Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman

Rating:
Summary: Bonds is Smashing!
Review: As a member of the Bay Area sports media, I had the opportunity to interview author Steven Travers when he wrote his best selling, Casey Award-nominated (for best baseball book of the year) biography, "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman". I got the inside scoop on how this book came about and became the published, acclaimed work that it is. The author approached Bonds as early as May, 2001 with the prediction that Barry would break Mark McGwire's home run record, and would he like to write a book? Barry eventually gave Travers the go-ahead to pursue a book deal. Big money became a big issue, and by season's end the autobiography became a biography. Travers enjoyed his time with Bonds, and certainly does not do a "hit piece" on the controversial superstar, but his overall assessment is of a man who feels the world revolves around him. As a former
pitcher in the Cardinals and A's organizations, Travers developed rapport that is rare for a writer, and this gives him a perspective on athletes that is just as rare.

Travers is fair, well meaning and talented. His success with this work is deserved, and further inside scoop has it that the New York literary community has approached him about a follow-up to "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman". This time, Steve is going to look at Barry's subsequent MVP seasons in light of
his assault on the term, Greatest Baseball Player of All Time, and how his place in history will be judged in light of recent allegations of steroid abuse in the BALCO scandal. The book, working titled "Strike Three!", will go deeply into steroid abuse in all sports - baseball, football, Olympics and,
most alarming for America's parents, high school athletes. I can't wait to read it.

MIKE MCDOWD
Westwood One Sports Radio anchor and Former KFTY TV Sports Director Bay Area
[e-mail]



Rating:
Summary: ABOUT THE AUTHOR: STEVEN TRAVERS
Review: ABOUT THE AUTHOR
STEVEN TRAVERS has always been entrepreneurial. "I was turned down by my high school newspaper because they didn't allow freshmen," says the sixth-generation Californian, "so I started my own!" After going to college on a baseball scholarship, where he was an all-conference pitcher, the 6-6, 225-pound Travers played professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was a teammate of Danny Cox. Travers once struck out 1989 National League Most Valuable Player Kevin Mitchell five times in one game (he K'd 15 that night). With the Oakland Athletics, he played alongside Jose Canseco.

"Punching out K-Mitchell was great," he recalls, "but the highlight of my career may have been when I was with the A's against the Giants in a Major League exhibition game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. I struck out the side and went nine-up, nine-down in three innings." Steve later coached at USC, Cal-Berkeley and in Berlin, Germany.

Travers attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. At USC, he was a classmate of Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson. Travers also went to Western State University College of Law, the Hollywood Film Institute, and the UCLA Writers' Program. He served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War, and was a political consultant. "I've punched a lot of tickets," Travers says of his background, "and I bring real-world experience to my writing."

In 2002, Travers wrote the best seller "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" (www.sportspublishingllc.com), which is in re-print, now in paperback, and was nominated for a Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the year. He also authored a novel, "Angry White Male", a compilation of his work over the years, "The Writer's Life", and "God's County", a three-volume conservative, Christian worldview of how history formed the United States Empire and America's Manifest Destiny for the 21st Century. He is the former lead sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and StreetZebra Magazine, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, and a sports stringer on San Diego's XTRA 690 AM radio station. "I have encyclopedic knowledge of history," Steve says. "I am truly versatile as a writer, able to use my knowledge of the past to understand the present." Steve has also freelanced for magazines, newspapers and web sites. He produced Steven Travers' Journal on the Internet, and formed San Francisco Sports Management, Inc., where he was a sports agent before embarking on a full-time writing career in 1994.

Steve has also written 15 screenplays. His credits include "The Lost Battalion," "Wicked" and "Baja California". His writing awards are for "Bandit," an America's Best quarterfinalist; "Once He Was An Angel," a Quantum Leap quarterfinalist; "Rock 'n' Roll Heaven" was a Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction quarterfinalist. He appeared in the film "The Californians", starring Noah Wylie and Illeana Douglas. Steve is represented by Lloyd Robinson of Suite A Management in Los Angeles (screenplays) and Samuel Fleishman of Literary Artists Representatives in New York City (books).

Steve is the scion of a distinguished California family. His grandfather, Charles S. Travers, covered the 1906 Great Earthquake, started a silent film magazine in Hollywood, and was President of the San Francisco Press Club. His great-uncle, Reginald Travers, was a noted Shakespearean actor. His father, Donald Travers, is a retired attorney and track coach, while his mother, Inge Travers, is a renowned artist. Steve's brother, Donald Travers II, is a former Naval officer. Daughter Elizabeth Travers is a budding vocalist. Inside Berkeley's Memorial Stadium is the Col. Charles Travers Big Game Room (named after Steve's uncle) to accommodate press conferences, and (named after Steve's late aunt) is the Louise Travers Memorial Club Room. Colonel Travers also sponsors a wing of the university's political science department, dedicated to fair and balanced analysis of public affairs.

Rating:
Summary: Never cared for Bonds
Review: And, I'm still not much of a fan. But, after reading this book I began to understand why Bonds has been a misunderstood player and person for many years. I always knew that Bonds was a great player, but this book forces me to acknowledge just how great a player and interesting person Bonds really is. If you're going to have one book on your shelf about the greatest player of this generation (and maybe any generation) this is the one!

