Book Description
This book traces the first 24-hour sports network from its inception through its evolution into a slick media outlet reaching more than 60 million homes via more than 26,000 cable providers. ESPN has blazed a stunning path of achievement with its expansive coverage of broadcast sports--spinning off into ESPN2, ESPN Classic Sports, ESPNews, and ESPN Magazine. This paperback reveals the most recent developments at ESPN since the publication of the hardback, including the network's aggressive reactions to the book.
Customer Reviews:
Pretty good........2007-08-15
Very good book from a history perspective, providing ample information about the many factors that collided at the right place and time to allow the formation of ESPN. Almost too much information, in some respects. Once ESPN gets underway, though, the history aspect takes a backseat to the various (well-supported) allegations made against ESPN, largely misogyny and sexism. Though important in their own right, and in the context of ESPN's history, perhaps they were featured more prominently than they deserved in this book. Also, significant criticism was leveled by Keith Olbermann, the talented former anchor. While admittedly he provided numerous good quotes and strong counterarguments to ESPN policies and practices, he may have been featured too prominently in the book as well. It also is somewhat suspect featuring him so prominently, when he has such an obvious ax to grind with the organization, as well as a somewhat checkered past himself. All in all though, a very entertaining and informative read, especially for those of us with a strong interest in ESPN. After this, you probably won't ever look at the Worldwide Leader the same again (but at least you'll understand how they're capable of putting out godawful crap like "Who's Now").
Sensationalist reporter bores readers.......2006-01-22
This writer seems to have the single purpose of pointing out the flaws of ESPN and leaves out all the great and interesting stories I wanted to read about. Again and again he writes about sexual harrasment at the network. Well, yes, that's bad stuff, and worthy of a chapter. But that is basically the subject of the whole book! How about some good stories about the anchors and play-by-play of how they got some of the biggest scoops, etc? This book is all about the internal bickering and problems. At the end he takes a couple more swipes at Berman and ESPN for a few mistakes they and their people made. He just wants to uncover dirt and obsess about it. Basically, it reads as if Keith Olbermann told him what to write and he wrote it verbatim. Had potential to be a great book, but instead it is just another loser reporter taking shots at all the weaknesses of a great American success story, leaving out all the wonderful parts. Yes, we've heard it all before: American businesses are all evil, right? If you think we are so bad, Freeman, move somewhere else.
not bad, but too much sexual harassment angle.......2003-11-01
I think Freeman's book is a good history of how ESPN became the media giant that it is (I was born in 1982-- i cant imagine life without ESPN), but the book focused WAY too much on the sexual harassment angle, and it bogs down the story.
Very disappointing..........2002-10-09
I'd read mixed reviews when Freeman's history first came out, so I wasn't anticipating a great book. Unfortunately, ...ESPN: The Uncensored History... fell fall short of even my rather tempered expectations.
A large part of the problem is that ...Uncensored... can't decide whether it is a corporate retrospective or a tell-all expose. Freeman spends the first third of the book on a rather dull detailing of how ESPN was founded, the close calls it encountered in finding financing and trying to stay afloat, and the power struggle that ensued among the founding fathers. Only the principals and their family would find this portion even mildly interesting.
As the book progresses, it switches into expose-mode, teasing the reader with hints of scandals behind the scenes. However, even though the author spends page after page dwelling haughtily on the personal foibles of ESPN personnel, particularly focusing on a culture which seemingly encouraged sexual harassment, Freeman mostly avoids naming names, with one very notable exception.
Freeman then goes back and forth, between a dry rendering of ESPN's corporate evolution from a backwater independent cable channel to the crown jewel of Disney's purchase of ABC, and a bowdlerized tale of malfeasance among the employees of ESPN.
Occasionally, Freeman tries to focus on some of the anchors which the so many viewers have seen so often, but even then, the portraits seem two-dimensional. Other than Mike Tirico, who is portrayed as a Jekyll-and-Hyde family man/sexual predator, and Keith Olbermann, cast as the tortured genius, the sketches of the on-air personalities seem rather hollow.
All in all, disappointing, and not worth the time.
Strongly recommended reading for all sports buffs.......2002-03-26
ESPN: The Uncensored History by sports journalist Michael Freeman is an eye-opening, bare-all look at the global telecommunications network that since its inception in 1979 as the "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network", has gone on to become virtually synonymous with televised sports. From its relatively humble origins, ESPN has gone on to expand into additional offerings for the dedicated sports enthusiast including ESPN2, ESPN Classic Sports, ESPNews, and ESPN Magazine. Extensively researched, ESPN: The Uncensored History presents a fascinating, candid, revealing story in clear, unambiguous, and highly evocative language. A singularly memorable and compelling "tell-all" book, ESPN: The Uncensored History is strongly recommended reading for all sports buffs.
