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

Old School Tennis

Where does The Outsider rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a solid book if you are a tennis fan and remember Connors, McEnroe, et al. from the 70s and 80s.

What did you like best about this story?

It is interesting to contrast Andre Agassi's childhood (as told by him in his book) with Jimmy Connor's. Andre hated tennis, Jimmy loved it. It is clear from Jimmy's story that he truly loved the game, loved to play it any chance he got, and that is ultimately what drove him to success.

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

Orlow is convincing as Connors.

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

I thought the first half of the book was great; surprisingly, things slowed down and gets a little boring as Jimmy gets more and more famous. Probably because he didn't want to do a "tell all" and reveal too many stories about other players and his own exploits off the court. But the stories he does tell are revealing.

Any additional comments?

It's an easy read, and although Jimmy doesn't put his life out there 100%, he puts enough to keep it interesting and insightful. Recommend.

Great Insight

Gave a good insight of a champion. I could see the effort that goes into making a champion. Also he loved his journey unlike Andre Agassi which is also inspiring.

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.

Awesome

I turned the book on every chance I had. Entertaining! Educational! Loved it. Will listen again.

Loved it but wish Jimbo would have narrated

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

Players were Personalities!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Outsider?

For me , this book brought back so many memories of my youth and my brief career in Tennis....the Nastase stories were awesome!

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

No I have not....He does a good job, but I kind of wish Jimmy would have narrated.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The birth of his son Brett.....You can really tell he loves his family....

Any additional comments?

I wish I could go back in time ...these stories were so great, and flashed me back to a time when players had personality other than their clothing.....

You might give up on humanity

Good quality audible, the narration is ok. interesting for tennis players. Its just, u get to realize the inner workings of an arrogant self centered knob. Boring in many places..if he had stopped telling us how great he was all the time it would have made a better listen

Little character arc - but somewhat funny at times.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The tricky part is that I am a huge fan of autobiographies and I am a tennis nut, so I had high hopes for this one. In all fairness, before this book I read Andre Agassi's 'Open' autobiography, and that is a very, very tough act to follow as it was phenomenal; one of my favorites of all time. So for me, in a way, it was like the Connors v. Agassi match at the US Open, with Connors getting just destroyed, and then hearing Connors complain and take verbal jabs.

What could Jimmy Connors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Connors was funny at times throughout the book, but he mentions that people don't change. He was notorious for giving the finger to fans during a tennis match, yelling obscenities at the officials and bad mouthing his opponents, so imagine a whole book full of that. Admittedly, I was never a big Connors fan but wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and hear his side of the story, his life, his personal story. However, there was little, if any, character arc.

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

The narrator did a great job.