Book Description

Jeremy McGrath is an unlikely champion who became a legend in Supercross, and helped bring the sport out of the backyard and into your living room. With a flair and personality all his own, he dominated the track like no one had before, proved you could win with both style and substance, and raised the bar on what any single rider could achieve.

From Jeremy's first entry and initiation into Supercross to his ultimate rise, Wide Open gives fans a stadium view of his life, on and off the racetrack. There are great on-track battles with the likes of Jeff Emig, Jeff Stanton, and Ricky Carmichael; Jeremy's professional dealings with the American Motocross Association; overseas competitions; prizewinning purses; and the personal struggle to get to the top and stay there despite injury, controversy, and the passage of time. Each chapter also includes tips for anyone who wants to become a Supercross champion in their own right, so that the torch may pass to the next great generation.

Reviews (12)

Best Book I've Ever Read
I saw this book on Amazon and I decided to go to my local library and check it out. After about 3 pages I couldn't stop reading! During the book it gives you tips and starters on how to be a better motocross rider. It even gives you maintenance tips! Jeremy McGrath tells it how it is, from day 1 to the end of his career. I was surprised by how long it took for him to get a sponsor, and how he started out with old beaters instead of finely tuned factory rides. There is plenty of little pictures to go with it, too. I never was bored once when reading this book, and I didn't want it to end.

I would have to say this book deserves 6 stars instead of 5, but 5 was the highest you could put...

Great insight and easy reading book
Other than magizines, I don't normally read books. But my hats off to Jeremy. This is a great book about family values, frinedships, sacrifices, facts and his living history of the Motocross industry. There are many insights into what happens behind the races that will open your eyes. It's not just about racing - Jeremy goes into preparation, both physical and mental and politics amongst the race teams. I read this book in three days and it won't take you long either. I learned allot about how individuals in the grueling sport of Motocross. I strongly recommend this book - young and old. A must for someone in the sport.

Good enough for a serious reader or ADD riders like me
This book is awsome, the minuite I read the excript of his book in RacerX I knew I had to buy it. It's very well written and has a nice flow to it. It gave me a new respect for the greatest Supercoss Rider of all time. Even if you don't like Jeremy you'll love his book, it's smart, funny, and suprising.

Wonderful MX Book
I just finished reading "Wide Open". It is an excellent book and should have been written a long time ago as MX riders have been terribly exploited over the years. Many were forced out of this demanding sport by injuries that would alter the rest of their lives physically, emotionally and financially.

Jeremy McGrath wrote an engaging and moving testament to the sport that will help riders, sponsors, and promoters better understand what is exactly at stake when a rider goes to the line.

Thanks, Jeremy, you have helped to make motocross a better experience for everyone.

Wide Open
I liked the book. Overall it is a good read. But it has a really odd, disjointed feel to it. The editing is poor, sloppy and ... well did I say the book has an odd, disjointed feel to it?

Definitely get the book and enjoy it! But if you are like me you will come away feeling McGrath is a child in a man's world. His life seems so out of balance and immature.

On the one hand he is absolutely the most polished, refined and focused MX racer possible. But on relationships with people in business and his personal life he comes across as a extremely immature and self centered brat.

McGrath absolutely rebels against demands Honda placed on his personal life and throws away the rest of his career by his selfishnish. He ends up on teams he doesn't like with bikes that fail him and hurt him, etc. Not smart!

Again, a good read but disappointing in part.

His father is portrayed as an immature individual in social relationships, such as spitting in folks faces, running from the police, fighting security etc. But on the other hand, he is extremely able to do things that take a lot of focus, such as run a business, sucessfully raise a family and... produce a true champion!

The younger McGrath seems like a chip off the old block as they say. Able to produce what he focuses on, but remains an infant and immature on the social scene.

And that's exactly how the book comes across. It seems written and edited poorly and without discipline but the main focus, which is McGrath's championship formation is outstanding.

The bottom line, read and enjoy this book! But if you are like me you will be sad that McGrath's social skills and morals are so poor. Hopefully marriage and some years of maturity will help him. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

PAT CONROY–AMERICA’S MOST BELOVED STORYTELLER -- IS BACK!

“I was born to be a point guard, but not a very good one. . . .There was a time in my life when I walked through the world known to myself and others as an athlete. It was part of my own definition of who I was and certainly the part I most respected. When I was a young man, I was well-built and agile and ready for the rough and tumble of games, and athletics provided the single outlet for a repressed and preternaturally shy boy to express himself in public....I lost myself in the beauty of sport and made my family proud while passing through the silent eye of the storm that was my childhood.”

So begins Pat Conroy’s journey back to 1967 and his startling realization “that this season had been seminal and easily the most consequential of my life.”The place is the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, that now famous military college, and in memory Conroy gathers around him his team to relive their few triumphs and humiliating defeats.In a narrative that moves seamlessly between the action of the season and flashbacks into his childhood, we see the author’s love of basketball and how crucial the role of athlete is to all these young men who are struggling to find their own identity and their place in the world.

In fast-paced exhilarating games, readers will laugh in delight and cry in disappointment.But as the story continues, we gradually see the self-professed “mediocre” athlete merge into the point guard whose spirit drives the team.He rallies them to play their best while closing off the shouts of “Don’t shoot, Conroy” that come from the coach on the sidelines.For Coach Mel Thompson is to Conroy the undermining presence that his father had been throughout his childhood.And in these pages finally, heartbreakingly, we learn the truth about the Great Santini.

In My Losing Season Pat Conroy has written an American classic about young men and the bonds they form, about losing and the lessons it imparts, about finding one’s voice and one’s self in the midst of defeat.And inhis trademark language, we see the young Conroy walk from his life as an athlete to the writer the world knows him to be. ... Read more

Reviews (89)

Wonderful!
I am so glad that I read this book and wish mr. Conroy had even more books to read.

I was hesitant to read a basketball memoir, but this was much more. The sports motif was really an allegory of so much more. I learned a lot about the author's life, education and childhood. This gave me more insight into his other novels particularly Beach Music and Lord's of Discipline (both excellent).

This was so well written. Everything become lyrical when described by pat Conroy. He is so reflective, honest and insightful. I am not sure about the conversation between the author and the protagonist from Lord's of Descipline, but it was an interesting diea.

I had to go back and savor passages that were just so beautitful.

I loved it and thank the author for sharing so much of his spirit and craft!

My Losing Season a Winner!
"My Losing Season" by Pat Conroy is a reflective catharsis of the author's yearning to understand his past from an emotional distance that only the passing of the years can provide. Drawing upon interviews with former basketball teammates, family members, and friends, Conroy paints a picture that, while framed within his senior basketball season, spills over into his whole composite canvas of experiences in life. It is the mixture and texture of his past that create a book that is both haunting and, ironically, uplifting.

