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Boston’s 100 Greatest Gamers: Ranking the most clutch athletes in Boston sports history
“He’s a gamer.” Even if they can’t define the term, Boston sports fans know a gamer when they see one. And they’ve seen plenty through the years, from Larry Bird to Tom Brady, Bill Russell to Troy Brown, Carl Yastrzemski to Rob Gronkowski, Bobby Orr to David Ortiz, and Pedro Martinez to Patrice Bergeron. This companion volume to Boston’s 100 Greatest Games provides a definitive ranking.
226 pages, Paperback
Published November 24, 2018
About the author
Rob Sneddon
12 booksRob Sneddon is an award-winning contributing editor at Down East magazine. His freelance work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the Boston Globe, and has been cited in the Best American Sports Writing anthology. His first book, Boston’s 100 Greatest Games, was among the winners of the 2015 Independent Publishers of New England book awards.
In addition to covering the four major sports, Rob has written everything from candlepin bowling to boxing to the Daytona 500. He has also written about subjects other than sports, including diehard Elvis fans, the fine art of crafting boutique surfboards, and the not-so-fine art of making donuts.
Before settling with his wife and son in New England, Rob rode across America on a bicycle and flew around the world on the Concorde.
In addition to covering the four major sports, Rob has written everything from candlepin bowling to boxing to the Daytona 500. He has also written about subjects other than sports, including diehard Elvis fans, the fine art of crafting boutique surfboards, and the not-so-fine art of making donuts.
Before settling with his wife and son in New England, Rob rode across America on a bicycle and flew around the world on the Concorde.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 14, 2019
A couple of years ago I gave up doing reviews in exchange for a free book since my "to read" stack was getting way too high. However, when I was approached by Rob to do this one I decided in light of my enjoyment of his prior book on the 100 best games to make an exception.
For some background on my history with Boston, check my review on the prior book related to the 100 greatest games. This one, in a similar vein, is sure to arouse controversy but I have no quarrel with the methodology or the reporting. It was a great walk down memory lane being reintroduced to the great clutch players of Boston across a wide variety of sports and times. Some players were well before my time so it was great to learn more about them, some like Tom Brady aren't quite finished yet.
I was surprised to find the topic expanded beyond team sports to include boxing (Marciano, Sullivan) and marathon running (Dick Hoyt). The item on Hoyt mentioned John Kelly who ran the Boston Marathon 61 times. Kelly was a friend of my fathers and once came to run in our small town of Wilton, NH as a warm-up so great to have that memory re-kindled!
So folks, it is not just the "Red Sox Nation" that exists in pockets all over the country, it is also Boston fans of the Celtics, Bruins and Patriots that form the "Boston Sports Nation". For them, this is a great 5 star book. For others, probably not so much.
After a recap of the sporting events that led to the athlete's inclusion on this list is an italicized paragraph as to what happened to them when their career was over. Sort of a "where are they now" section which I feel adds a lot. Most enjoyable read for those of us raised in New England!
For some background on my history with Boston, check my review on the prior book related to the 100 greatest games. This one, in a similar vein, is sure to arouse controversy but I have no quarrel with the methodology or the reporting. It was a great walk down memory lane being reintroduced to the great clutch players of Boston across a wide variety of sports and times. Some players were well before my time so it was great to learn more about them, some like Tom Brady aren't quite finished yet.
I was surprised to find the topic expanded beyond team sports to include boxing (Marciano, Sullivan) and marathon running (Dick Hoyt). The item on Hoyt mentioned John Kelly who ran the Boston Marathon 61 times. Kelly was a friend of my fathers and once came to run in our small town of Wilton, NH as a warm-up so great to have that memory re-kindled!
So folks, it is not just the "Red Sox Nation" that exists in pockets all over the country, it is also Boston fans of the Celtics, Bruins and Patriots that form the "Boston Sports Nation". For them, this is a great 5 star book. For others, probably not so much.
After a recap of the sporting events that led to the athlete's inclusion on this list is an italicized paragraph as to what happened to them when their career was over. Sort of a "where are they now" section which I feel adds a lot. Most enjoyable read for those of us raised in New England!
February 23, 2021
A quick and entertaining read through Boston sports history
I enjoyed this book more for the players that I knew so little about, especially the early Bruins and Celtics legends. The more modern Patriots and Red Sox chapters were nothing really new to me, but I enjoyed the entire book nonetheless.
I enjoyed this book more for the players that I knew so little about, especially the early Bruins and Celtics legends. The more modern Patriots and Red Sox chapters were nothing really new to me, but I enjoyed the entire book nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews