Thursday, July 14, 2016
Column 518
Howie Reed is an AUTHOR!
Here are four well-known facts about Howie Reed: 1) He is a Republican, 2) He loves the ladies, 3) He can drink most anybody under the table, and 4) He throws darts as bad as me.
Given that Howie, aka the Old Dart Coach, is one of the most prolific and widely followed writers about our sport, it’s surprising that anything about him is unknown.
Here’s a biggie:
- He flunked college English. TWICE.
But now he’s written a book! A couple of former English professors must be spinning under the marigolds.
Often controversial, sometimes flamboyant, and always humorous, the former Mr. “F. Wonderful” Houston Hartwell “Howie” Reed II has strung together more than his usual couple of pages of wit and wisdom and, finally, authored the long-awaited While Drinking with the Fat Swede. This is the book Howie’s friends – there are thousands in every corner of the planet – have been urging him to write for years. Many will find themselves mentioned. A few will faint. Others will breathe a deep sigh of relief that they escaped inclusion. 
The book is a wild 250-page ride. The memories just keep coming, each more hilarious than the one before. The Energizer Bunny is a mere sloth when it comes to the pace of Howie’s storytelling. And the stories are all true.
The price is affordable. And best of all, if you’re a drop dead gorgeous member of the female persuasion (preferably a redhead – Howie was once married to a redhead, until he discovered she drove a broomstick) or if you offer to buy the author a beer, you may be able to negotiate a discount and have your book personally inscribed.
NOTE: There is a caveat to the above. If you’re a Democrat: 1) you can forget even trying to buy the book and 2) you should drown yourself, and not necessarily in that order.
The Fat Swede, Stephan Lord, is one of Howie’s closest friends and, as a former two-time News of the World champion, among the greatest players ever to step to the oche. Before being put to paper, many of the memories found between the book’s covers were recalled during late night drinking sessions between these buddies in Pattaya, Thailand. Other things may have happened “between the covers” too.
You need to buy this book! But don’t take it from me…
Long-time Newark Star-Ledger columnist and recent International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, Jerry Izenberg, has “shared time with most of the great ones – Pele and Joe Louis, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle, Joe Willie Namath and Vince Lombardi, and even Jim Thorpe in his declining years.” And of course Muhammad Ali. Barak Obama borrowed from Izenbergs’s writings when he eulogized Ali in June. It should come as no surprise that Izenberg is a close friend of Howie’s and one of several who express acclaim for his effort. It’s exotic, it’s nuts, it’s funny and at times it’s beautiful. In short, this book isn’t about Howie. This book IS Howie. Loved the ride.
Former President of King World Television, Stu Stringfellow, observes, It’s as if Mr. Reed sat down one day, leaned back, closed his eyes and let the random thoughts of his life’s past print as he remembered them… one as interesting and as funny as the other. As you read, the pace picks up. You’ll want to get to the next chapter, and the next, and next faster than you can read them. When there were no more chapters, I was very sorry the literary journey had ended.
A former TV/advertising executive, professional cowboy (steer wrestler and bull rider), Howie first picked up a dart in 1976. The darts world has never been the same. In 1978, he began writing about the sport for the Northern California Darts Association. In the early 1980s, his column, “Howie’s World,” became a staple in Bull’s Eye News. He did a stint with Darts World in the UK and the Challenge of Champions on ESPN-TV with Chris Berman. Also during the 1980s, Howie captained the American Pacific Cup team, the Singapore team at the Asian Cup, assisted Canada at the Pacific Cup in Melbourne, and ran the Canadian National Dart Championship for several years. He produced the Pacific Cup in 1994 in Vancouver.
In 1990, Howie (as the Lord of the Manor) began to write about boxing – first for Ring Sports, then the Pattaya Mail (1992-2008) and the Pattaya Times (2009-2010). Today, he is also (and still) one of the best known and respected purveyors of pugilistic phrase in the world.
At its core, While Drinking with the Fat Swede is about those many people, those most interesting and colorful characters, who have crossed the author’s path – making each new day interesting and life’s journey a very special adventure.
Or as Howie explains…
The late Jim Valvano’s speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards Show has become a classic recipe for life. At the time, Valvano would have just eight weeks to live before succumbing to bone cancer. He shared a profound message that should resonate for all as a guide for a meaningful life. “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” Hopefully this book will provide the “laugh” while leaving the rest of Valvano’s credo up to the reader.
Howie’s book is available now to order (hardback, paperback or electronic) at Xlibris Publishing and soon will be available through several resale outlets, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble – but don’t go to any of these places, not if you want a good deal (hence why no hyperlinks are included).
The best way to order and to get a hot-off-the-press first edition copy before While Drinking with the Fat Swede hits the New York Times bestseller list is to contact Howie directly. Email him at mygreatbook1@gmail.com today.
Then, prepare to laugh yourself silly.
From the Field,
Dartoid
