Sports Books

The book jacket assures us that the author played Little League baseball as well as softball at Amherst College, and "does not throw like a girl."

Well, excuse me, but she writes like one. Quite a few author decisions in this book were mistakes. Much of the book is written in the present tense, to make us feel like were there. There are a series of "Time outs" brief examinations of topics outside of baseball, that were unnecessary digressions in my view, and could have been integrated into the narrative seamlessly by a more skilled writer. The decision to almost ignore the American League race strikes me as another mistake, especially with the gold mine of material provided by Ty Cobb, among others. The overall tone and style of the book is snarky, laden with puns and derivative.

David Halberstam has written better baseball books about, admittedly more recent baseball, Summer of 49, and October 1964; and Edmund Morris's biography of Theodore Roosevelt is a better evocation of the times.

So how does it get three stars? Well, it's about baseball, 20th century American history and the Cubs win.

This book reminds me of something written for one's English teacher. Hundred's of footnotes confirm thereisnot an original thought in the entire book. There is not a story line and the book is quite discombobulated, jumping from year to year and back again, making it tough to maintain any interest in reading,and it certainly not an entertaining read.

I'm writing a book set largely in 1908, in Colorado, far removed from the ball fields of the east, but for getting the flavor of the everyday America of the time, this book is the best.

The obvious way to review this book would be to discuss how it chronicles the differences between 1908 and 2008 major league baseball, including the irony of the Chicago Cubs being considered the dominant, clutch team of the entire National League (!). It does that job quite admirably, as Cait Murphy's casual writing style makes you feel as if you are actually experiencing the events she is describing (pretty much covering the important events of the '08 season).

Yet, what I found to be the really interesting theme of this book (whether intended or not) was how LITTLE things have changed in the past 100 years in baseball! Like today, players still had contract disputes (Honus Wagner once sat out an entire season on his farm!), parity was non-existent (the same teams dominated the league nearly every year), and fans still turned out in droves to see a good pennant race. So many times, baseball historians look back on those "good 'ole days" with rose colored glasses, choosing to ignore all the scandals and incidents that make that period of time not so much different from our own.

The only negative thing I have to say about this text (and it can't be too bad, since it still draws a five-star rating from me!) is that the excerpts between some chapters, which detail the purveying news events of 1908 outside of baseball, were a bit long a too in-depth for my taste. I appreciated the history lesson, but I also found myself wanting to get them out of the way after a time to get back to baseball.

To conclude, if you considered yourself at all to be a fan of baseball history, this is a must-read. Not only will you learn how different the game was back then, but also how much the players/managers/owners were similar to today. Also, Cub fans will love the focus on their team.

This is a marvelous effort. If the author focused only on the pennant races of a century ago this summer, it would be a good book, but probably little better than previous efforts on the subject. But she takes her work to another step. She places baseball within the context of the world of 1908. She reminds you that Christy Mathewson walked the same streets with Teddy Roosevelt, with the remaining minions of Tammany Hall, and with Arnold Rothstein long before 1919. Someday, a future generation may be treated to a history of the 2001 season against the backdrop of September 11. That future author will do well to emulate the style of Cait Murphy.

Against this quilt of early 20th century America, the personalities of John McGraw, Frank Chance, and others come alive in a way that others have failed to evoke. If your travel plans include a baseball pilgrimage, this book belongs in your valise.

I found this book to be very helpful as I go through my next mid-life crisis. It was informative and laced with humor. Not much more I could ask for.Your First Triathlon

This book offers a good inital overview for those just starting in triathlons. Might be a bit basic for those who are already accomplished in the swimming, biking, and running. Liked the chapter that outlined what to expect in your first race - good pointers.

I read several books while preparing for my first sprint triathlon. This book and "Slow Fat Triathlete" were my two favorites. Neither is too technical, but full of helpful "newbie" info.

I was a little hesitant to buy this book after reading some of the reviews saying it was "too basic." I found it very helpful, esp the nutritional info. The training plan seems a little unrealistic -- its a 12 week plan that starts out with only 15 minute workouts. All in all, the book included a lot of valuable information that has helped me progress in my training for my first tri, but I wouldn't follow it word for word.

