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Jack Molloy #1
Bump and Run
After inheriting half of the New York Hawks, Las Vegas player Jack Molloy is thrust head-first into the wild world of professional football, contending with steroids, corruption, sportswriters, tough coaches, and gambling. Reprint.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 23, 2000
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324 people want to read
About the author
Mike Lupica
108 books1,195 followersMichael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 21, 2011
Full disclosure: I bought this novel for my less-than-impressive, but growing, classroom library; that was a mistake. Watching Mr. Lupica on Sunday mornings on ESPN, I had no idea that he was so devoted to cursing. The novel contains a lot of gratuitous foul language, it is rather puzzling. The novel contains too many sexual overtones and situations to introduce to a junior high classroom. Mistakenly, I thought that was the target group for this story. I am a little a puzzled about the intended audience for this piece, given the construction of the story.
The book is quick, light read. No heavy storylines and one surprising turn in the text. The story includes more than a few clever quips and absurdly funny scenes (the stepmom hitting on the son in the limo after dad's/her husband's funeral), but far too often the portrayal of the fictional players and people feels little a bitter, old white man lamenting that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. The characters are caricatures that are all over the top in every aspect of their speech and actions, like the player that owns a players only bordello/strip club/resturant in NYC.
The timing of the story is now a problem for the younger generation. The young adults that would read this would not understand all of the 90's pop culture references that support the comedy within the story, so the material has become a little dated.
The book is quick, light read. No heavy storylines and one surprising turn in the text. The story includes more than a few clever quips and absurdly funny scenes (the stepmom hitting on the son in the limo after dad's/her husband's funeral), but far too often the portrayal of the fictional players and people feels little a bitter, old white man lamenting that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. The characters are caricatures that are all over the top in every aspect of their speech and actions, like the player that owns a players only bordello/strip club/resturant in NYC.
The timing of the story is now a problem for the younger generation. The young adults that would read this would not understand all of the 90's pop culture references that support the comedy within the story, so the material has become a little dated.
February 7, 2013
Wow, It's getting to the point where I can tell how much I liked a book by how fast I read it. Hence why this one got 2 stars. The one saving grace it had was the insider football, what it takes to be an owner gimmick, and I'm sure, even that was short changed. Half of the references in this book were already dated, or would be in a few short years. I also don't know why Lupica felt that every character needed some kind of crazy name with some kind of crazy explanation as to why said characters parents gave them said crazy name. One or two could be funny, or witty, but it got old pretty darn quick.
I guess this book is geared toward 18+ males, and it certainly plays that way, but this 18+ male found it lacking in way to many categories to make it a worth while read.
I guess this book is geared toward 18+ males, and it certainly plays that way, but this 18+ male found it lacking in way to many categories to make it a worth while read.
March 3, 2020
This book is a story of success. First of all Jack had an injury and couldn't continue playing football anymore. But he became the owner of a fantasy NFL team. Also an owner of a casino. This story is pretty interesting and pretty funny at some points. It uses some innapropriate language but if you don't mind that you would love this bool. I would rate this book an overall 4/5.
October 6, 2014
“Bump and Run” by Mike Lupica is about a guy named Jack who inherits his father’s NFL team the New York Hawks when he dies of a heart attack. Almost everyone in the organization thinks Jack should let someone else own the team because of his lack of knowledge with the team. I think this book was very interesting and humerus. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars because while it was funny it wasn’t very clear with details and could’ve been a lot better if so.
Mike Lupica’s purpose was to entertain which he succeeded at but put the story out of place at times and was confusing throughout the book. I believed the book was entertaining not only because it was about football but also because it was about the underground world of the NFL meaning it talked about steroids, money, and other inappropriate things. Overall though he did entertain me and I laughed at most parts throughout the book even though they weren’t very appropriate.
The theme in “Bump and Run” was pretty confusing but it was that if you are handed things in life make the best of it because it can benefit you if you do all the right things with it. The theme is this because Jack was a Los Vegas “go to guy” and already understood the business world so when he inherited the football team he knew how to run it and became successful in the end. Jack did what he had to do to become successful. Even though most of the ways he did it I don’t agree with doing to do so.
