Johnny Unitas: America's Quarterback

Rating:
Summary: Not good
Review: Before I buy most sports books I usually read reviews in Amazon to see if the book is decent and I regret very much not doing the same for this.

I must agree with the previous reviewer about the book. It's poorly written and incomplete. I had high hopes reading this book, believing I'd get to know Mr. Unitas and find out what made him click. It disappoints in most areas. The author writes in a style reminiscent of the kind of sports books written in the 60's and 70's. Many sportswriters follow a script that slightly deviates from writing a detailed chronological story and fills the book with repetitive superlatives. Quite annoying really and that's what this book is like. Publishers should get their act in gear and not publish these poorly written sports books.

I didn't feel the author got Unitas as a complete person. You wonder about his personal life - did he get divorced because of who he was or because of who his wife was or how they grew apart. A good biography details the faults of the subject along with the greatness. Yes, so he trusted some people too much and was a competitor and all that - who isn't that way? How did he treat his kids? He was a living legend and was Baltimore but who was he besides a great quarterback?

The author lost me when he went into painful detail about Super Bowl III when Unitas didn't affect the outcome that much. Why did the author describe EVERY FRIGGIN PLAY in the first half? Yes, a filler chapter to evidently meet a word count quota. And the same goes for the appendix. The book looks big, which is why the price is $25 but it's just an expanded newspaper article that contains the same amount of information you'd get in a Sunday newspaper feature.

On the plus side I haven't read much about Unitas and learned the basics about his early life and his stint with the Chargers. I think those parts could have been better with more insight but at least you know. And I liked reading his interview at the end but again, it's something you'd get in a newspaper article.

The definitive biography of Unitas still hasn't been written. This book is more for teenagers who want to read about the evolution of the NFL. At full price it's an awful value. If you want to read it wait until it's under $5 on the cheap rack - it won't be that long of a wait.

Rating:
Summary: Very Poorly Written
Review: Don't waste your money on this one.

Very poorly written. This appears to be a magazine article that was expanded into a book with a bunch of glowing quotes about Unitas and then added 40 pages of stats, some photos without captions, three forwards and an afterword. As a n alternative, run a google search for Unitas, read the first few hits, and you will know more about Johny U in a few minutes from running the search - than you would learn from wasting your time reading this paperweight.

Rating:
Summary: Chronicle of Unitas and Colts from old school sportswriter
Review: Traces history of Unitas and the Baltimore Colts from the early 50's and the two NFL Championships in '58 and '59 through the Championship loss in Cleveland in 1964 including the '69 and '70 Superbowls up until Johnny leaves for San Diego in 1973. Continues on with Unitas experiencing retirement to his passing on Sept 11, 2002. Championship games described as though you are watching from play to play. Nifty 40 page interview with Unitas and author concludes prose portion. 40 more pages of Unitas' stats follows that. Book also includes material on Colts move from Baltimore and Ravens appearance. Fans of football and Baltimre Colts will enjoy reliving the memories. 16 pages of great photos. Required reading for any true Baltimore Colts fan.