Blanda, alive and kicking

George Blanda has long evaporated from the American sports consciousness as an athlete still excelling when other ex-athletes their age are resigned to the competitive rocking chair. Other athletes in their fifth decade, such as George Foreman, Nolan Ryan, and Bernard Hopkins have stepped into that breach. But Blanda was one of the first to show the World that aging does not mean an automatic trip to sports scrap heap. Although this book was written in 1972, it has a strangely contemporary feel to it. The author, Wells Twombley, repeatedly refers to Blanda as an Alpha male, a leader among men, a man who calls his own shots. Blanda's amazing career had many starts and stops. George Halas, another Alpha male, who did not bow to age, gave up on Blanda in the 1950's. Blanda left the sport for a time, and then turned up in the AFL, leading the Oilers to a title game. Finally, an alpha male knew another alpha male when he saw one, and Al Davis brought Blanda to Oakland. Here Blanda made history, as a kicker and a back-up quarterback. In one remarkable season, at the age of forty three, Blanda kicked and passed the Raiders to a division title, and earned the MVP award. Blanda's heroics were off the charts that season, driving the team down the field in late game situations, and kicking field goals, or throwing late game touchdowns for come from behind wins. Blanda comes off as colorful, interesting and insigtful in this book. This is what I would call a knee-jerk biography. It is written after a great event in someone's life. I prefer a more balanced biography which shows the inevitable ups and downs, which all mortals undergo. The greater mortals among us have peaks and valleys which are more pronounced, and this is what makes a biography interesting. Had this been written in the mid 1980's, it would have been more interesting, if not more timely. Mr, Twombley was no doubt filling a need from a publisher to get a book on the market quickly after Blanda's halcyon season, and he combines some new age phrasology, with some genuine insight into the Blanda character. I have read far worse sports biographies.

A GOOD LOOK AT LONGEVITY IN A SPORT. BLANDA WAS A DINOSAUR WHO PLAYED IN 4 DECADES. THIS BOOK IS MOSTLY ABOUT HIS HEROICS IN THE LAST SECONDS OF GAME WINNING PLAYS DURING THE 1970 SEASON. IT THEN MOVES ON TO HIS LIFE AND CAREER IN COLLEGE, NFL, AND THEN AFL. HIS TELLING OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GEORGE HALAS IN MOST INTERESTING AND CANDID. ALSO HIS THOUGHTS ON VARIOUS COACHS, MEDIA, AND OTHER PLAYERS IS ALSO A HIGHLIGHT. THIS IS FOR ALL FOOTBALL FANS WHO WANT OT KNOW MORE OF THE LEGEND CALLED GEORGE BLANDA.