The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis First, I apologize if this has already been discussed. If so, please ignore. I'm 75% of the way through this book. Great stuff from the guy who wrote Liar's Poker, The Money Culture & Moneyball. I can't put it down. If you like college football and you have an analytical-type mindset I would highly recommend.
For the record, the author is a Princeton undergrad, MBA from the London School of Economics and worked on Wall St. so he brings a very different “MBA”/business perspective to the subject of football. This is not some ex-jock meathead or hack sportswriter.
The main character of that book played at my high school's main rival, although he's 7 or 8 years younger than me. I have read the book, and I really like it. Moneyball was excellent as well.
No, I went to Harding Academy. "ECS" was another big rival of ours. I don't actually know that I would call either one of them a bigger rival, but we were all in the same division and all considered one another rivals. I know this concept of having 3 good teams in one division may be difficult for a bunch of Big XII fans to imagine (I keed, I keed). Briarcrest was usually the best in football, but things were always pretty competitive. People have always thought Briarcrest was a little dirty in recruiting, even when I was in school 10 years ago. There was another AA kid with an NFL body in the 10th or 11th grade who was mysteriously adopted out of the inner city slums and his new rich white family sent him to all-white Briarcrest. Again, every college in America was looking at him, as he was bench pressing 500# as a junior in HS, but curiously he chose Ole Miss. We collided many times over the course of the game, and it's amazing he didn't break my neck on the first. He just wasn't a very aggressive individual, which is the reason I believe he didn't pan out in the league, but he had all of the measurables.
Very interesting stuff. Great read. Lewis didn't show Ole Fat Phil in a great light, not horrible, but not great. It was a cool "inside peek" into that world. Strange business, bizarro world. They would have to pay me the kinds of big bucks that top D1 coaches get for having to grovel to these high school kids; however, this kid seems like a nice guy, despite the life he had....but still...the BS from the coaches made me ill...can't imagine they like having to actually say it...but for a few mill a year I could swallow my pride
The book was a good book and I love moneyball. The kid is a good story. The one thing I think it glossed over is that this read to me as a MAJOR recruiting violation and I think Lewis glossed over that fact. Though they helped him you're talking about an Ole Miss HOF member that is now a multi-multi millionaire donor in the AD department who takes in this kid "out of pitty". I can't help but to be cynical that that family adopted that kid for very selfish reasons, most of which ensuring Michael Orr ended up being a Ole Miss Rebel. Oh...it also glossed over the fact that Michael Orr somehow made up a full year of HS credits in about 6 weeks thanks to some online courses at BYU and a "tutor" that was hired by his new adopted family. That "tutor" went to Ole Miss with Michael Orr being paid for by his benefactors. I want to believe the wholesome nature of the story but there were too many red flags littered throughout the book. In this case I think Lewis, the author, became too close to the family and Orr to be objective.
Absolutely love this book and Moneyball (and LIar's Poker for that matter), although I agree with Seattle Husker that Lewis lost some objectivity on the story...although in the end, since a 17-year-old kid has no option if he wants to play in the NFL but to go to college (whether he belongs or not), can you blame him for cutting corners? And for the record, Collins Tuohy is ******* hot...
Yes, the whole thing is shady and if not violating the letter of the rules certainly violated the spirit of the rules. That said, MO probably deserves some slack in getting all of that "assistance" given that he was basically raised like a wild animal in the jungle. Plus, the kid seems to be trying hard at Ole Miss on the academic front. Clearly, Lewis lost his objectivity on this one, but I don't mind.
