💪Finkel's Fast Five Issue 111 - March 13, 2020

Welcome to Finkel's Fast Five #111. Thanks for reading and subscribing! - Jon  We have now reached the end of the most insane week we've collectively had. Events cancelled. Schools closing. Travel bans. Every sports season suspended. We are in uncharted modern territory and I hope you and your loved ones are all healthy. If you find yourself caught in a spiral of checking Twitter, watching the news, checking your news apps and then updating all of the above, you might be in need of a healthy distraction...  You know what's perfect for that? Books.  Missing hoops? I have an autobiography of an all-time great for you. Can't go to the comedy show you've been waiting months for? Below is a brilliant book about a legendary comedian's life written by the legendary comedian. Music concert postponed? How about a story of untold hardship overcome by one of the greatest musicians who ever lived? You see what I'm getting at? Yes, everyone's month is jacked up. But you can still get your fix for what you're missing with a good read. On that note, here is my first ever "No NBA, No Comedy Shows, No Concerts, Self-Isolation and Quarantine" Reading List for your pleasure. Be safe out there, everyone.

 ONE

BASKETBALL - Dr. J is easily one of the twenty five greatest basketball players who ever lived and he's likely one of the top five most iconic. He was the best player in the old ABA and his artistic, soaring style of play helped push the game where it is now. He combined flair (he was the first mainstream player to dunk from the foul line) with skills (he's the only player to win the MVP in both the NBA and ABA) and titles (he won three championships across both leagues).  He also sold encyclopedia's door-to-door. That was a hard right turn, no? Ha. In addition to everything you'd ever want to know about Dr. J's life and career, those small facts and anecdotes are the kinds of things that can make a life story even more intriguing...and Dr. J: The Autobiography, is full of them. His story about what Arthur Ashe did to him when they played tennis is hilarious. Such a legendary flex by Ashe. You can order the book here.

TWO

 COMEDY - Where you stand on the movie My Blue Heaven will determine whether or not we can be best friends or just good acquaintances. If you think Heaven is a borderline genius film with Steve Martin and Rick Moranis (good friends in real life) both having fun, nailing parts they were born to play and dropping some of the most quotable lines you'll find in a buddy comedy, then yes, we're on the road to best buddy-dom. And if you fall into that category, and you include Three Amigos, The Jerk, Roxanne and even Father of the Bride as some of your most lovable films, then the book I'm about to recommend is for you.  Of course I'm writing about Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin about Steve Martin. This autobiography is one of the most fascinating and funny books you will find anywhere because it's not only about a legend (Martin), it was written by him. From his earlier years as a failing/mostly unfunny magician, to his years writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with Bob Einstein (Super Dave), Rob Reiner and a host of other icons, to his brilliant insight into what makes something funny, or more to the point, what makes people laugh (and not laugh), this book is worth your time. It's also worth reading for Martin's honest look at what it truly takes to succeed in comedy, including his success-failure-success relationship with Johnny Carson and his decade-long quest to hone his act to perfection. Read it here.

THREE

MUSIC - I will not pretend whatsoever to be a jazz aficionado or even a big jazz fan. When I hear it i enjoy it, but I've never studied it and I don't intend to. However, I am always fascinated by people who are considered the greatest of all time at what they do (or did) so I recently read Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans by Louis Armstrong.  Having known next to zero about Armstrong, this book was an eye-opener. I had absolutely no clue how far Armstrong rose in his life and honestly, the Baltimore Sun's description of the book is better than anything I could come up with: "this matchlessly vivid book... tells how the bastard child of a part-time prostitute lifted himself out of direst poverty to become the most influential figure in the history of music." How's that for a teaser? And it's dead on. The New Orleans of Armstrong's youth was filled with gun fights, gangs, bars, prostitutes, drunks and on and on. At one point, Armstrong was working 8 to 10 hours a day driving a coal truck and then he'd work from 10pm to 8am playing music at honky tonks and bars. Even if you have no interest in jazz or music history, his life makes for a tremendous read.

FOUR

LITERATURE- Imagine if you grew up in a bar. Literally. And I'm using literally in the correct sense because the author of the memoir, The Tender Bar, J.R. Moehringer, actually grew up (mostly) in a bar.  For those who don't know, Moehringer is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who wrote for the Los Angeles Times and ghostwrote one of my favorite books ever, Shoe Dog, which I recommended here a few years ago. I love Moehringer's writing, particularly his sportswriting, but the stories about the characters in the bar who basically raised him by committee since his father was absent, are excellent. But this isn't like Cheers, where the characters are played for laughs. The bar is a backdrop to Moehringer's life and specifically, his writing life. "The bar", while real, is a stand-in for the one place he can return to as he goes from boyhood to forging his own path as a man. The voices in the bar build him up, tear him down, keep him humble and give him reality checks whenever he needs as he makes his way in the world. Check it out here.

 FIVE

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And if you haven't yet, you can buy my new book, Jocks in Chief, which ranks every president athletically, right here.