Today is a small milestone for my blog; this book review marks the first time I am reviewing a book that was sent to me for review on my blog by the publisher. The book is The Best Boston Sports Arguments: The 100 Most Controversial, Debatable Questions for Die-Hard Boston Fans by Steve Buckley and Jim Caple. The title of the book suggests that the audience for the big book is "Die-Hard Boston Fans," but I am here to argue that Die Hard Fans will not be riveted by the book; however, fans that fall somewhere between casual and die hard will enjoy the book and its many interesting and amusing stories immensely.

The biggest issue I had while reading book is that I have read a lot of Boston sports books, read the Globe and Herald’s sports sections every day, watch many of the local sports show on channels, 4,5,7, NESN, NECN and Fox Sports New England, and listen to WEEI frequently. Because off all that Boston Sports information consumption in my life, at times while reading the book I lost interest because I had heard it all before. In fact, on many occasions I knew exactly what was going to be in the chapter before I read it because I had heard Steve Buckley’s views on the subject on WEEI numerous times. (Example: Buckley’s promotion of the retirement of Tony C’s number is as ubiquitous as his promotion of his Old Time Baseball Game whenever he is on a Boston media outlet)

For the average fan that does not immerse his or her self in history and goings on of the Boston Sports scene, this book will be informative and entertaining. It is not the actual resolution of any of the debates proposed which are compelling, but the information and anecdotes of the Boston sports scene that Caple and Buckley rely on to frame both sides of the debate and make their argument. For example Ch 13 IF You Could Go To Any Game In Boston Sports History, Which Should You Choose, has a great story about Babe Ruth punching out a umpire during the first at bat allowing Ernie Shore to come in to pitch the only relief perfect game in history. The book serves as a good primer to younger fans especially about the history and characters of Boston’s other baseball team The Braves who are mentioned in quite a few chapters.

If you are a Boston Sports fan and not obsessive about Boston Sports, but have a spouse, family member, or close friend who is, then I recommend this book to get you up to par when talking to your more fanatical friends about Boston Sports. If you are Boston sport aficionado yourself, you may want to stay away because there is a chance you have heard most of this before.

Book Grade Represented by Current Boston Sports Figure: Mike Timlin (you get a lot of quality material, but sometimes it gets a little tired)

My Top 5 Favorite Chapters in The Book:
5. Ch. 15 What Is The All-Time Red Sox All-Star Team
4. Ch 29 What Was Boston Greatest Might Have Been Power House
3. Ch 27 What Was The Worst Time In History To Be A Boston Sports Fan
2. Ch 1 Are The Greatest of The Greats From Boston
1. Ch 13 If You Could Go To Any Game In Boston Sports History, Which Should You Choose

My 5 Least Favorite Chapters in The Book
5. Ch 9 Should Doug Mientkiewicz Kept The 2004 World Series Baseball
4. Ch. 93 What Are The Most Over Priced Seats In Baseball
3. Ch 20 What Was The Most Over Hyped Moment In Boston Sports History
2. Ch 97 What Is The Most Embarrassing Moment In Boston Sports
1. Ch 14 Do The Celtics Have Too Many Retired Numbers

The Chapter That Should Be In The Book, But Is Not: The Best confrontation between a Boston Sports media member and a Boston Athlete or manager/coach: There are a lot of potentials in this category but I will go with Crazy Carl Everett’s "Culy Haired Boyfriend" rant against Edes and Shaughnessy just ahead of Bill Parcells’ "That’s a dumbass question" speech.