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Selected sports writings from newspapers and magazines include David Halberstam on Michael Jordan, the story of a former Mr. Universe's steroid addiction, and Dave Barry on why the NBA is less offensive than people think.45,000 first printing. ... Read more

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The story of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and his teammates purportedly conspiring with gamblers to throw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds has lingered in the collective consciousness for more than eighty years. Daniel A. Nathan's wide-ranging, interdisciplinary cultural history is less concerned with the details of the scandal than with how it has been represented and remembered by journalists, historians, novelists, filmmakers, and baseball fans. "Saying It's So" offers a series of astute reflections on what these different cultural narratives reveal about their creators and the eras in which they were created, producing a complex study of cultural values, memory, and the ways people make meaning. ... Read more

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Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Halberstam selects the fifty best pieces of sports writing of this century. The Best American Sports Writing of the Century showcases the best sports journalists of the twentieth century, from Jimmy Cannon, Red Smith, William Mack, Gary Smith, and Frank Deford to A. J. Liebling, Tom Wolfe, and Hunter S. Thompson, and includes such classics as "What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?" by Richard Ben Cramer, "Louis Knocks Out Schmeling" by Bob Considine, and "The Rocky Road of Pistol Pete" by W. C. Heinz. This outstanding collection captures not only the century's greatest moments in baseball, boxing, horseracing, golf, and tennis, but some of the finest writing of our time. Guest editor David Halberstam is the author of The Reckoning, The Summer of Forty-Nine, The Breaks of the Game, and, most recently, The Children. Series editor Glenn Stout has written biographies of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Jackie Robinson.Amazon.com Review
Given the overall vigor and volume of sports writing inAmerica throughout the 20th century, the idea of compiling a singlecollection dubbed the "best" requires a daring balancing act ofboldness and delicacy. And that's just what it is. Sports fans--butwhy limit this sparkling, spirited, passionate prose to just sportsfans?--will revel in the equilibrium of David Halberstam's and GlennStout's wide range of selections. Their tribute to the knights of thekeyboards is Hall of Fame-level from cover to cover.

Halberstamand Stout don't waste any time. They lead off with one of the greattours de force of American nonfiction, Gay Talese's stunninglypoignant, 1966 profile of a moody Joe DiMaggio, "The Silent Season ofa Hero." Then, before you can finish digesting it, they loudly switchgears to Tom Wolfe's "The Last American Hero," a razzle-dazzle look atJunior Johnson and the world of stock-car racing. By the timeBest takes the checkered flag nearly 800 pages later, it hascovered a remarkably rich and varied course that runs through the pensof such remarkable talents as Grantland Rice, Red Smith, Frank Deford,W.C. Heinz, Jim Murray, Murray Kempton, Ring Lardner, John Lardner,Jimmy Breslin, Al Stump, John Updike, John McPhee, Hunter Thompson,Norman Mailer, Jon Krakauer, Tom Boswell, Roger Angell, and DavidRemnick. Whew!

Like the best sportswriting, of course, Bestis much more than fun and games, though there's plenty of that in itspages. Best is history captured on the fly through the games weplay and the memorable players--Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, MohammadAli, Secretariat, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Red Grange--who play them. Fromselection to selection, writes Halberstam in his introduction, "wewatch the country change." Certainly, sports--and sportswriting--haveprovided America a marvelous box seat for the contemplation of its ownmetamorphoses. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

100 years of Sport
Some amazing pieces on great athletes and sporting moments over the last 100 years.Some Enlightening (Ali, DiMaggio) Some Heartwarming (Secratariat) and even some Zany (Thompson on the Derby).Being a young man, I missed most of these great people/moments in history - but the tales live on and are captured through excellent writing.Highly recommend!

Not What It Could Have Been

If you enjoy reading about sports, there is little doubt you will enjoy many pieces in this book, especially if your interests lean toward boxing and baseball, which completely dominate this book.

I feel like readers would have better served if the editors had broken things down differently, perhaps by decade, or by sport, with 2 or 3 pieces from each. That would have given readers a much better feel for the breadth of sports in the 20th century.

But with this, the selections are clustered around mid to late century and as noted, are mostly about baseball and boxing. A very high percentage of the articles are about retired athletes bemoaning their lost "Glory Days."

Among the top selections are a long piece of Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, which stands out because it details an athlete who was active at the time the piece was written and is about football, which is barely mentioned in the book and Ring Lardner's "Eckie", which is the funniest and most irreverent piece in the book.

