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Summary: Steve Travers on Barry Bonds
Review: Steve Travers being a true sports aficionado has gone where no other writer has gone. Capturing Mr. Bonds in such a way that brings him to life as a person first and than as a respected superstar on the diamond second. Steve Travers himself a great ball player from the little league fields of memorial park to the bigs knows what readers want when reading about their favorite sports hero. Steve I thank you for the journey you provided me when I read your book. I hope their will be more books to follow.
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Summary: THE KUDOS JUST KEEP ON COMIN' FOR STEVEN TRAVERS
Review: THE KUDOS JUST KEEP ON COMIN' FOR STEVEN TRAVERS AND "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN" "Travers' new book finally explains the phenomenon" In an intriguing new book by author Steven Travers entitled "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" (Sports Publishing, Inc.), the Bonds tale is spelled out in the most thorough, interesting, revealing, concise manner ever reached. Travers deserves much credit for exploring all of the Bonds past in an objective light. He has seen the complete man, warts and all, and concludes that his playing skills have been undiminished by a surly sense and a joyless attack on the game. Somehow, Travers got Bonds to cooperate with this work and it reads fairly, honestly and dramatically. I wish every ball player I ever interviewed greeted me with a smile. Can't happen. MAURY ALLEN/WWW.THECOLUMNISTS.COM, GANNETT NEWSPAPERS Because he is one of the big names in our pro sports scene today, and since he has shattered a record that was only broken three years ago, it's appropriate that my good friend Steven Travers has chronicled Bonds' amazing season. But hopefully the reader will find even more interesting, Travers's rare look at this reluctant superstar. Bonds trusted Travers enough to open up and share some private thoughts with him, about his life as an athlete, as a kid growing up and watching his dad Bobby play in the Majors, and some of his opinions regarding our turbulent society. Rare'is the opportunity to read first-hand about the man who authored such a feat. Read and enjoy this book about an unusual athlete and an incredible season. I think you'll not only enjoy yourself but learn a few things that you didn't know about Barry Bonds. And perhaps you'll come to realize as I have, that he's not only a great ballplayer, but a most interesting person. BRUCE MACGOWAN, KNBR RADIO/SAN FRANCISCO Steven Travers tackles the daunting task of trying to better understand the mercurial superstar by revisiting events from his childhood and college career that shaped Bonds' character. Travers appears to have the right credentials for the task: He is a former minor leaguer who also penned screenplays in addition to a column for the San Francisco Examiner. He calls on that background in crafting a straightforward, warts-and-all profile that remains truthful without becoming a mean-spirited hatchet job' USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY "(Steve Travers) is a Renaissance Man...a great read...entertaining." JIM ROME SHOW This book "has many layers'" Travers gives both supporters and detractors of Bonds their say'interesting' ARIZONA REPUBLIC 'follow Bonds' historic season' CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER TIMES "Step up to bat with `Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman'." MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL "A great new baseball book and must-read for fans of the Giants and Barry Bonds." MIKE MCDOWD/KFTY/50, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA Travers' work is a remarkably frank assessment of Bonds' character, his background, his flaws and virtues...There also are some interesting, frank accounts of the media, race and sports and the vast sums of money made by professional athletes...they're important in the discussion of why or why not Bonds is the most admired or most detested man in baseball -- and it's possible he's both. PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE "Steve Travers is a great writer, an educated athlete who knows how to get inside the player's heads, and when that happens, greatness ocurs. He's gonna be a superstar...the best columnist in the Bay Area." DAVE BURGIN/EDITOR, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER "Steve Travers is a phenomenal writer, an artist who labors over every word to get it just right, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and history." STREETZEBRA MAGAZINE "Bonds books paints tough portrait" Travers takes a good stab at illuminating the nonbaseball Bonds... ...the biographical format gives Travers a good deal more freedom to comment on his subject -- and he has no hesitancy in doing that, with fact, rumor and strong opinions...