I did my first triathlon (sprint distance) in September after three months training, and I was lucky enough to have found this book towards the beginning of my training. Needless to say I am hooked and can't wait to do another one!!! The book did an amazing job of preparing me by arming me with the information I needed to train properly, learn new sports (I had never biked or swam seriously before), eat right, and avoid injury, and yet avoided getting too "hard core" (when you do your first triathlon you keep wondering whether or not you're crazy). Joe keeps it manageable. There is a scary overwhelmed feeling you can get when you start reading about some of the crazy training schedules and techniques out there -- and he really clears through all that and gets to the essentials you need to know to make it through your training and cross the finish line. For example, his race day prep chapter really helped me visualize what to expect on the big day. Also, I really liked his approach to gear -- you can really get sucked into buying a bunch of stuff -- and he emphasizes ways to work with stuff you already have (ex: your old mountain bike) until you're more experienced and can better select the right gear to invest in. Overall, I really liked his fun-first emphasis, while providing what is clearly well-researched and high quality information. Two thumbs up!

This book not only took time to show you different angles of the each hold to use but also gave written instructions along with the incorrect ways to use the techniques. It also gave hints or tips into some moves that may make it work better.I wish I would of bought this earlier when I started Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. This is also a great book to help refresh on some techniques.

I love this book! I have bought two for myself, and several for my students and friends. I feel that this book is well written, easy to understand, and can be used for review, or to learn new techniques. If you know just a little BJJ, you can use this book to expand your toolbox. It's worth every penny.

I highly recommend this book! It's especially handy for reviewing proper execution of chokes, submissions, positioning etc. that you just performed in class as well as any frustrations you may be experiencing with a particular move. You might be missing something very simple that can be picked up by seeing the move or reading it step-by-step in the book. I also train at Royler Gracie/David Adiv's academy. They are two wonderful men.

Train hard!
Never tap!

I recently started training in Gracie Jiujitsu. The Gracie system has a structured curriculum i.e. so many lessons at each level, and I found this book to be helpful. After training, I come home, find the technique I learned in the book, and flag the page. I then have a visual reference to go over the techniques in my head when there is no training for the day. It's easy to understand, the pictures are clear and show the important steps, and the pages are color coded to belt level (though I found this wasn't exactly accurate).

Overall, it is a good purchase for anyone studying this martial art.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of a guy that I ran into in the martial arts section of Barnes and Noble (purchased it on Amazon...it's $10 cheaper) and I will definitely be providing the same recommendation to others. I began taking jiu jitsu classes approximately 3 weeks prior to my purchase of this book and I was becoming quickly frustrated with my inability beat anyone in my class. While I am blessed to have a fantastic instructor, I'm not the most patient person so I purchased this book and read it the weekend between my 3rd and 4th weeks of being in class in the hopes that I could speed my technical progress. The book opens with a nice introduction to the sport as well as a description of the basic positions that are fundamental building blocks for a begininer but may be overlooked in a class where everyone is already familiar with the basics. The book clearly explains every move and provides large color pictures to highlight every aspect of a technique from start to finish. Additionally, for some of the more complicated maneuvers a reverse picture is shown along side the normal description with extra hints to make the technique more adaptable. After just one time reading this book, I felt exponentially more confident the first time that I rolled in class afterwards and I had significantly greater success on the mats than I was having just 3 days prior. As a female, I like the component of jiu jitsu that allows for a smaller, weaker opponent to dominate a larger, stronger player simply by relying on technique and forethought rather than brute strength, and after the purchase of this book, I was enlightened on dozens of techniques that allow for exactly that. If I wore a gi in class, I would have given this book 5 stars, however I do not, so some of the techniques aren't applicable to me and there is no non-gi alternative described for some of the moves that hinge directly on the capability of maneuvering an opponent by the handling of his clothing. Conclusively, I highly recommend this book to the beginner who has never taken a ground fighting class before. It also serves as a decent refresher for returning participants as well as a bridge for people who previously have experience in wrestling but not in jiu jitsu.

boring book to read...... not interesting at all. I read a few chpters and then bought the lean & hard book.

I've used this book for several years, and I can say it's excellent for its purpose.

What I did: set up a miniature gym in my small house, focusing on dumbbells. I have a Body Solid bench and rack for the weights and a Swiss Ball, that's it. My whole set-up ran me $800, which is what I spent each year on gym membership. I love all the time I save; no travel, no gym bag, lock, checking in, waiting in line, avoiding the sight of other naked men in the showers, etc.

