which came out when Maravich was at the height of his fame, manipulated the audience to embrace greed and corruption. William Holden and his despicable crew became the ones the audience rooted for because they were fun. Maravich wasn't evil on the court in the same manner, but he opened the way for new definitions that were contra Herm Edwards, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!" Maravich's desire was to be the show, and in what would be both his exaltation and damnation, he knew it. Like the culture around him, he wanted every eye on him, he needed every eye on him, and yet he couldn't handle every eye on him.
   
   Mark Kriegel's great book, PISTOL, chronicles how Maravich was crashing off the floor while amazing people on it. Kriegel's genius, however, is weaving in the story of Pete's father and college basketball coach, Press. The story of the son can only be understood in relationship to the story of the father. As Kriegel puts it, "The father worshipped basketball; the son worshipped the father."
   
   Petar "Press" Maravich was the only child of five that survived past six months born to Sara and Vajo Maravich. They were Serbians who lived in Aliquippa near Pittsburgh when steel mills and soot so dominated the area that it was depicted as "hell with the lid taken off." NTJ favorite H.L. Mencken bluntly described Pittsburgh's surrounding cities as "unbroken and agonizing ugliness," which created the "most loathsome towns and villages ever seen by mortal eye."
   
   The greater Pittsburgh area, however, was not only known for its steel mills; it also had the highest percentage of Presbyterians per capita in the world. Ernest Anderton, an insurance agent who lived in nearby Beaver Falls, was also a lay worker for the Presbytery of Beaver County who converted a deserted Lutheran church in Aliquippa into the Logstown Mission. Anderton had a standing deal: go to Sunday school and you could play on the Missions' basketball court. Teenager Press Maravich eagerly put forth what was needed in this exchange. He read his Bible, sang Psalms and attended Sunday School, but the ultimate prize Anderton sought, a confession of faith, was not recorded. There was also no push to join the Presbyterian Church. Press and his friends who played on the Mission's basketball team, The Daniel Boys, never left the Serbian Orthodox Church. Kriegel puts the impact of the Mission on Press simply, "A Savior he had found. But it wasn't Jesus Christ."
   
   That basketball became Press's religion through the evangelistic efforts of a Presbyterian was somewhat ironic considering that basketball inventor James Naismith graduated from Montreal's Presbyterian Theological Seminary. (Who knew Naismith had Presbyterian roots? Who knew Montreal had a Presbyterian seminary?) The gospel of basketball has spread in the late 1920s to Aliquippa through Geneva College and its star player, Nate Lippe. Turned down by the Pitt Medical School because he was Jewish, Lippe settled for coaching the Aliquippa high school team, and his star player in the mid-30s was Press Maravich.
   
   It appeared that Maravich would play in college for Geneva or Duke (almost assuredly the last recruit the two schools battled over) but eventually he attended Davis and Elkins in West Virginia. After college, he played professionally before and after WWII, but his life changed in 1946 when he married a young Serbian widow with a son. Within a year, Peter Press Maravich was born.
   
   By the early 50s, Press was back in Aliquippa coaching. Young Pete always wanted to be around his father, but his father was always around basketball. Consequently, Pete became all basketball. When the Aliquippa team would leave in the afternoon for away games, the father would turn the lights on the home court and give the son the one word instruction, "play." When the team returned usually around mid-night, they would be greeted by the son still shooting.
   
   The son's ball handling skills amazed everyone. He was a prodigy and the father knew it. At the same time that he was spreading the gospel of Pete to close friends like UCLA coach John Wooden, Press also began climbing the coaching ladder. Clemson called, and then NC State which Press led to an improbable ACC championship in 1965. Meanwhile, Pete was creating his own legend dazzling everyone with his scoring feats and playmaking ability. The problem was that Press would only allow Pete to play for him in college, but Pete didn't have the board exam scores to enter NC State.
   
   One school that didn't see that fact as problematic was LSU. Father and son were taken as a package in 1966 and the cult of Pistol Pete was born. Playing with teammates that were limited in talent, the Pistol started firing as soon as he walked on the court. He led the nation in scoring three consecutive years and walked away from LSU as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. John McPhee's 1965 A Sense of Where You Are extolling Bill Bradley as the model student-athlete had been replaced by Curry Kirkpatrick's 1968 Sport Illustrated cover story on Maravich, "The Coed Boppers' Top Cat." Kirkpatrick wrote, "Everybody in the world, the world that really counts, will know Pistol Pete Maravich. He will make a million dollars playing the game of basketball." The difference to basketball purists, however, was that Bradley made everyone around him better and lifted his Princeton squad to the Final Four. Maravich teammates watched Pete shoot as LSU barely won fifty percent of its games during his tenure.
   
   The Pistol got his million dollars from the Atlanta Hawks, but the superstar who lit up the college game stopped smiling. Turnover prone and often injured, Maravich struggled mightily with both the pro game and his teammates. The worst blow, however, was personal. His mother, who was perpetually drunk the last decade of her life, committed suicide during this time.
   
