Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels by Catherine Mabe

I must admit I know nothing of the roller derby sport. I didn't even know it was experiencing a revival. Prior to picking up this book, I only had vague recollections of seeing roller derbies in my youth on our family's old black-and-white TV. And I didn't understand the sport any more than I did wrestling, both of which I assumed were fixed because of the inherent drama that was a part of each.

I still am convinced that wrestling is fixed, but Mabe has dissuaded me of that notion as far as roller derby is concerned. This book is the perfect introduction into a behind-the scenes look at a sport which is almost the equivalent of hockey, at least as far as the physicalness of it is concerned.

Known on the circuit by the name "Jayne Manslaughter", Mabe as a derby girl is better suited to writing a history of the sport of roller derby than any aficionado might be. And her passion for the sport exudes on every page. Filled with colorful anecdotes as well as plenty of pictures from past and present incarnations of the sport, this is a quick and mostly entertaining read.

There is even a primer on the intricacies of play and how the points are scored, so if you have never been to a game, you will be prepared if someone takes you to the next match.

I'm rating this one 6½ stars.

Rose Bowl Dreams by Adam Jones

I first picked up this book because I thought it centered on the championship season of the 2005 University Of Texas Longhorns. That is, after all, the championship team in the foreground, and the Rose Bowl was where it all came to fruition. If I had read the dust cover blurb, i would have dissauded of this notion, but I didn't.

The book, rather, is about the trials and travails of one man and his family, with attention given to the ups and downs of the Texas Longhorns over a period of about 20 years as sort of a side note. it is in essence an autobiography, not that that is a bad thing in and of itself, but since before picking up the book I had never ecen heard of the author, I didn't really care about him or his family.

That said, I did find the book intriguing enough to read all the way through and found it entertaining to a point. Getting to the last two chapters (which actually deal with two games played during that season, the last one recording his feelings during that Rose Bowl) was at times a rough row to hoe. If you are looking for a sports history look elsewhere, but if you are the kind of fan who can commisserate with a fellow fan through your own lives, you might check it out.

My personal rating for this one is 6 stars.

The Worst of Sports by Jesse Lamovsky; et. al.

The Worst of Sports is an entertaining ride into the lows of professional and college sports. The blunders from quotes of supposedly educated men. The weaselly tricks that some people will go to to eke out a win. The flubs when well thought out plays go awry. All of this is here and more.

There is a section on what are truly the worst trades in the business. There is a great section on the best come from behind wins, although here it is a derisive lambasting of the team who suffered defeat from those worst comeback losses. And at the end of the book is a list of many ignoble records that were not addressed in detail in the book. (My favorite: The Dallas Cowboys have the record for most consecutive losses. Take that, Cowboy fans!)

All of it is in digest form, we're not talking extremely long in depth analysis of each subject. It would make a great book to read while you are in the bathroom. Or if you choose to read it all in one sitting, because the style is so reader-friendly, it could probably be accomplished in a few hours.

I give this one 8 stars.

Bolls, Polls, and Tattered Souls by Stewart Mandel

Ever wonder why a team that went undefeated in its regular season isn't playing for the national championship? (Univ. of Hawaii was 12-0 at the end of 2007 season, but is playing in a lesser bowl, while two teams, Ohio State and LSU, who have lost during the regular season get to play for the crystal trophy.)

Ever wonder how some teams always seem to be in the top 25 pre-season rankings, despite the lackluster results from their season's end the previous year? Ever wonder how come there are so damn many bowl games in post-season, most of which if they were regular games probably wouldn't even be on TV locally much less nationally?

Stewart Mandel answers these questions and many more in his highly entertaining book. If you have more than a passing interest in college football, you will find lots of eye-opening points and opinions here. From the opening chapter on the hooks and crooks of the BCS and how the bowl games are determined, to the problems inherent in the ranking of college teams, and a chapter on how the Heisman doesn't always get it right, the writer has a style to keep you interested. The only chapter that really bogged down, for me, (mainly because the topic didn't interest me) was the one on college recruiting. But otherwise, the book was very entertaining and a handbook for how to do things right if anyone in charge ever has the inkling to do it.

Rate this one 6 stars

Fanatic: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die by Jim Gorant

The author's premise derives from a dinner conversation that had several of his dinner companions trying to come up with the ultimate list of sporting events that should be seen live and in person. Over a period of several days/weeks, Gorant brought up the subject again and again with various friends and colleagues and narrowed it down to ten. He took a year and made it his goal to visit these 10 events.

• The 10 events as he decided are:
• The Super Bowl
• The Daytona 500
• The Final Four
• The Masters
• The Kentucky Derby
• Wimbledon
• A game at Wrigley Field
• A college football rivalry game
• A game at Lambeau Field
• A game at Fenway Park

I take issue with some of his selections. For instance, tennis is about as fascinating as watching ants collect stuff. And in the chapter on the rivalry college football game, he passes a comment that "the NBA is unwatchable...". OK, consider he lives in New York, and I gather, spends some time in Philidelphia. No wonder he feels that way, but I disagree if you consider the top flight teams. (As of this writing, all three Texas teams are soaring....) And I may be the only true southern redneck who thinks NASCAR is only interesting on the final 10 laps.

Given that, I think this is a pretty fascinating book, if you can overlook the occasional derogatory comments towards people of Southern heritage. The best chapters, by my somewhat biased viewpoint, are the ones on the Super Bowl and the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry game. Of course football is my main abiding passion, so there.

Rate this one 6½ stars.

Runnin' With the Big Dogs by Mike Shropshire.

Another football book. The true unvarnished story as it were. The University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma since 1900, have met every year, to play a game in one of the hottest rivalries in college football. Over the course of those years, there have been antics both on and off the field. Sometimes characters crop up on either side, including the aforementioned Joe Don Looney from my last review.

"The Red River Shootout" as it is most commonly known today, has had its share of the limelight. Most years, one or even both teams have been bowl bound. In the early years (up until 1994, when the SWC was disbanded and the teams went to other divisions), this meant the Cotton Bowl was in Texas' sights, and any one of the other major bowls was on the horizon for OU.

Because it has been held in Dallas for most of those years, a lot of hijinx have occured in the neighborhood of the Cotton Bowl stadium and the hotels where the two teams stay during the weekend of the game. Some of this is from the frenzied fans, and some is the result of the team members themselves. Craziness when mixed with liquor (which was not quite as controlled in earlier years as it is now...) can lead to some prety outrageous stunts. Don't miss the Joe Don Looney chapter. A guy after my own heart.

I rate this one a full-blown 10 stars, even if the writer is a little biased on the OU side.

300 Pounds of Attitude by Jonathan Rand

This is a great book for any fan of American football, specifically the NFL. In bite size vignettes, Rand covers some of the more outrageous characters in the NFL. Here you'll find stories about Philadelphia Eagles' Tim Rossovich, he who once took a bet and ate glass. You'll also find out why Carolina Panthers' Rod Smart chose to wear "He Hate Me" during his term on the XFL. Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, who once missed out on practice because "My hair hurts" is here. Keystone Kops style bumbling, talk radio style trash-talking, sideline wars like the one where Buddy Ryan took a swing at fellow assistant coach Kevin Gilbride when both were coaching the Houston Oilers.

"Attitude" is just chock full of fun stories ranging over the last 40+ years of NFL. You get the funny side and the scary side of many of the badasses who took to the field. Don't miss out on the chapter on Joe Don Looney, who has to be up for an award just for being the closest in attitude to his name...

I give this one 9 stars.

I Hate the Dallas Cowboys: And Who Elected Them America's Team Anyway? edited by Bert Sugar

My first reveiw. As I stated in my disclaimer (see sidebar) there are people on Amazon, Barnes and Noble (and other book review sites) who will disparage a book just because they disagree with the book's content, not even having read the book in the first place. The morons who disparage this book can't even see the title says Bert Sugar is the book's editor. It is not "wriiten by" Bert Sugar. This is a dead giveaway that some people just found the book while browsing, and being the Dallas fans they are, wrote scathing denouncements of the book without ever having come in contact with the book. Of course, this is not a surprise to me, having lived in Texas all my life, I know how Cowboy fans are.

But this is supposed to be a review of the book, which is what I will do. Sugar has collected some two dozen essays from sportswriters, athletes and others on the subject. I will write about only a few of them so as not to spoil the entire book for you.

My favorite piece of this book is plain and simple. A writer, and even better artist, Bill Gallo draws the truie "America's Team" as an editorial cartoon. Hint:: none of them ever played for Dallas. These real America's team members are heroes from the heyday of cowboy movies (as opposed to Cowboy movies, like "North Dallas Forty") They include such notables as Gene Autry & Tex Ritter (true Texans and cowboys) and John Wayne (not a true Texan, but definitely a true cowboy).

The next one is by a guy named Thom Loverro who writes a fiction piece about a future where the destruction and decay of society is directly related to the sins of "America's Team". A father is telling his son of those days when the Cowboys were everywhere and doing everything evil for which they are known (drugs, hoodlumism, etc.).

Bill Conlin and Skip Bayless, veteran sports writers for Philadelphia and Dallas newspapers are featured here. If you are familiar with Skip Bayless' books about the Cowboys, you know he doesn't pull any punches, despite having worked in the city of Dallas. He doesn't here either. Most of the sports writers, by the fact of their profession do a better job of writing than do the athletes. But one of notable successes is Steve Bartkowski's piece. Although to be fair, it appears Steve's main grudge is that Dallas didn't use their draft pick on him. Suggesting that somewhere deep inside he would have liked to play for them.

At only 192 pages, it is far too short, but it is easily readable in an hour or two.
Rate this one 8 stars.

Next book is "Texas Hold-em" by Kinky Friedman

Winthrop