All Those Mornings . . . At the Post: The 20th Century in Sports from Famed Washington Post: Columnist Shirley Povich [Hardcover]

Shirley Povich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

Shirley Povich was the Dean of American sportswriters. As a columnist for The Washington Post for more than seventyfive years, he was an eyewitness to the most thrilling moments in American sports, including: the legendary 1927 Dempsy-Tunney "long count"; the celebrated 1938 race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral; the 1946 signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers; Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series; the Ali-Frazier fight of 1971; and the murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

But Povich's columns were about more than sports; they reflected the dramatic changes in American society over the course of the 20th Century. Driven by a strong sense of social justice, Povich called for the integration of major league baseball in 1939, and twenty years later he was still at it, attacking Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall for having an all-white team.

For the 100th anniversary of his birth, Povich's children— David, Maury, and Lynn — and his colleague at the Post, former sports editor George Solomon, have pulled together this panoramic collection of Povich's most beloved columns. The result is a front-row seat to the most awe-inspiring sports moments of our American Century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Povich, Washington Post sports columnist for 75 years (until his 1998 death) and Baseball Hall of Famer, had a reputation for fairness and honesty. This posthumously published work reflects his knowledge, loyalty, integrity and love of athletics through sample articles as well as tributes by such admirers as his son Maury, the talk show host, and Post columnists Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. Povich's columns and essays are divided into eight decades, from the 1920s through the '90s, and demonstrate Povich's evolution from excitable youth ("I could scarcely wait for the morning paper to see my name in print") to assured professional. Povich describes the "evil Olympics" of 1936, castigating Nazi prejudice but also condemning an American track coach for withholding participation by two Jewish athletes. Shoeless Joe Jackson receives sympathetic treatment, unlike George Preston Marshall, founder of the Washington Redskins, whom Povich criticizes for forcing injured athletes to stay in a train's no-frills coach and baggage section, rather than nicer Pullman cars. Povich brings alive the colorful personalities of golfers Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis and tennis ace Bill Tilden. This enlightening work provides an indispensable overview of American sports in the 20th century. Photos. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-For more than 75 years, Povich shared his love of sports with readers of the Washington Post. This volume commemorates the 100th anniversary of his birth and has some of his best and most-loved columns. Arranged by decade, they reflect the evolution of organized sports in the U.S. The elegance of Povich's writing never disappeared despite the topic. He did not shy away from the hard subjects, such as the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics or racism in sports. His 13-part series on the integration of major league baseball won a prestigious National Headliners Award. He witnessed Lou Gehrig set his 2,130 consecutive game streak and Cal Ripkin break that same record. Included are tributes written by those who considered themselves fortunate to have known Povich, among them Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. This title will appeal to sports fans and the sports clueless alike, and to journalism students.-Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 405 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1st edition (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586483153
• ISBN-13: 978-1586483159
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,676,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Washington Institution for 75 years, April 10, 2005

By 

Matt Papuchis (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: All Those Mornings . . . At the Post: The 20th Century in Sports from Famed Washington Post: Columnist Shirley Povich (Hardcover)

An interesting conversation took place the other day. I mentioned to my grandfather, now in his early 80s, that I had just bought the new book entitled "All those Mornings...at the Post." And he responded with, "I grew up reading Shirley Povich."

My response: "So did I, and I am 25." And so did my father. That's the amazing thing about Povich - he linked generations. He wrote about stars from Walter Johnson to Michael Jordan and everyone in between.

As a freelance sports writer, and former sports editor of my college newspaper, the Towerlight in Towson, Md., Povich was my biggest inspiration growing up and I would be willing to bet that most other sportswriters or aspiring sportswriters feel the same way.

I tried to put in perspective to my wife how influential he was. I said he is the Humphrey Bogart of sports writing. He is the epitome of what newspapermen should be and he was just as good in 1994 as he was in 1924.

The amazing thing is he never retired and wrote his final column the day before he died in 1998. This book brings his most important columns to life and for people of my generation we get to live events such as the Senators' only World Series title in 1924 for the first time.

This book is a treasure and is highly recommended to anyone who has ever read a sports column. Chances are the person who wrote the column did so because Shirley L. Povich inspired him.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Soul of Sports Journalism, May 14, 2005

By 

D. Sean Brickell (gorgeous Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All Those Mornings . . . At the Post: The 20th Century in Sports from Famed Washington Post: Columnist Shirley Povich (Hardcover)

Rarely does a book take me very long to read, especially when its composed of a series of short pieces such as newspaper columns. Journalism isn't supposed to be literature, and sports writing particularly is mainly to give the doggone scores.

Then again, calling Mr. Povich a sportswriter is about as accurate as calling the Pope a good man.

Mr. Povich was the genuine soul of the almighty Washington Post, perhaps the most principled writer ever to grace the pages of any newspaper's sports section. He belongs in the very rare and esteemed company of great journalists such as Cronkite, Mencken, Twain and pehaps a few others.

Yeah, these pieces give you the story. What's more, you get the story behind the story. And it's done in language a 13-year-old can read and understand.

Knowing perfectly well how special this collection is, I read it as slowly as possible. Why rush a good thing? I'm sure Mr. Povich had to fight the daily deadline pressures to produce the work. The least we can do is savor his command of language and keen insight into human character.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Povich is America, April 7, 2005

By 

Sports Man (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All Those Mornings . . . At the Post: The 20th Century in Sports from Famed Washington Post: Columnist Shirley Povich (Hardcover)

Long live the legacy of Shirley Povich. This book brings to the current generation the work of the best, Shorley Povich. It is mandatory reading for every sports fan!!!