   After four disappointing and disillusioned years in Atlanta, Pete was traded to the New Orleans Jazz where he blossomed into an NBA superstar. Natives wouldn't say, "Are you going to see the Jazz?" Rather, they would say "Are you going to see Pete?" But, despite otherworldly adoration, Pete never smiled. Finally making his signature between the legs pass late in a game the Jazz was winning, he blew out his knee. He would never be the same and within two years he retired from the game.
   
   The year that followed he rarely left his home, became obsessive about pills and drugs, and played with his two infant sons. He also considered suicide. Then, in the midst of his despair, he accepted Christ. Pete believed Christ died for his sins and had set him free from guilt and shame. He joined a Baptist Church and started holding a summer basketball camp at Clearwater Christian College. He also started to smile for the first time in years.
   
   His wife, Jackie, at first was skeptical about Pete's conversion to Christianity. He had collected many "isms" -vegetarianism, Hinduism, and extraterrestrialism. What she found was that her husband was a changed man, that this was not a fad. She commented, "He was a different person. I saw how happy he was, how he was at peace with everything."
   
   One person that Pete had to tell was his father Press. After Helen Maravich's death, Press had stopped coaching and devoted himself to caring for Diana, the daughter that his stepson Ronnie had abandoned. The confession that Press did not make at the Logstown Mission occurred when he joined the First Baptist Church and was baptized.
   
   Two years later Press learned that he had inoperative cancer. Father and son once more were inseparable, only this time the bond was Christ. They would read the Bible and pray together. Pete would carry his father up and down the stairs and stay with him in his bedroom until he fell asleep. Press died with Pete at his side.
   
   By this time, Pete was garnering attention again, but now it was for his devotion to Christ. Just as his playing basketball had an event, now his testimony was an event. He joined Billy Graham in his evangelistic campaigns. He appeared on television. On the day that he was going to conduct an interview with Focus on the Family's James Dobson, Pete accepted an invitation from Dobson to join in a morning basketball game, something that he hadn't done in years. Talking to Dobson during a break when the other players were getting a drink, Pete collapsed on the court. Dobson and former UCLA player Ralph Drollinger were able to revive him.
   
   The autopsy determined that Pete was born without a complete artery system, a condition that almost universally causes sudden death in young athletes. Of Pete's legacy, Kriegel writes, "Whatever doubts still lingered about Pete's standing in the game or even his place in popular culture ended with his death. His image would be eternally consigned--along with the likes of James Dean, Elvis, and at least a couple of Kennedys--to a celebrity purgatory reserved for the young dead." It could be argued, however, that the more powerful legacy was the joy and peace that marked Pete Maravich as a Christian living in obscurity and quietly serving others.



4. Especially being from North Carolina where Michael Jordan is seen as a demi-god, I have come to a conclusion which, for me, is remarkable. I really believe Pete Maravich was the best basketball player of all time. Not Michael. And instead of being "like Mike", I instead want to be "like Pistol."
   
   This book helped me a little to come to that conclusion. Read the book and you'll find out about the lousy teams Maravich played for. Even the one really good team he played on during his rookie year, the Atlanta Hawks, had nearly a whole team which was jealous of him and often worked against him. Michael Jordan never had that problem in Chicago, either in the pre-championship years and during the championship years. Never.
   Michael Jordan was a great dunker, but I agree with people like John Wooden who says that dunking the ball is one of the most overrated plays in basketball. I play at the Y with kids who can dunk, but they usually get their lunch eaten by guys like me who really know how to play the game (and defense.) I don't know if Pete ever dunked in a game but, you know, if any player *didn't need to dunk* to be overwhelming and dominate a game it was Maravich.
   Go on YouTube and see some of the things Maravich did with a basketball and tell me if Michael Jordan could do those things. H&$% no. Surround Pete with a decent team--and one who didn't try to sabotage him--and see how many NBA trophies he would have won.
   What would have been Maravich's legacy if he had *began* his career, instead of ending it, with the Celtics?
   Furthermore, I wonder how many NBA trophies MJ would have won with only one blood vessel supplying his heart with blood(instead of two like everyone else.) Would Jordan have even been alive in 1982 when as a 19 year old he took the winning NCAA shot if he had the same physical heart as Pete?
   Okay, enough about my recent insight and elevated opinion of Maravich. Pete Maravich was a very interesting human being also. The author of this book does a very good job of helping us to get in Maravich's skin. I also very much like his family systems approach to understanding Pete. If you understand Pete's dad, Press, and where he came from(the coal mines of Pennsylvania)it will go a long way toward helping you understand Pete. The author excelled in this area. The book was almost as much about Press as it was about Pete, but that was how the book had to be written. They were that close.
   Just because it is a biography of Pete Maravich, I admit I'm tempted to give the book a "five." Yet, and I'm not going to go into details, the book could have been written a little better. Nevertheless, I could rarely put this book down. I bet I read the last 100 pages in one sitting today.
   Lastly, Pete Maravich finally found real peace with himself during the last five years or so of his life. Anybody who reads the book will let out a sigh of relief when it finally happens. Pete was a very interesting and good man before his conversion to Christ, but he really "came into his own" ironically after his stellar basketball career was over.
   Very good job Mr. Kriegel.
   Rest in peace, Pistol. After reading this book I respect you as an utterly astounding and breath-taking athlete, but as much so as a superb human being.
   Rest in peace.



