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You may post the first book review.

You may post the first book review.

You may post the first book review.

You may post the first book review.

You may post the first book review.

From Booklist

Because it was not available in galley form, this controversial expos{‚}e of corruption in the Notre Dame football program was not available for early review in Upfront. However, Notre Dame grad and devoted Irish football fan Will Manley has his say on the book in this issue's Manley Arts. See p.219. Bill Ott

About the Author

Don Yaeger is a former associate editor for Sports Illustrated. He is the author of seven books and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Under the Tarnished Dome and the critically acclaimed Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL.

Review

"It''s easy to bash sportswriters at newspapers, a section sometimes called The Toy Shop. Every fan thinks it would be a great life—all those games for free! But the travel and covering bad teams can take its toll. From this collection, you get the sense that Jim Murray never minded any of that. It is nice to read the work of a true professional who loved his job." —Kathleen Hennrikus, New York Journal of Books

About the Author

Jim Murray (1919–98) was one of the founders of Sports Illustrated and a writer for Time magazine before his tenure as sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times from 1961 until 1998. Murray won the Red Smith Award, America’s most prestigious sportswriting honor, and the Pulitzer Prize. Vin Scully has been the voice of the Dodgers since 1950, which is the longest consecutive service of any current Major League broadcaster for one team.

Amazon.com Review

The Sweet Season is an aptly titled, vibrantly entertaining book. After a decade of fall travel covering games, longtime Sports Illustrated football reporter Austin Murphy forgoes the roadie lifestyle to move with his family and cover one of the best football programs in the nation, at Minnesota's St. John's University. With all the self-deprecating and witty style of Bill Bryson, Murphy depicts the coaches, players, monks (it is, after all, a Catholic school), his family, and himself as fallible humans and unsung heroes. Above all, Murphy has fun here, in his silly depictions of small-town, college life, the simple delights his family brings, and the refreshment of football without superhuman egos. John Gagliardi, the 70-plus coach of St. John's, has won more games than any five active NFL coaches combined, despite a non-traditional coaching style devoid of full-contact scrimmages or hours of (useless) calisthenics. One Johnny exercise is the Beautiful Day Drill, where players flop down and stare at the sky, commenting on the loveliness overhead. Murphy's football anecdotes are insightful, his humor relentless, and his game savvy tested. At the first St. John's game, Murphy "[watches] the kickoff transfixed, half-expecting Eau Claire's returner to go all the way. I mean, I've been with the Johnnies damned near a month and haven't seen them make a tackle. Who's to say they can do it?" As we find out, and opposing teams can attest, they hit hard, every season. Highly recommended. --Michael Ferch

From Publishers Weekly

Murphy, a Sports Illustrated writer whose beat exposes him to the ballyhoo of college football on fall Saturdays and the high maintenance millionaires of the NFL on Sundays, takes a season-long respite from egos and attitudes at idyllic St. John's College in Collegeville, Minn., to cover the school's Division III squad, the Johnnies. Murphy seeks rejuvenation, for himself and his relationship with his wife and two small children. He also seeks enlightenment from John Gagliardi, the Johnnies' eccentric coach whose unorthodox style includes never allowing his players to hit each other in practice. He's also the winningest active coach in NCAA football and second on the all-time list. Murphy's dry, delightful humor keeps him out of trouble when sappiness looms. Upon his final visit to the Johnnies' stadium, he writes, "Here... I will let go of the season. Here, I will bid bittersweet adieu to the Natural Bowl, my favorite sports venue of all time. Here, I will search for the Starbucks commuter mug I left under the bench this afternoon. The goddam things go for about seventeen dollars." He also shows his sportswriting talents with several vital, original descriptions reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson's gridiron coverage. "Moore hip-faked the poor boy halfway back to Wisconsin," Murphy writes of the Johnnies' offensive star, "sold him a parcel of swampland, a used '74 AMC Pacer with a cracked engine block." Readers will also appreciate Murphy's funny, self-deprecating reflections on his family life, though the passages sometimes drag on. But invariably Murphy comes to the rescue with a well-timed one-liner, a signature of this lighthearted, enjoyable book. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

St. John's is a small Benedictine college in Collegeville, MN, whose hugely successful Division III football program has been coached since 1953 by the highly unorthodox John Gagliardi. Gagliardi has flourished with a style different from most football coaches: no spring football camps, no whistles, no calisthenics, no hitting during practice, and no cuts. Murphy is a Sports Illustrated writer who did a story on the "Johnnies" in 1992 and returned to Minnesota, book contract in hand and family in tow, to cover the 2001 St. John's season. His book is first about the football program and the participating players, coaches, and fans. Second, it depicts the cheerful, peaceful atmosphere of a small, Midwestern, Benedictine college through a prism of everyday experience. Finally, much of the book is autobiographical, dealing with the author's life and family and how this experience affects both. By turns, funny, touching, and inspiring, this is an interesting story well told. John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

