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Summary: The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I
Review: I was fooled once again by John Feinstein to waste money on another one of his books. The book was put togther poorly and really did a poor job of getting to the point, basketball!
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Summary: The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I
Review: John Feinstein's book is interesting, but I cannot help but see while reading his work that he falls again into the trap of bringing his own personal bias and agenda into his writings, ultimately providing a disservice to the reading public.
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Summary: feinstein, he of personal agendas has struck again
Review: This guy is really appalling. He is a transparent control freak, who promotes anybody who supports him positively, and trashes those who don't (especially G'town). It really is a shame that such a small man has such a large platform. Save your money and buy something worth more than fish wrap.
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Summary: Feinstein is a good witer but is lazy and extremely biased.
Review: As a college basketball fan I enjoyed some of the stories this book provided about the Patriot League but have serious issues with Feinsteins credibility. I will never read another one of his books. His bias angainst Georgetown University and anyone else who doesn't cater to his every whim makes me sick. The unprofessional way he handles himself on TV and Radio appearances is quite disturbing. I for one am sick of his biased garbage and extreme arrogance. He acts like everyone owes him something for being John Feinstein.
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Summary: Colgate Basketball Rules
Review: This is a good book except it neglects to mention that Pat Campolieta, despite being an excellent basketball player never came down to the fraternity house and wouldn't participate in the pledge events with the rest of us. Dear Camps, whether or not you are 'the most versatile player' in the Patriot League (as Feinstein puts it) you still owe us a viking dinner. Don't think we've forgotten.Oh, and stop bringing girls to the kitchen to eat our food. P.S. There is no such thing as a "reader" from Delta Upsilon - myself included; I just skimmed it and had other people tell me the important stuff.
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Summary: Read another book if you have the chance
Review: Here's the deal....the author of this book has some very strong biased feelings about college basketball. I feel that knowing this about the author takes away from some of the stories presented. If you want to read this book, please take it as purely fiction because you have no idea if what he wrote really happened like he says. Johnny Feinstein has very slanted views which is unfortunate for loyal college basketball fans such as myself. The book is ok, but you can find better.
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Summary: The Future of Sport
Review: While reading through this book, I wondered why the author has a thing against Georgetown University. Georgetown is tied with Holy Cross of the author's exalted Patriot League in graduating athletes within five years. These are two of the top schools in this category. This makes Holy Cross and the Patriot League above reproach, while it subjugates the Hoyas to Feinstein's basement. Other than the above prejudices, Mr. Feinstein is a good writer, and the subject is a fascinating one. The question being, will this be the future of college athletics.
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Summary: Perhaps audience specific
Review: Having competed in the Patriot League, I found the book interesting and enjoyable. It gave me many reflections of how much enjoyment I had during my time at Bucknell. However, the book itself is more of a compilation of short stories of the teams, the players, and their stats and stories. Some may find them interesting. Some may not. Personally, if you don't have an affiliation with one of the Patriot League schools, I think it would be difficult to truly enjoy the intricacies of the book. Feinstein however keeps the reader engaged by dropping the same type of personal tidbits about the players that Sports Illustrated uses in their articles. The difference being, when it is about Ricky Williams, people remember it, when it is about a 5'8" point guard from Navy, it doesn't quite have the same allure. One other point, Feinstein points out that the "Holy Grail" for these teams is to make it to the NCAA tournament. This is definitely true, especially in basketball where the teams are set up as fodder. I felt it was somewhat implied that the games are over before they start. When someone is "Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball" I doubt they go into these games thinking they will lose. To imply this wouldn't make any sense. Patriot League teams have competed competitively on the national stage in other sports (that have smaller budgets than basketball) and some day, the upset will happen........Worth reading.
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Summary: Maybe a sound mind can exist within a sound body.
Review: For anyone who has become fed up with the hyperbole and hypocrisy of college athletics these days, this book will be a welcome antidote. While too many Division I schools have translated Juvenal's famous motto of "mens sana in corpore sano" as "sound mind, sound body, take your pick!", it is refreshing to read of schools and their students who have not treated the term "student/athlete" as an oxymoron. Feinstein shows the reader that it is possible to care deeply about athletics and the lessons learned from vigorous and fair competition without losing sight of the true purpose of a college education. His three dimensional profiles of the students and their coaches might well rekindle the old-fashioned idea that athletics can and should help build character rather than the bank accounts of the schools. I can attest to the veracity of the picture that he paints of the values of the Patriot League schools since I am a Holy Cross graduate and have been a faculty member there for over thirty years. Academics always came first, and I even remember one year in which I had taught Organic Chemistry to four of the starting five players on the Holy Cross basketball team. I doubt that many other schools in the country had even two players who had chosen such a challenging schedule. I have been proud of all of the student/athletes that I have known or taught over the years, and I believe that their careers have been helped immeasurably by their participation in athletics. However, this book makes it clear that they came to Holy Cross or Colgate or Bucknell, etc. because a first rate education was uppermost in their minds. Read this book and share in the joy of students who play for the love of the game while keeping their eyes on the real prize, an education that will last for the rest of their lives.
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Summary: A Great Tribute...
Review: As a Bucknell University graduate(Class of '00), I greatly enjoyed this book because it tells the stories of people I went to class with and lived across the hall from in my dorm and stories of great basketball games I attended. You don't have to be a graduate of a Patriot League school to love this book though. It is for anyone who wishes college basketball was still played at the amateur level, for the love of the game and not for endorsements and future glory in the NBA. It is truly a great tribute.
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