5. Mr. Kriegel provides an insightful, interesting, serious study of the background to the life of Pete Maravich. I recommend the book, not only to sports' fans, but to anyone who enjoys well-written biography. For thoses readers who wish to understand Maravich's conversion to Christianity and the course of his post-conversion life, the book disappoints as Kriegel seems to understand the conversion as a retreat into religion rather than a confrontation with reality.

5 comments about Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph.

1. I was so moved by C. Vivian Stringer's account of her rise to stardom in the competitive world of college athletics. The predjudice and personal tragedies she endured and her ability to keep balance in her life and focus through it all is truly inspiring. She is an amazing woman.



2. There are 2 things I absolutely HATED about this book...I hated having to put it down, and I hated when I finished it! Vivian Stringer's story is truly an example of courage in the midst of challenges. It's not just for sports fans. Anyone can be inspired by it.



3. I enjoyed the book. Not life changing but there are some life lessons to be learned through the reading



4. This book was absolutely fantastic. I'm not really into sports but have enjoyed basketball from time to time. Though, I've never really been into college basketball and didn't even know who C. Vivian Stringer was before the Imus incident, I was able to gain a tremendous insight into the life of a strong, confident, and resilient woman and the women she lends a hand in raising. To learn all that she has been through and how she mustered the courage to "Stand Tall" through every adversity was so inspiring, and not just for Black women but for every woman and human being. I certainly recommend that every person take the time to read this incredible story.



5. How important it is to have women, young and old, to know the power and authority that lies within and that you have the perfect example in
   "the Coach" of all times. Ms Stringer has given us this jewel at a time more important that any other that I can remember when so many young women are suffering from low self-esteem and rejection and so many older women are caught in the throws of life. Thanks to Ms. Stringer we have renewed HOPE!!!

5 comments about Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior.

1. This book is one of my favorites. It seems to have been written with a big heart, in-depth knowledge of NBA basketball and good understanding of human behavior. The book shows how the writer has gotten over many challenges in his own life and I bet he will excel in whatever he puts his heart in. He has brought the world of practical spirituality into sports and dared to break boundaries of conventionality.
   A great book!



2. Phil Jackson's philosophy on teamwork and leadership is based upon Native American and Buddhist principles. From his book these principles and spiritual lessons are brought to life and explained in a manner only a man like himself could do. He is trying to let people know lessons are taken from the lessons he has learned throughout his life as a basketball player and coach, but these lessons not only pertain to basketball, they can be used for anyone in order to increase the potential of the human spirit. Phil Jackson is a world-renowned player and coach of the NBA. He is now the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and has won three NBA championships with them; however, he is most famous for leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships with legendary players, such as, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Paxson, and many others. He has adopted the teachings of Eastern philosophies, like Buddhism, and received the nickname the "Zen Master" because of it. Phil Jackson has not only written Sacred Hoops, but several other virtuous books. Other books include Maverick, Take It All, More Than a Game, and The Last Season: a Team in Search for Its Soul. Jackson's inspirational messages are powerful and thought provoking and make the reader experience a sense that they are able to incorporate these teachings into their everyday lives, even if they do not play or watch the game of basketball. The methods he uses, for example, meditation, mindfulness, and visualization, and also quotes used from Zen Buddhism to Native American teachings help provide a new or improved outlook on their lives and help make them, as well as other people around them, better people. As Phil Jackson says, "Being aware is more important than being smart." Whether or not you are an athlete, student or just someone looking for inspirational insight this book is a terrific read.



3. Phil Jackson's depiction of his journey from childhood to professional basketball will be a delight even to the casual sports fan. Centered on his philosophy of unselfishness, Jackson successfully offers insight into the mindset of high stakes coaching enabling one to understand the progression of thought behind many of the tough decisions he made while winning Championships. Sacred Hoops will offer as a special bonus some insight into Michael Jordan's world from a perspective not offered by mainstream media.
   
   I recommend this book to any casual sports fan and in particular to all basketball fans.



4. Is this book a slam-dunk? It could be. I'm having a hard time rating this book 4 stars when it should have had 4.5 stars. This book could be rated more like Scottie Pippen than Michael Jordan to keep up with this book's terms.
   
   The story about Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls is amazing. Any story written about it has the potential to reach Jordan heights. The story described by Phil Jackson makes it even more compelling.
   