After 15 years of covering major-college football for Sports Illustrated, Murphy spent a six-month sabbatical following the gridiron fortunes of tiny St. John's College in rural Minnesota. St. John's coach, John Gagliardi, who leads all college coaches in career wins, knows football, but more importantly, he uses the game to help his players succeed at life. Following the St. John's team, Murphy rediscovers the excitement and satisfaction of sport for sport's sake. He's tickled at the prospect of a whole football season in which he has no contact with felons. This could easily have degenerated into a yet another sermon with a "little is good, big is bad" moral. Murphy won't permit it. He's a clear-eyed reporter with the objective sense to realize that St. John's isn't perfect and that the University of Miami isn't a human cesspool. In the end, his season at St. John's teaches him more about himself and his values than about football--just the way it works for Coach Gagliardi's players. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“A sweet read for anyone with an interest in football, faith or family life.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune )
Fun to read, enlivened by Murphy’s penchant for humor and knack for dead-on descriptions (Fort Worth Star-Telegram )

About the Author

Austin Murphy is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He lives in northern California with his wife and their two children.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Amazon.com Review

"Racism," Charles Barkley says, "is the biggest cancer of my lifetime. And I know I can't cure the cancer, but doesn't somebody have to attack it?" Barkley's means of attack in Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?--not surprising from one of the most outspoken athletes of our time--is to break past the taboo of race by talking about it in the open. What might be surprising is that Barkley steps aside and lets other people talk, too. While in his previous bestseller, I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It, the former NBA MVP and current TNT commentator held forth on a wide variety of subjects, for his new book he sought out a baker's dozen of leading figures in entertainment, business, and government (and yes, one athlete) and sat down with each for a frank conversation about race. Of course race is not a simple topic, and each discussion heads in its own direction. Tiger Woods speaks both of his biracial identity and of how moving it was to see the black staff at Augusta National lined up to see him put on the green jacket as Masters champion. George Lopez talks about the pressures of creating a breakthrough Latino sitcom in an almost all-white industry. Film producer Peter Guber surprises Barkley when he says that he made The Color Purple out of economic self-interest, not idealism. Many of the discussions turn, like Guber's, not to traditional civil rights but to economics, which Rabbi Steven Leder calls the real "last taboo subject in America." It's clear that the audience Barkley most hopes to reach with this book is the young black men and women that he and many of his interview subjects are concerned about. "We're losing," activist Marian Wright Edelman tells him, "and if we don't stop this trend, we're going to be headed back to slavery." Barkley's celebrity subjects can provide some models for success for those readers, but one also hopes Barkley can continue the conversation by turning the spotlight on those struggling with the problems of race outside the sometimes protective glare of fame. --Tom Nissley Who's Afraid of Talking to a Large Black Man? Throughout his career, Charles Barkley has always been willing--quite willing--to call it as he sees it, making him one of the most quotable athletes of his era and, many have suggested, a future political candidate. He's as happy talking issues as talking hoops, and for his new book, Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? he sat down for conversations across the country about the troublesome topic of race in America. We had our own conversation on the subject with Sir Charles: Read it to find why he wrote the book, what he tells his own biracial daughter about race, and why he thinks sports can be a model for race relations.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Don't let the cheeky title, the byline or the picture on the cover fool you: this is a serious book that's not about Charles Barkley. Instead, this work, edited by the Washington Post and ESPN's Wilbon, is a candid collection of 13 interviews by Barkley with prominent Americans like Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Tiger Woods, Morgan Freeman and comedian George Lopez on the oft-avoided subject of race. Barkley, well known for outspokenness as a player and an on-air commentator, challenges his interviewees to deal with this delicate issue head on. Barkley wisely keeps his opinions brief, letting his dynamic counterparts take center stage. In doing so he gets these stars to open up on how American society fares on such topics as racism, race relations, welfare reform, economic and social discrimination and creating opportunities for minorities. Mixed in with the bigger name celebs and politicians are lesser-known folk, such as Robert Johnson (the NBA's first black owner), the Children's Defense Fund's Miriam Wright Edelman (who laments that there are "580,000 black men in prison compared to about 45,000 who graduate from college each year") and Rabbi Steven Leder. For all the different backgrounds and opinions, all the participants believe the racial divide in America can only be bridged with a combination of reforms to our educational, medical and economic practices and a strong self-evaluation by the African-American community. Everyone also agrees that a core group of strong black leaders must emerge for these changes to be enacted. Surprisingly, this eye-opening book might point to Barkley as just such a leader. (Apr. 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Don't let the cheeky title, the byline or the picture on the cover fool you: this is a serious book... -- Publishers Weekly, March 14, 2005
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Charles Barkley is a studio analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA, a regular contributor to CNN's TalkBack Live, and a frequent commentator on racial issues. He was recently selected by Sports Illustrated as "The #1 Most Interesting Sports Personality in the Last 25 Years." Named "One of the Fifty Greatest NBA Players of All Time," also by Sports Illustrated, he was chosen for eleven All-Star teams and won the NBA's MVP in 1993.
Michael Wilbon is The Washington Post's most popular sports columnist and the co-host of ESPN's hit show "Pardon the Interruption."

