Review of "The Pros," by Robert Liston

 Review of

The Pros, by Robert Liston

Four out of five stars

Thoughts from pro athletes from several sports

 Published in 1968, this book appeared before the salaries of professional athletes soared to their current heights. The highest paid athletes were golfers and even then the prize money for the entire pro tour was $4.5 million. Baseball, football and basketball players routinely took other jobs in the off season in order to make ends meet.

 Therefore, when these athletes talk about their games, they are generally talking about a sport they love. It is interesting that Liston includes an interview with Daniel F. Reeves, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams professional football team. When Reeves offered to buy out his fellow owners, the price was under ten million dollars. While this was big money in the sixties, it is nothing compared to the billions sports franchises are worth today.

 The most interesting person interviewed for this book is Joe Don Looney, a football player with incredible physical talent and nothing to psychologically match it. Looney bounced around the NFL with a deserved reputation for being an unsolvable problem. His career never came close to what it could have been. Once, when his head coach told him to go in on offence and give the quarterback the play, his response was, “If you want a messenger boy, call Western Union.”

 The players profiled in this book were just as serious and dedicated as those that play today. The only real differences are the vast amounts of money in the modern game and how that alters the approach all involved in the sport have.

Review of "Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane No. 57"

 Review of

Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane No. 57

Two out of five stars

Incredibly sexist and stereotypical

 The lead story of this comic is one of the worst of all time. The premise is that shortly after Superman tells Lois Lane and Lana Lang that he is flying off to engage in youth-restoring experiments, a superpowered infant appears wearing the same suit as Superman. Both women immediately assume that the experiment was successful, and the infant is in fact Superman. They also believe that the infant will be restored to adult form in a short time.

 Both women try to take advantage of their opportunity to hypnotize the infant and plant a suggestion so that when he regains his adult form he will ask them to marry them. Their rivalry and methods are as sexist and stereotypical as they could possibly be. Neither one wins in this in this case and their solution to misbehavior is to try to spank the superpowered child.

 The other two stories are just as silly, the second involves a monster from another dimension that is madly in love with Lois and the third involves an invisible genie from another planet that helps Lois capture criminals. Of course, Lois has no clue as to what is happening until Superman tells her.

 Reading this comic and noting the publication date of 1965, it is a bit amazing that this passed for entertainment at the time. Comic characters have evolved a great deal over the years, none more than Lois Lane.

Review of "The Double-Cross System: In the War of 1939 to 1945," by J. C. Masterman

 Review of

The Double-Cross System: In the War of 1939 to 1945, by J. C. Masterman

Five out of five stars

The wartime double agent spy system

 It is a fact of the world that nations spy on each other. In peacetime, it is lower key in the sense that there is little in the way of urgency or violence. That changes when nations are at war, the stakes are higher, and the consequences of success and failure magnified. No area of spying is more challenging that that of the double agent, a person that is recruited by one side but ends up working for the other. Sometimes, when they are the best, they work for both sides.

 This book is about some of the double agents that the British ran during World War II. It is not full of wild and dangerous exploits, the author lists many of the more prominent agents based on their code names and their operations. Running a double agent working for your side is very much a difficult operation. It is necessary for the agent to send useful information on occasion so their handlers on the other side don’t get suspicious that they have turned.

 Furthermore, there are times when elaborate ruses have to be organized and executed. In World War II, the most significant such operation was when the Allies worked to confuse the Germans regarding where the Allies would land when they invaded Europe in 1944. The landings were so problematic that even the movement of a German division, specifically an armored one, away from the landing point could make the difference between success or failure.

 While it is not loaded with wild spy action, this book is nevertheless fascinating. For it shows the double-cross spy game for what it is, a duplicitous game where it is necessary to pass along some truth in order to maintain the credibility of your spies. All the while saving your main actions of deception for when it is really needed.

Review of "How To Talk Midwestern," by Robert Thomas

 Review of

How To Talk Midwestern, by Robert Thomas ISBN 187848821x

Four out of five stars

Phrases that are twists of others

 As someone that has lived in Iowa all his life, I recognize most of the phrase modifications in this book. I have heard them from relatives, friends, people I have met in public and uttered a few myself. The author steps through the alphabet from A to Z and states phrases beginning with the current letter.

 Some of the example phrases are:

Inna tizzy – in an agitated state.
Key bosh – to put a stop to.
Squat – the equivalent of zero or nothing.
Tard – equivalent of tired.
Your peein – euphemism for European.

