The Best American Sports Writing 2004

From Publishers Weekly
This entertaining 14th installment in the annual series is as varied as its predecessors: the usual suspects (baseball, football, basketball) share space with less popular pursuits (fishing, running, bicycling) and downright peculiar ones (taxidermy). Yet most of the pieces share a particular focus. As in past editions, the editors look beyond actual sport—the games, the scores, the strategies—and instead home in on the personalities: athletes and their families, fans, coaches and, in one memorable column, groupies. "It makes good sense to me that how a person is—the conditions of his or her larger life—explains, or at least illuminates, how that person plays and competes," says Cramer (How Israel Lost; Joe DiMaggio; etc.) in his introduction. Standout entries include Steve Friedman's masterful "The Race of Truth," about an obsessive Scot's pursuit of cycling's little-known grail, the Hour Record; Michael Leahy's refreshingly honest portrait of Michael Jordan's last days with the Wizards; and three frank, gripping and completely distinct accounts of athletes (two of whom are lesser-known) and their families: Paul Solotaroff's "Growing Up Mantle," Peter De Jonge's "The Leap of His Life" and Rick Telander's "Playing Against the Clock." Though some of the shorter columns suffer in comparison to the weightier magazine pieces, this edition is reliably compelling and surprisingly addictive, much like sport itself. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This series, which began in 1991, continues to provide insight into the art of sports writing. In this installment, editor Cramer, the author of Joe DiMaggio (2000), selects pieces from such publications as Sports Illustrated, Texas Monthly, GQ, and Men's Journal as well as numerous major newspapers. Among the most recognizable authors are Mitch Albom, Ira Berkow, and Bob Ryan. The subject matter is as diverse as the sources. There are profiles of soccer star Mia Hamm and Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming; insightful commentary on Michael Jordan's tumultuous last days as a player with the Washington Wizards; and a fascinating report on six-man high-school football in the rural Texas town of Penelope. Among the most memorable selections is Rick Telander's poignant comparison of his own athletic career to those of his children and Gary Smith's very sensitive profile of Hamm, in which we come to understand that fame is no barrier to heartbreak. An ongoing centerpiece for all sports collections. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
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 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."Cracker-jack writing from some of the country's best-known sports journalists." — Publishers WeeklyWith Richard Ben Cramer at the helm, this year's selections embrace the world of sports in all its drama, humanity, and excitement, from swimming the Arctic Ocean to high school football. Today's foremost journalists shed light on Mia Hamm, Amare Stoudemire, and on sports' underbelly as a professional baseball team scalps its own tickets and as women single-mindedly pursue million-dollar athletes. We witness the World Taxidermy Championships, the final days of the Michael Jordan Wizards, and much more.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

This entertaining 14th installment in the annual series is as varied as its predecessors: the usual suspects (baseball, football, basketball) share space with less popular pursuits (fishing, running, bicycling) and downright peculiar ones (taxidermy). Yet most of the pieces share a particular focus. As in past editions, the editors look beyond actual sport-the games, the scores, the strategies-and instead home in on the personalities: athletes and their families, fans, coaches and, in one memorable column, groupies. "It makes good sense to me that how a person is-the conditions of his or her larger life-explains, or at least illuminates, how that person plays and competes," says Cramer (How Israel Lost; Joe DiMaggio; etc.) in his introduction. Standout entries include Steve Friedman's masterful "The Race of Truth," about an obsessive Scot's pursuit of cycling's little-known grail, the Hour Record; Michael Leahy's refreshingly honest portrait of Michael Jordan's last days with the Wizards; and three frank, gripping and completely distinct accounts of athletes (two of whom are lesser-known) and their families: Paul Solotaroff's "Growing Up Mantle," Peter De Jonge's "The Leap of His Life" and Rick Telander's "Playing Against the Clock." Though some of the shorter columns suffer in comparison to the weightier magazine pieces, this edition is reliably compelling and surprisingly addictive, much like sport itself. (Oct. 14) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices