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.

Facing Nolan (10/10)

by Tony Medley

 Who is the best pitcher of all time? I never saw Walter Johnson or Cy Young or Christy Mathewson or Grover Cleveland Alexander, so won’t opine on them. But I have seen those from the ‘40s on. The best I ever saw was Sandy Koufax, but Sandy only had six good years (1961-66). Before Norm Sherry gave him the tip that changed his life he was a wild man. Warren Spahn is #2. Maybe Bob Gibson #3 of those I’ve seen. Bob Feller is up there but I didn’t really see him pitch.

Now this documentary about Nolan Ryan has me recalculating. It is one of the best docs I’ve ever seen. It tells the story mostly through interviews with people who should know; batters who have faced him. Included are George Brett, one of the best hitters of his generation, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken, Jr., Craig Biggio, and many more. Along with, of course, Ryan himself and his movie star gorgeous wife and their children. As an aside, he has a beautiful family. Attached are pictures.

Written & directed by Bradley Jackson, hearing all these guys talking about batting against Ryan is fascinating. And learning about his personal life is equally interesting.

Ryan’s records are remarkable. Here are a few:

                                                         All time rank

Strikeouts                                          1^st

Fewest Hits/9 inning                             1^st

No-hitters thrown                                1^st

Most no-hitters                                    7

Most one-hitters                                  12

Most two-hitters                                  18

Most three-hitters                                31

Most career 300 strikeout seasons          6

Most career 200 strikeout seasons          15

Lowest career batting average against     .203

 However, his lifetime ERA of 3.193 only places him tied for 251^st.

 And he got better as he got older (putting today’s nonsense about innings pitched to shame):

 Age           K’s/9 innings

19-28                9.6

29-38                9.2

39-46                10.1

 When Ryan was approaching the unbelievable record of 5,000 strikeouts, he predicted that it would be either Ricky Henderson or Jose Conseco, Oakland’s two best hitters. As fate would have it, it was Ricky Henderson. Henderson realized the moment. When he swung and missed at the second strike, he smiled. Remember, Ryan was in his mid-40s at the time. When it came to pass, the crowd and all the Rangers team went wild.