Pass the Nuts
by Dan Coughlin

He's Baaaaaack!

And for all of us who felt sad when we finished Dan Coughlin's first book Crazy, With the Papers to Prove It because we wanted more, relief is here.

Pass the Nuts: More Stories About the Most Unusual People and Remarkable Events from My Four Decades As a Sports Journalist is the same format as the first book - lots of short (typically 2-6 pages) stories of interesting people set in a Cleveland that many will remember.

Coughlin not only lived these wild stories but has the ability to tell them so well that you can almost smell the stale beer and cigar smoke as you read them.

You will read stories of the big names in Pass the Nuts. People like George Steinbrenner, Ted Turner, LeBron James and NFL Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson and his close personal friend Elvis Presley.

But you'll also get tales of lesser-knowns that will have you smiling, shaking your head and asking "Did they really do that?" Times sure have changed.

I particularly liked the stories from legendary Cleveland watering holes and restaurants like the Theatrical, Blue Fox, Carney's Bar and Pat Joyce's Tavern. These also lend credibility to the book.

For example, I have friends who were at the Theatrical that St. Patrick's Day when former Indians owner Dick Jacobs covered everyone's tab for 3 hours. Likewise, my uncle spent a lot of time at the Blue Fox and his stories are consistent with Coughlin's.

The softball stories were terrific and needed to be captured for history. And Dan Coughlin is the guy to tell them.

Once again you will feel sad when you turn the last page. Until a Volume 3 comes out, you can re-read the first two books and laugh again. You will remember the basics of the stories but it's the way that Coughlin tells them that makes his books so much fun - even a second time around.

Reviewed by Dan Hanson