Out of print for more than 30 years, now available for the first time as an eBook, this is the controversial story of John Wooden's first 25 years and first 8 NCAA Championships as UCLA Head Basketball Coach. This is the only book that gives a true picture of the character of John Wooden and the influence of his assistant, Jerry Norman, whose contributions Wooden  ignored and tried to bury.

Compiled with more than 40 hours of interviews with Coach Wooden, learn about the man behind the coach. The players tell their stories in their own words.

Click the book to read the first chapter and for ordering information. Also available on Kindle.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (3/10)

by Tony Medley

Runtime 2 hours 45 minutes

OK for children

7:00: Arrived at historic Paramount lot for 7:30 screening, driving through the iconic gate: I hate movies like this. Potential grade 1/10

7:05: Enter theater: no production notes or cast & crew “We don’t give notes for these types of movies.” This is a bad sign.

7:40: Movie Starts: Good start for action director Michael Bay. 3/10

8:00: Mark Wahlburg very good; Kelsey Grammer very good; story interesting: Wahlburg’s daughter, Nicola Peltz whose real father is a billionaire, is pretty and  a good actress in a difficult part (especially given that the stars are the machines). Her boyfriend, Irishman Jack Reynor, is also pretty but his part is relatively papier-maché, so one can’t make a judgment on his ability; he does a good job for what it is. 7/10

8:30: Special effects spectacular: Humans play a big part in the story: Grammer, the head of the CIA, is out to get Wahlburg and his daughter but they’re being defended by some of the machines, all of whom have personalities:  8/10

9:00: Story still appealing: Big bad government in movies used to be annoying to me but recently the plotline of corrupt government seems more plausible: Stanley Tucci appears as an avaricious entrepreneur working with Grammer to develop the best fighting machine ever, and is at the top of his game in a part that is undemanding, to say the least. 8/10

9:30: Lots and lots and lots of machines fighting one another: Implausible situations (well, OK, the entire thing is ridiculous, but there should be some logic in all movies. The machines seem indestructible, but they can die. Some survive the same things that kill others).  7/10

9:45: Still more fighting between machines; special effects still good but how much can one take?  I start counting the seconds. 6/10

10:00: Will this never end?  5/10

10:15: I’m exhausted. Although I never once felt sleepy because of all the noise and action, this is just too much for any normal human to endure. But I firmly believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I start counting the half-seconds. 4/10

10:25: It’s over! I’m so tired I barely make it back to my car. Grade: 3/10

June 26, 2014