Reader Views

Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes

Most people have heard of the great ball player Mickey Mantle, but few know the story of his rapid rise from obscurity to distinction, and the hurdles he had to overcome to get there and stay there. Fred Glueckstein has masterfully captured part of the famous baseball player’s life in his short book “Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes.” This book, written for young adults, will be enjoyed by anyone desiring to learn about Mantle’s early years, and how he rose from out of the Depression and Dust Bowl to the 1951 World Series.

Though Glueckstein could have written a full biography of Mantle’s life, he has intelligently limited his scope to the baseball star’s rookie year with the New York Yankees, and all that led up to that formative time. By narrowing his range, Glueckstein has been able to both focus his attention to the important parts of Mantle’s early years in Oklahoma, Kansas and his first year with the Yankees, and to provide young adults an easily readable book that will inspire their desire to succeed and never give up.

“Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes” is the story of a young Oklahoma boy whose father and grandfather worked hard in the zinc and lead mines by day, and then at night poured themselves into helping Mickey become a superb switch hitter, able to hit solid homeruns from either the left or right side of home plate. This is the story of a young man who learned that he had a serious bone disease while in high school, and yet never let it stop him. This is a story of a developing success that failed and then overcame his failure to soar high in baseball history. This is a story of a father’s encouraging drive and a son’s determined love.

In this nicely-bound, well-edited book, “Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes,” Glueckstein has pulled together loads of batting averages and other important statistics for the baseball fanatic. And yet the author has also woven in the personal side which makes the story come alive before the reader’s eyes. Everything from snippets of personal dialogues, to snatches from his personal letters to his future wife, Merlyn Johnson, the humanness of a Major League Baseball star comes out.

If the reader is looking for an easy, inspiring, well-written book that will encourage both younger and older, then I recommend “Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes,” by Fred Glueckstein.

Mickey Mantle: Rookie in Pinstripes
Fred Glueckstein
iUniverse (2008)
ISBN 9780595469215
Reviewed by Dr. Michael Philliber for Reader Views (8/08)

The Story Behind the Glory: Winning Quotes from Sports Greats on the Game of Life

If you are a sports fan, and even if you aren’t, I’ll bet you’ve  heard the phrases “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” and “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” Bill Cairo’s book, “The Story Behind the Glory,” takes ten famous quotes from sports history and expands on them. This book gives readers more than just a quote. It also provides the background story by delving into the personal and professional lives of the men behind these famous lines.

While you may be familiar with most, if not all, of the phrases Cairo reviews in his book and you may even know who said all of them, you probably do not know what experiences in the sportsman’s life led him to saying the words. Cairo gives readers a succinct look at the lives of sports greats such as Yogi Berra, Muhammad Ali, John Wooden, and Arthur Ashe, as well as those with less name recognition but no less importance to the sports world such as Fred Shero and Grantland Rice. Each man’s story is covered in about 10 pages, which the author uses to expand on the life experiences of these men, including highlights relevant to the quote they are known for without getting into information that is not relevant to the quote. He includes the stories, both good and bad, about the men that give the reader a better sense of what led to the utterance of these now famous words.

“The Story Behind the Glory” is geared towards those with an interest in sports, but would be enjoyable for non-sports fans as well. While it gives sports buff’s some historical perspective and more stats they can quote while talking with their like-minded friends, it is also interesting enough to keep the attention of those readers not as interested in the sports world. This book is most well-suited for sports fans and readers of the motivational genre.

The Story Behind the Glory
Bill Cairo
Turano-Zimmerman Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780977760534
Reviewed by Nikki Pringle for Reader Views (6/08)

Golf: The Mental Game

Even though the reader is not an avid golfer, she does like to watch golf. What really impressed me about Dorsel’s book is that it has techniques that one can apply to any sport, job or setting goals.

The main point from this book is that one should pay attention to their thinking, emotions and actions. Usually if something goes wrong it is related to one of the above. In the first chapter, “the nine R’s of golf” are discussed, some of them being: realism; responsibility; relaxation and reinforcement. Regardless of what your goal is, to be a better golfer or better on your job, the nine R’s can help you.

The book is written in a fashion that it is easy to read and understand. You can take points from each chapter and apply them immediately.  In addition, each chapter gives specific examples of the principles discussed.

I would recommend “Golf: The Mental Game” to beginning golfers, as well as other individuals who want to make positive changes.

Golf: The Mental Game
Tom Dorsel, PhD
Cumberland House Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781581826494
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (5/08)

Ireland’s Professional Amateurs: A Sports Season at Its Purest

To get background information and interviews for his “Ireland’s Professional Amateurs,” award-winning journalist, Andy Mendlowitz toured Ireland for eight months to observe and record the story of a sport season at it its purest.

This is a behind-the-scenes story of The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), of Gaelic Football, a combination of the elements of soccer and rugby, and the game Hurling. Hurling is an Irish sport played with a stick similar to ice hockey. Andy described the game this way: Gaelic football was physical and with the players not wearing pads, trouble followed. Hard shoulder-to-shoulder contact led to violent collisions. Heads banged and bodies got slammed to the ground.

