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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The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip: A Fan's Guide to Major League Stadiums Review

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(More customer reviews)As an avid reader of baseball books, I am often skeptical of new baseball publications. Baseball books can be tediously academic (it is a game after all, Mr. Will) or, in the case of guide books, short on substance. Other works just seem to repeat the stories and cliches I hear every year during rain delays. When I saw "The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip," I thought it might be another coffee-table book. But it has been a fun, informative read. The book appeals to the historian in me, especially in its efforts to tell about the Negro League and minor league entries in each respective MLB city and in its attempts to document old stadiums. Yet, O'Connell and Pahigian write in a style that is witty and engaging, and wise to the role of trivia in the seamhead's life . I have found myself continually sneaking a quick read at my desk or on the train. (The book is addictive and perfect for summer reading.) Finally, I can recommend this book as a travel guide nearly on par with the "Let's Go" or "Rough Guide" series. I used it on a trip to the Midwest and found it especially useful in less celebrated cities like Milwaukee and St. Louis. It is rare that a book of this type can succeed on so many levels.

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The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip is a comprehensive guide to all the diverse and fascinating ballparks throughout the country by two entertaining young writers whose love for the game of baseball and the game of life overflows from each page. Josh Pahigian and Kevin O'Connell's approach to skillfully planning and fully appreciating a road-trip or a visit to a single park is funny and irreverent and loaded with information designed to make the most of the experience.Part travel manual, part ballpark atlas, part baseball history book, part restaurant and city guide, and, not least, part epic narrative, The Ultimate Baseball Road-Trip encompasses all the essential elements of a full-blown baseball road-trip. Included are ticket and travel information, a detailed guide to the best and worst seats in each park, folklore and statistics on each park, tips on each park's trademark foods, and profiles of nearby sports bars and baseball attractions, all within a lively narrative that reminds us that baseball is often the ultimate metaphor for the important things in life.

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The Stadium: Architecture for the New Global Culture Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're looking for an architectural book that includes drawings such as floor plans, sections and elevations then you're in the right place.
This book offers a lot of pictures for 18 different stadiums including the Wembley Stadium in London.. i would have given it five stars but unfortunately most of the drawings are too small to be read or understood professionally.. i think they should have added a CD just like most architectural books now a days with full size images to help you view it in details.

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Get into the center of the action with The Stadium, a book that takes you to some of the finest event centers across the globe.Sports fans in the United States can revisit their own home fields such as the Reliant Stadium in Houston, SBC Park in San Francisco, Oriole Park in Baltimore, and experience international attractions such as the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wembley in London,Arsenal in London, and the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. With 250 eye-popping photos and 70 architectural plans,this book defines the stadium as a worlwide cultural icon.

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Sports Broadcasting Review

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(More customer reviews)Brad Schultz has done a commendable job on providing direction for people seeking a career in sports journalism. This book is thorough in covering the material. The opening chapters include background on the history of broadcasting itself, while later sections focus more on the theme of the book, sports broadcasting. It concludes with profiles of successful sports journalists who created the paradigm in place today, and the very last chapter takes a look at the future through the eyes of the commissioners of the professional sports leagues.
Schultz's writing style is easy to follow. In fact, he practices what he advocates, i.e., basic writing skills come from effective readers. You can tell from his work that he is well-read. He includes the international, national, and local career options in his discussion. Historically he lists what he considers to be milestones in the development of the profession in the United States. I highly recommend this book. It is well-researched and comprehensive.

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A uniquely comprehensive text, Sports Broadcasting emphasizes the skills that students will need in order to be successful in the industry. With extensive coverage on reporting, anchoring, and production, this text offers thorough and effective descriptions of the sports reporter and anchor's function in a broadcast environment. Going beyond the essential skills, Sports Broadcasting also offers important historical background on the evolution of the sports industry, some grounding in the business of sports, and a discussion of social issues including the experience of women in sports and sports broadcasting.Covering all aspects of sports broadcasting, this text features reporting, writing leads, style, tricks of the trade, shooting on location, editing, producing, live event production, ethics, and resume tapes, as well as tips on seeking employment in the industry. Coverage of essential reporting, play-by-play and anchoring skills Unique insights into historical context and social implicationsTips on pursuing a career as a sports reporter/anchor in radio or television

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In the Ballpark: The Working Lives of Baseball People Review

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(More customer reviews)The fact that the subject is baseball is beside the point. The authors have shown skill, humour, and insight in their ability to identify and highlight all the areas that go into making the game what it is. Some of the people are likable, some you even feel sorry for, but the tact, taste, and even the occasional lack of objectivity serve to make this an enjoyable read. (Coming from a family with many anthropoligists, I can say I've never read anything as fun to read as this.)