   Getting to know the insights about Jackson's training also gives insight about the man and his beliefs as Zen is unmistakenly connected to him. This is the only flaw within the book. Although he used it on his pupils and it worked on them, it does not always guarantee succes outside sports. Business is a different league.
   
   If you're a sports lover just grab a copy of the book and read it. If you like to step up your own game DO try this at home, although success cannot be guaranteed.



5. I am a big fan of Phil Jackson and his approach to the game of basketball. Sports for kids, is an introduction to life, and I really appreciate what Phil has to say. I have read this book numerous times and just now bought the audio book. If you are a coach of any sport, do yourself a favor and read this book!

5 comments about Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond.

1. I read a few of the reviews of this book and knew there would be some whining but come on! Every other paragraph was the author crying about religion in basketball and how he can not relate to any basketball players and this and that. I seriously thought about putting the book down halfway through it (when he was on the Bulls) but i decided to finish it. Bad move by my part. A word of advice, if you want to read 315 pages about a tall, i guess semi-talented (18 games- 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, 6.7 minutes)crybaby then pick this book up. I strongly recommend not getting this book



2. If you want to get a well-written book about playing basketball overseas, pick up "Paddy on the Hardwood" by Rus Bradburd. Paul Shirley "coulda been a contender" for author of a really good inside the sport book. But he lets his cynicism and narcissism get in the way at almost every turn. His journeys could have provided grist for some really interesting stories about parts of professional basketball that outsiders rarely get to glimpse. Instead, he uses them as an opportunity to cry and whine about how unjust life has been to him; a young, healthy and apparently intelligent young man. Too bad.



3. Disclaimer -- Paul is my cousin, so of course I am going to tell you to go buy this book, right now!! In fact, buy three copies. Keep one in plastic to sell on eBay in 20 years, give one to a friend, and read the third. :)
   
   That being said, this book gave me an unequaled insider's view of life in the NBA. Paul pulls few punches, tells it like it is, and doesn't worry about making friends with his assessment of players, coaches, and fans.
   
   I enjoyed his wry observations on life, though I did at times wonder why he keeps up with this lifestyle when it seems he isn't getting too much joy out of it (he does "sardonic" better than "enthusiastic").
   
   Overall, though, I was entertained and captured by this rare view inside the locker room. And I was relieved that he didn't skewer his extended family on the pages. :)



4. For all those people who didn't like this book because of the so-called "whining" and complaining - this book isn't really for them. I suggest they go to the self-help section of the bookstore and grab something there . . . or perhaps join the Oprah Book Club. For the people who've enjoyed Paul Shirley's blog over the years, you'd expect this book to be full of negative comments and complaints . . . as Paul himself said in the book, he writes better when the chips are down (p.54 - Jan. 12 entry) so y'all have been warned early on . . . However, as a pessimist and a cynic myself - I really didn't see his whining and complaining as such . . . it really is just an honest observation and being a basketball player that travels halfway around the globe - those observations are truly interesting and his witty remarks makes the book entertaining as well. It's well-written and would recommend the book to almost anybody (except Oprah and Dr. Phil).



5. I was sick and looking for something to take my mind off it when I picked up Can I keep My Jersey. It's the story of Paul Shirley, a basketball player who's really, really good. He's never gonna be a NBA star but he keeps trying and between NBA stints and his experiences with the CBA, the ABA and the European leagues this is a funny book. It has a few flaws of course, Shirley is a horrible snob and there were times when I found myself wishing that somebody when give him a good smack in the mouth but then all would be forgiven when he'd tell another story about the ridiculous aspects of life on the edge of the NBA.
   
   The chapter on his nightmare trip to Russia--horrible place--- is worth the price of the book alone. It's not the greatest sports memoir ever written but it's amusing and I found myself hoping that eventually Shirley gives up chasing the impossible dream and either starts a writing career or falls back on that engineering degree of his.

5 comments about My Losing Season.

1. In My Losing Season Pat Conroy chronicles his painful senior year playing basketball for the Citadel Bulldogs. Though Conroy's timeframe is limited to one year, this memoir melds the past with the present to bring reflection and perspective to the memories. The title forecasts a negative experience--on the court, with his team, and with life in general. It was a losing season. But a losing season may not be as downbeat as it initially appears. It's possible a losing season may be an opportunity for growth. That is Conroy's conclusion, but not the original story.
   
   The year was negative for Conroy; so negative he forgot many of the details. He used newspaper accounts of the games, and interviews with the other players to recall events. He found that his depressing experience was equally as depressing for many of the other players. Conroy shares his interviews with the reader--interviews with his middle aged teammates.
   
   Ostensibly Conroy divides chapters into wins and loses of the season, but the games are only an excuse for him to delve into the personalities on the team pitted against the callous behavior of their coach Mel Thompson. Why was Thompson so heartless? Conroy and his team mates try to understand. Conroy uses dialogue and descriptive body language to describe the coach and the players. His writing is so clear it puts readers into the action and emotion of the sweaty young men.
   