Amazon.com
ESPN, the network that revolutionized the way we watch sports, has long been associated with terrific sports reporting. And no hour on ESPN is more popular than SportsCenter, a.k.a. "The Big Show." With their typical wise-guy flair, the celebrated tandem of cohosts, Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, offer a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at what makes SportsCenter tick. Chapters titled "Bill Buckner--What Happened?," "How to Be a Sportscaster When You Grow Up," and "Put Your Baseball Cards in Your Bicycle Spokes, Now!" are widely regarded as the three most compelling and astutely researched chapters in the sportswriting canon. Learn the true origins of the expressions "en fuego," "Niedermeyer: Dead!," and "Detlef Schrempf!" in the glossary of terms, find out who makes their "Twenty-One Top Ten Athletes" list, and discover the real reason why Patrick held Bill Murray's hand at the ESPYs.--D.G. McDonald
Customer Reviews:
hilarious.......2001-11-27
A book about the show that revolutionized the sports tv show by the two guys who were the stars of the show. Funniest section is where they talk about those little catch-phrases everyone gets stuck in their head. You know like, "from way downtown...bang!!" and "he put the biscuit in the basket". Hilarious!!
En Fuego Doesn't Start With 'N'.......2000-06-03
You'll have to read the book to truly appreciate the title of my review. Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman were incredibly great together on air, and they continue this trend with The Big Show.
Not only is this book hilariously funny (two different fonts was pure genius), but it gives you an incredibly in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes making of the greatest sports' news show on television. Yes, today most of topics in the book are outdated, but you can still relate to the athletes they discuss.
The authors also share their totally different stories of their respective rises to the top, as well as discussing larger sports' stories that have been well documented in the news. In doing so, they use easy-flowing descriptive language, intertwined with their vast knowledge of sports on the whole. This funny and insightful book is a must read for all sports fans.
The best thing since sliced bread.......1999-11-10
Keith Olberman and Dan Patrick truly speak from the heart and give their inside approach to what they think of the sports industry. I've already recomended it to some of my friends and they love it also so BUY THIS NOW!
This audio-book is simply "en fuego".......1998-10-21
I bought the audio version of Keith and Dan's book in addition to the printed version. While the book contains a lot more material than the tapes, it's great to listen to Keith and Dan banter back and forth for three hours. Take this one in the car with you on long trips--it will definitely make the trip more interesting. This ia a must-have for any true Olbermaniac (like myself.)
An entertaining look at 2 of the best sportscasters on tv........1998-07-08
This is one of those books that, becuase of Dan and Keith's style of delivery, is better heard than read. Both were very accurate in their rebuke of the baseball hall of fame selection process. The 3rd top 10 list was a little boring. Overall the book is very entertaiing.
Book Description
Celebrating more than twenty-five years of the most eye-popping, mind-blowing, jump-off-the-couch-worthy sports highlights from the network that made them famous in the first place
Every week for twenty-five years, ESPN's SportsCenter has collected seven days' worth of the most extraordinary (or sometimes boneheaded) plays, controversial calls, last-second miracles, and strangest fans in action. Each highlight clip with its commentary is a mini-story about a game, a player, or a season. A few of the best of the best: Michael Jordan's take off from the foul line in the 1988 slam-dunk competition; Derek Jeter's foul-ball dive to help defeat the Red Sox in 2004; Christian Laettner's buzzer beater against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Championship; Dwight Clarke completing "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Championship; Brandi Chastain's bra-bearing victory celebration following the 1999 World Cup; and, of course, Dennis Rodman's hair.
All of the trademark humor that makes ESPN the first stop and the last word for fans everywhere: razor-sharp commentary, infectious catchphrases, and unrepentant nicknaming. ESPN Plays of the Week is the first book ever to bring the nightly excitement of the most popular highlight reels in the world to the printed page.
Customer Reviews:
must-have for sports fanatics.......2007-02-06
Got this for my eldest who eats, drinks, breathes sports. Great overview of many sports within one volume. ESPN books are great coverage of some of the odder moments in sports -- as well as the most unforgettable.
A great book to glance at or read cover-to-cover -- which my son did immediately!
Book Description
They are memoirs like you've never read before. As broadcaster and pitchman, John Madden has been inside the locker rooms, broadcasts booths, and in front of the camera doing what he does best--being himself. He's seen an awful lot and he wrote a book to prove it. Hey, wait a minute, you'll love it!
Customer Reviews:
Hey, wait a minute, I wrote a book.......2005-12-14
This book was about John Madden life when he was a coach. It talks about how after ten years of coach the Oakland Raiders. The book also talks about when he was playing football in high school and college and also when he got darfted to the NFL but during summer camp he tore his ACL and could not play football. It talks about how he started broadcasting for CBS. So throuhgout the book it talks his live and the thing he went through to get to where he was and where he is today.