There is one article about hockey, a piece on the making of a goon and none about basketball. Track and field is not represented at all. The book is intended more for a New Yorker reader than a reader of the Sporting News; more for a fan of Roger Angell than Bill James.

Superb from cover to cover
I spent the better part of a month engrossed in this wonderful collection of sports writing, and I can't recommend this strongly enough for sportsfans and historians alike.The chronological organization of the writings herein also provided a fascinating look at the way America's sports passions have evolved over the past century.Boxing, horse racing, and baseball were prominent in the first half of the century, while the "x-games" of mountaineering and fishing came to light later.Five stars without any reservations.

Outstanding collection but a small part of what is out there
Years ago I read a piece included in this book, called 'Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu' by John Updike. I was reading a lot of Updike at that time, and found it strangely to be the most moving, the best thing he had written. I will venture to say it is one of the best things in this book.
Other sports - writing I loved a lot came not from the daily papers or columns or magazines but from longer often fictional works. For my money Zane Grey's 'The Shortstop' and Charles Einstein's 'The Only Game in Town' are two of the greatest pieces of sportswriting. I would also say that Hemingway in his writing about fishing and boxing and bullfighting- and Lardner ( who is included here but in a small selection) were at the highest level of the game. And Sherwood Anderson too for a story he has about horses and a young person's love of the track. Bernard Malamud in 'The Natural' also wrote about baseball and its dreams and disappointments in a way a real fan could take to heart.I would also add aselection Laura Hillebrand's great book on 'Seabiscuit'. And of course another masterpiece of writing Frederick Exley's 'A Fan's Notes'.
That said I believe this present collection a rich one.The opening piece on Joe D. by Guy Talese has about it something of the class and hidden mystery of the Yankee Clipper himself. The last selection of Norman Mailer on Muhammed Ali is as big as the egos of both of these two master- self- promoters. But there is also much here for those on the other side, the losers as in Murry Kempton's column on Sal Maglie who lost after pitching outstanding ball in the game Don Larsen was perfect in- in the 1956 World Series.
For some reason Baseball and Boxing are the sports most written about. Baseball is a world in itself, with its own special character. I would have liked to see a selection from Philip Roth in which he describes I believe it is in 'American Pastoral' the feeling of playing center- field. Boxing has the drama of the man- against- man combat. Perhaps a piece by Joyce Carol Oates on Mike Tyson might have been included here.
When I was a child one of my heroes was Grantland Rice. And I am happy to see a selection from his columns here.
Again there is a great deal of wonderful stuff here but I am not sure it has most of the great sports- writing of the century in it. I think of some of the sports-biographies which have been written and are truly outstanding. Tom Meany's old books on Joe D. and the Babe are I believe even out- of-print but they told the story of their heroes in a way a young person could be inspired by and identify with.
What I am saying I guess is that this very good selection is still only a small part of what there is out there.
The game is long , and the life too short to read.

Great Read!
I purchased this book last year, and found it to be so enjoyable that I gave my copy to a friend, and then ordered two more copies for Christmas gifts.If you, or someone you know, likes to read short stories that cover all sports written by the best of our generation, buy this. You won't regret it... ... Read more

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The all-time roster of Michigan State University athletics reads like a "Who's Who." Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Steve Garvey, Bubba Smith, Robin Roberts, Mateen Cleaves...the list grows with each new season. Now, for the first time, the complete history of MSU men's athletics is contained within the pages of a single book. The Spartan Sports Encyclopedia chronicles more than a century of Michigan State athletic history in an easy-to-read format. Included are vignettes about Spartan seasons and celebrities and an ultracomplete review of scores and statistics. This fantastic reference book is a must-have for any Spartan fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Spartan Sports encylopedia by Jack Seibold
Excellent, huge book detailing MSU sports over many years. Could have used more photos, I think. A must for Spartan fans. I got mine from the used listings, very cheaply and have passed on to other MSU fans. ... Read more

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Of all major intercollegiate sports, basketball remains preeminently the one that has never had to yield pride of place to its professional competition. This book is a lavishly illustrated, fact-filled celebration both of college basketball's extraordinary past & of its equally extraordinary present. In its pages you will meet again all the great coaches & their fabulous teams. Here, too, you will see the game-transforming superstars once again in action. Add to that a cornucopia of statistics, nostalgia, historic pictures, & an exciting narrative by one of the nation's foremost sportswriters, & this book becomes a work that few real fans will be able to resist. ... Read more

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Sport in America: From Colonial Leisure to Celebrity Figures and Globalization, Volume II, presents 18 thought-provoking essays focusing on the changes and patterns in American sport during six distinct eras over the past 400 years. The selections are entirely different from those in the first volume, discussing diverse topics such as views of sport in the Puritan society of colonial New England, gender roles and the croquet craze of the 1800s, and the Super Bowl's place in contemporary sport. Each of the six parts includes an introduction to the essays, allowing readers to relate them to the cultural changes and influences of the period. Readers will find essays on well-known topics written by established scholars as well as new approaches and views from recent studies.