   The Losing Season goes beyond Conroy's life and becomes a joint memoir of a team of players. The story takes place during the Viet Nam War era in a military academy where athletes were not valued. None of the men had wanted to revisit the losing season, but once Conroy began the process they had an opportunity to examine what had happened, and try to make sense of a difficult time. These old men confess to each other. They absolve each other. They annoy each other.
   
   In his interview with Al Kroboth, the one Conroy says he feared the most, Conroy, who did not deploy to Viet Nam but demonstrated publicly against the war, listens to Kroboth's story. Kroboth recounts his capture, humiliation and torture by Viet Cong. The two men and Kroboth's wife cry together. Conroy acknowledges his shame for not fighting in the war. He says he should have protested only after fighting for the country. He calls Kroboth a hero. He said he now knew the country was good enough to fight for.
   
   Conroy's chapters are not only a play by play account of a basketball season, but real life reflected on by old men who had been young men together. Universal questions are asked. There are no definitive answers; questions remain, but the losing season was a success. Finally the pitiful team that had not bonded during their losing season came together with love and generosity. They are no longer a losing team, but a team bound by maturity, forgiveness, and hope. That is the success of Conroy's literary effort.



2. One of my favorite fictional books of all time is The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. I enjoyed it so much I read all of his other books, which I had to confess were disappointing. Nonetheless, when I saw his memoir on the bookshelf, I thought perhaps it was worth a read. Unfortunately, I was disappointed again. In fiction, his characters can be self-absorbed and still be engaging. The character doesn't even have to be aware of this flaw as long as the reader and narrator are. And through imaginative plot development and counter characters, he can wring the melo out of drama. But in memoir when an author is held to perceived reality, and the narrator, author, and protagonist are all the same individual, Conroy's penchant for overstatement is embarrassingly revealed. Still, if you're in the mood for a sappy story that will grab easy-to-pull heart strings, go for it. Conroy does have his moments.



3. Amazon.com Book Review
   My Losing Season by Pat Conroy
   
   The difficulty and pain that military basketball players go through are shown in My Losing Season by Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy writes about his life as a Southern college student at The Citadel during the 19676 basketball season.
   Pat Conroy's father grew up in the South. His father is in the military and is constantly being sent to work at different places. This causes the author to attend many different high schools during his teenage years. These years are filled with the beatings from his father to his entire family. Pat Conroy is able to put everything he was into the basketball he plays at high school and college. These games and practices help keep Pat from killing his father during one of the many depressing times Pat has. After high school, Pat accepts a basketball scholarship at The Citadel, a military college. His first years at The Citadel are filled with the harsh practices from his coach, the sweat parties during plebe week, and the constant reminder of his father. When the author is a senior he doesn't start the first basketball games and isn't picked as a captain. Instead, he rides the bench with the Green Weenies. Pat battles with his coach, his father, and his college throughout his time at The Citadel.
   As time progresses, Pat goes through numerous challenges. The author is faced with the conflict of depression, and does whatever he can to survive the painful time it brings. Conroy is forced to deal with his father and his basketball coach. He is constantly beaten by his father. Pat is also benched by his basketball coach and yelled at for doing nothing. Pat has to somehow go through the challenge of living his own life happily. The author shows the pain his father caused him when he says, "The game kept me from facing the ruined boy who played basketball instead of killing his father" (6). Along with Pat's father, Conroy has to deal with his basketball coach, Mel Thompson. Mel forbids dates, laughing, or any fun a basketball player could have. This causes pat to go through most of life unhappy and causes him to do whatever it takes to become happy. The basketball that he played was one of the few things that solved his conflict.
   Pat Conroy is able to write in a way that makes one feel that they are attending the events that Pat Conroy is talking about. He is able to write in a way that shows what his life was as a child, but still make it interesting and exciting for the reader. He is able to show the things that he is feeling and the suffering he has as his college. Pat Conroy shows his writing when he describes his team when he says, "I felt my team coming together at last, the way teams are supposed to feel, the ones who you would go to the wall for, dive on the floor for, and shed your blood for" (331). Pat Conroy has the writing style that is very descriptive. The way he writes makes me feel I am watching a movie, instead of reading a book. I am able to see and feel the pain, depression, and rare happiness during the story.
   I felt that this is one of the best written books that I have ever read. This book made me keep reading and kept me from putting the book down. I felt that Pat Conroy did a very good job of writing about his college basketball career in a way that anyone would like it. I liked how he made his own life interesting and true. Also, I liked how nothing was hidden, and he told the truth like a clear jump shot from the corner.



4. Growing up Catholic in the 1960's and 1970's and playing basketball every day because we didn't have the money to go on vacation, are two of many drivers that singles out Pat Conroy's "A Losing Season" as the most talked about book among my friends in our New York suburb.
   
