Larry Brown Sports

I’m just finishing up John Madden’s book One knee equals two feet and I came across a story that was pretty humorous. Keep in mind this book was written in 1986 so the story is much funnier now that both became big time analysts. Madden was talking about certain opponents when he got to this part regarding All-Pro linebacker Tom Jackson of the Broncos:

“Tommy Jackson of the Broncos wasn’t very big, but he was a quick linebacker before there were quick linebackers. And he was the wildest linebacker I’ve ever seen. You never knew where he was going to turn up. He was tough, but not disciplined, which made him that much harder to figure out. Against a disciplined linebacker, you knew that if you did this, he would do that. But with Jackson, you had no idea. One time he might run in there, the next time he’d run out there. And for some reason he didn’t like me.

“Take that, fat man,” he would yell.

He was the only player who ever yelled at me like that. Of course, he usually yelled when the Broncos were winning, especially when they were winning in Denver.

In Oakland, he never yelled much.”

I’d love to ask Tom Jackson about that story now to see what he says. Who knows if it was just an intra-divisional competition thing or a personal thing. I’m guessing it’s the former considering division rivalries still exist and I’m also figuring Madden is including the PG version of the story. By the way, if you really miss Madden’s analysis since he’s retired, One Knee Equals Two Feet is a fun read. Despite being almost 25-years-old, it’s not out-dated but rather a good history lesson (or refresher if you enjoyed that era of football).

Book reviews was always an element I wanted to add to the site since its inception. For some reason or another, I never got around to it until now. Maybe it just took the right book. Josh Hamilton’s book just came out, and it’s called Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back. I was pretty harsh on the media for their overbearing display in regard to Josh Hamilton at the Home Run Derby. While I don’t disagree with what I wrote at the time since it was directed towards the media, all those gaga feelings started to come back when I read the book.

To start, Tim Keown did an excellent job taking Hamilton’s story and putting it into words. His sentence structure and syntax made it an excellent and smooth ride. Hamilton’s story took care of the rest. I think what really sets Hamilton apart as you learn in the book, is how great he was as a young kid. As a six-year-old, he apparently was so good he was playing on his brother’s 11-12 year-old team — and producing. He was groomed to become a baseball player, working out and practicing constantly. As an 18-year-old when he was first drafted, he beat Jose Canseco in a home run derby during one of Tampa Bay’s pre-game batting practice sessions. The kid could hit 500 foot home runs in high school. He was just awesome. Superhuman. After taking you from his childhood background through the time he was drafted and the first couple years in the minors, the book then starts to get inside Hamilton’s head to see what led to his downfall.

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