Pat Conroy's father was physically and verbally abusive against a helpless son, mother, and family. The monster that was his father hated himself so much that he punished his son for all of his unfulfilled dreams. The glimpses into the abuse are brief yet tangible enough that the reader wishes he could reach through the pages and retaliate for the injustices. Yet out of this abuse, the author chose to not only persevere, but to excel against the odds. Too short and too average to be an exceptional athlete, Conroy instead fused all of his intensity into being the best basketball player he could possibly be. His coach at The Citadel in his "losing season" mirrors his own father in that there was never much communication, especially positive. Conroy, having been told that he will not start any games in his senior season, does not quit; instead, he plays even harder as a point of pride and determination. The quality of not letting others define us and of not allowing other to control our lives is, by itself, a monumental theme for all regardless of the reader's age or gender.

If there's room your book collection for a story that is uplifting and will make you reflect upon your own life's destination, I would highly recommend this as a "must read book."

Loss, Survival and Truth
Pat Conroy is a true literary artist and like all artists he needs to take his art into places he hasn't been before. No, this is not Prince of Tides revisited; this is a different kind of book, an insightful book about athletes written by a sensitive genius, but it asks one of the same questions as Prince of Tides. It asks about survival.

Early on there is a telephone call, a friend has committed suicide. In the background children are crying. So begins the story.

Later, a teammate mentions that he always knew he would have to come back to that awful year and revisit it. Since Pat Conroy is the writer he is we are all able to go with him through all the disappointments. Who else has the stamina to tackle a subject as painful as a losing senior year?

This book is not for the weak of heart. This book hurts. Still there is great value in being able to examine losing in an age where athletes and the reality of loss are infrequently paired for public viewing.

Against the norm this book exposes a necessary truth: it isn't and never will be, all about winning.

the prince of ambivalence
Pat Conroy is a pretty decent basketball player - but unless you read very closely, you won't come away with that impression. According to him, his main strengths are persistence and perhaps a bit of blind loyalty to a coach who even the most non-judgmental reader will realize is a walking personality disorder. Perhaps Conroy's strength as a player in college is the same as his strength as a writer - i.e. a willingness to show up, take notes, invest much time doing so, and finally, bear witness for his team and school.

Those who have read Conroy's "The Lords of Discipline" will have a sense of deja vu in many places, and it may be fascinating to see how Conroy first shaped his time at the Citadel into fiction. You get to meet the real people whom the characters in "Lords" were based on, and also get a good sense of why Conroy kept his protagonist's father deceased.

He, himself, may disagree with this, but I believe that the early abuse Conroy received at the hands of his military father, may have kept him from seeing his college coach as the monster he was. The book is well-written but charts a lot more humiliation than triumph, and the reader may become unsure as to whether Conroy is exaggerating or under-stating. One page, X is a monster, the next, he is singing X's praises. So the read as a whole, keeps your interest, but in many places can be somewhat grueling to get through. As a writer, he is both acutely self-aware and maddingly blind to other people's character.

Towards the end, Conroy states that his father eventually changed, and became closer to the idealized father his "The Great Santini" book/movie. Yet he leaves out the details of this transformation. That was a disappointment. But maybe that's the subject of a future book.

My Losing Season
Pat Conroy is arguably the best writer of our times. His character development, attention to detail, and turns-of-the-phrase are to be praised and esteemed. I am also arguably the most devoted Conroy fan, having read, loved, and memorized every one of his novels. However, this book was an extreme disappointment.
First, there is the structure. For the most part, Conroy describes every single game the Citadel Bulldogs played his senior year on the basketball team. Additionally, at the beginning and the end of the novel--fittingly as this is in flash-back form--Conroy talks about the current status of his old team-mates and coach. Yet, there are parts of the book that do not seem to fit.
Conroy spends a good many pages describing his elementary, middle and high school basketball careers; while this would be fitting if the book were an autobiography or even if it were solely about Conroy's love of basketball, it seems pointless as the novel claims to center around a single season. He also talks about his multiple marriages, frequent mental breakdowns, previous novels (at one point even talking to characters from his novels) and other aspects of his life that, while interesting, again break away from the main idea of the single season. Also, like in all Conroy books, there are the "I hate my father and the military" statements, which--I hate to say--grow a bit old after a while (though, admittedly, he says he later grew to love his father and reconciled with his alma mater).
Second, there is the language of the text. While Conroy is known for his mastery of the English language, it seemed that he was "trying too hard" in this book; the sentences were longer and more dramatic than they had to be, and at some points I was laughing at Conroy's word selections.
I suppose my main problem with this novel was that I didn't understand his purpose in writing it until the last ten pages. He wrote the novel to show that everyone has "losing seasons" and to show that while winning is great, it is our mistakes that teach us our greatest lessons. While this is certainly an admirable, and sound argument, it was not apparent until the last ten pages, forcing one to wonder many times "What's the point?!"
In conclusion, this was an "OK" read. If you are a true Conroy fan, I don't even know why you're skimming these reviews, because you know you're going to read the book anyway. If you are merely interested in reading Pat Conroy's work, that's wonderful, but don't let this mediocre novel be your first exposure to a truly exceptional author who can and has written better (read Beach Music or The Prince of Tides instead). ... Read more

Book Description

The #1 Los Angeles Times bestseller from the host of NPR's Weekend Edition -- "absolutely spectacular-wise and intimate, often funny, always touching" (Scott Turow) -- now in paperback.

In a beautifully written narrative that runs from childhood to adulthood through times of war and peace, Scott Simon movingly tracing his life as a fan -- of sports, theater, politics, and the people and things he holds dear.

Sports Illustrated columnist Ron Fimrite says of Home and Away, "Rarely do you find in books of this genre a clearer look into mysteries and confusions of childhood . . . moving and often amusing portraits . . . insights into the complex and often corrupt world of Chicago politics, the city being this book's true protagonist. There are compelling scenes from Simon's years as a war correspondent, roving reporter, and political operative . . . There is also an emotional account of Michael Jordan's last championship season with the Bulls that is a book within a book . . .

"The writing is uniformly superb. This is, in fact, a memoir of such breadth and reach it compares favorably with another book that is allegedly about the nature of sports allegiance, Frederick Exley's A Fan's Notes. And that, believe me, is saying something." ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A gem!
I'm not a sports fan and I absolutely LOVED this book. I've been an avid listener of Scott Simon's Weekend Edition for many years and have always enjoyed his view of the world. When I heard he had a book coming out, I trotted out to buy it (locally, not on Amazon where I could have saved some money - groan!) and read it on a beach vacation. I couldn't put it down. I so thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was a delight to read. (Hey - when I was in Chicago last week for business, I called up an old college friend and convinced him to go with me to a Chicago Cubs game - and had a blast!) Thanks, Scott, for the book, and hurry up and write more!