Heýs Madden as hell and heýs not going to take it anymore.......2003-10-16
not to be confused with the book '"Hey, Wait a Minute!": Dealing With Feelings and Weight Control" John Madden's first published work deals with all sorts of issue from feelings to weight control. but instead of dealing with those issues on a psychiatrist's couch, it deals with them where they belong -- on the savage gridiron of the football field. if you're looking for some game where little virtual men run all over your t.v. screen, then look elsewhere, because while Madden has become synonymous with his namesake video football, before that he was eponymous with actual football and the playing and coaching thereof. madden's gee-whiz enthusiasm makes the world of football (playing, coaching, the superbowl, broadcasting, beer commercials, groin pulls) shimmer with the scintillating shine of the frill on a cheerleader's hotpants. madden even expresses astonishment at the fact that he wrote a book, even though one `dave anderson' appears somehow to have been involved. but make no mistake (or throw the red flag if you do), madden's outsized personality (not to mention figure!) comes through on every page, and if you can't help crack a smile at his endless logical positivism and ebullience, then you're probably a twisted, horrible person who enjoys baseball. hey wait a minute! I wrote a review!
It sux.......2002-02-05
This book sucks, HARD. After a few chapters i burned it. Can you find a crapier title. There is only one good thing about this book is it burns nice and toasty.
TOUCHDOWN.......2001-09-02
JOHN MADDEN SCORES BIG WITH THIS BOOK. IT IS VERY HUMOROUS, INTERESTING, AND TO THE POINT. I ENJOYED THE REHASHING OF HIS DAYS WITH THE RAIDERS. ALSO HIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE LITE BEER COMMERCIALS IS VERY FUNNY. HIS INSIGHT AND EXPERIENCE IN THE BROADCASTING WORLD MAKE THIS BOOK A VERY ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE. A MUST READ FOR ANY FAN OF FOOTBALL AND THE RAIDERS. TOUCHDOWN JOHN MADDEN!
John Madden writes just like he talks!!!.......1999-05-27
He even sounds excited in print! Madden clearly loves the game of football, and his exuberance is evident throughout this book. His stories and anecdotes from both his coaching and broadcasting days are both hilarious and insightful. My own favorite part of this book were his reminisces of his days with the Raiders, when he coached that team to their first Superbowl victory. He really makes you feel like you were there!
Book Description
A celebration of the Golden Age of Baseball through the movie-house newsreels that once presented the game’s great plays and players to fans across the country.
Reel Baseball is an enchanting look back at baseball from 1932 to 1965, a time when major league teams were franchised only in America’s biggest cities in the East. Back then, most Americans who witnessed baseball did so in local theaters, where game highlights were shown in the newsreels before the feature film. This handsomely illustrated volume traces the seminal role of newsreels in making baseball the national pastime, before major league teams expanded to the South and West and television brought the game into homes across America. A one-hour DVD accompanies the book and presents the most thrilling moments from these original newsreels.
A grand compilation of baseball at its best, Reel Baseball invites fans to both read about and watch on the accompanying DVD such landmark moments as:
Lucky Ducky, 1934: Detroiters pelt Ducky Medwick with rotten fruit, but the Cardinals win the World Series
Today…Today…Today,
July 4, 1939: A doomed Lou Gehrig brings Yankees fans to tears with his “luckiest man” speech.
Four in a Row,
1939: The latest Yankees juggernaut wins the World Series for its fourth straight title.
Old Rivals,
August 25, 1942: Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson play in Army-Navy baseball games.
One-Armed Outfielder,
June 15, 1945: Pete Gray of the St. Louis Browns fields with ease and drills line drives—without a left arm.
Sweet Perfection,
October 8, 1956: The Yankees’ Don Larsen throws the only no-hitter—a perfect game, no less—against the Dodgers in the World Series.
One Last Hurrah,
September 26, 1960: Ted Williams caps his epic career with a home run in his final at-bat.
One-Upping the Babe,
October 1, 1961: His hair falling out because of all the pressure, the Yankees’ Roger Maris breaks Ruth’s home run record of 60 on the last day of the season.
The Eighth Wonder of the World, April 17, 1965: Baseball moves indoors, as Houston unveils the Astrodome, marking the end of the Golden Era.
The book and DVD (hosted by baseball and broadcasting legend Joe Garagiola) brilliantly capture the magic of “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio, the “Say Hey Kid” (Willie Mays),” “Stan the Man” Musial, and other legendary players who elevated the boys of summer to the pinnacle of American popular culture.
Customer Reviews:
great book.......2007-01-11
what a great deal. perfect condition and great price. my son loved it. thanks!!!!!!!!
Reel Baseball, Real Delightfull!.......2007-01-08
Reel Baseball book a joy to read. Lots of great photos. The DVD is a treasure, it brings back a lot of memories of baseball when I was a kid. Hope there is a DVD part 2.