The style of it was kinda sketchy because Mike Lupica usually writes about happy stories that have a meaningful plot and also are pretty serious too. The story was just laid back and wasn’t to serious but serious enough to like the book. The plot wasn’t meaningful but had good detailing at times and got the job done of getting my attention to read the whole book and to like it. Even though the book’s overall style wasn’t all for me it was still good and funny.
I think this book was pretty good because it had to do with football which is one of my favorite sports. I didn’t like that the book had very little detailing throughout the book which made the book kinda confusing at times. I would have put more details and make the plot more clear. It is like no other book if read which is good because it is a one of a kind book. It was both good and bad at times when reading it. For example the author did a bad job a characterization. It was hard to understand the characters and why they would do certain things.
Mike Lupica’s purpose was to entertain which he succeeded at but put the story out of place at times and was confusing throughout the book. I believed the book was entertaining not only because it was about football but also because it was about the underground world of the NFL meaning it talked about steroids, money, and other inappropriate things. Overall though he did entertain me and I laughed at most parts throughout the book even though they weren’t very appropriate.
The theme in “Bump and Run” was pretty confusing but it was that if you are handed things in life make the best of it because it can benefit you if you do all the right things with it. The theme is this because Jack was a Los Vegas “go to guy” and already understood the business world so when he inherited the football team he knew how to run it and became successful in the end. Jack did what he had to do to become successful. Even though most of the ways he did it I don’t agree with doing to do so.
The style of it was kinda sketchy because Mike Lupica usually writes about happy stories that have a meaningful plot and also are pretty serious too. The story was just laid back and wasn’t to serious but serious enough to like the book. The plot wasn’t meaningful but had good detailing at times and got the job done of getting my attention to read the whole book and to like it. Even though the book’s overall style wasn’t all for me it was still good and funny.
I think this book was pretty good because it had to do with football which is one of my favorite sports. I didn’t like that the book had very little detailing throughout the book which made the book kinda confusing at times. I would have put more details and make the plot more clear. It is like no other book if read which is good because it is a one of a kind book. It was both good and bad at times when reading it. For example the author did a bad job a characterization. It was hard to understand the characters and why they would do certain things.
February 29, 2016
Mike Lupica writes the funny and great written book Bump & Run. The book follows Jack Molloy who is the newly minted New York Hawks owner. Lupica writes about the fictitious National Football League team. The book gives an inside look of the day-to-day view of owning an NFL team. Jack is the black sheep known as the Jammer in Las Vegas, where he works. The audience that the author writes to is the sports loving person.
The theme of the book is that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Jack faces impossible obstacles as he tries to lead his team to the ultimate prize in football. His siblings don’t want him to have the team, the league doesn’t want him to have it, and he may not want the team himself. Another possible theme could be is that good things can happen even when things are tough. Jack has everyone set against him. He does some things that don’t help. When everything seems to be going the wrong way for Jack, things turn around.
The author’s style is a narrative. Lupica writes the book over the course of an NFL season. The point-of-view is first person. Jack narrates the book himself through his journey. Lupica goes outside of what he normally writes about to display more humor and more of an adult orientated book. His stories are normally less humor filled and for kids.
I really liked the book Bump & Run. I have read a lot of different Mike Lupica’s books. This one might be one of my favorites. Some of the things that I really liked about the book was the humor, storyline, and the characters. The humor really made the book. The plot of the book was very interesting and made a full circle. The characters had very good personalities that contributed to the plot. Some of the things that I didn’t like was that sometimes some things were either over explained or the book would wander away when trying to introduce another character. The over explanation was not a major problem though. Something that I would change would probably cut down the over explaining.
The theme of the book is that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Jack faces impossible obstacles as he tries to lead his team to the ultimate prize in football. His siblings don’t want him to have the team, the league doesn’t want him to have it, and he may not want the team himself. Another possible theme could be is that good things can happen even when things are tough. Jack has everyone set against him. He does some things that don’t help. When everything seems to be going the wrong way for Jack, things turn around.
The author’s style is a narrative. Lupica writes the book over the course of an NFL season. The point-of-view is first person. Jack narrates the book himself through his journey. Lupica goes outside of what he normally writes about to display more humor and more of an adult orientated book. His stories are normally less humor filled and for kids.
