Always By My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other

Excellent insight into sports

Anyone who really follows sports would love this book. Parents and kids alike could gain much from it. We get no where in life without a good work ethic and enthusiam.

Interesting, but not what it could have been

If you are not a sports fan, the name Jim Nantz probably won't mean much to you. If, however, you have been watching sports at all during the last twenty years, you have almost certainly heard him. Jim Nantz has been the voice of The Masters, the NCAA Final Four, NFL Football and the Superbowl during his long tenure at CBS Sports. In Always by my Side, Jim has compiled stories spanning his entire sports broadcasting career, from his youth when he would call games in his home until 2007 which saw him do what no sports broadcaster had ever done - call the Superbowl, the Final Four and The Masters in the same year. Throughout all of the stories, he ties everything back to his relationship with his father, the example and advise his father gave him and the unfortunate downward journey his father has taken as he has been consumed by Alzheimer's disease.

The stories include a staggering number of famous sports luminaries including Dick Enberg, Curt Gowdy, Jim McKay, Chris Schenkel, Pat Summerall, Jack Whitaker, and his friendships with people such as former president George H. W. Bush, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski, John Wooden, and many others.

The book paints a picture of a man who has worked really hard and had a lot of great breaks to become one of the most well known and respected sports announcers in the world. Jim spends a great deal of time tying together the relationships between all of these people and his relationship with his father. I would have preferred it if the stories had gone much deeper. In many cases the stories are barely touched upon and leave a lot of questions. Also, the chronology of the story really jumps around. At times it is difficult to figure out where he is going or what period of time he is talking about. The narration jumps back and forth between events in different decades without any really compelling reason to do it. The book has the feel of being patched together out of a pile of disjointed stories through the miracle of cut-and-paste word processing.

In spite of this, it is still a quick and compelling read. For sports fans, it is a look inside what goes on behind the microphone at the biggest sporting events. For everyone else, it is a lament by a devoted son to a wonderful father that is both heartwarming and painful. There are plenty of things to nitpick about the writing, but it is still well worth the time to read.

All sugar that leaves the reader empty

Nantz has the chance to give us a real in sight into the events and participants he has encountered and except for a gray recounting of a Bobby Knight incident Nantz has nothing but smooches for everyone. He walks Pebble Beach each year to assess his life...don't we all wish we can do this. I came away thinking Nantz is a middle of the roader who doesn't want to offend anyone. I was looking for insight, I didn't get it.

Jim Nantz gets it so right again

This book is a wonderful book, just the kind of inspiration that anyone could learn and benefit from reading. His life is just fascitnating. It should be required reading for all fathers. With all that Jim Nantz has achieved his incredible sense of gratitude and humility just shine through.

Sharing the Dream

I'd guess that the life Jim Nantz lives is probably one that many young boys, and even grown men who admit it, wish they had.....major sporting events, playing with the greatest, being an eyewitness to some of the most historic and memorable shots, hits, putts, catches, ever to be made. Even more than that 'dream' Jim shares how his father was such a vital part of his dream life......his wisdom and guidance, his encouragement to never give up and his advice to always treat people 'right'.....even now, now that his dear father has passed on, Jim, no doubt, evokes the voice of and memory of his father each and every day. Was it a literary masterpiece like some who have reviewed have expect it should have been....no, it's not. What it is though is a great story to be read and enjoyed and inspired by....maybe to love someone a little more deeply, to appreciate one who has given guidance and mostly to never forget the parents who were always by your side!

A reviewer

I really thought this book would be interesting, but it wasn't. I found this to be nothing but a boring read.

Good Stories From A Good Man

This is a solid read. You can hear Jim Nantz' voice on every page. He's the same guy I knew in college, and in his early years of broadcasting. You get nice insight into great sports personalities, and at the same time, you learn about some of the behind-the-scenes action of network TV. I enjoyed the anecdotes about Jim being part of an outing at President Bush's (Bush 41) summer home in Maine--an outing that included Bill Clinton and Tom Brady. There are many reflections--good and some sad--about Jim Nantz' father. And they remind you to cherish the times in life that a son or daughter has with his or her Dad. Something that resonates with Father's Day just ahead....

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