Book Description
This no-holds-barred, play-by-play manual on professional sportscasting gives you an inside course at the sportscaster's challenges and victories.
Customer Reviews:
Great start for sportscasters.......2003-01-06
Probably the best primer on breaking in. I use this text in a course I teach. Well recommended by other collegues.
Take This Book With You To The Game.......2001-05-21
If you are just starting out in the business , this is the book for you , due to its insight on not just the game itself , but the before (preparation) , during (working with others) , and after (reviewing your work) aspects of the job. For those who have been in the business , but are looking to take that next step , this is the book for you. My first time out after reading this book , my interviews were crisper , my work with others was more professional , and the end result was a more solid product. If you are serious about sportscasting as a career , this book will give you the insight to help make it happen!
Best Book On the Market.......2000-11-24
Len Clark station manager of WUEV-FM, A Practical Guide for Success for Beginners and Professionals Aspiring to the Next level Tom Hedrick and Diamond Communications have published the ultimate text for students interested in pursuing a career in sports broadcasting, and for practing broadcast professionals. This step by step guide offers insight and advice to help individuals each and every step of the way.
This book rocked my world!.......2000-10-06
This book gave me more info than any other book of its kind. I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you weren't already interested in sportscasting before reading this book--you will be by the time you finish!
Best Book Ever.......2000-10-03
This book lays a good foundation for people interested in the world of broadcasting. Not only did it spark my latent interest for the field but it was informative and entertaining. I hope you all will get a chance to read this because I think that sportscasting is undertestimated and deserves more appreciation and focus.
Book Description
Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave America its first 24 hour sports network in 1979, This book is about the agony and the ecstasy, the excitement, effort and frustration that led to the launch of the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
A $9,000 credit card advance, a landfill in Bristol, CT, new satellite technology and a father and son's unshakeable belief in the insatiable appetite of America's sports fans came together to fuel an incredible journey....a journey that culminated in ESPN's inaugural show at 7:00 PM (EDT) Friday, September 7, 1979.
Customer Reviews:
I Rejoiced After Reading This Tale..........2000-06-21
This book is a grand slam, buzzer beater, hat-trick of a story. Not only a great sports read about the birth of ESPN (the worldwide leader in sports), it also tells the tale of how dedicated entrepeneurship can lead to great success. It shows how a vision or concept for a product or service can be acheived through the hard work of a few individuals. It is a true American story, for only in America can a business like ESPN be started, nurtured and grown.
This book is more than a great sports or business story. It also tells the tale of the individuals involved in the story and makes you want to find out more about them. It is a great read which I could not put down and I often still refer to it in my business life. This book has served as a great inspiration for me as an entrepeneur, and should do likewise for others interested in seeing their vision become a business success.
It is a great read for anyone who believes in a dream........1999-08-16
I enjoyed reading the birth of ESPN immensely. It is great to see two guys go from being a play by play man and public address announcer to high rollers in the business world. This is truly an American success story. Bill and Scott have proven that the "American Dream" is still possible.
A must read for the avid sports fan!.......1999-02-04
"As a fan who has never known the world without ESPN, I was both fascinated and amazed to learn that it all began just over 20 years ago. I thought it had been around forever! Apparently there wasn't much to cable television back then. Guys like Rasmussen and other cable pioneers were real believers and thanks to their efforts we have 24 hour sports, news and movies today. Reading about the people who made the decisions, the people who didn't believe it would work and the frantic efforts to get ESPN up and running is not only informative, but entertaining.
A look at the September 1979 program schedule in the book is a real eye-opener. No NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL back then. Irish Hurling, Austrailian Rules Football and Kick Boxing were regular fare. The NCAA was a somewhat tentative partner with tape-delayed football games every night of the football season. Wow, how the world of TV sports has changed over these last 20 years.
If you enjoy reading a good tale this is your kind of book. Adversity, disappointment, joy, frustration, anxiety and elation all come through. This book is a must read for anyone who claims to be an avid ESPN fan."
