Sports Essays

The Patch is the seventh collection of essays by the nonfiction master John McPhee. It is divided into two parts. It is an "album quilt", an artful assortment of nonfiction writings that have not previously appeared in any book.

This wonderful 1980 horse racing classic never loses its luster or charm. Author Bill Barich explores the day-to-day internal world of horse racing - from the backside to the backstretch. This entertaining story of the lives and tribulations of various racetrack personalities is sure to extract every human emotion. The author's summer adventure after a family tragedy finds him living the life many diehard racing enthusiasts wish they could.

In these 65 original stories, we hear of the explosive introduction of World Series Cricket in 1977, which turned a genteel endeavour into a high-octane contest, and the clash of the titans as Packer and Murdoch squared off over the Super League war. We see Rugby Union become a battleground for race and the Olympics an arena for sublime acts of courage and achievement.

You’re stressed, tired of answering the beeps on your phone and computer. Your kids get too much screen time. You don’t know where your next meal was grown or raised. One of the best forms of therapy is simple: Get out and stay out - as often and for as long as you can. In Both Feet on the Ground, Marshall Ulrich champions “disconnecting to reconnect”, urging you to spend time unplugged, eat food whose origins you understand, and push yourself to try something bold and personally compelling.

Dan Jenkins virtually invented the golf novel with Dead Solid Perfect, his rollicking account of the life and times of touring pro Kenny Lee Puckett. For the first time ever, Dan Jenkins’ best Golf Digest pieces have been collected together with over 20 all-new essays for the next generation of golfers. Often biting, usually cranky, always hilarious and surprising, this is Dan Jenkins at his best.

All Fishermen Are Liarsbrims with true stories of the most eccentric crew member, the funniest episode, the biggest fish, and the wildest night at sea. Denizens of the Dry Dock drift in and out as the bar begins to swell with rounds of drinks and tales that increase in drama. Here are some of the greatest fishing stories ever - all relayed by Linda Greenlaw in her inimitable style.

Founded in 1960, the Denver Broncos took 13 years to achieve their first winning season. But since then, this indomitable team has catapulted to excellence. In this newly revised edition of Game of My Life - Denver Broncos, fans of past and present will relive the greatest moments of Mile High football through the eyes of the players themselves. Floyd Little shares the pride and joy of scoring a touchdown in his last game as a Bronco, and John Elway describes the glory of leading the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory in 1998....

Bill Littlefield (NPR's Only a Game) presents the second installment in the Library of America series devoted to classic American sportswriters, a definitive collector's edition of the pathbreaking writer who invented the long-form sports story.

In this love letter to his father, former professional golfer Nathaniel Crosby shares memories of Bing Crosby on the golf course and the lessons he taught him about the game and about life. With a foreword by Jack Nicklaus.

In Against Football Steve Almond details why, after 40 years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions: Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia? What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood--run, leap, throw, tackle--into a billion-dollar industry?

In 1976 Roger Kahn spent an entire baseball season, from spring training through the World Series, with players of every stripe and competence. The result is this book,in which Kahn reports on a small college team’s successes and hopes, a young New England ball club, a failing major league franchise, and a group of heroes on the national stage.

Augusta National is golf’s Holy Grail. Navigating the azaleas to play the exclusive course that hosts The Masters is a pipe dream for every golfer. Imagine being afforded the opportunity not only to play the course, but to be able to bring your father along for the ride. To complete the priceless fantasy, Jack Nicklaus - “The Golden Bear” - hosts the round. Through fate, coincidence and good fortune, Joe Wessel managed to find a way to make that happen. In White Fang and The Golden Bear, Wessel recounts that special round, how it came about, and what happened....

We love them. We cheer for them like we know them personally. We name roads, buildings, and even towns after them. These are the sports heroes and heroines whose athletic accomplishments amaze and inspire us. Many are remarkable not only for their accomplishments in sports, but also for the courageous ways they approached life.

なぜ 語らないのか。

なぜ 俯いて歩くのか。

なぜ いつも独りなのか。

そしてなぜ 嫌われるのか――。

中日ドラゴンズで監督を務めた8年間、ペナントレースですべてAクラスに入り、日本シリーズには5度進出、2007年には日本一にも輝いた。

Roger Kahn's first major league hit was a grand slam: The Boys of Summer, his runaway best seller that immortalized the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers. Now Kahn does the same for players whose moment in the sun has not yet arrived. Good Enough to Dream is the story of his year as owner of the Class A, very minor league, Utica Blue Sox. Most of the Blue Sox will never make it to the majors, but they all share the dream that links the small child in the sandlot with the bonus baby who has just smacked one out of the stadium.

Pat Williams has drawn on his basketball industry connections to compile great stories from on and off the court. Fans will be inspired, surprised, and even amused, by inside stories from well-known coaches and players, fascinating looks behind the scenes, and anecdotes from the people who make it all possible - the fans. Includes first person stories from 21 basketball celebrities, plus Pat Williams.

New York Times reporter Gerald Eskenazi brings us back to 1954, when the New York Giants began a decade of success as an iconic American sports team, winning six division titles between 1954 and 1963. Emerging from years of slumber, going from the Polo Grounds to Yankee Stadium, they produced a crop of hall of fame players whose names still resonate, including Tittle, Gifford, Greer, and Robustelli, making a then $7 New York Giants ticket the toughest to buy in the world of sports.

Though he made his name and fortune as an author of Western novels, Zane Grey's best writing has to do with fishing. There, he was free from the conventions of the Western genre and the market's expectations, and was able to blend his talent for narrative with his keen eye for detail and sense of humor (much of it self-deprecating) into his books and articles.

Raven Kraft has changed the lives of thousands who have run with him - many of them hundreds of times. From all 50 states and dozens of countries, across all age groups and backgrounds, they come to run with Raven, and in the process find friendship, inspiration - and a nickname. Among them is author Laura Lee "White Lightning" Huttenbach, who has logged over 1,000 miles of Raven Runs. Here she explores the stories of dozens of others about why they started running with Raven - and why they keep coming back.

50 runners, from the world's elite to passionate amateurs, share the races they'll never forget. Every runner that enters a race has a unique reason for competing: racing for the challenge, for the achievement, for the health benefits, or for more personal reasons. But whether they are twenty-mile-a-day elite marathoners or twenty-mile-a-week recreational runners, each of them can invariably point to a singular performance as "the best race I ever ran."