Tony Dungy's Book Quietly a Bestseller

In the four-plus months since I opened shop at All on the Field, I've received a handful of emails encouraging me to promote this TV show or that product.

Of course, I've politely declined, because I don't view myself as a marketing puppet -- err, agent -- for those companies who are just out to make a buck.

I received no such request, however, from Tony Dungy or Tyndale Publishers, who published Dungy's new book, Quiet Strength. But for some reason -- even though I've yet to read the book myself -- I still feel compelled to promote it in whatever way possible.

Actually, there are several reasons:

• Dungy is a different kind of coach. Yelling and screaming has become the norm for football coaches these days, and guys like Jon Gruden seem to think they're the 12th man out there. But Dungy maintains his composure, and even after a blown assignment, he looks as if he's asking his player what he had for breakfast that morning. I have a lot of respect for that.
  
  
• Dungy is a winner. A lot of people thought the coaching style referenced above couldn't get the job done, but the Colts proved that wrong last year. I think Dungy, who was part of the 1979 Super Bowl champion Steelers, is a more fiery competitor than people realize.
  
  
• Dungy has overcome tremendous adversity. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for Dungy to persevere until he got a shot at head coach in 1995. Becoming a head coach is a tough enough journey on its own, much less having to overcome racial stereotypes and prejudices on the way.
  
  But the bigger adversity Dungy has overcome is the suicide death of his son, James, in 2005. Dungy went through a significant grieving process, but instead of going into hiding, he used the tragedy as an opportunity to reach out to others.
  
  
• Dungy is a family man. We all know that work can take up a lot of time, energy, and thought. Whatever your job is, multiply all that times 10 and you're probably approaching what it takes to be a successful NFL coach. But Dungy swims upstream, and he has consistently made time with his family a priority.

Quiet Strength is about to become a bestseller, so I don't know how much additional promotion it needs. What I do know is that Tony Dungy is a heck of a man, a rare example of a sports figure we can look up to on and off the field.

So, even if you're not a Colts fan -- or even much of a football fan -- do me a favor and go pick up a copy of the book. I will if you will.



UPDATE: For those of you who found this post by a Google search, welcome to All on the Field. Please feel free to take a look around, read a few other posts, and definitely check back in.

Since writing this post almost three weeks ago, I have kept my end of the "bargain" by buying Dungy's book. I'm about halfway through it, so I can give you a brief review.

If you're looking for a book about Xes and Os, this isn't it. Dungy definitely talks football, but only in the greater context of life and values. Of course, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise if you know anything about the man.

Quiet Strength talks about a lot of the values Dungy lives by, such as faith, patience, and perseverance. Dungy realizes that these qualities supersede anything that take place on the football field, and his life is a testament to that fact.

Midsummer Blockbuster -- With a Twist

Okay, so I was wrong when I predicted that there wouldn't be any blockbuster deals at the MLB trading deadline.

Many minor (and a few somewhat major) deals were swung in baseball today, but it was the NBA that stole the show. As I am short on time and energy this evening, I'll put down a few thoughts and point you to a couple of good links on the day's goings on.

In baseball, the Texas Rangers stole the show. You may be wondering what in the world I'm talking about, but they received a boatload of highly-rated prospects in two separate deals. Yes, they gave up slugger Mark Texiera and lights-out closer Eric Gagne, but they also saved a ton of money and made huge progress toward the future.

The Rangers weren't going anywhere this year anyway, but I have a lot of respect for Jon Daniels' forward-thinking. Look for the Rangers to contend in 2-3 years; how does a Rangers-Marlins World Series sound in 2010?

For much more in-depth analysis of today's baseball trades, I'd recommend MLB Trade Rumors.

But the truly momentous news of the day belonged to the Boston Celtics, who landed Kevin Garnett. It's not every day you can add a five year 20-10-5 guy, and it's not every season when you can fill your lineup with the likes of Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.

Celtics' GM Danny Ainge clearly expects this team to win now, but I'd be surprised if they do. The talent is obviously there, but I have a lot of questions about how three superstars will gel together. Two was a crowd in Los Angeles; why are we to believe three will be company in Beantown?

Time will tell, though. In the meantime, check out a post on the subject by Andrew at Empty the Bench, who thinks the deal was a great one for both sides.

How to Sell a Book, by Jose Canseco

While two of his more honorable contemporaries spent the weekend in Cooperstown, Jose Canseco tried to grab some headlines of his own.

Canseco, whose noted literary career continues with a second book this fall, claims he has some "other stuff" on Alex Rodriguez.

Powerful words from a powerful man, and it makes us all wonder, could "other stuff" mean steroids?

In Canseco's own words, "wait and see."

Ladies and gentlemen, that's how you sell a book.

In all seriousness, I predict Canseco will say that he witnessed or heard about Rodriguez taking amphetamines. It would be sort of a big deal if we found out A-Rod was using the Greenies now, but before 2006 everybody did it. In fact, not using was considered the exception.

I speculate, but I seriously doubt that actual steroids are part of the equation.

As for Canseco's credibility on the subject, I have mixed feelings. Canseco and Rodriguez were never teammates, but they played in the same league for eight years.

Canseco also doesn't strike me as the most trustworthy of sources, but much of what he wrote in Juiced has been proven true. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have predicted Palmeiro to be using the juice.

One thing I know for sure is that Canseco is not winning any friends in the baseball establishment, and any attempts for a 19th comeback as a right-handed, knuckle-curve throwing specialist out of the bullpen is looking doubtful.

Anything to sell a book and make a buck, I guess.

Putting the "Dead" in Deadline

There was a time when the MLB trade deadline was my favorite part of the season.