Fabulous, lives up to the hype and more!
The reviews are starting to come in now and I don't want to hyperbolize. I picked up Home and Away because I had heard some good things about it and liked the few pages I read in the bookstore. I'm in a big baseball reading mode right now and Home and Away seemed to be definitely up my alley. After finishing it last night, I can say without hesitation that this is the best book I've read in a long time. Yes, it is a memoir of a fan but much much more. Simon is a gifted writer and his stories: the heartbreak of the Cubs, decline, ascension and decline of the Bears and the once in a lifetime experience of rooting for the Michael Jordan Bulls are all beautifully crafted - Simon puts you there, at Wrigley, Comiskey, Soldier Field, Chicago Stadium and the United Center, but he does so much more. He tells about the many setbacks suffered as boy, living in a loving but dysfunctional family, he brings the misery of Sarajevo and Grenada home through his experiences as a reporter in the same vivid detail as he describes the many games he has seen. He also writes about his transformation from 60s radical to 80s and 90s war correspondent. But he also, without gushing, illustrates how/why sports play such a seminal part in his and our lives. We meet fascinating people - Jack Brickhouse, Leo Durocher, Luc Longley, Mike Ditka, etc. Additionally, this book is great for its uniqueness. Somehow Simon brings all of these diverse elements together in a way where everything is connected. I'm not a Chicagoan but imaginine how moved one is when sharing Simon's memories. Above all, one does not have to be a sports fan to derive great pleasure - it is truly a human story without the cliche. We will be hearing a lot more about this book.

Great Narration, Bad Facts
Any sports fan (especially from the Chicago area) will definitely enjoy this story of growing up as a fan in Chicago. The only thing that keeps me from giving this book 4 stars is the inaccuracies. In several instances, Simon gives incorrect scores, dates and places. You would think it would be easy for someone in his position to have the correct info, so this unfortunately distracted me from an otherwise fine read.

For any sports fan!
I admit, as a transplanted Chicagoan and die-hard sports fan, its hard to be objective about this book. Scott Simon cleverly weaves his own personal remembrances of growing up in Chicago, into an historic timeline of sports and politics, which amounts to must read for anyone who wants a true glimpse into the soul of 'the city with big shoulders'.
I laughed hard and often at the family anecdotes, its easy to see where Simon gets his sense of humor, thrilled at reliving the Cub season of '69 and saddened, once again, at Brian Piccolo's courageous battle with cancer.
After finishing 'Home and Away', I was compelled to send copies to a few of my sports buddies...less fortunate souls having grown up in cities of less character.
I am a fan of the city, its teams (except the Sox...go Cubbies), and this writer ,who embodies it all so well in this book.
Bravo.

Starts Superbly, Oozing with Sap by the End
I picked up Home and Away because I like to read books on sports by sophisticated minds. And initially, I wasn't disappointed. Scott Simon delivers a vivid depiction of his childhood and his childhood love for sports, offering touching and revealing personal moments in the process. When he discusses his father and stepfather, we see the fan in a context larger than just the game, which I appreciated and admired.

But after the stepfather's criminal conviction, the narrative transitions into the story of the recent Bulls dynasty. Here is where book's self-indulgent love for Chicago turns to insufferable, sentimental cheese. In addition to slathering extra layers of sentimental goo on the Bulls--more than Simon previously appropriated for either Butkus's or Ditka's Bears--Simon covers ground already covered expertly and thoroughly by David Halberstam in Playing for Keeps. Only unlike Halberstam, Simon all but kisses Michael Jordan's behind, assessing no blame and even offering excuses for the star's occasional bad behavior. To me, the blatant sycophancy (is that a word?) on the part of the author makes me wonder if he willfully compromised his journalistic integrity or if that occurrence was inadvertant. Either way, I was thoroughly disappointed and had to stop reading. As do most Chicagoans, Simon simply got unBearably self-indulgent in his love for his city. ... Read more

Book Description

Curtis Turner's life embodied everything that makes NASCAR the biggest spectator sport in American history.In gripping prose, and with full access to the files of Turner's widow, biographer Robert Edelstein thrillingly recreates the life of this American legend.Full Throttle is the first-ever full-scale chronicle of Turner's legendary life, from his days as a teenage moonshine runner, through his incredible comeback after four years of being banned from the NASCAR circuit.Motor racing and mayhem, the non-stop pursuit of outrageous dreams, high-speed thrills, and a really good time...these are the raw materials of Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner.This one's on the fast track. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Great Book
From the first page straight through to the last this book is a thrilling page-turner that just cannot be put down.You will lose sleep.The dishes will pile up and the bills go unpaid.And you may never drive responsibly again...

Three cheers and five stars for Curtis Turner, Robert Edelstein, and "Full Throttle" -- a great, great book.

Hands down the best auto racing book I've seen
I've been around this sport my whole life, and I've eagerly snatched up and read every book on the sport I could find.

And out of all of those, this book is without a doubt the best.Curtis Turner had a life that would take 4 Hollywood films to document.It was complex, it was wild, it was, in a word, unbelievable.Edelstein's book was 5 years in the making.It was painstakingly researched, and was very, very well written.Edelstein puts the reader in the race car with Turner, as well as in the seat next to him aboard his Aero Commander, where Curtis was equally as fearless.From the highs, such as his 1956 Southern 500 victory, to the lows, such as the ultimate betrayal of a business partner that lost him his beloved Charlotte Motor Speedway, the book continues to work at a professional, even keel.

It's not a book about racing.It's a book about a legend.It was long overdue.Thank you, Mr. Edelstein, for finally bringing Curtis Turner back to life.

Legend of the Early Days
There's always been the instinct in mankind to see if their horses, cars, airplanes or boats were faster than the other guys. In the days long before NASCAR was the most popular sport in the country there was still racing.

The early training in what was to become NASCAR was running illegal liquor during prohibition. That's how Curtis Turner got his start. And from what he learned there, combined with a natural showmanship he all but defined what NASCAR racing was all about. In his day he was bigger than any star you can name today. This is his story. From running liquor to winning millions, constantly living life close to the edge his story is an interesting one.

Mr. Edelstein has carefully researched this book, talking to a large number of people who knew him personally and makes this a fascinating tale.

