My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench

As a former college athlete, the stories and the painting of the locker room picture sent me back to my playing days! Very funny stories, and his humor is very unique. Actually would've rather heard more stories rather than re-hash OSU's season in game-by-game detail. Quick read, and enjoyed my time reading!

Extremely witty, and a light read. Short chapters provide convenient built-in stopping points. Great insight into a world not many people get to experience. Highly recommend this book, even to those who aren't necessarily college basketball fans.

I followed Mark "The Shark" Titus's Blog all through his OSU career. This book is the icing on the cake of his incredible story.Really funny in parts (I had people at my work looking at me oddly when I couldn't stop laughing while reading it at lunch) and childish in others, but always entertaining. I'm looking forward to more of his writings on Grantland.

I followed Mark "The Shark" Titus's Blog all through his OSU career. This book is the icing on the cake of his incredible story.Really funny in parts (I had people at my work looking at me oddly when I couldn't stop laughing while reading it at lunch) and childish in others, but always entertaining. I'm looking forward to more of his writings on Grantland.

This book is certainly not for everyone, but anyone with an interest in the inner-workings of college (specifically Big Ten) basketball, candid insight on several well-known public figures of the basketball world, or hilarious imagery would love it. Its a very fun, very quick read.

Nothing new here. Similar "jokes" to other sports books written since Ball Four. Title is funny and that's about as good as it gets. Inappropriate reading for kids- I would not even want my high school age son reading this junk.

Let us consider the sports figure called "the walk-on."

It's a unique spot, limited to college sports. Sometimes teams have a few extra positions on the roster, particularly in football and basketball. Therefore, they invite everyday students to try out. A few make it. Virtually note of them ever become important parts of the team. Instead, they get pounded by the scholarship players in practice, and then sit on the bench and cheer wildly for their teammates at games.

A perfect example of this type of player is Mark Titus, who was at Ohio State from 2006 to 2010. He kept a blog for a portion of his time there, and that work has been expanded into the book, "Don't Put Me In, Coach." It's safe to predict that this was the favorite basketball book of 20-somethings everywhere who want to know what a big-time program is like.

Titus was a very good high school player in Indiana, to the point where he played AAU ball with Greg Oden. But he wasn't quite good enough to play top-level Division I basketball. Instead of heading to a lower level of competition and playing there, Titus opted to go with friends like Oden to Ohio State. After a stint as a manager fell through, Titus walked on to the Buckeyes' roster and stayed for four years.

Luckily, Titus brought his sense of humor along with him. He was on a team that had a coach in Thad Matta who enjoyed a good laugh himself, and thus was happy to keep Titus around to keep everyone a bit loose. You need that quality when faced with the fact that you'll never play more than four minutes in a single game over the course of a career.

After a while, Titus started a blog about his experiences with the Buckeyes, and against all odds it became popular. An interview with Bill Simmons, Titus' favorite sports writer (the influence shows, particularly in cultural references that are hit-or-miss), helped propel him to an odd degree of fame. His status reached the point that on senior night, a few thousand people in the stands were wearing t-shirts with his blog's logo on it and thus helped raise thousands for a local charity.

Titus has some things to work with here. His freshman team reached the national championship game, losing to Florida, and he played with such figures as Oden (number one NBA draft choice in 2007) and Evan Turner (number two NBA draft choice in 2010). But mostly it's about Titus and his adventures, and he brings a keen eye to an odd situation. For example, he writes about how he had to explain to Erin Andrews of ESPN why he wrote in his blog that their imaginary relationship had ended. For example, he writes about the fake letter he wrote to an assistant coach signed by a racist, homophobic fan, explaining why the coach was a big jerk (or a word to that effect) for not playing that number 34 guy a lot more. In other words, this should have you giggling frequently.

Titus' book isn't for the faint of heart at times. If there's been a book that devotes more time to the author's, um, digestive problems, I haven't read it. The title refers to the time that the author turned down a chance to play because of such issues. And he seems determined to set a record for the most ways to refer to a person's, um, private parts. It's tough to get an official count on such matters, but he's a contender.

But Titus does show some smarts here, a way with a one-liner, and even a little heart. I think he's done some other writing since this came out, and it's easy to hope he sticks with it. The kid could turn out to be a starter.

I requested this one because my husband is a sports book junkie, but it turns out this book, while using basketball as a starting point, isn't really a "sports" book at all, but more a humorous memoir that happens to center around a guy who kind of plays college basketball. I say "kind of" because, while his team is wildly successful, how much Mark Titus had to do with that success is highly questionable. And the one who questions his worth to the squad most is ... Mark Titus.

DONT' PUT ME IN, COACH is an expanded version of Titus' blog, Club Trillion, that initially brought him a level of relative fame and attention, including several appearances on ESPN chat shows, that normal walk-ons would never receive.

