The Throwback Special
SKU: 58171703422

The Throwback Special

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Description

The Throwback SpecialHere is the absorbing story of twenty two men who gather every fall to painstakingly reenact what ESPN called "the most shocking play in NFL history" and the Washington Redskins dubbed the "Throwback Special" the November 1985 play in which the Redskins' Joe Theismann had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants live on Monday Night Football. With wit and great empathy, Chris Bachelder introduces us to Charles, a psychologist

Here is the absorbing story of twenty-two men who gather every fall to painstakingly reenact what ESPN called "the most shocking play in NFL history" and the Washington Redskins dubbed the "Throwback Special" the November 1985 play in which the Redskins' Joe Theismann had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants live on Monday Night Football.

With wit and great empathy, Chris Bachelder introduces us to Charles, a psychologist whose expertise is in high demand; George, a garrulous public librarian; Fat Michael, envied and despised by the others for being exquisitely fit; Jeff, a recently divorced man who has become a theorist of marriage; and many more. Over the course of a weekend, the men reveal their secret hopes, fears, and passions as they choose roles, spend a long night of the soul preparing for the play, and finally enact their bizarre ritual for what may be the last time. Along the way, mishaps, misunderstandings, and grievances pile up, and the comforting traditions holding the group together threaten to give way.

The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 02/07/2017
ISBN: 9780393353785
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.40lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.50w x 0.60d
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SKU: 58171703422

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4.2 β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…
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wild animals
Houston, US
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5
Best toy, the end
Style: Sport, Size: 12in, Style: Sport, Size: 12in
Combined with the Max Glow ball, this is the best dog toy available on modern planet Earth. I have a burly 92lb. pit bull mix with highly developed prey drive, and she will chase the glow ball for hours if I let her. The tiny sport launcher (Sport 12M) is the best, because you can still throw the ball really far, but you can also slam the ball down a few feet away from yourself so it bounces up in the air and your dog has to jump to catch it, or you can throw it up really high so it bounces 15' away or so and your dog can jump to catch it. We sometimes have to play fetch in a pretty small area, so it's nice to have the small launcher for these games. The larger launchers aren't as fun in small areas. You can play the same games but it's trickier to throw the ball correctly. Also, the small launcher is a lot easier to carry. The small launcher fits in my dog-walk-stuff backpack (with the ball in the launcher so I don't have to dig for it later), but the big ones don't easily. The launcher also has a hole in the end so you can hang it from your bag or whatever with a carabiner. The big ones are too long for that in most cases, and swing back and forth. Also-also my dog loves to ask for the launcher, then when I give it to her she plays keep-away and it's adorable. The big launcher I have is harder for her to balance in her mouth, so she just lays down and chews on it until it gets taken away. She's chewed on all of the four Chuck Its we've owned, but she's only broken one (a big one), but that's because she got ahold of it when no one was home. The little one in my bag is totally chewed up but still works great. I think they're sturdier than the big ones. Except for the launcher she chewed into pieces, which was our fault, the only reason we've had to replace anything was because we lost it. Usually we keep the launcher and ball in the backpack so she can't get to them and so they don't get lost, so we rarely have to replace them. There is just not a better value in toys, and the startup price is really low. Once again I really recommend the glow ball! It doesn't get soggy no matter how wet the grass or the dog mouth is. It is fun to chase because it is slippery and it collapses when it's squeezed, so it pops out of the dog's mouth and flies away if they bite it at the wrong angle; it's really bouncy, and stays bouncy because it can't be popped; it whistles so you can usually hear it even if you can't see it; and it really glows enough for nighttime catch, even if you only have your cellphone flashlight to charge it up! UPDATE: I should have said, we have the 12M launcher, which means the handle is 12 inches long and it uses a medium-sized ball. The medium ball is 2.5 inches in diameter, so the launcher will fit regular tennis balls, too! But my dog won't play with regular tennis balls anymore because they aren't anywhere near as fun as the glow balls, and I think she doesn't like having gross sloshy muddy tennis balls in her mouth. I lost my short launcher awhile back and could only get a long one locally to replace it, which reminded me that you have to lean over a lot further to use the short launcher. So if you have trouble leaning over to the point that your hand is a foot above the ground, this may be hard for you to use. I wish Amazon would let us choose colors, because my old one was green, and the big one is orange, both of which are bright enough to see in the grass from far away, even at night. Still, best toy!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2017
A
Verified Purchase
Amazon Fan
Lake Worth, US
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5
Highly recommend.
Style: Sport, Size: 12in
Love this. Dog sitting for a dog that loves to chase balls but my shoulder doesn’t like throwing them. Got this yesterday and it’s perfect. Real arm/shoulder saver. Seems sturdy and I was concerned that a standard tennis ball would not work. We tend to lose balls when walking because this lab insists on carrying the ball in its mouth. They work.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2026
D
Verified Purchase
Dobelvr
Lake Worth, US
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5
These are awesome and I couldn't play ball with my Dobermans without it!
Style: Sport, Size: 12in
I LOVE Chuckit ball launchers. We've been using for a around 17 years and we've only had to replace one. We have 2 active, energetic Dobermans and I throw like a girl and there is now way I can throw a ball very far. With the Chuckit, I can throw more than 80 feet! My dogs need a lot of exercise and using this ball thrower allows me to make that happen. Bonus is I dont have to pick up a snobbery ball :)
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Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2026
E
Verified Purchase
Eddie R.
New York, US
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 4
Not a long shot
Style: Sport, Size: 12in
This item is much smaller than I thought it would be . The ball is full sized . But the thrower is very small. Works okay. But does not throw the ball very far . It’s okay for me . My dogs are small. My yard is too . But , this is not going to throw balls really far . Like the long ones do Thsnks Eddie
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Los Angeles, US
β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… 5
Perfect addition
Style: Sport, Size: 12in
This is item that I needed but didnt know it. Its been great for saving my sholder anad my dog loved the longer chase to get the ball. Easy to use and lots of fun
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2026

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