Joe Girardi's Book Reviews
While Joe Girardi may only be doing a passable job managing the New York Yankees, (they're a game over .500 at this writing) he is undeniably showing a flair for reviewing books:
On "A-Rod" by Selena Roberts: "I have some issues with it... I don't understand why someone would write a book like this anyway...It's something I've never understood, whether it's a book about Alex or other people, or about a president or whoever, I've just never understood it."
On "The Yankee Years" by Joe Torre: "My parents always taught me [to] talk about the good, be positive."
Dumb as a Blog recently caught up with the Yanks' bench boss and asked for his views on other popular works. Here's what he had to say:
Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama
"Yeah, I don't see why anybody would dig into somebody's past like that. Who cares if he did a little blow back in the day? Leave him alone, he's got two little girls, you think they want to read about that? Wait, sorry? HE wrote it? About himself? Huh. Stupid, if you ask me."
Emma by Jane Austen
"An oldy but a goodie, that's for sure. I've always been something of a Jane-iac! Anyway, it's great, and totally perfect when Emma ends up with Mr. Knightly. I mean, he's her only true critic, and in this world, sometimes when we criticize someone, we're only doing it out of love. Someday, Selena Roberts will understand that."
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
"It's not a comic book, It's a GRAPHIC NOVEL. I'm told it's amazing. Honestly, I couldn't get through it. Kept getting distracted by the blue guy's junk."
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
"I was really looking forward to this one. If there's one thing I like more than 20 dollar bills, it's lions. When a journalist asks a lion a dumb question you know what happens? BOOM! Lion eats him. Straight up. Don't mess with the king, baby. That said, this book was horses**t. Not a single lion in the whole thing. It was all about some stupid president. Why would somebody write about that? And also, 35 bucks? The guy from the 20 is right on the cover. I know when I'm getting ripped off."
Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga Part Four by Stephenie Meyer
"I dunno, it seems to me that these books have gotten away from their basic message: Bella loves Edward. It's a love story right? Where the hell did that story line go? I was on the fence when she started palling around with that werewolf, saying 'Oh, we're just friends.' I've heard that one before. You think he's not going to change? He's a werewolf for crying out loud, that's what they do!!! Also, did you know Edward asks her to have an abortion in this one? Call me old fashioned, but when a vampire asks you to have an abortion, you say YES."
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell
"While I've never really been a huge fan of Gladwell's brand of pop
sociology, his insight into how human beings draw upon past experiences
to make rapid, informed decisions lent itself well to my
near instantaneous feeling that this book sucked."
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
"Terrible book about a picky eater. Also, all the rhyming made it predictable. I mean, dang, if you won't go out to eat with a fox, I can't help ya. And what kind of doctor writes like that? He sounds like a six-year-old. I hope I don't get sick around this guy."