My husband found this book funny and thought I might enjoy it and, somewhat to my surprise, he was right. I'm not a basketball junkie and definitely not a Buckeye devotee, but I found Titus an engaging writer and the story of his basketball "career," covered here from middle school through college (followed by a faux shot at the NBA draft) where he almost literally stumbled into a basketball dynasty (he was originally supposed to be the team's manager, not a player), interesting. Titus has a bit of a frat boy sense of humor, so the easily offended should probably look elsewhere, but even though I was definitely not the target demographic (non-sports fan, suburban mom), I was amused and interested enough to finish this light, well-paced story in just a few days. Men will probably hate me for saying this but it really is kind of chick lit for guys, where the storytelling style is more important than the subject matter.

It was really Titus' writing that held this book together. He's extremely good and does conversational on the printed page very, very well. No surprise that Titus is, currently, a writer for the excellent sports and entertainment site, Grantland (a division of ESPN).

Don't Put Me In, Coach: My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench is Mark Titus' tome on riding the bench to a storied college basketball career at Ohio State University. It is based on a blog that he made popular, though I never read the blog before tackling this book. That may have actually made this book more readable for me. I suppose that, like a lot of such books coming out now, if you already know all these stories from his blog you might lose interest. For me, this story was a journey in to a world I knew little about.

It is written in a very tongue-in-cheek way. Not everybody will appreciate Titus' dark humor and political incorrectness. For the most part I found him to be funny, if at times a little over-done. He's alternately over-confident and self-deprecating. And a lot of the writing can be gratuitous and borderline childish. But buried in all of that is a lot of satire. And not to mention, this guy can write.

Along the way, we learn about how never getting the chance to really play or build his statistics becomes a badge of honor for him. And we see the contradiction that goes along with that. As more people become aware of his blog and "trillion" goals, any success, even getting a rebound, becomes a letdown.

This guy takes some serious risks in this book, including tackling some uncomfortable subjects. There is even a "choose your own adventure" style section where he writes two different sections to discuss being the "white guy" in a mostly black locker room. This extended joke could easily be misunderstood, so it's a credit to his guts and honesty that he is not afraid to confront the elephant in the room. At the same time, it's possible to look at this joke, along with many others, as extremely offensive.

This book is not for kids, the devoutly religious or the easily offended. It is not for those with a refined sense of humor, and can at time seem sophomoric. But I have to give the writer creative license on that front. He is writing about the events inside of a college locker room, after all, and this probably comes close to representing the mentality of a lot of the people one might find there.

CONCLUSION

This is an off-color story about the kind of athlete we rarely get to learn about. We always hear about the cheaters or the big stars, but this look at the life of the lowly walk-on is like the "anti-Rudy." It is filled with some laugh-out-loud moments and just as many head-scratchers. I can't say it's for everybody, but there are those who will find this kind of humor to be their cup of tea.

Enjoy.

After reading some reviews of this title on the store, I think some people really need to relax and realize that Titus is not trying to write a hard-hitting, deeply personal account of his basketball career and life. He's providing a book that fits his irreverent personality and laid-back attitude, and to that end he has done an excellent job.

For those of us who have warmed the bench at any level, Titus perfectly captures what that's like. Hoping - or not - to get in the game at some point, cheering on teammates, killing time with other activities, all of it is in here. Titus has pretty much lived the benchwarmer's dream, in that he was at least good enough to get a scholarship and to live through some awesome experiences. The stories about the team are great, as are some of his less-than-stellar relationships with teammates. He's honest in his assessment of teammates with whom he didn't get along, without coming across as too mean-spirited. Even with Evan Turner, who he refers to as The Villain, there's no doubting that Titus sees him as a great player. He may not have like the guy, but he doesn't let that turn into jealousy.

The writing at times is admittedly silly or juvenile. Lots of bathroom talk, "homo" jokes, some comments about race, and lots of slamming Michigan. But you know what? That's just how college kids, or those fresh out, often talk, so it's a lot easier to take. Some of the material is laugh-out-loud funny, and the only parts that drag are the game accounts. We already know what happened there, and we just want to get to the insults/dirty laundry.

If you're looking for a rich, poignant look at the hard work and dedication put in to reach the highest level of basketball success, then good luck finding that book. But if you just want a light look at college basketball and some of the ridiculous antics associated with it, this one should do nicely.

Mark Titus is an American blogger, college graduate and former walk-on basketball player for Ohio State University. I didn't realize that since October 2008, he has written about his basketball-related experiences in his blog 'Club Trillion' and he's now put some memorable stories in this book, DON'T PUT ME IN, COACH.