Amazon.com
Broadcaster Jon Miller didn't know he was a baseball "purist" until acting commissioner Bud Selig accosted him with the moniker on national TV in 1993. "At one time," writes Miller in retrospect, "the label 'baseball purist' could've been worn as a badge of honor. Any legitimate fan would've been pleased to be thought of as a purist. But I suppose that to Mr. Selig, a purist was a lonely old man hunched over a windup Victrola, thumbing through a 1929 Who's Who in Baseball, fretting that the game just hasn't been the same since the Babe retired." In Confessions Miller admits to being a purist--loosely defined by him not as a forlorn fan stuck in a period-piece movie but as a fan knowledgeable enough to realize that baseball evolves for the good of the game--despite what myopic owners might try to perpetrate in the short term. In a chapter titled "The Good Old Days Are Now," Miller reminds die-hards of the old adage about things changing and staying the same. To wit, here's Ty Cobb in 1925: "The great trouble with baseball today is that most of the players are in the game for the money." Miller goes on to suggest that the 1990s will be remembered in 20 years as a "golden age" of hitting and that accusations of juiced balls, watered-down pitching, smaller ballparks, and expansion still cannot account for this decade's abundance of outstanding batters. The voice of the San Francisco Giants (and formerly the Baltimore Orioles) holds forth on everything from interleague play (it's good for the game but messy) to traveling with Cal Ripken (a game of Strat-O-Matic baseball reveals just how competitive the Iron Man really is). Occasionally he whiffs--as when he suggests that ballparks install 20-second time clocks to keep pitchers hurling at a reasonable pace. But ultimately what comes through the anecdotes and arguments is his tremendous love for the game and a generous capacity for recognizing the quality of the present and not just the past. --Langdon Cook
Book Description
Just mention the word baseball and a huge smile beams across his cherubic face. Ask him about the grace of Ken Griffey, Jr.; the power of Frank Thomas; and the precociousness of Alex Rodriguez and he'll delight you for hours with tales of the beauty of the game. The Golden Days of baseball are now, he'll tell you, and then he'll go on to prove it. He's Jon Miller, and in this candid, funny, forthright volume he tells us why baseball is the greatest game and why -- despite the counterproductive comments of owners and players -- it will continue to be well into the twenty-first century.
In Confessions of a Baseball Purist, Miller takes us on a journey into the heart of baseball as he's seen it from the best seat in the house. He brings to life the emotion of the night Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record, the history-soaked drama when the Giants and Dodgers faced off in a crucial pennant-race series in September '97, Eddie Murray's fitting return to the Orioles to hit his 500th home run, and the day Edward Bennett Williams -- owner of the Orioles -- approved the plans for the creation of Camden Yards. But Jon doesn't shy from pointing a finger at the darker forces at work in the game: the insanity of not having a real commissioner; the follies of radical realignment and excessive reliance on novelties like widespread interleague play; the old-time players and broadcasters -- including his good friend and partner Joe Morgan -- who don't accept that today's players are bigger, faster, stronger, and better; players who denigrate the game, not realizing that by doing so they're insulting their own fans; and owners and general managers who can't make a move without discussing the economic ramifications, even though that's the last thing their fans (or, to use the owners' term, their customer base) want to hear about.
With charming candor and disarming wit, Miller takes us from the broadcaster's booth into the stands and down onto the field and into the dugout. He pays tribute to his heroes and his partners, who include some of the classic voices that shaped his love of the game: Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons, Vin Scully, Hank Greenwald, Chuck Thompson, and Joe Garagiola and Tony Kubek. He tells about the Opening Day rain delay that launched a second career as an after-dinner speaker in Boston, as his partner Ken Coleman led him into doing his now-famous Vin Scully impersonation; the maddening experience of working for Charles O. Finley, an owner who managed the remarkable feat of building a World Championship team that finished next-to-last in the league in home attendance; and the pleasure of being a part of the growth and development of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball into the game's weekly showcase for a nationwide audience. He profiles some of his favorite baseball personalities, from Reggie Jackson and Kirby Puckett to Alvin Dark and Charles Steinberg; shares inside stories from the broadcast booth about the secrets of Phil Rizzuto's scorebook ("WW" means "Wasn't Watching") and what to do when your partner is knocked cold by a foul line drive; and tells, for the first time, the story behind his leaving the Baltimore Orioles after fourteen years doing the team's games.
True to the broadcaster's art, Confessions of a Baseball Purist calls the game the way Jon Miller sees it: with wit, with style, and with absolute candor. For the baseball purist in all of us, Miller provides a rallying cry, some warm memories, and reasons to keep believing in the game we love.
Customer Reviews:
Flawed.......2006-05-30
I got this book for Christmas and read it Memorial Day weekend. I love Jon Miller's voice and play-by-play skills. That being said the book leaves much to be desired. The chapter on the "Good Old Days are Now" is extremely silly looking today. Realizing that this was written between the '97 and '98 seasons at first Miller must have looked like a genius as McGwire and Sosa battled for the single season home run record, but in 2006,it seems ridiculous. Especially, after McGwire embarassed himself in front of the Senate the way he did. It's funny how Miller tells the story of how he was amazed at how huge McGwire's biceps were. Rather cocky of McGwire to be showing off his chemically enhanced physique. My other problem is that Miller is not completely truthful. There is a section where he tells of how he would go to A's games with friends (when he was 14) and tape himself broadcasting. Miller was born in 1952, which would have had this happening around 1966 or 1967. He then tells us that sometimes his "broadcasts" would be ruined if a fan sitting close by had brought his boombox. Around this time FM radio was in its infancy and boomboxes did not hit the stores until almost ten years later. Unless, this fan had stepped through a wormhole or was able to warp the space-time fabric, there is no way Miller's broadcasts were ruined by boomboxes. His anectdotes are good enough that he doesn't need to supplement them with such a glaring untruth. It casts a shadow of suspicion on everything else. The is no room for poetic license in a memoir.
