West by West  

My Charmed, Tormented Life

by Jerry West and Jonathan Coleman

     I have to admit, I'm biased about this book.  Jerry West is my all time favorite basketball player.  (Yeah, I know I'm showing my age)    I always admired his toughness, his determination and his absolute ability to hit the clutch shot. Hence,  the nickname "Mr. Clutch."   Back in 1974, I was lucky enough to meet him, and sit with him as he was scouting a UNLV player at a Rebel game at Pepperdine in Malibu.   I learned more about evaluating players at that one sitting than the rest of my life.  I was able to talk to him for short periods of time a couple of times at Rebel games in Vegas later on in the 1990s.
    
     This book is an honest exploration of a life that most of us could only see the surface.  Jerry West , while the connsumate basketball player was tormented throughout his life with depression and insecurity. He is brutally honest about his upbringing in West Virginia, his years at the University of West Virginia, his particpation in the 1960 Olympics with Oscar Robertson as a teammate,  his move to the Lakers just as they weremoving to Los Angeles, and his years as one of the best players in the NBA.  He talks about the years as a a coach and how frustrated he was, and as a GM, his inability to actually watch most of the Laker's games.  He explores his relationships with teammates Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain among others and with players in the Laker organization like Kareen Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johmson, Keith Wilkes, James Worthy and later, Kobe and Shaq.

     Well written , brutally honest with himself, the only criticism I have is a feeling that he was hesitant to really cut loose on those he had no respect for.  Probably a reflection of his own insecurity.  Well worth the time to read, I really liked the book.

Vegas Bill