Sports Books

This book really delivers on it's promise. Not only does it go over a lot of questions that cyclist have it actually gives detailed answers on how to address those questions. I can see myself using this book for a long while.

This is a most amazing book on many levels. It is a reference book, a book of interviews with the great names in the bicycling world, a book packed with fitness tips for all ages, interviews with people who have biked for years and years and still bike. Here's just on piece of advice I got from an interview: "Don't sit down for an hour after dinner" and "find a gear you like to ride in and just stay in it" and so much more. You really don't even have to be a bike rider to get alot out of this book.

Alternates between being inspirational and educational. Plan to get it for my biking friends when they hit 40 or 50. Lots of useful information and a good read.

This book got me fired up about cycling. Having fought a lifetime battle with weight and health demons, I have recently lost 80 lbs by swimming, cycling and running. However, I need constant inspiration to maintain my current level of fitness.

Through their own awe-inspiring cycling achievements, along with other amazing cycling personalities, the authors have written a book that entertains, educates and inspires. I have placed it on my "top shelf" where it is accessible for future reference along with all of my favorite books.

This book explains why it is necessary for older riders to stretch before riding and to avoid simple sugars. I am not sure knowing those things will make me do them, but reading the book does move me in the direction of better habits.

I really liked the interviews. I learned something useful in each one of them. They are also the sort of thing that inspires you to ride. Reading descriptions of how to do various exercises was not easy. Perhaps drawings or photos would have helped. Still, I would rather be riding than doing exercises, no matter how advisable it is to do the exercises.

This book will have an effect on my training and riding style. One of the most helpful sections was about using one's glutes more for added power in pedaling. I may not revise everything I do immediately, but I will read my underlinings again and again. In time I will be doing more of what this book suggests.

Several times I thought I would not be at all interested in a new chapter's topic. But, when I got into the chapter it was even more interesting than the previous chapter. Some of the topics were also vital, like watching out for osteoporosis.

The immediately most helpful thing I learned by reading this book was how to utilize and strengthen my 'glutes' for more power and more endurance. I can ride longer and faster with less soreness afterward now. That information alone was worth the cost of the book.

There is some good information on preserving and building relationships, but most of the people cited for their life stories were better examples of broken relationships. Cycling can be addictive and a non-cycling spounse is not always content to sit at home and wait for the cyclist to return home.

It is generally very enjoyable to read.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3JQDR48JA3J7I Cullen of CullensAbcs.com reviews this book and gives you ideas on how to use to use it interactively with your child. For you I have more video book reviews, free children videos and free activity idea videos at the CullensAbcs.com website. If you have a children's book you would like me to review and offer ideas on how to use it interactively with children please send an email to CullensAbcs@gmail.com. Also, feel free to to add me, Cullen Wood, as a Facebook friend.

I gave this book as a gift but have heard my 2 1/2 year old niece read it a lot. It is great story line, lots of repetition and rhyming. I will definitely get this book for my daughter when she is a bit older.

We originally checked this one out of the library, but we had to purchase it as it's a favorite repeat! What amazing artwork!!! Bold, beautiful, and totally engaging! The story is very funny, even to the youngest set. For my son, it's been a wonderful introduction to the concept of "thinking" and how to express and wonder about what someone else might be "thinking". It is definitely on our current "top 10" list of our all-time favorite books! Thank you for the duck at "The End" eying that tractor and scratching his chin... perhaps a sequel????

This happens to be my nephew's favorite book (and it's the third copy he's worn out). Duck on a Bike a delightful story about a dare-devil duck who sets off an bike riding adventure. On his journey around the farm, he greets other animas who in turn get jealous of his biking skills. In the end, all of the animals get a chance to join in on the fun!

As an elementary school teacher, I highly recommend this book for children of all ages. The story is engaging and the illustrations capture the joy of the story!

I borrowed this book from the library for my son and he instantly fell in love with it - as did I - and so I just had to buy it for him. We read it nearly every day and he smiles and laughs each time - and he's only 7 months. A beautiful story with gorgeous pictures and a very funny final page. Enjoy!

What a great coming-of-age book, whether you like basketball or not! I thought that this, I guess, non-fiction work was far superior to Conroy's fictional "Beach Music."

