false<![CDATA[An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport: . . .and Other Random Thoughts from Childhood to Fatherhood]]>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256167490m/2551714.jpg25517141Painstakingly faithful to its title, Kenny Mayne’s book is neither complete nor is it particularly accurate. Ostensibly an A-to-Z encyclopedia of all known sports, many sports are never mentioned. There’s not a word about rugby, volleyball, Roller Derby, swimming, or (shockingly) Basque pelota or shinty. There is a chapter about sliding, but none about skiing. Competitive eating and rhythmic gymnastics will have to wait for another book. However, there are roughly eight chapters about tackle football–“the greatest sport in the world, and everyone knows it”–and a good four or five about horse racing, so quit complaining before you’ve even read the book. There will be plenty of time for complaining after you’ve finished it (about an hour from now–tops).<br><br>Those sports that are covered in the book are examined with exhaustive inattention to unretained detail. Many chapters have nothing to do with sport. For instance, the chapter on hunting is about hunting for a hassle-free triple tall Americano light on the water.<br><br>So, then, what exactly is this book-like thing you hold in your hands? Part nostalgic memoir (like the summer Mark Sansaver hit 843 home runs in backyard Wiffle ball), part Dave Barry—esque riffs (like explaining bocce to non-Italians), part scholarly tract (includes the origins of tackle football), and part metafiction (see “Time-outs”). . . all with illustrations drawn by Kenny’s daughters, it is what Kenny calls his anti coffee-table book, or Coaster. The publisher calls it $24.95. Reviewers like Michiko Kakutani may call it “insipid,” but because Kenny has included a revolutionary “backwords” following the book’s foreword, she’ll have to call it an “insipid breakthrough” of a book.<br><br>So what is this book-like thing? Like the great mysteries in life, you’ll have to decide for yourself.<br><br><br>*That would include a thought I just had. This thought had something to do with Wiffle ball. What a great chapter. But that’s not to say the chapter on hunting is terrible even though it’s mostly about coffee. Plus I wrote stuff about my children. There’s even a chapter on jai alai. This book has both still photographs and still illustrations. It doesn’t have any moving pictures. That would have required the inclusion of a projector and a big white screen in the book, and I’m trying to take a stand on energy conservation. Strangely enough, Ken Griffey Jr. asked me if the book would have video. This will make sense when you read the chapter on him.<br><br>I wish I'd written about the Seattle Pilots. I used to go to their games when I was nine. My favorite player was Tommy Harper. But this isn't just a sports book. It covers all sorts of things. I hope they place it in the Miscellaneous section. That should draw a lot of attention. I was told that the presence of a sub-title would sell more books. How am I doing with you? Make sure to tell people about this alluring and informative sub-title. This sub-title is longer than some of my chapters.25595512242008An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport: . . .and Other Random Thoughts from Childhood to Fatherhoodtotal:48|5:8|4:12|3:19|2:9|1:0|48163751631falsefalseSun Nov 23 20:40:13 -0800 2008Sun Nov 23 20:42:13 -0800 2008 If the reader doesn't enjoy sports and/or Kenny Mayne, I do not think he or she would understand or...more...]]>
20falsefalseSun Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008Fri Mar 27 08:40:39 -0700 2009Fri Mar 27 08:40:39 -0700 200930falsefalseSat May 09 22:00:48 -0700 2009Mon May 11 11:38:05 -0700 200940falsefalseThu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009Tue Dec 30 16:52:56 -0800 2008Wed Jan 21 14:17:21 -0800 2009 I was going to give this book three stars, but the chapter entitled "Tackle Football:...more...]]>
20falsefalseMon Jan 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009Thu Jan 01 18:24:39 -0800 2009Mon Jan 05 03:51:42 -0800 200930falsefalseThu Nov 05 21:06:40 -0800 2009Thu Nov 05 21:07:14 -0800 200950falsefalseTue May 13 23:23:40 -0700 2008Thu May 22 01:16:39 -0700 2008
more...]]>
50truefalseWed Jun 11 20:54:58 -0700 2008Mon Jun 09 21:21:16 -0700 2008Wed Jun 11 20:54:58 -0700 2008
more...]]>
40falsefalseSat Sep 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008Tue Sep 09 10:33:03 -0700 2008Tue Sep 09 10:35:32 -0700 2008
A quick read, and definately worth it for a laugh. ]]>
50falsefalseThu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008Mon Jul 21 20:07:34 -0700 2008Mon Jul 21 20:09:40 -0700 200840falsefalseSat Jul 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008Wed May 07 05:03:29 -0700 2008Wed Jul 23 06:39:28 -0700 200850falsefalseMon Jun 30 12:55:53 -0700 2008Mon Jun 30 12:58:35 -0700 200800falsefalseSat Jun 28 21:41:21 -0700 2008Sat Jun 28 21:42:44 -0700 200830falsefalseWed Jul 16 13:14:41 -0700 2008Sun Jun 08 14:16:57 -0700 2008Wed Jul 16 13:14:41 -0700 200850falsefalseWed Aug 06 09:12:50 -0700 2008Wed Aug 06 09:13:08 -0700 200850falsefalseTue Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008Wed Jun 25 09:45:05 -0700 2008Wed Jun 25 09:45:58 -0700 200830falsefalseTue Oct 27 10:24:43 -0700 2009Tue Oct 27 10:24:43 -0700 200930falsefalseTue Oct 27 08:00:16 -0700 2009Tue Oct 27 08:00:23 -0700 200930falsefalseSat Oct 10 13:43:54 -0700 2009Sat Oct 10 13:43:54 -0700 200940falsefalseTue Sep 08 22:17:44 -0700 2009Tue Sep 08 22:17:44 -0700 2009
http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2551714