humorous and entertaining anecdotes and thoughts.......2004-04-02
This book brings forth the thoughts of one of the most well known and well respected broadcasters in baseball today. This book came out in 1998 when Miller started as a Giants broadcaster. His broadcasts on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and radio broadcasts for the Giants bring out his personality. He's dedicated to his job and had been interested in broadcasting since he was a child. His passion for the game of baseball and his attentiveness to perfecting his craft only added to his skill in the descriptions of his broadcasts and brought the feel of the flow of the game while it's unfolding live in front of his eyes. If you are familiar with Miller's broadcasts on TV or radio then you won't lose a step when reading his book because it is similar to the way he broadcasts. Miller brings about his thoughts about some of the issues in baseball like realignment as proposed by Bud Selig, to the personalities of owners he has known and how they contributed to the rise or demise of a franchise, and stories about Cal Ripken and some insider accounts from the clubhouse about his consecutive game streak. Miller bring a good light-hearted folksy humor that will make you smirk or guffaw with tongue in cheek. It is interesting in the fact that it feels like he conversing with you like you were at a bar and he was telling interesting stories which would be either intriguing or funny. This is a nice book for baseball fans who want to see things from the perspective of a broadcaster. The book reads easily and shouldn't take too long to read at all.
A Fine Memoir.......2000-01-31
I received this book along with Joe Morgan's as a Christmas present, and it was interesting to read them in tandem, as it shows why they are such a complementary broadcast team. Miller's book is more an anecdotal memoir than a detailed analysis of the game, but that doesn't spoil the enjoyment of it. His tribute to Ken Coleman, the retired Red Sox radio broadcaster, brought back to this Red Sox fan vivid memories of Miller's all-too-brief stay in Boston. The book, however, suffered from an editing job that assumed that the reader had a familiarity with Miller's personal life and career history. For example, there are several references to his first marriage which both assume that the reader knows that Miller was married before and why it ended. But these references are extraneous and add nothing to this picture of Miller as broadcaster and baseball purist -- which, after all, is the book's primary focus.
Funny memoir.......1999-09-01
More of a memoir than anything else, the book is unflaggingly interesting and funny, especially if one can imagine Miller himself reading it. An audiocassette version of this book might well be the ultimate way to experience it. In any case, it just breezes by, leaving you with a warm feeling and a greater desire to hear more Miller broadcasts afterward.
Mediocre.......1999-08-02
Maybe I'm being too critical here. I mean, I like Jon Miller. He's an excellent broadcaster. He certainly knows his baseball. But can he write? The answer (even with assistance) is, disappointingly, no. He has some good anecdotes, and makes some good points, but as I was reading it, I couldn't help wondering, "Where is this book going?" The answer is nowhere. It's meandering and disjointed. He makes all of his "controversial" points in the first chapter, but then offers nothing to back up his theses later in the book. Still, if you want to learn about Jon Miller, to read some interesting stories about the colorful players and broadcasters Miller has encountered over the years, AND get a defense in of Miller's decision to leave the broadcasting booth for the Baltimore Orioles, then go ahead and buy the book. But, perhaps you would feel you're getting your money's worth if you waited for the paperback version or maybe borrowed it from your local library.
Book Description
ESPN: Creating an Empire tells the full story of ESPN's origins, of make-or-break decisions that were made on a seemingly daily basis, and involved a cast of characters including Howard Cosell, Ted Turner, Roone Arledge, Don King, and Peter Ueberroth.
Customer Reviews:
A complete and utter waste of time.......2007-08-20
Silly me. In looking for the definitive history of ESPN, I somehow stumbed on this this effort: nothing more than a self-written vanity project by a long-retired executive with no journalism background and waaay too much time on his hands. Readers must endure droning tales of Stuart Evey's days as glorified gofer to a son of eccentric billionaire J. Paul Getty; pointless tales that have nothing to do with the founding of a network. Other reviewers summmed it up nicely, that Evey was nothing more than a well-placed conduit for funds from Getty Oil to ESPN's true creative founders... he provided nothing more and in this excreble effort mightly attempts to snatch much of the credit. Sorry, pal, you were there as an early observer, little more. (Oh, you hired Jim Simpson? Wow.) ESPN has risen to become an important player in the twenty years SINCE your departure. The whole effort is pathetic, really.
Free with Price of Admission.......2007-03-24
This self-glorifying piece of garbage seems like the kind of book that comes free when you pay to see the author speak about modern business. Problem is, with most of these types of books as a matter of fact, the people writing them have been out of business for several years and it shows.