Amazon.com Book Review
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy

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

Growing up Catholic in the 1960's and 1970's and playing basketball every day because we didn't have the money to go on vacation, are two of many drivers that singles out Pat Conroy's "A Losing Season" as the most talked about book among my friends in our New York suburb.

Mr. Conroy's ability to balance brutal honesty with a sensitivity toward young men of our era, dwarfs my favorite writers such as Tom Wolfe in nailing the complexities of being innocent in a period that was conflicted with our feelings of supporting the beliefs of our fathers who were from WWII and the realities of the 60's and 70's.

When a writer as strong as Pat Conroy takes on young men growing up in the 60's and 70's trying to figure out their catholic up-bringing, clashing with their generation's challenge to conventional beliefs - the result is explosive. Don't miss the best read of your life.

A rough life is an understatement for young Pat Conroy. His abusive father and enabling mother help make it an enduring test of character for Pat. He walks away a strong person and also a wise one. Mel Thomason awaits Conroy as yet another test of will power for Pat. Mel is a stubborn man looking to rule a team of basketball players. His ways of braking down a player only to rebuild them and smash them down again, is a test of just how much a man can take. Pat endures a very painful character building period.

Pat Conroy tells a story like a god. Throughout the book Pat is inquisitive about what he will be after basketball is over for him. He lets us know that he has always known he was a great writer but was unsure of himself. He was at a loss for what it was he was meant to do. This book is not only about basketball, but also of self-inquiry. It is a journey of Pat's search for his life road.

Along with Pat's struggles came reward. Pat felt as though he was coming into himself. He discovered life lessons and set life goals. He believes he learn more about himself his senior year at the Citadel then any other single year he as lived. Life is full of self-discovery, especially for Pat.

During his senior season at The Citadel, a tough-nosed, all-male military academy, Pat Conroy's squad stumbled its way to an 8-17 record, falling two points short in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament due to John DeBrosse's blown fast break layup. In true Conroy form, the self-depreciating point guard blames the loss on his own lack of hustle in pursuing the missed shot. Regardless of who was at fault there, it was this miscue that brought about the writing of My Losing Season: "When DeBrosse found me in Dayton, it was the first indication I had that the 1966-67 basketball season could cause perpetual hurt to any other person besides myself." In this masterfully written memoir, Pat Conroy reconnects with memories of his dysfunctional basketball team from a season impossible to forget, one that shaped his view of the world and his direction as a writer.

I was sold on Conroy after his first line in the book: "I was born to be a point guard, just not a very good one." A sentence beautiful in its witty simplicity, I could instantly relate to Conroy as a mediocre athlete myself; more importantly, this one line sums up Conroy's character as a whole. He portrays his passion and reverence for the game of basketball, a humble ethos and skill at his craft of writing.

The truth is he was a very strong player, finishing his senior season as captain and MVP of the Bulldogs. However, in his eyes, he was always an unrelenting member of the Green Weenies, the scrubs of The Citadel team, overcoming obstacles including his lack of height and talent, his manic father, who suffered severely from a superiority complex, and his unappreciative, old-school coach. His proudest moment came when his coach noted, "that kid gets more mileage out of his talent than any other player I have ever coached." Conroy took those words to heart and applied them to his future as a novelist: "I soared upon them, gathered strength from them as I stormed out to my life as a writer who wanted to create winged and roaring sentences, the kind that would set language free."

While his team was hitting its lowest lows, Conroy began to appreciate the power of his experiences. He finally detached from the bond that latched him to authoritative figures, learning to trust himself and disregard outside influence. This liberating realization led to the conclusion that "loss is a fiercer, more uncompromising teacher, coldhearted but clear-eyed in its understanding that life is more dilemma than game, and more trial than free pass." Culminating in his career as a writer, this season gave him ample stories and lessons to fuel his passion for literature. Ultimately, we learn that Conroy's writing salvaged his relationship with his father before it was too late, a man who led the typically docile Pat to once "dream of spitting on his body in the mortuary...again and again, until my mouth was dry." Conroy's basketball experiences provided him a voice and courage as a writer; if this contributed at all to mending his relationship with his father, than the losing season was surely worthwhile. Pat Conroy serves as an inspiration to me as a gritty athlete, a crafty writer, and model human being.