Travers also writes incisively of things such as Bonds' roller-coaster relationship with the press...Give Travers credit...for turning out a portrait that is often tough -- and far from one-dimensional. DWIGHT CHAPIN/SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ...follow Bonds during his historic season and the Giants' hard-fought, if unsuccessful, struggle to make the playoffs... SACRAMENTO BEE "A very interesting read which is not your average baseball book; in fact, it offers something to non-baseball fans, too...The author struck out Kevin Mitchell five times in a single game, which had to sting. Kevin Mitchell must not like Steve Travers very much...but this lets us know that Steve has achieved his bona fides when it comes to having the credentials to write a book like this. GEOFF METCALFE/KSFO RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO; SYNDICATED ON WORLDNETDAILY" "I read the book when I have an author as a guest. A lot of talk show people don't. This is a fascinating book written by a man who knows his subject matter inside and out. He has written quite a book - a great effort for number one. He couldn't have picked a more difficult person to write about - but he captured Barry and gave us insight into who he really is. Congratulations." IRV KAZE, KRLA RADIO, LOS ANGELES "Get this book. You've brought Bonds to life." FRED WALLIN, SYNDICATED SPORTSTALK RADIO HOST, LOS ANGELES "This promises to be the biggest sports book of 2002." GREP PAPA, KTCT RADIO/SAN FRANCISCO "This cat struck out Kevin Mitchell five times in one game. I'll read the book for that reason alone. Plus, he hangs out with Charlie Sheen. How do I get that gig?" ROD BROOKS, KTCT RADIO/SAN FRANCISCO In his gossipy, easy-to-read tale, Travers - a former professional baseball pitcher and former sports columnist for theSan Francisco Examiner - tries to show that Bonds is greatly misunderstood. Travers explores the sports culture that influences this distinguished slugger'entertaining. LIBRARY JOURNAL Travers is a minor league pitcher turned sports writer, and therefore qualified to evaluate Dierker's thought process in ordering all those walks regardless of the score or the situation'"warts-and-all." Travers does deal with the issue of Barry's relationship with his dad, former big-leaguer Bobby Bonds. Travers explores Bonds' mercurial temper and place in baseball history. The irony about Bonds'is that he is held to two different standards. NOVATO ADVANCE 'a relationship between Charlie Sheen and Travers flowered, and Sheen has written the foreword' LEAH GARCHIK, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Not only is this the first comprehensive biography of Barry Bonds, but it features a foreword by Charlie Sheen. BUD GERACIE, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS Travers thought he hit the jackpot' FURMAN BISCHER, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Travers'hit the big time'the book, will be a best seller'compelling'beauty and grace to true baseball fans. Travers got to know all sides of Bonds from interviews with the superstar and others who know him well. Travers'established himself as a writer of many dimensions'a natural. JOHN JACKSON, ROSS VALLEY REPORTER Travers is a minor league pitcher turned sports writer, and therefore qualified to evaluate Dierker's thought process in ordering all those walks regardless of the score or the situation."It's easier to squeeze toothpaste back in a tube'than to write a book about Barry Bonds without pointing out some flaws." STAN HOCHMAN, PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS 'follow Bonds' historic season' KNOXVILLE NEWS 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. AMAZON.COM GRAND SLAM HOME RUN. Travers, a former baseball pitcher himself, delves into the mind of Bonds. BORDERS.COM Travers offers plenty of chronological information - where he grew up, what he achieved'his years with the Pirates and his first marriage and divorce, gleaning information from long-time friends and acquaintances'examine the rivalry between father and son, and the relationship with Willie Mays. "It reveals some aspects of his relationship with Willie Mays and is instructive in what makes Barry tick, good and bad." STOCKTON RECORD "It's a great read." PETE WILSON, KGO RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO "This a good book that really covers his whole life, and informs us where Bonds is coming from. His entire life is laid out. He is very qualified to continue to write books such as this one. Good job." MARTY LURIE, "RIGHT OFF THE BAT" OAKLAND A'S PRE-GAME HOST Steven Travers' biography on Barry Bonds is a quality piece that does not portray Barry Bonds as the mean-spirited person that the San Francisco media often makes him out to be. It is by no means a heralding tale of what a great guy Barry Bonds is, or can be, either. It paints Bonds for who he is - a superstar athlete, who has his quirks, but one who has matured into a husband, father, and possibly the greatest baseball player of all-time' (Travers) uses his experiences in baseball to setup the next section on Bonds, often times providing a humorous glimpse into the life of a player. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. I would especially recommend it to anybody that has derived their viewpoint of Bonds from nothing other than negative media coverage. For myself, knowing much of Bonds' early years through high school, I still learned new things about him, baseball life in general, and laughed out loud several times at Travers' unique way of explaining his experiences. This book is definitely worth the time. JOHN KENNY, ESPORTNEWS.COM Travers' account mentions everything from cocaine to sex to car crashes to what Bonds said he would do to Roger Clemens if Clemens hit him with a pitch (so Clemens did this season). But Travers describes the book as a warts-and-all account more than a "hit" piece. JOHNSON CITY PRESS Travers' book presents a more wide-ranging biographical portrait of Bonds' Travers' book does do a more well-rounded job of solving the mystery of who Bonds is' Travers spends much time trying to understand Bonds' personality'appealing'is the more inside look at Bonds in Travers' book. SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS Regardless of Bonds' character, Travers' work is every baseball aficionado's dream. Filled with almost play-by-play analysis of Bonds' duels with pitchers the likes of John Smoltz and Tom Glavine and littered with angry dialogue between Bonds and others, like manager Jim Leyland, Travers' book brings the behind-the-scenes antics of America's pastime to light. FAIRFIELD DAILY REPUBIC Travers talked to manager Dusty Baker and some of Bonds' friends' SIOUXLAND WEEKLY PUBLICITY: Travers appeared, promoting "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman", on: CNN, ESPN News, KPIX/5 in San Francisco, KRON/4 in San Francisco, NBC/3 in San Jose, KFTY/50 in Santa Rosa, plus other TV stations. Steve was a guest on the Jim Rome Show. He has appeared numerous times with Bruce Magowan and on the Rick Barry Show, on KNBR, the "Giant 68". He has been a guest on the Greg Papa Show and with Rod Brooks on KTCT in San Francisco. Other appearances include: Fred Wallin's nationally-syndicated radio program "JT the Brick's" nationally-syndicated show Arny Spanyer on KXTA in Los Angeles Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton on XTRA in San Diego The Pete Wilson program on KGO in San Francisco With Kate DeLancey on WFAN in New York City "Sportsline", Ron Barr's nationally-syndicated program (including the Armed Forces Radio Network) Marty Lurie's "Right Off the Bat" Oakland A's pre-game show on KSFO in San Francisco Grant Napier's program on KTHK in Sacramento Plus local stations in California, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Virginia, Hawaii, and other states. He has beeen written up in USC Trojan Family, the USC Film School newsletter, the UCLA Writers' Program newsletter, and received notice in: Mal Florence's column in the Los Angeles Times Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle Skip Bayless and Bud Geracie in the San Jose Mercury News Numerous publications have given "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" predominatly good-to-excellent reviews.
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Summary: The Best of Bonds
Review: This insightful, well-written book is a must-read for the sports fan interested in a personal, inside view of the multi-faceted personality of the immensely talented Barry Bonds.
Bonds has provided few people with the access and insight he provided Steve Travers, the author. History will prove it to be the definitive work on one of baseball's greatest players.
Frank McCormack
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Summary: Steven Travers writes with a unique insight
Review: With the multitude of books written regarding the sport of baseball, Steven Travers writes with a unique insight into not only the sport, but the day to day lives of Bonds and his peers. As a former professional baseball player, Travers touches on the subject matter with a unique insight and perspective. Additionally, Travers attended and graduated from USC during the time Bonds played at Arizona State (Pac-10). As such, Travers is not only a writer, but a fan. Travers not only documents Bond's achievement of becoming baseball's all-time single season homerun champion, but he touches on Bond's trials and tribulations with his peers and the media. Ultimately, the reader soon realizes that Travers was able to do what many has tried and failed at; that is, he was able to garner the respect and support of Bonds in the ability to tell his amazing story to the whole world. As a former Pac-10 pitcher at USC who battled Bonds on many occasions, I found Traver's insight very refreshing and commendable. I found the book a very easy read that kept me entertained throughout.
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