   Mr. Conroy's ability to balance brutal honesty with a sensitivity toward young men of our era, dwarfs my favorite writers such as Tom Wolfe in nailing the complexities of being innocent in a period that was conflicted with our feelings of supporting the beliefs of our fathers who were from WWII and the realities of the 60's and 70's.
   
   When a writer as strong as Pat Conroy takes on young men growing up in the 60's and 70's trying to figure out their catholic up-bringing, clashing with their generation's challenge to conventional beliefs - the result is explosive. Don't miss the best read of your life.



5. A rough life is an understatement for young Pat Conroy. His abusive father and enabling mother help make it an enduring test of character for Pat. He walks away a strong person and also a wise one. Mel Thomason awaits Conroy as yet another test of will power for Pat. Mel is a stubborn man looking to rule a team of basketball players. His ways of braking down a player only to rebuild them and smash them down again, is a test of just how much a man can take. Pat endures a very painful character building period.
   
   Pat Conroy tells a story like a god. Throughout the book Pat is inquisitive about what he will be after basketball is over for him. He lets us know that he has always known he was a great writer but was unsure of himself. He was at a loss for what it was he was meant to do. This book is not only about basketball, but also of self-inquiry. It is a journey of Pat's search for his life road.
   
   Along with Pat's struggles came reward. Pat felt as though he was coming into himself. He discovered life lessons and set life goals. He believes he learn more about himself his senior year at the Citadel then any other single year he as lived. Life is full of self-discovery, especially for Pat.

5 comments about Don't Let The Lipstick Fool You: The Making of a Champion.

1. In August 2008, I had the pleasure of seeing an incredible champion represent America in women's basketball at the summer Olympics in Beijing. Lisa Leslie and her team annihilated their challengers. It meant this incomparable woman had been in four Olympics, won four gold medals, and her teams (since 1996) had a won lost record of 32-0.
   
   When I heard about her current book, I hurriedly purchased it. While I knew she was a warrior on the court, I wanted to explore what other influences shaped her indomitable spirit. Don't Let The Lipstick Fool You, revealed a life that would have caused many of us to despair. I was shocked to discover the hardships, personal upheavals, and cruelties she had to endure. In spite of these tribulations, she emerged out of the shadow of darkness ... a beautiful, poised, and self -assured woman.
   
   I first saw her on a summer day in 1998 crossing a street (near Columbus Circle) in Manhattan. What impressed me most (besides her obvious 6ft 5in frame) were her regal elegance and compassionate nature. Many celebrities have delusions of grandeur. However, Lisa Leslie is the epitome of a class act. She smiled at everyone and signed autographs for strangers that approached. With their applications, too often our society trivializes words like heroine, queen, and star. Reading her autobiography was a reminder for me ... these descriptions would be understatements.
   
   I bought a copy for my teenager. Like many tall girls, she is self- conscious. Ms. Leslie is the embodiment of what my wife and I have been trying to teach our daughter: Stand tall, walk proudly, and be humble and thankful for the talents, assets, and gifts ... bestowed upon you by God.
   
   I thoroughly enjoyed this exquisite book and recommend it to anyone looking for inspiration, hope, and a marvelous way to experience this journey, called life.
   Reggie Johnson, author, How to be Happy, Successful, and Rich



2. I picked up this book because of the respect for the athletic skills that Lisa Leslie shows on the court and the class she shows off the court. However, I learned a lot more than that. I had no clue that she had grew up in a home where her mother was a truck driver and a post office employee. I didn't know that she lived with her aunt and was helped out by her uncles in the game of basketball. I didn't realize that she had basically raised her younger sister, Tiffany and that her older sister had stolen her identity and ruined her credit. It was an informative book about one of the best basketball players of our generation. She was very open about things that happened like the fact that her college coach left because even though she had a better record than the mens coach they wouldn't pay her like it. I felt that Ms. Leslie was very very honest about how she felt during games and in her life about numerous subjects. I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in finding out what makes Lisa Leslie tick but also if you are just looking for a good autobiography of a strong woman that had to overcome numerous obstacles in her life.



3. I feel like I know Lisa now after reading her book. I not only like her as a player but as a person. It was an easy read and inspiring along the way.



4. Anyone who's a WNBA fan of any team other than the LA Sparks knows that the Sparks have gained the reputation of being the team you "love to hate"! But also, as a WNBA fan you have to give credit and your respect to all the women who have been responsible for the love and excitement we have for the league. They have blazed the trail for all the young talents we see today.
   
   Lisa Leslie is definitely one of those women. In her book, "Don't Let The Lipstick Fool You", you will get a better view of Lisa the person as well as the athlete. She shares her life, her beliefs, and her career. I truly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to any WNBA fan.



5. Lisa Leslie's bio/memoir is not just another story of an athlete's rise from hard times to good luck. This is the story of a woman's ruthless determination to honor the gifts and talents God has given her. There is no luck involved... just pure, unadulterated hard work, a loyal personal and professional support network and God's blessings.
   
