Book Review: ‘If You Don’t Believe Me… Lessons Learned From Listening to the Greats’ by Sam Adams

I love supporting my local sports teams in Colorado.  I watch every Broncos, Denver Nuggets, and of course, the Colorado Avalanche games that are on television.  An opportunity became available to read and review former sports writer Sam Adams’ book, and naturally I happily accepted.

If you are an avid sports fan like I am you will definitely get a kick out of reading Sam Adams’ book, If You Don’t Believe Me.. Lessons Learned from Listening to the Greats.  What a great idea for a book!  Sam worked as a sports writer for the Rocky Mountain News.   During his tenure, he interviewed many great sports celebrities.  The book is an account on his encounter with these individuals.

Reading Sam’s book gave me an opportunity to gain some insights about famous athletes like John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Magic Johnson, and many more famous sports figures. His writing style makes the book an enjoyable read.  I like Sam’s use of humor to captivate his readers. My favorite passage in the book is his encounter with John Elway.  Sam, a hardcore Cleveland Brown, fan had this to say to Elway on November 5, 1993:

“My mother hates you, my sister hates you, my cousins hate you, my friends hate you…”

A puzzled look settled on his face as I finished the rant. “Yea, I’m from Cleveland.” Elway went back to tending to his cleats, looked up again, and said,” You’re from Cleveland?  I am sorry.”  He cackled as I left the locker room burning mad.  The Broncos won 29-14, with Elway throwing three touchdown passes.  Afterwards I approached him in the visitors’ locker room and sarcastically asked why he continued the pattern of walking out on Municipal Stadium with wins. Elway laughed and said,” I guess it was because I knew you were a native… I did it for your mom.”

Sam’s penchant for humor helped him transitioned from journalism to standup comedy gigs. So, if you are looking for a fun read while getting insights on some famous athletes and show business people, you may want to get a copy of, If you Don’t Believe Me… Lessons Learned from Listening to the Greats.

For more information on Sam Adams check his Facebook page.