Ryder Cup book fair: What's out there, what could be

Mark James is making more headlines with his book than he ever made as Europe's Ryder Cup captain.

Or as a player.

Still seething over the garish conduct by the U.S. team and the boorish behavior by the throng at The Country Club, James has written a book called ''Into the Bear Pit: The Hard Hitting Inside Story of the Brookline Ryder Cup.''

Based on excerpts published last week in a British tabloid, perhaps a more appropriate title might have been ''Into the Arm Pit.''

It reeks of a captain who feels a need to speak his mind about the Ryder Cup, and to drag everyone through the muck in the process.

James rips Nick Faldo, the most accomplished Ryder Cup player in history, for daring to send the European team a good luck note before the matches. Claiming Faldo tried to disrupt team unity, James recounts with glee how he tossed the note in the trash.

He attacks Tom Lehman for stirring up the gallery. He mocks Ben Crenshaw for kissing the 17th green after Justin Leonard holed that monster putt to clinch the cup.

James even took issue with the American wives. No, the words ''flight attendant'' didn't make any of the excerpts, but James was offended by reports that the wives could be heard wishing aloud that European shots find the water.

The book is to be released two weeks before the British Open, which is sure to stir the pot right about the time the Americans arrive in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Crenshaw is getting started on his book, written with Los Angeles Times golf writer Thomas Bonk and scheduled for release next spring.

The working title is ''A Feel for the Game: To Brookline and Back.'' Crenshaw delves into a career that took root at The Country Club in the 1968 U.S. Junior Amateur and came to fruition in the same place, where he delivered his famous ''I have a good feeling about this'' line on the eve of an unprecedented comeback.

It probably won't be all warm and fuzzy. Lest anyone forget, Crenshaw was furious when money became a central focus of the Ryder Cup. And two of his best players - Tiger Woods and David Duval - routinely referred to the matches as an ''exhibition.''

Of course, it could be worse.

It might not be long before any player who makes a Ryder Cup team feels obliged to cash in by writing a book. Here's a sampling of what that could bring:

''The Ryder Cup: An Outside Look,'' by Jean Van de Velde.

A crushing defeat turns into consolation when the Frenchman realizes his runner-up finish in the British Open has earned him a berth on the Ryder Cup team. He provides memorable details of his rookie experience - the flight over on the Concorde, the practice rounds, the opening ceremony, and the thrill of watching Europe build a 10-6 lead as James keeps him on the bench until Sunday.

The book, co-written by Jarmo Sandelin and Andrew Coltart, has a top 10 list of things to do in Boston, and includes a chapter on how Van de Velde would have played the last five holes had his match with Davis Love III gone the distance.

''The Cup Runneth Over,'' by Mark O'Meara.

This takes readers behind the scenes and looks at the corporate functions during the week of the matches - who goes, how much they pay. It also outlines the growth of hospitality tents since his first Ryder Cup in 1985.

It includes a provocative look at meetings with PGA of America and players over how to divide the windfall, and the final chapter offers suggestions how the Ryder Cup can make even more money - and a formula to share it with the players.

''Making The Putt That Matters,'' by Justin Leonard.

Leonard is an expert. He holed a 35-footer at Royal Troon to snag the British Open and two 30-footers on the back nine to win the '98 Players Championship. He devotes 45 chapters - one for each foot - to his cup-clinching birdie putt on the 17th.

In the most controversial chapter, he names every tour wife who charged onto the green to celebrate. But it includes an aerial photo and chart to indicate that no one stepped in the line of Jose Maria Olazabal's putt.

The X-Rated Files,'' by Colin Montgomerie

The most heckled golfer on American soil compares The Country Club to similar experiences he has encountered at The Olympic Club, Congressional and Winged Foot. He rates galleries on volume, creativity and obscenity.

Find out what made him to back off those putts. Hear what was said that caused his father to walk off the course.

Warning: Not suitable for children.

Sadly, James' book is not suitable for golf.

Doug Ferguson is the golf writer for the Associated Press.