   DON'T LET THE LIPSTICK FOOL YOU is one of those rare bios that shares the good, the bad and the ugly while inspiring each of us to follow our own journey, working through the dross to get to the silver, then the gold. From a latchkey home in Compton, California to the Olympic Stadiums in Atlanta, Georgia and Sidney, Australia, Lisa Leslie has traveled the road of disappointment, hardship, and betrayal to become a champion in her personal and professional lives.
   
   Leslie has earned the admiration and respect of many of her peers, as evidenced in the foreword by Earvin "Magic" Johnson; but she has earned mine through the sheer diligence, hard work and integrity that not only resonates through her life, but through the precious pages of her uplifting story. DON'T LET THE LIPSTICK FOOL YOU is definitely a keeper.
   
   Reviewed by Cxandra
   for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

4 comments about Winning Sounds Like This: A Season with the Women's Basketball Team at Gallaudet, the World's Only University for the Deaf.

1. Women's basketball books occupy a special niche in sportswriting.
   Writing about a male players, an author might ask, "How did they make it into the big time?"
   Writing about women, authors are forced to ask, "How did they get here at all?" This question adds a new dimension to the stories of women athletes. Players as young as today's collegians have had to overcome stereotypes. Many played on boys' teams -- or tried to.

   Gallaudet women have to overcome a double stereotype -- being not only female, but also deaf. There was a time when opposing teams would openly ridicule deaf basketball players. One player was devastated as a high school student when a coach from a Christian academy openly laughed at her speech. She made the team but never forgot the experience.

   However, the players want to be taken seriously as athletes. They do not want or need pity or condescension. To Coffey's credit, the book focuses on basketball, not deafness. We learn how players and teams compensate for a silent world. They can hear someone dribbling behind them. Referees are briefed: players can't hear the whistle so they may not stop playing immediately. And players on "hearing" teams need ASL translators who understand basketball terms.

   Yet ultimately the story is about the game: coming together as a team and working to win. Like any sports book, there are stories of triumphs as well as tears. We come to care about the players as they, like all college athletes, balance basketball and books.

   Perhaps the most difficult story takes place after the book was written. Ronda Jo Miller, an All-American center, cannot reach her goal of playing on a WNBA team. In stories posted on the internet, we can learn that she earned admiration of players and coaches during the tryout camp. She eventually played professionally in Denmark, with a "hearing" team, and has played in Kansas City with an expansion league, the WNBL.

   What happens to the other athletes? Playing on a winning team can change lives and I found myself hoping they will continue to feel like winners, long after the season has ended.




2. Wayne Coffey not only knows sports but he knows how to write tight, action packed chapters. This story moves. Interpersed with backgrounds on the team members, the history of deaf culture, the story tracks the team through an incredible season. I am not an avid basketball fan nor did I have any particular interest in deaf culture, but this book captured my interest from the first page and held it throughout.

   A rare find.




3. Beautifully written that, at turns, is funny, touching, fascinating and absorbing. I read it at a single sitting.
   Such wonderful character studies of the players, their families and the world of Gallaudet. If you like basketball, if you like visiting other cultures or if you just like stories that bring people to life, you'll love this book. Highly recommended.



4. This book is so good I couldnt stop reading it! It's an inspirational story about human nature, what it takes to be the best and something I knew nothing about previously...deaf culture. It's a well written, must read for anyone who has ever worked hard for something...hearing or deaf.

5 comments about Glory Road: My Story of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship and How One Team Triumphed Against the Odds.

1. GLORY ROAD IS ABOUT TEXAS WESTERN COLLEGE WHO WON THE 1966 NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT. THE BOOK IS WRITTEN BY DON HASKINS WHO COACHED THIS GROUND BREAKING TEAM. BY THAT I MEAN FIVE BLACKS WERE IN THE STARTING LINEUP AN UNHEARD OF THING BACK IN THE 1960'S. HASKINS REALLY KICKED PREJUDICE IN THE ASS. HE WAS NOT PREDJUCIDE TO COLOR BUT TO GUYS WHO WOULD NOT GIVE A 100% EFFORT. HE WAS A REAL S.O.B. TO PLAY FOR, MAKING HIS TEAM PRACTICE VERY HARD AND LONG. (SOMETIMES EVEN AFTER A GAME HE WOULD WORK THEM UNTIL WELL INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS) THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR TODAY WOULD GET HIM SUED OR TEMINATED OR BOTH. HE IS VERY DRIVEN AND VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT WINNING. HE ALSO TRIES TO COME ACROSS AS BEING A NO EGO TYPE OF GUY BUT HE ALSO BRAGS HOW GREAT A POOL PLAYER HE WAS. NOT ALOT OF THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE ACTUAL 1966 TOURNAMENT ITSELF BUT MORE ABOUT HIS RESPECT FOR LEGENDARY COACH HANK IBA AND MORE ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS WHO HELPED MAKE THEM CHAMPIONS. THIS IS A VERY GOOD READ AND I RECOMMEND IT MOSTLY FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL FANS.



