This collection of humorous columns is not quite as good as Kornheiser's first, "Pumping Irony." I do, however, believe that when this collection was published, Kornheiser was still funnier than Dave Barry. (He has since gone downhill as he became more famous and focused more on his sports radio show.)

This collection is quite amusing and if you are a fan of Kornheiser, Barry, or similar columnists, you should enjoy it. The columns are observant and self-deprecating with cute anecdotes and standard jokes. My personal favorite is entitled "A Clothes Call" and it details the author's shopping trip with another Washington Post sports columnist, Michael Wilbon. Other columns focus on Thanksgiving, dogs, parents, and weathermen. It is very much worth a try.

Tony Kornheiser, Washington Post columnist, is one funny dude. He is just about the funniest dude I ever read. Burp! Is reading Tony Kornheiser like popping chocolate covered cheery bon-bons or stuffing your face with Lay's potato chips? No. Reading Tony Kornheiser is like eating a substantial tub of almond chocolate brownie fudge ice cream and feeling the better for it. Reading TK is like drinking scotch whiskey all night long and not dying behind the wheel.*

His title is a take off on cross-dressing former NBA basketballer and party animal Dennis Rodman's best-selling memoir "Bad As I Wanna Be." (And you were worried about the quality of the books on the best seller list.) Since Tony and Dennis are the epitome of what the other isn't, this seems fair.

Tony is funnier than his fellow beltway columnist, and my pal, Joel Achenbach, although not as travel ready. The only collections of funny writings that I have read recently that can compare in the sense of pure laugh out loud belly bouncing humor are those by the recusant Joe Queenan (my other pal), whom I'm sure you know is not entirely housebroken. (Joke, dude, JOKE!)

Kornheiser is the leader of a new breed of humor newspaper columnists replacing such old time stalwarts as Art Buchwald and I forget who else. The new style is to slyly lampoon the icons of the culture and to sweetly ridicule the mundane in our lives and to lovingly roast our loved ones and leave the pols and their wily ways to the cartoonists. Here's Tony visiting his dad in Florida:

"Dad, what's the purpose of all this string?"

He said, "You never know..."

You never know what? When a yo-yo tournament is coming to town?...

And coupons! ... My dad had twenty-three coupons for Taster's Choice; there's not enough water in the Everglades to brew that much coffee... The kicker is: My dad drinks Folger's! He kept the Taster's Choice coupons for company. Like who's coming over, Canada? (pp 85-86)

Or, when he's driving his dad to a store:

I'm driving in Florida traffic, which is to say I'm creeping along behind a row of cars driven by people whose heads don't extend over the steering wheels, and they're going five miles an hour. Everything is in slow motion. It's like I'm driving through cream of mushroom soup. (p. 113)

Kornheiser also writes about his kids, his neighbor's kids, his dog, his neighbor's turtle, yard and tomato growing wars--all the shtick of the suburban sun dance. One of my favorite pieces was his take on Michael Jordan cologne:

Michael Jordan is in the business of sweating. Putting him together with cologne is like having Christie Brinkley sell feminine mustache bleach, or Carl Sagan...[endorse] the Psychic Hot Line. (p. 13)**

The columns (all from the Washington Post) are organized under various headings, e.g., "It's a Jungle Out There" (been there); "Fear of Fogeyism" (done that); "Rich, Famous People Who Don't Know I Exist" (never happened to me); and "Capital Comment" (in which Kornheiser finally, but finally gets around to the usual subject matter in our nation's capital, our leaders and their cute and wondrous ways).

Bottom line: don't pick this up in a store and start reading the selections. You won't be able to read just one.

*Recalling (it just popped into my head) the Steely Dan lyric.

**Here I craftily correct Kornheiser's lack of strict parallel sentence structure. (He wrote "endorsing" and his addlebrained editor thought that was okay since it jived with "having" but WE know it needed to jive with "sell." Yes, I am as Mean As I Wanna Be.)

It can only be speculated why one of Tony Kornheiser's books is out of print, and another is currently a "special order" item. A sports/humor writer for the Washington Post, he is an underrated gem among humorous writers. I only enjoy Dave Barry more.

In this book (whose cover and title spoof a Dennis Rodman autobio, and whom he roundly flogs on the book's pages) Kornheiser contemplates male pattern baldness and whether the cure is worse than the affliction; Michael Jordan cologne ("if you give the average person a sheet of paper and instructions to list what he thinks of when he thinks of Michael Jordan, 'smells good' would end up No. 97, right after 'rabbinical student'"); dogs; different kinds of cars; foreign money; how to have a nice lawn; exhuming presidents and whether this is a new trend; Jose Lind, who was arrested without pants or underwear; politically correct food; and his crazy family, which includes a sociopath nephew, a newly single brother, an alcoholic uncle, and an eightysomething father who's dating "Tiffany," who doesn't know who "Kennedy" was and tells people about her past lives.

