Mmmm..... Blogspot.....
Well, after hundreds of conversations about sports with friends online, in real life, and even people I don't necessarily consider friends, I decided to post some of my ideas about sports.
I'll probably post some things that within the context of my blog seem hypocritical, because quite honestly, we're all hypocrites sometimes. It's simply recognizing when we are and trying to unify our thoughts that matters the most.
My blog will be all things sports, but primarily will focus on sports concerning midwest teams, as I am from the midwest. My personal favorite teams include: The St. Louis Cardinals (MLB), The Chicago Bulls (NBA), The University of Illinois Fighting Illini (College Hoops), Western Illinois University Leathernecks (College football and my alma mater, although they are Div 1-AA), the St. Louis Rams (NFL), and I'm also rapidly becoming more and more of a Chicago White Sox fan so that I have an AL team, and so that when I move north to the Chicago area, I can still watch baseball and root for someone (rooting for the Cubs as a Cardinals fan is true sacrilege, as any fan of either of those two teams knows).
Rather than jumping into it too much today, I'm simply going to post some great sports reads and descriptions of the books, as I am also an avid reader(and English teacher). So check these out if you need a good sports read!
Three Nights in August by: Buzz Bissinger
A book that any baseball fan can appreciate, but especially any Cardinals or even Cubs fan can appreciate. This book covers a 3 game series between the two rivals in August when the pennant race was heating up in (I believe) 2003. This book really gets you into the minds of one of the great baseball managers of our time in Tony La Russa. The Cardinals did win the particular series that is covered, however, the Cubs did out-achieve the Cardinals that year and make the NLCS, while the Cardinals stumbled to a third place finish in the division.
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by: Bill James
This is about as close to the baseball Bible as I know of. Bill James is a true baseball historian and as Moneyball, the book about the Oakland A's GM Billy Beane, states, he has become a very influential voice in looking at how young baseball talent is evaluated. In this book, James looks at baseball from its earliest days all the way through the turn of the century. He's probably got a more updated version out by now, but the version I own is the 2003 edition.
Caddy For Life by: John Feinstein
This is the Bruce Edwards story. For anyone unaware of Bruce, he was Tom Watson's caddy throughout most of his career, especially during his glory years when Watson was the best golfer on the planet. Bruce eventually was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, an incredibly horrible and crippling disease that attacks the neuromuscular structure of the body. In a book that is nearly as touching as Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, also about ALS, Feinstein really relates how close Watson and his caddy were both as partners and as friends.
Sacred Hoops by: Phil Jackson
It's been awhile since I've read this, but it was an excellent book that talked not only about the rise of Phil Jackson as a coach and the Chicago Bulls as a team during the first three years of the dynasty, but also about Phil Jackson's philosophy as a coach. It's probably very superficial of a philosophy book for people who are actually looking for a philosophy book to read, but for people who love sports and love to see sports as a metaphor for something beyond just themselves, it's an interesting read.
Anyway, anyone who is reading this first post, please check back often, I'll be hitting such topics as the conversation about whether Derek Jeter is overrated(which I believe he is, although he is still a great player), why the Cardinals are still the favorites to win the NL Central sans Albert Pujols until at least the All-Star Break, and why I would be absolutely shocked to not see the names of former Illinois standouts Dee Brown and James Augustine both called on NBA Draft night.
I'll probably post some things that within the context of my blog seem hypocritical, because quite honestly, we're all hypocrites sometimes. It's simply recognizing when we are and trying to unify our thoughts that matters the most.
My blog will be all things sports, but primarily will focus on sports concerning midwest teams, as I am from the midwest. My personal favorite teams include: The St. Louis Cardinals (MLB), The Chicago Bulls (NBA), The University of Illinois Fighting Illini (College Hoops), Western Illinois University Leathernecks (College football and my alma mater, although they are Div 1-AA), the St. Louis Rams (NFL), and I'm also rapidly becoming more and more of a Chicago White Sox fan so that I have an AL team, and so that when I move north to the Chicago area, I can still watch baseball and root for someone (rooting for the Cubs as a Cardinals fan is true sacrilege, as any fan of either of those two teams knows).
Rather than jumping into it too much today, I'm simply going to post some great sports reads and descriptions of the books, as I am also an avid reader(and English teacher). So check these out if you need a good sports read!
Three Nights in August by: Buzz Bissinger
A book that any baseball fan can appreciate, but especially any Cardinals or even Cubs fan can appreciate. This book covers a 3 game series between the two rivals in August when the pennant race was heating up in (I believe) 2003. This book really gets you into the minds of one of the great baseball managers of our time in Tony La Russa. The Cardinals did win the particular series that is covered, however, the Cubs did out-achieve the Cardinals that year and make the NLCS, while the Cardinals stumbled to a third place finish in the division.
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by: Bill James
This is about as close to the baseball Bible as I know of. Bill James is a true baseball historian and as Moneyball, the book about the Oakland A's GM Billy Beane, states, he has become a very influential voice in looking at how young baseball talent is evaluated. In this book, James looks at baseball from its earliest days all the way through the turn of the century. He's probably got a more updated version out by now, but the version I own is the 2003 edition.
Caddy For Life by: John Feinstein
This is the Bruce Edwards story. For anyone unaware of Bruce, he was Tom Watson's caddy throughout most of his career, especially during his glory years when Watson was the best golfer on the planet. Bruce eventually was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, an incredibly horrible and crippling disease that attacks the neuromuscular structure of the body. In a book that is nearly as touching as Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, also about ALS, Feinstein really relates how close Watson and his caddy were both as partners and as friends.
Sacred Hoops by: Phil Jackson
It's been awhile since I've read this, but it was an excellent book that talked not only about the rise of Phil Jackson as a coach and the Chicago Bulls as a team during the first three years of the dynasty, but also about Phil Jackson's philosophy as a coach. It's probably very superficial of a philosophy book for people who are actually looking for a philosophy book to read, but for people who love sports and love to see sports as a metaphor for something beyond just themselves, it's an interesting read.
Anyway, anyone who is reading this first post, please check back often, I'll be hitting such topics as the conversation about whether Derek Jeter is overrated(which I believe he is, although he is still a great player), why the Cardinals are still the favorites to win the NL Central sans Albert Pujols until at least the All-Star Break, and why I would be absolutely shocked to not see the names of former Illinois standouts Dee Brown and James Augustine both called on NBA Draft night.
posted by Matt at 3:49 PM
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