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Fly fishing has a rich, varied, and often misread 250-year history in America. This classic account of America's favorite pastime - from colonial time to the present - explores the literature and technology, and the personalities and places where they fished. Thaddeus Norris, John Harrington Keene, Theodore Gordon, Preston Jennings, and Vincent C. Marinaro are just a few of the many prominent angling authors whose contributions are thoroughly examined in this important book.But fly fishing in America is much more than the sum of these and other great names. Author Paul Schullery has studied the changes in fly fishing and its values, the relationship of geography and rivers to the sport, how European traditions were adapted or discarded, and how the evolution of new technology has affected its growth and popularity. An entire section is devoted to the fascinating developments of the gilded age: perforated reels, mass production of split-can rods, railroad-sponsored resort towns, great women anglers, and more.This work remains the first - and most important - account of the sport in the United States, and has been widely praised as essential reading for all fly fishers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fishing Journey: Colonial America to the 21st Century
As one casts for trout with a modern high-tech rod, line, leader and one of the zillion fly patterns now available, it is easy to forget how far we have come in the 250 or so years that fly fishing has been practiced in North America, and yet how little things have really changed in terms of the techniques used, concepts of what constitutes necessary equipment, and the attitude of serious endeavor that pervades all aspects of fly fishing.Paul Schullery has complied an exhaustive volume that takes the reader from old world origins of the sport and how they influenced Colonial American fishing, and in particular, fly fishing,to the advances in tackle and techniques during the Victorian era, and finally to our modern practices.The reproductions of portraits and early prints, the quotations from period news sources, journals and books, and the high-quality photographs of the flys, rods and reels from the early 1800's and thereafter make this book a source of great value to anyone specifically interested in fly fishing as a sport, and the developing history of fishing and fly fishing in North America from the time of the first Europeon contact, in Colonial America, and thereafter.It shows, in the final analysis,that despite the high-tech materials we now expect when we purchase rods, reels and related fly fishing equipment, our forefathers, with their spliced rods, wenches, and horse hair lines, would have well understood the how and the why of fly fishing as now practiced, and that in some respects, they were closer to such truth as may exist in this never ending pursuit with a fly for trout and lesser fish, than we might have anticipated. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic For The Blokes!
I used this to write a paper on violence in sports and its connection to alcohol and it was fantastic, also beloved by the males in my household! ... Read more

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new baseball parks and urban culture
A work in the publisher's series Sport and Popular Culture, "Retro Ball Parks" looks at the urban phenomenon of the building of new, state-of-the-art, baseball stadiums to try to bring back this sport as it is viewed nostalgically. These are the stadiums built in cities around the country usually with some public funds and big tax breaks and other economic favors to the team owners. They are characterized by costly suites for corporate and well-to-do fans, rising ticket prices for all levels of regular seats from boxes to bleachers, moveable roofs and other features to provide comfort for the fans, and corporate logos lining the walls of the playing fields. Rosensweig is interested not only in how these stadiums promising revivals of urban centers come to be out of aspects of contemporary culture and political and economic interests; and also in the peculiar, particularly postmodern, notion of authenticity regarding baseball such stadiums are supposed to revive. In many cases, new businesses have sprung up around the new stadiums attempting to replicate neighborhoods that have been torn down to make way for them. Rosenweig's feelings on this phenomenon he covers are seen in the title of his introduction--"Cheap Grace." The author did most of his research in Cleveland, where the Cleveland Indian's Jacobs Field was built as the anchor of the Gateway Developmental District. "The Gateway serves as a fascinating case study of the cultural shifts enacted by the transformation of a city's economic base from local commerce and manufacturing to recreational tourism." Stadiums in other cities are brought in as well, notably the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards, the major urban stadium project giving rise to the others. Rosenweig is a professor of Inter-Disciplinary Studies at the U. of Virginia.
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Enjoy this all-access pass to more than a century of sports in the MusicCity packed into one exciting volume! Watch from the bleachers asTy Cobb practices with the Vanderbilt football team and Babe Ruth blastshome runs out of the old Sulphur Dell Ball Park, or go all the way backto 1843 and witness what was then the richest horse race in the world atthe Nashville Race Course. These are but a few of the stories compiledby local award-winning sportswriter Bill Traughber in this one-of-a-kindcollection no sports fan should be without. Included are excerpts fromlocal sportswriters like the legendary Grantland Rice and over fortyhistoric photographs from the playing field. ... Read more

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For the sports fan, this guide offers fascinating facts and tidbits on baseball, football, basketball, hockey, the Olympic Games, tennis, figure skating, soccer, and more.It contains special sections on women's sports, young people's sports, and the Special Olympics, and includes listings of winners of the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, and other major competetions.