There are a few more somber columns in this collection, such as the one about his aging uncle; there is also the occasional lapse into literal poetry, such as a rhymed eulogy to Dr. Seuss and a poem about Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan (that one is a real hoot!). But overall it has the flavor of a Jewish Dave Barry (who gives Kornheiser a highly entertaining back cover quote).

Fans of Barry will find the same sort of rational insanity in Kornheiser's work, and some of the same observations through a different lens. (Like being hit by the flu) It's a hilarious collection of funny columns by a funny writer. Someone bring it back into print, and fast.

This book is very funny. Sure, the author is not funny like Robert Benchley was funny but it does ellicit a giggle or two or three. Then again, Benchley had a rather boring skin tone and didn't dash around town wearing a cape. As noted in other reviews, this book is a collection of Mr. Kornheisers columns written while he was an actual working writer of humor columns for the Washington Post. Since it is a collection, there should be something here to entertain just about anyone. As a matter of fact, with the holidays in full frantic depressing overdrive, why not cheer up your pals with this lively book? My advice is to wrap it up in paper instead of stuffing it into a stocking. I've tried to stuff it in my x-mas stocking and it was patently obvious that it was a book. No surprise there. Anyway, get this book for yourself and all your friends, if you have any.

My good friends Shill and Unit recommeded this book to me which is surprising since I didn't think they were devotees of fine literature. Still, I am eternally grateful to them for turning me onto the wit and wisdom of Mr. Tony. He can make anything funny. Ya know what I mean, jelly bean? My favourite selection in the book was the one about Monica Lewinsky. Sure it was funny, but also tender and sensitive. It is a rare writer that can take seemingly mundane happenings and spin them into hilarious incidents that most of us would just as soon forget. My recommedation is that you only read one or two of the pieces a day. Reading more than two may cause a dangerous situation where the reader is apt to die of laughter. In fact, better just read one a day, just to be on the safe side. You could buy this book and be disappointed but buy it anyway. The cover is cute.

Will I'm Back For More Cash win a National Book Award? I sincerely doubt it! But, if you want a great read while munching on some Gummy Life Savers, during your own personal snack down, this is the book for you! Send your intern out today to get as many copies as possible, you won't regret it! Remember a free treywingothingamajingo with every 10 books you buy.

The age of radio seems to be past, but for sports fans, the voices of radio announcers such as Jack Buck (St. Louis), Kurt Goudy (40-50's) and Ken Coleman for the Red Sox, Johnny Most (Celtics) and Johnny Holliday (The Maryland Terrapins) are part of the enjoyment of the game.

Johnny Holliday wrote a memoir of his life in radio, from his start on an all-black R&B station, to doing a live broadcast of the Beatles, to his stint in sports. The book is laced with famous and not-so-famous names. In fact, if you are a radio buff, this book is for you, because Johnny met nearly everyone and his memory for who's who is sharp and detailed.

If you love radio or are a fan of Johnny, you will enjoy this book--a slice of radio as it was in its heyday.

You know the name. You know the voice. If you live anywhere near Washington D.C. metropolitan area, you have undoubtedly heard his voice, in one form or another, on the radio. He's Johnny Holliday. Few names resonate with such recognition as Holliday's legendary moniker. In the past 20 years, he has been most notable as the voice of the University of Maryland Terrapins basketball and football teams, and also well known for his voice-over work in radio and television ads. Prior to that, Holliday made many stops around the country as a disc jockey and sports broadcaster. His journeys enabled to be witness to some of the great moments and know some of the great people in music and sports history. "From Rock To Jock" gives the backstory on Johnny Holliday and allows the reader to feel like they are a fly on the wall at all the stops along the way in his remarkable career.

"From Rock to Jock" is a mixture of Holliday's own memories and the memories of those who worked with or knew him. It makes the various stops on Johnny's journey in life more fascinating this way, to see it from multiple perspectives. A moving foreword and afterword by no less broadcast luminaries as Tony Kornheiser and Dick Vitale, respectively, reflect just how well respected Johnny Holliday is. Having met in him in person, I can vouch that he is just as nice and genuine a person as he seems on the radio and in this book.

