"It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley

Dude whined too much.
Decent read though.

I saw some negative reviews in your other thread. I liked it as a one time read, although, I've never read any book more than once. It's a good book by an LSU alum football player who is a good sportswriter. It's not earth-shattering, but it's solid. I liked it.

It's melancholy. It's more about his transition into civilian life and dealing with no longer being an LSU football player.

I think a lot of people that read it when it first came out were disappointed in it because it wasn't really what it was marketed as.

ETA: I still enjoyed it. But I'm from Opelousas and know some of his family and have read almost everything he's written.

Good read, worth the time.

It's very much worth reading. It is indeed whiny at times, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good story. And the picture he paints of the program and Cholly Mac is moving.

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For those who have read it, what are y'all's opinions of this book? Worth the purchase?

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It was for me - if you're familiar with his Sports Illustrated essay, "The Best Years of His Life", I would read it first and decide:

The Best Years of His Life

The book is essentially an expansion of this essay to novel length and fills in a bunch of the biographical details. I think any fan of college football can appreciate this story, but for LSU fans of a certain age, it is especially intriguing.

If you don't like "The Best Years of His Life", you probably won't like "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium".

Posted this in the Woodley thread before seeing this one -

If you're expecting a book about LSU football, you'll be disappointed. It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium is not about LSU football. It's about how much football - and specifically playing football for Coach Mac at LSU - meant to Bradley, and how hard it was to stop playing. LSU football is in the background. The story is about Bradley, and to many he comes of as whiny and self-centered - which is valid.

There are glimpses into the Mac's last years at LSU, the team's dynamic, insights into several players and esoteric references to places and experiences in Opelousas, Baton Rouge and SEC road venues that diehard Tiger fans and South Louisianans will appreciate, regardless of the narcissism of the commentary.

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For those who have read it, what are y'all's opinions of this book? Worth the purchase?

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I enjoyed the book.
It gave me some insight to the personalities of the coaches and players on those teams in the late 70's. If you came up on LSU ball in the 80's or 90's you may not appreciate it as much as somebody like me that grew up in the 70's, and remember those players.

I enjoyed it.

I get the people who say "too much whining"


but ya know, he's whining about what he has lost, that loss being a LSU football player


I totally got it and took the whining as pain. The man felt that nothing he ever did would top walking out onto the field of Tiger Stadium


isn't that how we all want our Tigers to feel???? that nothing in the world will top playing football for LSU????