Review: On Her Game (2025)

By Christine Brennan

It took about five minutes to figure out that Caitlin Clark was something special. 

Clark popped up in the national public eye, sports division, during her time at the University of Iowa in the early 2020s. The buzz had crept through the traditional media that this was a player who was worth a look or three. Not only could she shoot threes from the next area code (or, to use the basketball equivalent, from the logo on the middle of center court), but she could pass the ball to spots that no one else saw. 

The obvious equivalent player to Clark might have been Earvin "Magic" Johnson while he was at Michigan State. This 6-foot-9 freshman turned up at the East Lansing campus as a point guard, and started playing a pass-first game that enchanted everyone who watched. He became even better at it during his two years at Michigan State, leading the Spartans to the national championship in 1979. We all couldn't wait to see how he'd do in the NBA; the same excitement surrounded another pass-first player of that era, Larry Bird.

Clark led Iowa to two straight Final Fours in women's basketball. The Hawkeyes may not have collected any titles, but they certainly were popular. Clark attracted huge numbers of fans in the stands and television viewers along the way. The women's final even had better numbers than the men's final in 2024, a first.  

Unlike Magic, we didn't have to wait even a few months to see how Clark might do in the pros once she made the decision to skip her last year of eligibility. The WNBA operates on a schedule centered around summer, so the 6-foot guard was thrown right into the fire. The audience followed her to the Indiana Fever. Her games usually sold out no matter where they were played (sometimes they were moved to bigger venues), and the TV ratings easily set records.  

It certainly felt like a ground-breaking moment, and in many ways it was. Christine Brennan thought it would be a good time to examine what the fuss was all about in book-length form. Therefore, the story of the calendar year in 2024 for Clark goes under the microscope in "On Her Game."

There's little doubt that Brennan is extremely qualified for the job. She is a columnist for USA Today, and writes about a variety of subjects. That has included women's sports, and she's smart enough to look at the big picture of where women fit in with the entire sports scene and society as a whole. Television networks often are smart enough to invite her to comment on developments as they happen, and she's always worth a listen. 

Brennan covers Clark's early life here quickly, but jumped on the media bandwagon to get a close-up view of the basketball phenom during that final year of Iowa. That continued through Clark's first WNBA season. 

A few conclusions come through right away. Don't look for any discouraging words about Clark on or off the court, because there really aren't any. Not only is her play electrifying, but on a personal level she is shown to be amazingly mature about handling life in the brand-new fish bowl. Therefore, Clark's many fans - including the ones who drive hundreds of miles to see her play - no doubt will take in every word of this with a certain amount of joy. Is there too much praise here? Let's say the point is reinforced frequently. 

Next, it's rather obvious that women's basketball as a whole was rather unprepared for all of the attention that Clark brought with her. Admittedly, the organizations involved have to think about all of the teams and players involved in women's basketball, and not just the comet that arrived in their skies. But a bit more realism might have been nice. The prime example was that Clark wasn't picked for the Olympic team for Paris in 2024, even though her impact internationally might have been huge. If "grow the game" is the idea, Clark's exclusion didn't help meet the goal.

Finally, more than half the book is devoted to Clark's initial season with the Fever. That means there are some good-sized descriptions of games that are deep into the rear-view mirror, and don't carry much interest too much later. Brennan was trying to capture a moment in time rather than offer a full biography - which can't be done too well about someone in her early 20s. The author does hit some attached issues that came up along the way, such as potential jealousy from other players and how racial attitudes inside and outside the sport tinted viewpoints of Clark's play - even if the player herself comes across as a good teammate for all wearing the same jersey. Still, some might due some skimming through sections.  

For those who wear Clark 22 jerseys from either Iowa or Indiana will find plenty to like "On Her Game." . It's the story of an admirable young woman who is thrown into a pool and comes up swimmingly. But for those who aren't quite so invested in Clark, they will find some passages of interest but perhaps not enough to carry them through the book with sharp attention. 

Postscript: Clark only played in 13 games for Indiana in 2025, due to injuries. We're all hoping that she fully recovers so that "something special" can again by seen on the courts of the WNBA. 

Three stars

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Review: The Art of Winning (2025)

By Bill Belichick

Publishers of business books must read the sports pages sometimes. After all, they crank out all sorts of publications by coaches (Nick Saban, Dan Hurley) that promise to turn business people into winners ... and, of course, make piles of money. The subjects and principles usually are the same as books about top corporations, so it's easy enough to copy the format more or less and hope it will attract a new audience. 

