Customer Reviews

Chick: His Unpublished Memoirs and the Memories of Those Who Knew Him

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The book includes the story of his life and how he became announcer for the LA Lakers. He is the best announcer and the first only voice of the LA Lakers for 42 years through 2002 and talks about his 3,338 consecutive games streak. It gives his chickisms that he used like slam-dunk, dribble drive, no harm no foul, etc. There are many famous sports people that talk about Chick's stories and on his life in the NBA for the Lakers.

I recommend the book for the LA Laker Fan/Collector and finally there is a book for Chick Hearn, Voice of the Lakers, during his spectacular career and Hall Fame announcer. This book and CD are for you if you are LA Laker Fan, Chick Hearn Fan and listener over the years growing up with the Lakers and listening to Chick broadcast LA Laker basketball games on radio over the years.

The Audio CD is included with the book. It is great and narrated by Al Michaals. It covers some great calls and plays that Chick Hearn announced over the years.

I also recommend the Los Angeles Lakers 1999-2000 NBA Champions Music CD and the Los Angeles Lakers Regular Music CD. These CDs contain music produced by Alphabet City Records and also some of the best calls that Chick Hearn made during the first Los Angeles Lakers Championship under Phil Jackson era and in the Regular Music CD, some calls Chick made during Magic Johnson/Kareem Adul Jabbar Era.

As a lifelong Laker fan, I've felt like I've known Chick for most of my life. He was like the eccentric uncle that explained things to you when he visited, and in Chick's case, what he explained was basketball.

If you're not a Laker fan, this book probably won't be as meaningful to you, but it's filled with entertaining stories and poignant nuggets about broadcasting, basketball, and life in general. Some of the material I'd read about before, but a lot of it was new to me. It gets quite emotional at times; it's not strictly about basketball or play-by-play announcing, although he looms very large in both fields.

The book is mostly a compilation of other people recalling their memories of Chick, with some first-hand quotes from him as well. It doesn't really have a narrative, so it's a nice book to pick up and read from occasionally. I think the structure of it really suits the subject well. Chick was great at describing basketball and relating to people, so to a large extent the book is basketball people talking about him.

If you're a Laker fan, it's a great read. If you're into sportscasting or basketball, there's something for you too.

Being a HUGE Laker fan, I had to get this book. Knowing that a lot of it was written in Chick's own words made it that much more of a necessity to have it! Then I started reading it. I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about Chick Hearn, but Steve Springer has collected an amazing array of stories and memories that make you admire Chick as more that just the voice of the Lakers, but as an amazing human being.

The book covers Chick from the early beginnings of his career to his last days. You'll find that even if you've never heard of the guy before, you can't help but admire him for his honesty, integrity and professionalism. The book includes a CD of some of his most memorable calls. You'll feel all the thrills and chills of the games on this CD as if you were right there watching it live!

You'll come to realize what an impact this man has had on the sports world. Al Michaels got his start with Chick. The terms "air ball" and "slam dunk" were created by him. ...And so much more!

For the hardcore Laker fan, this book is a must-have and a keepsake of our beloved Chick. But whether or not you're a fan of basketball, and whether or not you've heard of this man, this book is definitely one to pick up. It talks about a man who was devoted to what he did, had a very loving relationship with his wife and family, and who worked VERY hard. He practiced and practiced his craft up until the very end, which is something that many of the people quoted in the book found so admirable. But he wasn't a jerk about it. Although he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion, he was loved and cared for by all. He made all of us in Los Angeles feel like part of the Laker family; HIS family.

Laker fans: GET THIS BOOK
Everyone else: Check it out. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

For 3,338 consecutive games Chick Hern was the voice of the L.A. Lakers. He became as famous as the best of their players. As the voice of the lakers, he essentially was the lakers to millions of fans. He brought the team, the coaches, and the rest of the organization to the millions of fans. He lived Lakers basketball, and it showed in the way he talked.

This book presents Chick in two ways: One is the writing about Chick, his life, his stories of the team, people, and life in general. Second is the CD included with the book that gives some of his greatest calles, along with narration by Al Michaels. Normally the voice of a sports broadcaster is a transient thing. You hear what he said, or maybe you miss it, and it's gone forever. Here are some of the best of his work, recorded forever.

