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 enlarge | Author: Mark Bavaro
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.47
You Save: $12.48 (50%)
New (32) Used (9) Collectible (3) from $12.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 31388
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0312375743
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780312375744
ASIN: 0312375743
Publication Date: September 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-7 of 7 | | « PREV | | |
 RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "STOPPED ON THE FIFTY YARD LINE!" September 6, 2008
3 out of 9 found this review helpful
This fictionalized story revolves around Dominic (Dom) Fucillo a tight end for New York's NFL Giants. The author is former New York Giant tight end and first time author Mark Bavaro. During Bavaro's playing career he made the Pro Bowl twice, but as a writer he clearly makes a number of rookie mistakes. Dom is portrayed as a man whose very core is crumbling. His girl friend Emma has left him... as he chooses football as being more important than the girl that he subsequently feels he can't live without. The "mistress-football" that Dom has put on a pedestal above Emma... all of a sudden has too many warts... yet he never noticed them before. The team doctor tells Dom that he has a hole in his knee, and his career is about to end. Role players in this novel include head coach Lou Gordon (think of a modified Bill Parcells), injured star quarterback Ron Hanes (think Phil Simms), and the most athletically talented and biggest abuser of alcohol, drugs, and women, linebacker James Moze (don't think of a modified Lawrence Taylor... know it's LT!), and an assorted cast of hanger-on's and bookies, and the thinly disguised mobster element.
Between Dom swallowing one pain killer after another... and being shot up with anti-inflammatories designed for both horses and men... imbibing large amounts of alcohol ... along with Dom's broken heart... no new literary ground is broken in the football genre. When "All-World" linebacker James Moze is found unconscious and beat to a bloody pulp in his car in the Meadowlands parking lot, Dom starts putting pieces together that involve his "shady" character friends... bookies... and members of the Giants. From the reader's point of view, even after the author has put the pieces "together"... the pieces don't really fit together neatly. ("Believably")
A surprise early misstep by the author is when Dom, with his world of personal woes weighing heavily on his mental stability, loses control of his temper... first with an opposing player... and then with a referee. As any sports fan knows... if you touch a ref or umpire in any professional sport... you are going to face a heavy suspension along with a monetary fine. Well, Dom not only touches a referee during a game... he knocks him to the ground! In addition... film footage shows him AGGRESSIVELY AND VIOLENTLY GRABBING THE REFEREE'S SHIRT... REFUSES TO LEAVE THE FIELD AFTER BEING EJECTED FROM THE GAME... THEN REFUSING TO LEAVE THE GIANTS SIDELINE LONG AFTER BEING TOLD TO LEAVE... WHILE THE REFEREE WAS ACTUALLY LAYING UNCONSCIOUS ON THE FIELD!
In real life the guilty player would most likely be suspended for at least a full season and fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. Dom was NOT suspended for even one game... and was fined only fifty-thousand-dollars! Since this incident took place in the early stages of the book, the potential reader will find it quite difficult to take the rest of the story seriously. It's hard to believe that any author writing a book on professional sports would include such an inconsistency... especially a former professional athlete.
 A GIANT story of life and faith in the NFL September 4, 2008
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
A fast paced funny, witty, thought provoking and shocking look at life of an aging NFL player. You think you had a bad week, try this one on for size..A great book for the traveling commuter, vacation read or for enjoyment..no self respecting sports fan should miss Bavaro's book. For a quiet guy that scared the likes of the Big Tuna he has a lot to say with a style and eloquence the reader wouldnt expect from a first timer. If you like Dan Jenkins Semi-Tough this has much more substance and is nearly as funny without the "colorful" language. Couldnt put it down..
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