Results: I am a typical white guy, aged 48. I will never compete for Mr. Universe, but I remain trim [6'2" / 175lbs] and strong enough to get up at 5:30 each morning for a full, challenging day. I have no heart disease, despite the fact that every other man in my family has had it by this age. Rock on.

The book tells you all you need to know to make an effective workout. You will need to test different techniques and see what works for you; everyone is different.

I find the criticisms of the book rather funny. Some guys think they need more specific techniques or one exercise to work one muscle, by name. I had no idea so many elite body builders lived in America. Where are these guys? When I look around me at the airport or the shopping mall, it's hard to find a man over 40 with a trim waist. Many of these old hogs look like they are pregnant. Don't let it happen to you! Follow the Home Workout Bible plan, and you'll stand out like a giraffe in the pig pen.

It is a must for anyone wants to start training at home!!

It was easy to read and very clear. However, the only disadvantage is that it doesn't include a section about nutrition and dieting.

This is a good book for any home gym. As long as you have a good bench and some weights you can utilize the exercises in this book in a very efficient way. I have been lifting weights for fifteen years and still find this book to be pretty helpful in changing up my routines.

This book is a great resourse. It has so many exercise and four different types of resistance each in its own section: no equipment, dumbbells, barbells, and crossover. It also list exercises based on experience, in the catogory of beginner, intermediate, and expert. My biggest complaint about this book is that it doesn't specifically tell what muscles are being worked for each exercise. The exercises are put into catogies and are not narrowed down any further than "knee dominant" or "hip dominant". Which is fine I guess, but how are you going to know which exercise works which specific muscles? There are some sample routines in the book which are okay, but if you don't have the equipment there aren't alternatives sugguested. Which leads back to complaint number one. Tell what muscles are worked and I can find an alternative exercise with what I have to work with. All and all a great book! It is a great companion book to The Body You Want in the Time You Have by Matt Murphy which is 2/3 of the 350+ pages are rountines based on the how many days and how much time. That book does tell you exactly which muscles you working, but only includes 48 exercises and not all the great alternatives and of the Homework Bible.

Overall, I think this is a great book. The authors are experienced and let you know if what they are saying is something they read as opposed to something they are claiming to know or have experienced by combining information from everyone (including themselves) or every book they have read. They also point out when and in what types of situations you need to be extra careful. There are important things to be reminded of when practicing these skill and we can sometimes forget we are all still subject to nature. For example, exploding rocks and food poisoning as well as foraging for plants and being certain of what you are eating. The style of writing is maybe awkward for some and I found it easier to pull pertinent information by hi-liting or underlining useful stuff. This also helps for easier reference later. I will point out one error but it is a common misconception. On pages 222-223 the author states "In fact, the water will boil hotter at higher elevations and so cook faster. I know one fellow who does all of his boiling with hot rocks (in a dutch oven) while in the mountains just because it does cook faster." In fact, the laws of physics would not allow the claimed scenario above...I'll explain so no one goes off thinking this is the case. Water being heated at higher elevations comes to a boil faster because IT BOILS AT A LOWER temperature. Therefore, FOOD COOKS SLOWER at higher elevations and I think one reason people invented the pressure cooker (more pressure = higher boiling point = food cooks faster). The reason water boils at a lower temperature at a higher elevation is because the atmospheric pressure is lower (the atmosphere thins out as you go up). The boiling temparature of substances are pressure dependent and when there is less pressure the molecules (or atoms) need less energy to escape from a liquid to become a gas. Hope that clarifies this for everyone who wasn't sure. Otherwise, some pictures may be disappointing but for the time period this book was compiled from I think it is pretty good. Inspiring and well worth the read but stop reading about it and go do it! (I'm guilty too :)

Information that you will never be able to find anywhere else. If primitive living is your thing, this book is a must read.

I have books on survival skills and this is the most usefull. This book is priceless. Lots of good pictures and everything is explained very well in his own words. If you are interested in wilderness/survival/etc. this is a must have. Just read the other reviews if you don't believe me.

