Review of "O Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto," edited by Tom Peyer and Hart Seely

Review of

O Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto, edited by Tom Peyer and Hart Seely ISBN 0880015330

Three out of five stars

Phil (The Scooter) Rizzuto was the regular shortstop for the New York Yankees for the years 1941-1956. After retiring from baseball, he went on to be a fixture as a radio and television announcer for Yankee games. Rizzuto developed a very unusual style, often engaging in non sequitur tangents that had little or nothing to do with the action on the field. This book is a collection of some of those oddball moments.

 There is nothing here in the form of verse or thoughtful prose, sometimes you do not really understand what he said after you read it. While some are charmed by what Rizzuto said, it is often so difficult to comprehend that I found it off-putting. For there is no insight into the beauty and complexities of baseball, where weird plays can happen at any time.

 However, I did learn that his trademark expression was, “O Holy Cow!” a remark that I thought had originated with Harry Caray.

Review of "If: Worlds of Science Fiction, March, 1954"

Review of

If: Worlds of Science Fiction, March, 1954

Four out of five stars

 As a person with a lifelong interest in science fiction, I enjoy occasionally going back in time and reading stories published in the 1950’s. It is considered by some, Robert Silverberg in particular, that it was the golden age of science fiction. His arguments are that it was at this point where the quality dramatically improved and the market expanded. There was a significant increase in the number of stories, many of which appeared in magazine format.

 The stories in this issue can all be considered as packed close to the mean in terms of the quality for the time of publication. Slightly above the others in quality is “The Ambassador,” by Sam Merwin, Jr. There are two primary plotlines, the first is that there are significant populations on Earth and Mars and there is a spirit of rebellion growing on Mars. Much of this is due to the trade practices of Earth, forcing the Martians to purchase goods manufactured on Earth that they don’t want or need. Given that England is one of the major culprits of this practice, students of history will recognize the similarity.

 The second plot device is that the people of Earth have grown heavily dependent on the output from computers. They believe so much in the digital word that there is incredible astonishment when a computer prediction turns out to be wrong. Zalen Lindsay is the Martian Ambassador to the Second United Worlds Congress and there is plotting and intrigue everywhere. One of the best features of the story is that a human female serves as an efficient bodyguard/secretary. The bodyguard part was unusual for the fifties, even in science fiction.

 “Time Fuze” is another good story. Humans have mastered an ultradrive that allows them to travel to the stars. However, their theoretical understanding of the mechanism is woefully inadequate with severe consequences.

 Although none of the stories really grabbed my brain very tightly, I did enjoy this look back into a time when science was moving fast and the trends in literature hopped on for the ride.

Review of "The Leadership Mind Switch: Rethinking How We Lead in the New World of Work," by D. A. Benton and Kylie Wright-Ford

Review of

The Leadership Mind Switch: Rethinking How We Lead in the New World of Work, by D. A. Benton and Kylie Wright-Ford ISBN 9781259836046

Five out of five stars

 While everyone understands that the rate of change in business is very high, not everyone is able to adapt. Most of the time the emphasis in written material about this issue focuses on the workers that have been displaced by automation, globalization and other factors. The commentators talk about the need for retraining programs designed to teach the skills needed in the “new world.”

 Generally lacking is an emphasis on the leaders of these companies and how they often react to the new economy in old economy ways. They also need to be retrained. Modern workers do not have the expectation that their predecessors counted on, work for decades in the same job, accrue a pension and then have a retirement party with gifts. Which is sensible, for such a system simply does not exist.

 In the new economy the marginal value of employees varies far more than it ever has. Acquiring and keeping the high achievers is now essential and it is up to the leaders of the organization to keep them engaged. That of course means that the nebulous term “leadership” is now far more important than ever before.

 Many people throw the term around with ease without ever attempting to explain the characteristics that define leadership. That is not the case here, the authors make it very clear what they consider to be the definition of leadership in the modern world and they nail it in ways that surpass anything that I have ever read on the topic.

 A lot of people could save and make a lot of money if they would read this book and take the message very seriously. The only other thing that they will need will be the courage to follow the advice. As is stated on page 240, “To be able to do your job, you need to be willing to lose your job.”