Camp Fire Site

  Why We Love Football.    A history in 100 Moments.       Joe Posnanski.   There is no question American’s love their lists from best movies, songs, gadgets and even football plays.     Esteemed author Joe Posnanski, who has tried his luck at putting together a list of “greatest” moments in American football history, writes in his latest book Why We Love Football.   This is a much anticipated follow up to his popular book Why We Love Baseball    but only a history of 50 moments .   However, unlike the baseball themed manuscript which selected moments based on a semi-complicated formula consisting of importance, distinctiveness, emotion and awesomeness, the author explains early on that the football edition of historical moments was based just on emotion .   One of the most gripping sections of the book appears near the end.   In fact, this play happened in a 1972 NFL playoff game between the R...

  Kingdom Quarterback.    Mark Dent & Rustin Dodd. Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, and How a Once Swingin’ Cow Town Chased the Ultimate Comeback.     It seemed only fitting to be reading a very topical book about the current reigning NFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, while trying to pull off an unprecedented third straight super bowl victory, just before the event.    In fact, Kingdom Quarterback, features plenty of stories about Kansas City Chief superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.    However, the co-authors of this book, Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd, also delve into the surprisingly intricate details of a major city literally in the middle of America.    In addition to Mahomes, the authors provide an in-depth view of other important characters associated with the Kansas City franchise including head coach Andy Reid, teammate Travis Kelce and Dallas Texans, and Kansas City Chief owner, Lamar Hunt, to name a ...

The Stadium.    An American History of Politics, Protest, and Play.    Frank Andre Guridy Sports fans attend stadiums and arenas to watch a game or their favorite teams compete.     This is a hobby that has been experienced for more than a century in American Culture.    Most fans may not think about the connection of history and social interactions to these very edifices that populate many cities around the nation and even the globe.     Author Frank Andre Guridy explains just how important stadiums are in our culture and the impact they have on society and people from all walks of life in his latest book, The Stadium.     Guridy, an author and professor at Columbia, explores and documents the rich history of the stadium including the likely origin in Manhattan.     The content is very organized, well researched and at times simply fascinating.     He gets the reader to not only...

  The Greatest Beer Run Ever.    A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War.    John “Chick” Donohue & J.T. Malloy.   John "Chick" Donohue penned a story that includes adventure, danger and history.   It was an interesting idea for a book (and a movie) that needed to be told.    Simply put Donohue, who is the main character of this excursion, writes about his experiences while casually taking on a challenge among his peers in a local upper Manhattan bar.  Donohue, who happened to be a licensed mariner, was able to gain employment on a large cargo ship ultimately bound the ports of Vietnam.     Armed with a list of familiar names of neighborhood soldiers stationed at various fronts in South Vietnam and a few cases of local beer, the author sets out to meet each of the enlisted and share a beverage simply to check on their wellbeing and provide a small slice of support.  According to his story...

  There’s Always This Year.    On Basketball and Ascension.     Hanif Abdurraqib.   Hanif Abdurraqib is an interesting person, has led an intriguing life and happens to be a rising author receiving much acclaim for his past work.     His latest, There’s Always This Year, is under review for this blog.     I will say we like the title and the cover.     The content, however, was challenging to finish.    Inside the reader finds a clear writing style of telling parts of the story, largely his own upbringing and background and then alternating to how a city, and perhaps, an entire state, was rallying around its only NBA franchise to finally win a championship with its own favorite son.     The best part of this somewhat lengthy book of three hundred and twenty pages is the discussion of his own life.     An inner-city Columbus, Ohio native, Abdurraqib talks about hi...

The Business of College Sports.    Who Earns What.   Greenhaven Publishing.    There is no question that college athletics are rapidly changing these days and not without its own share of controversy.     There are ways to try and keep up with those changes.    One especially was found in the Book:    The Business of College Sports.   Who Earns What.     No author only a publisher that compiles myriad articles and journals produced by some of the great thinkers and scholars of college athletics.   Inside this relatively short book of about 170 pages, the reader will find four chapters pertaining to topics such as whether colleges and universities should even be in the business of college sports.   In addition, they also detail chapters including the question if college coaches are paid too much, is the move to super conferences good for the sport and finally evaluating the reasonableness of N...

  The Price.     What it takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos.     Armen Keteyian & John Talty.   As far as locating current books that cover the pulse of college football, Armen Keteyian’s The Price is about as precise of a match as one might read this year.     Keteyian, a well-known long-time author, writer, sideline reporter extraordinaire, has partnered up with John Talty, a noteworthy writer in the south, to form a book that really does go to great lengths trying to explain the chaos that is college football in these turbulent but intriguing times.       The book is very reminiscent of The System which was published in 2013 by the same author Armen Keteyian.    The system seemed to mostly explore random stories about players and some coaches making headways in college football at that time.     However, The Price discusses a range of topics including severa...