Rating: 
Summary: Count the victims: 1.
Review: I read this book concurrently with "You Cannot Be Serious" by John McEnroe.One of these books is about a star who admits his foibles and, without attempting to justify them, explains why he acted the way he did, and the consequences of same. Put more simply
1. He did it
2. He accepts reponsibility for it. The other is a hagiographic account of how one young basketball player almost killed another player with a single blow. The victim eventually recovered and went on to moderately great heights in the NBA. The other carped and whined his way through life, and despite all the spin this well-regarded sports journalist put on the story, two inescapable facts come out in the book.
1. He did it.
2. He doesn't accept responsibility for it. It's certainly disappointing what happened, not least for Rudy Tomjanovich, the victim. But get a life already. There was only one victim that night, but Kermit Washington has spent the rest of his life attempting to pursuade anyone who will listen that there were two.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book, but Feinstein is a jerk
Review: The book is an interesting read, and the history of the two men is very compelling. I remember the fight and the clips on the local news and remember, as a die hard hoops fan even at the age of 8, that this was something horrible. Realize also that Kermit Washington was vilified much more because Rudy T was white, and it seemed that Kermit looked around to hit a white player (one of the many stories that came out from 1977-1980). Unfair as that was, "The Punch" changed basketball forever, as the need for the Darryl Dawkins' and Maurice Lucas' and Marvin Websters' ceased to be needed from teams, and finesse and grace (Magic and Bird) took over only a few short years later (the 1977 championship, between the Sixers and the Blazers, had a defining moment that helped change hoops also. A fight between Dawkins and Lucas seemed to light a fire under Portland the rest of the series, and allowed Walton to roam around unattended the final 4 games). I have met Feinstien, and his ego is only slightly smaller than the size of Texas, but he deserves quality praise for his work here. Now if he can get out of Coach K's backside for 3 minutes......
Rating: 
Summary: Feinstein Doesn't Make His Case
Review: I first heard about the punch incident between L.A. Laker power forward Kermit Washington and Houston Rocket All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich on a 25th anniversary television clip. I was intrigued by the story. This book was mentioned in the program so I sought it out. The title of the book piqued my interest even more: "...The Fight That Changed Basketball Forever." I had never heard of the punch until that 25th anniversary story. I was 3 years old in 1977 when the event occurred and had not been very interested in basketball until the last three years. I was definitely opening this book ignorant on the subject. Feinstein's words and the current state of the NBA as I see it are the only pieces of evidence I have as to whether this event "changed basketball forever." First, the good points: Feinstein offers some description on the game in 1977 (background I needed). I had no idea that there was enough fighting to put the NBA in almost the same league as the NHL. I learned that only two referees oversaw the game until the following year, and it was difficult for only two to control the game. A thorough account of the event and the aftermath is given, including some insight into the struggles of Tomjanovich's life that, I assume, have not been written in such detail before this book. Feinstein also gives a thorough background on the lives of Washington and Tomjanovich. In the case of Washington: what's a good way for a PR guy to catapult the career of an otherwise unknown player? Make up a reachable milestone like an average of 20 rebounds and 20 points per game for the season. Washington's rise to fame was very interesting. The book also shows that most of the animosity is between Washington and Kevin Kunnert (the player Washington blames for starting the fight that led to the punch). Problems I find: Like many other reviewers noted, Feinstein repeats a lot of information. The first several chapters are a reiteration of the event and immediate aftermath. Similar quotes are used throughout the book (I lost count of how many times Tomjanovich is quoted as saying he doesn't want to be remembered as the guy who "got nailed"). The repetitive nature of the book doesn't bother me as much as the overall style, which doesn't seem very professional to me, especially from an author of so many sports books and receiver of so much praise. Some of the