Trail Food by Alan S. Kesselheim is a spectacular little read for anyone interested in adventuring in the outdoors, self reliance, preperation, or even just making healthy snacks at home for a fraction of the price of storebought. Encouraging, practical, and written by an obviously experienced author, Trail Food helped enhance my outdoor experience. If you're still buying those freeze dried meals or even worse living off of ramen noodles when you're out in the wilds, I really suggest you consider dehydrating your own food, and this book is a great place to start. In addition to dehydration the author seasons the book with a bunch of other tidbits. There's little blurbs about the pros and cons of cooking over fires and various stoves, advice on setting up the camp kitchen, and at the beginning of every chapter there's a little blurb of a story about canoeing, backpacking, dogsledding, or just cabin living, that helped get me in that outdoorsy frame of mind. My two dehydrators are going to be working overtime!

good and informative book for the price. I tried a few of the recipes and was able to improvise from there.

As a boyscout leader, we like to outdo the scouts on our creative cooking to inspire their creativity. It is a great book, to show how to make creative meals without the weight of heavy food items. This has been great!! Thanks C>

Learn to use a food dehydrator and pack for those camping and hiking trips. There are also great tips on preserving fruits and vegetables.

Good airflow throughout the cabinet meaning everything dries close to the same rate. The sound is basically is low and unobtrusive - lower than a humidifier. I like the square shape because it maximizes counter space in the kitchen. I dehydrate entire meals for backpacking. In addition to the standard fruit and veggies, I've dried chili, lasagna, chicken enchilada & rice, tuna noodle, spaghetti & sauce, lemon lentil soup, and more. Again, size of the trays and airflow work great for spreading out the food and getting it dried evenly. Rehydrating food out on the trail is much easier and tastes better than carrying ingredients separately and combining them out there. Dehydrating my favorite recipes for the trail also beats a week of store bought mac 'n cheese type foods out there. Geez, I should have been doing this years ago.

Although the best way to learn any knot is to be shown, this is a good way to remember and practice them. It's small, light, sturdy and waterproof. There's not much more you can expect from a product like this. This is one of those ideas I wish I had come up with.

This is an excellent product I purchased the Saltwater edition for 1 tackle box and the Freshwater edition for my other, it's an excellent reference. The plastic coating makes it waterproof,cleanable and durable.
Thank You

This is a great starter to intermediate knot tying manual. 'Ultimate' might be stretching it but it's close. Definitely adequate! You would 'the man' if you mastered every knot in this manual! The envy of every other deckhand for sure! ciao, Scott

Buy it, use it, love it; enough said.

I have used the tool and find it very helpful. Good price. Fast shipping.

This is an excellent book that gives very insiteful information on known and unknown practices in professional sports.

As a sportsfan, this is a must read! The author's writing style was fantastic. The way the title of the book was introduced to the reader was outstanding, like watching a car accident unfold. Exposing racism in the beginging stages of sports is a hard pill to swallow but very necessary, truth hurts! It's amazing to know that men envied by the masses for their lucrative salaries and lifestyles are virtually powerless in the strategic scope of sports. If you enjoy history, sports, and stories of triumph and struggle you will love this book.

What a terrific book! Rhoden does his homework and writes a detailed, provocotive history of sports in America and African Americans' unique role in shaping that history. It's important for today's athletes and fans to remember the black sports heroes that "history" forgot: Isaac Murphy, the most celebrated horse racing jockey in the late 1800s, a time when Blacks dominated the sport; Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League and a sports/black entrepreneur with a vigor unrivaled in the 20th century; Curt Flood, the first to challenge baseball's Reserve Clause and start the push for player control and free agency. It is equally important to take note of how Blacks were systematically pushed out of professional sports around the turn of the century, then had their own thriving institutions (HBCUs, Negro Leagues) appropriated and plundered by the dominant white industries when integration came about.

Though this history is painful, it may help to be conscious of it when attempting to reform modern day systems and institutions. Rhoden lays all the facts on the table for you. He only falls short when making recommendations for the future. His suggestion is that black athletes today should organize effectively and unite in the "struggle," a vague term that connotes the fight for control and power, not just wealth. Some questions not addressed in this book, but which a careful reader will no doubt seek answers to are: What off-the-field goals drive and motivate the professional athlete? How prevalent is the desire in the athlete to become a team owner or social change agent? If not athletes, who will be drawn to the ranks of the "new ownership" Rhoden advocates for? How does the history of post-slavery black labor mirror the sports industry? What is the nature of black business and entrepreneurship over time - does it too parallel the black experience in the sports industry? In the wake of Robert Johnson's sale of BET to Viacom, what is the nature of black "corporate responsibility" to some social mission in addition to the bottom line? Is a White-ally style of corporate responsibility able to achieve some of the reforms that the book advocates for? How does public education tie into the "conveyor belt" that mine's black talent from the inner city? What are education and other public and private institutions' roles in helping to reach the "promised land" that Rhoden refers to frequently but never quite defines? How can sports catalyze change for the African American community and other disenfranchised groups?