I received this book for Christmas because my brother thought it was actually about ESPN. The other reviewers nailed it when they said ESPN is only used to sell the book. The early days of ESPN, the operation, were dry and lifeless in this presentation.
Sports Talk Big-Time........2007-02-25
Scott Connal from Yonkers, New York and educated at Roosevelt High School, left NBC to be the pied piper of ESPN, after twenty-two years in broadcasting. His expertise and leadership aided in development of a network to change the future of sports television. It was said that "ESPN was the single most important factor for the popularity of college basketball." Connal moved up from NBC Sports to make the new network professional. He'd been made to look foolish in the 'Heidi' affair which superseded the Raiders 43-32 comeback win on the air. At the organization of ESPN, his active support and ongoing encouragement made pros out of young, ambitious media minds.
Stuart Evey, a 26-yr-veteran of Getty Oil Company, directed the development and launch of ESPN. He served as chairman and, in 1985, negotiated its sale to ABC-TV. "As I gained experience in the television industry, I endured another wild business chase, this time in the area of pay-for-view movies." It started as a collaboration between ESPN President Chet Simmons and his friend Al Ruch who had left NBC to take a job in acquisitions for MCA/Universal Pictures. The Getty Oil building just up the street from the Ambassador Hotel, where Robert Kennedy was hot and killed. Evey called this "the tragedy that ruined a nation's optimism." And it's never been the same.
Ignorance is sometimes bliss. The first president of ESPN was Chet Simmons. He discovered that every sport has its own dance and one should learn "how to relax in action." He had an office on the 18th floor, but did much of his business over drinks at the Wilshire Country Club with Glenn Davis, a Heisman Trophy winner at Army football, and Felix Blanchard, a distanct cousin of Lowell and Happy's. You could see over the skyline of Los Angeles on to the San Gabriel Mountains in Pasadena.
Timing was everything. Ice skating is an art to emotional and intricate. The costumes are as important as the performances. Sports stars like Peyton Manning are turned into heroes by their fans. He was on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" as the one player who "takes the Colts to the Super Bowl" where they played better than the Chicago Bears. Who would have believed it! He gets more attention and adoration anywhere else than his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee (here, he's known as not ever leaving a tip.), although they did release his Webb School video of doing a tango to the media. His goal now is to become a movie star -- high hopes. Most football players who get attention are exhibitionists like the New Orleans' Saints Reggie Bush who does a somersault "touchdown" flip -- to show off. What has happened to the dignity of the game?
It is said that these "clowns" get caught up in the emotion of the game, and it's part of the drama of the play. Coaches make the game of sport a psychological, as well as physical, demonstration. Those who enjoy these highjinks (and get a kick out of seeing someone make a fool of himself), they are letting off a little steam after they make a great play. Did Joe Namath throw the ball into the ground? Would cerebral Joe Dimaggia put on a show -- well, he did marry Marily Monroe. ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the morning" show encourages such actions. Most sports announcers are carried away with the game themselves. Now, baseball I can take: Mickey Mantle was my star and even had a song about him, "I Love Mickey" by Teresa Brewer.
J. Paul Getty had an interest in sports. George Getty, a good-looking fellow, loved horse racing and posed with Willie Shoemaker at Santa Anita. Even golf, as boring to watch as can be, got their attention. A photo of Jack Nicklaus signing a contract with ESPN took centerfold. There's also a phto of the large tall Getty Building and Universal Studios out in L. A.
Martin Haulot of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, now coached by a former member, Denis Savard (one of five Blackhawks to have his number retired -- he scored 377 goals in 13 seasons), aggressive "someone" shown in Sports Illustrated to bring them national attention. The Knox Ice Bears are amazing, a joy to watch.
Great insight about what really happened!.......2004-11-30
Mr. Evey did a wonderful job on this book! He prefaced the beginning of the book with his work at Getty Oil and described his important role with the company and how it lead to the start of ESPN. If it were not for Stu Evey, this deal possibly would not have transpired! I believe all sports enthusiasts will find this book of great value as it details an important part of history with the rise and success of ESPN. Wonderfull job Mr. Evey!
ESPN..a "wildcat" story.......2004-10-19
The ESPN company was created in the tradition of Texas oil "wildcat" entrepreneurship. Mr. Evey, the Getty Oil executive who authors the story, ESPN Creating An Empire, describes his role as starting quarterback, coach and general manager of this far fetched idea and fledgling television endeavor. How ESPN gets "off the ground" and into outer space is one of the great dramas in the growth of American media and entertainment history. The story is told well in the first person, but credit is apportioned generously to the shakers and makers of what has become the household icon of sports entertainment. Ambitious and visionary entrepreneurs would do well to study the management of risks and opportunities described in Mr. Evey's book.