Simply The Best
You don't have to be a NASCAR entusiast to love this book.Edelstein's opus brings us back to the middle 50's and allows us to experience the growth of stock car racing while learning about the characters involved.It is a thrilling chronicle of racing action, personalities, and the birth of a purely American sport.

I, for one, hope that Mr. Edelstein will continue to provide us with these entrhalling and captivating works.

Great subject, excellent book
With December's "Vukovich" and an almost simultaneous release of books on Turner, Tim Richmond and Fireball Roberts, this seems to be a golden season of sorts for overdue racing biographies.
They're all great reads, but "Full Throttle" is the best written of the bunch.
Having said that, any book on Turner was bound to be fun. Turner was a true wild man, a gifted and brilliant driver--of any kind of car--a daring pilot who was stripped at times of his license by the FAA; a skirt chaser extrodinaire; wildly successfull business man; a moonshine runner; friend of almost everyone, including a President; NASCAR founding star; talented timber merchant and legendary party animal.
If the word "legend" could be applied to any NASCAR driver, it would be Turner. Even Dale Earnhardt's story pales in comparison.
This is a real biography, heavy on Curtis' character, motivations, family, and friends. With all of his private successes, failures, triumphs and tragedies. Not just a record of race results, as most sports biographies turn out to be. I thought I knew Turner's story well, but this proved me wrong. Assumptions Ihad about the sequence of events that led to his death in a fatal airplane crash, were wrong and corrected by this book.
As an aside, I don't accept any conspiracy theroies regarding the crash, I had a brother-in-law who died several years ago in a very similar crash and I believe that as hard as it is to accept, these sorts of accidents do happen.
Excellent book, I loved it. Now all we need is a some books on Lorenzen, Lockhart and Mays... ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Best Leadership Book I Have Ever Read
I have read Maxwell and a host of other leadership books, but there is a world of difference between a consultant or a middle-manager telling you about leadership...and the winningest coach in college football telling you about leadership!

The thing I liked the most is that rather than vague affirmations or ambiguous principles, Bowden gives us SPECIFIC, hard-won advice regarding handling staff, planning for success, etc.

The fact that he has done so remarkably well--with his job "on the line" based on each season's performance, not to mention every time he plays a strong rival--Bowden gives us a CEO/Chairman of the Board-level view of how to handle matters.

I bought it because I am an FSU fan. I kept it because it was the best book on leadership I had ever read.

Bobby Bowden is a Legend..
On the football field Bobby Bowden is king! He is also a very inspirational and motivated person. This book is amazing, in ALL aspects. You don't have to be a Florida State or even a football fan, this book goes so far beyond any sport. This book basically tells you how too live a better life, and Bobby Bowden obviously has a awesome one.

excellent
i would recommend this book to anyone who has to manage people in any capacity...from managing your children to managing your employees...Coach Bowden has proven himself to be a true leader both on and off the football field.

The Bowden Way
In The Bowden Way, Steve and Bobby Bowden combine to bring the reader practical, common sense approaches to issues every one of us face on a daily basis. Moreover, the content keeps you interested, is easy to follow, and is very linear in moving along from one topic to the next. Of course, with Bobby Bowden, there's always a bit of that geniune humor we've all come to expect. I would strongly recommend this book for any and all ages, football fan or not. It's a refreshing read.

bowden shows us all how to win!
Wow- where to start. As a high-school football coach and student of motivation I have read every book written by a successful coach of any sport. All have been helpful, but this book is by far the best advice I have ever read on coaching and leading an organization. Bowden writes simple statements that at first glance seem somewhat to simplistic. However, the simplicity is the genuis of the man. The advice is short, specfic, and it works. I did not read one story or find an example as being a "coaching embellishment" all of the examples the man provides are real-life situations and the honest apprasial of the situation is a treat. As a coach I have a found a simple but powerful way to build a football program, as a leader and a person I have found a way to live a life with simple workable ideas and practices. Bowden's chapters on staff morale and staff meetings are pure gold to football coaches. Every coach should own this book and every person should read it. I was not a huge Bobby Bowden fan before, but I am now. He has written an honest book, that will make a huge difference for whomever reads it. ... Read more

Book Description

Readers have the opportunity to enter the world of college football and follow one player through his experiences on the gridiron of the Southeastern Conference for the Auburn Tigers. A Tiger’s Walk observes him as he battles the highs and lows of championship and losing seasons, coaching hirings and firings, and personal success and tragedy.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, the self-proclaimed "football capital of the South," Rob Pate grew up well aware of the significance of college football in his home state. At the age of five he embarked on a journey in football that carried him from a proud youth league ballpark in small-town Alabama to the splendor of SEC football, as well as to the National Football League.

Readers can gain an understanding of daily life in college football and what today’s game is genuinely like, not from the perspective of someone who never touched the gridiron a day in his life, but rather from someone who recently stepped off the field for the very last time. Pate talks about facing some of the issues that have been buried for too long by college football’s big business bureaucracies. This is one Tiger’s walk in the world of today’s student athlete, helping fans watch from the sidelines and become one of the team. ... Read more

Book Description

He has been called the best high school basketball player ever.

He made the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior, was featured on national television, and signed more than $100 million in promotional contracts before the end of his senior year. He became the no-doubt-about-it No. 1 pick in the NBA draft right after high school graduation.

Why the big fuss over LeBron James?

The odds were against him from the start. Born in poverty to a 16-year-old single mom, without a stable home for the first decade of his life, LeBron could have become just one more scarred product of a rough childhood in the projects.

Instead, he became the darling of the sports world—and he plays the part well.

Sportswriter David Lee Morgan, Jr. covered the phenomenon for the Akron Beacon Journal and had frequent access to LeBron and his family, coaches, teammates and best friends. He witnessed firsthand the exceptional plays on the basketball court. But he also saw LeBron develop the surprising poise with which he handled the pressure, the scrutiny and criticism, that arrived with the early onset of fame—as a circus-like atmosphere descended on this talented kid and his small parochial school in Akron, Ohio.

In this book, Morgan gives an inside look at the rise of basketball’s hottest prospect, poised at the brink of superstardom. It’s a story for any fan who wants to get to know LeBron better, and for anyone curious about how a high-school basketball phenom is made. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

ohio's best sportswriter & basketball player in 1 book!!
I live in Dallas,Tx and when it comes to basketball I hear 2 things: 1- Dallas Mavericks; 2- Lebron James. I was fortunate to find this book in Dallas,Tx and I judge books by how long it takes to read. This book falls under the term used on Lebron - "CAN'T MISS". It was a non stop read that resulted in my wife yelling at me for not doing my chores over the weekend. My wife began an investigation as to what I was doing. She soon discovered that the book was too good not to read after viewing the pictures. I am proud to report that she read her first sports book at the tender age of 34. There is hope? Being a media magnate for years - I've been able to see more media and athletic talent than Terry Pluto & Jim Gray would ever dream of: you simply have Ohio's best sportswriter in David Morgan and Ohio's best basketball player in Lebron James in 1 book. That combination makes it an easy choice to buy the book.