Coaches who appear in those sports pages (or sports websites, to be more up to date), are naturals for such books. They can cash in on their name while it's in the public eye and relatively hot, but it doesn't have to be particularly revealing. That can be saved for later on, if the potential author wants to go there. 

I've only read a few of these books from coaches over the years. But when Bill Belichick came along a book called "The Art of Winning," it sounds like it might work a little better than most of the genre. 

For those who have been paying attention, Belichick certainly is a candidate for the best pro football coach in history. His six Super Bowl trophies with the New England Patriots are proof of that. He also was a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants when they won two more NFL championships. So, yes, it's fair to say he might know something about winning. 

Belichick also has been reluctant to reveal too much about himself over the years. We know he has developed friendships from everyone from Charles Barkley to Jon Bon Jovi, so he's not spending all of time studying game films - at least in the offseason. Early in 2024, Belichick had a rare off-year from coaching after the New England Patriots let him go. During that time he was a frequent presence in the media, and he displayed much more of his sense of humor that he did in public while coaching. Obviously he's never taken fools gladly, but there had to be more than meets the eye. 

You can take a look at the chapter headings here, and get the idea of the direction the books is going. Motivation. Handling success. Preparation. Improvement. Mistakes. Communications. Adversity. Change. Culture. There are a couple of others that you might associate with a sports team such as Firing and Hiring, Roster Construction and Star Players. 

As an example of content, football fans certainly will enjoy reading about Belichick's thoughts in hindsight about some of the noteworthy moments in his career. Some of his most negative words are saved for Art Modell. You might remember that the Cleveland Browns' owner decided to move his team to Baltimore in 1995. Belichick was the team's coach then, and Modell promised that he'd keep his job in the new city. But the boss changed his mind and let Belichick go, something which he probably regretted doing every single time that Belichick collected another Super Bowl trophy. It might have been a textbook example of how not to relocate a football team. 

Don;t worry - there's plenty of praise sprinkled around about others. Think Tom Brady might come off well here? You'd be right. Rob Gronkowski? Ditto. Bill Parcells and Lawrence Taylor? Yup. Some of the other key players in the team's dynasty also get singled out in a bit of detail along the way.

On the minus side, Belichick is tough on himself at times. Those who know him say they aren't particularly surprised on that. The man obviously has high standards. If you are wondering about Patriots' owner Robert Kraft, um, he gets a quick thank you at the end and that's it. Feels like there's some bitterness still there about his departure. 

Obligatory local note: I was also a little surprised that Belichick took a bit of a shot at, of all things, Ralph Wilson Stadium in the Buffalo area. A snowstorm after a game in December, 2010, had unexpected closed the Boston airports, and the team had to stay overnight somewhere in Western New York. "It didn't help matters that the old Ralph Wilson Stadium was a run-down relic from another era and not the kind of place where it was comfortable to loiter on a cold winter night." Gee, how did we get another 15 years out of the place? Hope he likes the new joint across the street. 

"The Art of Winning" probably fits in with the rest of the sports management books pretty well, and it will give readers a taste of what the ride is like. That's fine, although big Patriots will be much more likely to enjoy this than other fans.

Three stars

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Review: The History of the World in 12 Soccer Matches (2026)

By Stefano Bizzotto

It's probably not fair to call the United States a "soccer nation" quite yet. However, it's fair to say the game has gained a solid following after about 60 of attempting to grow the sport in both a draw for participants and spectators. That, in turn, has led to Major League Soccer carving out a niche on the sport's calendar. What's more, it's not that unusual for people to have their favorite teams overseas these days. 

In this age of instant communications around the world and the Internet, it's relatively easy to keep track of a team in the English Premier League. Meanwhile, the World Cup is coming back to the United States this year, and that means the rest of the world will be following the games either here or in person.

Following a team from day to day is one thing, but it's a natural but difficult jump to follow the sport's history. There's been about a century of drama taking place in soccer over the years, in part because so many people care so much about outcomes. The game crosses international boundaries in many ways. 

What might be helpful, then, is a book on some of the biggest dramatics that have come up involving soccer over the years. At least that was the goal of Italian journalist Stefano Bizzutto with his book "The History of the World in 12 Soccer Matches." The author has covered eight World Cups and several Olympic Games. 

OK, the title promises a little bit more than it can deliver. It is, naturally, only soccer. However, the concept of picking 12 matches - and the definition doesn't have to be strict - that were of particular interest in an historical sense is a fair one.

This begins with a classic story from World War I, of all times and places, that pops up every so often in histories of that conflict. It seems that the two sides enjoyed a moment of silence early in the war during a Christmas truce. Somehow a soccer ball appeared in the area between the two armies - Allies and Germans - in what was called "No man's land." A loosely run soccer game between the sides followed, and gifts between the two sides were later exchanged. It was a rare moment of humanity at an insane period in our history. 