I really liked the book Bump & Run. I have read a lot of different Mike Lupica’s books. This one might be one of my favorites. Some of the things that I really liked about the book was the humor, storyline, and the characters. The humor really made the book. The plot of the book was very interesting and made a full circle. The characters had very good personalities that contributed to the plot. Some of the things that I didn’t like was that sometimes some things were either over explained or the book would wander away when trying to introduce another character. The over explanation was not a major problem though. Something that I would change would probably cut down the over explaining.
October 25, 2014
Bump and Run is a book for the average sports fan and general reader. This realistic fiction sports book hits me in all the good ways. I really enjoyed this book because of the comedic doings of Jack Molloy. This book shows the journey of one football team as the battle their way to the top of the NFL. They had to deal with themselves, the opponents, and the many distractions of the oust side world.
I liked this book because I could understand certain moments and jokes because of my previous experiences. For example in the book there was a moment when Jack had told how he couldn't play football anymore because he had gotten injured, but he also said that it doesn't stop him from putting his foot to balls. That means even though he was injured he could still do the teams cup checks. The one thing that I didn't like about the story was that there wasn't any dynamic characters except for Jack. All of the supporting characters were predictable and very static throughout the book.
In the end I believe that Bump and Run is an outstanding book and should be read by any and all sports fans. If you like comedies, love stories, man stuff, or football, this book is perfect for you. "I may not be able to play football, but I can still put my foot to balls", - Jack Molloy
I liked this book because I could understand certain moments and jokes because of my previous experiences. For example in the book there was a moment when Jack had told how he couldn't play football anymore because he had gotten injured, but he also said that it doesn't stop him from putting his foot to balls. That means even though he was injured he could still do the teams cup checks. The one thing that I didn't like about the story was that there wasn't any dynamic characters except for Jack. All of the supporting characters were predictable and very static throughout the book.
In the end I believe that Bump and Run is an outstanding book and should be read by any and all sports fans. If you like comedies, love stories, man stuff, or football, this book is perfect for you. "I may not be able to play football, but I can still put my foot to balls", - Jack Molloy
June 5, 2008
Okay, I borrowed this from a friend before a trip I was going to take. I read the first chapter just to get a feel for what the book was about. The problem was it was so funny and so addictive I finished the book before we even left for the trip. If you like football and other sports cliches, you'll love this book as much as I did.
It is the story of an guy who inherits a football team from his recently departed father with whom he was estranged. Cross this story line with Vegas casino bosses, drugs, and players with massive egos, how can this story miss?
Seriously, this is a must read if you like sports and enjoy good humor.
It is the story of an guy who inherits a football team from his recently departed father with whom he was estranged. Cross this story line with Vegas casino bosses, drugs, and players with massive egos, how can this story miss?
Seriously, this is a must read if you like sports and enjoy good humor.
December 17, 2009
this is not a book i would choose myself, but my husband said that i should read it, so i took it downstairs to the stationary bike, and did that. while i sort of like football, this definitely is a book which would appeal more to men, or fanatic football females. i'm sure that mike lupica is probably a really nice person, but i don't plan to seek out any more of his books. the hero--or seemingly antihero inherits half a professional football team, and then has to prove himself, despite his past history and unsavory lifestyle.
August 6, 2011
Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe this book. It is like the Boondocks in print, but in a sports-related theme, poking at the stupidity and insanity that is pro football and those surrounding the sport. Anyone who calls themselves a sports fan will find themselves laughing out loud at the one-liners and comedic situations that are portrayed in the book, ones that real-life athletes seem to fall into at will. I've read some of Lupica's stuff before, and enjoyed it, but this one really was a touchdown, to use the vernacular.
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May 29, 2008It's nice sometimes just to read a funny, clever story. This writer has a new fan. He's been at the Daily News for as long as I've been in New York, and I've read his stories there... A novel about the NFL. I imagine that much of ths stuff is over the top, kind of- maybe not. A Vegas fixer inherits a football team from his father. The book comes off like something Carl Hiassen would do, which is high praise.