Amazing
This book was unbelievable. David Lee Morgan Jr. is a mastermind. He captured every angle of LeBron's young life. The book was a pageturner from the very beginning when LeBron held a basketball for the first time right up until the announcement for the number one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Every time you turned the page something new and interesting immediately jumped out at you. The book also includes many color photos of LeBron which follow along with the storyline. If you're looking a book about LeBron James then this is the book for you.

A great book!!
I met David Lee Morgan, Jr. at a recent book signing. I took the book home and finished it that day. It is a beautifully written story of a young man with truly exceptional ability and talent! Morgan's insight into this young star's life and development provide an honest and touching account of LeBron's rise to stardom.
I highly recommend this book for all ages. It is both inspiring and heartwarming, and underscores what success really is...a combination of outstanding attributes, values, love and concern for others, and a support system of family, friends and mentors. I hope Morgan writes a sequel!

The personal touch does it
Knowing and living around a star before they are a star provides insights and a sense of who a person really is better than can anyone who only becomes acquainted after stardom hits the public eye. That is what David Morgan has uniquely contributed to the understanding of who LeBron is. Morgan was personally selected by mom Gloria for the privilege of writing LeBron's story because she expected him to be fair to the family. He was also a known commodity because he was a local sportswriter and followed LeBron's career before he was King James. Morgan was given access to the stories of family members so that he could speak from their unique vantagepoints. He has done that very well, but he has also balanced those positions with perceptions of the people with whom they came in contact, which were not always the same. This book helps us begin to understand how such a talent could be developed from what society might consider the most adverse of circumstances to the maturity and grounding we have seen so far from this young athlete. The extent of the extended family influences are clearly evident and truly amazing. My hope is that David Morgan continues his relationship with the James family, that they continue to trust him with their confidences, and that he writes more to help us learn further about the importance of mentors and models in the growing years of our youngsters.

LeBron James: The Rise of a Star
I am not a true sports fan or a reader of sports history or biography so my review comes with no past experience. I truly enjoyed the book and thought it was well written. It was informative and yet entertaining. Not only did Morgan capture LeBron's past but gave the readers a glimpse into how his character was built and what we could possibly look for in the years to come. Congratulations to Morgan on a well-written book! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A reporter and an artist
Those who are truly interested in what our world is all about and would like to get profound insights into other cultures don't waste their time on the pulp spewed daily by the popular media. Books and essays by Ryszard Kapuscinski constitute a needed antidote.

A Polish reporter whose literary skills have been compared to those of G. Greene and E. Hemingway, Kapuscinski is the only writer I know who has consistently managed to capture the essence of the geo-political realities, misunderstood conflicts, and non-Western mentalities - in all of their complexity - so accurately, with such poetry, and in so few words. "The Soccer War" is a favorite of mine. His upcoming "The Shadow of the Sun" is the best book on Africa I have ever read.

He may be one of the best writers around; it's such a shame he is not more widely known.

Challenging and gripping writing
R.Kapuscinski has spend many years of his life travelling and trying to understand the reality and the way of thinking of the third world countries . The Soccer War is exactly about that , with it's biggest part reffering to Africa and it's final fifty-sixty pages dedicated to Central America .

Kapuscinski succeeds his aims on many levels . He manages both to analyze the political situation on places like Nigeria and Ghana , to focus on the motivations and strategy of the people who hold power there and at the same time he richly describes the landscapes , the scarried faces and the towns and neighbourhoods he had seen . What he seems to try to explain is this : despite the fact that there are many gifted politicians in these nations willing to make a difference , the lack of diplomatic maturity needed , the poverty and the unalphabatised mases will always stand as an obstacle to their lands' progress .

Finally i was very pleased to see for the first time in a foreign book a chapter about the merely occupied and still divided island of Cyprus , an overlooked national drama which hasn't received the attention it should have for over than thirty years now .

Wonderful snapshots of war and revolution
This book is actually a series of essays and dispatches from various corners of the world, unlike some of Kapuscinski's previous work, which looked in length at specific countries (Iran, Ethiopia, etc.). The various sections ranged from marvelous to merely good. The first half of the book chronicles Kapuscinski's visits to Africa in the 1960's, and he provides us with some wonderful portraits of that continent's post-indenpendence dilemmas. The author really seems to capture the mixture of optimism, heroism, disillusionment, and despair that nearly every African country went through. There is a particularly colorful look at Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah, as well as chapters on the Congo's Lumumba, Algeria's Ben Balla, a brutal civil war in Nigeria, and one of the most curious military takeovers I have ever read about in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), which Kapuscinski came upon by accident. The author relates riveting near-death experiences in the Nigeria and Burundi chapters. The latter half of the book chronicle's visits to Latin America, the Middle East, Cyrus, and the Ethiopia-Somalia border during the 1970's. I found his description of the 1969 "Soccer War" between Honduras and El Salvador to be especially compelling. Kapuscinski's specialty is not in technical, academic analyses of war, economic underdevelopment, or tyranny. Nor is he necessarily a sensationalist, out to shock readers with gory details. Of course, many of his stories are quite sensational to those unaquainted with such things, but his presentation is subtle and thoughtful. He seeks to find traces of humanity in even the most barbarous situations. Another thing I really appreciate about Kapuscinski is that he seemingly talks to everyone, from urban intellectuals to impoverished peasants. The only reason I gave this book four stars rather than a perfect five is the fact that sometimes I would have appreciated a bit more technical analysis, or at least background information. This was especially lacking in his chapters on Cyprus and the Somili-Ethiopian war, where he perfectly captures the flavor of everyday life in the midst of crisis, but provides little insight into origins of the crisis itself. Also, Kapuscinski frequently launches into philosophical musings which can range from dazzlingly brilliant to downright ponderous. Nevertheless, even these detours into the abstract do not negatively affect the flow of the book, and they are minor criticisms when put into perspective. I highly recommend The Soccer War to anyone wishing to gain a better picture of some of the most intriguing events and places of our world.

Good read, but a bit self-indulgent
Kapuscinski is a Polish reporter who worked extensively in war zones in Africa and South America, and most of this book is about his experiences in Africa in the 1960's. Towards the end of the book he also writes about the war between Honduras and El Salvador (the "soccer war" of the title) which was sparked by soccer internationals between the two countries.

