Biographies “Holiday Reading: 2009 - Secondsout.com” plus 3 more

Holiday Reading: 2009 - Secondsout.com
St. Nino - Catholic Online
Biographies of Boxing Hall of Fame inductees - USA Today
Biographies and Packaging Images of Shadow Command Megatron and Strike ... - Seibertron.com

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Holiday Reading: 2009 - Secondsout.com

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 05:39 AM PST

By Thomas Hauser

Each year during the holiday season, I publish a "top forty" list of what I consider to be the best books on boxing. That list, updated to accommodate recently published titles, follows. Some of these books are now out of print. But with the proliferation of online services like Abebooks.com and Amazon.com, all of them can be found.

Beyond Glory by David Margolick (Alfred A. Knopf) -- This book focuses on the two fights between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling. In the process, it recreates the racial climate of the 1930s, puts the fighters in historical perspective, and conveys the incredible importance of their ring encounters. Margolick shows in dramatic fashion how Louis stirred passions and revived interest in boxing long before he beat James Braddock to become heavyweight champion. He captures the demeaning racial stereotyping of The Brown Bomber by the establishment press (including those who were seeking to be kind). And he documents in painstaking fashion, contrary to future revisionism, the degree to which Schmeling took part in various Nazi propaganda activities and supported Hitler after defeating Louis in 1936.

John L. Sullivan and His America by Michael Isenberg (University of Illinois Press) Isenberg mined the mother lode of Sullivan material and crafted a work that's superb in explaining the fighter as a social phenomenon and placing him in the context of his times.

Sound and Fury by Dave Kindred (Free Press): The lives of Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell intertwined. Kindred explores the ugly underside of Ali's early adherence to Nation of Islam doctrine and provides an intimate look at The Greatest in his declining years. He also paints a revealing portrait of Howard Cosell, turning the broadcast commentator from caricature and bluster into flesh and blood.

America on the Ropes by Wayne Rozen (Casey Press) -- This might be the best coffee-table photo book ever devoted to a single fight. Jack Johnson is still a vibrant figure in American history, but James Jeffries has been largely forgotten except as an appendage to Papa Jack. This book gives both men their due and, in so doing, restores Jeffries' life and lustre. The photographs are extraordinary and arranged perfectly with the text.

Heroes Without A Country by Donald McRae (Ecco Press) -- This is a beautifully written book about Joe Louis and Jesse Owens; two icons who changed America. McRae makes old stories seem fresh and new, and his exhaustive research brings new material to light. He is also the author of Dark Trade, a look at the modern boxing scene.

The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling (Penguin) -- Eighteen articles from the 1950s and early '60s by the legendary dean of boxing writers. Liebling set the standard to which others aspire. A collection of his later articles has been published under the title A Neutral Corner.

The Hardest Game: McIlvanney On Boxing by Hugh McIlvanney (Contemporary Books) -- McIlvanney is the British equivalent of Liebling. He's not just a boxing writer. He's a writer who writes very well, among other things, about boxing.

Rocky Marciano by Russell Sullivan (University of Illinois Press) -- An honest penetrating look at Marciano in the context of his times, as a person and as a fighter. What's particularly interesting is how often the unbeaten Marciano verged on defeat and his questionable ring tactics.

Cinderella Man by Jeremy Schaap (Houghton Mifflin Company) -- Schaap does a fine job chronicling the rise of James Braddock to the heavyweight championship at the height of The Great Depression. He also succeeds particularly well in painting a wonderful portrait of Max Baer and explaining just how important the heavyweight title was seventy years ago.

Sweet William by Andrew O'Toole (University of Illinois Press) -- A solid biography of light-heavyweight great Billy Conn. The two Louis-Conn fights are the highlight of O'Toole's work, but he also does a nice job of recounting the endless dysfunctional family struggles that plagued Conn throughout his life and the boxer's sad decline into pugilistic dementia.