These games often attract crowds as large as 80,000. The athletes train as professionals but maintain full-time jobs outside of the sports arena to pay support their families. According to Andy, GAA both created and reflected community. GAA fans had two loyalties-- to the club team and to the inter-county squad. Mendlowitz provides several enlightening references within the various chapters of the financial underwriting of the GAA organization and their investments.

From the early playoffs in February through April to the finals in September and October, Andy followed the teams from Clare, Mayo, Leitrim, Kerry, and Galway Counties to Derry in Northern Ireland and the cities of Cork and Dublin.

I personally enjoyed Andy’s word pictures and colorful detailed descriptions of the Irish countryside as he traveled from the rural parishes to the large cities of Belfast, Dublin, and Cork. I was fascinated as he gave me a new appreciation of Ireland’s culture, folklore, superstitions, history, and economics. He also gave me a new understanding of the difficulties being faced in Northern Ireland.

To provide the background information Mendlowitz wanted for his story he stayed with players and their families. He became involved in their personal lives and identified with the loyalty they feel for their teammates, their fans, and their country.

Mendlowitz writes in a fast-moving, journalistic style that reveals his own passion for sports, his fascination with the sports, the games themselves, with the individual team members, their coaches, and their fans. His love for travel, new adventures in learning and a love for life all come through in “Ireland’s Professional Amateurs.” This is sports writing at its finest.

Ireland’s Professional Amateurs: A Sports Season at Its Purest
Andy Mendlowitz
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595456840
Reviewed by Richard Blake for Reader Views (2/08)

Crimson Tide Madness: Great Eras in Alabama Football (Golden Ages of College Sports)

Wilton Sharpe
Cumberland House (2007)
ISBN 9781581825800
Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (7/07)

Are you a National Football League fan? If you are, chances are your favorite team has at least one member who has graduated from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. The mascot for the University of Alabama is known as the Crimson Tide. The university's football team has a tradition of greatness. The Crimson Tide boasts twelve national championships; three times they have won in back-to-back years.

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Pursuing the Prize: A Hunter's Look at Life

Steve Chapman
Harvest House Publishers (2007)
ISBN 9780736920216
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (7/07)

Steve Chapman has collaborated with The Hautman Brothers and Harvest House Publishers to produce, “Pursuing the Prize.” The book is similar in format to his recent book “Fish Tales.” Steve is an avid sportsman. His writing takes on the pulse of the hunter as he describes his excitement. “My heart rate shot to hummingbird levels…” Or, “The only muscle I moved was my index finger as I slowly clicked off the safety and felt for the trigger.”

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From the Red Tees: Help, Hope, and Humor for the Women on the Green

Celeste Palermo
Cumberland House Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781581825886
Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (7/07)

“From the Red Tees” is one of those books that every golfer needs. It is small, only 256 pages, but it is filled to capacity with common-sense knowledge, reminders and advice that even the most seasoned of golfers can take to heart and learn from. From the very beginning, “From the Red Tees” addresses the problems and important information female golfers need to know to play a round of golf and enjoy the experience as well. With lighthearted humor intermixed with information and tips for women golfers, this book proves from page one that it is a hit for women golfers of all ages.

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Longhorn Madness: Great Eras in Texas Football

Wilton Sharpe
Cumberland House (2006)
ISBN 1581825331
Reviewed by David Olvera for Reader Views (5/07)

If ever there was a Bible of quotes on the subject of The University of Texas Longhorn’s football, “Longhorn Madness” is it. You’ll be hard pressed to acquire a more comprehensive group of quotations on UT football as Wilton Sharpe has managed to corral. Sharpe does a good job of avoiding a shotgun approach by arranging his cornucopia of quotes into relevant chapters and themes. Sharpe includes some ancient, old, and new school. From the 1890s (I’m not kidding…) to Darrell Royal on up to Vince Young, Sharpe leaves no stone unturned. He even reaches across the aisles to sworn enemies to get their take on the Burnt Orange phenomenon.

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Fish Tales: Savoring the Thrill of the Perfect Catch

Steve Chapman, Hautman Brothers (Illustrators)
Harvest House Publishers (2007)
ISBN 0736918507
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (4/07)

“Fish Tales” is a compilation of exciting personal stories by Steve Chapman, avid fisherman and bestselling author. These stories provide profound insights Chapman gained while fishing. He records his personal feelings and ideas. Then he reinforces these thoughts with entertaining quotes from established classical writers, and well-known contemporary personalities. The book is lavishly illustrated with colorful paintings done by popular wildlife artists the Hautman Brothers, James, Robert and Joseph. These amazing paintings bring the narrative to life.

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The Greatest Hockey Stories Ever Told: The Finest Writers on Ice

Bryant Urstadt, Editor
The Lyons Press (2006)
ISBN 1592289053
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (2/07)

Being an avid hockey fan I wasn't too expectant upon reading "short stories" about the great moments in hockey and being surprised by what they had to say. Imagine my delight when I found not only interesting and completely out of the ordinary tales of some of the most memorable moments in hockey, right before my eyes, but stories told that I knew with inside looks that make them seem completely different than any other I've read.

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