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TIGERFANZZ 
LSU Fan
THE Death Valley
Member since Nov 2007
1940 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/23/13 at 11:07 pm to BhamBengal)
It's about a former Tiger and offers some decent insight but don't be expecting "earth shattering" inside scoop. For the most part it was good and worth the read but he was a bit whiny.
This post was edited on 1/23 at 11:10 pm
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Ace Midnight
LSU Fan
Ball, LA - Home, Sweet Home
Member since Dec 2006
15768 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/23/13 at 11:12 pm to BhamBengal)
quote:
For those who have read it, what are y'all's opinions of this book? Worth the purchase?
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".
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faxis
LSU Fan
La.
Member since Oct 2007
6720 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/23/13 at 11:15 pm to GOP_Tiger)
Too whiney
Still good
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canyon
LSU Fan
Cudjoe Key
Member since Dec 2003
2885 posts
 Online
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/23/13 at 11:19 pm to BhamBengal)
Bought it.
Read it.
Will read again.
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andouille
LSU Fan
A table near a waiter.
Member since Dec 2004
6802 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/23/13 at 11:49 pm to canyon)
Very good book if you are capable of introspection, if you're not, it's a waste of time. The book is about what it feels like to be a part of something popular and powerful, then one day you are not. He felt a huge hole in his life after he left the program and it was difficult to fill.
I thought the parts about Cholly Mack were very touching, he was a much better person than we, the LSU football public, ever realized. I hope Les Miles is the same type person, he may be from what I've heard from the people who know him.
Read the book, it is not a rah-rah book about LSU football, if that's what you are looking for there are plenty of others on the shelves, this goes deeper.
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Bleeding purple 
TCU Fan
Athens, Texas
Member since Sep 2007
17028 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/23/13 at 11:57 pm to andouille)
I think he did a good job of retelling the hole that is left when you leave something that is such a big driving part of your life behind forever. The book was not what I expected it to be but it was a good read. I have recommended it to spouses who have troubles understanding the emotions athletes go through when leaving their sport.
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Red Stick Tigress 
USA Fan
I hope Mike VI looks just like me!
Member since Nov 2005
8887 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 12:15 am to TIGRLEE)
quote:
I enjoyed the read about guy in Angola,,, think his name is Ramsey.
Are you talking about Ramsey Dardar?
He's in jail but not in Angola. At least I think this. I thought he was in a jail local (or near) to BR.
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GarmischTiger
LSU Fan
Alexandria, Virginia
Member since Mar 2007
4931 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 5:39 am to BhamBengal)
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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LSUCanFAN
LSU Fan
In the past
Member since Jan 2009
24225 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 5:49 am to BhamBengal)
Loved.
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Doc Fenton
Member since Feb 2007
46682 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 5:53 am to GarmischTiger)
Yeah, it's pretty comically obvious when reading the book that John Ed is not really being honest with himself AT ALL. The convoluted explanations he gives for why he did certain things make no sense at all, and if you're wise enough to the game to understand what's going on, it's pretty easy to see what his real reasons are for being such a whiny jackass all the time--i.e., the realities of his personality that he's still trying to hide.
Once you learn to poke through his bullshite, you realize that he's actually written a quite amazing memoir of a particular time and place, and one that is extremely stirring on an emotional level for anyone who has felt these same timeless occurrences happening in his own life.
There's that, and then there's also the evocative portrait of things specific to the old south Louisiana football culture that used to exist decades ago. But that part's harder to explain.
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The Eric
LSU Fan
Metairie, LA
Member since Sep 2008
12088 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 6:32 am to AustinKnight)
It was a decent and easy read but the guy comes off so Whiney.
"Woe is me, I played football at LSU."
It's like he hates himself.
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doze4
LSU Fan
Baon Rouge LA
Member since Aug 2007
728 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 6:34 am to BhamBengal)
quote:
For those who have read it, what are y'all's opinions of this book? Worth the purchase?
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.
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NorthGwinnett LSU
Georgia Southern Fan
Member since Nov 2012
96 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 6:57 am to BhamBengal)
I enjoyed it!!
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danfraz
LSU Fan
New Orleans
Member since Apr 2008
11564 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 7:59 am to BhamBengal)
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????
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Roovelroe
LSU Fan
Mandeville
Member since Jan 2005
3043 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:01 am to BhamBengal)
Total whiner. Don't waste your $$.
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Ace Midnight
LSU Fan
Ball, LA - Home, Sweet Home
Member since Dec 2006
15768 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:03 am to danfraz)
quote:
I totally got it
I did too.
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LSU Fan in AU
LSU Fan
Auburn, AL
Member since Sep 2008
445 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:09 am to Ace Midnight)
I read it a couple of years ago and thought it was OK. It wasn't what I expected, but I do think it is worth the read.
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1cajuncook
LSU Fan
Atlanta
Member since Dec 2011
100 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:14 am to LSU Fan in AU)
The chapter about his final visit to Coach Mac and Dororthy Faye was moving. Coach really loved his players.
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EvilVodka
LSU Fan
Member since Dec 2012
741 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:21 am to 1cajuncook)
totally false
I've seen it rain in Tiger Stadium... 
     
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doze4
LSU Fan
Baon Rouge LA
Member since Aug 2007
728 posts
| re: "It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium" -John Ed Bradley (Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:37 am to EvilVodka)
Shut yo mouth. 
That's Heresy. Next you will try and tell me our colors are actually purple and yellow .
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