War Room

The Legacy of Bill Belichik and the Art of Building the Perfect Team
Michael Holley - 2011 itbooks - an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Books that write about a legacy while that legacy is still in progress always make me wonder...

This book is supposed to be about Belichik's genius or savvy in maximizing and manipulating his draft picks.  This book is about that and much more.  War Room comes to tell a story, about a man, whose influence spread beyond the team and franchise he rebuilt.   The main focus is on Belichik but it broadens to include the relationship between him and the two men he guided to positions of GM.

Holley does not hesitate but begins the story immediately and does not let up throughout.  This book was a surprisingly fluid read and the pace and style kept the story moving and the information interesting.  Many insights about the running of an NFL franchise and the implementation of the idea are revealed throughout the narrative, making it a read worthy for all football fans.

Bottom of the 33rd

Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game
Dan Barry - 2011 HarperCollins Publishers

"This is a book of informed imagination," an accurate, honest and succinct way to describe this "non-baseball baseball book."

Dan Barry is a unique author and his choice of topic, the longest professional baseball game, a minor league game, is bold and intriguing.  The style is whimsical and nostalgic with strong metaphorical and poetic language, which shield the nonfictional, informative aspect of this book. This book could easily be recommended for its individual style of writing than for the information it has enveloped within.

That the game lasted as long as it did is astounding, that it was not called sooner stupefying. In truth, this book is more a portrait of Baseball's singular minor league system that swallows up hometown heroes and "cardboard prospects" set against the backdrop of a game whose sole distinction lies in is its longevity.  Without the exploration of the characters and components leading up to this game, this book could have been rightfully reduced to a lyrical short story or mind-boggling baseball anecdote.

An interesting read from a literary perspective and a wistful depiction of a curious part of Baseball history.

The Whore of Akron

One Man's Search for the Soul of LeBron James
Scott Raab - 2011 HarperCollins Publishers

The first time I saw that the book was coming out, I filed it away for future browsing without really intending to read it.  A little while later I received a package from HarperCollins with this book inside.  And so I read it.

The idea of the book struck me as funny but a little off at the same time.  Raab substantiated my instincts by declaring "Obviously I myself don't know or care how or where to draw a line between fan and fanatic." 

The book is easy to read and its structure keeps the story moving.  Raab is despicably frank and flagrantly honest as he fluctuates between his personal story and the story of LeBron and Cleveland.  The language is crude, dirty, uncensored and at times way too revealing.  No one could be blamed for dismissing this book as the misguided rantings of an unfulfilled fan.  Because of, or rather in spite of, the above mentioned qualities the book was highly entertaining and a shout out to all suffering, champion-less, victims-of-free-agency fans.  In the end (and against my will) I actually liked it.