Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness Modern History from the Sports Desk

I've never been big on sports, just not my scene, so what am I doing reading a collection of sports-related blog posts from ESPN? Because they were written by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

Thompson has been a huge influence on me for a long time, so when I stumbled upon this book in a little local bookstore one summer after dinner with my family, I had to snatch it up. I didn't realize at the time that this particular collection was from his sportswriting, but with Thompson you just know it's going to be about more than that.

And this book is. In fact, it's more about his addiction to sports and gambling, as well as the current events that influence everything including sports. These particular missives come from the time of 9/11, just before show more and the first years after, and seeing Thompson's reactions to the world at that time, knowing where he stands on issues from previous pieces, is an absolute must. He saw things coming that are only now starting to become apparent.

One thing I love about the Gonzo style is the flow the writing has, switching between personal anecdote, brutal confession, and honest criticism. Even sports can take on a wholly unique visage through the eyes of Hunter Thompson. There is also a beautiful tribute to his friend George Plimpton, who passed away in 2003. show less

Narrated w/gusto by Scott Sowers, this is a great, gonzo tour of sports and politics through Dr. Thompson's conspiracies and craziness. I don't follow sports, but I still like that Fogerty tune "Centerfield" and occasionally find I enjoy a sports-themed movie. It was with the same mix of reluctance and hope that I approached this audiobook. Thompson's over-the-top ravings interspersed with name-dropping from his personal life (Sean Penn, Warren Zevon, etc.) makes this deliver hours of entertainment.

Anyone who doubted that Thompson was running on empty at the end of his career has only to read Hey Rube, a collection of forgettable ESPN columns in which he regurgitated what had by then become Stock Gonzo Phrases and Standard Thompsonisms, wrapped around whatever happened to be on his mind that day. Thompson in late career was rarely inspired, but could get away with publishing any old dreck. And he did.

Thompson had originally conceived "Hey Rube" as the title of a book in which he would assail the slick hucksters of American business and politics, who continually dupe and cheat the great American public. That is not this book; presumably, Thompson couldn't come up with a title and used one from the backlog.

This book is a tragic show more footnote to Thompson's career, which is itself a tale of great potential squandered. Read his good books; skip this one. It is arguably his worst. show less

I loved Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in America" when I read it many years ago, and avidly followed "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail" when it first appeared in Rolling Stone. However, by the time of this work, Thompson had long since lost his edge. It's a sad coda to a brilliant career. Stick with the early material.

"Hey Rube" contains Hunter S. Thompson's commentaries and opinions on sports, politics, and general observations. Thompson was an anti-authoritarian writer who, at the end of his career, had been writing a column for ESPN.com. This book compiles of a number of his ESPN.com columns from the several years prior to his death. I had been curious about the author, but after reading the first few chapters, I got the idea, and decided not to complete this book.
One idea he discussed early in the book which I found interesting was his column on how to improve Major League Baseball, once acknowledged as being America's pastime, but currently losing popularity. Thompson offered an idea of improving the game by fixing the game time to 3 hours, show more counting total bases for scoring, and eliminating the pitcher by substituting a smart pitching machine, thus removing the delays the pitcher introduces by taking signs, throwing to first base to keep runners close, etc. Other columns were rambling, rants, and otherwise less interesting. show less

Great typical fun from the Good Doc, Hunter S. Thompson. Interesting to read his old bits and pieces from ESPN.com of 2000-2003 sports, and gambling, and politics (especially after 9.11).

It was OK, not up there with his other work