Books at a bargain price still available

Readers, we are extending to the end of January the holiday special we offered last month from the bookstore at kerryeggers.com. “Jerome Kersey: Overcoming the Odds,” “The Bill Schonely Story: Wherever You May Be … Now” and “Civil War Rivalry: Oregon vs. Oregon State football” are available for $10 apiece, or all three for $25, plus shipping.

The Kersey book, published in 2021, tells the story of one of the most popular and productive players in NBA history. It takes the reader from Jerome’s early years growing up in humble beginnings in rural Clarksville, Va., through his 11 seasons with the Blazers and 17 NBA seasons in total, to his untimely death from a pulmonary embolism at age 52. Kersey was a starter for much of his time in Portland, a mainstay on the 1990 and ’92 teams that reached the NBA finals. He later became a valuable employee in several capacities for the club in the years before his death. Kerry Eggers spoke with many members of Jerome’s family, along with friends and teammates from his college days at Longwood and all through his time in the NBA.

The Dean of Portland Sports is now on BlueSky.

The Schonely book, published in 2022, is actually Eggers’ second book with the legendary Trail Blazers broadcaster, who died in January 2023 at age 93. The first one came out in 1998, shortly after Schonely had been demoted from radio play-by-play man to secondary duties, a move that backfired in every way possible for the franchise during the “Jail Blazers” era. Since he was still obligated financially to the club, Schonely was not allowed to print a factual account of his demise.

“The Schonz” rebounded and remained a valuable employee and perhaps the most important figure in franchise history until retirement just a few months before his death. This book reprints copy from the previous book and adds five chapters that tell the real story about the 1998 demotion, and what Schonely accomplished during the final quarter-century of his life.

“Civil War Rivalry,” published in 2014, is the true, comprehensive Bible of the first 120 years of football competition between the Ducks and Beavers. Through first-hand interviews with more than 250 players, coaches, officials and representatives of both schools, there are 527 pages of history and perspective you’ll get nowhere else. Eggers interviewed every living head coach of both schools from the 1970s through 2014 and talked to hundreds of key players from both sides. There are interviews with such greats such as Terry Baker, Mel Renfro, Dan Fouts, Matt Moore, Alex Molden, Brandin Cooks, Ahmad Rashad, Derek Anderson, John Robinson, John Didion, Kenjon Barner, Steve Preece, Chris Miller, Steven Jackson, Bob Berry, Jordan Poyer, Andy Maurer, Bob Newland, Richard Seigler, Tom Graham, Gary Zimmerman, Anthony Newman, Chad Johnson, Derek Loville, Danny O’Neil, Sean Mannion, Chad Cota, Akili Smith, Ken Simonton, Joey Harrington, Jonathan Smith, Keenan Howry, Mike Hass, Sammy Stroughter, Yvenson Bernard and Max Unger.

The book, which Eggers considers the best of the dozen he has written, covers all the important stories from the rivalry’s inception in 1894 to the 2014 matchup more than a century later. We have a dozen books left. This is a collector’s item and a steal at $10.

Also still available is Eggers’ latest book, “Scrolls of a Sports Scribe,” a two-volume collection of stories through his half-century of sportswriting. To order visit my online store here.

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