Sports Books

The book has an intro on where muscles are and nutrition. The bulk of the pages are a good variety of stretches, abs, pushups, and leg exerciser. Its a good fill in for days I don't have much time or am traveling and don't have acces to a gym.

it provides a range of simple yet effective routines and actions. It also covers on diet recommendations. Overall very simple information, but practical for a novice.

This book was OK but nothing that a person with any knowledge of body weight exercise wouldn't already know. The exercises were all basic pushups pullups situps and body weight squats that included some variations of each exercise. It also had some plyo. type exercises and stretching advice, but again, nothing that most seasoned fitness people wouldn't already know to some degree. I purchased the book hoping that it would include some hard endurance type workouts but that was not the case. There is workouts included but just not what I was looking for, but for someone else they might be great.

Overall, if you're looking for a book that provides some body weight exercises to get yourself in shape this book will work for you, however you may have to up the intensity of the workouts depending on what kind of shape you are in presently.

I bought this at the end of January and began doing routines immediately. The two bodyweight circuit routines (every other day, in the afternoons), the abs routine (each morning), and the "isoexplosive" routine (on off days, in the afternoons) work very well together.

Since the end of January, I've lost 25 lbs and went from doing five of most exercises to doing twenty, with most push-up variations with my feet elevated to lift more of my own weight. I've also thrown in some pull-ups by tossing a towel over a sturdy door, and pistol squats. The few diet tips -- eat protein right after working out, essentially -- are also handy. My strength and stamina have increased, I look better, and had to buy new clothing for the summer as the old stuff was just falling off me.

This won't turn you into the fellow on the cover, of course, but if you're like me and just won't go to the gym (too far away, too expensive), all you need is a patch of floor and you're good to go, and least if you've not exercised much before, or have had an injury (as I did).

I also recommend buying a jump rope and getting in some cardio that way.

This little book packs a lot of value into a few pages. What I like best about this book is it cuts out the fluff. It is brief and to the point on it's coverage of general nutrition and bodyweight training aspects. Most importantly, it contains a verity of workouts ranging from; full body circuits, back care, balance and abdominal routines. Selections are short, sweet and well organized.

Highlights:
- Two, 22 minute full body, bodyweight circuits (great for those days when you want to focus on active recovery and give your body a rest from your regular heavy lifting)
- One, 15 minute high intensity workout (Good for when you are crunched on time)
- A Valuable 7 minute "save your back routine" (Doing this will relieve the pain in your back, after a day of sitting at your desk.)
- Good verity of well illustrated stretches
- Solid, basic selection of well illustrated bodyweight exercises

The total content of this book is under a 100 pages, but it manages to provide great photos and a good verity of workouts. This book is a great little handbook for those who are looking to venture down the path of bodyweight exercises. Another plus is this book is small enough to take with you as a reminder to squeeze in a workout.

The GM is a tad slow in the beginning, but really picks up the pace after a couple of chapters. It's a great behind the scenes look into the Giants, and really any NFL team. Every football fan, and Giant fans in particular, owe it to themselve to read this book.

As a Detroit Lion fan (NFL,not to be confused with the fantasy football team with the same name), this book should be required reading for William Clay Ford and Matt Millen. It is the story of Ernie Accorsi's last year as General Manager of the New York Giants. He is the chief architect of this year's Super Ball champions. The author provides an insider's picture of how great team are created and maintained when superior ownership,leadership and organizational skills are used to field a winning team.

Accorsi is really a man who understands and values all sports combined with a sense of history and love of live. He learned his lessons on the playfields of Hershey Pennsylvania and from such personalitis as Paterno,Unitas,and Rozelle.

Accorsi is truly a man for all seasons. He is very much like Machiavelli with a heart, who finds greatness where others are blind to it.

Ernie Accorsi, the "GM" of the New York Giants, was a link to the NFL's great past of Pete Rozelle, Wellington Mara, John Unitas and Jim Finks. In those days, the phrase "for the good of the game" was a frequent motivation for doing the right thing for the players, fans and that elite fraternity who invested their money to make it America's favorite sport. The way Accorsi approached his job and treated those around him reflects that spirit, which was accurately portrayed by Tom Callahan. Men like Accorsi are disappearing from professional sports, and we are all worse off for it. If you love the game, you'll love "GM."

