Ok, so this is not a golf book. Why did I review it? Because this book is about the essence of one man being in the moment in sports. That is what it is all about, right. I mean Tiger Woods transcends golf because he gave us his all and was in the moment unlike only a handful of great golfers in the past. As sports fanatics, we eat that up!
That is why I read books like this. Al Michaels is a player with his voice. Only a few people are lucky in the media business to earn chops as reputable as his. The book You Can't Make This Up delves into his beginnings as a sports beat personality that transported him to Hawaii, on his way to events in the states, that have shaped the sports world and have made him a superstar. Along the way, the book sprinkles name-dropped vignettes onto us that keep the read fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining.
Al Michaels is a lucky guy, as he so often states in his book. The kind of luck we mere mortals can feel part of with this fabulous book.
Many great stories, but one that stood out was the historic Team USA Olympic game he called. He was chosen to do the play-by-play because he was the only broadcaster at the time who had an iota of experience calling hockey games....his experience? A game...(yes 1 game) he called in 1972, the gold medal game in Japan. How did he get that gig? Because the other announcers were busy with other assignments. Divine Intervention happens in may ways...there's one you can put in your pipe and smoke!
This book is fantastic, read it enjoy.
Keep it in the short-grass,
JFB
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