The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan (Hardcover)

by Pat Jordan (Author), Alex Belth (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Jordan debuted as a sportswriter in the late 1960s after a short stint as a minor-league baseball pitcher, which he chronicled in his acclaimed memoir A False Spring (1975). Through the years he has written for such magazines as Sports Illustrated, GQ, and the Atlantic. Jordan’s profiles of athletes, both famous and obscure, are unlike those of any other journalist working today. His eye—and ear—for the telling detail provides extraordinary depth and insight into his subjects. A 2001 interview with Roger Clemens is especially fascinating given the recent steroid controversy swirling around the legendary pitcher. A 1997 profile of late basketball superstar Wilt Chamberlain reveals the insecurities and borderline paranoia that dogged the man throughout his life. Young basketball star Bobby Hurley’s career was effectively ended by a devastating car accident. Jordan guides readers through Hurley’s physical and emotional rehabilitation, constructing, in the process, a remarkably resonant coming-of-age saga. Perhaps the most emotionally revealing piece is a 1980 dual profile of baseball star Steve Garvey and his wife, Cyndy. Nearly 30 years later, one can still feel the pain and confusion of his subjects as they struggle to juggle fame, ambition, and love. Jordan is a treasure, and this is a wonderful testament to almost 40 years of excellence. --Wes Lukowsky

Review
He is a master portraitist. -- William Finnegan, author of Cold New World

Jordan here displays his rich skills as a reporter and observer and his talent for good old-fashioned story telling. -- William Nack, author of Secretariat: The Making of a Champion

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Persea (April 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892553391
• ISBN-13: 978-0892553396
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #625,827 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful writing, tons of errors, May 13, 2008

By	Reviewer (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

First, I'm really, really enjoying the stories (I'm about halfway through the book). Jordan is a wonderful, no-frills writer with an amazing eye for the telling detail. That said, I have to dock one star for all the spelling and factual errors. In one story alone, on Whitey Herzog, he misspells the names of Garry Templeton, Dann Bilardello, Gussie Busch, and Busch Stadium, as well as placing New Athens, Illinois west of St. Louis.

In an otherwise wonderful piece on the race driver Phil Hill, he repeatedly misspells the names of two of the biggest names in racing, Hill's competitors Stirling Moss and Dan Gurney, as well as referring to those devices that stop cars as "breaks." And he calls Moss an American. I'm no racing fan at all, but even I knew how to spell Moss's and Gurney's names and that Moss is English.

That complaint aside, this is some of the best sportswriting I've ever read, nearly Angell-ic in quality.

5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY AMAZING, May 27, 2008

By	logistician - See all my reviews

I was so anxious to read this book that I paid for expedited shipping. My excitement was spot on. This book is amazing. Pat Jordan is so honest and insightful that I felt as though I knew more about the individuals than before I read the book. There was nothing fluffy in any of the interviews. And although you wonder about the appropriateness of the story on child beauty pageants, it fits in perfectly.