Synopses & Reviews
Review
'\"A great tradition continues with another outstanding collection.\"'
Review
"A great tradition continues with another outstanding collection." Booklist, ALA
"Twenty-eight stories, no duds in the bunch and a few to reread after a dog and a beer." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind.
Each year, The Best American Sports Writing, well established as the premier sports anthology, offers a winning combination of fascinating topics and top-notch writers. This year, Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly assembles an all-star lineup sure to captivate fans of sports and great writing. From baseball to bullfighting, from horse racing to school-bus racing, this collection has something for everyone. Reilly has chosen columnists and feature writers, household names and talented unknowns, and most importantly, pieces that delve behind the statistics, examining the people and emotions that make the game.
About the Author
'Glenn Stout has been the series editor of The Best American Sports Writing since its inception and has written three illustrated biographies with Richard A. Johnson: Ted Williams: A Portrait in Words and Pictures, Joe DiMaggio: An Illustrated Life, and Jackie Robinson: Between the Baselines. He is a columnist for Boston Baseball, and the acclaimed author of Red Sox Century, Yankees Century, and The Dodgers. His work has appeared in many regional and national magazines and newspapers.Rick Reilly is the author of Sports Illustrated\'s \"Life or Reilly,\" a weekly column. He has been voted National Sportswriter of the Year six times and won the New York Newspaper Guild\'s Page One Award for best magazine story. He has written several books, including the best-selling autobiography of the Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth; his most recent book is The Life of Reilly.'
Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword x
Introduction by Rick Reilly xv
Bill Plaschke. Her Blue Haven 1
from The Los Angeles Times
Frank Deford. Almost a Hero 10
from Sports Illustrated
Eugene Robinson. The Cuban Ali 23
from The Washington Post Magazine
Bob Norman. Backyard Bloodbath 39
from New Times Broward–Palm Beach
Juliet Macur. "Please Let Me Die" 58
from The Dallas Morning News
William Nack. A Name on the Wall 77
from Sports Illustrated
Mark Kram, Jr. Joe"s Gift 93
from The Philadelphia Daily News
Karl Taro Greenfeld. Blind to Failure 106
from Time
Michael Leahy. Transition Game 116
from The Washington Post
Mike Lupica. Recalling Brother"s Bravest Hour 124
from The New York Daily News
Mike Bianchi. Nightmare Is Real for Mourners 128
from The Orlando Sentinel
Gene Wojciechowski. Last Call 130
from ESPN.com
Adam Schefter. Seeing the Light 133
from The Denver Post
Rick Telander. Making Their Points 138
from The Chicago Sun-Times
Art Thiel. No Angst in All-Star Ichiro 141
from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Scott Ostler. Don"t Go All Rasheed About This 146
from The San Francisco Chronicle
Steve Hummer. We All Have Some Inner Daly, but Most of Us Suppress It
149
from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Steve Rushin. Cold Comfort 151
from Sports Illustrated
Dan Neil. Big Night in Bithlo 154
from Car and Driver
Dan Le Batard. Detour 159
from ESPN: The Magazine
Peter Richmond. Flesh and Blood 169
from GQ
Gary Smith. Higher Education 182
from Sports Illustrated
Elizabeth Gilbert. Near Death in the Afternoon 203
from GQ
Tom Scocca. Blood Sport 219
from Baltimore City Paper
Steve Friedman. "It"s Gonna Suck to Be You" 223
from Outside
Skip Hollandsworth. The Killing of Alydar 237
from Texas Monthly
Joshua Harris Prager. Giants" 1951 Comeback Wasn"t
All It Seemed 259
from The Wall Street Journal
Jeanne Marie Laskas. The Enlightened Man 271
from Esquire
Biographical Notes 287
Notable Sports Writing of 2001 291