Rating: 
Summary: A broken record of a book
Review: This was the first Feinstein sports book I've read, and I was mostly disappointed when I finished the last page.
This book is so REPETITIVE, it totally took away my connection to the author. I felt like I had been ripped off, like I was reading something put out by people who didn't care about me, the reader.
Two of the first three chapters are essentially the same. They tell and retell in shockingly similar words the events of the punch itself.
I remember at least three instances in the book where Feinstein writes that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't like physical play against him. I remember at least four instances where he writes that Calvin Murphy was one of the NBA's toughest fighters, and that you didn't want to miss with him.
I remember several instances where Feinstein wrote the same thing twice, such as when Washington said he feared making a mistake in front of Jerry West, how it was hot in Houston in August, how Tomjanovich started drinking at age 15, how his hometown was a blue-collar town and how Murphy felt "devastated" after the punch.
The only good parts of the book are Tomjanovich's recalling of his battle with alcohol and his overall evolution as a person. And, some of the stuff about Washington and his Portland days were decent.
But at the end, aside from the incredibly sloppy repetition, I still didn't feel like I knew the real Kermit Washington, not nearly as much as I knew Rudy T. I don't think Feinstein got him to open up as much as he should have or could have.
Other reviewers were right, too: This should have been a nice long magazine piece. It wasn't worthy of a book, as Feinstein made so painfully obvious with his repetition. He had to fill the pages somehow, he must have resigned himself to thinking.
Rating: 
Summary: Blow by blow?
Review: Feinstein has done an admirable job of research -- but the book CRIES OUT for a series of stills showing the infamous Rudy/Kermit fight. All we get is a blow up on the cover of the book... A frame by frame dissection would have been good here.
Rating: 
Summary: The Punch Delivers.......
Review: Rudy Tomjanovich ran toward Kermit Wasington to break-up a scuffle between Kermit Washington and Kevin Kunnert when Kermit, whose back was facing Rudy, turned quickly and landed the punch. It was no ordinary punch. Rudy felt as though the scoreboard had fallen on him; he could taste spinal fluid leaking from his brain. In all Rudy would undergo surgery five times -- plastic surgery, surgery resetting shattered bones, restoring tear ducts. Feinstein's book traces the lives of both men prior to and after the punch. Even more, he chronicles the extent to which the NBA evolved around the punch, how it changed the image of the NBA and the rules governing player fights. The punch was an unrepresentative incident for both men. Kermit Washington at 6 foot, 8 inch and 222 pounds was enormously powerful. Rudy was not on-guard when he approached. Yet, neither player had reputations for violently aggressive play; many other players were "better candidates" to have been involved in such an incident. Fate saved the moment for Rudy and Kermit. John Feinstein has done a superb job of showing the extent to which both men continued to live under the shadow of the punch throughout their careers. (Also instructive is the ongoing argument between Washington and Kunnert over who started what what between the two of them.) Rudy Tomjanovich is, I think, the better known of the two players, and justifiably commands an honorable reputation in the league. Kermit was less known to me. Perhaps other readers will, as I did, come to have a renewed respect for him as a player and a citizen. The Punch is a quick, absorbing read. As an "incident" in NBA history, it deserved a writer who would bring careful research and lucid prose to that singular event. Feinstein brings both.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Out of Three
Review: This book really doesn't deliver everything it promises. Mr. Feinstein does a good job chronicling the lives of Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington both before and after the fight they were involved in on December 9, 1977. He does an excellent job getting different points of view of what happened that night during a basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the author shortchanges the reader on the effect the fight had on the NBA and basketball. The topic isn't covered in any depth and consists of a sentence here and there. I did enjoy the description of how the NBA was in the mid-1970s, compared to today. Since I was a big basketball fan at that time, Mr. Feinstein's statements brought back a lot of memories.
Rating:
Summary: The Punch packs a wallop!
Review: I am not a big basketball fan and knew nothing about the subject of this book before picking it up. However, I was quickly drawn into the book by Feinstein's crisp, clear, exciting account of e moment in sports history that changed the way a sport is played. The effect of the "punch" on the lives of the players involved was fascinating and very sad. Well-written and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: 2 Lives Forever Linked
Review: I don't want to re-hash what the other reviewers have written, but rather explain what I found to be a fascinating aspect of this tragic story. The book goes into the details of both Washington and Tomjanovich's childhoods and college careers and it is absolutely uncanny how similar they were. Each man had it very rough early in life. Tomjonavich's family would somtimes go on welfare and his father was an alcoholic. Washington's mother was mentally ill and unable to care for him and his brother. As a result, they were raised by relatives and a cold stepmother. These early struggles would haunt both men and provide them with a strong motivation to succeed in life. Basketball and education became the vehicle for that success. There were other similarities, but I don't want to spoil anything for potential readers. What helps to make Feinstein's writing so effective is that he doesn't belabor the point, but rather lets the reader come to this realization. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: Repetitive and Disappointing
Review: "The Punch" left me disappointed. John Fenistein is a fine writer, but this book struck me as very repetitive in places....he's trying to give us the story of "the punch" from the angles of several of the participants, but the effect just doesn't come off. Give him credit for winning the confidence of Kermit Washington, Rudy T. and all the lesser players in this infamous incident, and all more points for trying to put the incident in a larger perspective, but what could have been a very fine book comes off as mediocre instead.
Rating:
Summary: The Punch: A Good Book For Sports Fans
Review: This book is the story of two men, Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich. These two were both exceptional basketball players in the 1970s but neither would be remembered for their skills. On December 9,1977 the L.A. Lakers faced the Houston Rockets. Washington played for the Lakers and Tomjanovich for the Rockets. During the game Washington got into an argument with a Rocket player. Tomjanovich ran over to separate the two but was met with a punch to the face. The hit damaged his skull and brain. Feintein then goes on to describe how each man lived after that, the criticism Washington met, and the road to recovery. Since the huge accident both men have traveled far. Washington is still haunted while Tomjanovich seems to be okay now as the head coach of the Houston Rockets. For one punch to change sports so much is amazing and how the two men have thought about this fist to face meeting everyday of their life is unbelievable. This book was pretty interesting for sports fans but is a little long. I would recommend this book to people who have time to read and enjoy sports books.
Rating:
Summary: The Punch- My Review
Review: I read this book not really knowing what to expect. As a huge pro basketball fan, I was aware of the rules involving fights in the NBA, but I had no idea there was a history behind it. Reading this book opened my eyes to how dangerous it really is to have incredibly strong men taking punches at one another. The stories of Rudy T. and Kermit W. were very touching. How this one accident changed the lives of these two men was truly amazing. My heart goes out to each of them, and I wish them all the best of luck in the future. Also, a get well soon wish to Coach Rudy T: He's been through alot; he deserves to get better fast.
Rating:
Summary: It had to be written
Review: Even though I was only seven years old when this incident happened, I can recall people's reactions to it vividly, and I always associated both Washington and Tomjanovich with it. Previous reviewers were on the mark in their assessment of this book not being Feinstein's best, and that it repeats itself in spots, but it was a very interesting read, and I'm glad he wrote it. Without judging either man, Feinstein lays out both of their backgrounds in great detail, and also charts the course of their lives in the years since the punch. Both men are interesting sociological studies in their own right, and this book was definitely worth the time, both in writing and reading it, and for those of us who unavoidably associate them with the punch, the pages tend to turn themselves. It could have been written a little more elegantly, but if you're accustomed to Feinstein, this was a workmanlike effort that's worth a read.
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