Jan 22, 2004

ON MY BOOKSHELF

“LT: Over the Edge”
By Lawrence Taylor with Steve Serby

Anthony Zimmer, 24,
Football coach, Advantage Driving School partner

Some things just feel right. There’s no confusion or misunderstanding. It’s something you want or love, intrinsically and instinctively. It just makes sense.

For ’98 Leland High School grad Anthony Zimmer, that something is football.

“I grew up around the sport,” explains Zimmer, the son of a former Leland High School coach, Randy. “It makes me happy.”

However, on Dec. 18, football evoked a painful new emotion for Zimmer. After his college football team, Linfield, lost in the Div. III semi-finals, Zimmer was forced to reevaluate his purpose.

“We should’ve won,” said Zimmer. “We finished, ranked number-two in the country and they [St. John’s University in Minnesota] went on to win.

“It was sad. Not only had I not achieved my goal of winning a championship in my senior season, I knew I would never play the sport I love again.”

Since the loss Zimmer exposed himself to a character that has struggled to learn far more painful lessons in football related life.

“Lawrence Taylor was on crack,” says Zimmer. “He had a real drug problem.”

Recently Zimmer read “LT: Over the Edge,” Lawrence Taylor’s L.T.’s own account of “tackling quarterbacks, drugs, and a world beyond football.”

In “LT: Over the Edge,” Taylor, whom many consider the greatest defensive player of all time, explains in earnest his attributes and faults, touching on everything from parenting and domestic life, to the cocaine-ridden underworld of New York City.

The book is organized into 14 chapters, supplemented with testimonials and confessions of those closest to the most outrageous man in football. Friends, colleagues, and family share their stories involving Taylor, as L.T. comments beyond their knowledge or understanding, explaining his side from the highs and lows, throughout his career and beyond.

“I would definitely recommend this book,” says Zimmer. “I never knew he smoked crack when I was younger, but this guy was my childhood hero. Not only is it entertaining, but it’s really a great story. The guy appeared to have everything under control. He revolutionized the game on the defensive side of the ball, but behind closed doors it was a different story. He always fought back, though. He never gave up. It’s impressive.”

–By Justin Petersen