In 1969, tensions between El Salvador and Honduras were at a high point when the two countries played a soccer game in Mexico City. The winner would get a trip to the World Cup. The match was played under tense circumstances but finished without incident. However, soon after that a shooting war between the two sides. About 1,000 people died in the 100 hours of conflict. 

There's plenty of other drama as well. Teams from Croatia and Serbia squared off in 1990 just when Yugoslavia was breaking apart, reigniting old hostilities in that region. Chile and the Soviet Union were supposed to play in 1973, but the Soviets stayed home because of a political situation. Chile won the game by kicking the ball into an empty net with no opposing players on the field. I particularly liked the story of an East German player who joined his team in West Germany for a friendly, only to not come back over the border with his teammates. Those Cold War defection stories are always good ones. 

Some of the chapters work better than others, as you'd expect. There are a couple of other problems here, at least for the American audience. Some knowledge of the history and strategy of the game is assumed along the way here, particularly when it comes to personalities. Such references are easy to skim over. Also, remember that this book was written in Italian at first and then translated to English. That's a tough job as it is, and it's tougher to write for those not so familiar with the subject. The prose comes out a little flowery in spots.

The World Cup will certainly bring in some new eyeballs in the United States for the curious, and those people might wonder about why and how the sports is taken so seriously elsewhere. "The History of the World in 12 Soccer Matches" zips through its list of memorable games/events over the years in soccer in hardly any time. That makes it a reasonable choice for those looking for a primer on the subject. 

Three stars

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Review: Big Fan (2026)

By Michael Schur and Joe Posnanski

Way back in 1994, Tom Callahan and Dave Kindred - two veteran sportswriters - had an idea. They would travel the world playing its best golf courses, and then writing a book about their experiences. If you'll notice, the beauty of the plan was that someone else - the publisher at the beginning, the readers at the back end - would be picking up the tab. It worked. They enjoyed the golf, and the readers enjoyed the book. 

Thirty-two years later, Michael Schut and Joe Posnanski came up with a similar idea. Schur is a comedy writer who has worked on "Saturday Night Live" and "The Office" (he also was a performer on the latter). Posnanski has been one of America's top sports writers in his career, with some fine books to his credit. It seems they are friends and both devoted to the idea of having as many good sports experiences as possible. At some point a light bulb went on and they said, we could do a book like this. 

In other words, a good idea is still a good idea - especially if someone else is paying for the experience. 

Schur and Posnanski got to work, figuring out events to see and ways to get there. The resulting book is called "Big Fan," and it's a fun exploration of the wide, wide world of sports. 

Michael and Joe find a university professor who is an expert at the peculiarities of being a big fan of something - teams, players, groups, etc. They come up with a few rules:

1. Life is boring, and sports provide entertainment. 

2. Life is chaotic, and sports provide order.

3. Life is lonely, and sports provide community. 

4. Life is uniform, and sports provide an opportunity for individuality. 

There's something to be said about that. Sports offer a unique spot in the entertainment world in that the outcome isn't pre-planned, like a movie, play or TV show. Think that couple on the Hallmark Channel will get together before the top of the hour? Of course the two of them will. In sports, we don't know what might happen at a given moment, and that's part of the fun. If the outcome isn't what people like, well, it's still not a death in the family in spite of what people might say. Meanwhile, the list of things that can bring an entire region together is pretty short. A sports team can be a common bond that crosses all demographic lines. That's worth something. 

Armed with all of that, Schur and Posnanski take that information and essentially throw it away. They are in the business of having some fun, and they get to work by starting at the World Darts Championship in London. The World Chess Championship (which answers the question, where did the Chess Hall of Fame go when it left Miami - the answer is St. Louis). A pickleball tournament. A NASCAR race, where they run into a woman who loves motorsports despite being blind. Wrestlemania. A Liverpool soccer game. A warehouse full of sports cards. Wemby (I don't need to add "San Antonio Spurts center" to that.) Taylor Swift.

The episodes are occasionally interrupted by a short contributions from people who are fans of one thing for another. Almost anything is fair game - puzzles, cars, mascots, bands, actors, board games, needlepoint, candy bars, etc. One "anonymous" contributor is a sports writer from New York who lives and dies with all things St. Bonaventure athletes. Mike Vaccaro, come on down. Your devotion to all things Bona is appreciated here in Western New York.

