The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent read for any age, I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. Great message on the power of mental toughness, overcoming adversity, setting goals for yourself, and giving back to others. All of today's stories about our athletic "heroes" overcoming long odds to play their chosen sport cannot hold a candle to the story of Lou Brissie.

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Following a devastating German artillery attack in December 1944, most of Leland Victor (Lou) Brissie s squad was destroyed and the shrapnel-riddled corporal from Ware Shoals, South Carolina, was left for dead. The unconscious pitching prospect clung to life along the muddy banks of an icy creek in northern Italy s snow-covered Apennines for hours until medical corpsmen discovered him. Doctors at the battalion aid station noted that his left leg was shattered beyond repair and recommended immediate amputation. No, Brissie protested. You can t take my leg off. I m a ballplayer. I can t play on one leg.You will die if we don t.Doc, he said quietly, I ll take my chances.Thus the 20-year-old Brissie began the arduous process of recovery. But would he walk let alone fulfill his life s ambition of pitching for the Philadelphia A s? Letters from club president Connie Mack assured the fireballing lefty of his opportunity to pitch, and provided some relief from the painful parade of reconstructive surgeries. Strength of will, a supportive family, and the new miracle drug penicillin proved an effective combination as Brissie learned to walk, and eventually to pitch, with his damaged leg encased in a protective metal brace. Pulitzer Prize winning author Ira Berkow chronicles a remarkable life as The Corporal Was a Pitcher: The Courage of Lou Brissie masterfully recounts one soldier s compelling struggle to overcome incredible odds and journey from an army hospital in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius to the pitcher s mound in Shibe Park. Named to the 1949 All-Star Game, Brissie threw a fearsome fastball. I couldn t hit the guy with a tennis racket, noted Johnny Pesky, the former Red Sox third baseman. Brissie was a great guy.... A fine arm, sneaky fast, said batting champion Ted Williams. Even more remarkable are Brissie s accomplishments away from the baseball diamond. Through regular visits to veterans hospitals and children s hospital wards, Brissie found his inspiration as he inspired others. It s a practice he has maintained for more than 60 years. The Corporal Was a Pitcher is a must-read for baseball fans and will inspire everyone to conquer impossible odds.

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Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence, and Culture (Sports and History Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Poliakoff gives a thorough overview of the three combat sports of the ancient Olympics (wrestling, boxing, & pankration), their rules, the training involved, and the attitudes of the Ancients towards those sports. He speaks briefly of Egyptian stick fighting, but the dearth of ancient literature on the subject means he can treat it only superficially.
In addition to describing the sports, Poliakoff gives biographies of some of the more famous practitioners and voices some opinions about the usefulness of combat sports to the body politic, especially in the field of athletics.
In his exposition, Poliakoff sometimes dismisses as fantastical legend some feats which are achievable by well trained athletes. For example, he expresses grave doubts about the tradition that the wrestler Milo of Kroton could lift and carry a bull. In the mid-20th century there was a carnival performer, H.E. Mann, who lifted and carried a bull as a part of his act. Mann's act was inspired by Milo. Poliakoff neglects to mention that Milo is credited as the father of "progressive resistance" weight training. Milo began with a calf and lifted it daily until it became full grown. H.E. Mann trained for his carnival act exactly as Milo did, beginning with a calf and lifting it daily until it became full grown. One of the USA's earliests vendors of weight training equipment was the Milo Barbell Company.
Poliakoff takes a dim view of the savagery involved in ancient combat sports and sees no correlation between the combat sports and actual military service. Although Poliakoff seeks to show that excellent combat athletes make poor soldiers, he does cite numerous counter examples to his position. It seems ancient Greek history is full of individuals who distinguished themselves both in the games and on the battlefield.
Notwithstanding Poliakoff's anti-combat-sports agenda, the book is an informative and enjoyable reading experience.


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A study of the practice of combat sports in the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and the Near East. The author discusses topics such as the function of competition and violent games in ancient society, the significance of combat sport in myth and literature, and their cultic functions.

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