Exit 10: A Sporting Life Just Off the Jersey Turnpike

by Tom Cheche

Tom Cheche's broadcasting and newspaper career took him from the locker rooms of the NBA Champion New York Knicks and the NHL New York Rangers to pit roads at Daytona and Indianapolis, from the broadcast booth to the team bus. This is what came first. "Exit 10" is, at turns, a sports story and coming of age tale, the adventures of a lunatic gang of sports geeks and their passage to adulthood. It is Everyman's sports memoir, the story of a sports-crazed kid who knew he was lousy and wished for the next best thing to being a professional athlete -- being a sports reporter covering his heroes -- and how he got there. "Exquisite, clear-minded writing. Sharply-told stories that touch the soul. Tom Cheche's 'Exit 10' is a book every lover of sports and each person of a certain age will read more than once and be warmed anew each time." -Bruce Valley, Author, "Seahawk: Confessions of an Old Hockey Goalie" "It was my bad luck to miss meeting my very comical, slightly crazy friend Tom Cheche until the latter stages of his Jersey sports odyssey, but, man, after reading 'Exit 10' I felt like I was along for the entire uproarious ride from Metuchen to the broadcast booth, to Madison Square Garden. What a trip!" -Bob Boyles, Co-author, "The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia"

Genres: Nonfiction

247 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2009

About the author

Award winning broadcaster and writer Tom Cheche began his career in the 1970’s at WBRW in New Jersey and UPI Radio, where he won recognition for sports reporting, including his coverage of the 1973 Indianapolis 500. He worked for Associated Press Radio, Mutual Sports, and Motor Racing Network, winning multiple awards from the Eastern Motorsports Press Association.
While News Director at WPOC radio in Baltimore he was president of the Chesapeake AP Broadcasters Association, and was motor sports columnist for the Baltimore Sun from 1976-1986, where his work won numerous awards.

His work has also appeared in the Sunday Sun Features section, Computer Gaming World magazine, and GOAL!, the program of the World Hockey Association.

Most recently, he was named winner of a 2008 Solas Award for Best Travel Writing.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think you are sports fanatic, you ain't seen nothing yet. Tom is a great writer and I have never met anyone with as much passion for sports.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book on so many levels and for so many reasons, but mostly because Tom Cheche has an innate ability to help you see a picture so vividly in your mind, that you really do feel transported back in time.

IMHO, any man or woman who grew up on the East Coast will love this book. If you grew up anywhere else, you will love this book. Any man or woman who grew up watching or playing their hearts out on a ball field, court, or gymnasium, will love this book. If you think hockey players are the best athletes in the world (even I know the name Gordie Howe), you will love this book. For anyone who grew up or loving or hating the Yankees, or for that matter, any NY sports team, you will love this book. If you grew up thinking that the crowd murmur of baseball fans and the crack of a bat on AM radio was as magical and hypnotic as the roar of a lawnmower starting or the whirl of a house fan, you will love this book. If you had a Pop-Pop with a twinkle in his eye, or any adored Grandparent, who let you do stuff your parents wouldn't, you will love this book. If you grew up loving homemade Italian wine, or in or near an Italian neighborhood or community, you will love this book.

Every neighborhood or community has a special quality that sets it apart. What was special about growing up off of Exit 10 in New Jersey, will remind you of what was special about the place where you grew up. At the same time you will revel and delight in Tom’s own story. Whether it’s about ball field lights turning night into day or the “psychedelic turn,” or Sunday dinners in the dining room with those freshly laundered white table cloths, you will be reminded of your own version of these simple things that are valued more than gold. As Tom shares his memories in the most delightful and laugh-out-loud kind of way, he prompts your own happy memories that make you smile and chuckle. You will find yourself saying throughout the book, “We did that, too!” A lot of sports themes and analogies run throughout the book, but never with the typical platitudes and clichés, and that’s not easy to do! Thank you, Tom, for a GREAT story, GREAT writing, and making me smile!

[LaSchelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fun book about Tom's life, as it revolved around sports. It was not necessarily chronological, but almost a number of short stories about specific sports at different times of his life. As Tom grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, he was exposed to many history making changes in many sports leagues.

A fun read for sports fans, particularly from the New Jersey/New York area. A great story of friendship and how sports can create strong bonds for years.

I appreciated the history of sports, from a sports fan's perspective as he was witness to new teams in leagues as they expanded, new sports venues and the feelings that fans have for change from the old place and a fan perspective on teams that are relocated and how fans feel about that.

I loved how he included his own sports experiences. He grew up with some great friends. I loved the stories surrounding their Staten Island experiences.

Probably my favorite story is the camping weekend on the river. So typical of boys planning (or lack there of). I laughed and laughed!

I think it's wonderful that Tom and Cliff continue their friendship, despite the distance that separates them.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. It was just a book about Tom. There was nothing hidden in the text, there were no representations of things, it was just a story. There were quite a few times where I found myself laughing out loud and wished I was there. When Tom started to describe a specific sport moment, I understood and it made me really excited as if I was sitting there watching the game. The only problem I had with the book was the cussing. Too much for me. Other than that, an excellent read.