 A collection of puns that are parts of speech, this book is a simple read full of amusement and an occasional significant chuckle.

Review of "Out of My League," by George Plimpton

 Review of

Out of My League, by George Plimpton ISBN 9780316284547

Five out of five stars

Plimpton tries pitching baseballs

 While he might not be the greatest sportswriter in history, George Plimpton certainly is among the best. He also was willing to put himself on the line and get on the field with the pros. In this book, he recounts his first such exploit, pitching to major league all-stars from both leagues in Yankee Stadium. This event took place in 1958, well before his more celebrated football exploit chronicled in “Paper Lion.”

 As is always the case with Plimpton, the writing is superb. Note that while the financial reward was only $1000 for the team that hit the best against Plimpton, at the time it was relatively significant cash. Therefore, the players truly tried to do well and win. Plimpton was scheduled to pitch against all eight position players of the American and National leagues, but he was tiring so quickly that he was relieved by coach Ralph Houk.

 Plimpton’s exploits on the mound are amusing, he describes talking to himself in a reasonable manner as he struggles to maintain literal and figurative control as a pitcher. Given an opportunity to do something that others can only dream about, Plimpton was able to go against batters such as Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Ernie Banks. He was also able to sit in a dugout next to Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin.

 This book is so good that I read it in a short afternoon, stopping only to perform the physical necessities. If you enjoyed Plimpton’s other exploits, then this book will keep your attention from beginning to end.

Review of "Rorke’s Drift 1879," by Ian Knight

 Review of

Rorke’s Drift 1879, by Ian Knight ISBN 1855325063

Five out of five stars

A small battle with major consequences

 As the British influence and control was creeping northward from the southern tip of Africa, there was an inevitable collision between the encroaching Europeans and the native communities. One of the most powerful opponents of further incursion was the Zulu nation. Like similar classes between Native Americans and European invaders, it was a case of a well-armed and disciplined force against a weakly armed more numerous enemy.

 One of the most famous battles in the Anglo-Zulu War took place at an outpost called Rorke’s Drift. It was there that approximately 150 Imperial soldiers fought off an army of approximately 3,000 Zulu soldiers. It ended with a large number of casualties and at best could be considered a draw.

 Yet, it was not. The large number of losses with no clear victory had a demoralizing effect on the Zulu nation. From that point on it was clear that the Zulu army could not stand against the disciplined troops of the British Empire.

 Like so many battles of this type, it was a spontaneous event and not planned. Knight is very even-handed in his descriptions of the battle in the sense he praises the valor and courage exhibited by both sides. It is also made clear that the inferior nature of the Zulu weapons was the key factor in their “defeat.” Handheld spears are of little value against an enemy that can shoot accurately for several hundred yards.

 A battle far more significant than the number of combatants would imply, the battle of Rorke’s Drift was a turning point. The British forces were awarded 11 Victoria Crosses and at the end it was clear to all that Zulu power could not stand against the might of the British soldier armed with modern weapons.

Review of "Warped Factors," by Walter Koenig

 Review of

Warped Factors, by Walter Koenig ISBN 0878339914

Four out of five stars

As much about his neurotic behavior as Star Trek

 Walter Koenig is of course best known for his portrayal of Ensign Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek original series. It is impossible to dispute that even though it was a supporting character, the role made him very well known and guaranteed significant attention for the rest of his life. Therefore, his place in the Star Trek universe alone would make a book about himself interesting.

  Unfortunately, this book is more about the extreme neuroses that Koenig deals with. In some instances, it is surprising that he managed to fill the acting roles that he has performed. Nervous tics, occasionally an almost complete inability to speak and similar issues constantly recur. While it is of course the life of Koenig, it is nowhere near as interesting as his life within Star Trek. In many ways it comes across as his personal catharsis.

 Fans of Star Trek will find some nice morsels about his involvement in the genre from the original series through the six feature films featuring the original cast. Much of it, specifically the dominance of Shatner in setting up the scenes, has been stated many times. Koenig revels in the times when Shatner tried to take over the direction to put greater emphasis on himself, only to have the director stand their ground and overrule Shatner.

 I enjoyed this book, but tired of reading of yet another personal difficulty. Koenig was handed the acting role of a lifetime when cast as Chekov yet seems determined to emphasize the difficulties rather than the personal and lifetime accolades that have come his way.