The Last Sure Thing: The Life & Times of Bobby Riggs

By Tom Lecompte

Book Overview

"The best thing in life is to win. The second best thing is to lose--at least you're still in the game." --Bobby RiggsHe lived by his own rules, and more often than not he broke them. Bobby Riggs was... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972121307
• ISBN13: 9780972121309
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Black Squirrel Publishing
• Length: 471 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Superbly written and enthusiastically recommended biography

There were few professional tennis players as flamboyant and colorful as Bobby Riggs who will probably be forever remembered in the now legendary "battle of the sexes" match against Billie Jean King. What is not so widely known is that Bobby's life off court was as outrageous and theatrical as his on-court behavior. Freelance journalist Tom LeCompte has written a biographical masterpiece with The Last Sure Thing: The Life & Times Of Bobby Riggs which is a "must read" for the legions of this memorable figure of the tennis world, a man who carries a large slice of the credit for popularizing the sport through all levels of American society. This superbly written and enthusiastically recommended biography reads with all the smoothness and drama of a finely crafted novel, and will hook the reader's complete and total attention from first page to last.

Real Life Character Fights His Way to the Top of Tennis

Tom LeCompte has writtten a thoroughly entertaining account of a tennis great who defies categorization. The Last Sure Thing is the story of a world champion who never quite acted like one; a man who was intent on winning in any arena, as long as there were clearly defined stakes involved. Not so good when the returns were unclear or long range, Bobby's family life was filled with gaping holes and serious blunders. LeCompte paints a fascinating portrait of a man who appears to have been sailing above concern for intimacy, loyalty, maturity and fidelity in his relentless and quite possibly compulsive search for the endless game, the bet around the next corner. Is this type of blind drive necessary to the making of a champion competitor or was Bobby Riggs simply a talented but hapless loser who missed his chance for lasting glory and respect due to immaturity and shortsightedness? LeCompte covers all bases and leaves the reader to wonder - what if... A thoroughly engaging account of a man, a game, and an era - highly recommended.

I loved this book!

I play alot of tennis and I read alot of biographies, and this book is one of the best I've read in either genre. Bobby Riggs--what a character! Can you believe that this man, betting and hustling constantly--his tennis partners, his wife, the largest television audience for a tennis match in history--was actually such a great tennis player? The book somehow conveys easily the story of Bobby's hustling, the history of amateur tennis, the disfunctionality of his marriages, the chaos of his match against Billie Jean King, even the agony of his dying--I mean, WOW!!--what a book! No sooner had I started reading it than friends told me they had heard about it on the radio and asked me for my copy. I have books on RFK, Winston Churchill, and other well-known men lying unfinished on my nightstand. This book I read cover-to-cover in a few nights. Sorry but my friends have taken my copy, or I'd let you read it. But I had to tell someone that this is a great book.

The One Sure Read

The Last Sure Thing, is one of the best and most provocative tennis books I have ever read! Yes, it follows the life of the immortal Bobby Riggs but also beautifully details the history of tennis throughout the 1900's. This book is a must read for any tennis coach, tennis instructor, or playing enthusist!Toby Coffin-M.P.E. Springfield College

Well written and entertaining from cover to cover.

A witty and irreverent look at one of history's more amusing characters. Regardless of your interest level in tennis, this book is worth a read.