Top 10 Sports Books

In a revelation about as shocking as Tiger Woods tweeting that he admires Brett Favre (there are enough jokes in that last statement for a 2 hour HBO comedy special) I along with writing about sports on a blog also enjoy reading sports books, so following the lead of the man in charge, "Frank" of illbefrank below are my 10 favorite sports books that I read in 2010. If you are looking for that last minute gift for someone on your list or just want a great read you can't go wrong with any one of these books.

10) The Wave: In pursuit of the Rogue's, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey (pub. 9/10)

The book opens aboard a scientific ship in the middle of the ocean as scientists are testing to determine how, when and why waves develop. Within a few pages you realize that the ocean's waves are one of the biggest mysteries of the natural world and how exciting the chase to understand this phenomenon is for some people. The book quickly jumps to world of top level surfers who chase these massive breaks around the world on a moment's notice. The book breezes through surfing's early days and settles into an adventure book about big wave surfers and focuses on the most prominent one, Laird Hamilton. Casey's writing makes you to feel the anticpation, excitement and fear as Hamilton pushes surfing to the human limits of survival. I wouldn't advise taking this book on a cruise, but you will get a real appreciation for the ocean and a subset of adrenaline seekers who are willing to risk it all in the name of the next big one, without the money and fame most all other top athletes are accustomed to receiving.

9) Death to the BCS: The Definite Case Against the Bowl Championship Series by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, Jeff Passon (10/10)

Did you ever wonder why there seems to be more and more bowl games every year? The authors answer that question and many others while advocating a 16 team playoff with home games until the "Final Four" which would be on neutral sites at traditional bowl venues. The case for the current bowl system is impossible to defend as most schools lose money due to forced ticket sales to games and destinations that are almost always undesirable, Birmingham in January anyone? The reason schools accept these bowl invitations is due to the fact that every coach and athletic director has a clause in their contract that stipulates a bonus for going to any bowl game. As a result the AD's, coaches, and bowls get rich while everyone else dreams of a playoff and a subsequent break-up of the power conference cartel that holds college football hostage.

8) Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski (6/09)

This book was published in 09', but became a must read around this year's World Cup as the authors broke down the world's game in a Moneyball like fashion and helped me become a better soccer fan. A glance at the table of contents reveals what an interesting read is ahead with chapter titles such as "Why England loses and others win", "Are penalty kicks cosmically unfair", "Silly mistakes in the transfer market", "The Country that loves soccer the most", and "Why poor countries have no chance". This is a book that uses psychology, sociology, and economics to tell a sport's story and though I read it in anticipation of the World Cup it left an impression on me that turned me into a soccer fan instead of a World Cup fan as evidenced by my DVR series recording of the English Premier League.

7) Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend by James Hirsch (2/10)

A biography of the greatest living baseball player became even more relevant with the Giants winning the World Series this year. Mays' career began in his home state for the Birmingham Barons of the Negro league in the 40's and his career paralleled the changes and expansion of America itself. He played in New York City, the center of the baseball world at the time, with the Giants in the 50's and moved west with team in the 60's and finished his career back in New York with the Mets in 73'. He was a complete five tool player whose greatness on the field was unquestioned and Hirsch covers these exploits and achievements, while also discussing his reluctance to follow Jackie Robinson's lead in race relations which earned his the nickname "Uncle Willie Mays" among some in the black community. At the core of Mays was his childlike love of the game and this book makes that point emphatically within the historical context of the man and his times.

6) The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy (10/10)

Leavy grew up a Yankee and Mickey Mantle fan, but this book is not a fans invented version of a kinder, gentler Mickey Mantle. Leavy uses interviews she conducted with Mantle and everyone in his life to show the contradictions in America's biggest hero. Mantle rose from humble beginnings in Oklahoma to be the biggest star in the biggest city in the country, he was at the same time thought of as the best teammate and the worst father/husband, and as a guy who loved the game, but never got the most out of his talent. Using modern stats, Mantle's OBP and OPS show he was an even more dynamic offensive player than he was given credit for at the time and the pain he endured to play the game helps explain some of his self medicating tendencies. Leavy also documents the off field behavoir that was ignored by the media, who were the biggest Mantle fans of all, and the stories of a drunken and stumbling Mantle off the field are at the same time cringe inducing and the frailties that made "The Mick" a likeable hero who was know to hit a homer from each side of the plate and have a couple that night with you as well.

5) Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi (11/09)

Agassi's relationship with his overbearing father, his marriage to Brook Shields, and his admitted Crystal Meth use were the main discussion points when the book was initially published and these parts of Agassi's life make for great reading and have an US Weekly/car wreck type feel that makes this book a page turner, but the way an individual sport is played at the highest level around the world without an offseason is also great reading for a tennis fan. Agassi's tennis career spanned eras from McEnroe, Edberg, and Lendl to Sampras and Federer and his take on these champion's games and personalities is not information that would be found in the normal sports book. This book also has a different perspective since Agassi is the anti Tiger, Lebron, and Favre, an athlete who came on the scene as a person who was generally disliked due to his arrogance, but he matured and became a better person and player by the end of his career. Agassi's honest assesment of his life from an unhappy rebellious kid to a content champion and philanthropist is a success story and the best autobiography of an athlete I have read.

4) The Games that Changed the Game by Ron Jaworski (11/10)

The host of "NFL Matchup" and Monday Night Football's X and O guy is probably the only NFL analyst capable of writing a book about the strategic evolution of the NFL over 40 years by highlighting 7 coaches that changed the game (Sid Gilman, Don Coryell, Bill Walsh, Buddy Ryan, Bud Carson, Bill Belichick, and Dick LeBeau). Jaws brings the same passion and knowledge from "NFL Matchup" to the pages of this book and shows how the playbook designed by these coaches shapes individual games and in turn an entire league. This is not a book for a football novice or someone looking for a football novel, but for a book about the strategic game itself, there are none better.

3) The Greatest Game by Todd Denault (10/10)

On December 31st 1975 the two best hockey teams in the world met in hockey's greatest arena, the Montreal Forum. The Canadians were in the midst of their NHL dynasty and were led by Captain Guy Lafleur, while the Central Red Army team was on their first worldwide tour playing NHL teams. The game featured two teams at the height of their abilities and the game ended in a 3-3 tie with both teams admitting their opponent was the best team they had ever faced. This game had been 20 years in the making and was the real life Rocky IV as both teams played for pride with the weight of two nations and worldwide philosophies on their shoulders. This game led to increased international exposure for the Soviet Red Army team and was the catalyst for the global expansion of hockey and the increased quality of play that is enjoyed today. In a country where international hockey did not exist before Lake Placid in 1980 this book is an excellent history lesson and celebration of hockey at its finest.

2) Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger (6/90)

When you take a Pulitzer Prize winning author from Philadelphia and re-locate him to Odessa Texas for a book about a high school football season it is no surprise that you get what SI called the best sports book ever, and a book I have a tendency to re-read every fall on the cusp of football season. It is a book that spawned a movie and TV series along with an investigation into the Texas education system. Bissinger uses the real characters from a high school football team and town to tell a story of misplaced priorities, racism, and glory days. Even though I know the ending, I still feel Mike Winchell's nerves in the huddle of the Dallas-Carter game, Ivory Christian's conflicted heart, and the game and a chance at a better life slipping from James "Boobie" Miles' hands.

1) The Book of Basketball, paperback edition by Bill Simmons (12/10)

When the best sportswriter going is also the most knowledgeable NBA fan the possibility exists for an 800 page book about the game and its players. The discussion about the history of the game is unmatched and shows the research that was done, the footnotes are a Simmons staple that keeps you laughing and could only come from a comedy writer, and the "What If" and "Pyramid" sections display the passion that could only come from someone who truly loves the sport. The paperback contains revised sections on Kobe and the Lakers, Simmons' Celts, and Lebron that all played out this summer and the Multimedia guide accompanying the book is truly a breakthrough in the field of sports books and one that hopefully will be duplicated on future books. As you are reading about Moses Malone's rebounding ability or the 1988 NBA finals the multimedia guide allows you to pull up You Tube clips/games and relevant articles about the players/events you are reading about to further individual knowlege and discussion. For someone who grew up having to listen/read to people who actually saw players in other eras compete, the use of this technology allows you to make your own observations and conclusions about players before your time and in the case of this book makes everyone who reads it a better and more devoted fan.