Ray Didinger

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library. However this book was so good, that I would have gladly bought this book in hardcover or on Kindle.

I do not listen to sports talk radio in Philadelphia. With one exception. I will listen to Glenn Macnow and Ray Didinger sports talk show on Saturday mornings at 10 AM. I will also listen to Ray Didinger’s post game analysis of Philadelphia Eagles games. Didinger is the most thoughtful and articulate sports analyst of Philadelphia sports in my lifetime.

With that being said, I loved this book! There are a lot of great stories about members of the Eagles, 76ers, Phillies, Flyers and athletes of other sports, including professional wrestling. Didinger writes about the Flyers' Stanley Cup years, Pete Rose and his contribution to the 1980 World Series, Dr. J and Mike Schmidt, who he feels was Philadelphia's greatest athlete. He covers the struggles of the Philadelphia Eagles from the late 60s till the Super Bowl championship. Didinger expresses his admiration for both Dick Vermiel and Andy Reid.

There is a very touching story about Andy Reid reaching out to Didinger when Ray's mother passed away right before an important football game. While this book points out the achievements of many of the athletes, he provides some insights (some surprising) on the kinds of men they were. He cites the heroes and those whose moral characters fell flat.

Didinger is not afraid to expresses honest opinions about Philadelphia Eagles ownership over the years. He was not a fan of Norman Braman for example. You won’t be either when you read how he ran the team.

If you are a Philadelphia sports fan of any of the professional teams, I encourage you to read this book. It's a five star read!… (más)

Ray Didinger does a great job of tracking the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers up to the 1974 season. As a Steelers fan, it was nice to read a little bit about their existence and history before their great rise to power in the 1970s. I learned more about how the organization started and its early players and coaches, which SHOULD be the goal of any serious sports fan. A must read for all Steelers fans. Also, I got lucky and found out that my copy was autographed by the author and five former Steelers. Also, my copy had hidden in it a ticket stub from the 1974 AFC Championship game!… (más)