A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant ReviewAs a baseball fan, I was glued to this book and could not put it down, even though I knew who won in the end... Tony Mazz and John Harper did a great job giving the reader a feel for what each city was experiencing during the 2004 season. The behind the scenes stories and quotes added a critical element to the book and made the reading fun. If you want some inside information on Pedro, A-Rod, Schilling and others, this book is for you. The off-the-record quotes are stunning. I really enjoyed this book... and I've read a lot of baseball books over the years. This is one of the best.A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant OverviewWhen the Boston Red Sox faced the New York Yankees in the historic 2003 American League Championship Series, the meeting seemed to serve as the climax to perhaps the greatest rivalry in professional sports. Yet, following New York's comeback victory in scintillating Game 7, both the Red Sox and Yankees entered the off-season without a world title--and with renewed conviction to finish the job in 2004.In A Tale of Two Cities, respected baseball writers John Harper (New York Daily News) and Tony Massarotti (Boston Herald) chronicle the Yankees and Red Sox in parallel story lines through the summer of 2004. The authors take you behind the scenes with the teams, cities, and media during one of the most intense baseball seasons in history.

Want to learn more information about A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track ReviewAmid the glimmer and glitz, pomp and pageantry surrounding thoroughbred racing's famed Triple Crown it is very easy to forget that most of the folks who choose to make a living in the racing game toil in relative anonymity and many have a very difficult time just making ends meet. Author T.D. Thornton has been around racetracks for virtually all of his adult working life. "Not By A Long Shot: A Season At A Hard Luck Horse Track" is a story that Thornton felt really needed to be told. For only a tiny percentage of the horses, trainers and jockeys will ever see the big time. Yet without those who ply their trade at "mid-level" tracks like Suffolk Downs in Boston, Charles Town in West Virginia and Rockingham Park in New Hampshire, events like the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders Cup simply could not happen. "Not By A Long Shot" takes a look at the current state of thoroughbred racing in this country. Years in the making, "Not By A Long Shot" chronicles the 2000 spring meet at Boston's Suffolk Downs, a once proud facility now struggling to merely survive. Those who follow the sport will certainly understand what T.D. Thornton is writing about. For the rest of us, this book proves to be a real eye opener.
In the early chapters of "Not By A Long Shot" T.D. Thornton spends some time reviewing the history of thoroughbred racing in these United States. In the 1930's and 1940's thoroughbred racing was at the peak of its popularity. Enormous crowds filled the grandstands on a daily basis at major tracks across the country. Thoroughbreds like "Seabiscuit", "Whirlaway", "Citation" and "War Admiral" were household names. In this era, thoroughbred racing was not just the sport of kings but the sport of the common man as well. With the advent of television racetrack operators balked at the idea of putting their product on TV. They felt that frequent exposure on TV would adversely affect attendance and the handles at their facilities. It was a major tactical mistake. In the meantime, the major professional team sports teams gladly offered their games to the new medium and the popularity of these sports increased exponentially. And as Thornton explains the racing industry would never fully recover. Then in the 1960's and 1970's thoroughbred racing faced more stiff new competition from new state sponsored lotteries that would further diminish the sport. And now the racing industry is reeling from the vigorous competition spawned by the opening of dozens of new casinos all across the nation. Indeed, the future of live horse racing seems to be hanging in the balance.
At various points throughout "Not By A Long Shot" T.D. Thornton introduces us to a number of the colorful charactors who make up the fabric of his beloved Suffolk Downs. Readers will come to appreciate just how difficult it is for most of these folks to eke out a decent living in this business and how dangerous the sport can be as well. Thornton tells the tragic tale of top jockey Rudy Baez who was paralyzed in a serious accident during a race at Suffolk in August of 1999. In an instant his career was over and his life changed forever. Thornton also introduces his readers to many of the "Sufferin' Downs" regulars. A motley crew to say the least! At the same time Thornton gets us all up to speed with some spicy racetrack slang. Although it has been many years since I have been to the races T.D. Thornton has succeeded in whetting my appetite. I hope to visit Suffolk Downs before the current meet ends.
I found "Not By A Long Shot" to be a thoroughly entertaining read from cover to cover. T.D. Thornton is a superb writer who is extremely passionate about his subject. An excellent choice for sports fans and general readers alike. Highly recommended!
Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track Overview

