The Outsider

A Memoir

By: Jimmy Connors

Narrated by: Rich Orlow

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Jimmy Connors is a working-man's hero, a people's champion who could tear the cover off a tennis ball, just as he tore the cover off the country-club gentility of his sport. A renegade from the wrong side of the tracks, Connors broke the rules with a radically aggressive style of play and bad-boy antics that turned his matches into prizefights. In 1974 alone, he won 95 out of 99 matches, all of them while wearing the same white shorts he washed in the sink of his hotel bathrooms. Though he lived the rock star life away from tennis, his enduring dedication to his craft earned him eight Grand Slam singles titles and kept him among the top ten best players in the world for sixteen straight years - five at number one.

In The Outsider, Connors tells the complete, uncensored story of his life and career, setting the record straight about his formidable mother, Gloria; his very public romance with America's sweetheart Chris Evert; his famous opponents, including Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe, Ivan Lendl, and Rod Laver; his irrepressible co-conspirators Ilie Nastase and Vitas Gerulaitis; and his young nemesis Andre Agassi. Connors reveals how his issues with obsessive-compulsive disorder, dyslexia, gambling, and women at various times threatened to derail his career and his long-lasting marriage to Playboy Playmate Patti McGuire.

Presiding over an era that saw tennis attract a new breed of passionate fans - from cops to tycoons - Connors transformed the game forever with his two-handed backhand, his two-fisted lifestyle, and his epic rivalries.

The Outsider is a grand slam of a memoir written by a man once again at the top of his game - as feisty, unvarnished, and defiant as ever.

©2013 Jimmy Connors (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Worthwhile--but shoulda had Conners reading it

Would you listen to The Outsider again? Why?

Yes--interesting insight from a legend

What did you like best about this story?

He goes into everything--the good, the bad and the ugly

Would you listen to another book narrated by Rich Orlow?

Maybe

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

As with most biographies, especially of famous people who you've heard speak, it would be much better had Conners read it himself

Outstanding!

This was my first audio book, and I got hooked! Congratulations for either the writer and the narrator. I loved the french accent and the #$&%$&% dirty words...

great behind the scene stories

very entertaining stories, genuine, hilarious. very easy to listen to. always looked forward to picking up where I left off

Good

Not as good as Agassi's and McEnroe's book, but better then Sampras's. I'd recommend to anybody that loves the legends of tennis.

great read

Conners was always my favorite player on the tour. I miss seeing him on the court.

Interesting story

If you could sum up The Outsider in three words, what would they be?

I loved Jimmy Connors as a player, but found him less likable as a person after listening to this. Contrast the story with Andre Agassi's, who I grew to like more.........left me a bit disappointed.

What did you like best about this story?

The details

Tennis Lovers Book

I enjoyed hearing Jimmy conners take on his career, his matches I watched as a younger fan, and the behind the scenes happenings as a Professional Tennis player.

Very interesting story!

If you could sum up The Outsider in three words, what would they be?

Detailed 70's-80's History.

What did you like best about this story?

I learned so much about what led up to the Open Era and how big tennis was in the US during Jimmy's fame! I wish I would have been more into tennis when the US seemed to dominate the men's singles!

Have you listened to any of Rich Orlow’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other Rich Orlow performances, but I thought at times that "Jimmy Connors" was actually the speaker! I was definitely focused!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions to this book.

Any additional comments?

I guess we'll have to wait for Jimmy's next book to find out what he is going to do next!

There is a Reason for irreverence

If you could sum up The Outsider in three words, what would they be?

Reason my family loved watching Connors so much, Now revealed.

What did you like best about this story?

Honesty, insight to stuff we all watched on the court, mostly thrilled sometimes offended, always getting what we wanted! My parents taught me that to live in a bubble would be to miss what life is all about!! Jimmy Connors was the thrilling enigma we all watched together as a family to cheer and learn. Muhammed Ali was the same.Great stuff Jimmy!

Which character – as performed by Rich Orlow – was your favorite?

His french rendition of an overly "Relaxed" Yannick Noah, talking to Jimmy before an exhibition match.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed, cried, remembered my father who passed, and all the moments we had to share because we both cheered Jimmy Connors

Any additional comments?

Just great to revisit, and see the perpetuation of great characters like Jimmy Connors.

Connors - my tennis idol

What did you love best about The Outsider?

Getting a real inside look into the stories of Connor career and life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Connors of course. Beyond that, maybe Nastase.

What does Rich Orlow bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Rich Orlow was excellent. I was disappointed at first that the author didn't read the book but after about five minute, Mr. Orlow make you forget it is not Jimmy Connors. He sounds like a cross between Connors and Charlie Sheen.