But just like its predecessor 'Pass the Nuts' the title is a predictor of how you will read the book. Whether salty peanuts or another draft, it's sometimes hard to stop. And that's how reading Coughlin's book is. You read a story, then another, then another. You look at the clock and figure you can squeeze one more in. Then another, then another.
The book is a collection of short stories, in no particular order, so it's like you ran into the author in a bar and listened in on some wild tales. The stories are fascinating - especially for a Cleveland sports fan. Some are funny, some sad and some illuminating.
As a lifetime Cleveland sports fan I thought I knew all the details on Ted Stepien and the Cavs, Mickey McBride, Paul Brown, Otto Graham and the rest of the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Indians. But the author gave insights I never knew. How different would things have been if Edward DeBartolo had bought the Tribe?
Some characters return from the first two books, like Junior O'Malley and Dennis Lustig, with fresh tales.
Sports Writers and Characters - Dan Coughlin and Dennis Lustig
Like most Cleveland sports fans I am a Browns, Indians and Cavs guy. Tennis, boxing, cars, horse racing are a distant second in interest but Coughlin tells the stories so well I want to start following the other sports.
Just like the keg in one of his favorite bars, I hope Coughlin isn't tapped out and has another volume or two of these stories ready to go. These 220 pages went way too fast.
Slainte.
Don't miss the official ClevelandSeniors.Com profile of Dan Coughlin from 2011.
Reviewed by Dan Hanson
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