Mike Ditka didn't always have good times, or good luck. What Mike has is drive, hope, goals, believe in himself and some great experiences with family, friends & team mates.

It wasn't always easy playing hurt, but Mike endured tremendous odds and kept coming back time after time.

Mike had the best of his athletic and human abilities surface time after time. He is a legend and then some. Play with him, enjoy the game. Play against him and feel the pain.

In Raw Recruits, Wolff and Keteyian use an investigative journalistic approach to find the ugly truth in the often corrupt world of big-time college basketball.

They introduce us to sneaker mogul Sonny Vaccaro, a brilliant man who crafted himself a spot in college basketball lore by working for companies such as Nike and Adidas.

The authors also give harrowing insight on the tainted college careers of Chris Mills and Shawn Kemp.

A book for all lovers of college basketball.

Page-turning behind-the-scenes analyses of major NBA issues of the 1990's such as the Isaiah Thomas point-shaving scandal, players' union unrest, Micheal Jordan's gambling habits, the murder of his father and other issues the NBA proved to have little interest in investigating much less proving. The title of this book should be "Money League" as David Stern and his puppets are clearly more interested in doing whatever it takes to boost international exposure and television ratings while maximizing revenues, as this book accurately suggests, than doing their best to protect and ensure the compliance of the league's most valuable assets - the players.

This book really goes behind the scenes in the NBA. While Keteyian and Co. certainly don't pull any punches, it might have been nice to see some of the positive things in the NBA discussed. But I guess sensational news is what sells and this book has no shortage of it. The authors talk about David Stern, Michael Jordan's gambling and the murder of his father, the drugs and gambling problems that plague many players, and also about how Joe Smith and his family coped with NBA life. I was really shocked to see how deep the problems with gambling and drugs go. If you are an NBA fan, definitely read this.

i am a big fan of Armen Keteyian's and i found this book to be among his best! you can always count on the credibility of these writers.there is no hidden agenda, just documented facts. the evolution of sports, along with its history is not forgotten with Mr. Keteyian. today, history is overlooked, for the quick fix. if reality insults you, maybe this book is not for you. but if you enjoy the truth, READ THIS BOOK! when so many sportswriters and broadcasters prefer adulation to pointed questions, this take is refreshing. thank you Mr.Keteyian, and your co-writers, for not being afraid to print your investigation.

Rod Carew's book is my second favorite treatise on hitting. The seminal treatment of the subject is, of course, Williams' "The Science of Hitting." Like Williams, Carew's book offers valuable insight into the mental and mechanical processes necessary for great hitting. Unlike Williams, Carew concentrates almost solely on his opinion, and approach, toward hitting. Williams' surveys the styles of the great hitters of the game and uses them to back up his theories on hitting. Rather than pedantic, his book encourages the hitter to stick with what works and use it to fashion an approach that achieves the same results of all great hitters' styles. Carew preaches pure contact and a very specific approach. He abhors power at the expense of contact. To believe his theory is to suppose that Williams could have hit .450 consistently if he avoided pulling the ball. It is at that point that books diverge. Williams contends that pulling the ball for extra bases is an important piece of the approach puzzle. Pulling the ball improves one's average by forcing the pitcher to the outside of the plate. The Carew book is a great one for teaching contact, and should be read by serious young hitters (I'm speaking of the wonkish, future-Wade-Boggs-Don-Mattingly types), but it isn't complete without the Williams book. And the Williams book is the one that a hitter will want to keep for life and refer back to. It's message is that elegant.

I was a borderline .300 hitter until I read this book. Now, I hit over .400, rarely strike out and have become a line drive hitter. I read the triumvirate of hitting books-Carew's, Ted Williams The Science of Hitting, Charley Lau's The Art of Hitting .300 and settled on Carew's method. The same basic principles in hitting are set out in all three books, but Carew's method is great for players without power or the ability to dominate pitchers. Ted's view is from a power perspective of dominating the pitcher. For most guys, domination of the pitcher is not possible. Carew's is from using the proper techniques and ajustments for the situation you find yourself in. In the amatuer league I play in, the adjustments make a big difference. As a manager, I teach Carew's Flex Stance and bat/hands techniques to low average hitters for an almost instant improvement in hitting.

THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK, WRITTEN BY ONE OF THE BEST PITCHERS IN THE 1970'S. CATFISH TELLS OF HIS DAYS AS A CHILD AND THRU TO HIS DAYS AS A YANKEE. HIS STORIES OF THE A'S AND THE BRONX ZOO ARE THE HIGH LIGHT OF THIS BOOK. I THINK HE WAS A VERY DOWN TO EARTH AND HUMBLE PERSON. I WAS VERY SADDENDED BY HIS RECENT DEATH. I RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS. WELL WORTH IT.

If you want trash, sensationalism and a young writer trying to make a name for himself (gosh, I guess "unsafe cars" or "e-coli hotdogs" were already covered when this author determined his topic. I have known Dr. Tom Osborne and the Nebraska program and this book reflects nothing of a football program that has not only excelled on the field, but has achieved an NCAA record for Academic All-Americans, outpacing Notre Dame, MIT, UCLA and other fine Universities. The truer reflection of the Nebr program would be found in players like the late Brooke Berringer, who led the team to a national championship in 1994 and 1995, while playing as a backup quarterback. Brooke not only did well in school, but was a frequent visitor to children's hospitals and spoke to high school students. These type of student athletes never get mentioned, but there are plenty at Nebraska and I am very proud they attend NU.

This author got his stripes tearing down and it galls me that he probably never met Dr. Tom, Brooke or never even traveled to Lincoln. The understanding in this book was probably derived from reading a paragraph or two from an Eastern Elitist newspaper. (You know, unless you are from Boston or New York, you can't be "sophisticated" or "street smart").

Save your money for gumballs, high caffeine sugar drinks and calling psychic lines....this book ain't worth it.....