In the Ring with Bob Fitzsimmons by Adam Pollack (Win by KO Publications) – Pollack has also authored biographies of John L. Sullivan, James Corbett, and James Jeffries. The books are heavily researched and rely almost exclusively on primary sources. Serious students of boxing will enjoy them.

The Last Great Fight by Joe Layden (St. Martin's Press) – This book is primarily about James "Buster" Douglas's historic upset of Mike Tyson. The saga of Iron Mike has gotten old, but Layden brings new material and fresh insights into the relationships among Douglas, his father (Billy Douglas), manager John Johnson, and co-trainers J. D. McCauley and John Russell. He also gives a particularly good account of the fight itself and how Douglas overcame the fear that paralyzed many of Tyson's opponents.

The Killings of Stanley Ketchel by James Carlos Blake (William Morrow & Company) -- The life of Stanley Ketchel written as pulp fiction. Blake plays fast and loose with the truth and mixes fact with fantasy in this historical novel. But he writes well and weaves a good tale about boxing and the underside of America at the dawn of the twentieth century.

Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage and Sparring With Hemingway by Budd Schulberg (Ivan R. Dee, Inc.) -- If Schulberg had never written another sentence, he'd have a place in boxing history for the words, "I could of been a contender." These collections of his articles cover seventy years of boxing lore. You might also take a look at Schulberg's novel The Harder They Fall.

The Fireside Book of Boxing, edited by W. C. Heinz (Simon & Schuster) -- One of the grandest collections of boxing writing between the covers of a single book. This has been reissued in an updated form by Sport Classic Books. But the original 1961 hardcover has a special feel with unique artwork. Heinz also wrote a very good novel entitled The Professional.

Atlas: From the Streets to the Ring by Teddy Atlas (Ecco): Teddy Atlas has become a well-known figure on the boxing scene; first as a trainer and now as an expert analyst for ESPN. This is a comprehensive portrait of the people and events that shaped him and of a life that sometimes seems to fit within a master plan and sometimes spirals dangerously out of control.

The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America by Elliot Gorn (Cornell University Press) -- The title says it all. Gorn puts boxing's early days in their proper social and political context.

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson by Geoffrey C. Ward (Alfred A. Knopf) -- This is the companion volume to the PBS documentary by Ken Burns. It's well-written, meticulously researched, and the standard against which future Johnson biographies will be judged.

Jack Dempsey by Randy Roberts (Grove Press) – Three decades after it was first published, this work remains the most reliable source of information about the Manassa Mauler. Roberts is also the author of Papa Jack: Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes, another fine biography of the most controversial champion in boxing history.

Champion: Joe Louis, Black Hero In White America by Chris Mead (Charles Scribner's Sons) -- At the time it was written, this was the most thorough of the Joe Louis biographies. Mead's work serves as a reminder of why the Brown Bomber was so important.

Black Is Best: The Riddle of Cassius Clay by Jack Olsen (G. P. Putnam's Sons) -- This is an old one; vintage 1967. But it's a great look at the young Muhammad Ali.

Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties by Mike Marqusee (Verso Books) -- Muhammad Ali as seen through a decidedly left-wing political lens. Marqusee writes intelligently and understands the larger implications of the Ali phenomenon.

Muhammad Ali: The Birth of a Legend by Flip Schulke (St. Martin's Press) -- Superb photographs of Cassius Clay circa 1961-1964 with text by Matt Schudel.

Writers' Fighters by John Schulian (Andrews McMeel Publishing) -- Before Schulian turned to script-writing, he was a first-rate boxing writer. This is a collection of some of his best work.

