Sports Books

This book is a 'must' for the die-hard fan of America's Team... the Dallas Cowboys!

One of the greatest Cowboys history books I have read. Amazing pictures and very informative. Lots of information that even a die-hard Cowboy fan doesn't know. A very entertaining read.

I purchased 3 books from Amazon.com yesterday. Luckily, I met Norm at a remote today for which he graciously and personally signed all 3 copies.

1 book is going to my younger brother who is in Iraq fighting for Our Country - He'll love his signed copy.

1 is for my father-in-law... I know this lifelong Cowboy fan will love to relive the memories of this team through the pages of Norms book.

Of course I will love my copy here in N. Texas - Thanks Norm!!!

This is such a great book. Whether you are a Cowboys fan or not, it's a great conversation starter. Was this team the greatest ever?

The book is a great behind the scenes view...the photographs are amazing, the supporting story line riveting.

What a team...what a book!

I've never seen my husband with anything other than magazines, and when I surprised him with this beautiful hardcover, he couldn't hardly put it down :) He carried it to every room with him durning his chill time for a week straight, except the bathroom~he put it on the dresser right outside the door :) His eye's turn into big glossy child eyes when he's reflecting on old football times with this unbelievably vibrant photo history.
Every page is full of eye catching photo's with defining subtexts. If you love Dallas Cowboys, Sports Center, Sports Illistrated, and some Magazines then you'll LOVE this find. Recommend for the average to over the top Dallas Cowboy's fan !!

Jim Cirillo's book is very informative, especially to those who are actively involved in the law enforcement/security field. This is a must read!

Jim Cirillo talking about three topics, as described in the title; Guns, Bullets and Gunfights. This is not a "how to" book on tactical shooting

The Guns and Bullets sections were filled with interesting technical stuff interspersed with self-promotion. The Gunfights section, on the other hand, is chock full of real world advice and stories with quite a bit of humor thrown in.

My favorite exchange;

Lieutenant - "Jim, did you warn them? Did you tell them to drop their weapons and that they were under arrest?"
Cirillo - "Yeah, but I don't think they heard me because of all the shooting."

Hopefully there are other writings of his that may get published in the future. I would guess he had many important and useful things to say, but this book only gives a small sample.

Anyone who would describe Jim Cirillo as a "bloodthirsty killer" is beneath contempt. If you were threatened with violence by some street thug, you would pray that a man like Cirillo might intercede on your behalf. You may have no idea of the senseless, violent crimes that led to the formation of New York's Stakeout Unit. Storeowners were being brutalized and executed for no reason after being robbed. I understand that that reality is hard for some people to grasp. As Orwell wrote, "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

Some other, more reasonable critics have described Jim as coming off as arrogant. Having had the privilege of getting to know Jim in the last few months of his life, I can assure them that he was not arrogant in the least. He was a warm, open, and vibrant man, extremely gregarious. He did like to talk about his experiences but the effect was not arrogant. He simply took pride in his accomplishments, but at the same time he would talk about his own mistakes and laugh at himself. He was also very interested in what other people had to say.

I don't think there is anyone who knew Jim who did not regard him as a fine man and a great friend. He will be missed.

During Jim Cirillo's years with the legendary New York City Police Stakeout Unit (strangely enough, everyone I've ever seen or heard refer to this unit, in print or person, calls it the "Stakeout Squad" - except Jim Cirillo who tells me it was actually called the "Stakeout Unit") he participated in many of the most harrowing of its 252 armed encounters. Later, Cirillo spent more years as a firearms instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Since retiring from law enforcement, Cirillo has conducted periodic firearms training courses on an itinerant basis. I feel privileged to be a graduate (with a 100 percent "survival rating") from Jim's Close Quarter/Tactical Handgun Course. Cirillo has also penned numerous articles for gun magazines. Much of the content of Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights was first published as magazine articles.

Subtitled "Tales and Lessons from a Modern-Day Gunfighter" this book includes chapters covering all of Jim Cirillo's many areas of firearms expertise. Cirillo is one of the few men in the modern era with a depth of experience sufficient to have a legitimate claim to the title "master gunfighter" so his thoughts are of significant interest to anyone who owns and/or regularly carries a gun for self-defense.