The book was published before the Super Bowl run and is prophetic. If you like to know what is going on in the background of a GM this is a good book. Only faults, it could have named a few names and identified more faults of bad decisions of Ernie's and others

Enjoyed this book very much. Accorsi's stories are teriffic! And there is a memory-lane chapter where he is packing up his the personal effects and memorabilia from his desk; each item has its own little tale.

The down side - too many 2006 Giants drive summaries provided by Callahan. Filler, page-eaters.... it's a small downside, however.

Even if you're not a golfer, I think you would enjoy this book and how it changed a life.

This book was received very quickly and was in excellent shape. Everything about this transaction exceeded my expectations.

James Patterson taps into every middle-aged golfer's fondest fantasy in this eminently readable and enjoyable novella.

Travis McKinley, a disgruntled Chicago ad man, approaches his fiftieth birthday knowing he's about to be fired by the agency where he's worked for 23 years and suspecting that his wife is about to drop the divorce bomb on him. A miraculous round of golf on Christmas Day gives him a reason to live, a scenario only another certified golf nut could understand. I found it perfectly credible.

The day Travis gets fired (and before he tells his wife the good news), he sends in his entry fee to the PGA Senior Tour Qualifying School, another perfectly rational action for those of use with a permanent track in our carpeting from where we practice putting. When his wife finds out, she doesn't see this as quite such a rational response to the situation.

Patterson's account of Travis' Q-school experience and year on the tour is a fine mix of humor, golf lore, and pathos as his hero struggles not with his golf game but with the disintegration of his marriage. The "Miracle on the 17th Green" at Pebble Beach produces a happy ending, though. It's as sweet as a pured second-shot three-wood to the center of the green on your own favorite par five.

This is a favorite of mine to "gift" to golfers. A marvelous story somewhat out of character for Patterson. Particularly good for anyone over fifty or someone who loves golf but whose life is in a slump.

Novels and movies about sports tend to follow the same pattern. If the central figure is a boxer, he will overcome adversity and knock out the champ. In Grisham's football novel, a flailing quarterback wins the championship, albeit elsewhere. Braddock knocks out Baer. Etc. And in Patterson's golf novel, a scratch duffer--well, take a guess.

As for miracles, there isn't much of one, and what miracle there is makes little or no sense. Read it for yourself and ask the burning question--why? And why did a weekend golfer suddenly find his putter? There are just all sorts of whys here, and Patterson brushes right by them. He never gets much past superficial in plot, character or theme.

Part of my problem here is golf itself. Men in pastel attire demand absolute silence as they address a ball that is not moving and which no one will try to field once it is struck. There is a kind of religious hush around tee or green. In baseball there is jeering noise as the batter tries to hit a moving ball with the hope that nine fielders won't get to it until the batter at least reaches first base. Golf isn't really sport by a strict definition. Baseball is. Football is. Hockey is.

The only worthwhile golf novel I know of is "Dead Solid Perfect" by Dan Jenkins. In fact, Jenkins wrote the best football novel as well: "Semi Tough." Both these examples are more for fun than for the thrill of victory. When a writer tries to make sports the central and serious theme, we know how it will end.

As many others have said, this is not the best in the series, but it is still a great read. I chuckled aloud on the bus (commuting) a couple times, causing startled looks and a couple of questions about the book. It is now on loan to another rider.

The idea of Xtreme croquet is a fantastic concept carried out throughout the book. Adding a Morris men team with their bells was a fun device. The appearance of all the unusual family members and the assorted livestock just add to the hilarity. I was much taken with the in-fighting in the town, having lived through my mother's protacted wars with neighbors and family (please, I hope she never learns about email and Amazon and stumbles across this).

If this is your first foray into Donna Andrews start with another book, but work your way to this one - it is a delight.

Donna Andrews has a lively imagination and has created a set of memorable characters. I was startled to learn that she did not create the sport of Extreme Croquet for her book as the game seems to have her madcap sense of humor. However, the game actually exists. The mystery is almost incidental to the humor, but this is a good read.

As usual, Donna Andrews has managed to make murder funny. Reading about Meg and her family always makes me laugh even though there is a murder involved.

I had really begun to believe that Donna could write about anything under the sun - a wait at a doctor's office, an afternoon of painting the walls - and have it end up hilarious. I was just SO pleased with the last three books she created, and the environment and characters she had populated them with.