What a great book..super informative, lots of pictures and instructions..If I wanted one book to take into the wilderness this would be it..I can't say enough good stuff about it..Easy too read and learn from..

I found this book to be poorly written, inadequately edited, and virtually impossible to use alone. Chapter three details making a bow and arrow using modern tools and deer sinew. There's no explanation of how to get deer sinew if you don't have the tools to hunt deer. I'm sure there's information in here. . .the chapter on making fire looked like it may be useful if you're willing to drag through the amateur writing. Overall, however, I found the book to be a waste of time and money.

Good simple book for new sailors or helpers (3rd mates)
Got it for a friend to help me, but not to take over command.
I have even been corrected for using the word Rope instead of Line
If you learn everything in this book, you will be a very knowledgeable sailor

I have not received this item nor have I received any email explaining why not after one month so I would characterize my experience as poor.

Jim Word

This was very helpful as a first step before you take a personel lesson. I was aware of all of the terms and what was about to happen. Great book. I have red it more than once.

Turns out sailing is pretty complicated. Especially if you're trying to cross the ocean on a 32 Contessa.

I give this book five stars for saving my life. I almost tried to cross the ocean with me and one other; neither of whom has any water experience at all. Considered other alternatives to my problem resolution after chapter 1.

An enjoyable, humerous review of the basics. Having been away from sailing for a few years (2 decades) I wanted to brush up on the fundamentals, this was a GREAT way to do it. I found out I hadn't forgotten as much as I thought.
I can see where a beginner would benefit also.

There was nothing wrong with this product. My daughter dropped the class in college that required this book; therefore, she didn't need the book any longer.

The body is an amazing thing. We look at architecture and don't see a simularity in it with us, yet just as beams and walls and cielings support buildings, bones, ligaments and skin support what we inhabit and live in. Just as a building's foundation and subsequent floors affect how it stands and reacts in an earthquake or wind storm, how we walk, position our pelvises, carry our shoulders and necks and arms affects how we react to our environment and as this book emphasizes-- gravity.

DATI brings together everything wonderful about our bodies. Gravity isn't good or bad, it just is and we need to learn to deal with it. DATI is one of the best books on getting to know your muscles. If you don't know why they or even if they do and where they are, you can't work with them. Franklins visualization is second to none as far as helping the reader gain feeling through imagining water or air finning up an area and then letting it all out. He takes what we can relate to, describes it in another area, and moves us through to places that we didn't have names for.

Franklin has a sense of humor. (Humor is imporatant because it establishes a sence of the irony in looking at life.) He tells the reader of a commedian who went to basic training. After a week, his stomach started to feel funny. He went to many doctors, convinced that something was dreadfully wrong only to discover that for the first time in his life that he was not suffering from heartburn! This is important because in changing our bodies, when we change soemthing that is bad, it might not feel right.

I highly reccommend this book especially for GYN patients. Doctors who aren't trained in body movement will not understand how to guide their patients into understanding. I've had nine children and was getting revolted by what I felt like I had no control over. Since I am a yoga practicer, I decided to see what I could do before an operation and this is turning out to be a great investment. I think the best thing is that I have gotten control over muscles that are attached to bones that are attached to connective tissue that work with inner organs that were once loose. I am not afraid to sneeze any more or of watching nurses react with paste faces to what I tell them. This book has helped me get more acquainted with my body so I am able to discuss it. It's very hard to go in to a doctor's office, see a nurse that you've never seen before and start discussing problems that you never thought you'd have to deal with. When you know your body, you can speak with confidence about it. (In my case, the problem is in the process of being fixed.)

I highly suggest that OB/Gyns/urologists and family practitioners at least read this book. Without an understanding of how the body's muscles are used, doctors don't help us unless they are cutting in to us. I almost had an operation based on one doctor's response to my sagging organs with, "OK, I can operate on that." The man is nothing but a body mechanic-- he doesn't understand how our bodies work-- just that when they don't that he can fix them through an operation, and isn't aware of what a patient can do to help her-or-himself, yet he is one of the alleged finest in our state. He's really not that great-- he's like a musician that can only play one style of music with one instrument. If he was ever inspired, he's lost it. I am not slamming him; this is the case with many, many doctors. (This is the case with anyone who has done the same thing for too long and not realized that how little they know.)

