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Get ready, sports fans. Sal Paolantonio wants to talk facts about
sports history, and the stars it produced. He’s getting rid of the hype,
sticking to the facts and laying it on the line. Of course, you may
disagree with everything he says.
But that’s okay. Paolantonio’s latest venture, a book entitled
"The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players,
Teams, Coaches & Moments." (Triumph Books, $24.95), sets out to
demystify sports. "I wanted to say something important. I wanted to
write a sports book with a message," says this veteran journalist.
"I wanted a completely fresh approach to what players and events
really mattered, not what the hype said mattered."
Not everyone will agree with this ESPN broadcaster and his co-author
Reuben Frank, long-time football writer for the Burlington County Times.
But it is safe to say that it will spark lively discussions.
While writing the book, Paolantonio relied on his vast experience as a
sports journalist, and also his grasp of the facts, the history, the
statistical analysis of the game and its players. "My real goal was
to say - and mean - ‘let’s get real here.’"
Paolantonio and Frank do just that. Case in point: they take a second
look at the Chicago Bears, almost universally regarded as one of the best
Super Bowl teams ever. "They were great," acknowledges
Paolantonio, "but it turns out they were really vastly overrated
based on whom they had to beat."
The Paolantonio Report also takes issue with why Dan Fouts of the San
Diego Chargers is in the Hall of Fame, and why Bob Hayes of the Dallas
Cowboys is not.
And how about the 49’er Dwight Clark’s 1982 20-yard "Hail Mary"
catch from quarterback Joe Montana? The one from the back of the end zone
that gave the 49ers a 28-27 victory? Overrated, insist the authors of the
book that is bound to get some fans steamed - and others feeling
celebratory.
The book sweeps through the careers of legends like Vince Lombardi,
Dieter Brock and Tony Eason. It examines teams like the Raiders, the
Patriots, the Vikings and the Chargers.
And oh yes, a team and its players known affectionately as "The
Iggles."
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