I first read this book quite a few years ago and I enjoyed it immensely at the time, and would have given it four stars then. Upon reading it a second time recently I found it less impressive, though still a good read. Kapuscinski evokes Africa well, and is very good at describing people, but I now felt that he was directing too much attention to his own experiences/emotions (and bravery?), instead of just describing situations. I also found the device whereby he keeps on referring to and writing about the book that he plans but never writes (if this does not make sense here, it also doesn't make much sense in the book itself) irritating and more than slightly pretentious, as if he wanted to make The Soccer Wars a more intelligent book than most written about war. This pretentiousness also shines forth in the very confusing last chapter of the book. But, having said this, The Soccer War, although not a masterpiece by any means, is still well worth reading, as it deals with a very interesting period in African history, a period that produced some fascinating political leaders.

Incoherent Mess
Sorry, but this book is a major disappointment. I have enjoyed a lot of Kapuscinski's writing, but this book really misses the mark. Some of Kapuscinski's trade mark incredibly perceptive observations shine out here and there, but what is the coordinating thesis??? What are the salient conclusions Kapuscinksi makes after viewing so much revolution? We never get any clear eludication of the above, the book reads like a diary and diaries are often incoherent messes. The book can be enjoyed on the level of a diary, but it would have been much much better had Kapuscinski put together a (few) coordinating thesis for the book, and allowed the book to flow in a way that supports his thesis. Also many of the topics that Kapuscinski touches really deserve their own entire books. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tossing aside a mundane and meaningless job, Daniel Duane went to Santa Cruz, California, to surf for year. The book he wrote about it, Caught Inside is something of a Walden of our times. It's wonderfully written, weaving wave wisdom with literary and historical references. And it's not for surfers only: even readers who have never seen the surf will find themselves taken up in the book's rhythms.

Duane sought the peace that surfing offers, and his impressions of surfing characters, sea life (otters, seals, and the great white shark everyone fears is right under you as you paddle your board), and the seasons by the sea are evocative and soothing to read. ... Read more

Reviews (59)

Great Read !!!1
I enjoyed this book very much. In fact, I could not put it down once I started. Duane is an excellent writer & really gives you the feeling that you are spending each day surfing with him at his spots along the CA. coast. He captures the solitude that all surfers crave...but can't explain to others.

it was well written but itl eft me wanting more surf stories
daniel duane is a great write, he mixes in history of california and surfing with his own experience on the claifornia course. the book starts out good, with many stories of surfing and insights to his childhood. the book became kind of tedious reading when he spents chapters talking about animals and marine life rather than surfing. also in some cases he started a story and ended just when you wanted to know more. i say read the book but it's definitely a five star performance

A review by a surfer for other surfers
I have just finished Caught Inside and I must say, this is pretty thin. I have been surfing the California coast for twenty two years in and around Santa Cruz and I haven't seen a fraction of the things that Mr. Duane has claimed to have seen. I think what we have here is someone who invested a year of his life surfing and still didn't have enough interesting material to put together much more than the same stories we all have about good days and bad in the water. In order to stretch his content he did some research and came up with some really good material about the history of the California coast, weather and wave dynamics and local flora and fauna. The rest seems pretty fictional with implausible conversations which occur while surfing breaking waves, stereotypical depictions of locals and main characters, forced wannabe guru-ism and a hyper alertness that notices and relates every detail of earth, sea, wind, plant and animal.

great book on surfing
Caught Inside is a great read about surfing and surf "culture", but it only scratches the surface of the beauty and magic of riding waves. Duane does an admirable job of detaling the "lifestyle" of serious surfers, and gives some insight to what surfing is about - no easy task. His writing is lucid and beautiful, romanticizing surfing while addressing the challenges of it. The only critcism I have is Duane's attempt at "de-mystifying" surfing, an effort at which he ultimately fails; words literally defy the magic of water and air and the sensation you get while surfing. Nonetheless its a great read.

Not just for surfers, in fact, probably not for surfers
I can't swim, not really anyway. I can doggy paddle, I can float for a little while, I can even go from one side of a pool to the other if I have to (width not length). But after a couple minutes in the water I start to feel this weight on my chest, like the pressure of the entire ocean is pushing on me. Out of breath, I panic and realize the enormity of what surrounds me, the depth beneath me and the power that moves me. Reading Daniel Duane's "Caught Inside: A Surfer's Year on the California Coast" made me feel that way too, minus the panic. Mixing equal parts memoir, trail guide and history lesson Duane concocts a recipe that might not be for everyone and yet for those who have a taste for such things, what he has written will leave you changed. It's about surfing but it's really about being alive and noticing the world around you. It's about understanding the world as both science and art. It's about leaving home and finding something more.

If you're looking for cover to cover eloquence in prose it isn't here. If you're looking for a pure surf story it isn't here either. I think that what we have in this book is an honest reflection of a year from a guy that's read some books and seen some movies, a guy who can think about masturbating and physics and pop culture and relationships. The book is full of quietly poignant moments about things like tide pools or teenagers staring at a bottle of beer and if that makes Duane a "wanker" like one fellow Amazon reviewer suggested, I think we should all strive to be wankers too.

Anyway, it's been 5 years since I read this book last and yet I find myself thinking about it even now. As one person said to the author about the setting of the sun, it's just not the kind of thing you can look at once and say, "huh, I get it." ... Read more

Book Description

The many facets of basketball in contemporary America-as seen through the game in Indiana, a cradle of the sport-from an award-winning Sports Illustrated writer.

Jon Wertheim hadn't kept up with his high school team until a recent game brought back a tide of memories: the angry sound of the buzzer, the same chiropractor's-dream bleachers, and the sight of Coach McKinney-one of the most accomplished and lauded in the state. But there were differences, too: it was Jay-Z not Mellencamp that blared during warm-ups; the height of the players made them leviathans for a high school game; and flair, flavor, and pure athleticism seemed to be more appreciated than the fundamentals.

Clearly, the forces that have transformed Indiana and America-technology, multiculturalism, commercialization, in a world that is growing smaller and more complex-have a parallel impact on basketball. "Indiana," as a local barber says, "is going hip-hop." How are these elements-the new players of foreign heritage; the emphasis on style at the expense of shooting; the growth of the women's game; the influence of big money everywhere-changing the sport?

