sla book review: grasping the ring

grasping the ring

Reviewed by Duncan Jamieson, Ashland University

JANUARY 8, 2010 archive

Grasping the Ring

Gene Budig, president of baseball's American League from 1994 to 2000, president of Illinois State University and chancellor of the University of Kansas, profiles nine men from a variety of sports and backgrounds. From owners George Steinbrenner and Jerry Reisdorf to coaches Tom Osborne and Ray Williams to players Larry Doby and Gale Sayers, Budig has covered baseball, basketball, and football. Two politicians and one newspaper founder, whose accomplishments are less sports related, round out the nine – Bob Kerrey, Bob Dole and Allen Neuharth. The commonality seems to be they are all friends and associates of Budig.

While there is no denying these nine men have had tremendous influence on sports in particular and American society in general, nothing other than a connection to the author seems to bind them. In each vignette, Budig discusses his relationship with the man, emphasizing how that relationship is important to the author to the point that the reader questions who is being honored. However interesting and possibly informative, there is little here that will be of interest to sports enthusiasts. I would venture to say that anyone reading this already knows more about George Steinbrenner or Bob Kerrey than will be found in these brief selections. Further, and perhaps more distressing, Budig appears to be writing off the cuff. To cite a few examples, from the Kerrey piece, Budig describes briefly his bid for the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination, which according to Budig failed due to a lack of finances and poor organization. In the very next paragraph, however, Budig describes Kerrey as "a highly successful fundraiser and a leader to be reckoned with." While I do not know much of Kerrey's 1992 bid, it seems as if it foundered for reasons other than fundraising and leadership. Relative to Neuharth, Budig simply dismisses without comment any criticism of USA Today, taking its popularity as a sure indicator of its worth. Whatever one's opinion of the paper, there must be some recognition of its critics.

Some depth and analysis could have made this piece more interesting and worthwhile, as would more separation on the part of the author. A unifying theme for choosing the nine people would provide for an intriguing narrative. An explanation about what makes these men "unique winners in life and sports, " as suggested in the subtitle, would have helped. Finally, and not in an attempt only to be politically correct, are there no women known to Budig who are "unique winners in life and sports?"

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