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Toss (Bookcassette(r) Edition) | 
 enlarge | Author: Boomer Esiason
Creator: Buck Schirner
Publisher: Bookcassette
Category: Book
List Price: $28.95
Buy New: $0.74
You Save: $28.21 (97%)
New (6) Used (2) from $0.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 6767446
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Multitrack
Number Of Items: 5
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.3 x 1.7
ISBN: 1567400884
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781567400885
ASIN: 1567400884
Publication Date: November 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: NEW BOOK ON CASSETTE
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Combine one smart former quarterback (Boomer Esiason led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl, among other gridiron triumphs) and one smart crime writer (Lowell Cauffiel's Marker is an equally impressive performance) and you come up with an exciting, entertaining thriller filled to the brim with succulent slices of football high and low life. As the team helicopter whizzes them into Manhattan, Derek Brody--the rookie quarterback just signed to a $6 million deal by the New York Stars--reveals his survival technique to his lawyer-agent by drawing a circle on a piece of paper. "'Okay, this is me,' he explained. Around it, he drew six more circles, connecting them all to the one in the middle like the spokes of a wheel. He labeled the others: COACH. TEAM. FANS. MEDIA. FRONT OFFICE. And finally, WIFE/GIRLFRIEND/FRIENDS. 'That's how it's different for a quarterback,' Brody said. 'All these circles can threaten your game. "Don't let the gifts of football take you away from football." That's how my old man used to put it. That's why I don't really give a shit about the Nike deal. Or the news conference. You focus only on winning. Winning will keep all these other circles in line.'" But winning isn't the only problem with the hapless Stars. They're a tainted team, dirty from top to bottom, plagued with corruption and racial strife that makes them hard to like but easy to believe. Meeting with Eric Smith (a crippled wreck who once was the Stars' last great quarterback hope) minutes before Smith's murder gets Brody involved in a series of plays that will either kill him or help him understand what's going on behind the scenes. Along the way, Esiason and Cauffiel let us share some raunchy inside jokes that--like the dirty laundry they hang out so lavishly--are too good not to be true. --Dick Adler
Product Description
New York Stars, the rookie quarterback figures the world is his oyster. Reality sets in after meeting his football "family" -- the all-too benevolent owner, Papa Goldman; his daughter, the Stars' Director of Communications, Dominique, who has a certain fondness for quarterbacks; a frustrated head coach; a team full of malcontents and racial tensions; and a very shady Director of Player Personnel.
But all of his concerns become secondary when an ex-Stars quarterback is murdered, and Brody finds himself hustling just to stay alive, while confronting the scars of his own past. With a little luck, smarts, and help from a beautiful aspiring actress, this is one time he can't drop the ball. Someone seems intent on sabotaging the Stars, and perhaps the future of entire football league is at stake.
Retired gridiron great Boomer Esiason has delivered a sharp, edgy, insiders look at the game and the business of professional football.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Surprisingly good July 22, 2007
I bought this figuring it was just something to fill the time, and because although it is fashionable to 'diss' Boomer, I think he's a bright and straigtforward guy.
The book is lots better than most people would expect: I think most of us think football players are kind of dumb bozos. Some of the characters in this novel are not all that bright, but the characters ARE characters, and the plot grabs you from about page 15 and keeps you hooked for another 300 pages. The protagonist, Brody, is a likeable yet imperfect guy. And the book is smart, not dumb or even formulaic. There's a lot about football here -- and much of it not what you get in the sanitized version every Monday night on ABC. If you like football, or like crime novels, you'll like this book.
 "Toss" a novel by Norman "Boomer" Esiason November 22, 2000
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is the literary equivalent of an interception run back for a touchdown by the other team. Mr. Esiason is well on his way to winning as many literary awards as he did Super Bowl titles.
Writing was not meant for football players January 14, 2000
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book was a disgrace to the literature culture, Esiason's book was so terrible and a waste of my time, I got absolutely nothing out of his book. The language and word choice was that of a junior high student. Sorry Esiason, you may be a great football legend but you can't write!
 Can you say outstanding? October 1, 1998
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Toss is a fascinating read from beginning to end. The twists and turns in the story will keep you gasping for breath with every page. This is not just a book for football fans, it's a book for readers who love a good crime story and a good writer(s) to tell it. Though the dirty secrets of the NFL are a big part of the book, it is the fascinating main character of quarterback Derek Brody that keeps the pages turning. You can't help but wonder just how much of Boomer Esiason is in Derek Brody, which makes it all the better of a read. Esiason (and Cauffiel) has definitely thrown for a touchdown on his first play from scrimmage.
A very good read, even if you could care less about football September 28, 1998
Toss is a very satisfying read, one that is hard to put down. The research was excellent and the story unfolds quickly, without a lot of boring - and unnecessary - football details. Don't get the wrong idea - there is lots of football 'stuff' in this book and the facts ring curiously true. Most of the events probably really occured, names changed to protect the guilty. Yes, I read North Dallas Fourty. This book is nothing like that. It is told from the rookie point of view, by someone still in love with the game. The characters are vivid with gratuitous sex kept to a minimum. This book will be enjoyed by both men and women.
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