Charles Ashbacher Reviews

  Review of Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber, ISBN 9780312361983 Five out of five stars A parable for change   The use of a parable goes back millennia, one of the best at using them was Plato. His parable of the cave is very powerful and is still used to teach philosophy and our inherently limited understanding of the physical world. An effective parable does not have to rely on precise physical accuracy to be an effective learning tool.   In this book, the main characters are sentient penguins that are capable of many human activities. They live on an iceberg in Antarctica and their world seems to be stable, so there is no perceived need to change. However, there are a few that realize that their iceberg is slowly melting and is in danger of breaking apart, leading to the deaths of most of the colony.   Like all existential threats, there is a wide spectrum of views on the issue, ...

Review of You Can’t Make This Up: Miracles, Memories, and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television , by Al Michaels with L. Jon Wertheim, ISBN 9780062314963 Five out of five stars Autobiography of a broadcasting legend   It is likely that the most iconic phrase ever uttered by a sports broadcaster was the famous line that Al Michaels said in the last seconds of the U. S. victory over the Soviet hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics. It was the right phrase at the right time and even though I saw it when it happened, it still gives me thrills to see it again.   Michaels has had a long, varied and extensive career in broadcasting sports, and he has worked with some of the best. He has also rubbed virtual shoulders with many celebrities in and out of sports. This book is an autobiography that focuses on his experiences with the stars and the liars and cheats that are in the media business.   His discussion of two people alone make the book worth reading. T...

  Review of My 25 Years At the Cincinnati Enquirer , by Jim Borgman, ISBN 0963044257 Five out of five stars Great sample of the work of a master   Jim Borgman was the longtime editorial cartoonist for the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. He was a master of his craft, as can be seen in this selection of some of his best work. The best cartoonists are capable of taking a single image and a minimum of text to drive a virtual skewer through the heart of the most powerful of people.   Presidents, members of Congress and celebrities in other fields are all the targets of the cartoons in this collection. Especially poignant are those featuring Pete Rose in his fall from Cincinnati icon to banned gambler. The explanatory caption describes Borgman’s sadness at having to create a cartoon featuring Rose after the negative revelations. In my opinion, the   best in the collection are those that pay tribute to those that recently passed. The one where an infant is crawli...

  Review of Mister Shortstop , by Duane Decker Five out of five stars Decker fills the shortstop position of the Blue Sox   Andy Pearson is a shortstop currently playing for a team at the bottom of the league. He is a shortstop that has bounced around for years with the phrase “utility infielder” all over him. However, late in the season the famed Blue Sox pick him up on waivers. Their longtime shortstop has reached the point where he simply doesn’t cover big league ground anymore.   Andy takes over the shortstop position on the Blue Sox and they improve, but not enough to finish higher than third place. The next season he is in competition with Slick Hammill, a man that fits the name. He is brash, outspoken, capable, but underneath it all, insecure when the pressure is on. He makes great plays when the game is not on the line, but fumbles when it really counts.   Andy keeps plugging away and is on the verge of being traded once again. However, some event...

  Review of Ten Rings: My Championship Seasons , by Yogi Berra with Dave Kaplan ISBN 0060513810 Five out of five stars Yogi Berra won more World Series than anyone else   One of the all time great players as well as characters, Yogi Berra was a member of ten Yankee teams that won the World Series. This is more than anyone else, with fellow Yankee Joe DiMaggio second with nine. While there have been many books written by and about Yogi, this one is a very selective autobiography. As the title implies, while there is some background concerning his youth, the focus is on the years 1947-1962, when the Yankees were dominant.   Berra describes some of the high points of the championship regular seasons as well as those of the World Series. He also spends some time explaining the years when the Yankees lost in the World Series and the times when they failed to win the American League pennant. It was a time when players were bound to a team via the reserve clause, so th...

  Review of The Good, the Bad & the Ugly Buffalo Bills: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping and Gut-wrenching Moments in Buffalo Bills History , by Scott Pitoniak ISBN 9781600780080 Five out of five stars High and lowlights of the franchise This book is a collection of short segments of text with images describing the main highs and lows of the Buffalo Bills franchise. While there are a few that deal with pro football in Buffalo before the franchise was formed as part of the American Football League in 1960, the focus is on what happened during and after 1960. It is an entertaining look at one of the most successful franchises in professional sports. Although they appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls, they never managed to win the game. No other team has appeared in more than three straight Super Bowls.   Although the author clearly has a bias towards the Bills, it is easy to overlook that feature, for the writing is not overly laudatory. All football fans will enjo...