I must admit, I had some friends who chuckled when they saw what book I was reading. They wondered, "Why are you reading a book about Mark Titus?" True, Titus's basketball tenure mainly consisted of warming the bench, but you can definitely garner a lot of stories sitting on the bench. And that's exactly what you'll find in this book. Consider it an inside look into college basketball--from the practices to the games to the locker room and of course, the pranks.

If you're not one for bathroom humor, you might want to pass on this title, but if you like reading the antics of college basketball players, you'll definitely get a good laugh.

Don't Put me in Coach: My Incredible NCAA journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench, offers a different perspective on the exciting world of big time college basketball. At time the book is hilarious, but at other times it drags along. A lot of the book feels like its padded with what happened during every game of his career and many of these sections are very boring and offer nothing that pertains to the overall story he is telling. That being said this is a solid read for any college hoops fan, except of course any wolverine fans out there.

Don't Put Me In, Coach: My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench is Mark Titus' tome on riding the bench to a storied college basketball career at Ohio State University. It is based on a blog that he made popular, though I never read the blog before tackling this book. That may have actually made this book more readable for me. I suppose that, like a lot of such books coming out now, if you already know all these stories from his blog you might lose interest. For me, this story was a journey in to a world I knew little about.

It is written in a very tongue-in-cheek way. Not everybody will appreciate Titus' dark humor and political incorrectness. For the most part I found him to be funny, if at times a little over-done. He's alternately over-confident and self-deprecating. And a lot of the writing can be gratuitous and borderline childish. But buried in all of that is a lot of satire. And not to mention, this guy can write.

Along the way, we learn about how never getting the chance to really play or build his statistics becomes a badge of honor for him. And we see the contradiction that goes along with that. As more people become aware of his blog and "trillion" goals, any success, even getting a rebound, becomes a letdown.

This guy takes some serious risks in this book, including tackling some uncomfortable subjects. There is even a "choose your own adventure" style section where he writes two different sections to discuss being the "white guy" in a mostly black locker room. This extended joke could easily be misunderstood, so it's a credit to his guts and honesty that he is not afraid to confront the elephant in the room. At the same time, it's possible to look at this joke, along with many others, as extremely offensive.

This book is not for kids, the devoutly religious or the easily offended. It is not for those with a refined sense of humor, and can at time seem sophomoric. But I have to give the writer creative license on that front. He is writing about the events inside of a college locker room, after all, and this probably comes close to representing the mentality of a lot of the people one might find there.

CONCLUSION

This is an off-color story about the kind of athlete we rarely get to learn about. We always hear about the cheaters or the big stars, but this look at the life of the lowly walk-on is like the "anti-Rudy." It is filled with some laugh-out-loud moments and just as many head-scratchers. I can't say it's for everybody, but there are those who will find this kind of humor to be their cup of tea.

Enjoy.

After reading some reviews of this title on the store, I think some people really need to relax and realize that Titus is not trying to write a hard-hitting, deeply personal account of his basketball career and life. He's providing a book that fits his irreverent personality and laid-back attitude, and to that end he has done an excellent job.

For those of us who have warmed the bench at any level, Titus perfectly captures what that's like. Hoping - or not - to get in the game at some point, cheering on teammates, killing time with other activities, all of it is in here. Titus has pretty much lived the benchwarmer's dream, in that he was at least good enough to get a scholarship and to live through some awesome experiences. The stories about the team are great, as are some of his less-than-stellar relationships with teammates. He's honest in his assessment of teammates with whom he didn't get along, without coming across as too mean-spirited. Even with Evan Turner, who he refers to as The Villain, there's no doubting that Titus sees him as a great player. He may not have like the guy, but he doesn't let that turn into jealousy.

The writing at times is admittedly silly or juvenile. Lots of bathroom talk, "homo" jokes, some comments about race, and lots of slamming Michigan. But you know what? That's just how college kids, or those fresh out, often talk, so it's a lot easier to take. Some of the material is laugh-out-loud funny, and the only parts that drag are the game accounts. We already know what happened there, and we just want to get to the insults/dirty laundry.

If you're looking for a rich, poignant look at the hard work and dedication put in to reach the highest level of basketball success, then good luck finding that book. But if you just want a light look at college basketball and some of the ridiculous antics associated with it, this one should do nicely.

Mark Titus is an American blogger, college graduate and former walk-on basketball player for Ohio State University. I didn't realize that since October 2008, he has written about his basketball-related experiences in his blog 'Club Trillion' and he's now put some memorable stories in this book, DON'T PUT ME IN, COACH.

