2006-05-03
Steve McMichael's Tales from the Chicago Bears Sideline
Author: Steve McMichael with Phil Arvia
When I heard Mongo wrote a book, I threw it on my Christmas list. Someone thought it was an appropriate gift and picked it up for me. So it's not like I paid $19.95 for a 192 page hardcover that I finished in an afternoon -- it was a gift, and a good one. While McMichael isn't about to write anything profound, I didn't feel like I wasted the time spent reading his memoirs. And the boy will probably like reading it, since he likes football, as soon as I decide the moderate number of four-letter words aren't overpowering.
Aside from the swearing, McMichael doesn't really cover any controversial topics in this short book. I remember reading Jim McMahon's autobiography 18 or 19 years ago, and while the individual words were less shocking the stories presented were deeper and more intimidating. I've read other sports autobiographies too, and most of them presented more adult ideas than this one. Steve wrote a family-friendly book except for a couple dozen words, and that makes me wish he had kept them out.
The charismatic lineman runs through a standard chronology of his career, going from Texas to New England, then to the Bears under Neil Armstrong and Buddy Ryan, then Mike Ditka, then the 1985 Super Bowl championship year (game by game, even if he didn't have much to say for any one game), then the following, disappointing year, then the declining years of the Bears and his career, and ends up in Green Bay, where he finished his career to the chagrin of many devoted Bears fans. The 1985 year gets extra coverage with his memories of the other 21 starters as well. His wrestling career after football comes up peripherally, but gets no real attention.
If you don't know who Steve McMichael is without me telling you, don't bother with the book. There's nothing timeless in the narrow space between the covers. But if you know the name, and remember the personality, his book is good for a couple smiles on an off-season Sunday.
When I heard Mongo wrote a book, I threw it on my Christmas list. Someone thought it was an appropriate gift and picked it up for me. So it's not like I paid $19.95 for a 192 page hardcover that I finished in an afternoon -- it was a gift, and a good one. While McMichael isn't about to write anything profound, I didn't feel like I wasted the time spent reading his memoirs. And the boy will probably like reading it, since he likes football, as soon as I decide the moderate number of four-letter words aren't overpowering.
Aside from the swearing, McMichael doesn't really cover any controversial topics in this short book. I remember reading Jim McMahon's autobiography 18 or 19 years ago, and while the individual words were less shocking the stories presented were deeper and more intimidating. I've read other sports autobiographies too, and most of them presented more adult ideas than this one. Steve wrote a family-friendly book except for a couple dozen words, and that makes me wish he had kept them out.
The charismatic lineman runs through a standard chronology of his career, going from Texas to New England, then to the Bears under Neil Armstrong and Buddy Ryan, then Mike Ditka, then the 1985 Super Bowl championship year (game by game, even if he didn't have much to say for any one game), then the following, disappointing year, then the declining years of the Bears and his career, and ends up in Green Bay, where he finished his career to the chagrin of many devoted Bears fans. The 1985 year gets extra coverage with his memories of the other 21 starters as well. His wrestling career after football comes up peripherally, but gets no real attention.
If you don't know who Steve McMichael is without me telling you, don't bother with the book. There's nothing timeless in the narrow space between the covers. But if you know the name, and remember the personality, his book is good for a couple smiles on an off-season Sunday.
