“Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West is a book about basketball like Moby Dick is a book about a whale. Yes, there’s basketball in the rundown town of Willow Creek, Montana, and a coach whose team has the dismal record of zero wins and 93 losses. When two new kids show up, it gives Coach Sam Pickett and everybody else new hope, despite adversities galore. Humor, compassion, and perseverance rise from every page as these all too real people grow in trust, confidence, and understanding. The story is triumphant but never schmaltzy, preachy or satisfied with the cheap heartstring tug; the writing is pure and beautiful.” –Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Cannon Beach, OR