2. An amazing person as well as basketball player and coach, Don Haskins relates the history of Texas Western/UTEP basketball in a way that the movie "Glory Road" (though very good) simply could not. Even though the title makes it sound like the 1966 season is all that is covered, this book actually tells the history of Haskins' long tenure here at UTEP, from his first years at the school through the historic championship in '66, and beyond. His insights into the players, coaches, and personalities he came into contact with were enthralling, and the wonderful storytelling really makes you feel like you were there through all the good times and bad. I read it cover to cover the same afternoon I bought it, and highly recommend it to any fan of UTEP, Coach Haskins, or basketball in general. Thanks for everything you've done for the city of El Paso, our university, and the game of basketball, Mr. Haskins.



3. Your current published reviews are enthusiastic but in some cases contain factual inaccuracies. The movie and the book are related in title and subject (Don Haskins); but that is about as far as it goes. The movie which focuses on 1966 is moving and concludes with a happy and factual ending - that is, that Texas Western won that game in 1966 --- but the movie not always true to the facts. Understandably I suppose when you try to compress a life story, even if only one year of a life, into a 2 hour or so movie. The book, from someone who played for Coach, reviewed and commented on the galley proof, and has represented Coach Haskins and the '66 team as a lawyer and a friend for 35 plus years, is "spot-on" and should be read by everyone who has ever had an interest in basketball.
   
   As to the fortunes of 1966 team and the gentlemen representing that team so well, then and now, suffice it to say that the past 3 or 4 years have indeed been a trip down Glory Road: The team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA this past April, only the 6th team to ever be so honored - and the first collegiate team --- with the enshrinement proceedings to be held on September 7 and 8, 2007 at the HOF facility. The team has also been honored with dinner and a movie at the White House with President and Mrs. Bush; the team will be inducted in the Boys Clubs of New York Hall of Fame in October of 2007, and some of the members volunteered to take an Armed Services Entertainment Tour to Germany, the Netherlands and England in February of 2007 to entertain our country's troops and their families. Also, Texas Western's victory on March 19, 1966 in College Park, Maryland over Hall of Fame Coach Adolph Rupp and his great Kentucky Wildcat team, that included Pat Riley, Louie Dampier and Larry Conley, among others, was selected by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") as one of 25 defining moments in the 100 year History of NCAA sports.
   
   I could go on but I think this should at least clear up a few matters and hopefully whet the appetite of prospective readers and reviewers to pause and consider reading this book, viewing the movie. Coach Haskin's story is presented in an interesting manner, containing both Coach Haskin's well known skills as a pick-up riding around story teller and the literary skills of Dan Wetzel who spent hours upon hours riding, listening and recording those stories.
   
   It is well written and factual to a fault; and points out what people can do when they put aside prejudices, rediculous stereoptypes (blacks had no discipline, couldn't be a point guard or quarterback) and circumstances and judge people by character and performance; not color and privilege. Every one of those (then but now not so) young men -- all are still alive except Bobby Joe Hill who passed away of a heart attack in 2002 --- that comprised the Texas Western Team in 1966 had talent and skill; more importantly they had character and heart and respect for each other and their coaches and that combination took them to over the top.
   
   Enjoy this story and share it with others - because of their courage and accomplishments, and those of others in other aspects of the 60's civil rights movement, questions surrounding recruiting, playing, starting and honoring people of color in sports today seem strangely quaint, and beyond the imagination of most people born after the '60s. But it wasn't always so and for this all of society owes a debt of gratitude to Don Haskins, the members of his '66 team, the University of Texas at El Paso (formerly Texas Western College) and the citizens of El Paso for contributing to the environment in which we now find ourselves with respect to race relations in sports.



4. I have the honor of being Don Haskins teammate at Oklahoma A & M, now Oklahoma State University and couldn't be prouder and happier for a very good film about a very historic Coach and athletic event. Please be advised that Don's whole 1966 team was just inducted into the new Collegiate Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri. Buy it, you will like it...!



5. In one of those quirky moments in the book and movie industries, the autobiography of coach Don Haskins was already "in the pipeline" before the development of the picture.
   
   The book and movie share the title - Glory Road - which is a name of a street on the UTEP campus to commemorate the championship basketball season.
   
   The book obviously gives a more fuller picture of Haskins and does not solely focus on the monumental victory by Texas Western College (UTEP) over Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA Finals. There will be areas "filled-in" where the movie takes artistic license with some facts/scenes to push the plot along.
   
   The years after the title run are especially interesting, since the basketball program somewhat faded from national view as the sport became a multi-billion-dollar industry.
   
   It is a shame that history - especially when it comes to matters of race - oftentimes become blurry as the years lumber forward. Though Haskins has always downplayed his role in what was a defining moment on the court of race & athletics, he truly deserved the attention from the national platform that propelled the book to national bestseller status.
   
   The lessons learned along that glory road are as important today as they were 40 years ago.