Slo Mo! [Paperback]

Rick Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2000

Growing up in a bizarre cave-dwelling cult in Colorado, seven-foot, eight-inch Maurice "Slo-Mo" Finsternick knows nothing about the NBA--that is until the day he's discovered and becomes the hottest sports icon in the country.

This uproariously funny satire of pro sports is Rick Reilly at his very best. The bestselling author of the classic Missing Links has delivered again with this dead-on tale of "Slo-Mo" Finsternick, a genius player with a patented thirty-foot hook shot. Eventually, though, Slo-Mo begins to move away from his kind, truthful, polite, and self-effacing ways and gradually learns to behave like a famous athlete. Can the big man's innocence survive the charms of the big show?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An indescribable amalgam of Dave Barry, Jim Murray and Lew Grizzard, with the timing of Jay Leno and the wit of Johnny Carson, Reilly (Missing Links) may well be the funniest sportswriter in America. His second novel is an "as told to" biography of 17-year-old Maurice Finsternick, nicknamed Slo Mo, a 7'8" true innocent raised in a weird, cave-dwelling cult in Colorado. Discovered by a crafty Roto-Rooter man who becomes his agent, Slo Mo is tricked into the NBA draft. He gets picked up as a starting rookie for New Jersey, playing under legendary coach Phil Jackson in a world of giant egomaniacal players, their agents, groupies and hangers-on. Slo Mo is the extremely na?ve outsider, who understands nothing about his teammates' fascination with sex and cash; he's just waiting to be exploited. He has a hilarious malapropism for every occasion, along with a 30-foot, ambidextrous hook shot that could make him the best in the world. In a dead-on parody of the inner workings of big-time basketball, Reilly takes on the athletes themselves, the shoe company vultures, corrupt recruiters, alcohol-dazed sportswriters, sleazy agents and mindless fans. Real-life basketball players make appearancesACharles Barkley and Bryant "Big Country" ReevesAalong with the fictitious Death Dedman, who resembles Dennis Rodman but is much more dangerous. Slo Mo searches diligently for his long-missing father, is tricked into hiring an entourage of Dedman's hoodlum friends (called the "Crips," which Slo Mo mistakes for a family name instead of a gang) and falls in love with Lisa, the acrobatic daughter of the Spinning Stankowskis. Slo Mo eventually loses his na?vet? but never his innocence. There are touches of Being There and The Natural in this pseudo-autobiography that will bring tears of laughter once readers make the leap of faith and adjust to Slo Mo's tenacious, angelic personality. (Oct.) FYI: For five of the last six years, Reilly has been voted Sportswriter of the Year by his peers.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Here's a funny tale of a likable, amazingly na?ve 17-year-old, Mo Finsternick, who is plucked out of high school to play for the NBA because he's 7'8" and has an unfailing three-point shot. Raised in a cave cult, with virtually no exposure to the modern world, Slo Mo is duped by agents and jealous teammates and would have been a mark for a female stalker of professional athletes were he not protected by his inability to understand that a woman approaching him wearing only a slip is interested in him. She ends up falling for Slo Mo, and ultimately she and his old point guard buddy rescue him from the greedheads and help him find his lost family. In his second sports novel, Reilly (Missing Links) has fun depicting Phil Jackson's unique zen-cum-profanity coaching style and other oddities of NBA life. Even your nonsports fans will enjoy this one.AMarylaine Block, formerly with St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, IA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; 1 edition (October 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767905512
• ISBN-13: 978-0767905510
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow, no way!, June 24, 2004

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Slo Mo!: My Untrue Story (Hardcover)

This is the untrue autobiography of Slo Mo, a boy who grew up underground in a cave as part of a strict religious cult where he was not aloud to journey to or mix with the outside world. Being extremely tall meant he was really unsuited to cave life and the elders and other cult members didn't really want him around so he was often punished and spent his time shovelling human waste.

One day the septic pipes clogged up and the cult was forced to allow an outsider plumber in to repair them. Upon seeing the freakishly tall Slo the plumber handed him a basketball and wanted to see him dunk it. Having never seen one before Slo couldn't perform this task but hid the basketball from the man so he could play with it later to relieve boredom. He becomes a crack shot and when the plumber returns to fix the pipe again he knows he can make some serious cash off of Slo and since the cult doesn't really like Slo they have no problem with him going and playing basketball for a hefty commission on his payments.

Slo isn't that up to date with the world so this book is sort of a Forrest Gump joins the NBA type thing. His naivety is sometimes stretched beyond plausible limits in some cases but it does help the book flow along. You don't have to follow the NBA (I don't) to enjoy this great book. If you don't take it too seriously you'll really enjoy this light, fun read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satire with a heart, October 7, 2000

By 

PlanetJanet (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slo Mo!: My Untrue Story (Hardcover)

As a rabid basketball fan, I really appreciated the in-jokes about the various sterotypical characters of the NBA, both the real names and the thinly veiled aliases like Mr.Dedman. Anyone whos ever found themselves out of their depth will identify with SloMo as he struggles to fit in with the big boys. Wickedly funny, but with a real message about friendship and being true to yourself....a great read

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slo Mo! rules, November 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Slo Mo!: My Untrue Story (Hardcover)

I read Reilly's back page column every week in Sports Illustrated. It's sometimes the only page I read. Slo Mo! rules. It's funny and well written, as we have come to expect, but maybe a little wilder.