Customer Reviews

Oiler Blues: The Story of Pro Football's Most Frustrating Team

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

 

 

A must read book for die - hard Oiler fans. John Pirkle presents the facts that will help the fan understand what happened and why they should be thankful the Oilers no longer are in Houston. It will give the Titan fans a clear understaning of what the future will hold with the current owner at the helm.

The book gives the reader a detailed look at what the birth of the modern football league was really like. It is filled with interesting facts and photos that for some will evoke both pleasant and painfull memories. As a life long Oiler fan, this book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions as I re-lived Oiler history.

To paraphrase the comedian George Carlin, it's like milk that's been in your refrigerator for two months. You know it's sour, but for some unexplainable reason, you just have to smell it. I had an idea of what was inside this book but, I just had to read it. Once I stared, I couldn't put it down.

Oiler Blues is great sports history for any football fan.

1. It brings back a lot of old memories, not so painful in the rearview mirror. Wouldn't you be happy to pay one dollar and sit with all the other Jr. Q'Backs at Jeppesen again? Reading this book is like that.

2. It's full of errors in player names, place names, and typos ("felled by a viscous hit" is my favorite). For example, Pirkle tells us about "Dan" Floyd for 40 pages, then for some reason he starts getting it right ("Don"). Trust me, I'm not picking on Pirkle; there are dozens of these. It gets to where you look forward to the next booboo as much as the next game you remember being at. Did anybody think to edit this thing? Is Pirkle too young or too sloppy to do it well himself? Oh heck it doesn't matter. 4 stars, well deserved.

The title of this book best sums up being an Oiler fan: frustrating. Despite the fact that the team made the Super Bowl last year, they did it as the Titans and not in Houston, but Tennessee. There are so many other near misses and could have beens with this franchise and this book humorously accounts the almost 40 years of Oilers history. The book is nicely broken up into chapters for each season and although there is some historical inaccuracies, the book isn't about stats or names. The book is about the missteps and blunders the team's management has made through the years, so it's kind of appropriate that John Pirkle makes some errors along the way. If you're an Oiler fan, this is a must read and if you are not fan, this book is still enjoyable as it is funny and has a nice cynical edge to it.

I found this book to be a definite read for any (or former) die hard Oilers/Titans fan. Growing up and loving the Oilers and then seeing them leave Houston, we are fortunate that Pirkle took the time to write this incredible summary of the franchise now known as the Titans.
Pirkle does a great job of breaking down the seasons, one by one, and the draft picks the team makes (or could have made). It's incredible to see the potential that the team posed. It also makes you sit back and realize how much talent some of the teams had, especially during the 70's and 90's to make a run for the Super Bowl.
Pirkle really does a nice job of explaining the death of the Oilers franchise in Houston, from the arguments in city hall to Bud Adams' demands, which today still is head-scratching to everyone. I strongly recommend this book to any football fan, especially those who are Titans fans.

Go Titans!
Pat

Once I started reading it when it arrived, I honestly had a hard time putting it down for the night. It was definitely worth what I paid for it.

THIS IS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSTON OILERS NOW THE TENNESSEE TITANS. THE AUTHOR GOES IN GREAT DETAIL GIVING US A LOOK AT THE COACHING, FREE AGENTS, DRAFT, GAME BY GAME INFO AND THE ANTICS OF OWNER BUD ADAMS. THE BOOK IS LOADED WITH FACTS, STATS AND PHOTOS. IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO READ THIS FOR THERE IS A TON OF INFO DONE IN GREAT DETAIL. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL DIE HARD FANS WHO WERE DISAPPOINTED YEAR AFTER YEAR. A GREAT READ.