Writing a book is not easy, Dan.

So after hearing old Scratchy (Jim’s nickname if you didn’t know) absolutely bomb while being interviewed to “promote” this “book” I couldn’t look away. On Dan L he came across as quite pompous and arrogant, and when D. A. lobbed up they type of softball question Jim is known for asking his interviewees, only to have scratchy start babbling incoherent nonsense, I was fascinated. How could someone who is known for only interviewing GOATS (athletes commonly discussed amongst the Greatest Of All Time) be so horrible at being interviewed himself. Was he having a rough time for some reason around this book or could it be a sort of idiot savant situation? Either way, old Scratchy was in front of some of the most acclaimed athletes of all time, and I figured this book would be a safe bet to at least be interesting in that regard. Boy was I wrong.

I must say I am reviewing the audiobook, and I did not care for it at all. Starting with Bob Costas “announcing” the chapters over some sort of junk stadium sound, to the corny, overproduced audio effects and poorly recorded testimonials from some of the GOATS, it all screamed like it was trying to convince us Jim has friends. I don’t think Jim has friends. Jim knows people and people may or may not know him. Still, if this man has found himself in the presence of greatness time and time again, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

I’m too young to really know about the Pete Rose thing, but the rest of the GOATS in this book are more contemporary and definitely interesting. Jim recently said he was most proud of his interview with Mike Tyson, and after a cheesy introduction by Tom Brady we jump right into Tyson.

So I’m not going to go into every chapter but please listen when I tell you not to buy this audiobook. Maybe if I read it instead of hearing Jim swear like Mike Tyson for effect (a quite bad effect) I would have a different opinion, but honestly I don’t think so. I can not find one single redeeming quality in this audiobook, or even in Jim from what I can tell.

It seems to me that Jim has gotten access to all of these GOATS because they all know he doesn’t have any journalistic integrity and won’t ask them any questions that they aren’t prepared to answer. I wouldn’t be surprised if these GOATS tell Jim what questions he is going to ask them. After hearing Jim being interviewed several years ago at the Super Bowl by T&R, then recently in “promoting” this “book” I actually started to feel bad for the man. What a mistake.

Not only does Jim lack any semblance of professionalism whatsoever, he’s just not a nice man. One answer he gave to a question by Dan L on the radio is the title of this review. “Writing a book is not easy, Dan.” Yes Jim you proved that just because you happened to be in the same place at the same time as some of the greatest athletes of our generation that does not mean you have anything interesting to say.

9 people found this helpful

Reveals Something Other than What Gray Intended.

Can I just observe before starting that a lot of the favorable reviews look suspicious? One or two lines of superlatives written by people who have never written an Audible review before?

There are two chapters I like in the book - one at the beginning about Ali and the one at the end about Gray's father. Both are heartfelt.

The rest of the book shows the one flaw in Gray's otherwise successful career. This is the one that fans booed him for when he interviewed Pete Rose as part of the Mastercard 100 greatest baseball players celebration. It's the same that led to criticism of "The Decision" with LeBron James. Gray sometimes fails to see the context of his stories - the setting, the mood of spectators. His friend Bob Costas excels at this, as Gray seems to recognize.

How does this apply to the other chapters in the book? Too often, it seems that Gray is more interested in showing off himself than in revealing interesting stories about his purported subjects. I started to anticipate that there would be a story in each chapter about how the celebrity would acknowledge Gray's achievements, whether as a presenter at an award show honoring Gray or in some other way. It also felt that Gray was showing off in being friends with most of the people covered. How great am I, friends with Ali, Dr. J, Tom Brady, and Mike Tyson?

The failure to anticipate how things will be perceived is apparent in the introductory and acknowledgement sections, too. Bob Costas highlighting the chapters of the book as if they were a batting lineup seems like a funny idea until you realize there are 19 chapters to get though. Snoop reading acknowledgements would have been funny if it were a one-minute bit, but it goes on for 10-minutes plus.

I have no doubt that Jim Gray is a great guy. He has lots of friends who trust him, and he must be a warm person. Featuring his friends more and himself less would have made this a better book.

5 people found this helpful

Easy to Dislike- this book and Jim Gray

I hoped this would be a series of stories about great athletes. Mini biographies and interesting anecdotes from Gray...IT IS NOT. It is an autobiography of Jim Gray. It is mostly about him and his oversized ego and claims of grandiose impact on legends. The man has no self awareness. Nobody really thinks about Gray much because he is just a glorified sideline reporter. This book confirms he is an arrogant self-centered jackass. Stories about his failures are filled with excuses and blaming others. He seems extremely defensive and thin skinned. If you want a book about athletics and great athletes this isn’t it- despite the title. If you want a book about Jim Gray (and who would), this is for you.

For a TV reporter, he is an awful reader of his own material. Zero stars for performance.

25% of this book was enjoyable (thus 2 stars). The boxing stuff is quite good (Tyson and Ali). Brady stuff could be good, but a little too much about Brady being his bff. The rest is total garbage.

4 people found this helpful

Great book

This book was awesome. I thought Jim Gray did a great job reading the book, as well as mixing in other celebrity personalities. I did not know his experience was so vast but the stories he tells are perfect for the sports enthusiast. And Jim reveals personal details and tells his stories with honesty and humility. I’ve told all my sports friends to get the book. Thanks for sharing all the personal stories and the inside information.

2 people found this helpful

Amazing

Absolutely amazing and best book of the year in my opinion. Sports fans will love it for sure

2 people found this helpful

OMG … the best sports book (maybe book) I’ve ever read..

This is a must read , it’s fun to read if you love sports history, icon stories and learning the impact sport icons have on society, and humanity . It’s a well written, well paced story - and you’ll find a treasure having Jim Gray, himself narrate this book. Reading it for a second time now.

1 person found this helpful

Wow, great book

I would recommend this book to all sports fans.

I only got this book because it was on a two books for one credit deal. Was pleasantly surprised!

I am blind, so I only know Jim Gray from the pregame of Monday night football where he is usually fawning over Tom Brady. I know he’s the greatest. I found myself really enjoying all of his stories. And I like it when the author reads his book. I especially liked the part with George W. Bush after 911 and the chapter about Pete Rose. I didn’t realize all he went through because of an interview. Just the whole performance is great. I am only halfway through and I had to stop and review this. I am glad I had the opportunity to listen to this book.

1 person found this helpful

Long but worth the listen!

It takes a while to get through it, but Jim keeps your interest by the characters and stories. There was a sincerity with Jim that you can feel, even more than other audio books that feature the author as the reader.

1 person found this helpful

Great Book

Highly recommend for any sports fan, really well done. A great listen, inspiring! Fascinating stories.

1 person found this helpful

outstanding

easily makes my top 10 sports book collection…
so much more insight into all of what goes in
to everything competitive combined with
a Man i now admire 500% more!