  Review of Galactica Discovers Earth, Part 1, Episode 1 of Galactica 1980 Three out of five stars Some good points, but inherent weakness   Like many others, I was extremely disappointed when the television series “Battlestar Galactica” was cancelled after one season. While I questioned many of the absurd plot points, the general trend of the series was entertaining. Therefore, I was pleased when I viewed the promos for the reboot called “Galactica 1980.”   The time is many years after the destruction of the colonies where the Galactica led the survivors on a trek for Earth. The premise is that the fleet has encountered Earth, but a powerful Cylon force is close behind. Once it is clear that Earth is well behind the colonies in technology, rather than proceed to Earth and put it in danger, the decision is made to veer off and send small teams to Earth with the goal being to accelerate the pace of technological advancement. This introduces the first major plot h...

  Review of Duel Between the First Ironclads , by William C. Davis Five out of five stars While neither ship was destroyed, it was historic   In 1862, two very oddly shaped and for the time constructed, ships battled in what was essentially a one-on-one duel. On the Confederate side was the former USS Merrimack, scuttled and then raised for the Confederate Navy. It was then covered with iron plating and renamed the CSS Virginia. On the Union side was the ironclad called the USS Monitor. On March 8, 1862, these two ships met in battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia at the mouth of the James River.   The Virginia had already demonstrated how destructive it was as it previously rammed and sank the U S S Cumberland before the Monitor arrived. The Cumberland did not give up without a fight, but their cannonballs simply bounced off the Virginia.   Davis does an excellent job in setting the background of the context, from the Union blockade of the Confederate ports ...

  Review of Swan of the East, The Life and Death of the German Cruiser “Emden” in World War I , by Edwin P. Hoyt Five out of five stars Account of a part of the war not widely covered   When there is a mention of naval activity between German forces and those of the Entente in World War I, most of the time it either refers to Jutland or submarine warfare. Rarely is there a mention of the small fighting ships that prowled in the main sea lanes to attack commercial ships of the other side. This book covers the Emden, a German ship that operated primarily in the Indian Ocean. It was a commerce raider that avoided warships, concentrating on unarmed merchant ships. While it was very successful, the law of averages eventually caught up with it and it was attacked and sunk by a far more powerful Allied ship.   What is very clear from this story is how chivalrous the captain and crew of the Emden acted towards their victims. When it was on the prowl, the Emden was accom...

  Review of A Briefer History of Time , by Stephen Hawking with Leonard Mlodinow ISBN 9780593056974 Five out of five stars Nobody writes popular science better than Hawking   The overall area of cosmology encompasses two of the most complex and difficult concepts in science. Relativity and quantum mechanics. When Albert Einstein first proposed the general theory of relativity it was said that there were only two people in the world that understood it. Nobel prize winning Richard Feynmann famously said, “You don’t ever understand quantum mechanics, you just get used to it.” In cosmology, both of these concepts have to be combined.   Given this formidable combination, this book is a very effective popular rendition of these two concepts and how they interact in the making of the universe we inhabit. Hawking explains how the universe is expanding and the detailed evidence for the beginning known as the “big bang.” The question as yet unresolved is whether the unive...

  Review of Full Court Press , by Dick Friendlich Four out of five stars Contrasting styles of play leads to conflict   Dan Forrest is a very good history teacher and a first year basketball coach at Southcliff High School. The town is very much into supporting the basketball team, often to the point where some people cross the line. In previous years under the other coach, the team played an offense minded game, shooting quickly, relying on the number of shots rather than the quality.   Forrest has a different approach to the game, he stresses deliberate offense and a strong, relenting defense. The best player is center Dale Cantwell, and he wants to play the wide open offense where he can score and attract the attention of college recruiters. For Dale needs an athletic scholarship if he is to attend a more prestigious college. Things come to a head when Dale transfers to Southcliff’s main rival rather than accept the new system. The remaining team is now not e...