"Part One: Guns" includes two chapters, "Averting the Unintentional Shot" and "Hybrid Weapons" addressing, respectively, how to safely practice with and store guns in the home, and Cirillo's experiments over the years customizing a variety of handguns in search of maximum performance.

"Part Two: Bullets" includes "The Two Primary Functions of Handgun Bullets" and "Are Hollowpoints the Way to Go for Stopping Power?" It's interesting to note that the opinions of this master gunfighter, who's "been there and done that" more times than most people have shot gelatin blocks, is quite at odds with conventional wisdom on these topics.

"Part Three: Gunfights" includes five chapters, stories of Cirillo's days in the NYCPD Stakeout Unit and the lessons he learned from those experiences:

"Selection of the Gunfighter" details the qualities Cirillo believes are most essential both to survive a gunfight and deal with the emotional aftermath, based on his personal exposure to many people who both could and couldn't hack it in the Stakeout Unit. It's fascinating reading.

"Shooting for Score or Survival?" critiques the forms of "combat pistol" competition, compared to what's needed to survive a gunfight.

"Firearms Training and the Gunfight" gets into Cirillo's recommended training procedures, including his Weapon Silhouette and Geometric Point aiming methods. This chapter is also noteworthy in that it recounts the story of Cirillo's most famous gunfight, in which he was forced to shoot three armed robbers...only two hours into his very first stakeout!

In "Stress of the Gunfight" we get a few more facts about this incident (based on which Jeff Cooper created an IPSC course of fire called "The Cirillo Drill"), as well as Jim's ideas on how mental perceptions change and are affected by the stress of a life-or-death defensive emergency. This is firsthand experience talking here.

"The Bizarre NYCPD Stakeout Squad" was for me the most enjoyable part of the book, in which Cirillo recounts many hilarious stories of his fellow gunfighters from the Stakeout Unit. I've been fortunate enough to be there when Cirillo's told many of these tales in person, and believe me, you do lose a bit of the effect when you're not hearing them in Cirillo's heavy New Yawk accent. Still, even in written form some of these stories are so funny they verge on slapstick. I defy anyone to read about the gunfight titled "Marty and Benny" without smiling - maybe even breaking into hysterical laughter.

Finally, in the book's postscript, Cirillo reduces down to a set of rules his advice on preparing for a deadly encounter involving firearms. This is all really good stuff, gang.

This book is outstanding! First of all...it is short! It is less than 120 pages, much less in text. That is a good thing. Keeps it easy to get through.

Secondly it addresses the psychological aspects of gun fighting better than most books of its era.

Thirdly, it doesnt try to cover motor movement skills like some books. If you want to know how to move, stand, hold the gun and aim...I recommend finding an instructor in the flesh. He doesnt waste 50 pages with wire diagrams of people going around corners and stuff. His book is better without that stuff. Dont try to learn physical skills from books.

Finally, the book unlocks new things to me each time I read it. I read it the first time when I knew nothing of shooting. I found it interesting and something to think about. It was short so it was worth my time. Later, as I grew as a shooter and a person I would reread it about once a year and notice things I hadnt seen before. New insights I had gained would allow me to comprehend things better and it made certain parts of the book more illuminating.

The book isnt perfect but for its cost and length it is well worth your time and money.

I'm afraid I didn't get to the end of this tedious tale. It was so badly written that I lost interest very quickly. Repetitious, lacking credibility and sloppily structured, it also lacked credibility.

It has got rave reviews and sounded promising. But having lived in post-communist Hungary, there is nothing romantic about bank robbers or any criminals.

I was living half-way up a mountainside in rural Spain but even that didn't spur me on to finish.

Good robbers don't necessarily make good writers and with his ill-gotten gains he would have been better to invest in a ghost writer.

Sorry, it gets a thumbs down from me.

I have no idea how accurate the facts are, but this is brilliant storytelling. Think Douglas Adams in the post-Communist Eastern Bloc.

This is a well-written, well-researched book that captures a unique moment in history and a bizarre character who's also a product of his place and time. Rubinstein goes the extra mile to follow the thread of this true-crime story, and his engaging prose takes you with him.