In This Corner by Peter Heller (Da Capo Press) -- One of boxing's first oral histories, chronicling the lives of forty-two world champions.

fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

St. Nino - Catholic Online

Posted: 15 Dec 2009 12:02 AM PST

Feastday: December 15

Virgin and the Apostle of Georgia, also listed as Christiana. According to custom, she was born in Cappadocia and became a slave. Taken to Iberia, she won the respect of many locals with her patience and goodness and by the miracles she supposedly performed. Brought to the royal palace, she converted the king and queen who then requested that the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great send missionaries and bishops. After helping to found the Church in Georgia, Nino retired to the life of a hermitess, spending the rest of her life in prayer. While there is no doubt about her historical existence or her work, Nino has been the subject of numerous tales and legends.

fivefilters.org featured article: Normalising the crime of the century by John Pilger. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Biographies of Boxing Hall of Fame inductees - USA Today

Posted: 08 Dec 2009 03:13 PM PST

JUNG-KOO CHANG -- Known as the "Korean Hawk" for his relentless fighting style, Chang was born Feb. 4, 1963, in Pusan, South Korea, and turned professional in November 1980 at age 17. He won his first 18 bouts before losing a split decision in 1982 to Hilario Zapata for the WBC flyweight title, then knocked him out in the third round of a rematch six months later. Chang made 15 successful title defenses.

DANNY LOPEZ -- Lopez was a hard-hitting featherweight who earned a reputation as one of the most crowd-pleasing fighters of all time. Born July 6, 1952, in Fort Duchesne, Utah, Lopez compiled a 40-7 amateur record. He turned pro in 1971 and posted 23 straight wins before losing in a ninth-round knockout to Bobby Chacon in 1974. Lopez rebounded with wins over Chucho Castillo, Ruben Olivares, Sean O'Grady and Art Hafey before beating Davey Kotey in 1976 in a 15-round decision for the WBC featherweight championship in Kotey's homeland of Ghana. A string of eight successful title defenses followed before Salvador Sanchez knocked him out twice in 1980, ending his career.

LLOYD MARSHALL -- Born June 4, 1914, in Georgia and raised in Cleveland. He won Golden Gloves titles in 1934-35, relocated to the West Coast and turned pro in 1937. In one of his finest bouts, he scored eight knockdowns en route to an eighth-round knockout over Ezzard Charles. Marshall had an impressive string of victories in 1944, defeating Nate Bolden, Jake LaMotta, Holman Williams and Joey Maxim. Died Aug. 11, 1997 in Sacramento.

YOUNG CORBETT II -- Born William H. Rothwell on Oct. 4, 1880, in Denver and turned pro in 1896. A win over George Dixon set up a world featherweight title bid against Terry McGovern in Hartford, Conn. on Nov. 28, 1901. Corbett, who was known for frustrating opponents with insults, entered McGovern's dressing room to intimidate the champion. The ploy infuriated McGovern and the two went toe to toe. After two vicious rounds, Corbett scored a knockout and also stopped McGovern in a rematch. They met a third time in 1906 and the fight ended in a no-decision. Corbett died April 10, 1927 in Denver.

ROCKY KANSAS -- Born Rocco Tozzo on April 21, 1895, in Buffalo, N.Y., a former newsboy, he turned professional with a new name in 1911 when the ring announcer mistakenly introduced him as Rocky Kansas. Known as "Little Hercules," the 5-foot-2 Kansas was a powerful brawler. One of the top lightweights of his era, Kansas made his 160th bout memorable, defeating Buffalo's Jimmy Goodrich for the title in their hometown in 1925. Kansas died in 1954.

BILLY MISKE -- Born William Arthur Miske on April 12, 1894, in St. Paul, Minn. Nicknamed the "St. Paul Thunderbolt," Miske began boxing as a middleweight in 1913. Competing in the "no-decision" era, he fought Hall of Famers Harry Greb, Tommy Gibbons, Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky and Kid Norfolk. In 1918, Miske was diagnosed with a kidney ailment known as Bright's Disease but kept it a secret, even to his family. He fought the only title bout of his career in 1920 and was stopped in three rounds by Jack Dempsey. Despite his poor health, Miske persuaded his manager to secure one last bout so he could provide a final Christmas to his family. He knocked out Bill Brennan on Nov. 7, 1923, and died at age 29 on Jan. 1, 1924.