Customer Reviews:
A look at the show that changed sports broadcasting.......2003-08-05
I recently picked up this 1988 book because I had seen the TNT movie of the same title, which was based on this book and which I thought was quite good. The book itself provides a large amount of detail about the interplay between all the main people involved in putting Monday Night Football on the air between 1970 and 1987.
The person who dreamed up the entire concept of prime-time football (helped by some prodding from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle) was the executive producer of ABC sports, Roone Arledge. His vision of the future and his love of innovation was the primary reason that MNF made such an impact when it debuted in September 1970. It succeeded because it was hugely entertaining and because nothing like it had ever been seen before on television.
The popularity of pro football had grown tremendously during the 1960s. But Arledge felt that in order to successfully broadcast NFL football games in prime time, and to compete against the other networks' established Monday evening shows, the emphasis needed to focus on the personalities in the broadcast booth as much as the action on the field. He wanted the show to be an event, not just a televised football game. He put together a brilliant group of three people - a 'straight man' for the play-by-play descriptions, a charming 'regular guy' ex-player for game analysis, and a 'host' with a strong journalistic background who could tied it all together by adding some depth to the show while also playing the role of provocateur.
The original broadcast team (or "cast" if you will) consisted of Keith Jackson (replaced after one year by Frank Gifford), Don Meredith and Howard Cosell. These men all had very different personalities, especially Cosell whose background was as a journalist rather than an ex player, and that was the main reason the show had such an edge. Cosell had a delicious combination of a brilliant mind, a huge ego, and at the same time a desperate need to be liked by his audience. The interplay between Cosell and the other two men could be caustic, but very often it was wonderful.
Arledge's concept, after a brief rough start, worked amazingly well for the most part. In fact it could be argued that it worked too well. As the show soared in popularity, the egos of the men involved (including those of the behind the scenes personnel) soon clashed and made MNF a high-wire act where the audience and even the broadcasters themselves were never quite sure what would happen each week. Behind the scenes there were temper tantrums, drunkenness, pettiness, pouting, profanity and debauchery. Although the viewing public had little clue of all this infighting, the tension it caused added a raw edge to the broadcast each week. It all made for great television, and the public ate it up.
But all too soon the tensions built up beyond the toleration point. Meredith got fed up and left the show after the fourth season (1973), and although Arledge did his best to replace him (eventually adding ex-player Alex Karras), it never quite was the same as it was in those first four years (or three if you discount the first year before Gifford replaced Jackson).
Even when Meredith returned to the show in 1977, the bud was off the flower, as O.J. Simpson later put it. The popularity of MNF remained strong, but it was never quite the national sensation as during those first few years. By the early eighties, Cosell had become so disenchanted (not to mention obnoxious to work with), that he left the show, soon to be followed by Meredith. The ratings dropped, and Arledge began to scramble each year to put together another team with the same magic as Gifford, Cosell and Meredith. He never could.
Eventually, after Cap Cities took over ABC in the mid-eighties, the team of Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf and Gifford was formed, which I remember as quite good, but the primary emphasis was now shifted to the game itself, rather than the interplay of personalities in the booth. One of the best and most poignant lines in the book was on the very last page. In those early years, it was "Monday Night Football". After the breakup of the original cast, it became merely football on Monday night.
I gave this book four stars rather than five because it is based almost completely on the more than one hundred interviews conducted by the authors. As expected, facts get twisted around plenty as different people "remember" with their own slants as they try to protect their egos and reputations. From comments at the end of the book, it appears the authors did very little, if any, review of the actual network tapes of shows to which they referred with specific incidents. I have several early MNF games on videotape (don't ask me how) that are referred to in the book. I went back to my tapes, and in each instance what was presented as actually going out over the air was very different from what I saw on the broadcast tapes. Unfortunately for me this puts the authors' credibility somewhat in question.
Still, overall this book is very good. I recommend Monday Night Mayhem for readers interested in either the history of pro football's golden age or in the history of sports broadcasting. Those early years of MNF were historic and were fun and fascinating to watch. I consider myself lucky to have grown up in the decade of the '70s and to have watched those magical broadcasts with such boyish wonder. When it was in its heydey, there was nothing bigger than the phenomenon of ABC's Monday Night Football.
The title says it all - but the book's even better........1997-03-16
The authors provide a humorous and in-depth look at
ABC's "Monday Night Football."
The book starts with the history of the then-radical concept of pro football played on a weeknight and the men who made it a reality, including Roone Arledge, Chet Forte, Pete Rozelle, and of course, Howard Cosell.
The book, fortunately, looks past the schtick and examines
the background of the broadcasters and producers
and how they came together to create what is now an
American institution.
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Creating an Empire: ESPN - The No-Holds-Barred Story of Power, Ego, Money, and Vision That Transformed a Culture
Sports Talk : A Journey Inside the World of Sports Talk Radio
Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL
The Big Show
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams
