Boom! This is Books & Biceps #393!

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Drive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird w/ Bob Ryan

This book has been in my family for exactly thirty-seven years.

How do I know?

Because there’s an inscription on the inside from when my uncle gave it to my dad as a gift in 1989. Cool, right? I was eleven and it was probably right around that age that I grabbed the book and read it. Possibly my first “adult” sports autobiography.

We lived in Boston at the time and Larry Legend was, you know, THE LEGEND.

Why am I sharing this book now? Because the NBA All-Star Game is this weekend and nobody gives a shit. Not the players. Not adult fans. Not young kids. Nobody. No stars in the dunk contest. No effort in the game. USA vs. The World? Eh. It’s lame.

And if you follow sports, you know the NBA has a lot of problems in general right now: aging superstars, tons of injuries, stars sitting all the time, boring regular season games, too many threes and on and on…

My suggestion, for everyone involved, is to read Drive.

Give yourself a glimpse into what the NBA used to be when travel still kinda sucked for these guys, when they didn’t make generational wealth in a half-season, when by and large they didn’t jump teams every single year (I know about the big trades/signings), when teams stuck together for years (mostly) and, most importantly, when guys HATED other teams and players. Like, true blue rivalries where they couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

Every game guys had chips on their shoulders. And that bled into the all-star game where guys had pride in their conference. East vs West meant a little something.

Also, the players appreciated the fans. You’ve heard Jordan’s line about why he never took nights off: because that might be the only night some kid’s parents paid for them to see Michael Jordan. Bird was cut from the same cloth.

At one point in this book, Larry tells a long story about what he calls his “Most Celebrated Ejection” against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1986. He lost his mind on an awful goaltending call and got ejected in the first quarter.

And you know what he says?

“To this day I feel about that incident because people didn’t get their money’s worth…”

Is there an NBA player who feels that way today? If you’re an NBA fan, this is a fun look back on how the league used to be, and a GREAT ride into the trash-talking mind of Larry Bird and the Celtics, Sixers and Lakers rivalries. Get it here.

I love swimming and I love lifting and this dude takes things to the next level.

I’ve watched this video several times. It’s from a man setting the underwater squat record, which is now 300kg (equivalent to 661 pounds on land) but I’m not sure how much it “feels like” under water.

Also, if we’re assuming the answer doesn’t matter and it’s still super heavy, what’s the hardest part? Holding your breath long enough to even do the lift? Having to hold your breath while you do the lift? Keeping the weight on your back under water???

Also, do they just toss a squat rack in the pool? Who gets to fling in the 45 pound plates? So many questions!

I don’t have any answers. All I know is there’s something mesmerizing about this whole thing:

If you’re a guy over 40 and you’ve been looking for a new digital magazine that’s written for midlife men, by midlife men, on the topics that actually matter to us: family, fitness, fashion, finance, food & fun, then join us at Midlife Male.

I write a column every Tuesday called The Manologue. This week, I am sharing the inspiring story of one of my favorite writers of all time, Elmore Leonard, and how he kept his novelist dream alive through a full career and a five-year publishing gap between projects when he doubted if he’d ever get a mainstream book published. If he’d given up, we’d never have Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Justified on TV and more. You’ll love this one:

This is one of the coolest things I’ve EVER been able to offer. And we’ve only got about two weeks to make it happen:

Last week I wrote you all about an amazing offer my publisher and I came up with… a chance to actually have YOUR NAME appear IN the hardcover book when it comes out!

Yes, I wanted to honor you, my OG Books & Biceps readers with a special acknowledgement section in the back of the book. I made the offer super simple. Pre-order the book, send me a screenshot and… BAM… you’re IN!

And a TON of you responded:

So we’re going to PAGE 2 of Books & Biceps readers who want to be in Bear Brawl!

This rules! All you have to do is PRE-ORDER the book in the next few weeks. That’s it! Imagine it’s November 10th and the hardcover arrives in the mail…

You’re blown away with the amazing cover art (can’t wait to show you!) and then before you dive in, you flip to the back of the book and see the Books & Biceps Hall of Fame reader wall right there… You cruise through the names in alphabetical order and… BOOM!… you’re right there, a part of the soon-to-be #1 thriller of 2026 forever.

But you have to get in before we lock the manuscript and go to layout.

So let’s gooooo!

1) PRE-ORDER your book below.

2) Reply to this email with a screenshot and your name.

3) You’ll be a part of a blockbuster hit book forever!

Here’s a SNEAK PEAK at a few NEW BLURBS for Bear Brawl:

"Jon Finkel's ingeniously conceived Bear Brawl is the most fun you'll have reading a novel this year. Set in my home state of Arkansas, this high-octane thriller bleeds raw authenticity. From the expertly plotted action scenes, to its heart-wrenching themes--Finkel's debut novel arrives on the scene loaded for bear."

-- "Eli Cranor, Edgar Award-winning author of Mississippi Blue 42, Ozark Dogs, and Don't Know Tough"

"Man has never taken on nature like this. Bear Brawl is an action-packed story of love, loss, and revenge that reads like a blockbuster movie script. Buckle up!"

-- "Rafi Kohan, author of Trash Talk and The Arena, PEN/ESPN Award Finalist"

And we’ve got DOZENS more on the way!

Let’s get Bear Brawl to #1 and keep it there for months. I know we can do it…

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