PADDINGTON TOM JONES -- Born in Paddington, London, in 1766, Jones began his career in 1786 and became the first welterweight champion (140 pounds at that time). Although a welterweight, Jones routinely fought bigger men. In 1799, he lost in 33 minutes to 185-pound heavyweight champion Jem Belcher. He died in 1833 at age 67.

SHELLY FINKEL -- Born June 27, 1944, in New York City, Finkel was a rock and roll manager before branching out into boxing. He began promoting amateur bouts in 1978 and formed a partnership with Hall of Famer Lou Duva. Among the boxers in his corner were Olympic medalists Pernell Whitaker, Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Michael Moorer, Vinny Paz, Mike Tyson and current heavyweight champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. In 1990 and 1993 Finkel was voted the Al Buck Award as manager of the year.

LARRY HAZZARD -- Born Dec. 7, 1944, in Newark, N.J., the former three-time Golden Gloves champion began refereeing amateur bouts in 1967 and professional bouts in 1978. He went on to referee more than 40 world title fights. In 1985, he was appointed commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, served until 2007, and was a fervent advocate for boxer safety and health.

WILFRIED SAUERLAND -- Born Feb. 29, 1940 in Wuppertal, Germany, he developed a passion for boxing after his father took him to a bout. He promoted his first show in 1978, staged his first promotion in Germany in 1980, and presided over a boxing boom in Germany during the 1990s. Sauerland Event produces 12 boxing shows per year and has a long-term agreement with German TV giant ARD.

BRUCE TRAMPLER -- Born Aug. 11, 1949, in Maplewood, N.J., Trampler boxed as an amateur and worked as a trainer, promoter, ring announcer, publicist and matchmaker. Beginning in 1971, he spent 15 months in Miami under the guidance of trainer Angelo Dundee and his brother Chris, a promoter. Trampler was later mentored by matchmaker Teddy Brenner, who hired him as an assistant at Madison Square Garden in 1977. Trampler left MSG two years later and joined Bob Arum's Top Rank in 1981. He was instrumental in the comeback of heavyweight champion George Foreman.

HOWARD COSELL -- Born Howard William Cohen on March 25, 1918, in Winston-Salem, N.C., he grew up in Brooklyn and graduated with a law degree from New York University in 1940. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1941, served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and after leaving the service in 1946 opened a Manhattan law office. In 1953, Cosell began hosting a Saturday morning radio show on ABC and by 1956 abandoned his law practice. A member of ABC's Olympic coverage in the 1960s, Cosell was one of the first sports broadcasters to call Cassius Clay by his new name, Muhammad Ali, and was a staunch supporter of Ali when the future heavyweight champion refused to be inducted into the Army during the Vietnam War. Cosell also covered Floyd Patterson, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard and the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He called his last fight in 1982, a 15-round victory by Larry Holmes over Tex Cobb and retired a decade later. Cosell died in 1995 from a heart embolism at age 77.

ED SCHUYLER JR. -- Born March 14, 1935, in Bloomsburg, Pa., Schuyler began working for The Associated Press in June 1960 and covered his first boxing match -- Rubin Carter vs. Farid Salim -- for the AP in September 1963. He transferred from Pittsburgh to the New York sports staff in 1965 and from 1970 until his retirement in 2002 was AP's national boxing writer. "Fast Eddie" covered some of boxing's historic battles, including all three Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fights, Ali vs. George Foreman in Zaire, and a series of bouts featuring Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns in the 1980s. Schuyler, who staffed boxing at the Olympic Games from 1976-2000, covered fights in 18 countries and Puerto Rico. In 1979, he was awarded the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

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Source: International Boxing Hall of Fame

Biographies and Packaging Images of Shadow Command Megatron and Strike ... - Seibertron.com

Posted: 11 Dec 2009 10:11 PM PST

Biographies and Packaging Images of Shadow Command Megatron and Strike Mission Sideswipe

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