Cruisin' with the Tooz

Although Matuszak had a reputation as a highly unconventional man when he played with Houston, Kansas City, Washington and Oakland in the National Football League, he has written a most conventional sports autobiography. Collaborating with Delsohn, who also worked with Dan Marino and Eric Dickerson on their life stories, the former defensive lineman, now a movie and TV actor, addresses many of the same subjects that other football players have in their books. He tells of suffering constant pain throughout the season; the willingness, even eagerness, to play despite pain, not because of machismo, but because of the fear of being replaced permanently; the anguish of forming friendships on a team, only to have friends traded away. He sheds little new light on these topics or on that of the groupies who flock around ball players. The best part of the book concerns Matuszak's adolescence and the problems of growing up as a huge kid. 35,000 first printing; $40,000 ad/promo; author tour. (October 13)