Excellent book! Great true crime story that is action packed, and very funny...plus a little bit of history!
Highly recommend this book!

Julian Rubinstein tells the true story of Attila Ambrus, the Transylvanian-born backup hockey goalie in Budapest who also lived the life of a pelt smuggler and daring bank robber between practices and games. It was a story the author first heard about in a short news piece in Sports Illustrated in 1999 and on writing the book he's able to set the story in hilarious style against the backdrop of the changing Hungary and Romania of the early 1990s. At one point Ambrus is described as "a sizable conundrum within a notable contradiction, the best unpaid hockey goalie in a filthy-rich slum town". The photo section in the middle, the appendices and interview with the author at the end, and the references throughout to world events the west would be familiar with serve to remind us that this is largely a work of non-fiction despite all the absurdity. A great read especially for those who have visited or have lived in this part of the world in these changing times from Socialism.

The title was the best part for this book and the free dvd was lame.

I like the concept of the book and thought the exercises were very worthwhile but the poor writing quality made it very difficult to follow and the DVD was certainly not of the quality I would expect. I have read several books on golf specific fitness and this one is at the bottom of the list.

Easy to understand and follow. When I use the stretches in this book I actually play a little better, do not tire as much, and am not as stiff the day after. I am 60 so I need to keep limber. Of course the key is to stretch regularly, not just the day you play.

I am a 24 year former collegiate golfer, and I thought this book does a decent job of describing good stretches to help loosen you up, but I think there are better resources out there. Don't get me wrong if you were to follow this routine you would probably see results, but I would take a look at Core Performance Golf before this one.

I would recommend flipping through this book before purchasing, because I only found a couple pieces of information / exercises that I thought were beneficial that I didn't already know. Plus, it kind of looks like it was published / written about 10 years ago.

This is a very good fitness book. Now that I've read a couple of others on Golf Fitness, I think this one has good strengthening & stretching exercises for golfers. My chief criticism is that its applicability to different aspects of the game of golf is too sketchy for golfers who don't understand how fitness will benefit their game and their overall health and well-being. The best golf fitness book I've read is Cindy Reid's book, GET YOURSELF IN GOLF SHAPE, which I HIGHLY recommend over this one.

This is a great book covering a lot of diving sites in FL, including springs and ocean sites. The only "problem" that I have with the book is the inclusion of advertising (dive shops, etc) but at the end of the day it actually helps when trying to locate a diveshop, etc.

Great book with the best dive sites in South Florida, especially if you don't have a boat (nor the money) and can only do beach dives, very simply written, with excellent descriptions of the sites.

i have used the book about a 100 times for dive sites
starting with the old 2nd. edition. it is very good book
to have to ref. dive sites boat, beach, springs. too bad the fl.
gov. has a steep fee on everything. when you say diving
the price goes up. keep up the good work deloach.
thanks capt. rob

The book gives the location to several of Florida's hidden springs and offshore reefs, wrecks. There is also a dvd on the Florida springs available from amazon, called "Florida Springs-The Unexplored Florida." It lets you see the springs underwater. A must have book.

I read positive reviews of this book so I bought it. The beginning is really wordy and I skipped it until I got the the real pitching information. The introduction could be edited out. The rest of the book has great info.

This book should be mandatory reading for any coach who is going to impact a pitcher's throwing abilities. This book breaks down pitcher's mechanics and it's not just a pass over look. They're really stressed to 1) help avoid injury and to 2)maximize performance. Mental attitude needed to play the game, along with strength and conditioning, and so much more. It would be ideal for young men, whether a pitcher or fielder, to read and to see the exercises created to improve or adjust different parts of the throwing process.
If you need a book to to identify elements of being a pitcher and to also visually identify them too.... this book is for you!

The best pitching book I've read. It covers in detail all aspects of pitching and provides excellent photos and text descriptions. A book that can be applied to all age groups and levels from little league to the pros. Covers left and right handed pitching with grips, diagrams and exercises for pitching and conditioning. As thorough and complete a book on pitching as one would want. It leaves no question or concept about pitching unanswered.

