Book Report #131 - Sacred Hoops

Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior by Phil Jackson

This is the best book by PJ I've ever read. That is not saying much. I've only read one other, The Last Season. That one was dry, and really the only thing that kept me interested was how much he detested Kobe.

Sacred Hoops is another story. It's more of a memoir about growing up and basketball through the Jordan era. And now I get why his writing is dry--the guy is from North Dakota! I wouldn't expect someone from those parts to write with too much sentimentality.

He talks about  how he was raised in a hard-core Christian family, and what effect that had on him long-term. It's very revealing and honest. He shares a lot about spirituality and how he came to see that basketball only works when it's done with a team mentality rather than fragmented individuals running around trying to win games. If you want to win, you have to play as a team, and that's where the famous triangle-offense comes in.

General consensus: I learned a ton about PJ, life and basketball, and I think I'll read it again one day. Definitely recommend it to all sports fans.

Book Report #89 - Quiet Strength

Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy

I picked up this book because I am going through a difficult time in my life and my friend recommended it as a source of strength. He said it was only about 15% football and the rest about Tony's life.

Tony Dungy is the coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He's a Christian guy who is vocal about his faith. I feel like a jerk saying this but the book made me uncomfortable. It made me think practically everyone in the NFL is Christian since they pray together before and after games. I never considered working for the NFL before and that's good because now I would never apply for a job within the organization. I have a strong feeling I'd be the odd one out.

Aside from all the Christian talk I did manage to extract some solid advice.

"Do the common things uncommonly well."

"Stay the course."

These will have an impact on my life. Thank you, Mr. Dungy.

General consensus: Best enjoyed by Christian football fans since the book is about 80% football and 100% Christian.

Book Review #56

Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Lifeby James Blake with Andrew Friedman

I love James Blake for a million reasons. I love his intense, entertaining tennis--how he hits his shots with so much power with his fans, the J-Block, 110% behind him. I love his beautiful, kind face. I love that he was brilliant enough to go to Harvard. I could go on for quite awhile but I'll just say that most of all I love James for what he overcame in the year 2004.

In Breaking Back James brings us along as he fractures his neck on a net post, explaining how that wasn't even the worse thing he'd ever experienced. For James it was a mild discomfort. He had battled scoliosis as a child and had to wear a brace except for when he was playing tennis. Then at night he got to rest on a bed as solid as bricks. It's amazing that he could play a sport at all.

While James was recovering from his neck fracture the rock of his life, his father, passed on. And shortly after that James discovered that he had zoster, a disease brought on by stress that paralyzed the right side of his face and forced him to wonder if he would ever play tennis again.

The fact that James has come back from 2004 to be one of the top tennis contenders in the world is a testament of his strength of character. I love what he had to say about how he battled through 2004 with his unwavering and sometimes charmingly psychotic optimism. James Blake is someone we can all look at to find the best version of ourselves.

General consensus: The writing was a bit formal but the content was incredible.

Book Review #54

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

There are two periods of time for a sports fan: before Moneyball and after Moneyball. Once you read it you'll never think the same way about professional athletes.

Lewis developed an interest in the Oakland A's when he discovered that they were having winning seasons with one of the lowest budgets in the game. He wrote Moneyball to explain how this was possible. GM Billy Beane, former ballplayer full of promise who had been rushed into the big leagues by scouts and then crashed and burned, puts into practice the theory of Bill James--that baseball players' worth can be realized through their stats. The drama comes when the rest of major league baseball thinks of this new approach as heresy.

General consensus: Not always full of excitement, but full of interesting points about statistical analysis of humans that can even be useful in disciplines other than baseball.

Book Review #45

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life by John Wooden and Jay Carty

We all find John Wooden, the coach of UCLA's basketball dynasty, to be absolutely charming in his pure, country bumpkin, God-fearing ways. And what's more charming than him explaining his Pyramid of Success? It just gives you a good, warm feeling to hear him talking about developing your virtues. I could have done without all the Jesus talk and Bible verses that Jay Carty provided but hey, it takes all kinds.

General consensus: Read it whenever you need to a pep talk.

Book Review #44

Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns by Jack McCallum

It would be tough to pick a better season to follow the Suns than 2005-2006. McCallum, while occassionally being guilty of an overshare, bares all in an exceptionally complimentary manner. Nash is the benevolent quarterback, Bell is the good guy with a bit of a temper issue, Marion's a superstar who doesn't get enough credit, Barbosa and Diaw are angels. And D'Antoni? I'm now his biggest fan. Meanwhile, opposing teams, namely the Lakers and Kobe Bryant are discussed as complete jerk-offs. It makes for some great drama. Plus, I bit and now I'm back to being a Suns fan.

General consensus: Fun for basketball fans. But be warned, Laker fans. You're not going to love Round 1 of the playoffs. Even Luke isn't spared.

Book Review #42

The Last Season : A Team in Search of Its Soul by Phil Jackson

Even though it was a New York Times bestseller I think it's safe to guess that you have to be a Laker fan, or at least an NBA fan, to enjoy this read. Phil's writing style is a little dry.

PJ takes you through the 2003-2004 season--the season after the threepeat where newcomers Payton and Malone alongside Shaq and Kobe can't close the deal in the Finals against the Pistons and also the season of Kobe's rape trial.

I liked getting all the info from Phil's perspective. I especially enjoyed seeing him in "retirement." The guy can't retire. He is basketball. The glimpses into NBA life were interesting like, "Bags at nine. Bus at ten. Plane at eleven." I'm a detials person. But more than details it offered a study of the NBA psychology. The narcissism that these men exhibit deserves a book of its own. And PJ didn't hold back when he discussed Kobe's.

I do not feel whole after this read. Something is missing. Or something was lacking. There was no victory. There was no clear end. Phil came back after a season sabbatical. Kobe calmed down. And I guess it's because we're still smack in the middle of the saga. Just today Kobe asked to be traded! I'll stay tuned for volume 2.

General consensus: Worthwhile for Laker fans.

Book Review #25

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong

This book devastated me. Lance didn't hold anything back. First, he made me love him. He took me through his intense childhood and introduced me to his beautiful single mother. Lance didn't fit in the Texas world of high school football so he took up triathlons and before long was winning races with professionals and making $20,000 a year. He got a sponsor and headed over to Europe to ride with a cycling team.

The man was so honest! He told me about all the stupid, immature things he did. About how he talked crap to the best cyclists out there and lived to regret it. About how he broke away too soon and didn't even make the podium.

Then he took me back to Texas where I watched him cough up blood and grow a testicle the size of an orange. The cancer was in his brain, lungs and testicles. He really had about a 3% change to live even though the doctors told him otherwise. We went through brain surgery and four rounds of chemo. They put liquid platinum in his veins. I cried. It was the most horrible thing I never could have imagined. They put a catheter in his chest and had to rip it out of him because it had grown into his skin. Eventually he developed burn marks on his skin because the chemo was burning him alive. I still have sympathy pains.

But the man came out of it. It was a new era of endurance for someone who already had extra lung capacity and produced less lactic acid than most. He married my role model Kik, who bore three of his babies by IVF, and went on to win the Tour de France. We all know the rest.

Or do we? The part that still haunts me is his divorce from Kik. He talked about her like she was the most perfect creature ever to live. She went to France with him and moved back to Texas when he changed his mind with zero complaints. Then she moved back with him when he changed his mind again. She told him gently but firmly to make a decision when he was so down on his future all he did was golf and eat Tex-Mex food, and that she loved him no matter what he chose. And she was the true champ when she went through the IVF procedure with her fear of needles. What could have gone wrong so fast? I feel like I was a part of their life and now it's been ripped away without any explanation.

Time to read: 2 days
General consensus: Phenomenal, however still coping with my Gone With the Wind type grief.