I picked up Kirk's book (Link) and read over the weekend. A couple of nuggets...
- His favorite player in HS was Jim Harbaugh (gasp!) That's one reason why he wore #4 in college.
- I would hate to be Ron Hudson (his college QB coach) right now - I never knew he existed and now I know Herbie thinks he's a terrible coach.
- Herbie cries - a lot. That explains his recent episode earlier this year (Link).
- As much as he loves Ohio State, there was a lot of 2nd guessing about not going to Michigan.
- His mom and older sister (Teri) sound like amazing people. He didn't share much about his brother John.
- If you're looking for any information about an alleged affair (Link) there is no mention of it.
- Herbie did not have a good relationship with Brent Mushburger. This was the biggest surprise to me as I had always considered the two of them to have good chemistry on air. Herbie goes out of his way to compliment Brent, but he doesn't shy away from his schizophrenic behavior.
The memoir is a quick read. Not just for Ohio State fans, but for all college football fans. It's uneven in places - some chapters are quite compelling, others (his story on the Kentucky Derby) are not interesting at all.
The central theme of the memoir is his relationship with his father, Jim. All was not well in the Herbstreit household and it was due to Jim shortcomings as a father. Herbie has come to terms with what was and what will never be in that relationship, and that peace allowed him to be transparent with the reader. He offers both compassion and accountability for his father's behavior and lets the reader relate to his struggles.
In my interpretation, there was an inability of Jim to adjust to life post football and a self-centeredness and family laziness that tends to characterize the Baby Boomer generation. As many Gen-X kids will tell you, Boomer parents weren't very good at parenting. Herbie's message is to learn from your parent's mistakes be the father to your kids that you always wanted from your own. As a father to an 18, 15 and 12 year old, I think that is good advice.