I have read/watched dozens of books and DVDs and attended several clinics in my quest to help my sons become better pitchers. This is far and away the most comprehensive pitching instruction I have ever seen. I was amazed at how thick this book was when it arrived - almost 400 pages, with hundreds of pictures. Dr. Bagonzi explains everthing in great detail. I have never seen anyone spend as much time on the finer details of pitching grips, for example. But all the information in usable - the author does a very good job of explaining things clearly and concisely. I never felt as if I was lost in minutia, as I have with other instructional materials.

It is very easy to spend hundreds of dollars on one-or-another guru's pitching instruction program. I know - I have done it myself. And while I think some of these programs are worth every penny, at under $20, there is NOTHING that can beat the value of this book.

One caveat: if you happen to be in the camp that believes long toss, weighted balls, strength training, pushing off the rubber, etc. are bad, then you will probably disagree with much of what the author has to say. Although he has been around a while, Dr. Bagonzi is on the leading edge of such techniques and training concepts, and is a big proponent of some ideas that a few people may find controversial. I personally have had great success with these techniques, and see only a couple hold outs among the contemporary pitching "gurus" who disagree. However, fair warning if you happen to be one of them (or one of their disciples). By the way, Dr. Bagonzi recognizes these areas of controversy, and is very respectful of those who might disagree.

Bottom line recommendation: if you only buy one pitching program, make it this book.

I have an eighth grader that has been helped, and will continue to be helped, by this comprehensive guide for pitchers. It is a book that can be read cover to cover, or used as a reference book where you just take the information that is needed at the moment. Either way, the information is presented in a concise yet complete way. I highly recommend this guide.

Total Access is a funny, well written view into the world of the NFL by the journalists that cover it. The book offers a look at what it's like to cover the most popular sport in America. What makes the book so compelling is that the stories are written in the same manner that Rich Eisen speaks, his descriptions always offer some humor, and the personal anecdotes are what make the book so appealing. A really entertaining read!

This book is basically a 300+ page commercial for the NFL network. Wish there was more research and backstory instead of a rehash of the last 1 or 2 NFL seasons.

Imagine you are not from US. Imagine you live in Chile, bottom of south america, where all you have is ESPN's Sunday Night and Monday Night games and nothing else...

Well, "total access" lets you understand why american football is so popular and, if you already love fotball, like it more than you did before.

congratulations rich, great book, great sport... hope to have nfl network in latin america

Rich Eisen's book "Total Access," is a great inside look at the goings-on of the NFL Network and its programming. I know a couple of reviewers said it was recycled material (i.e., transcripts of interviews that Eisen has done) and that's true. But certainly most readers have not seen every single interview that's ever been aired, so there's bound to be something new in that regards. Also, there are many great anecdotes about players and the NFL Network crew, in particular a great story regarding former head coach and present analyst Steve Mariucci and a piano in the crew's hotel in Canton, Ohio (it can be found in the Hall of Fame chapter).

My favorite chapter may have been the second, which was about the Pro Bowl. Rich Eisen does a great job of illustrating how laid back it is at the Pro Bowl and some of the cool interactions that go on between players and the NFL Network crew. The chapter about the Combine is very interesting in particular as well.

If you love Rich Eisen, the NFL Network, and football in general, you should find this book very fascinating. It didn't take me long to read at all and it probably won't be long until I read it again.

I'm thirty pages into this book -- and I love it. I'm buying copies as Christmas gifts for all the football fans in my family.

Rich Eisen paints very entertaining detailed pictures with a lot of humor that makes it accessible to NFL freaks as well as casual fans like myself.

A Very complete guide that will help any athlete and an excellent resource for baseball players searching for how to train for their sport.

This text represents a comprehensive look at the application of current principles of conditioning and training for the baseball player. It is an extremely well written text. Dr. Coleman does an excellent job of blending both the theoretical aspects of training with the practical aspects he knows to be viable because of his years of experience working with, not only major league players, but also younger players. The application of the concept of periodization to baseball conditioning is extremely important for the development of strength, power, speed, and agility. With improvement in these areas, the ability to enhance performance is optimized. The use of humor throughout the text also serves as a good buffer between the various theoretical sections. The Forward to the book by Nolan Ryan and the Introduction to the ýPhysical Demands of the Gameý set the stage for an extremely thorough look at the various aspects of conditioning that are involved in developing the baseball player. The examples of different players who developed at different rates indicate that players of all levels can benefit by applying the theories and programs presented in this text to their individual programs. Dr. Colemanýs presentation of a year-round periodization model blends the theoretical aspects of this type of training with the reality of the baseball season. By defining the plans as he has, Dr. Coleman provides the individual with an idea of what is expected throughout each training regime.

