Customer Reviews

My Life on a Napkin: Pillow Mints, Playground Dreams, and Coaching the Runnin' Utes

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Sports books that attempt to cash in on the immediate popularity of the author often suffer in quality due to the desire to strike while the iron is hot. I am glad to say that My Life on a Napkin does not suffer from this flaw.

Gene Wojciechowski, contributor on this book, did an extremely good on format and finding and maintaining Majerus' voice. His previous work on Nothing But Net (Bill Walton's autobiography) has served him well.

The most interesting technique used in the book is the interjection of short anecdotes culled from Majerus' friends and family. The juxtaposition between his view and the view of his friend/family member/player is humorous at times. This is a technique I haven't seen used before in this type of book and I find that it seems to work better than simple paraphrasing would.

In short, the only reason this book doesn't deserve four stars is because it falls far short of the high standards set by autobiographies/biographies of individuals whose careers have already ended. I feel this book focuses too much on the recent to the detriment of the early years. For example, A Coach's Life by Dean Smith has an entirely different perspective because in many ways his story is finished. This allows him to devote equal time to all portions of his life and career.

Additionally, it would have been nice to have an appendix containing information on every player who had ever lettered for Coach Majerus. If we could see the tremendous legacy that he has had on the lives of all the students who have passed through his programs it would reinforce hsi commitment to his players' well-being. To me, that would be an even greater testimony to his legacy than the stories presented in the preceding chapters.

Most people assume 'big time' college coaches were great players 'in their day.' Not true. Louie Carnesecca couldn't play a lick. Phog Allen didn't give Dean Smith many minutes. Roy Williams never went beyond the UNC JV (coached by Bill Guthridge at the time). Majerus never played high school ball at Marquette High in Milwaukee. Not because he didn't want to . . . man did he want to . . . he just didn't have the tools (or so the coach thought). This book shows that playing and coaching are two distinct endeavors. Wanna list the great players who flopped as coaches . . . me neither . . . it would take too long. From his earliest years Majerus was coaching, and he didn't even know it. He was putting together teams in Milwaukee so he could get a game. He was learningd how to 'put the pieces together', not to win a national championship, but to 'keep the court' for the next game . . . and the next . . . Majerus' Utes 'kept the court' for six marvelous games in 1998. It wasn't until Kentucky showed that 'sometimes the other team wins because they have better players' (al mcguire) that Majerus' Utes had to leave the court defeated. This book shows how a life's work, a life's passion, can culminate in a short span of time. It's a great read because Majerus made it happen himself. He was handed nothing. But he learned from everyone:McGuire, Raymonds, Nelson, Harris . . . probably even Butch Lee, Bo Ellis, and Lloyd Walton. Read the book. Majerus' tale is one of a kind.

Far and away the best book I have read in the past year. Coach Majerus' passion for his players will leave you mesmerized. The best part of the book are all the quotes added from former players, friends, coaches, family members,etc...Rick never was much of a great athlete, but he knew the game from an early age and was considered the epitome of a team player. Majerus' stories from his days at Marquette and Ball State to his time with Don Nelson and Del Harris make for a great read. If you like sports and admire the true work of a "team" you will love this book.

It's forty-five minutes before the WAC tournament championship game. Majerus has pulled into the parking lot in front of the gym only to discover that some nimrod has parked in his space, a space that costs him $2,000 a year to reserve. What does he do? He parks somewhere else, comes back and lets the air out of two of the guy's tires. When his friend asks him why he only selected two tires, Majerus says, "Because he only had one spare."

Such are the experiences that encompass 'My Life On A Napkin'. We see Majerus for what he is, the world traveling, food connoisseur, who values loyalty, a good massage, and an occasional fantasy involving Cindy Crawford. Covered in his book are some of the following:

* Majerus' discipleship under Al MacGuire while at Marquette, and Don Nelson while with the Golden State Warriors.
* Majerus' quick process of overtaking BYU as the team to beat in the WAC.
* The difficulties of recruiting, particularly in a place like Utah.
* Majerus' propensity for speeding. Upon accelerating to over 100 MPH, Majerus once told a concered friend, "Hey, if we crash, I'm you're airbag."
* His affinity with living in hotels.
* The 1998 NCAA tournament and his famous triangle and two defense that shut down number one seeded Arizona and North Carolina.

Also of note is Majerus' ceaseless wit and humor. A group of cheerleaders once came to do a promotional at Rick's hotel. He told them, "Don't worry if you see me staring at your belly buttons. It's mostly because I haven't seen mine in years."

Majerus shares truth about recruiting, the intense competition between other coaches, and how he took a bunch of non-sensational and mostly mormon kids and came within 5 minutes of being the 1998 national champions.

No coach is as openly eccentric as Majerus, and in 'My Life on a Napkin', you will find out why he is not only revered as a basketball mind, but also as a comedic juggernaut.

If Majerus suffers from egomania, then I wish every college coach was like him. I'm a basketball junkie and the book satisfied my hoops tooth, but it also told a wonderful story about a coach who is true to his sport, his players and himself. Sure he has flaws, and he wasn't afraid to admit them in the book. Highly recommended.

Rick Majerus wasn't a superstar basketball player when he was growing up but he did love the game. He loved the players that other people might not of liked. He was into the hard working, pick setting, "little things" type of player. This book tells about his chlidhood growing up and then goes into his coaching days. It is a wonderful book that shows what kind of great human being he is. It has quotes throughout the book of players, coaches, family, and others that just makes the story all more enjoyable. I hope my future in basketball will run into a coach like Rick Majerus. If it does I will be very very happy.

After getting this book I could not put it down. I first became aware of Majerus after he led his un-athletic Utah team to the NCAA Final Four in 1998. His press conferences after those games were part basketball pontification and part stand-up comedy routine. His book is a lot like those press conferences: serious about the game he loves, but not afraid to crack a joke at anytime. The stories about his lack of fashion sense and eating habits will leave you doubled over. For "gym rats" everywhere!

Very interesting book describing life of a fantastic college basketball coach. Humorous and informative. Enjoyed information on teams and players coached. Great behind-the-scenes information on college hoops. I would recommend to any college b-ball fan.

A beautiful read, about a beautiful person. Some University in this United States is fortunate enough to be blessed with the greatest "all around" coach in the land. It is hard to imagine it not being Rick Majerus.

With the exception of feinstein's ``season on the brink'' and feinstein's book on the ACC, this is one of the best basketball books i've read in a long time. i've always been intrigued by majerus--how he wins at a place like utah--and this book takes you way inside the program and shows you how he does it. it's an autobiography, but it's also a great look at utah while it made it's final four run last season. majerus must have given the co-author a lot of access, because it's wonderful stuff. anyway, if you love hoops, you'll love this one. and i'm a carolina fan.