Check this book, and come up with some questions of your own. It's worth your time. Then, bug Rhoden and get him to write the sequel!

This book was one of the most informative books about Blacks in sports. It illustrates how many of these black athletes went from the slave plantation to the sport arenas. The only difference of a black male and a black professional athlete is their status: money, wealth, etc. Many of the Black Athletes came from poor backgrounds and they are living in up.

Many of them forgot who fought for them to be where there are: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Medgar Evers. Many of these Athletes are rich, they feel immune to their former communities because they made it on their god given gifts.

Michael Jordan has been dubbed the greatest basketball player who ever lived, Yet, he was used by Wizards owner Abe Pollin and then fired when he hung up his sneakers for the third time. It goes to show you, no matter what you did the past, they will let you know, who you are and we will put youy in your place.

Many other reviewers have noted that William Rhoden's basic premise is thought-provoking and well-argued. I agree. But Rhoden makes his point with a ton of repetition and a great deal of exaggeration -- thus weakening a well-researched and deeply-felt book.

From my perspective, Rhoden's most interesting point is about the integration of major college and professional sports in the 1950s-1960s. While integration is portrayed as an almost purely beneficial act, Rhoden shows that integration in this case meant absorption of the entire black sports infrastructure -- which created some negative consequences.

However, while I agree with this line of argument, Rhoden takes it too far. He basically says that integration had no positive effects for the black community, which is preposterous. And he cites statistics that don't seem to support his contention. For example, he writes that blacks filled 10% of NCAA sports administrative positions at major colleges in the 1990s. But blacks are 13% of the population, so what's the problem? The number doesn't seem far offline to me.

Thus, Rhoden's constant refrain about the "racist sports-industrial complex" (his phrase) is a little hard to believe. Pretty much everyone at the time thought integration was a good idea. And it's far from clear that not having a great football team at Morgan State University (where Rhoden played) today is the reason that inner-city Baltimore is a hellhole. I think there are bigger factors.

So, read the book and learn from William Rhoden. But you can read the first half of each chapter and skip the second half, which is usually a rehash (often with the exact same phrases and sentences).

I purchased this book with the intention of using it as a study guide for SailNY course in Basic Keelboat. The book told me all of the basic information I needed to be ready to intelligently discuss and put into practice basic knowledge about the parts of a boat, the parts of a sail, points of sail, rigging, water safety and rules of the "road."

I recommend this book for any beginning sailor. I was learning on old olympic racing boats with a jib and a mainsail, which were very responsive, so if I could learn what I needed, this book should be appropriate for smaller, slower craft without a doubt.

Geared toward adult new sailors. Not a bad book at all...

This is a compact book with lots of diagrams. Makes for a nice complement to a beginner's keelboat sailing course. More detailed information can be found in the Colgates' "Fast Track to Cruising."

The illustrations in this book really are outstanding; especially compared to the ASA Sailing Fundamentals book. However, the Sailing Fundamentals book is more complete when it comes to regulations and safety. I recommend using both books.

This was a great book to learn from. It made the whole learning to sail process easy.

This was a great workout book and helped my son succeed to the next level in pitching!! THank YOu

I'm pitching coach of ITALIAN NATIONAL U.21 TEAM and this book help me to find the right workout for my pitchers.
I like this book so much because is a very vey good guide for me and then for my guys.
Thanks

Very informative book with great examples. I do think the workout programs in the back are somewhat confusing to follow and could use reference pages to the exercises.

TUFFCUFF supplies a 1 year pitching training plan that is worth every penny! For a low price, it gives you deep carefully thought out workouts that will improve youre accuracy and velocity. I would recomend this to anyone.

This is a "must" for anyone serious about conditioning.Easy to follow instructions with illustrations.I would definately recommend it to all students of baseball.