The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate Review

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(More customer reviews)I live in the Philadelphia area, but am not a native Philadelphia. I grew up in New York and when I moved south, I adopted Philadelphia as my "home metropolitian area". I have really come to appreciate and love Philadelphia as a city. There are two things I love about Philadelphia: 1) No city in America is as entrenched deep in its traditions as Philadelphia; 2) When you love the City, it will love you back twofold. When it comes to Sports, the tradition and love of the city is there among the fans. Even more-so, there is a true passion among the fans of the city when it comes to Sports. The Philadelphia Fan will often hold no middle ground when it comes to Sports.As a result, this is what makes the book "The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate" such a great find.It picks questions that are based on lightning rod topics to the Philadelphia fan and debates each side of the issue by two men who seem perfect for this type of debate.
The book is written by two of the most knowledgable Sports journalists in the Philadelphia region - Glen Macnow and Angelo Cataldi. These two authors were originally sportswriters for The Philadelphia Inquirer and made a very smooth transition to the world of Philadelphia Sports Talk Radio. Although, both are hosts on the same radio station, they do host separate shows.Macnow and Cataldi are also very different when it comes to their approach to tackling a subject. However, both have one thing in common - they are not native Philadelphians. However, despite this fact - they have really ingrained themselves into the Philadelphia Sports landscape and have become as passionate and loyal Philadelphia fans as anyone. Glen Macnow is from Buffalo, NY and is a transplant to the Philadelphia region. He lives in the suburbs and sometimes has the nickname "The Professor" for his studius approach to Sports - in other words, he takes a very academic approach to Sports. Angelo Cataldi is from Providence, Rhode Island. Cataldi became a very accomplished journalist. At one time, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. In the early 1990s, Cataldi made the transition to Sports Talk and eventually landed the coveted morning host slot at his station. Cataldi could probably be considered the pioneer in what is known as "Guy Talk" radio - this has been replicated throughout the country. While Macnow takes his academic approach, Cataldi takes a very emotional and passionate approach. He wears his heart on his sleeve and often approaches things as they come. Cataldi is still able to maintain a solid knowledge of Sports topics.It are these different approaches that really make good fuel for fire for each of the debates listed in the book.
A nice thing about "The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate" is the structure of the book. This structure makes this book extremely easy to read. It is the kind of book you can pick up and put down at anytime.Each of the debates are put into a single chapter, therefore you can page to the debate and read about it. Just about all of the debates go three to four pages. This gives you the option of picking the book up for a quick read on one of the debates. Of course, you can pick the book up and read many of the debates.With each of the chapters, there is equal footing to both Glen and Angelo's points of view. You will see each of their points of view highlighted by "Glen Says" or "Angelo Says". Each of the authors alternate at how goes first debating the topic - this way both get a chance to lead and rebut. Besides working together for many years, it is clear these two guys are friends.You will hear each of them call each other out as each debates his side of the issue. You'll also hear their personalities clearly come out in each of the debates. It makes for enjoyable reading.
The Topics are terrific. As mentioned above, they are lightning rods for Philadelphia fans, but I also think many of these topics can be lightning rods to all fans. Here are some of the same topics that are included in the book. This is not meant to be a complete list, but to highlight some of the better debates in the book.
- Who was the best Eagles Quarterback of all-time?
- Do we (media) really drive people out of town?
- Who's the enemy, the Cowboys or Giants?
- Was the Vet a dump?
- Is ESPN bad for sports?
- Who's a better coach - Dick Vermeil or Andy Reid?
- Are NFL studio shows a waste of time?
- Is it time to retire the (Phillie) Phanatic?
- Should Philadelphia host a Super Bowl?
- Who was better - Ali or Frazier?
- Is Barry Bonds the greatest living baseball player?
- Did Smarty Jones have a big impact on Philadelphia sports?
- Should Joe Paterno retire?
- Who was better - Chamberlain or Russell?
- Is Instant Replay really good for Football?
- Who's the greatest NFL player ever?
- What opposing coach did we hate the most?
- What's the final word? (A great wrap-up by Macnow and Cataldi)
There are also two forewards for the book. Ray Didinger - a top local Philadelphia writer and of NFL Films writes a brilliant introduction that sets the tone for the book. Al Morganti, ESPN Hockey Analyst and also Cataldi's morning sidekick writes the other one. If you know Al and how he interacts with Cataldi on that show, his foreward is very humorous.
Overall, this is an outstanding book. Macnow and Cataldi have said there will be another book like this. This may be a tough act to follow - I'd highly recommend this book.

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Following upon the success of the The Great Philadelphia Fan Book. Glen Macnow and Philadelphia's No. 1 sports-talk personality-Angelo Cataldi-have combined to give us The Great Philadelphia Sports Debate.It's sure to strike another nerve with Philadelphia's sports fans; the most loyal, long suffering, vociferous, in-the-blood, in your face sports fan in America! This time, Glen and Angelo get smack-dab in the middle of the controversies that always abound when sports fans get together. Whether it be in the taproom, or in the living room watching their favorite sport on TV. Who's the best this? What was the greatest that? These debates have been with us as long as sports have been played, and will continue to be.

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