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What: The Official 1998 NFL Pocket Almanac

Price: $4.95

So maybe you have a life and were unable to catch every minute of every pro football game last season. Or maybe you live to catch TV guys rattling off a bad statistic. For either of these situations, if you’re an NFL fan, I recommend the NFL Pocket Almanac.

The almanac tackles each team and provides everything from records and statistics to schedules and web site addresses. The information is clear and well-organized, and nearly all of it is stuff football fans really care about.

When will the Green Bay Packers play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? What key acquisitions did the Pittsburgh Steelers get in the off-season? What was the Denver Broncos’ record last season? Which San Diego Charger player rushed for the most yards last season?

All these questions can be answered by this little book.

But there are two main drawbacks. First, the scouting report for each team sounds as if there are 30 teams in contention for the Super Bowl. You can call it optimism, but it looks like the NFL’s way of pleasing every fan.

The other minus is that the information in this book was current only through May 1, and it may not be correct come opening day. But it shouldn’t change too much. After all, it is a book about football, not a book about baseball.