Wertheim looks for answers by pointing a wide-angle lens at the many sides of the sport-the high school game, the NBA, and everything in between-to find the state of basketball in the state of basketball. Like H. G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights, Darcy Frey's The Last Shot, and John Feinstein's books, Transition Game is a story of heart, hustle, and an enduring game. ... Read more

Book Description

For thirty-two years Coach Carm Cozza`s football program at Yale exemplified excellence. This engaging book is Cozza`s story, the reminiscences of a caring and principled teacher whose course material was athletic competition, whose classroom was a football field, and whose final exam was The Game against Harvard. Cozza brings us behind the scenes, recalls the outstanding men who played for him, and offers thoughts on football programs today. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must read for any Yale Football fan.
Every Yale fan will enjoy Carm Cozza's humble jourey from Miami of Ohio {Coach's U} to the hallow halls of Yale University. Cozza provides the reader with insights on Yale's football past, present and future. An informative sports read. ... Read more

Book Description

What do Henry Kissinger, Jack Welch, Condoleezza Rice, and Jon Bon Jovi all have in common? They have all reached the top of their respective professions, and they all credit sports for teaching them the lessons that were fundamental to their success. In his years spent interviewing and profiling celebrities, politicians, and top business people, popular sportscaster and Fox & Friends cohost Brian Kilmeade has discovered that nearly everyone shares a love of sports and has a story about how a game, a coach, or a single moment of competition changed his or her life.

These vignettes will entertain, surprise, and inspire readers with their insight into the lives of America's most respected and well-known personalities -- many of whom have never before shared these memories publicly. How did Henry Kissinger's experience on an all-Jewish soccer team in Nazi Germany shape him for his future role as a statesman? Why did Tony Danza need to pick himself off the canvas and score a knockout in the boxing ring to grab the part of Tony Banta in Taxi? How did Jon Bon Jovi's genes short-circuit his dreams of playing for the New York Giants, and why did that have such an important impact on his life? How did soccer, not stand-up comedy, play such a big role in Jon Stewart's staggering success in the kill-or-be-killed world of late-night talk?

Kilmeade presents more than seventy of these stories straight from the memories of the men and women themselves and those who were closest to them. From competition to camaraderie, failure to success, humiliation to glory, individual achievement to teamwork, the world of sports encompasses it all and enriches our lives. As Kilmeade observes, "They allow us to compete and sacrifice, to build character and, even if only for a moment, to transcend the everyday." The Games Do Count reveals this simple and compelling truth: America's best and brightest haven't just worked hard -- they've played hard -- and the results have been staggering!

Book Description

Hailed by Muhammad Ali as "the king, the master, my idol," Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest boxer America had seen since Joe Louis and is considered by many today to be, pound for pound, the best boxer the sport has ever known. A world welterweight and five-time middleweight champion, he had a career that spanned three decades. With his graceful yet powerful style and Hollywood looks -- which he would use to his advantage upon his final retirement from boxing -- he embodied the very essence of the "sweet science." Before he finally hung up his boxing gloves in 1965, at the age of forty-four, Sugar Ray Robinson won 125 consecutive fights, including victories over Henry Armstrong, Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano, Gene Fullmer, and Randy Turpin. His successes were not his alone, however. They belonged to his family as well, though those relationships would be marked by neglect and abuse.

At a time still characterized by discrimination, his victories, like those of Jackie Robinson, represented victories for all black America. And they were all the more symbolic because of the place he chose to call home -- Harlem. Co-written with Robinson's son, Ray Robinson II, and thoroughly researched by Amsterdam News reporter Herb Boyd, Pound for Pound is not only a definitive portrait of an emotionally complex man and his family, it is also a portrait of Harlem at the apex of its creativity, a time when Miles Davis was playing at Minton's, Langston Hughes was writing his divine poetry, and a boy from Georgia originally named Walker Smith Jr. would take on the moniker "Sugar."

Book Description

I thought, Pfft, come on. People from Australia are world champions ... But a world champion from Florida? Fuhged-daboudit.

Cocoa Beach, Florida, isn't exactly a breeding ground for surfing world champions -- the waves are tiny. So when Kelly Slater was growing up, the furthest thing from his mind was becoming a world champion. He was a Florida grommet whose biggest goal was to one day make it out far enough to catch the two-foot waves his dad and brother were riding -- anything more was a dream.

Life in the Slater household wasn't perfect, and as his parents' marriage fell apart and his father battled alcoholism, Slater escaped to the beach and found peace on a surfboard. He devoured surf magazines, sat spellbound while watching surfing movies, and worshiped the gods of the sport who threw themselves into thundering walls of water along the North Shore of Hawaii and around the world. Slater never thought he'd move beyond the Florida shore breaks, but his insatiable thirst for competition and uncanny -- almost innate -- understanding of the physics of surfing destined him for waves and events much bigger than anything Cocoa Beach had to offer.

In Pipe Dreams, Slater takes you inside a churning Pipeline tube and lets you experience the rush of adrenaline and danger. He pays tribute to close friends who lost their lives surfing big waves and tells what life on the World Tour is really like, from schmoozing with celebrities to running from stalker fans to the insane competition and off-the-wall antics of the world's most famous surfers -- including Tom Curren, Tom Car-roll, Gary Elkerton, Mark Occhilupo, Rob Machado, and Shane Dorian. Slater also explains his various career moves, such as his stint as a regular on Baywatch, and the ups and downs of his love life -- from his on-again, off-again romance with Pamela Anderson to Bree, his first love, and their broken engagement.

Pipe Dreams offers unprecedented access to the globetrotting lifestyle and the rarely seen private life of the man who destroyed every record in a sport long dominated by people who thought world champions didn't grow up in Florida, himself included. Slater holds nothing back, because after six world titles, there is nothing left to prove -- not to himself or to anyone else.

Reviews (16)

A Surfer's kind of Autobio
This book is a great insight into the champion surfer, Kelly Slater. As a surfer myself, I found the book compelling and interesting, but I don't think that the writing is particularly good. The narrative focuses on his personal life and seems to struggle to synthesize the various chronological phases of his life.

If you're interested in the life of Kelly Slater outside of what he does on the WCT then this is definitely a great book to look into. However, if you plan on picking up a well-written book, and you're really not interested in the particular subject of surfing, it might not be what you're looking for.

Pipe Dreams : A Surfer's Journey (Kelly Slater)
I never was interested in surfing until recently. And if you don't like surfing, give it a go. Pipe dreams: A surfer's journey is a powerful and touching and now Kelly is my new idol. This book shows you that everything is possible. He tells us all about his life story and holds nothing back. Everyone should read this book, the most beautiful book of the year... Kelly... I admire you.