Not that long ago, it wasn't unusual to see the likes of Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire change uniforms mid-July. Now, we're forced to settle for deals like Kenny Lofton to the Indians and Tadahito Iguchi to the Phillies.

Am I supposed to get excited about that?

Don't get me wrong, I think both of those were good deals for the contending teams, but it's not as if we're about to witness a huge shift in the balance of power. Paul Konerko, Roy Oswalt, Mark Texiera, and Troy Glaus are all rumored to be on the move, but I think rumors are all we'll get.

There are a lot of factors involved in deals that do and don't go down, and I don't claim to be an expert on the subject. But two possible explanations come to mind.

First, player contracts have taken on an extraordinary level of complexity in recent years. At one time, you agreed to play for a certain team for X number of dollars for X number of years, and that was that. These days, though, agents wheel and deal and get things like no-trade clauses, limited no-trade clauses, player options, and the like.

The power of the player, the incredibly high dollar amounts involved, and luxury tax issues combine to make settling on a deal more difficult than ever.

Secondly, the implementation of the Wild Card makes more teams believe that they can contend for a playoff spot, and beyond that, a World Series. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Giants general manager Brian Sabean hinted that his team could still be looking to improve come the July 31 deadline. And San Francisco was entrenched in the cellar at that point!

When 24 out of the 30 teams in baseball consider themselves buyers, you have a limited supply of talent available. The teams that are sellers know this and often raise the price tag to match the perceived demand. Then, most of the 24 buyers walk away in disgust.

If you're a fan of a contending team (and I mean a real contending team, not those seven or eight pretenders that round out the 24 buyers), good for you. Enjoy the pennant race. But for the rest of us, the next week won't be much better than the rest.

If it's trading action and new blood you're looking for, you'll probably have to wait until November.

MLB: Who's Hot, Who's Not

Who's Hot

• New York Yankees - The hard-charging Yanks have won six in a row and eight of their past ten. Granted, three of the victories have come over the lowly Kansas City Royals, but a win is a win, and New York is just 6.5 games behind Boston in the AL East. At least one blogger has predicted a coup of the division, but the Yankees may soon be making believers of all of us.
  
  
• Ryan Howard - After a rather slow start to the season, Ryan Howard is feeling it. He's got a Major League-leading 12 dingers in the last month, including a walk-off in last night's extra-inning victory over the Nationals.
  


• Alex Rodriguez - Yes, we all know that A-Rod has cooled off after his superhuman start to the season. But he's continuing to make an airtight case for AL MVP. His 35 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 96 runs are all tops in the Major Leagues. Oh yeah, and with one more round-tripper, he'll have 500 for his career. Maybe he'll do it tomorrow on his 32nd birthday.
  
  
• Ryan Braun - This guy's been hot all season, but we've only seen him since the end of May. Since being called up May 24, Braun has hit .346 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs. Prior to being called up, however, Braun had already racked up 10 home runs and 22 RBIs. Quite a season by any standard. If I was voting, it would be tough not to name this guy Rookie of the Year.
  
  
  

Who's Not

• Hunter Pence - Pence, who many believed to be the frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year, received word Monday that he'd fractured his wrist on a swing Sunday. Pence will miss 4-6 weeks with the injury.
  


• Seattle Mariners - Talk about streaky. Just a week ago, the Mariners were the team everyone was talking about. Now, they've lost six straight, including one on a blown save by J.J. Putz last night. It was his first blown save this season.
  


• Barry Bonds - Yes, Bonds is on the cusp of breaking one of baseball's most hallowed records, but it seems like everyone is in a hurry to get it over with. Everyone, that is, except Barry. Since his two homer game July 19, Bonds is 2-14 with two singles and two DNPs. At this pace, we may be well into August before "the chase" is over.
  


• Randy Johnson - It had to happen with one of these 40-something pitchers eventually. Johnson is struggling to return from a back injury, and he hasn't pitched in nearly a month. Johnson acknowledged that the end may be near for the Big Unit.

Patrick Arnold "Clears" up Barry Bonds Scandal

It's not breaking news, but it's another nail in Barry Bonds' coffin.

Patrick Arnold, long regarded as a big fish in the performance enhancing drug community, affirmed his belief that Bonds and Gary Sheffield used "the clear." If this was the first (or tenth, for that matter) such allegation, Bonds would be quaking in his boots.

But this kind of news has become routine.

Back in the days before they'd become famous authors (Game of Shadows), Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada reported about Bonds' testimony before the grand jury in 2004. Drip, drip. Thanks for the leak, Troy Ellerman!

Even then, Bonds admitted to using "the clear" that Victor Conte had supplied him. Of course, Bonds understood it to be flaxseed oil for his arthritis. Riiiiiight.

Anyway, Arnold is far from the first person to point the finger at Bonds. But as a 2006 Sports Illustrated article describes, Arnold is a huge figure in the world of illegal chemistry, and he's given credit for creating "the clear."

So while some may decry Arnold's allegations on the basis that he's crooked, I'd disagree. As creator of "the clear," Arnold might be just twisted enough to consider Barry Bonds a success story.

Anyone read Frankenstein lately?

Welcome Back, Anthony Reyes!

Congratulations to Anthony Reyes for regaining eligiblity as the worst pitcher in the major leagues this year!

Reyes, who is 0-10 with a 6.40 ERA in 12 starts this year, has spent the last three weeks in AAA Memphis. After laying an egg in his first start back on the farm, Reyes rebounded with a couple of decent outings.

Reyes' reward? A chance to worsen his abysmal record!

With the pitching corps looking awfully thin these days, the Cardinals figured they could do worse than Reyes for a spot start this weekend. That's what I call being in the right place at the right time.

Reyes should expect a phone call from Jose Contreras, thanking him for reclaiming the "worst" label. Then again, they do play in separate leagues.