August 11, 2009
Bump and Run is a hilarious fictional tale brimming with full-colored vocabulary and action. What I love about this book the most is how Lupica so deftly wraps stereotypes into comedic adventures. I need to read this for my ninth grade project. My mom was aghast as the colorful curse words, though I can say I didn't learn any new ones (darn it), and though I wouldn't recommend to any die-hard ten year olds, I found the characterizations depicted to be worth the polysyllabic smut words.
August 31, 2012
Not many likeable people in this book. It's about a guy who works for a mafia-type guy in Vegas. He inherits half an owning interest in a New York football team when his dad dies. Ick. All the players are creeps: sexist druggies who are really much more interested in money & sex than football; actually so is everyone else. All of the women are awful too. The author is a sportswriter, so I guess he knows what he's talking about, sad as that makes me.
March 22, 2010
most gayest book i have ever read chapter 13 is all about a strip club in great details i stopped on chapter 17 by that time there was 10 or more f*** words and numerios swear words do not buy waste of money! for me any ways who is 12 and it is really messed up mike lupica is my my favorite author or at least the ones made 2005 or later:)
September 14, 2010
The writing style was a bit frenetic. I don't know if it was done purposefully to convey a mood or if this is just how Mike Lupica writes. He clearly wrote with people who don't know football in mind and wound up over explaining himself in places because of that. Overall I enjoyed the book and would probably read more by him.
October 21, 2011
I somewhat enjoyed this book but I was disappointed that it wasn't more about football. This book was a little bit hard for me to understand and was boring at times. I could tell that it was written for adults. I think When I get older I will try to re-read it so I can get more of a meaning out of it.
August 20, 2014
I had been watching Mike Lupica on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" show with my hubby on Sundays for awhile. I love to read, but generally did not read books about sports. I really enjoyed this one for the insight it gave me into the world of football, NFL and just the pure love of the game.
I was lucky enough to get Mike to sign my copy at a booksigning near my home. Great guy, wonderful book.
I was lucky enough to get Mike to sign my copy at a booksigning near my home. Great guy, wonderful book.
July 26, 2007
Fun story about professional football players. With pro players (in real life) increasingly not talking to the media about what really goes on, this may be as close as we get any more to seeing behind the curtain. Quick read.
July 9, 2009
I bought this at the dollar store, which is where it belongs.
Lupica depicts a cartoonish NFL team based in New York. Totally unbelievable and a laughable attempt.
I couldn't get past the first three chapters - it's that bad!
Lupica depicts a cartoonish NFL team based in New York. Totally unbelievable and a laughable attempt.
I couldn't get past the first three chapters - it's that bad!
November 7, 2010
Jack, the Jammer for a Las Vegas casino, inherits a football team from his father and finds his problem-solving skills are essential in navigating the politics of a professional league. There's also a couple of love interests and more than a smattering of sexual content in this book for adults.
July 24, 2011
A fun read - if this is what the NFL is really like, I want in. Some of the characters are too real to be fiction, like the player who was talking down his ex and said she was the type of woman who would end up with three kids by four different fathers in the next few years. Priceless.
May 24, 2012
Adults only!
This book spent too much time describing the depravities of professional ball. I didn't like the main character or his latent committment to continuing a family legacy of owning a ball club.
This book spent too much time describing the depravities of professional ball. I didn't like the main character or his latent committment to continuing a family legacy of owning a ball club.
August 26, 2013
very interesting take on professional football with the fictional New York Hawks. kept my interest throughout , but became predictable towards the end, but not till the very end. An overall good read.
November 15, 2017
I have to admit that I did not finish this book. I tried to read it several times, and finally decided to press forward. After getting more than halfway through the book, I found myself very bored with it. Guess I had hoped that it was about football would keep it interesting. No luck.
February 10, 2008
This is how football owners should behave. Give me a team and I'll will prove it. Lupica is the funniest sportswriter on the planet.
October 24, 2008
An enjoyable little sports romp.
March 3, 2009
A good read for the sports fan.
August 27, 2009
Gritty tale about the business of football. Somewhat predictable but still a fun vacation read.
May 31, 2010
Another sports writer trying to write fiction. Too cutesy for me. Didn't finish.
July 1, 2010
I don't tend to get into sports books, but this was less about football, and more about people. I loved the witty banter and the deep intellectual content. Go TEAM!
August 6, 2010
Mike Luica writes the most entertaining sports books around.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews