An Incomplete & Inaccurate History of Sport

January 28, 2008
Mayne, known for his sarcasm on ESPN's SportsCenter, submits in his debut a tongue-in-cheek sports encyclopedia, featuring such entries as rock throwing and Wiffle ball, along with facts mixed with dubious statements. For example, dodgeball ends “when the PE teacher gets back from hitting on one of the substitutes” and “tackle football is the greatest sport in the world and everyone knows it.” Stories from Mayne's life as a sports-loving kid in Washington State, a quarterback and father to two little girls round out the book. On TV, Mayne might be entertaining; as an author, he is overbearing, often trying to get more play out of a single joke than it can bear. Other comedic observations, such as security lines at airports and the perils of getting the right order at Starbucks, read like stale standup routines. The book's best parts feature Mayne straying from his funnyman persona to reflect on his personal life. Glimpses of the man behind the mockery are far too infrequent within Mayne's relentless, tiresome attempts at generating laughs.

March 1, 2008
Mayne is familiar to ESPN viewers as a SportsCenter anchor, feature reporter, and event host. His shtick is a droll delivery peppered with non sequiturs and a sly smile that embraces viewers who share his little secret that for the most part sports are not at all to be taken seriously. His book is more of the same as he wanders from tackle footballin which he shares his experiences as a high-school star and college backupto snowball fighting, skateboarding, and dodgeball. Manyof his observations are spot-on. In Maynes world, for example, dodgeball is a form of junior-high torture in which the weak are mercilessly bombarded with stinging rubber balls for an hour while the gym teacher wanders off to the lounge to hit on the cute student teachers. Readers who like Maynes television persona will enjoy this printed extension of his smirky patter. Hes also contemplating a follow-up volume: A Complete and Accurate History of My E-mails.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)