Some of the more memorable stops in Holliday's journey include his early days at WHK in Cleveland, his high moments in San Francisco, and his eventual settling in his permanent home in Maryland. San Francisco is especially memorable because the reader gets a look at Johnny's legendary charity basketball team, the Oneders (which, at one time counted NBA Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry as a member), and the impact it had on the community. Plus, it reminisces about Johnny emcee-ing the last concert on the last tour ever done by the Beatles. Without a doubt, "From Rock to Jock" is an entertaining read for anyone interested in learning about some of the great moments of the early and later days of radio and sports, and about the man whose career defined and is defined by those events.

"From Rock to Jock," the autobiography of Johnny Holliday, is the remarkable telling a most interesting life in radio.

Johnny was at Cleveland's WHK at the inception of the "rock and roll" format; at WINS in NYC with Murray the K when the Beatles broke; and in San Francisco at KYA during the Summer of Love.

At the right place at the right time. Many a familiar name turns up---movers, shakers, characters and bit players.

The second half tells of his Washington journey from WWDC to voice of Maryland basketball and football (over twenty years and counting).

It is a truly remarkable story, interestingly written, that will keeping you smiling and bring on a lot of good memories.

Don't get this book expecting to find the same comedy as "Pumping Irony" or "Bald As I Wanna Be". This is a very serious book about the author and his wife's struggle with infertility. That said, it's an interesting a touching read, and I recommend trying to run down a copy.

And then read his other books to hear him complain about his kids (whew, he made it).

Tony has written many columns about his now grown child, the "sweet baboo" Elizabeth. The poignant story of how she became a Kornheiser will touch even those who picked up the book hoping to read humor. This is a sad and sweet story, and the happy ending is that the "sweet baboo" brought Tony many years of love, frustration, and very funny columns. Read this book.

i had just started reading kornheiser books not too long ago......i started with "bald as i wanna be" becasue i had just read dennis rodmans "bad as i wanna be" and i thought it would be funny.......and it was...so i bought all his other books and read them, this book is a little old...so i didnt remember some of the stuff he talked about casue i was like 10 years old when it was written.....but this is a really great book.
peace.

He is Classic, He is Epic, He is the most loveable goof on the face of the earth.

Tony Kornheiser is one of those insanely talented columnists who doesn't get half the press he deserves. With the warped worldview and hilarious self-deprecation of a Jewish Dave Barry, Kornheiser skewers the absurdities of everyday life -- and a few items that aren't so everyday. ("Nudes on Ice" being an example of the latter)

Tony offers his commentary on presidential golf ("Republicans hit players, Democrats hit on them"); Chinese food and why it will kill you, and what this means for the Jewish community; men's behinds and the revelation that women look at them; bringing food into movie theaters; gyms and how awful it is to work out -- especially if you are already fat; the truth behind the NC-17 rating; Barbie dolls; the differences between the sexes ("I busted Jason's nose"); various names from around the world ("I am grateful to my parents for naming me Anthony Irwin Kornheiser because it gives me license to say anything I want about other people's names"); yuppie catalogs with designer birdfeed and "Soap on a Rope"; and many, many more.

Tony has a wonderfully open mind -- he makes fun of pretty much everybody, regardless of race, gender, politics, class, and just about anything else. He frequently gets embarrassed and befuddled by the events in this book. And like his friend Dave Barry (who provides him with an incredibly funny cover quote) Tony says things in such a way that they make a great deal of absurd sense.

"Pumping Irony" is the antidote to boredom. Open this puppy up and laugh yourself silly from cover to cover.

As a die hard Redskins fan, I was very sorry to see this excellent concept so badly muffed. The idea behind this book is to cash in on the Washington Post vault, providing great photos and articles combined with new pieces by long-time Skins beat reporters to tie it all together. Sadly, whoever edited and proofread this thing reeeally dropped the ball. Sentences at the bottom of the page are repeated at the top of the next, photographs are mislabeled, pieces of sentences are missing, words are chopped off in the middle. Probably still of some value for the die hard Skins fan, but a real black eye for the Washington Post. If their newspaper were produced as shoddily, Richard Nixon would have finished his second term.

Yes, there are some typos and such in the early chapters but the book isn't as lousy as described in the 2-star review. Most of the problems are hyphen-ated words that are not at the end of a page or line. It is like the typeset was changed but the book was not reproofed.

Still, there is a lot of good information in the book. I think it covers items that Loverro's book (very good as well) ignored or glossed over-- how Gibbs wanted to sign and trade Riggo and how Joe Jacoby ended up sticking around in that first camp. The Times summary makes it sound like Gibbs and Beathard were geniuses building a team. This book shows that they were also lucky geniuses. If you are a Skins fan, you should own this book.

I see there is also a newer edition out with the Synder years (ugh).