Another Book Recommendation

Ok, I know that only like a week ago I recommended reading 'Ball Four' if you by some chance had not read it, but today I just finished another book that I think some people might like.

The book is called "The Last Amateurs" written by John Feinstein.

If you like college basketball, especially small-conference college basketball, I think this is definitely a worthwhile book to check out.

Basically, Feinstein follows along with the Patriot League for the 1999-2000 season, and chronicles what they do, who they are, etc. It's really an interesting from the standpoint that these are not your typical Division 1 college basketball players (a point that Feinstein drives home ad nauseum, which can get a little annoying). For example, at one point he mentions that before the conference championship game, the players went to class for part of the day before loading onto the bus and driving for the game that night.

The book has its shortcomings. Feinstein sometimes goes a little overboard, basically saying that all the big conference college basketball players are just there for basketball and not school, which isn't really the case. Also, his game summaries can be a little dry, and some of the player stories do tend to get a little cheesy.

But really, if you like college basketball, especially the small, one-bid leagues of college basketball, you really ought to take a look at this book.