and television. His signature calls of ""How about that!"" (after a spectacular play) and ""Going... going... gone!"" (to frame a home run) made him an American icon.How About That! The Life of Mel Allen is the first biography on perhaps the most famous sports broadcaster. Author Stephen Borelli, who, like his father and grandfather, attentively followed Allen's on-air accounts, traces the announcer from tiny towns in Alabama to the glares of Yankee Stadium and the Rose Bowl. You brush shoulders with legendary college football coach Bear Bryant, famous radio host Ralph Edwards, and a lineup of New York Yankees legends that includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Casey Stengel. Allen had a fan following as frantic as theirs, including legions of female admirers. You experience baseball's glorious radio days, when announcers like Allen and his Brooklyn rival Red Barber gave listeners sight and sound and their depictions made ballplayers seem larger than life. Through Allen's folksy words, you follow a Yankees dynasty at its height, from the intensity on the field during a feverish 1949 pennant race with the Boston Red Sox and numerous ""Subway Series"" to the camaraderie in the clubhouse and on overnight train rides. You learn about Allen's fade from the national eye after the Yankees mysteriously dismissed him in 1964 and his second broadcasting life in the late 1970s through mid-1990s as host of the groundbreaking television show This Week in Baseball. During this period, a unique friendship with George Steinbrenner allowed Allen to call one last no-hitter as he became the voice of baseball again.How About That! is the story of the American dream. A boy raised by Russian Jewish immigrants who face Ku Klux Klan persecution and Depression-era hardship rises to national fame with a magical voice and a touch of chance. He stays on top with a relentless drive to succeed that leaves him a lifelong bachelor, though always a devoted family man.2005. 262 Pages"  (less)

competitive program, throwing himself into the national spotlight in the process. His opinions on the NCAA and matter-of-fact voice in the media earned him respect from his peers, while his stern support, dedication to his craft, and emphasis on education earned Brown the admiration of his players and assistants.Brown offers readers memories of his trips to the Final Four, the great teams and coaches he battled through the years, the talented players he coached, and the recruiting tactics he employed in luring some of the nation's ?and the world's? top recruits to Baton Rouge. An entire chapter is dedicated to LSU legend Shaquille O'Neal, whom Brown first met on a speaking trip in Germany when O'Neal was a 13-year-old kid wearing size 17 sneakers. Brown also shares his thoughts on LSU's first African-American letterman in basketball, Collis Temple, his mind-over-matter feats of motivation, and his SEC competition over the years.Dale Brown's Memoirs from LSU Basketball features Brown's triumphs, tragedies, and fondest memories from a quarter-century in the brightest of spotlights reserved for the NCAA's elite basketball programs. Brown's story ?of how a small-town boy from North Dakota became the big man in the Bayou? is one of passion and perseverance, and ultimately, incredible success.2004. 184 Pages  (less)