Specifically important in the first section is the workout order. Many players train very inefficiently. By Dr. Coleman delineating the optimal order for performance enhancement, players gets an idea of how to best plan their entire training program.

In Chapter One on Postseason training, his presentation of the dietary needs of the athlete for training is very concise and straightforward. He presents a good plan for maintaining fitness during this period of time. By organizing his Off-season training program (Chapter Two) by positions, he deals with one of the primary aspects of physical development--specificity of training. He shows that although there are general exercises that all can do, there are certain exercises that are position specific. In this section he presents a simple yet thorough presentation of dietary needs, which is quite important to the individual.

By including baseball specific drills in Chapter Three, Preseason One training, he again focuses on the need for specificity of training. The section on avoiding arm problems is very important because oftentimes players are overzealous about trying to get ready for the season. This can cause setbacks rather than getting them ready for the upcoming season. His concluding comments on fueling the body with supplements are extremely well stated. He writes, ýEating a diet high in carbohydrates and training hard are the best ergogenic aids available. They are safe, cheap, and effective.ý So many players today are looking for a quick and easy way to develop their physical abilities. In reality, the best way to do it as Dr. Coleman suggests is to eat right and work hard.

Also in this chapter, his baseball ratings test is a good guideline for players to use to see how much they have improved. Although his criteria may not be appropriate for the specific player, individual players can use this to measure gains over time. Monitoring themselves on these various parameters can provide two checks: 1) if their conditioning program is effective and 2) if they are over training and/or stale.

The Preseason Two chapter further emphasizes specificity of training when he discusses simulated innings training and fueling the body. His ten best food tips are a realistic look at the current state of society. Although it is ideal for people to prepare meals, in many cases this is not possible. His suggestions are well taken.

His In Season program (Chapter Five) focuses on the importance of maintaining what has been gained. At this time many players, because they are working on game specific drills, neglect things such as speed and agility. It is critical that Dr. Colemanýs comments be heeded in this section.

Under the section on running, he states, ýThe key to strength is intensity not volumeý. This relates to another important training concept ý overload. He focuses on how critical it is to be efficient in your training. Teaching players to train (and perform) better, not harder, is a critical element of successful coaching. An example with pitching is if you want to learn to pitch fast you should practice pitching fast.

The section on eating in popular restaurants discusses how important it is to eat a good diet. His examples of foods to order and foods to skip are quite good.

Part 2 of the text presents the meat of the material. Although I feel that this could have been placed at the beginning to give the reader an idea of what was to follow, I am sure Dr. Colemanýs decision to place them in this order is based on his background and skill in the field. He presents 16 principles at the beginning of Part 2. These are so critical in developing a sound philosophy of how to train. It is important that these be read and reread before a training program is developed.

Chapter Six discusses the importance of warm-up and cool down in the development of flexibility and in the optimization of training. It contains a series of game specific activities that can help prepare the performer. The use of diagrams and the description of these exercises are quite thorough and build a good base for his training program.

Chapter Seven on core strength training is quite well done. He describes circuit weight training; multiple set training, pyramid training, and four-day split training, along with six day split training. Although a little more detail could have been included in some of these descriptions, enough is presented for the reader to at least ask a conditioning coach for suggestions for developing an individualized program. He presents a concise model for designing the components of your strength program discussing the specifics of sets and reps.

Again, following with the practical nature of the book, the section on the ýdos and donýts of crunchesý is quite well stated. The pictures and descriptions of the daily core are very thorough and very informative. His use of various mediums including medballs and plyometrics points out how complex the field of training is today.

Chapter Eight dealing with the development of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and hand is quite necessary for the development of throwing for both fielders and pitchers. His cautions about the exercises that can hurt your shoulder are very important. His rotator cuff program is very specific to the baseball player.