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ESPN The Company: The Story and Lessons Behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports Review

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(More customer reviews)It's hard for your average author to effectively chronicle a company's growth. You have to draw out lessons and patterns from decades of details. You have to put your own biases aside to tell the story as it was. At the same time, you need to make readers understand the importance of how the company handled the challenges inherent to its evolution.
It takes the right combination of mind and skills to pull this kind of thing off. And that's exactly what authors Anthony F. Smith and Keith Hollihan manage to do in "ESPN: The Company."
"ESPN: The Company" pulls you into life at ESPN through vivid character and company descriptions. You learn by vicariously participating.
That's what consultant Anthony F. Smith did during his 20+-year tenure with ESPN, though he experienced the company firsthand. He joined with McKinsey just as ESPN was gaining traction as a startup. He stayed all the way through to its current incarnation as a $30 billion sports media giant.
In those years, he grew intimate with the people, culture, and strategy of ESPN. He and cowriter Keith Hollihan chronicle the highlights of those years: The prominent personalities within the company, the victories and losses, and the lessons learned.
Each of the book's eight chapters covers a guiding principle to ESPN's success. Those guiding principles helped ESPN evolve from idea to empire, but could be applied to any company wanting to stay competitive and creative while ascending competitive ladder.
Individually, each principle can be applied to any company. Taken together, though, they are the unique formula that led to ESPN's success.
Principles include:
*Turn Fanatics into Fans: Make your business all about the customer, and hire fanatics to work for you.
*Think like an incumbent, but act like a challenger: Let your innate insecurities drive your achievement. Believing you are the best while being driven by doubts can be a good thing.
*Find the right leader at the right time: Every stage of an organization demands a different type of leadership. Surround yourself with other leaders who compensate for your weaknesses.
*Expand your brand: Let your mission drive your brand, not vice-versa. Protect the brand more aggressively than you expand it.
While chronicling ESPN's story, Smith also explains how it developed and kept its winning formula. For example, ESPN started up with a hungry, passionate, hardworking culture. Smith explains how they were able to keep it intact even after they grew large.
Smith also details how the company created the markets it now dominates. In another, especially strong chapter, he describes how each of the company's leaders contributed to the right growth at the right time. He also breaks down how ESPN harnessed its employees' and fans' passion to gain business wins.
These are lesson every business should learn.
"ESPN: The Company" rewards readers with company intimacy and wisdom. The authors incorporate tidbits from a variety of sources to add nuance to the story. These include quotes, anecdotes, cable TV industry history, anthropology, and organizational science.
This richness helps you feel like you're participating in ESPN's story. You come out of each chapter having learned through your reading experience. The authors recap lessons in a short summation at the end of each chapter. The book's tone, while deeply respectful of ESPN, doesn't make bones about the contentious aspects of the company's growth.
Conclusion: The book's a winner.
A book is a success when it makes you respect a company you formerly knew little about. It is a success when you feel like you've experienced, rather than read, the story within. Ditto if it makes you want to read more of the authors' work.
ESPN: The Company did all three for me. I highly recommend it.
(Review by Drea Knufken)

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A fascinating look at ESPN and its success as a brand

ESPN The Company reveals the inside scoop on the biggest business story in sports, detailing the creative and innovative spirit and practices that drove the programming, products, and services of the most powerful and prominent name in sports media. The authors provide a behind-the-scenes perspective on how ESPN dealt with their many partners and how they handled mistakes and missteps along the way-from the humble beginnings of ESPN as an underrated startup to the pinnacle of their success as a major industry player.
ESPN and other great organizations invest in their people. They train them. They believe that if you spend the time and resources turning talented performers into leaders, you're going to get better organizational performance and engender higher levels of commitment and sweat. ESPN The Company
Explores the dedication to excellence that makes ESPN the "Worldwide Leader in Sports"
Reveals how the steps ESPN has taken to excel can be applied to whatever type of business you're in
Shares the lessons learned at ESPN about launching and growing a wildly successful enterprise

Engaging and informative, this entertaining guide reveals how any company can benefit by embracing the best practices of ESPN.

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