Reviews of No Ordinary Game
From National Sportswriters:
"Kirk Westphal expertly weaves inspiring, touching stories from everyday people with famous tales from the field. With moving and powerful anecdotes, Westphal explores the soul of sports, finding universal truths and lessons for us all."
—TYLER KEPNER, National Baseball Writer for The New York Times
"In these pages, Kirk Westphal gives us the essence of sports. He reminds us why we liked playing and watching sports in the first place. Anyone who has assembled a little Fenway out of their own backyard (the evergreen trees are the Green Monster and dad's car is the right field bullpen) will understand and love this book."
—DAN SHAUGHNESSY, Boston Globe Sports Columnist and Author of Senior Year
Other Reviews:
"Symphonic. [Norman] Maclean would be cheering from the bleachers!"
- JACK RIDL, Poet and author of "Losing Season"
"What a gem. Kirk Westphal is a marvelous sports story teller, who weaves into his narrative human experiences that transcend sport. Mitch Albom comes to mind as a point of comparison."
- DR. DAVID MYERS, Professor of Psychology at Hope College
"With wit and brio, Westphal details the life lessons he had been taught - often humbling in some respects - from the pursuit of pickup and playground sports ... He digs deep into the lessons that competition yields."
- Worcester Telegram & Gazette
"In his debut book Mr. Westphal writes as one truly in love with the game. Any game. His stories are funny, touching, inspiring ... written in the language of a deep thinker and with the lilt of a poet. I am not a sportswoman --- in fact I can't tell a soccer net from a hockey puck --- but I understand the human condition and these stories are one more engaging than the next. I cared about absolutely everyone in the book. What a great read (and holiday gift) for both those who love sports, and for those like myself, who don't necessarily, but who want to understand that love. Looking forward to his next book, whatever the subject."
-Amazon Reviewer
"No Ordinary Game is a book like no other. It is the perfect book for a sports-lover ... as well as the non-sports minded person, who wants to be touched and inspired by the life lessons that this book sends in each and every chapter. This book will make you think, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry. A great gift for a coach, soccer mom, athlete, or just about anyone who wants to be inspired ..."
-Amazon Reviewer
"Loved it. I laughed out loud and chuckled all the way through. Smart and really sweet. It's a celebration for people who love sports but aren't, and maybe never have been, the superstars. Or a even the starters. But people who just love sports for everything sports is about."
-Amazon Reviewer
"This is a wonderful book. I couldn’t put it down. I laughed and cried and laughed and cried (many tears of joy). It is well written and funny. A collection of stories that shows how sports can bring out the best in us. It provided a catalyst to revisit many of my great sport moments, either as a participant or as a spectator, and to reflect on why I enjoy playing and watching sports so much. A must read for any sports fan!"
-Amazon Reviewer
"People who truly love sports understand that there's something about sports that borders on holy. This book, which will appeal to athletes at any level, approaches sports with that kind of humble reverence. It consists of seven first-person stories that will stay with you long after you've finished them. They're surprisingly poignant - I kept finding myself laughing out loud, or tearing up unexpectedly - and the writing style is keenly intelligent. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this book, and I look forward to reading more by this author."
-Amazon Reviewer
"No Ordinary Game is a unique memoir about how over the years, as a player and as a coach, the author gained insights on life and how "ordinary games" can lead to extraordinary life lessons for all participants. The book is very well written and quite humorous in many chapters and heartwarming in others. I also appreciated the author's recollections and research on a number of noteworthy events in professional sports history."
-Amazon Reviewer
From Goodreads:
"This is a wonderful, inspirational book about baseball, football, basketball and life (not necessarily in that order). The author, who coaches youth ball, is the kind of coach you hope your kids have when they're young. If you're going to skim it, do yourself a favor and don't skim the last chapter."