Several years ago, there was a time in OSU basketball (formerly known as "The Time Which Shall Remain Unspoken," but now for brevity's sake--"The Troubles") when a failing economy coincided with some difficulties within the program. During "The Troubles," I quit attending games (no, I am not a fair-weather fan-"The Troubles" were just too troubling). It was just last week that I attended my first game in nearly four years and it was an exciting experience that reminded me why I love Cowboy basketball.
Ok-I'm going to be honest here and say that I really really considered taking a book with me in case I got bored. Turns out-I didn't need one! This team is exceptionally athletic and it was the first time I've enjoyed a running game. Even better was how businesslike they were-it was all about going to the office and getting the job done as a team. With the current packages and prices, if you haven't been attending games, it is definitely time to think about going back.
Anyway, that very good experience has me interested in basketball again and any good budding obsession starts with lots and lots of books. If you're in basketball-mode or are missing the NBA, then here are some of the top books on basketball from this year:
· "ShaqUncut: My Story" by Shaquille O'Neal-out this week, this autobio is already in Amazon's top 100 even though (as I am writing) it hasn't even been released yet.
· "CrazyBasketball: A Life In and Out of Bounds" by Charley Rosen-a tell all about the strange and crazy times of the CBA by a once player turned ESPN announcer.
· "Scorecasting:The Hidden Influences behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won" by Tobias Moskowitz-in this Malcolm Gladwell like book, the author explains and sometimes debunks the facts every fan knows about sports. One of the best sections is on the home field advantage which should be especially interesting to Cowboy fans.
And there are a ton more excellent books on the game--a bunch have won the Pulitzer Prize (but don't let that turn you away!). Drop in if you need help finding them (or if you'd like us to borrow for you a copy of Coach Ford's Oscar worthy acting debut in the movie "The Sixth Man"!)
No comments:
Post a Comment