Pipe Dreams, may haunt you
For readers expecting the champ to keep pace with the ever-increasing quality of surf literature, you are in for a disappointment. The only conclusion I can come to is that this was written for pre-teens. I believe even they would be left wanting more. I felt as if I was reading a chronological timeline of surf contest results while sprinkled in were tidbits of interesting relational, or situational, anecdotes that were never developed or cut short. This man's story could have gone into so many interesting directions but one direction was never made clear. So why the three stars anyway? Because he has given us the first roughly hewn look into some personal experiences that shaped him.
All the raw paragraphs did expose the champ as someone less enviable, maybe a little less balanced out of the water, but with one internal drive: his competitive nature. Between these pages are the things he cares about most. We are witness to a man in developement and someone still searching. This biography leaves the reader feeling they have received an unedited glimpse into Mr. Slater's life. An interesting segway that needs to be explored further is the story of the changeing of the guard. I know that Kelly Slater was at the heart of a revolution in the way competitors viewed each other, as friends, as fellow artist and musicians, and as renassaisance men. This revloution changed the face of surfing forever. I know because I have seen the difference in surf literature and films and in the water. Mr. Slater, thanks for the effort, but you still have more to offer us, in and out of the water.

Surfing Stephanie's Book Review
Wow what an amazing book! Kelly really took surf autobiography to the next level. Kelly and Jason (Borte) really dug deep to tell a perfect story of the best surfer of all time(personally). As someone who has quite alot of knowledge about surfing and books, it really topped the cake for me. I can honestly say that I have a new favorite book for 2003, and well into 2004. Now all we need is for Rob Machado to write a book of his own :)...

Not a surf book
The book is a candid, linear, journalistic account of Slater's life to date, with an emphasis on his competitive success. It reads like a long surf magazine article, which should come as no surprise since the vast majortiy of Kelly's reading time is spent on surf mags (he admits it in the book). In the appendix is a list of every single pro contest result. If Kelly where not a surfer he would be a good accountant with his talent for analyzing heat results for inconsistencies and patterns.
This book wants to appeal to non surfers, so there are annoying explanations of common sense surfing facts (how a heat works, what is tow in surfing, the priotity bouy etc.) Yet the ASP tour gossip will be of no interest to someone not familiar with the characters.
Kelly is arguably the best surfer of all time, but in a sport of mad men and larger that life characters he comes across as a bore. In the book, Kelly alludes to his plans to write about his discoveries of techniques allowing him to reach his mind bending levels of performance. Wait for this book and skip this long winded story of Kelly being the good guy. If you want a great surfing book, check out Alan Weisbecker's novels. ... Read more

Book Description

Meet Steve Scott:three-time Olympian, the American mile record holder (at 3:47.69), and runner of 136 sub-4:00 miles and counting.His talent and determination have led him to the pinnacle of worldwide track and field for the better part of his 20-year career.Scott chronicles his epic battles with European milers while tracing the modern day history of the sport; he tackles the controversial issues facing track and field and talks frankly about the demands placed on his family life as a result of his grueling international racing schedule.Scott also speaks about his recent fight against testicular cancer, reveals how he overcame that life-threatening illness, and stresses the importance of staying fit for a healthy life.Now forty, Scott has entered the masters divisionand he has one more goal to reach.Watch for him in 1997 as he pushes to break the masters mile record set by his longtime competitor, Eamonn Coglan, at 3:58.15.Inspirational, thoughtful, and packed with Scotts wacky antics as the track circuits leading practical joker, The Miler is sure to delight running enthusiasts and all those who love athletics.Steve Scott is the most extraordinary American mile runner in history.Currently sponsored by Asics running shoes and Soaring Eagle Ventures, Scott lives with his wife and three children in southern California.Marc Bloom is a ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An overlooked classic which serious runners will love.
Near the end of Steve Scott's autobiography he talks about running in the National Cross Country Championships in Montana. (There are pictures of the race in the book.) It was 4 degrees and snowy. Scott was past his prime as one of the great milers in the world. He didn't need to run this race; few world class milers run serious 10K Cross Country at any time let alone in their declining years. But Steve Scott loves to run; he loves to train very hard and run very fast. He finished 10th that day, not far behind distance greats like Todd Williams and Pat Porter, and just a few seconds away from qualifying as a member of the U.S. team for the World Cross Country Championships. Afterwards he overheard a couple of young runners talking. One said, in obvious surprise: "Did you see Steve Scott finished 10th? I thought he'd retired." His friend responded, "I thought he was dead." Well, Steve Scott ain't dead folks, and I'll bet wherever he is right now, he's still running far and fast. Scott's autobiography has been out for two years now, and it hasn't caught on the way many of the books on jogging have. But it should! Serious runners will love it, and even joggers will be fascinated by its honesty and by the character - in both senses of that word - that Scott reveals. Jim Ryun remains the legendary American miler, but he would have been 30 meters behind Scott in their best races. Ryun gave up the sport in his early 20s because he couldn't handle the pressure; Scott raced at the highest levels for close to twenty years. Scott clearly loves running! He loves being really fit and training hard. With the help of Marc Bloom, the longtime dedicated chronicler of Cross Country and Track, Scott helps us understand that love. He was "Pre" (Prefontaine) without the sharp edges. He deserves to be better known and more honored. But even if that never happens, no one can ever take away what he accomplished. The numbers - 3:47.69, and 136 sub-4:00s - will stand for as long as runners circle thae track for four laps.

America's best miler reviews his career, warts and all.
The sport of track and field has only a limited audience in the U.S. American athletes typically receive recognition only after setting a world record or winning an Olympic gold medal. Steve Scott, America's top miler throughout the 1980s, did neither. In his book, The Miler, Scott writes of a running career in which he unquestionably was America's best miler (his U.S. record of 3:47.69, set in 1982, still stands), and certainly one of the world's best (10 consecutive years ranked among the world's top 10 milers by Track & Field News). Yet without a world record or Olympic gold medal to his credit, Scott remained virtually unknown outside the small U.S. track and field community. The Miler traces Scott's reluctant beginnings as a high school runner, his development into a national-class competitor in college, and his emergence as a world-class racer. Along the way we're treated to profiles of Scott's leading international competitors, all icons in the history of the mile: John Walker, Eamonn Coghlan, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Said Aouita. Scott beat them all, but not in either of the two races -- the '84 or '88 Olympics -- which would have brought him the recognition and financial rewards that accompany a gold medal. The Miler is not simply a book about running. Scott details the struggles he faced to support his wife and kids early in his career, when track and field was still regarded as an "amateur" sport. Scott also writes frankly of the toll the nomadic career of a track and field athlete exacted upon his marriage. Although it probably was cathartic for Scott to write these passages, it is uncomfortable for even a dedicated track & field fan to read. Despite this, I admire Scott for his willingness to write something other than the puff pieces that frequently pass for the biographies of famous athletes. He deals frankly with some of track and fields' unsavory elements -- unscrupulous meet promoters, under-the-table payments, agents, drugs, stars avoiding