By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.
Who doesn’t love a good book? Thankfully for sports fans, there is no shortage of excellent sports-related reads – from inspiring biographies and histories to hard-hitting exposés and compelling novels. I’ve probably read hundreds of sports books – and even wrote a few – starting with a biography of Walt Frazier when I was in the fourth grade. This trivia quiz is for all the bookworms out there. Enjoy!
1. Which book below was NOT authored by John Feinstein?
A. “A Season on the Brink”
B. “The League”
C. “A Good Walk Spoiled”
2. What major league ballplayer wrote the controversial 1970 book, “Ball Four”?
A. Jim Bouton
B. Catfish Hunter
C. Vida Blue
3. Name the author who gained fame by participating in professional sports, then writing about his experiences?
A. Dennis Ackerman
B. Alfred Romanski
C. George Plimpton
4. What former University of Hawaii receiver authored the 2007 tell-all, “Once a Warrior”?
A. Ryan Grice-Mullen
B. CJ Hawthorne
C. Ian Sample
5. What book centered around author Rick Telander spending two summers in Brooklyn, New York, immersing himself in the lives of a group of basketball-loving teenagers?
A. “The City Game”
B. “Heaven is a Playground”
C. “My Summer in Brooklyn”
6. What NBA team is the subject of David Halberstam’s 1981 book, “The Breaks of the Game”?
A. Portland Trailblazers
B. Philadelphia 76ers
C. Los Angeles Lakers
7. What former University of Hawaii head coach co-authored, “The Rainbow Circle of Excellence”?
A. June Jones
B. Dave Shoji
C. Riley Wallace
8. What former professional head coach wrote the 1993 motivational book, “The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players”?
A. Pat Riley
B. Mike Ditka
C. Phil Jackson
9. Who penned the 1972 book, “The Boys of Summer” – a nostalgic look at the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers?
A. Terrence Mann
B. Roger Khan
C. Ben Friedman
10. What best describes the focus of Terry Pluto’s 1990 book, “Loose Balls”?
A. A semi-fictional account chronicling a year in the life of PGA veteran John Daly
B. An oral history of the rise and fall of the American Basketball Association (ABA)
C. A collection of stories about MLB players, umpires and broadcasters in the wild 1970s
ANSWERS:
1 – B. Thus far, Feinstein has penned 42 books. “The League” is not one of them.
2 – A. The tell-all was so controversial at the time that then-MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to get Bouton to sign a letter declaring that it was a work of fiction.
3 – C. Among his exploits, Plimpton pitched in an MLB exhibition game, sparred with Sugar Ray Robinson, trained as a goalie for the Boston Bruins and (most famously) played quarterback for the Detroit Lions during training camp.
4 – C. Ian Sample.
5 – B. President Barack Obama called it “the best basketball book I’ve ever read.”
6 – A. The book chronicled the Trailblazers’ turbulent 1979-80 season, just three years removed from winning the NBA championship.
7 – C. Wallace wrote the book with Michael John D’Andrea and Judy Daniels.
8 – A. Pat Riley.
9 – B. Roger Khan.
10 – B. The book was about the short and tumultuous life of the ABA and included interviews with league stars such as Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Dan Issel, Larry Brown, Doug Moe and Steve Jones.
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