Don't like a particular subject? You could jump ahead a bit. But don't. Schur and Posnanski are good enough tour guides that they can make any of the experiences reasonably interesting. One of my favorites along the way came in a chapter on crossword puzzles, which introduced us to another comedy writer who is unbelievably good at word play. At one point she was called on to come up with punning restaurant titles for a project, and her list of suggestions is downright breathtaking. (Then again, I like such wordplay.)  

I'm not familiar with Schur's work, although he clearly knows his way around a well-constructed one-liner. Posnanski's touch is tailor-made for this sort of assignment. His articles and books are usually good-natured and friendly without any malice. A little anger sometimes can be useful in the journalism business, but we don't have to consume it every day. 

"Big Fan" doesn't completely come together into a whole, but that's fine. This is the story of two guys inviting people along while they have fun. If you've ever gone to a new stadium or arena and taken a long walk around the building to see what it's like, you'd probably enjoy this trip.

Four stars

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Review: Death of a Racehorse (2025)

By Katie Bo Lillis

Live long enough, my fellow sports fan, and you'll realize the popularity of a particular sport is not guaranteed to last forever. The landscape in tastes shifts slowly, bordering on imperceptibly. But after several years, it's easy to look back and try to figure out what happened.   

Exhibit A for this particular discussion is horse racing as a spectator sport. It was a major player in the sports and leisure business for many decades, dating back to the 19th century. But it more or less has faded, due to a number of factors. As author Chuck Klosterman points out in his book on football, horses were a huge part of everyday life around 1900. But as American life became more urban and more motorized, the four-legged animals faded out of view in many cases. 

Then throw in the rise of other sports, mostly pro football but certainly basketball and hockey too. By the 1950s, horse racing was still in a niche, but a good-sized one. But then it lost its monopoly on gambling to other activities, such as casinos. The sport never did really embrace television properly, either. Eventually, newspapers stopped covering the tracks on a regular basis, and the days of television sportscasters showing the finish of a race on the 11 p.m. news ended quietly. The Triple Crown races are about the only exceptions left, unless you are around Saratoga in the Adirondacks in late summer.

In recent years, there's been a new issue that has come along. While it's always been tempting to cheat in some manner in horse racing, technology in scientific research has come a long way in this area. When we see horses in the starting gate, we don't know how many of them have received a little help in the form of drugs. The horses certainly aren't talking. It can make spectators - read "bettors" - wary of following the results if it might not be a fair fight. 

That's where we are today, and it's something of a starting point of Katie Bo Lillis' excellent book, "Death of a Racehorse."  

Ellis takes us through a tour of the industry that is thorough and convincing. Our guide in portions of the book is Bob Baffert, one of the most successful trainers in the racing business. He's very good at what he does, and he's an outsider to the ownership side of the business that sometimes feels like it's straight out of a 19th-century PBS program. Baffert's problem is that he has had some slip-ups along the way, and has been penalized for it. 

He's at the center of the first section of the book. That's followed by a recap of a major investigation that tried to reel in some "big fish" who were cheating in an attempt to have better living (in the form of wins) through racing. Then in part three, Lillis moves on to efforts to police the industry better, in part through a federal program. That's not easy in a world where laws can change from state to state and jurisdictional collisions are almost inevitable. 

The shrinking nature of the sport has meant less money to be earned. That in turn has increased the pressure on trainers to win races, even if it can be left unsaid. The race tracks need horses in good condition in order to fill out their cards and keep the customers coming. And if the customers stop, then there is less demand for horses in the form of breeding - the place where the owners can cash in on a big way. No wonder some chemists keep busy in the form of creating designer drugs that might have the effect of changing the odds. It's hard for the authorities to keep up with it all.   

Let's throw in one other issue. Horse racing can pop up in the news these days for an extra reason - a surprising death on the track, usually during a race. It seems there's a rash of them every so often, and that strikes a nerve - not without some justification - with those outsiders who consider horses more like pets than livestock. There's some anger when even a small percentage of the horses in a given race have an insides that resemble pharmacies. Someone has to raise the issue, since those animals don't have a voice in the discussion. 

Lillis covers national security issues for CNN, and she's obviously knows how to conduct an investigation. But she has always loved horses, and she's always been a fan of Thoroughbred racing. Here the author lays out the facts thoroughly and calmly. It's not a story that is covered in the mainstream media much any more, unless someone like Baffert receives a long suspension. Therefore, this will fill in a void for those seeking information about what has been going on a bit under the surface. 

No, "Death of a Racehorse" is by no means escapist reading. But it does take a good-sized look at relevant issues in the Sport of Kings. Those who are hoping that a level playing field will help horse racing regain a bit more relevance should be impressed by what's between the covers of the book.

Five stars

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