Review

“Entertainingly told . . . [Jocko has an] almost primitive zeal for baseball and conveys it in colorful anecdotes.”—New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Robert W. Creamer, who has contributed a new afterword to this Bison Books edition, was formerly a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. He is the author of Stengel: His Life and Times (also available as a Bison Book).

Review

"Claude Johnson has gone to the front of the class as the eminent historian of the Black Fives Era."
-- Howie Evans, Senior Sports Editor, New York Amsterdam News
"Claude Johnson's work holds the power of revelation."
-- Dave Zirin, Author of "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed The World" and "A People's History of Sports in the United States,"
Politics of Sports columnist for Nation Magazine
"Thegreat Claude Johnson has spent the past several years chronicling thelost contributions of African-Americans to professional basketballbefore the NBA ..."
-- David Aldridge, Reporter for TNT, NBA-TV, and NBA.com

From the Back Cover

"Execute a swift give-and-go. 'Give' the Black Fives Era some respect, and 'go' buy this book."
-- Ron Thomas, Author of "They Cleared the Lane: The NBA's Black Pioneers,"
Director of the Journalism and Sports Program at Morehouse College"Nobody knows more, or has done more, to retrieve the long forgotten history of African-Americans in basketball in the decades before the racialintegration of the NBA than Claude Johnson. Anybody who cares aboutsport or this society would be well served by spending time with thesestories."
-- Rob Ruck, Author of "Sandlot Seasons" and "Raceball:
How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game,"
Historian, Senior Lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh
"Claude Johnson brings to this book not only the foremost knowledge of theBlack Fives Era, but also a genuine passion and a clear understanding... in these previously untold stories."
-- Keith Houlemard, President of the Jordan Brand at Nike, Inc.
"As alongtime supporter of his BlackFives.com website and blog, I've beenable to sense [Claude's] dedication, and passion, for sharing theundocumented history of our beloved sport for years as a voice fromwithin the community, not outside of it."
-- Bobbito Garcia, author of "Where'd You Get Those?
New York City's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987"

About the Author

Claude Johnson is the founder and C.E.O. of Black Fives, Inc., a vintage sports licensing company which strives to be the world's leading resource and steward for the research, preservation, education, and promotion of the pre-1950 history of African-American basketball teams, as well as a leading advocate for the proper recognition of its pioneers and their contributions.  
This is his first book.
Johnson was born in Vienna, Austria -- his father is African American, from the South Side of Chicago, and his mother was German, from the Römerstadt section of Frankfurt am Main. He also lived in Leopoldville in the Republic of the Congo (now Kinshasa, Zaire) before moving to the United States with his parents at the age of six.
Johnson has held management and executive positions various disciplines during a 20-year career in corporate America that included IBM, American Express, NBA Properties, Nike, Phat Farm, and Benetton Sportsystem.  He has B.S. Civil Engineering and M.S. Mechanical Engineering degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, respectively.
Johnson's insightful, evocative articles and commentaries have been published in SLAM Magazine, Bounce Magazine, and on his own blog at BlackFives.com. He has appeared on television and radio programs as well as in print, in a variety of venues that include NPR, Sirius Radio, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, and ESPN.  Johnson is a lecturer and motivational speaker, a trustee of the Greenwich Public Library, an accomplished hobby photographer, and a volunteer youth football coach.  The former candidate for the Connecticut State House of Representatives is a concerned parent-citizen when it comes to education and kids' health.
Johnson, his wife, and their three boys live in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Readers who are interested in following the author on Twitter may do so by using his personal handle @claudejohnson (Twitter.com/ClaudeJohnson).

About the Author

Michael MacCambridge has written about movies, music, and popular culture, but he is best known as one of the nation's foremost authorities on pro and college football. His book America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured A Nation was named one of the most distinguished works of non-fiction by the Washington Post in 2004. MacCambridge's freelance work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, GQ, and many other publications. Since 1997, he has been an adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Review

“Lively and well-researched.” (Sports Illustrated.com )

About the Author

Michael O'Keeffe is an award-winning journalist who is a member of the New York Daily News sports investigation team. He has been a reporter and editor for more than twenty years. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Compelling and suprisingly elegant [...] Gorant's clear prose steers the reader through the little-known world of 'disc dogs' [...] Gorant never lets the narrative slip into the saccharine, and Wallace's story will charm even readers who never knew they were interested in put bulls or disc dogs."
—Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Jim Gorant is a senior editor at Sports Illustrated and a former writer for GQ, Men’s Health, and many other magazines. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lost Dogs and a twenty-year magazine veteran.