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Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness--Modern History from the Sports Desk | 
 enlarge | Author: Hunter S. Thompson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $23.00
Buy Used: $4.89
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Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 499530
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 5.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0684873192
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.0973
EAN: 9780684873190
ASIN: 0684873192
Publication Date: August 3, 2004
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Book Description
SPORTS, POLITICS, AND SEX COLLIDE IN HUNTER S. THOMPSON'S WILDLY POPULAR ESPN.COM COLUMNS, PROVING THAT THE GOOD DOCTOR IS IN -- AND AS INSIGHTFUL AND INCENDIARY AS EVER. For decades, Hunter S. Thompson has galvanized American journalism with his acerbic wit, radical ideas, and gonzo tactics. He continues his reign as "The Unabomber of contemporary letters" (Time) with Hey Rube. Fear, greed, and action abound in this hilarious, thought-provoking compilation as Thompson doles out searing indictments and uproarious rants while providing brilliant commentary on politics, sex, and sports -- at times all in the same column. Filled with critics' favorites, as well as never before published columns, Hey Rube follows Thompson through the beginning of the new century, revealing his queasiness over the 2000 election ("rigged and fixed from the start"); his take on professional sports (to improve Major League Baseball "eliminate the pitcher"); and his myriad controversial opinions and brutally honest observations on issues plaguing America -- including the Bush administration and the inequities within the American judicial system. Hey Rube gives us a look at the gonzo journalist in his most organic form -- unbridled, astute, and irreverent.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 Holds up better as the years roll by April 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
4.5 stars
I didn't read much of Hunter's ESPN stuff at the time, so it was a great surprise and pleasure to see that he lost none of his edge before calling it a life.
It's sweet that he was given full rein to delve into sports writing as much as he always wanted to but rarely could on a regular basis (his old Ali pieces still reign supreme in the genre). But what really makes this book work is HST's refusal to ignore the insanity and fraud of the War On Freedom, sorry, Terror, of Bush and Cheney and friends. As if he could!
Thompson links sports and politics together in a number of memorably and typically inimitable essays that hit home hard, and will be seen as very prescient in a decade or two.
The seceret of Hunter S Thompson's writing is that while it looks like he's having a big old party and being a wiseass, he's also hitting the nail so damn straight on the head that most of America is still quite a few years from understanding how sadly accurate he usually is.
There's some very fine writing here; while not up to his best 70s work (Shark Hunt is still THE HST tome, methinks), much of Hey Rube is excellent, and anyone who's ever made a sports bet or three will identify, laughingly, with Hunter's oft hilarious tales of wagering.
The kicker is that the HST attitude and bite was still fully intact forty years on, and that's pretty impressive in a world of sellouts.
Surprising HST gem! February 13, 2008
Hunter S. Thompson is my absolute favorite author hands down and he is fascinating to me. I am sorry he is no longer with us, but what a LIFE he led; He crammed more LIFE than most people can imagine. This is a MUST for HST fans.
 It's The Spread, Stupid! December 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Make no mistake the late, lamented Hunter Thompson was always something of a muse for me going way back to the early 1970's when I first read his seminal work on California outlaw bikers, The Hell's Angels. Since then I have devoured, and re-devoured virtually everything that he has written. However the present book leaves me cold. This is a case where `greed' (on whose part I do not know, although the proliferating pile of remembrances of Thompson may give a hint) got the better of literary wisdom. This compilation of articles started life as commentary on the [...], part of the cable sports network. And perhaps that is where the project should have ended. Hey, this stuff has a half-life in cyberspace so not all would have been lost.
So what is the basis for my objection? Part of Hunter's attraction always has been a fine sense of the hypocrisy of American politics. Although we march to different drummers politically I have always appreciated his ability to skewer the latest political heavyweight- in- chief, friend or foe. That is missing here although he does get a few whacks in on the current child-president George W. Bush. But this is not enough. What this screed is really about is the whys and wherefores of his life long addiction to sports betting and particularly professional football, the NLF.
