Customer Reviews

Cornered

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A collection of very short anecdotes of Ron's career as a broadcaster. It was interesting for the most part but as I read, it came to mind what Ron's commentary would have been like as I turned the pages of his old photo albums. I do like Ron McLean's mind and his rapier wit but his writing here reminds me of my own amateur writing style when I'm writing a personal letter.

My overall rating...it's OK.

I found it very hard to put down and had to pace my reading. He's just a wealth of info, the behind the scenes stuff is great. It was interesting to learn about his life and his insights are fantastic. It certainly opened my eyes re his valuable role on Coach's Corner. Would definitely recommend, you don't have to be a hockey fan to appreciate this!

I loved the book. Love the interaction with Cherry. Ron has had a very interesting career and it continues. Every hockey fan will love this book.

This book gives an inside look into how MacLean started and the politics of CBC Sport and how popular and important Don Cherry is.

I usually like biographies or memoirs. I thought I might find out some interesting "insider" stories about a highly regarded Canadian sport. It was surprsingly short on stories about hockey. It was very hard to read and seemingly quite amateur writing. Though MacLean claims he is humble; the fact that he's willing to offer up his personal opinions on so many other topics argues against that very premise. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have a keen interest in broadcasting history.

My Husband totally enjoyed the book . I have never seen him read a book until now. He could not put it down until he was done. He wanted to know how and what Ron did to become what he is today so the book was a hit. I ordered it hoping it would come in time for his birthday and it did so I was very pleased.

This is a good book for discovering who Ron and Don are, their relationship with the CBC, and the fallout from Don's forays into sensitive areas such as the Afghanistan War, European players, visors, fighting, and concussions. I have a new appreciation of Ron and Don. Coach's Corner is the only intermission show that gets higher ratings than the game itself. They are a great pair and Ron does a good job giving credit where credit is due.

My favorite parts of this book include a touching moment in an interview with Canadian ski legend Karrin Lee-Gartner and her husband Max during the1992 Olympics in Albertville France. The couple were so happy in the CBC studio after Karrin won gold in the women's downhill that Max started to cry with happiness then Karrin, then Ron. It was a great moment.

Another great passage in the book comes from an interaction with the hockey world's infamous little leprechaun, Gary Bettman. Ron was commenting during a 1999 Western Conference final in Dallas in June that there was 80 percent humidity and 90 degree temperature and they were having problems with the ice. Bettman came to him asking him why he had to be so negative. Ron replied why do we have to be watching hockey in June.

A disappointing section of the book was the contract dispute Ron had with CBC. I think the book is too early in Ron's career to reveal the juicy details. Maybe a sequel when the consequences are less fatal.

Overall, Cornered was a pleasant read and would recommend it to any hockey fan.

Why would an intelligent broadcaster such as Ron MacLean need a ghost writer to write this book for him. It has interesting stories but it is poorly written. The author writes like a high school student at best. I found grammatical errors as well. She used" it's" incorrectly when she meant to use the possessive form. Ron should have written it himself. I was surprised to read that he only went as far as high school however.

Although I like Ron in his broadcasts, I did not find the book near as ineresting. I believe his co-athour was the same co-author in Tough Guy by Bob Probert, which I found very interesting

Ithink the book is rather slow and not as much about hockey as I would have like.I'm not finished it yet but this is my thoughts on it so far.It is not a book that keeps me wanting to read on.