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 enlarge | Author: Michael Leahy
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $2.00
You Save: $13.00 (87%)
New (31) Used (25) from $1.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 381696
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.9 x 1.2
ISBN: 0743254279
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.323092
EAN: 9780743254274
ASIN: 0743254279
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Good Story but falters at the end April 4, 2006
I picked up this book and "Operation Yao Ming" to read while flying to and from China. I started reading this on the flight back and the inital stages of the book were interesting. Lots of background info and insights into Jordan and how he managed the Wizards as an executive as well as a player.
However, while the book was good overall, I thought the chapters devoted to Jordan's final season and subsequential dimissal as an executive fell a little short. It just appeared the author ran out of stream at the end and the ending felt a little rushed.
However, it's still a good book covering Jordan's last hurrah as a player and his shortcomings as an executive.
 Time and tide wait for no man December 18, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mike Leahy writes this book from the perspective of a journalist who can't be bought by the object of his writing, in this case one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Besides the fact that the story is somewhat repetitive re its day-to-day summations of the games, it never really goes anywhere except to show that Michael Jordan is an over indulged superstar beyond his prime.
To an outside observer Jordan appears the personification of the seven deadly sins in action. Whenever icons like Jordan achieve above market success they are subjected to the same types of mid-life changes, see Hollywood in any decade of its existance (i.e. trailor park boy makes good and becomes the latest "infant terribe" of Wilshire Blvd.)
This book casts Jordan in the light of someone grown self indulgent with a cultivated sense of inexorable entitlement. It never stops until he gets booted out of job as the Wizards chief executive by team owner Abe Pollin. Glaringly apparent is the inability of Jordan to turn his partnership skills as a player into those of one who succeeds in the front office. Along his slippery path to failure as an operator Jordan deals with his diminishing athletic skills with outbursts of childish invective and bullying condescension. He is shown as high handed, removed, and again, self indulgent as though his branding of "Michael Jordan" exceeds all other organizational goals. It isn't a pretty picture and one would do well to read some of the other books about Jordan to get a fuller picture of the man.
In sum, all humans have flaws and no man is a hero to his valet, but all journalists seem to twist reality to fit their own preconcieved notions of what the outcome of their story will be. Besides being too long and cluttered with trivia this book lacks balance. However, if you're a basketball fan you've like the inside-baseball interactions between the players, the coaches and the management. Looked at thru that lens it's worth a spin through for old times sake.
Negative informative book December 5, 2005
7 out of 13 found this review helpful
I bought this book to learn more about MJ's last comeback in Washington. And truth to tell the book does give details and information, what I didn't really want to read about was a man griping about his job following a "demigod" in his words. It would have been more credible if you saw both sides of the coin but it was obvious Leahy just wanted to focus on the negatives. You get the feel that he was shooting down a hero to earth because people "worship" him too much, blindly at that too. I got the info but I am almost sorry I bought this book. The author just kept griping sometimes selfishly making the book actually about himself and the work he had to do. Why do it if you don't like it? He makes a very embarrasing account of the Bull's 3rd championship saying Paxon's winning shot came from Mj. It came from Grant, basketball fans know this. This is an auhor who doesn't get it. Heroes are there because we aspire to be like them, they tell us if you put forth the effort, anyone can and is special. Leahy says "why do people worship/ are blinded by heroes when they have as much crap as everyone?". Leahy has manged to cash in on a hero by "exposing" his bad side. That is something I cannot aspire to. If truth was his goal he should have been more neutral. Jordan's not a God, we do not worship him or believe he is above mortals, the fact that he IS LIKE everyone yet pushed himself (and others) to be the best is what we admire him for.
 The Perils of Deification November 17, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It has often been the case that we tend to etch our hopes and dreams in the coattails of superstar athletes who exceed our expectations time and again. Each time, the bar is raised until the star is brought down to earth by these same expectations that made them stars in the first place.
Such is the tale provided by Michael Leahy in this definitive work on Michael Jordan's comeback with the Wizards. The account provides details from Jordan's start as an executive to his comeback and to his eventual firing (not unexpected as it first seemed).
Interesting details abound in this book in contrast to the droning sound bites found in newspapers who seem quite reluctant to call out the naked emperor. Examples include the true extent of Jordan's tendinitis, the effect of Jordan's injury to his right index finger plus Phil Jackson's thoughts on the comeback. Also, Leahy provides quite a convincing critique not only on Jordan the player but on Jordan the playing executive as well.
My only problem with this book is that it tends to get repetitive at times - Pollin's firing of Jordan and the Karla Knafel story is retold more than once. However, it stands on its own in chronicling Jordan's days as a Wizard which luckily for Jordan will always remain a footnote to an otherwise marvelous career.
Most of us would have considered that jump shot at Salt Lake City the highlight of our lives, but then again Mike still has more than half of his life to live.
 Appalling November 17, 2005
1 out of 13 found this review helpful
I bought this book hoping to get some insight about Mj's years with the Wizards. I was left dissapointed.
The author seems to be intent in portraying MJ in a negative light. He does not have quotes to back up some of his words. A lot of the facts are wrong.
I understand that, while writing a negative book about Jordan would be different from the normal bioographies out there, the book has to be HONEST. And this is far from honest. As i mentioned before, A LOT of his facts were not true.
He blames MJ for the businesses decisions that were made. What he forgets to mention, is that Abe Collins has the final say in any decision. ( He admitted this himself ).
Also, how can you say that Jordan's third coming wasn't successful? He had better numbers than lakers superstar Kobe Bryant ( per 48 mins ).
The bottom line is that, Leahu is another author trying to make some money by writing a negative book about Jordan. he jsut doesn't have enough negative material, and ends up resorting to lies. Trully disappointing.
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