Want to learn more information about Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Fenway Fiction: Short Stories from the Red Sox Nation Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Fenway Fiction: Short Stories from the Red Sox Nation? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Fenway Fiction: Short Stories from the Red Sox Nation. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Fenway Fiction: Short Stories from the Red Sox Nation ReviewFENWAY FICTION, edited by Adam Pachter
Reviewed by Cecilia Tan
I read a lot of contemporary fiction. I've got my master's degree in writing, I've plowed through Ploughshares and pushed my way through the Pushcart Prize winners. A lot of what I read fails to move me.
That wasn't the case with the anthology of fiction I am reading now. In "Fenway Fiction" editor Adam Pachter has panned pure gold. Every story resonates, doing what fiction does best when it succeeds--which is illuminate the human experience. The Sox have always inspired their share of "literary" nonfiction--John Updike, Roger Angell, Stephen Jay Gould--but it is surprising this is the first collection of Sox-themed fiction as it seems such a natural fit.
Perhaps the fact that the truth of what has happened to the Red Sox over the past century seems so unbelievable that fiction could never trump it, which is why these stories succeed best when they intertwine life, love, coming of age, and all the great themes of contemporary fiction with the Red Sox milieu. And the Red Sox are a milieu. They are a setting, a plot, a historical framework, a metaphor, and a creed all at once--a perfect platform for fiction.
I admit the main reason I began reading the book is that I have a piece in it myself. I am in a lot of anthologies and most of them if I read one or two stories, that's the max. This time, I found one gem after another and couldn't stop reading. Perhaps most important, this is a book that can be enjoyed whether the Sox are winning or losing, whether they repeat or get booted ignominiously from the postseason. If you don't get it for yourself, get it or a Sox fan in your life; they'll be glad you did.Fenway Fiction: Short Stories from the Red Sox Nation OverviewAlthough their actual history has often been stranger than fiction, unitl now there has never been an all-fiction anthology devoted to the stories about the Sox. Penned by novelists, playwrights, and ardent fans, these tales take the reader on an imaginative journey around the bases of humor, history and heartache.

Want to learn more information about Fenway Fiction: Short Stories from the Red Sox Nation?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

The Boston Garden (MA) (Images of Sports) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Boston Garden (MA) (Images of Sports)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Boston Garden (MA) (Images of Sports). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Boston Garden (MA) (Images of Sports) ReviewHere at last is a detailed survey solely for The Boston Garden, a centerpiece of indoor entertainment and home of the Bruins and Celtics - as well as other events. The garden opened in 1928 to an audience who watched local boxer Finnegan defeat the then-world champion Andre Routis - and the excitement and events at the Garden continued non-stop from there, making it one of the most popular entertainment venues in New England. Chapters packed with black and white vintage photos of entertainers and events follow the Garden's evolution over the decades.The Boston Garden (MA) (Images of Sports) OverviewFor seven decades, the Boston Garden functioned as both a de facto community center and the indoor entertainment hub of New England. Known to millions as the home of the Bruins and Celtics, the Garden was also home to a variety of other events. The Boston Garden was truly a people's palace, serving as a venue for events both grand and humble, monumental and mundane. It was nothing less than the city's playpen, music hall, political clubhouse, tavern, cathedral, and living room. The Boston Garden opened on November 17, 1928, to an overflow audience who witnessed local boxer Dick Honeyboy Finnegan defeat reigning world featherweight champion Andre Routis in a non-title bout. Three days later, the Bruins greeted a crowd that fire department officials estimated was nearly four thousand above maximum capacity. The Boston Garden captures these moments and the unique relationship that was forged with the city right from the beginning. During the Great Depression, the Garden hosted countless community events, such as free public skating and religious services. It was Boston's main attraction with concerts, wrestling, school sports, and the ever popular Bruins. Later years saw the birth of the Boston Celtics in 1946 and their unsurpassed record of sixteen world championships. Following World War II and through the baby boomer years, performers as diverse as Liberace, Elvis, and the Rolling Stones also packed fans in. The Boston Garden was demolished in 1998 to make room for the Central Artery and private development, but it lives on in the hearts of New Englanders.

Want to learn more information about The Boston Garden (MA) (Images of Sports)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...