Back in August (seems like forever ago) I read a most excellent book called, 'A View from the Booth: Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti - 25 Years of Broadcasting the New England Patriots,' written by Jim Baker and Chuck Burgess. I've been meaning to do a quick review of this book for a while now but I just keep getting too busy, somehow. Funny how that happens!
I started reading this book on my summer vacation, as the Patriots were preparing for their first pre-season game. It was a great way to lead into the brand new Patriots football season, and with The Pats celebrating their 50th season this year, enjoying a book about Gino Cappelletti and Gil Santos couldn't have been more appropriate.
Now, onto the book, which I will describe as, MOST AWESOME. As a Patriots fan and a weekly listener to Gil and Gino's broadcast during Patriots games, I really enjoyed reading this book, which intertwines the history of the New England Patriots with the respective careers of broadcaster Gil Santos and player, coach, broadcaster and should be Hall of Famer, Gino Cappelletti (seriously, how is Gino not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.. People, WTF!!).
The book describes Gil and Gino's background as youngsters, goes through the first steps of each man's early days as a broadcaster and as a pro football player and carries us all the way up to their time together broadcasting the Patriots' 2007 season (ok, that reminds me there's one chapter in the book that may give Pats fans a twinge or two while reading, but don't let it ruin the book for you!)
The book also provides a lot of great and often humorous insider stories about The New England Patriots and what goes on, and goes in, to producing a Patriots Football radio broadcast every week (I loved the stories about the team's superstitions).
In reading this book I often laughed out loud at some of the stories these two legends had to tell about their days on the field as a player / coach and as broadcasters in the booth covering the games of my favorite team. Plus, the book includes Gil and Gino's Gormet Guide, a list of their favorite restaurants in each NFL city. You can't go wrong there, especially when Gino gives the reader permission when visiting the listed establishments to 'tell them Gino sent you'.
At under two hundred pages, 'A View from the Booth' is a quick, easy and extremely entertaining read for any Patriots fan, or a fan of the game of Football in general. Check it out.
GO PATS