I urge patients to learn from books like this and learn to ask questions and help yourselves. Doctors are slaves of convention and the latest word from the AMA. I am not against operations to fix what doesn't work, but the ramifications of an operation can be bad-- for what my doctor was proposing, I would have never been able to do certain stretches and bends in yoga. Give your self six weeks to try Franklin's approach and fix your problem and if it doesn't work, get operated on. I will warn anyone doing this that if you don't have a background in body movement, ie; yoga, dance, some type of athletics, it will take longer to get results. Our body awareness starts on the outside and works inward, and you will have a new vocabulary to get familiar with.

Imagery is hard. You have to know how to focus. I highly suggest that you try yoga. I learned to empty my mind in a Hatha Yoga class and learned to chant because it kept my mind on my body position and my breath. I am a highly amped person and need this-- others may be able to do it more easilly. If you have never worked out before, I think that you will get better results from this book if you take at least a short class in something so that you can get used to how your body works. You may also benefit from Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting where she teaches acting using the entire body. Acting isn't about --I strike a dramatic pose here-- it's about how one REacts to the environment and this creates what you are phsyically.

I find that all of Eric Franklin's book are invaluable for anyone interested with body movement.

Dancers, fitness instructors and even therapists have much to gain by the use of imagery.

I found this book to be eye opening, and immensely helpful with all the exercises that are discussed in the chapters. I improved my dancing within two weeks of reading and starting the exercises. It's concise with a nice touch of humor. I'm recommending this book to all my dancer friends both social and professional. I love this book and I have plans to purchase all of Eric Franklin's books.

I work in the fitness industry as well as dance. I see how important dynamic alignment is to do ANYTHING in dance and I think the general population needs a deeper understanding of it. I struggle with my balance and this book has been a wonderful tool to help me improve my technique.

This book is very informative and helpful to those making the transition to Half and Ironman distance tri's. I would have given this book a five star if I didn't already have Gale Bernhardt's training plans for multisport athletes. All the info in Going long is in Gale's book. They obviously consulted one another when writing their respective books. I recommend Gale's book if you plan on doing different distance Tri's. Joe's book is more specific to the Ironman distance athlete. Good luck and always ride with a tailwind.

Going Long: Training for Ironman-Distance Triathlons (Ultrafit Multisport Training Series)
is a superb book for any athlete (beginner or pro)! Specially I liked the chapter about the mental training for the Ironman competition. I only can recommend it! Happy training!

Is agood book to reed and ,you can extract many positive advise,good review on diet.

The problem when you start training for a long endurance event like the Ironman is that every second athlete has his or her own opinion and way of training. This confused me a lot.

I decided to seek some professional help and use this book to train for my first Ironman and I can honestly say this book is remarkable. The level of detail is intense, so you have to be patient and read some sections several times to really grasp and remember all the advice given in the chapters, i.e. nutrition, discipline-specific training techniques, etc.

You also need to apply the knowledge with some common sense, because it has been written with advice for every athlete from novice to elite. So make sure you know where you fall on the scale and what you want to achieve and use the advice that is applicable to you.

But, in general, I found the training principles in this book to be accurate and now that I have completed an Ironman I can say that they work. Lately I have discovered that many of the Ironman athletes I meet also used this book to train from.

So you can buy and use it with confidence. Good luck!

I have a few books for Tri and i found this very good source for those who would like to try IM or any races that equivalent to it. For beginners, start with other Tri books and when you're planning to prep-up for 50+ miles tri races, use this book as a guide.
I'm no expert but i did a few tri-races and this is my ultimate guide...i even sleep with it.

I reallu like this book because it helped me with my juniors and all!!!!! I also learned to cooaprate with the leader be cause they sey that its hard.

If you have a junior this book is really handy if you want to earn interest badges.

...so if you have a daughter who is a Junior, please buy her
the handbook. It is considerably more difficult to earn badges
if you don't have a copy of the handbook at home, as earning
many of the badges requires that you do the activities in
the handbook. If you are trying to save money, get a
used copy or do without a uniform. Besides a
sash or vest to put earned badges, the handbook and badgebook
are the most necessary objects a Junior Girl Scout
needs to have to get the most out of the program.

It was a very good book. It inspired me and now that I am in Girl Scouts I feel like a better person.