I have an autographed picture of Chick and myself courtside hanging on my living room wall, so yes, I'm a fan. I grew up listening to two of the greatest announcers in history: Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. Thank you Los Angeles.

There is no Laker in franchise history that looms larger than Chick Hearn. He brought the Lakers into millions of fans homes. He told the story of every game with passion and wit and honesty. He practically invented a new language for basketball. I can't think of the Lakers without thinking of Chick and his voice. I haven't lived in L.A. for a few years and since Chick died, I don't miss it nearly as much. He was abosolutely the greatest announcer the NBA has ever known.

The book has it all. His life both away from and in the broadcast booth is told by those who knew him. They are all here and they tell their favorite stories and proclaim their admiration for the man and his dedication to his family and his profession. The CD included has some of his greatest calls and gave me chills the first time I listened to it. Any Laker fan would be proud to own this publication. I'll treasure it.

No one will ever replace Chick. He was as important to the franchise as any player that ever wore the purple and gold. It's fitting that a jersey with a microphone and his name hangs in the arena rafters alongside the other Laker greats. There will never be another Magic Johnson and there will surely never be another Chick Hearn.

It's been almost two years since Chick died and I am still grieving. This book brought back a flood of wonderful memories dating back to the early '60s and the bonus CD brings Chick's voice back to life. For anyone who loved Chick Hearn, this book is a must; for those curious about the huge amount of love Chick generated both towards and from his fans, this book will help explain just how magic his relationship was with Laker fans. I was lucky enough to meet Chick in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, the last time being at Arco Arena prior to game seven of the Kings-Lakers battle several years ago. Every single time we met, from when I was a 12 year old kid up to a 50 something adult, he took the time to shake hands, look me in the eye and leave me with the feeling that he was genuinely happy to make or re-make my acquaintance. Bill Walton's afterword about being a kid with a transistor radio under his pillow listening to Chick like he was part of the family pretty much sums it up.

This book really brought Chick Hearn back to life for me...I LOVED IT! It contained so many facinating memories from Chick and those close to him. Also, the accompanying CD with excerpts of Chick's calls from many games cleverly strung together...his Chickisms....was an added treat. For anyone who followed Chick during his career I highly recommend this book!

Dianne O.
La Canada, CA

I would say this is a labor of love from Steve Springer except that doesn't convey just how good this is. Reading it prompted me to get out some old recordings of interviews I'd done with Chick. What a character, what a gentleman, what a book. So many perspectives, so many stories. Just like he used to troll for unwitting victims to his pranks on the Lakers' team bus, Chick's aura is all over these 2004 playoffs. I'm certain it was his hand guiding Derek Fisher's shot into the basket to end Game 5 with San Antonio. If you don't own this, you don't have a Lakers library.

Roland Lazenby, author of several Lakers-related books

What a wonderful book about a man who loved basketball and the Lakers. Chick Hearn was a very gifted announcer. The way he would describe the game would seem to put you court-side along with the other 17,505 at the fabulous Forum! I started listening to Chick during the 70's and into the 80's. Living in Arizona I had to try and find the L.A. station when possible. When one of the local stations started carrying the games in the 80's, I was estatic. The book does a nice job starting from his youth into his last days. Reading about the last few months of his life just broke your heart for the man----and I didn't know him!! That should tell you how the fans could relate to Chick. The Los Angeles area had two other announcers that were also great in my book---Dick Enberg doing Ram games and Vin Scully doing Dodgers games. The Los Angeles area was blessed with many great teams and announcers, but none will be able to replace Chick Hearn.

I grew up watching/listening/simulcasting to EVERY GAME for the Lakers from 1981 through about 2003 or so (still try to catch them on tv, but no longer live in the L.A. area). It seems that since he passed away, the Lakers were suddenly cursed. But this book brings back the Memoirs of one of my favorite idols. Chick was the best announcer, period. He was so good that even people who were simply not into the game, or even disgusted by sports in general, would get into it and watch because of his sharp apt to connect to the viewers/listeners with ease and comfort. I've seen this myself firsthand more than a plenty of times. His ability to bring the game to you in a simple and enjoyable fashion was priceless. My mom even loved the guy. So Laker fans, Angelinos, basketball and sports fans -- buy this book!