Rating: 
Summary: More Feinstein Bias
Review: While the book's topic is a meritorious one, I always have a hard time getting by the author's bias. I have read several of his books and regularly see him in the Washington Post and hear him on the radio. He has a few hot buttons that he can't leave alone and where his one-sided views (good or bad) show no balance or understanding of the whole picture. Few things in this world are wholly good or bad -- Feinstein has yet to figure that out. The ACC is all good, Georgetown or John Thonpson all bad.
Rating:
Summary: Overhyped and Sappy
Review: Feinstein once again thinks the measure of good writing can be calculated by how much sap and melodrama he incorporates into an otherwise mundane story. About the only thing that shines through in the book is Whinestein's personal biases and alarmingly partial commentary. Is he a journalist or a propogandist?
Rating:
Summary: Amateur Journalism
Review: After years of trying to bash the big boys, Feinstein has finally moved down to the little leagues in a feebly transparent attempt to justify his previous efforts by cuddling up to the cozy, innocent world of amateur basketball. This book just does not make the cut, much like the players and teams featured therein do not make the cut in major callege basketball. During Feinstein's so-called career as a sports commentator, both in print and on the airwaves, he has developed a unique style that is a particularly obnoxious blend of Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Springer. His personal biases are so painfully transparent that mentioning Feinstein and journalistic integrity in the same breath is an open invitation to an oxymoron. The only positive comment that can be made about this book is that amateur journalism and amateur basketball have finally met. Amateur basketball scrapes out the win in double overtime.
Rating:
Summary: Response to all the Reviews
Review: To those who have posted claiming certain things about the negative posts:1) First, it is not all one person. I know this because I posted one of the negative reviews, but no others. 2) Many of the responses are from the DC area and are pertinent to Georgetown. However, this is because Feinstein is in the DC area, and does constantly attack Georgetown. For all of you who think Georgetown consistently compromises its academic standards for students, read this: according to a recent NCAA release, only four schools graduated every athlete who used up their eligibility between (I believe) 1987-93. Holy Cross and Lafayette, two of the schools Feinstein exhorts in his book, are two of them. The other two are Northwestern and Georgetown. The fact his is he praises one school and criticizes the other. Why? It's simple. John Thompson (former Georgetown coach) never wanted to participate in the DC Area basketball tournament he set up. Ever since, Feinstein has carried a constant war in the DC media against one of the country's top schools simply because he doesn't like Thompson (who doesn't even coach there anymore). My point is simply that he's no longer a reliable source. The man twists words and lies to prove his point. Is Patriot League basketball really "pure"? Maybe, maybe not. I personally think those players don't sacrifice any more or want to win any more than the players at Georgetown. Feinstein simply alters facts to prove his point. We can't trust him to tell us the truth. Which makes this book pure fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Why do people find Feinstein tiresome? Maybe the bias
Review: A couple of recent reviewers have protested that the book is OK and that anti-Feinstein reviewers were being malicious. On the contrary, while Mr. Feinstein may be a decent sportswriter, his views on college basketball are so biased that it is difficult to seperate the book and the bias. So, one can only conclude that anything he writes on college basketball is fiction, at best.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book! Ignore the one guy who keeps posting bad reviews
Review: This is "the" sports book of the year. It will make you feel good about college sports again, by showing that there are schools who still do it right. Whose players go to class, play their butts of on the court, and then go on and take their basksetball experiences with them to the real world. One note, I've never written a review before, but I felt I had to. It seems clear that the same person has been posting one star reviews for each of the few days just to bring the rating down. Y ou can tell its the same guy, and I think that's sad and not fair. If anyone knows how to get that fixed, they should. If not... just ignore them and pick this up if you liked the author's other books, because this one is great. Happy holidays!
Rating:
Summary: Feinstein fan, but this one misses the mark
Review: After having read most of John Feinstein's books, this one misses the mark. In fact it would have made a fine article, rather than a book. The continual movement from team to team, that is so effective in his other books doesn't work due to our unfamiliarity with the teams and players. Note that many of the positive reviewers were students or fans of the Patriot league.
Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air
Review: I read the other reviews of this book and noticed a couple of things. First, there were people who hated the book and thought that John Feinstein was overbearing and arrogant. Most of these people were from the Washington DC area and seemed to take great offense to Feinstein's criticism of Georgetown's basketball program. Feinstein didn't dwell on Georgetown but, rather, merely pointed out that the school had compromised its academic standards in the quest for basketball success. That fact is undeniably true. Second, several reviewers used the word "fiction" to describe Feinstein's writing. I'm not sure what they thought was fictional. The statistics on graduation rates at the Patriot League schools? His statement that 8 of 10 starters in the Lafayette-Bucknell game had GPAs over 3.0? His description of the Lafayette players' actually attending class the day of the Patriot League championship game? I know that it's hard for some people to believe that there are colleges (and college athletes) that do take academics seriously, but I can personally attest that Lafayette does. I was captain of the track team there a number of years ago and neither I nor any other athlete was treated any differently than the other students. Maybe I'm biased, or maybe just an idealist, but my opinion is that this is a book about college sports the way things should be but, unfortunately, in all but the Ivy League and Patriot League, are not.
Rating:
Summary: The Problem with Feinstein
Review: John Feinstein is an excellent writer. And if you like overly sappy, the past is better than today type of stuff as you bemoan the fact that all top athletes are corrupt and don't really care about winning, this book is up your alley. (because God knows those players at Duke are only in it for the money -- give me a break!). But the problem with Feinstein is readily evident is you ever hear him on the radio or see him speak in person. He is simply relentless in pursuing personal vendettas. He is arrogant and overbearing and dislikes to hear anyone disagree with him. In a profession with its share of arrogance (how many people here have heard sports talk hosts bash intelligent callers simply because they disagree?), Feinstein's one of the worst. He has his view of the world and it's far from the truth. So the problem with Feinstein is this: you can't believe a word he says. So that makes this book pure fiction. I don't like being condescended and lied to when I think I'm reading about truth so I'll never read another Feinstein book again.
Rating:
Summary: interesting, but...
Review: There are interesting stories in this book but the writer drops the ball. The people who he likes get a free ride while those he disdains, for unclear reasons, can do no right. This was the first Feinstein book I have read and will probably be the last. I was unimpressed by his style and prose even though I have heard so often how great of writer he is. After reading the book, I looked through these reviews and realized that I had heard he was a great writer from Feinstein himself, but rarely if ever from an unbiased source who didnt happen to have him as a guest on their show at the time. There are many great books on college hoop, this isnt one of them.
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