Customer Reviews

Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being a great Barry Bonds fan, I wanted to like this book. I truly did. But its flaws were too glaring; it came across as one of those ?strike while the iron is hot? books. Such books rarely offer anything of lasting quality.

Author Steve Travers tries to offer readers an insightful look into Barry Bonds The Man. While the attempt is admirable, I couldn?t help but come away with the impression that the attempt failed. I came away knowing little to nothing new about what makes Barry Bonds tick. And isn?t that why Bonds fans would be drawn to this?

A good portion of the book is fleshed out with pulpish sports writing. It?s passable, but too often lacks passion. Some passages scream ?written too quickly!? Where was the editor? (...)

Bonds fans should remain patient; a definitive book on this superstar is inevitable. This ain?t it.

Potentially the most poorly-crafted baseball book ever penned, ?Barry Bonds: Baseball?s Superman? never fails to disappoint, whether it is in analyzing Bonds? extraordinary statistics to getting inside the head of this private and elusive man. At best, this is one of those [...] books you so often see when someone is thrust into the limelight.

The book offers no insights that can?t be found in the small array of periodical reviews Bonds has done for publications like ESPN The Magazine (Dan Patrick?s three-page interview alone offered about the same amount of substance as can be found here) or Sports Illustrated, and the examination of Bonds? numbers certainly falls far short of the work guys like Bill James does. [...]

By all means, if you want a quick, painless read that scratches your Barry Bonds itch, read up. No one will be harmed by reading this book. But if you want a quality baseball book about this legendary player, look elsewhere. You won?t find it here.

I am one of the few Barry Bonds fans around, so when I decided to find a book on him, I was disappointed to find that there were surprisingly few. Noticing that "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" was purported to be in-depth, not just another glossy biography and had good reviews on Amazon.com, I decided to make the purchase. Now, after reading it and piecing a few things together, I must say that I am thoroughly let-down. A few observations:

1) The cover and title are cheesy. I know that the book's author may not have had any say in this, but using "Baseball's Superman" as a title makes it sound like a cover story for Sports Illustrated for Kids.

2) The book is not written well. It is very choppy and author Steven Travers has a tendency to ramble off-topic for pages on end.

3) Not that I'm some avatar of morality, but what's the deal with all the sexual references? [...]

4) There are contradictions sprinkled throughout the book. For instance, on page 36, Travers quotes Bonds as saying: "My father and I were never really close when I was growing up." Then, just five pages later, he quotes Bonds as saying: "My father and I have always been very close." Sure, Bonds is the one contradicting himself, but Travers never points this out, just one example of the multiple occasions where I almost laughed out loud at the book's inconsistencies.

5) How many times are we to hear that Travers played pro ball? Big deal, you struck out 15 guys in a minor league game. There are minor-leaguers who have hit 60 homers, thrown perfect games, etc. and they are nobodies. I do not mean this as a slight, just a point that we do not need to hear incessantly about things such as "Stan Javier played with me" or how you sat in Randy Johnson's recliner, or how an interview subject calls you "Trav." The book is about Barry Bonds, not Steven Travers.

[...]

The bottom line is that Travers squandered a golden opportunity. Rolling the dice early in 2001 that Bonds would break the home run record, getting permission to do a book, and then seeing him acutally do it is akin to hitting the lottery for a sports journalist. Unfortunately, the finished product seems hastily thrown together, poorly edited, and foolishly out-of-bounds in many areas. Too often we hear about sexual hijinks that have nothing to do with Bonds, and we also get Travers's opinions on a multitude of subjects that I don't care to know his thoughts on. The fact that I'd never even heard of this book should have been enough of a red flag, but it wasn't, and therefore I got what I deserved. This book isn't terrible, but it also is not good, and therefore I would not recommend it. Fans of Barry Bonds should just wait until a comprehensive biography comes out on him when his playing days are over.

This one is interesting to read now that we know more about Bonds. It holds up well and is very well written. I loved it!

And, I'm still not much of a fan. But, after reading this book I began to understand why Bonds has been a misunderstood player and person for many years. I always knew that Bonds was a great player, but this book forces me to acknowledge just how great a player and interesting person Bonds really is. If you're going to have one book on your shelf about the greatest player of this generation (and maybe any generation) this is the one!

I suppose it would be impossible to write a book about Barry Bonds that is not controversial. If Bonds likes a book about him, it would have to omit a lot. Somehow, "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman" looks at all of Barry's warts, yet remains in the end favorable to him. Not an easy balancing act. This is not your average sports book. It is edgy and filled with laughs... and inside baseball. Good, solid reading.

This inciteful book leaves the reader with many interesting stories about Barry Bonds. It is not just about Bonds, but brings in many other players and people in Bonds' life. For the person who loves baseball it will be particularly meaningful with many historical facts about the players and how they interacted with Barry Bonds.
The book is an honest look at Bonds and who he is. Bonds never played up to the press. His 73 homeruns in 2001 was something that won the nations heart and as Travers said was a great distraction for the public that helped them forget 9/11.

I have lived overseas for many years but was an avid Giants fan in the 60's & 70's. Steven Travers' book on Barry Bonds was a welcome gift. I had read various news articles about the "controversial" Bonds and feel that Travers' book puts things right. I especially enjoyed the insights into the life styles of high powered sports figures. The build-up to Bonds' record setting home run season was handled in an excellent manner. This book is a great read for any baseball fan.

Steven Travers has told a story that needed to be told. For as much as we think we know about the very public Mr. Bonds, Travers has mastered the attention to detail and insiders knowledge that perhaps only a former ballplayer like Travers could muster.

Travers provides an insightful glimpse into this mysterious life that we think is in full view. Bonds probably offers more of himself to Travers in this book than in seemingly any other venue of recent times.

Jake Downey
Executive Producer
JDnewsie Productions
Studio City, CA
www.jdnewsie.com

finally a Book on My Favoirte Baseball Player in the Game.Barry Bonds gets a Bad Rap for Reasons that have nothing to do with what He does on the Field.He won't Smile&Shuck like so Many Other Atheletes feel they must do to be excepted.Barry Bonds Smiles with His Talent&Shines with it.Barry is the Best Example of how it's suppose to be.because to have a Year liek He did last year means Hard Work&Determination.He is a 5 Tool Player:Run,hit,Power,Glove,All-Around Force.the only other Player I see in Baseball on His Level is Alex Rodriguez.Barry is long overdue for His Due as a Great Player that Arguably Might One Day be Considered the Greatest.when you factor Hwo Dangerous He is&the way He gets Walked not many other Players can Make Claim to that.a Book for a Sports Fan that Respects Talent first&foremost.