With this book, Donna comes down to earth. That's not to say I disliked the book. It was quite interesting, set in a tournament of eXtreme croquet in her back yard. You get the fun family members as well as a collection of newcomers to interact. Still, the previous books were just so amazing, with numerous laugh out loud moments and great insights. With this book, things were "fine". It's almost as if Donna had gotten so used to her great successes that she put things on cruise control a bit.

One thing which bugs me about these books is that Meg has been dealing with dead bodies repeately over the years - but every time she encounters a new one it's as if she's never seen one before at all. The cop in this one - a cop who knows her from previous stories - even makes a comment that she shouldn't be squeamish because she has a doctor for a father. How about she shouldn't be squeamish because bodies fall dead around her at a regular rate! I'm not sure I understand why this is an issue for the writer. When we read about other mystery series, we know the main characters have seen death. We know it's a series. There's no need to pretend in every book of Nancy Drew that she has just become a detective and has never faced danger before. I don't see a need here to treat Meg as an innocent every time out.

I also found the plot here a little repetitive compared with previous plots. I knew right away who the killer was and then simply had to wait for the story to unfold to find that out. As usual, Meg doesn't realize the truth until the last possible moment. I suppose you could say her charm is that she 1) feels grumpy about finding bodies and 2) blunders Clouseau-like around until the killer prepares to take her out. I just wish she'd do a little better with her investigation. She is, after all, an intelligent woman. Some of the clues she misses are pretty obvious.

Still, it's nice to see the progression of some of the characters, and the flaws in others. These aren't perfect people by any stretch of the imagination - but they still get along and love each other. It gives hope to the rest of us!

I generally enjoy this series, and when I see that the author has a new book out, I always get it. I have sometimes been disappointed because it's not as good as I expected, but that's not the case with this book -- it was one of the better in the series, all of which have a bird reference in the title.

In this case, the nest belongs to a duck -- named Duck. You can imagine what happens when someone calls her... That gives you an idea of the humor in the book. But even funnier is the game that is played throughout the book -- eXtreme croquet! I guess there really is such a game, and it sounds fun -- croquet played on rough terrain rather than the usual flat lawn. The series' "detective," Meg Laslow, lives on a Virginia farm with her fiance Michael. They're renovating an old farmhouse, and since they live in the country, they're hosting an eXtreme croquet tournament.

Almost immediately, Meg stumbles across a body -- an unknown woman who has apparently been murdered with a croquet mallet. Because the murder was on land used for the croquet tournament, it seems likely that someone in the tournament or working on the house committed the murder. Although the sheriff is investigating, Meg is interested in discovering which of the people at her place for the weekend is the killer.

Staying with Meg and Michael are Meg's colorful parents and brother and other assorted family members (where are all these people sleeping? not clear), who add to the humor. Also staying with Meg and Michael is Spike (actually belongs to Michael's mother), a tiny little dog who has been through umpteen dog trainers and still bites unwary people. He also adds to the humor.

I really didn't guess "who dun it," which is to the author's credit, as I read so many mysteries that I often do. Only toward the last 75 pages did I add the person to my "possible killer" list.

If you haven't read any in the series, if you like witty, cozy mysteries, you're likely to enjoy this one. If you are already a fan, you won't be disappointed.

As a book about violin basics, this is OK. However as a book about learning to play the violin, it fails. There is an included disk containing both audio and video clips, but it is only good for the audio clips. The video did not work on my copy of Real Player. I finally learned that if I were to pay another $40 to Real Player I could look at the videos that I had purchased. While the line drawings in the book are good, the photographs are very difficult to make sense of. They are all black and white and they have not been well done. For this reason, I would not recommend this book. Spend your money elsewhere.

Even though I am learning violin, I am not a dummy, and I do not like to be taught like one. There are much better book out there to learn how to play violin.

after wasting my money, I decided to get "Picture Yourself Playing Violin"- a much better decision

Katharine Rapoport brings a lot of experience to light in this book; designed for the very beginner through advanced. If you are trying to tackle violin pedagogy on your own maybe because you can't afford private lessons or maybe your schedule is not conducive for private lessons, or whatever reason; this book is a good place to start. The instruction is informative, structured, and relaxed in nature.

I am an adult who wanted to learn to play the violin without the expense of private lessons. So far, this book has been very easy to follow and the instructions are very clear. The CD is wonderful, it includes short videos and mp3 songs. I can play along with the songs and know that the notes are correct.
My only compaint is that I found alot of the photos in the book hard to see. They are in black and white and the photos are far to dark.

