cover image Let's Go to the Videotape!: All the Plays--And Replays--From My Life in Sports

Let's Go to the Videotape!: All the Plays--And Replays--From My Life in Sports

Warner Wolf. Warner Books, $35 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-446-52559-6

Warner ""Go to the Videotape"" Wolf has long been a fixture on local television in both New York and Washington, D.C. Here, in no apparent order, the sportscaster and author of Gimme a Break reviews the highlights of his career and offers commentary on a variety of sporting events and personalities. Everyone knows who Wolf is--or at least he seems to think they should since he's been on radio or TV for more than 40 years. There was one brief stint in 1995 when he wasn't on the air anywhere until radio personality Don Imus hired him to substitute for the regular sports commentator. This fill-in stint eventually led to Wolf being rehired by WCBS-TV (for which Wolf thanks Imus profusely) as well as other career opportunities, including this book. The memoir itself is simply a compilation of Wolf-isms such as ""I hate to say this but covering the 1998 World Series was a letdown. I was happy for the city of New York, the fans and the team, but as far as it being an exciting World Series... it just was not."" Or ""If any sports turns me off, it's auto racing. Never interested in it... If there's a machine involved, are you an athlete? Where's the sport in it?"" Wolf isn't afraid to say what's on his mind, and his enthusiasm for sports and life is evident. However, a little literary Wolf goes a long way, and many of his fans will be satisfied watching him doing his sports report, rather than reading this erratic memoir. (Mar.)