A run through the ups and downs of Thompson's previous seasons' (2000-2003) gambling wins and loses, however, does not date well. Hell, I can barely remember last week's bets. But the real problem is that, as in politics, we listen to different drummers. I am a long time fan of `pristine and pure' big time college football and would not sully my hands to bet on the NFL so his whining about the San Francisco 49'ers or the Denver Broncos is so much hot air. However, I will take Ohio State and 3 points against LSU in the 2007 college championship game. That's the ticket. I miss Hunter and his wild and wacky writing that made me laugh many a time when I was down and needed a boost but not here. Enough said.
Postscript: May 15, 2008. Needless to say there is a strong difference between my uncanny powers of political prognosis and the rather mundane ability to pick college football champions. Obviously, only a fool would have bet on the Buckeyes of Ohio State against a real SEC team like those Cajun boys from LSU. Right?
 Buy "Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century" instead March 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book (2004) and "Kingdom of Fear" (2003) appear to be the last of HST's books. While "Hey Rube" contains lengthy discussions of gambling on professional football and basketball (including "March Madness"), "Kingdom of Fear" is more far-ranging, containing everything from Thompson's reminiscences of his youth to his (highly negative) thoughts on George W. Bush.
The quality of the writing of the recent pieces in both books is not quite up to that of his best from the past, but is still infinitely better than the mindless slop produced by other contemporary "writers." The man was an artist.
As always, one of the disturbing things about Thompson is his ability to assess politics correctly in real time. Reading back, you think "Why didn't people take this man seriously at the time?"
"Indeed," as Doc would say.
Ouch February 5, 2007
40 out of 42 found this review helpful
I'm heartbroken. I admit it. I'm not a year around sports nut. I don't watch games all the time. I don't even get ESPN. And I've never allowed myself to get sucked into the uber-geeky world of fantasy leagues. But the Bears are special for me. And if you let yourself care enough, you'll get hurt. It's unavoidable. You can't experience the thrills without being vulnerable to the pain. Especially the way it happened. With the Bears jumping to a lead within the first 14 seconds, and having a nice action-packed first quarter, I couldn't help but believe. But the Colts managed to dominate. And what hurts the most, what's got me down, is that the Colts won by out Bearing the Bears. They played good hard-nosed defense and then wore down the Bears defense with a relentless running attack. Oh well. I still think Peyton's a bit of a goober but the Indiana coach seems to be a real class act, so I'll try and be happy for them. And I know it's just a game. There are bigger crises in the world. There are bigger crises in my life for that matter. Still, it hurts. This goes down in my top five for losses that hurt, along with the Bears of the late 80's being eliminated in the playoffs by the Redskins and then the Niners, and maybe along with some of those Nebraska victories over Colorado. Particularly those real close ones in that painful, smarmy Neuheisal era.
So when the soul is truly in pain, where else would I go for comfort but Hunter S? I didn't even know about this book until recently. I didn't know he was writing a regular column for ESPN's web site. But he was and these columns are among the last writings we'll have for him. And what better a topic for Mr. Thomson than gambling? Hunter was at his best when writing about those little vices, those things that can be wonderful, even enlightening, in the right doses, but much more entertaining to read about when they are pushed to and beyond the limits of self-destruction. Great stuff.
By the chance of timing, almost a twisted kind of serendipity, this collection contains a generous allotment of Mr. Thomson's political writings as well. The collection spans a period of time containing the Presidential coup in which Bush stole the election from Al Gore and then 9-11 and its aftermath as well. There is an essay written by Thomson dated September 11th, 2001, written that evening following the attack, with classic Thomson vitriol, filled with his trademark fear and loathing, as well as some paranoia that history reveals to be more prescient than delusional, warning that the power that be would use the tragedy of the terrorist attacks to justify further tragedy of an even grander scale. That may be near universal sentiment in hindsight but remember back to that time to realize how deranged and treacherous that would have sounded to the average citizen. Certainly to the chattering hens in the mainstream news media, who couldn't give the American public credit for anything more sophisticated than black and white thinking.
A great voice is gone. I suspect he may have been trying to commit suicide by lifestyle for decades, but when that repeatedly failed, he finally had to take more direct action. And the Chicago Bears are not the world champions. Maybe I should admit that the NFC really is a weak division this year. Or maybe the Bears got what they deserve for playing the entire game with their safeties twenty yards back, trying to win by being the more conservative team. With that mentality, not even the point spread could help Bears benefactors. What would Hunter have said?
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