David Kaplan
Host @SportsTalkChi, Cubs pre/post @NBCSChicago, Host Kap + Co. @ESPN1000 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. M-F, NBCSN Hoops, Father/husband to an amazing family. Snap thekapman
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by David Kaplan
“Really excited to have one of my closest friends in our studios today @ESPN1000 to promote his brand new book. The great Eddie Olczyk joins us in the 10:00 a.m. hour. His book is available everywhere! Eddie Olczyk: Beating the Odds in Hockey and in Life https://t.co/hLdpsRMbpx” (from X)
by Eddie Olczyk, Perry Lefko·You?
by Eddie Olczyk, Perry Lefko·You?
Eddie Olczyk had built a life and career most people could only dream of. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, he fell in love with the game of hockey during an era when most kids preferred balls to pucks. Against all odds, he played on the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team as a 17-year-old, and four months later he was drafted in the first round by his hometown Chicago Blackhawks. During an illustrious 16-year career, he played for and alongside some of the greatest franchises and players in history, winning a Stanley Cup with the unforgettable 1994 New York Rangers. Years later, he coached former teammate Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby on the Pittsburgh Penguins before transitioning into the broadcast booth, where he has become one of the most recognizable voices of the sport. He then combined his skills as an analyst with his second passion— horse racing—and became an integral part of NBC’s coverage of thoroughbreds. Away from the spotlight, Olczyk and his wife of three decades raised four adoring children. He was respected and admired by fans, friends, and peers. Life was sweet. Then, at 7:07 pm on August 4, 2017, his entire world turned upside down. In Eddie Olczyk: Beating the Odds in Hockey and in Life, one of the biggest names in American hockey has written an inspiring and entertaining memoir of his life both on and off the ice. From shooting hundreds of tennis balls at a goal in his childhood living room to the ups and downs of his improbable hockey career to rollicking stories from the booth and the backstretch, Olczyk guides readers on his journey toward his ultimate test: a battle against Stage 3 colon cancer. For years, Olczyk’s goal was to be the best husband, father, broadcaster, and handicapper he could be. Today he has a new one: to bring as much awareness and support to those fighting cancer as he possibly can. In this emotional but often hilarious autobiography, you’ll learn why the people who know Eddie Olczyk best might describe him as “tremendously tremendous.”
Recommended by David Kaplan
“Porter’s book is a MUST READ! I remember calling his very first game as a college head coach and being extremely impressed by how hard his kids played and how fundamentally sound they were defensively. This book is a metaphor for living a life of passion and energy. If you want to live your best life, you have to read All In by Porter Moser.” (from Amazon)
by Porter Moser, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt BVM·You?
by Porter Moser, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt BVM·You?
Porter Moser—the new head coach of Oklahoma men’s basketball team and one of the most inspiring and driven basketball coaches today—offers a practical and motivating guide to help build character, transform failure into success, find purpose, and live an authentic life through energy and positivity. Porter Moser knows what it’s like to live and work with determination, passion, and grit. He also knows what it’s like to keep front-and-center the core values of faith, family, honesty, and integrity. Whether it’s recruiting, hiring, running drills, or just living day-to-day Moser walks the walk and talks the talk. Not that it’s always easy, but in All In he shows us that with enough practice it sure can look that way. Drawn from Moser’s life as a son, husband, father, and winning coach, this collection of inspiring, poignant and rousing lessons drives home the importance of being “all in”—meaning, fully dedicated to a task at hand. Revealing his ups and downs as both a college player and later as a coach, All In shows how Moser built his all-positive, no-negativity work ethic; how a second chance from legendary coach Rick Majerus helped Moser achieve new levels of success; and how, in 2018, he guided the No. 11 seed Ramblers through one of the most inspiring Cinderella stories in college sports history. With a rousing foreword from Sr. Jean, the lively and wise 100-year old chaplain of the Loyola Ramblers—All In offers sage advice for athletes, coaches, recruiters, sports fans, and anyone looking to develop the skills to lead on the court or in life. 2021 PubWest Book Design Awards, Bronze Medal: Sports/Fitness/Recreation 2021 Illumination Book Awards, Silver Medal: Biography/Memoir-Inspirational
Recommended by David Kaplan
“I remember this epic game with crystal-like clarity! I was a young Division I assistant coach and this game gave all of us at the mid-major level hope that we too could someday shock the college basketball establishment. Jack’s book is an outstanding look back at a once-in-a-lifetime upset and a must-read for any sports fan.” (from Amazon)
by Jack Danilewicz·You?
No one had really heard of Chaminade University—a tiny NAIA Catholic school in Honolulu with fewer than eight hundred undergraduates—until its basketball game against the University of Virginia on December 23, 1982. The Chaminade Silverswords defeated the Cavaliers, then the Division I, No. 1–ranked team in the nation, in what the Washington Post later called “the biggest upset in the history of college basketball.” Virginia was the most heralded team in the country, led by seven‑foot‑four‑inch, three‑time College Basketball Player of the Year Ralph Sampson. They had just been paid $50,000—more than double Chaminade’s annual basketball budget—to play an early season tournament in Tokyo and were making a “stopover” game in Hawaii on their way back to the mainland. The Silverswords, led by forward Tony Randolph, came back in the second half and won the game 77–72. Chaminade’s incredible victory became known as the “Miracle on Ward Avenue” or simply “The Upset” in Hawaii and was featured in the national news. Never before in the history of college basketball had a school moved so dramatically and irretrievably into the nation’s consciousness. The Silverswords’ victory was more than just an upset; it was something considered impossible. And the team’s wins over major college programs continued in the ensuing years. Today Chaminade is still referred to as “The Giant Killers”—the school that beat Ralph Sampson and Virginia. The Greatest Upset Never Seen relives the 1982–83 season, when Chaminade put small‑college basketball and Hawaii on the national sports map.