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By BOB D'ANGELO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 25, 2007

Angelo Dundee compares training boxers to catching fish.

"It's not the strength but the technique," the longtime boxing trainer writes in his book, "My View From The Corner: A Life In Boxing" (McGraw-Hill, $24.95). Judging from the success of the fighters who cast their lot with him - Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman - Dundee's technique was very strong.

Venerable boxing writer Bert Randolph Sugar and Dundee have put together a story that has the crispness of a Leonard jab and the bombast of an Ali news conference - snappy, brassy and sarcastic. It's a powerful tale, with a few Berra-isms thrown in for good measure.

"You don't have to be a hen to know how to make an omelet," Dundee chirps, answering critics who criticized his lack of fighting experience.

The best parts of Dundee's story are his experiences as Ali's trainer for 21 years. He puts the reader ringside and describes the "phantom punch" that floored Sonny Liston in his return bout with Ali. The three Frazier fights are dissected passionately, but fairly - Dundee pulls no punches, even when his boxer is at fault.

Dundee started as a go-fer for his older brother, promoter Chris Dundee, and recently was a consultant for the film "Cinderella Man" ("I had more lines on my face than I did in the movie," he cracks). He concedes that boxing's own worst enemy is "ourselves," but wouldn't trade his job for any other, claiming he has enjoyed more than a half century of "breathtaking moments."

That he chose to share those moments with his readers is breathtaking, too.

START STUDYING: The World Series has ended, but baseball is a year-round sport when it comes to crunching numbers and digesting statistics.

That's why "The Bill James Handbook" (ACTA Sports, $21.95) is so valuable. The book is chock full of statistics of every major-league player, and James' attention to detail remains phenomenal.

For example, the Rays' Carlos Pena was the American League leader in at-bats per home run in 2007 (10.7), while Delmon Young tied for the league lead in hitting into double plays (23). Young also swung at the first pitch 51.4 percent of the time to lead the AL, while B.J. Upton held the lead for at-bats per homer for AL hitters under 26 years old (19.8).

Rays pitcher James Shields led the AL in highest percentage of change-ups (29.7). Who dreams up these categories? James, of course. Once again, James has produced a stat freak's dream book.

MORE NUMBERS: Sometimes, the mere mention of a number will suffice: 56 (Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak), .406 (Ted Williams' average in 1941) or 17-0 (the 1972 Miami Dolphins. That's the theme of "Numbelievable! The Dramatic Stories Behind the Most Memorable Numbers in Sports History" (Triumph Books, $26.95). Authors Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano put together the most significant times, records and uniform numbers in sports history, while ESPN analyst Dick Vitale weighs in with his own commentary. The numbers are awesome, and so is the premise.

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