Rating:
Summary: Bow down and worship Barry Bonds.
Review: Barry Bonds is arguably the best player of the last 15 years. Many baseball fans are starting to call him the best baseball player ever. Only time can tell, but Barry Bonds is still not God. This book sucks up to him so much it makes me want to vomit. Steve Travers makes him look like some God whom everyone should worship. I know he writes for a San Francisco newspaper, but that doesn't mean one should worship Bonds. The guy is an arrogant jerk, there is no lighter way of saying it. Although the book is well-written, it exaggerates Bonds and his 2001 season way too much. Read it and you'll see what I mean.

Rating:
Summary: Fair, balanced work of excellent sports jopurnalism
Review: Barry Bonds is often depicted as a demon, but he has those who treat him like a god. This book centers in the middle, is fair and responsible, incisive and great writing. I recommend this to smart, thinking sports readers, as it contains much about history and events that go beyond the usual boring "baseball books." Bonds' place not only in sports history but American history - his effect on the immediate post-9/11 period, the merits and de-merits of the New Media, race relations in the 21st Century, steroids and all-time records - are dissected in expert manner.

Rating:
Summary: His Name is Barry Bonds: the Baddest Cat in the Game
Review: finally a Book on My Favoirte Baseball Player in the Game.Barry Bonds gets a Bad Rap for Reasons that have nothing to do with what He does on the Field.He won't Smile&Shuck like so Many Other Atheletes feel they must do to be excepted.Barry Bonds Smiles with His Talent&Shines with it.Barry is the Best Example of how it's suppose to be.because to have a Year liek He did last year means Hard Work&Determination.He is a 5 Tool Player:Run,hit,Power,Glove,All-Around Force.the only other Player I see in Baseball on His Level is Alex Rodriguez.Barry is long overdue for His Due as a Great Player that Arguably Might One Day be Considered the Greatest.when you factor Hwo Dangerous He is&the way He gets Walked not many other Players can Make Claim to that.a Book for a Sports Fan that Respects Talent first&foremost.

Rating:
Summary: Steve should write more books like this
Review: I decided to post this because of something I just noticed. I read Brent Bozell's book and was going to write a review of it (I liked it). I previously wrote a review of Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman, written by my friend Steven Travers, so I checked it out. I was amazed to see all kinds of negative reviews of his book, which sold well and even won an award, I think. Then I read these reviews further and discovered that none of it had anything to do with Steve's book. It turns out Steve writes reviews of books and movies on Amazon himself. Like me, he is pretty conservative. He wrote some reviews about Michael Moore, books and documentaries by him, a few about him, etc.

Anyway, the stuff Travs wrote about Moore was not real flattering of Moore, but it looked to be researched and was basically within the framework of the stuff a lot of people write and say about Moore, who is pretty controversial either way you cut the mustard. It turns out somebody turned the Moore supporters on to Steve, how I'm not sure, but they all decided to give a bunch of negative, fake reviews of Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman. Lord, I could not believe some of the stuff people were saying about my friend's book. Terrible reviews. One stars. Calling him a liar, claiming all kinds of untruths about him, and the Bonds book had nothing to do with politics. One clown apparently wrote more than one of the reviews, and when I looked at other reviews I saw this dingleberry shadowing Steve's reviews, sort of the way a kid repeats what another kid says on a schoolyard. The guy looks like he has several aliases or something and gives Steve "unhelpful" votes even when Steve gives the best review in the lot.

Here is a sports book and people were writing stuff like, "Boycott this book because of what Steve said about Michael Moore." Are you kidding? A guy gives his honest opinion, like it or not, and you're calling for a boycott of some totally separate entity! This in a nutshell is why the left is losing. All they do is protest, strike, complain.

This is the way the left operates. These people just hide and do hit-and-runs. Steve puts his name and email address up there like a man. If you like him or not, and he's opinionated so you might not like him, you know who he is and what he stands for. These people are cowards. Just shut up or, if you have anything to say, be up front about it.

Anyway, I'll say it again. Steve's book was excellent. Write some more of them.

Rating:
Summary: Steven Travers on Barry Bonds
Review: I have lived overseas for many years but was an avid Giants fan in the 60's & 70's. Steven Travers' book on Barry Bonds was a welcome gift. I had read various news articles about the "controversial" Bonds and feel that Travers' book puts things right. I especially enjoyed the insights into the life styles of high powered sports figures. The build-up to Bonds' record setting home run season was handled in an excellent manner. This book is a great read for any baseball fan.

Rating:
Summary: A woman's POV
Review: I loved this book very much. The first chapter's descriptions of Bonds breaking Mark McGwire's record is nothing less than pure poetry. The writing just rolls off the page, placing me in the chilly night air ("in a town that Mark Twain once said was the coldest Winter he ever spent in the Summer"), to the fabulous descriptions of how sports are the one place where we can lose ourselves and see man's heroism without life and limb being on the line. Who else writes like that? Murray in his prime maybe. This is a book about history, and baseball history second.

Rating:
Summary: Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman
Review: I suppose it would be impossible to write a book about Barry Bonds that is not controversial. If Bonds likes a book about him, it would have to omit a lot. Somehow, "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" looks at all of Barry's warts, yet remains in the end favorable to him. Not an easy balancing act. This is not your average sports book. It is edgy and filled with laughs... and inside baseball. Good, solid reading.