I must admit, I had some friends who chuckled when they saw what book I was reading. They wondered, "Why are you reading a book about Mark Titus?" True, Titus's basketball tenure mainly consisted of warming the bench, but you can definitely garner a lot of stories sitting on the bench. And that's exactly what you'll find in this book. Consider it an inside look into college basketball--from the practices to the games to the locker room and of course, the pranks.

If you're not one for bathroom humor, you might want to pass on this title, but if you like reading the antics of college basketball players, you'll definitely get a good laugh.

Don't Put me in Coach: My Incredible NCAA journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench, offers a different perspective on the exciting world of big time college basketball. At time the book is hilarious, but at other times it drags along. A lot of the book feels like its padded with what happened during every game of his career and many of these sections are very boring and offer nothing that pertains to the overall story he is telling. That being said this is a solid read for any college hoops fan, except of course any wolverine fans out there.

Stars 3.5

Worhol's assessment that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame is evident once again in Mark Titus's book about his adventures, and misadventures, while sitting on the bench at Ohio State.

Titus has admirably found a way to take advantage of his pesonality and notoriety, and you can't fault him for that. While at OSU he gained a cult following by making "cute" statements before cheering sychophants during opportune times, and by following it up with postings on YouTube. Now he's written his "tell-all" from his perspective.

While most sports books are written by successful, legendary players or coaches, Titus shares a few stories and some insight that will mostly appeal to Buckeye fans with knowledge about the players and coaches he talks about, and by adults still reliving their college days. His writting style is interesting and his copy flows well, but frankly the more I read, the more I kept wondering if this guy ever will outgrow his sophomoric humor. He reminds me of the class clown who finds a way to make everything seem like a joke and ends up being the guy everyone remembers as a jerk. The book is okay, but if you aren't an Ohio State fan, much of the inside perspective will be lost on you.

I enjoyed the book!

A spectator of college basketball, I cannot claim any first hand knowledge of the game.

I do know its excitement, the unexpected, the rough play and I do mean rough!!, the training, the play time, the thrill of victory and agony of defeat...etc. etc. etc.

Mark Titus takes this ultra competitive sport to a very funny, often crass and vulgar humor, new 'dimension???'.

His revelations...are they true?, his jokes and pranks, his jerky antics, his laziness, his riding the coat tails, his being on the bench so much so that his blog and "Club Trillion' have made him a name.

Not for everyone for sure, and no surprise here, geared for the 18 to 40 set no doubt, it still proved one crazy read.

Titus is, in the words of a Eugene Levy character, "sardonically irreverent." This a street-smart, talented, observant dude who manages to pry an awful lot of observational humor out of his relatively short life! This is satire-rich territory for he is the guy involved in a highly succesful, big-time NCAA program who, frankly, eventually realized that he cared about different things than did his high-flying teammates.

I supppose the bigger question attendent on Titus is the extent to which he is a blogger and the extent to which he is a writer. Right now, he's a master of the short form. Definitely a blogger. But in the future, he may make his way onto more ambitious writing projects.

Mark Titus's career at Ohio State was somewhat incredible, considering his star-power in the city of Columbus when compared to his on-the-court playing time. But what Mark was lacking in statistics at OSU, he more than made up for in personality, wit, and social media presence. Don't Put Me In Coach is his account of his time playing for the Buckeyes, and is full of great, hilarious stories regarding the roller-coaster ride of a basketball season, as well as the various personalities he encountered (such as Evan "The Villain" Turner). While Titus is not the best writer, the book is a quick, light-hearted read that provides a funny, sometimes insightful view of the behind-the-scenes workings of a major college basketball program.

Blogs are too easy to set up these days. Everyone now thinks they have a story to tell, and it's mostly an audience of one. Anything beyond that and we all become the enablers. The book publishing world is at peace with this and uses it to their advantage. "Don't Put Me In, Coach" is another sensational slab of whatever, peddling the lovable loser as protagonist and calling it a memoir. Or humor. Or whatever.

Mark Titus, a walk-on for the OSU basketball team, tries to be self-deprecating about his juvenile sense of humor, but it also seems to be his only method of communication most of the time. The soft racism, the frequent references to his anatomy, the put-downs that typically don't leave a locker room of 8th graders overwhelms his style. Also, why is he constantly buying things back? In an effort to be funny AND take himself down a peg, he will compare some accomplishment of his with something far more lofty -- only to say "at least that's what I like to think." In other words, he was just kidding, everyone.

Titus's portrayal of his teammates is frequently unflattering, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of those guys see this as an invasion of their privacy. He claims to respect them, but his sense of humor comes across as too mean-spirited to be respectful. He also seems too proud of his pranks. I suggest you take the cash you would have spent on "Don't Put Me In, Coach", use it to buy a case of beer, phone up a friend, and reminisce with them over some cold ones. It's essentially the same thing, but more satisfying.