quotes he chose to use seem almost silly. My favorite example is on page 149: "For some reason we always had trouble in the Palestra," Washington said. "I think it may have something to do with the fact that those teams were always good." How does he get quotes like that! In sum, I bet this story has been written as an article in sports magazines with glossy color photos many times. I think I'd enjoy it in article form more and probably not miss much information. The story seemed to be stretched to fill the pages of a book. What's more, I don't think Feinstein made his case that the event changed basketball. The league already decided to lower the boom on violent acts before the 1977 regular season and violent behavior is still seen a lot in the NBA today with the usual fines and suspensions. Repeat offenders like Ron Artest are praised for their intensity and "playing the game the way it should be played." Is there another punch waiting to happen somewhere? I hope not, but I don't think 1977 has changed much beyond the lives of those who were involved.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting read even if you don't follow basketball
Review: The event that inspires this book, and affected forever the lives of a handful of people, took one second. I guess you could also say the same thing about the hundreds of shootings that take place throughout the world every day. What this incident has in common with those is that all are violent acts, in this case the title "Punch" of one professional basketball player to another about 25 years ago. But few of the shootings that happen every day have been broadcast thousands of time to the entire world. Thus, fodder for a full-length book. Fans of sports should like this book very much. Both players, Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjonovich, were both prominent players in the NBA. If you are a sports fan, you know of the incident, and will find the details leading up to and following it extremely interesting. Especially since Tomjonovich, thanks to Michael Jordan's first retirement, managed to coach a few championships with the Houston Rockets back in the 90's. If you are not a sports fan, though, I'm not so sure. I am somewhat of a sports fan, and saw the Saturday Night Live spoof of the incident "live", the one that introduced it to the non-sporting public. But will it hold the interest of the average person? I'm not quite sure. You get your standard story of two athletes, who worked very, very hard to get where they were. You see how they become players in the NBA. You see the scenarios leading up to the infamous game, how the NBA was already having a reputation as being too violent. They were almost waiting for an incident like this to prove their point of cracking down on violence. Well, they got one, and it was a nasty one. Tomjonovich saw a fight at the other end of the court involving Washington. Washington, hearing footsteps, turned and blindly punched him without really even looking. The punch, just by sheer luck landed so squarely that it literally caved in Tomjonovich's face. A few millimeters one way and it's just a broken nose. But a few the other way, and it could have been death. As they discuss the incident over and over again, this is giving away nothing. The aftermath is reported in great detail, leading all the way to 2002. It's true that it was a very unfortunate thing, and Washington probably did not intend for what happened to happen. But it did, and there is something called responsibility. Considering that some people have done jail time for less violent acts, a six-month suspension could be considered fair. You be the judge. The book hints that misfortunes that happened to both of them can be pointed back to the big incident. However, I'm not sure I really buy it. You see the background of both players, and can see that these misfortunes are things that just happen in life. That Washington can't seem to get a GREAT job after his retirement is probably the situation that many ex-athletes with no other skills face. And Tomjonovich's behavior was probably applauded by many, and could have potentially killed someone had it been allowed to continue. Interesting stuff, but maybe only to a select audience.
Rating:
Summary: The Punch - A good read
Review: I thought the book was a very interesting read. The research was as thorough as possible for something that happened over 25 years ago without getting too detailed. Feinstein tells the story of how it affected the lives of the subjects without getting judgemental. I had a different impression of both men than I did before I read the book. If I can read a book in less than two weeks, I consider it gripping. I read this one in less than one.
Rating:
Summary: An Incident That Just Doesn't Go Away
Review: The Punch is a book that deals with an unfortunate sports incident and how the media blows up the incident. In 1977 I was a high school student and noted how the game of basketball was changing into more of a contact sport. Each team seemed to have a big brute of a power forward whose main role was to be the intimidator and protect the star players. Fights were occuring a bit more frequently in games starting with the Darryl Dawkins/Maurice Lucas match in the previous years NBA championship. Fines and suspensions were few and far between. Commissioner Lary O'Brien then decided he was going to impose more severe penalties. This came to a head when on the fateful night of 12/9/77, Kermit Washington lost his composure in a basketball game. When Rudy Tomjanovich rushed over to break up a fight between Washington and Kevin Kunnert, he was decked by a mammoth punch by the heavilly agitated Washington. This incident led to the longest suspension of a player in the history of the league. Furthermore, this incident seems to be constantly played out whenever something similar happens in the world of the NBA. These days there seems to be more and more viscious fights in the NBA and intimdiation seems to dominate the sport. Just look at today's Portland Trailblazers with Rasheed Wallace intimidating officials. Not too mention the bench incident between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat during a playoff game. And what about the Golden State Warrior Player who was looking for an opposing player/team and looking to start a fight long after the game? Rumor has it this player was bringing his buddies from the neighborhood for a gang war. The media would like to make it out that this Punch changed basketball. In some ways it has led to the game being much more physical. However the temperment of Tomjanovich and even Washington is so much tamer than many of the players who are in the game today. In spite of this incident's effect on the game, there is way too much time given to this tragic event. Feinstein's book is repetitive indeed. Some of the effects on both mens lives afterwards are described quite well. However was it all necessary? I guess where I am intrigued by Feinstein's insight, I wonder if this book tries to stir the pot more or does it try to give closure to this unfortunate incident? Tomjanovich and Washington would like this incident to just go away. People make mistakes in life. Its time the media respected the lives of Washington and Tomjanovich and just stopped the video tape of this incident. A better solution would be to monitor violence in sports more closely.
Rating:
Summary: Good story, easy read
Review: I really expected not to like this book, having read some unfavorable reviews and being generally disappointed by Feinstein's latest efforts. But I've liked several of his books and decided to give this a shot. It was refreshing to see him write a book that wasn't "A year in the life of" something. He took one event and showed how it changed two people's lives dramatically -- and several other people's lives on the periphery. The structure is a bit awkward, as he starts with the event, then goes into detail on the game in which it occured, then shifts into reverse and traces the lives of both men before the punch, then takes the read through their lives after the punch. This is what led him to repeat some phrases, and I agree that it's a bit annoying. But Feinstein's strength is his ability to get his subjects to speak candidly, and he did a great job of that here. Both are open and honest about the struggles -- some self-imposed -- each has faced since the punch entwined them in history. This book is not as good as A Season on the Brink or A Good Walk Spoiled, but it's better than some of his more recent books. It's a good sports book and a better character study.
Rating:
Summary: Unneccessarily long telling of story
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed A Good Walk Spoiled and A Season On The Brink, but The Punch was fairly disappointing. I think Feinstein did a fair job of retelling the story. He drew good quotes from the participants and witnesses and others. However, Feinstein constantly repeats himself. He could repeat one statement about 4 or 5 times. I thought it was quite annoying. Even the first chapter of the book was repeated throughout the story again and again. Though it was a shocking and sad story, maybe Feinstein realized he could not find any interesting subtexts although I agree with another reviewer that Feinstein should have talked to the coaches and others about why Washington cannot find work these days in the NBA. Not one of Feinstein's better efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Poor editing
Review: The book is an interesting work about an event that I barely recalled growing up. However, it is the worst edited book I have ever read. There are at least six passages that are duplicated or only slightly rephrased throughout the book. It causes one to stop and exam whether he has already read that page. Not a first class job.
Rating:
Summary: Lacks the punch of earlier works
Review: Although "The Punch" is an entertaining and interesting read, it doesn't measure up against some of Feinstein's earlier works such as the outstanding "A Season on the Brink". "Brink's" power was derived from the incredible, behind-the-scenes reporting of one man over the course of only six months. As a reader, you were given full access to Bob Knight's daily life, and lived the ups and downs of the 86 basketball season along with the players. On the other hand, "The Punch" is essentially a biography of Rudy T and Kermit drawn from interviews. The drawback in covering two entire lives from the perspective of an event that happened 25 years ago, is that it lacks the quirky, precise detail that defines his earlier books. Where Feinstein dedicates entire chapters to brief events (like the day of the punch), the story is mesmerizing. Also interesting is when he draws parallels between the upbringing of Kermit and Rudy. But certain chapters (especially the ones detailing the last 10-15 years) don't really make a convincing case (to me, anyway) that this was more than a noteworthy event in the NBA (as opposed to groundbreaking). This book is recommended for NBA enthusiasts and is a quick read.
| 