Speed (Chapter Nine) is an area that is often overlooked. His five key components to the development of speed concisely present all that is necessary for the individual. His description of the components of running helps the individual player in a very simplistic way ý what needs to be done to run fast. This goes back to specificity of training ý in order to run fast you must run fast.

Finally, Chapter Ten on power and the plyometric element of training to baseball is important. The use of medballs and bounding are quite critical to the complete development of the baseball player.

In conclusion, I feel that this is an excellent text that deals with a number of elements that the player must consider in conditioning. Baseball is not something that is just played during the season. You do not get better by just fielding more grounders or taking more swings. The physical abilities necessary to play the game must be developed. Fitness and conditioning for baseball must be a year-round project.

Applying exercise science to a ritually traditional sport is what Dr. Coleman has done with 52 Week Baseball Training. Excellent sections on scouting and seasonal training methods. I enjoyed the division of training into 5 phases with gradual intensity and specificity of training during those phases. Any strength trainer, exercise physiologist or coach that works with baseball/softball players will feather the pages of this book because it will be used and referred to so much. If only it came in hardcover!

Gene Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is a definitive, practical, effective program for the aspiring athlete to achieve and maintain top physical conditioning for baseball, whether competing for a spot in the major or minor leagues, or just enjoying softball league or sandlot games. Coleman provides day-by-day, week-by-week, season-by-season workouts (including resistance training, total conditioning exercises, and position-specific activities) in a training plan that can be applied in high school, college, and summer-league schedules. Highly recommended for all novice as well as seasoned players, Coleman's 52-Week Baseball Training is laid out in four sequential phases: Postseason (active rest and recovery); Off-Season (fitness training); Preseason (training to play); and In-Season (training to win).

Having trained both amateur and professional baseball players, I can say that Dr. Coleman continues to be at the forefront of strength and conditioning, particularly with respect to baseball. This book will be a useful resource for any player or coach wanting to reach peak baseball performance through improving strength, speed, and agility. I highly recommend this book!

A thoroughly enjoyable and motivating read. This is a remarkable collection of exclusive interviews with the best American sports coaches of the last 40 years. The author has packed a voluminous amount of wisdom, inspiration and facts into what amounts to a road map to a good life. "How to Succeed in the Game of Life" is a brilliant compilation of advice that offers inspiration at every turn.

Game of Life is an insightful book on the thoughts of many of the world's best known coaches. It provides a biography on each of the 34 coaches (which I recommend reading first to gain a better appreciation of the field and achievements of each coach) and asks them a number of questions that can relate to both on the field and life in general. I have gathered a number of relavant quotes that I will use both personally and professionally. A highly recommended read for sporting buffs and managers.

After buying a copy of this book for both myself and my father I was thoroughly impressed. The book was both an easy read yet very informative. I gave a copy of the book to my father, who is not one to read a book, and he was so taken back by how interesting he felt the content was. He picked up the book in the morning and had it finished by mid afternoon. He must have called me 15 times to tell me how inspiring he felt it was and how he was amazed at "all the tricks it taught an old dog"...He thought he had heard all there was to hear about inspirational quotes. We were both pleasantly surprised with how well written the book was. Both my dad and I would highly recommend this book with two thumbs up.

Having read only excerpts, I was shocked to read that Tony Dungy was hired as head coach by the Indianapolis Colts in 2002 by owner Robert Irsay. Irsay had been dead for five years (longer than that mentally). Hopefully the rest of the book does not contain such shoddy information.

This book went through various questions about succeeding in life and listed all the responses from each coach. It was interesting but somewhat repetitive in that many said basically the same thing. I enjoyed reading this book because it had a lot of good advice from a lot of successful coaches. The advice I remember most is to work harder than anyone else, never quit, always be honest, do your best, failure is opportunity for a comeback, and be passionate about what you do. All of them agreed that making a lot of money does not mean you are successful, but money can be a by-product of being successful. The last chapter included short summaries about each coach. My favorite chapter was the one of their favorite quotes.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in philosophy, or who is looking for some advice or inspiration about success.

Karen Arelttaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"