SPORTS, POLITICS, AND SEX COLLIDE IN HUNTER S. THOMPSON'S WILDLY POPULAR ESPN.COM COLUMNS.

Insightful, incendiary, outrageously brilliant, such was the man who galvanized American journalism with his radical ideas and gonzo tactics. For over half a century, Hunter S. Thompson devastated his readers with his acerbic wit and uncanny grasp of politics and history. His reign as The Unabomber of contemporary letters (Time) is more legendary than ever with Hey Rube. Fear, greed, and action abound in this hilarious, thought-provoking compilation as Thompson doles out searing indictments and uproarious rants while providing commentary on politics, sex, and sports — at times all in the same column.

With an enlightening foreword by ESPN executive editor John Walsh, critics' favorites, and never-before-published columns, Hey Rube follows Thompson through the beginning of the new century, revealing his queasiness over the 2000 election (rigged and fixed from the start); his take on professional sports (to improve Major League Baseball eliminate the pitcher); and his myriad controversial opinions and brutally honest observations on issues plaguing America — including the Bush administration and the inequities within the American judicial system.

Hey Rube gives us a lasting look at the gonzo journalist in his most organic form — unbridled, astute, and irreverent.

"His writing is tighter and funnier than it has been since the late-'80s, and Thompson seems to have regained his sense of purpose. I would have given long odds against this strong a bounceback. And right now I'd be paying up." Detroit Free Press

"Thompson freely mixes fact with flights of fancy, and his essays read like the lunatic rants of a dyspeptic opium addict....keen observations of society, politics, sports and gambling on sports..." Miami Herald

"[I]nsightful, laugh-out-loud funny and masterfully written....Now that his essays are in book form, abandon the Internet...and read these brilliant Hunter Thompson rants. Orlando Sentinel

"Yes, this is a first-rate bathroom read for the highfalutin sports fiend who remains as loyal to the (place name of preferred NFL franchise here) as he is to the waning cult of Pitkin County's own Hunter S. Thompson, the grand pooh-bah of gonzo journalism..." Rocky Mountain News

No one writes like Hunter S. Thompson. Few would dare try. In the past two years, the Good Doctor's popularity has sky-rocketed thanks to a weekly column on ESPN.com's popular Page 2 that garners over a quarter of a million hits a day from fans eager to read his tirades on sports, politics, and his antics at home in Woody Creek. Hey Rube includes the finest ruminations and rants from those columns, including his eerily prescient views on September 11 retaliation, a biting comparison of NBA commissioner David Stern to The Three Stooges, and laugh-out-loud suggestions for fixing baseball. This is Thompson at his most organic, outlandish, insightful, and pithy, whether he's lambasting his subjects or lavishing them with praise (or both). Hey Rube also includes material unavailable in any other format — a true treat for fans old and new. Hilarious, thought-provoking, and more brutally honest than ever, Hey Rube is a classic collection from the writer Time magazine has dubbed The Unabomber of contemporary American letters.

Hunter S. Thompson's books include Fear and Loathing in America, Screwjack, Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Proud Highway, Better Than Sex, The Rum Diary, and Kingdom of Fear. He contributed to various national and international publications, including a weekly sports column for ESPN.com.