ONE KNEE EQUALS TWO FEET: (And Everything Else You Need to Know About Football)

Madden and collaborator Anderson of 1984's Hey, Wait a Minute (I Wrote a Book!) here present more Madden on football, this time beginning with an enthusiastic primer on the game's fundamentals, then moving on to those players who in Madden's estimation best personify playing excellence and why they do. The instruction manual should help anyone with even a passing interest to better understand the game they're seeing on the tube. For Madden (correctly), the key to what's happening on any given offensive play is what the guards do--and he tells you what to watch for and who to watch. He then proceeds to discuss in anecdotal detail what's expected of each position and what distinguises a great center, say, from a good one (mental discipline and the ability to raise his hands quickly after the snap). Throughout, Madden's exuberance gleams off the page and it's not hard to imagine him, arms aware, illustrating his techniques on the practice field, grinning while he chews some butt. When Madden gets down to discussing his all-time gridiron favorites, he turns on the charm that's endeared him to a legion of fans. He starts with the small stuff about the man and approvingly builds it into a case for greatness: Walter Peyton sprints up a 45° slope 20 times in a row in the off-season; it ""makes your thighs burn,"" he says. That dedication and his selflessness make him Madden's main running back. Among the other favorites: the Giants' Lawrence Taylor; the Raiders' Willie Brown; The Forty-Niners' Joe Montana; ""controlled fanatics"" of the special teams, et al. To avoid bruising too many egos, Madden appends a ""The Best I've Ever Seen"" list to each group; to stay firmly off the dime, they're alphabetical. Learning can be fun, even if some of the stories are thrice-told. Hey, Hey, Hey!