Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Former âCosby Showâ actor Geoffrey Owens was recently in the news when a shopper at the Trader Joe's where he was working recognized him. She snapped his photo, and the post about his âfallâ went viral. This incident led to a nation-wide reflection and discussion on the value of work, no matter WHAT the work happened to be.
Vin Baker was a 1st round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks. In âGod and Starbucksâ, Mr. Baker reviews his career, his life â and his addiction, and his redemption. He didn't just fritter away thousands upon thousands of dollars, but he also frittered away his health, his stamina, and eventually his career.
When some people in that position hit bottom, they spend the rest of their lives there â or âbottomâ actually describes the 6' deep hole that is destined to be home to all of us eventually. Mr. Baker talks about his hitting bottom â and his call for help. He ALSO realized, once clean, that there is a deserved pride in a job well done â ANY job. Learning how a Starbucks franchise works, from the ground up, proved to be his personal redemption.
Mr. Baker freely discusses his NBA career in his book, occasionally the on-court things that you can read about in the daily sports column, but mostly the behind the scenes stuff. Not just the locker room, but the cliques and the bad habits which he at first fell into and eventually powered on his own. Even as a non-basketball fan, I found this part of the book quite interesting and well worth the read.
Mr. Owens recognized the need to pay the bills between acting gigs in a career that never brought in the riches that some outside of the industry may have assumed. Mr. Baker had the money to pay the bills, but he preferred to pay his dealers. Now, BOTH of these men are working men like the rest of us, and both of them take pride in having earned a day's pay for a successful day's work.
RATING: 4 stars.
Vin Baker was a 1st round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks. In âGod and Starbucksâ, Mr. Baker reviews his career, his life â and his addiction, and his redemption. He didn't just fritter away thousands upon thousands of dollars, but he also frittered away his health, his stamina, and eventually his career.
When some people in that position hit bottom, they spend the rest of their lives there â or âbottomâ actually describes the 6' deep hole that is destined to be home to all of us eventually. Mr. Baker talks about his hitting bottom â and his call for help. He ALSO realized, once clean, that there is a deserved pride in a job well done â ANY job. Learning how a Starbucks franchise works, from the ground up, proved to be his personal redemption.
Mr. Baker freely discusses his NBA career in his book, occasionally the on-court things that you can read about in the daily sports column, but mostly the behind the scenes stuff. Not just the locker room, but the cliques and the bad habits which he at first fell into and eventually powered on his own. Even as a non-basketball fan, I found this part of the book quite interesting and well worth the read.
Mr. Owens recognized the need to pay the bills between acting gigs in a career that never brought in the riches that some outside of the industry may have assumed. Mr. Baker had the money to pay the bills, but he preferred to pay his dealers. Now, BOTH of these men are working men like the rest of us, and both of them take pride in having earned a day's pay for a successful day's work.
RATING: 4 stars.
