Outstanding collection but a small part of what is out there

books:


	• The Best American Sports Writing of the Century Houghton Mifflin, 1999 - 816 pages average customer review:based on 18 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Some Good, Some Better, Some Best

Congratulations to David Halberstam and Glenn Stout for putting together their choices for "The Best American Sports Writing of the Century". As with any anthology of "the best of", there are selections that will make one wonder about its' inclusion while there are others whose omission will seem equally unjust. However, such arguments only occur when somebody puts out their choices for public consumption. Having said that, I offer the following criticisms. First of all, Halberstam, in his introduction, heaps a bit too much praise on Gay Talese's story about Joe Dimaggio. One reads it thinking that, yes this is good, but it's not THAT good. There was a fairly lengthy story about Bobby Fischer that was interesting but kept me wondering if chess was a sport. There were a number of short articles and feature articles that were good but still made you wonder why they were included. However, there was plenty of the better and some of the best. The book gave me a good introduction to an excellent sports writer I had not previously known of; W C Heinz. There was the fascinating "Outside" magazine article by Jon Krakauer, "Into Thin Air" that led to the later (equally excellent) book of the same name. There is a touching story about Tommy LaSorda's son, Al Stump on Ty Cobb, an interesting story about a hockey "enforcer", a disturbing article about the steroid madness of body building, the obligatory yet interesting article about Tiger Woods, and a closing section on Muhammed Ali. Unfortunately, the latter section includes an endless article about the Champ by Norman Mailer ironicly titled "Ego". There's lots more but, to be honest, by the time I finished the book, a lot of the earlier selections were by then forgotten. My nomination for the most egregious omission, Frank DeFord's "Sports Illustrated" article "The Toughest Coach the Ever Was". This is an enjoyable book. Some articles may not have merited inclusion in a book of this title but they were still fairly interesting.

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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.

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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...

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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 a selection 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.

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I Didn't Think I Was A Sports Fan Till I Picked Up This Book

I recently took a friend to a doctor's appointment and this book was in the collection of waiting room reading material. So I picked it up, thinking what the heck and discovered an entire chapter is devoted to stories about Ali. Well, let me tell you, I was instantly hooked. When my friend returned to the waiting room, instead of being relieved to be out of there, I was actually disappointed to not be able to finish one of the stories. So, I went right out and bought my own copy. The story on Joe DiMaggio is splendid. I never knew much about Ted Williams, but sure do now after reading the terrific story by Richard Ben Cramer . What a great read this book is. It is excellent. You don't have to be a jock to enjoy it. The collection is some of the best writing I've had the pleasure to read this year.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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.

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