Steve Raible's Tales from the Seahawks Sideline
by Steve Raible and Mike Sando
Overview
From the Publisher
From the hilarious to the surreal, from inside the huddle to inside the broadcast booth, 28-year Seattle Seahawks veteran Steve Raible takes fans to places they never knew existed. Readers have the chance to laugh along as Jack Patera trades Andre Hines to the Dolphins after warning Don Shula that a worse offensive lineman never existed. To marvel as Raiders legend John Matuszak becomes Seattle's offensive coordinator during the final minutes of the Seahawks' blowout win. To come along with Steve Largent as the Hall of Famer obliterates Broncos safety Mike Harden in the ultimate payback. To eavesdrop as Chuck Knox tells his staff to update their resumes after the team drafted Dan McGwire. And to scarf down shrimp platters with Wayne Cody in the parking lot at Jack Murphy Stadium-during the game. Tales from the Seahawks Sideline brings all the household names to life, names like Jim Zorn, Dave Krieg, Kenny Easley, Curt Warner, Brian Bosworth, Cortez Kennedy, Warren Moon, Mike Holmgren, Ricky Watters, Chad Brown, and Shaun Alexander. This insider's account also explores the lesser known characters whose stories inspire laughter, tears, and lasting lessons. Do fans remember the time Largent showed up at the annual Halloween party dressed as Yoda? Raible does, and he has the pictures to prove it. How about when the coach in charge of bed check opened the door to find two of his players in bed together? Again, Raible has it covered. From deciphering Patera to remembering Pete Gross, Tales from the Seahawks Sideline is all about the people, proving through vivid anecdotes that the Seahawks are a storied franchise after all. Raible also tells why the current Seahawks, led by precociousquarterback Matt Hasselbeck, are poised for big things in 2004 and beyond.
My thoughts
When Mike Sando dropped me a line and told me he was coming out with a book about the Seahawks, I was all over it! I pre-ordered my copy that day and waited patiently for the publisher to ship it to me. Well, I received it Friday and I'd finished reading it by Sunday morning! I'm still shaking my head at some of the stories revealed!
Come on, admit it! We've all wanted to know what really goes on behind the scenes. Every so often the media will share a story of some shenanigans the players pulled or they'll tell us about a prank played at training camp or something silly like that, but often those stories are few and far between. This book is a collection of those tales. It spans the first year of the Seahawks to the present, and captures the best and worst moments of our favorite players!
Being a Seahawk fanatic, I admit bias! I loved reading about the guys I've watched on the screen for years. I loved the inside stories of the 1976 pioneer team -- players who are dear to my heart as a result of all the research I've done on the Spirit of '76 site. However in the spirit of a book review, I will offer one critique of the book. Some of the stories were told so briefly that I was left wanting to hear the rest of the story! What led up to it? How did the characters react after the punchline? What happened next? I almost felt like we were told the punchline without hearing the entire joke. A little more background knowledge on the events and relationships surrounding the story would have made the book that much more enjoyable.
Overall though it's a book that Seahawks fans will enjoy! Even if you're not an avid reader, this is a book you'll like. Some of the stories are as short as half a page, thus you can read in 2 minute segments if you're pressed for time. I did a lot of the reading during the commercials of the Seahawks pre-season game last night. If nothing else, the story about Matt Hasselbeck and Robbie Tobeck is worth the price of the book.
I think!
(Don't read it around meal time!)
Please note that part of the proceeds of this book go to the Pete Gross House. I'd also like to mention that there will be book signings in and around Seattle, and prior to some of the games at Qwest Stadium as well. If I become aware of specific times and dates, I'll post them here.
Favorite Passage
Usually I share my favorite passage here but I hate to do that this time because I don't want to take away the element of surprise. I also think that 10 people would pick out 10 different passages to share. So instead of giving you my favorite passage, I'm going to pick a story at random so that you have an idea of what you'll find when open the covers of this book. I invite you to tell me your favorite segments as well after you've read the book!
Family Feud
An NFL team can be like one big, dysfunctional family. Tennessee's Steve McNair lost the ball during a 1998 game in the Kingdome, but it was Seattle's Sam Adams who lost his cool. It all began when Titans running back Eddie George beat Seahawks defensive end Matt LaBounty to the ball for a fumble recovery. The recovery sustained a long drive, forcing Seattle's defense to stay on the field.
"Damn, LaBounty, we tired, man," safety Jay Bellamy griped.
Big Sam rushed to defend his fellow lineman's honor. "Sam smacks Jay's helmet off his head like 20 yards," cornerback Shawn Springs said. "I run over there to calm Sam down, but he thinks I'm running toward him to help Jay. And he grabs my facemask and starts giving me gut shots."
"And you know how big Sam is. I'm like a rag doll getting body blows from this dude right in the middle of the field. Then Darryl Williams comes over and jumps on Sam, starts hitting him in the ear. Then Jay comes back with his helmet and it's like three DBs jumping this big lineman in the middle of the field on the same play.
"It was the dumbest thing I've ever seen."
Seattle still managed to win the game, 20-18.