If you enjoy woodworking and want to build a beautiful, lightweight, high-performance sea-kayak for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a similar boat, this is the reference for you. The book is well written and illustrated and provides enough detail to complete a project from start to finish. An excellent reference (5*).

I have learned all the needed information required to build a Strip kayak.

Yet! the kayak plans in the book are not good enough for building a kayak. Purchase plans separately!

Nick Shade is an artist, not a woodworker. He doesn't fret over minute details, or force you to make things perfect. But his designs are positively gorgeous. Since his book is a recent print, he covers many aspects of construction the older books do not cover, and many of the ideas are his own and are used professionally on the curent market. He does not cover everything, and if you want to find out the most recent developments as far as boatbuilding, you have to subscribe to the blogs online. (such as on Ted Moores' site). He is not as clear as Ted Moores in KayakCraft, but sometimes has more ideas. I suggest to buy both and visit all the websites.

This is a very good book. Schade's style is very easygoing and informative. A pleasure to read and learn from.

With all the rave reviews already stated, I add my own.

Mr. Schade will break your heart in the very introduction of the book; at this moment you will come to understand the true dedication of this author to his craft (and love for his wife). Then there is a descent into the inner secrets of this craft that he loves. As an accomplished gymnast, he will certainly make this kayak-building appear easy, almost too easy, and yet the details are in place to convince you that, yes, you can do it yourself.

You have to pinch yourself to bring yourself back to the reality that you will spend many hours building this kayak, that it will cost you quite a bit, and that the process is not as easy as it looks. Then stop pinching yourself and start planning; the reality is that you can do it!

There are a few gaps in the details that I had to think my way through, but none of these gaps are intentional. In fact, these opportunities are more exciting than aggravating.

This is not the only good resource available for learning the strip-building technique. I am already modifying Mr. Schade's designs to include elements provided elsewhere, as he would even encourage himself. On the other hand, this book is all you need to make a great kayak, and the information in this book is superior to anything that I have seen elsewhere.

I would recommend this book even to those who never plan on building a kayak if for no other reason than to appreciate this fine art of shipbuilding.

A lot of information in this book. It covers just about everything. I was hoping for a little more information on feeding, but overall a good buy. One note: if you are looking for tack and riding info, this book focuses mostly on english riding. There is very little reference to western riding.

This is a great book for first learning about horses, how to care for them, feeding, symptoms of illnesses, and it's simple to read and understand. It gives the basics for people who might want to own a horse for the first time so that you can know what to watch out for and take the best care of your horse. I'd recommend this book for first time horse owners, and for people working with horses for the first time. It's comprehensive and gives you a lot of great info.

I bought this book for my daughter who just loves horses. She really enjoys having me read it to her and looking at the pictures. It is a good general reference book for people wanting to learn more about horses.

This horse book was awesome! I will be taking riding lessons this summer and this book helped me get a head start on horse care, like grooming, feed, tack and much,much more! It's a great book for any horse lover even if you don't have or ride a horse. This book makes it a fun, simple way to learn about how to take care of a horse! This is one of my favorite horse care guides out of all of them!

I found this book to be quite interesting, I bought it as a gift for a friend who is just getting in to horses, and looked it over before giving it. Although most of it is basic, it is not condescending towards the reader, and has many interesting facts. I even learned a few things, and have been a horse person for over 17 years. The photo's chosen to accompany the work are usually helpful, and overall this is an excellent book for someone getting started with horses.

It's a great book once you get into it. I have found myself so busy with climbing this season already, I have little time to read it, however, what I have read has actually already begin to help my climbing, and it can be related to life off the rock as well, if you read into it.

Takes a look beyond the physical aspects of climbing and puts success in the hands of anyone that can control their mental game. Worth the time and you'll end up wanting to take it with you to the crags. Even if you don't climb the lessons can be used in business and other sports too.

If for no other reason you should read this book it's that it brings greater self-awareness and introspective reflection to the challenging thought processes which a climber experiences while pushing their limits, and therefore teaches us to analyze these moments in order to become a more successful climber. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a better understanding of themselves, life and climbing as a whole!

This book is more than rock climbing. it delves into the inner spirit of any competitive sport or activity. it has very much a Zen Buddhist philosophy at its core. highly recommended.

I really like this book. Even though I am not that advanced in climbing it gave me interesting insights into what happens "mentally" when you do this sport.

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).