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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.
List of contents
Contents Foreword by Glenn Stout ix Introduction by Dick Schaap xvii Bryan Burrough. Storm Warning 1 from Vanity Fair Burkhard Bilger. Enter the Chicken 31 from Harper’s Magazine Garrison Keillor. How I Won the Minnesota Statehouse, by Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente As Told to Garrison Keillor 50 from The New York Times Magazine Charles P. Pierce. Bottom of the Ninth 58 from Esquire Rick Telander. His Love Never Dies 66 from The Chicago Sun-Times David Halberstam. He Got a Shot in the NBA, and It Went In 70 from The Los Angeles Times Jeanne Marie Laskas. America Is a Bull 77 from Esquire Mark Levine. The Birdman 90 from The New Yorker Jeff Macgregor. Less Than Murder 107 from Sports Illustrated Allison Glock. Touch of Knievel 127 from GQ Robert Huber. Joe DiMaggio Would Appreciate It Very Much If You’d Leave Him the Hell Alone 143 from Esquire Steve Friedman. Up from the Gutter 156 from Esquire Jonathan Miles. Ay Caramba! The Fish Drink Tequila Like Goatsuckers! 164 from Sports Afield Daniel Coyle. Peerless 171 from Outside Michael Finkel. Running Like Hell 183 from Women’s Sports and Fitness James Hibberd. Poker Face 195 from The Phoenix New Times Stephen Rodrick. Blown Away 207 from GQ Charles Sprawson. Swimming with Sharks 221 from The New Yorker Craig Vetter. Terminal Velocity 236 from Outside Pat Toomay. Clotheslined 246 from SportsJones Matt Teague. The Return of the White Man 275 from Esquire David Wharton. Soul Survivor 285 from The Los Angeles Times Guy Lawson. Merv Curls Lead 293 from Saturday Night Biographical Notes 313 Notable Sports Writing of 1999 317
About the author
Glenn Stout is a writer, author, and editor, and served as series editor of The Best American Sports Writing, and founding editor of The Year’s Best Sports Writing. He is also the author of
Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid,
Fenway 1912,
Nine Months at Ground Zero, and many other award-winning and best-selling books. He also served as a consultant on the Disney+ film adaptation of
Young Woman and the Sea. Stout lives in Lake Champlain in Vermont.
Summary
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.
Additional text
"[These stories] allow readers to experience the moments of drama, poignancy, high emotion, and quiet reflection that sport can produce." (on THE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING 1999)
Kirkus Reviews
"Rewarding, informative, and frequently quirky." The Arizona Daily Star