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Translation from orignial source material with introductory essay. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Your Father's Sports Anthology
I'm not a big sports fan but I do appreciate good writing and so I look at each year's Best American Sports Writing. The Best American Sports Writing 2006 (The Best American Series) guest edited by Michael Lewis, was outstanding and so I can't help but compare subsequent collections to that one. It contained well-written stories about unusual sports (the Paris-Dakar Rally, women's boxing, gay rodeo) and addressed some serious issues, such as the high incidence of brain injuries mong football players at all levels.

This year's edition, guest edited by William Nack, is not quite as excellent as 2006's, but it's still worth your time. The range of sports is more traditional, with football, baseball, and basketball taking center court. It's overwhelmingly male, with all but one of the stories written by men. This IS your father's sports anthology.

A few entries stand out in the collection. Jeanne Marie Laskas, not usually known for sports writing, profiles the Cincinnati Ben Gals, the cheerleading squad for the pro football team. They're not quite what you'd expect, and it's a great article.

There are two pieces about former pro football players who are suffering from the long-term effects of violent injuries. These stories are disturbing for several reasons. That there should be so many preventable head injuries is one. Football hasn't always been as violent as it is today. Another unsettling aspect of these stories is that well-paid football players become destitute after they become ill. Did they spend all their money and not save any? Or are health care expenses that expensive? Either way, a frightening thought. And finally, the pro football players' union refuses to help the former players. Apparently the union has funds set aside for such events, but is incredibly stingy when it comes to letting go of the money.

Among the other worthwhile entries are two profiles of Bo Jackson, a big enough character to warrant these two side-by-side essays. The profile of Kobe Bryant is also interesting.

All in all, a respectable addition to the Best American Series, especially for traditional sports fans.

New Sportswriting Anthology
The editor, William Nack did a good job of foraging for the best sports stories of the year. I enjoyed it and have adopted the book in my Sports Writing class. ... Read more

Product Description
An impressive amount of literature, particularly literature on soccer and baseball, has appeared since Joseph Arbena's 1989 bibliography, An Annotated Bibliography of Latin American Sport. This new bibliography includes titles published during the past decade as well as a few items omitted from the earlier bibliography. Arranged topically, it includes sections on indigenous traditions, Iberian background, the National Period in Middle America and in South America, and Hispanic sports and sportsmen in the United States. ... Read more

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As its tenth birthday approaches, THE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING is at the top of its game. In the past decade, it has been hailed as "a must for any sports fan" and "a venerable institution" and has showcased promising new talents along with Pulitzer Prize winners such as David Halberstam, Richard Ford, and John McPhee. With the 2000 edition, best-selling author and Emmy Award–winning sports journalist Dick Schaap continues this tradition of excellence by bringing together the finest sports writing to appear in the past year. These pieces will delight fans of all athletic endeavors, from football to fishing, from basketball to birdwatching. From more than 350 publications, Schaap has chosen essays that reach beyond the scores to the people and emotions behind the game.Amazon.com Review
With a solid, self-assured, reliable veteran such as Dick Schaap compiling the lineup, the millennial edition of sports writing's best was bound to be a success, and it also includes a few surprises. You want baseball? Here's Robert Huber's stunning profile of Joe DiMaggio--no, not that Joe DiMaggio, but the troubled son saddled with the same name, but gifted with none of the talent. You want football? Here's former NFL defensive end Pat Toomay's deliciously jaundiced chronicle of working on Oliver Stone's football movie Any Given Sunday. You want eclectic? How about Mark Levine's profile of Tony Hawk, skateboarding's acknowledged grand master; Jeanne Marie Laskas on bull riding; Burkhard Bilger on cockfighting; and Bryan Burrough's harrowing account of the storm that wreaked havoc on the 54th Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race? They all widen the playing field that defines sports and sports writing. Now add to that selections from David Halberstam, Rick Telander, Craig Vetter, and Garrison Keillor, and the annual collection of The Best American Sports Writing finds itself once again leading the league. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An American Treasure
The 2000 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story.The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume.The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering.The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 2000 edition include Jeff Macgreggor's disturbing account of the violence that permeats Candian youth league hockey, Robert Hubert's sad biographical piece on Joe DiMaggio's only son, Michael Finkel's story about the cult of extreme marathoning, Allison Glock's entertaining biography of Robbie Knievel, and Charles Sprawson's tale of the feats of extreme swimmers.As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

A Treasure of Great Writing About Sports
The 1997 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story.The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume.The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering.The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 1997 edition include New Yorker editor David Remnick's hilarous book review of Dennis Rodman's "Bad AsI Wanna Be," Rick Reilly's revealing (and revolting) interview with former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott, Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," the Outside Magazine piece that later became a runaway bestselling book, Gary Smith's account of how Tiger Woods destiny was largely predetermined by his father, and Padgett Powell's biography of an American arm wrestling champion.As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

Great series that's focusing more on alternative sports
Many readers may take issue with the fact that this series represents sportswriting at its best. THe editor, Dick SCHaap is really a hack writer, at best. I'm sure there are many other examples of fine sportswriting out there. The series seems to be making efforts to dig up newer, alternative writers who often become as much a part of the story as what they are writing about, though no one will do that better than Hunter THompson! The strength of this series is that its increasingly focusing on lesser known or alternative sports, or just on activities that are beyond our normal view of what constitutes recreation. There are pieces on cockfighting, long-distance swimming, poker playing, bullriding, ultra-running, and guns. In fact, there are only a few pieces of writing on the big 4 sports of football, baseball, hockey and basketball. While this may turn off many a reader who prefers to read about their larger than life heroes, to me its a strength in that we get to read about people who are just as dedicated to their craft (however obscure), perhaps more so, than those athletes in the well known sports. But just when we get comfortable with a new sport, there will be a piece written totally tongue-in-cheek, such as the one by Garirison Keillor. I've read the books in the series going back a number of years and the series seems to be going more and more in this direction. This to me is its appeal, though those of you who are fans of the more conventional sports may take issue. Its not the best of American Sportswriting, but is among the most diverse of American sports writing. Many of the pieces were interesting enough to make me wish there was more to read on the event or sport, or that I could find a longer version of the story by the same author. Looking forward to next year's book.

Sour Mash
Schaap, who worked under Jimmy Breslin and Roger Kahn, could write with neither but he hustled better than either. His credentials: ghost writng and tv pap, sometimes nasty. Stout's work is about as big league as the home town he lists, Uxbridge, Mass. Anyone can pick a couple, three nice pieces, but this should not be done by these fellers. They are semi-qualified, too much on the make. Replace them with, say Bill Dwyre, the great Sports Editor of the LA Times, and John Cherwa, exec sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and Pete Carrey, of SI.Personally-- I am a clinical shrink who loves sports-- I wish professional standards were applied to any collection called best.

Best of the series
A mix of extremely entertaining stories. Much more about life than about sports this book gives an insight into many interesting personalities in obscure sports. In my opinion the best in the series "Best Sports Writing", not so much for excellent writing but the contents of most of the stories. ... Read more

Product Description
* Have injuries from sports participation reached epidemic levels?

* Why can't injured athletes legally recover when they are victims of catastrophic injury?

* What factors have contributed to making American sports so violent?

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in agiven year there are approximately 1,290,000 medically treated injuries infootball, 1,230,000 in baseball and 1,180,000 in basketball.Some of theinjuries are not serious but others are catastrophic, such as spinal cordinjuries involving permanent paralysis.Still other injuries haveresulted in death.

Athletes at all levels are subject to potential injury.Who willpay the medical bills?In a case involving quadriplegia, who will pay fora lifetime of medical assistance?Remodel homes to accommodate awheelchair?Provide transportation?What if insurance coverage fails?

This book traces appellate court opinions which have involvedsports injury cases from 1875 to the present and presents an analysiswhich explains why the courts in the U.S. have generally not permittedcompensation, how we as a nation established violent sports then failed tocompensate the injured, and how even athletes with insurance coverage haveseen their families financially devastated when their coverage failed.

This is an important book for all athletes, their families andrelated sports professionals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Sociological View On Violence in Athletics
This is a very interesting topic and this book covers the material thoroughly.Would be an interesting read for athletes, coaches, parents of athletes lawyers, managers and Sociologists.Congratulations Dr. Bridges. ... Read more