  Review of Belles of the Ballpark , by Diana Star Helmer, ISBN 1562942301 Five out of five stars Women played baseball hard and well   While it has taken the production of the 1992 movie, “A League of Their Own” to place the history of women’s baseball in the public consciousness, the history is very real. A league called the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League  (AAGPBL) was formed in 1943 when World War II was raging and ran until 1954. Initially a social and financial success, a series of poor financial decisions ultimately doomed the league.   This book covers the formation of the league until it ended. The league was primarily created by the owner of the Chicago Cubs, P. K. Wrigley. A notorious skinflint with the Cubs, Wrigley was relatively free spending when it came to the AAGPBL. The salaries that the female players received were very high compared to what they could earn otherwise. The most memorable sentence in the book was uttered by...

  Review of The Ultimate Guide to Bond , by Hollywood Spotlight Five out of five stars Brief, entertaining summaries of Bond films   This book contains summaries of all the Bond films up through “Spectre.” Through this series, there have been several actors playing James Bond, some great and occasionally recurring villains, imaginatively created henchmen, entertaining players supporting Bond, a series of beautiful women and great gotta have ‘em gadgets. Within the mix there are also some great songs and interesting background information regarding the production. No one can forget the first time Sean Connery said, “My name is Bond, James Bond” in the movie “Dr. No.” Many other very memorable phrases and stunts sweeten the Bond genre.   Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, was in fact a British intelligence officer during World War II, so he had an actual background in the world of spycraft. Therefore, the origin of the character is based on some actual backgr...

  Review of Fast Man On a Pivot , by Duane Decker Five out of five stars Teammates note quality play even if others don’t Bud Walker is a second baseman who is the best pivot man on the double play. However, even though he has all the skills to play the position for the major league Blue Sox, he has remained in the minor leagues for several years. Finally, it appears that he will be given his chance. Unfortunately, the Blue Sox sign a flashy second baseman named Devlin to a huge bonus. Walker is anything but flashy, so Devlin becomes an immediate crowd favorite. The other members of the Blue Sox think otherwise, Devlin is so obnoxious and full of himself that he creates a great deal of dissension on the team.   While Devlin is playing second, the Blue Sox languish in the second division. However, Devlin is injured in a collision and Walker takes over at second. The Blue Sox begin winning and reach a tie for first. However, the fans begin screaming for Devlin, booin...

  Review of Relief Pitcher , by Dick Friendlich Four out of five stars Recovering from injury to body and mind   Pete Conroy is a very promising infielder with great range and an active bat. He is also very knowledgeable about baseball, so it appears that he will make the majors. However, a hot-dogging young player spikes him in the leg, reducing his ability to cover as much ground as before. It now appears that he will remain in the minor leagues throughout his career. Since he is still able to play at a lower level and knows the game so well, he is assigned as a manager to a low-level minor league team.   Due to poor planning by people higher up in the organization, Conroy’s team is short of pitchers, so when his team is far behind, Pete pitches. He repeats this a couple of times and finds that he has excellent control and has some good movement on the ball. After some success, he is told to give up pitching.   When Pete chooses to quit baseball rather ...

  Review of Midwest Farming as Portrayed by a Selection From Ding’s Cartoons , by Jay N. Darling Five out of five stars Farming as only Ding can express it   As a lifelong Iowan and sometimes farmer, I am familiar with the ups and downs of farming. Crop and livestock prices rise and fall, sometimes with justification and other times seemingly without reason. Even more fickle is the weather, where one farmer can get an inch of badly needed rain while one a few miles away will get almost nothing. Government assistance is often just as unpredictable, price supports and acreage set asides come and go, creating additional uncertainty in the markets.   Jay N. Darling, signing his name as Ding, was an exceptional cartoonist at capturing the wild and unpredictable life of a person trying to make a living from the soil. There are years of incredible bounty in harvests and revenue, especially during the two world wars. This was followed by collapsing farm prices due to ov...

  Review of Nerves , by Lester Del Rey ISBN 0345301935 Five out of five stars In 1956 he predicted 1986   This book is what I consider Lester Del Rey’s best story. While he engages in a great deal of poetic license regarding the basics of nuclear physics, the fundamental story is very real. The premise is that a major accident takes place at a nuclear reactor. The reactor is used to produce energy as well as nuclear material used commercially. It is a massive facility and there is a growing anti-nuclear movement in the country. While it is not anti-nuclear, the goal of the movement is to have nuclear plants located in extremely remote areas so that any catastrophic accident will at most lead to deaths at the plant itself.   The manager of the plant receives a request to produce a nuclear material that can be used as a pesticide, so he delegates a portion of the plant to produce it. He believes that if they can be shown to be saving major crops, people will belie...