Rockin' Steady: A guide to basketball & cool [Hardcover]

Walt Frazier (Author), Ira Berkow (Author), John Lane (Illustrator), Walter looss Jr (Photographer), Bill Russell (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1974

A New York Knick talks about basketball, his life, and being cool.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The New York Knicks won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973. Walt “Clyde” Frazier, a silky smooth playmaker, was the team’s best player. He was universally admired for his on-court skills and off-court cool. This is a reprint a 1974 release cowritten with Pulitzer winner (in 2001 for national reporting) Berkow. In 1975, Booklist selected it as one of the 72 best books for young adults during the previous 15 years. There are basketball chapters filled with sound advice on offense, defense, reading stats, and game-day preparation. The chapter, “A General Guide to Looking Good, and Other Matters,” has tips on romancing, fashion, relating to coaches, and yes, even catching flies in midair. The stunning photography is supplied by Sports Illustrated’s Walter Iooss Jr., and the volume includes new introductions by Berkow and Hall of Famer Bill Russell. Readers may be surprised by how contemporary the book seems. Well, man, cool is cool, then and now. --Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Walt Clyde Frazier is the New York Knicks color analyst on the MSG Network. Honored as one of the NBA s 50 greatest players, he led the Knicks to two world championships in 1970 and 1973 and saw his jersey retired by the franchise in 1979. Mr. Frazier lives in New York City.

Ira Berkow, a sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times for more than 25 years, won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of 19 books, including the best sellers Red: A Biography of Red Smith and Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar, as well as two memoirs, Full Swing and To the Hoop. Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life, co-written and edited by Mr. Berkow and published by Triumph Books, was a primary source for the award-winning documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. Mr. Berkow lives in New York City. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 158 pages
• Publisher: Prentice-Hall (1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137822359
• ISBN-13: 978-0137822355
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY back in print!, November 1, 2010

By 

L. A. Philiben "CHILAP" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool (Hardcover)

This review is of the new 2010 edition of Rockin' Steady:

Rockin' Steady really defies description, but anyone who has ever laid eyes on the original book has never forgotten it. Walt Frazier remains one of the coolest players in NBA history, and this book was written back in 1974 during his days with the Knicks. For a long time, the only way to get this book was to pay a fortune for it on eBay, but now it's back in print, thank god.
I'm not sure if "Clyde" was the blueprint for characters like Shaft, but looking at the photos in this book makes you think he might have been. Mink coat, Rolls Royce, a circular bed with a mirrored ceiling - Clyde definitely was stylin' and profilin' back in the day.
The subtitle of the book is "A Guide to Basketball and Cool," and you definitely get both. There is tons of interesting insight on guys Walt played with and against, like Earl Monroe, Jerry West, and Pistol Pete, plus good tips and strategies. There is also an equal amount of advice on how to build a wardrobe, how to brush your mustache, how to pick the right girl, how to catch a fly in midair - yes, you read that right - and lots more. It is a wild ride and an amazing piece of NBA memorabilia and a document of 1970s culture.
It seems like everything from the original version is here, including the color illustrations and vintage photographs, plus a new foreword by Ira Berkow and a new afterword by Clyde himself. HIGHLY recommended - if you like 70s style or the NBA, you need to own this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A man in complete control of his life, April 15, 2006

By 

Peter W. Sibley (Zythum) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rockin' Steady (Paperback)

Along with "Wilt; Just Like Any Other 7-foot Black Millionaire Who Lives Next Door," this is among the funniest sports books ever written. In it, we learn, inter alia, how Mr. Frazier prefers to keep the interior of his home ("dark, like a nightclub"), how Mr. Frazier washes his face (alternating hot and cold washcloths), how Mr. Frazier catches flies with his bare hands (illustrations included!) and how Mr. Frazier once caught a full beer glass in mid-fall without spilling a drop.

Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What cool meant at one time - beautiful and innocent, January 28, 2011

By 

Julian Wan "wanchob" (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool (Hardcover)

I first started following NBA basketball around the time of the 1970 Knicks. The Knicks of that era were a fantastic team which seemed to be taken from a bad screenplay. You had:
1. Tough gritty veteran who deep down is a soulful guy who had to deal with a lot of racism early in life but who loved education and wanted to get an advanced degree (Barnett)
2. Tough big guy who came up from a blue collar background - also had a pro baseball pitching skill and knew he was lucky to be paid to play. (Debusschere)
3. Smart, quiet Ivy League Rhodes scholar who wanted to play at the highest level (Bradley)
4. Tough center who went to a historical black college, Grambling State, persevering through bad teams and now chasing the dream of a championship on brittle knees (Reed)
5. Slick, savvy smooth point guard from Atlanta who was a true cosmopolitan and loved fashion, music and epitomized 1970's cool. (Frazier)
If you had assembled such as squad as your starting five in a movie, fans would be rolling their eyes and yet all of this was real.

Walt "Clyde" Frazier was part of this amazing team and he co-wrote with Ira Berkow a book which in many ways defies explanation. It is a book which gives a peek at the life of "Clyde" and also what defined the "Clyde" style - the clothes, accessories, cars, and most of all, the attitude.

It was a surprise and remains a surprise from the usual bombastic ego fueled athletic memoirs, which often serve to hack at old opponents and to excuse old shortcomings. Though clearly ego driven, it has a charming innocence about it. Walt Frazier clearly enjoyed being "Clyde" but that enjoyment wasn't at the expense of others - he didn't need an entourage to be "Clyde" and in fact seemed to take delight in being able to be unique and distinctive to strangers. Throughout the book he admits to be bested by other players and only expressed his admiration of when someone else was hot. Even his detail listing of how to groom, dress and act as "Clyde" is done so innocently that one has to smile. He really comes across as trying to be positive and to be helpful.
On the Freedarko.com site they note that it is fascinating book that captures a particular time, of a particular New York City, and a team that really bonded. They actually liked and enjoyed each other's company and made great allowances for each other. It was an amazing place, time and situation that are all long gone. These people were all interesting people and not just as jocks. They created a beautiful impression based on teamwork and efficiency.

I read the original back in the 1970's at a public library and long sought to own a copy. This reissue is as good as I remember it. It has a new afterword by a 2010 Walt Frazier and it shows a great deal of insight - introspection which is completely absent from most of today's superstars. Michael Jordan is still chasing that chip on his shoulder and tries to compete with anybody and everybody. LeBron James has the ego but lacks the maturity to see that helping others succeed and building something as a team may have rewards beyond individual acclaim. Kobe Bryant has brooding complexity and ambition but can't seem to make that lasting connection with his teammates.

Frazier clearly wants to be remembered properly as the great player he was (and makes the point of noting his greatest games and the key stats) but is also aware that his career was only 13 years of his life. His description of how he improved his vocabulary by studying the arts section of the New York Times is related unabashedly as if he were explaining how to throw a bounce pass or shoot a jump shot. Finally it is touching that he noted that his son was doing well and had graduated from an Ivy League school, and he knows that this is just a fond look back, like going through an old photo album with good friends. His parting words describe how he envisions his final days, now rocking steady not in a disco but in a hammock on his home in St. Croix, the ceiling fans being the only fans he has to deal with, the roar of the ocean being the only crowd noise and the cool ocean breeze to remind him of the coolness he once personified. Can't imagine any of the superstars or Dream Teamers ever coming up with an ending like that or if their ghost writer suggested it that they would ever agree to it - they simply lacked that level of depth to their soul.