Life of Reilly [Hardcover]

Rick Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2000

In the last 15 years as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the only opinion columnist in the magazine's 40-year history, Rick Reilly has covered every aspect of the sporting life, from tennis moms to Lakers-obsessed Jack Nicholson. He's written about Katarina Witt behind the Iron Curtain, wrestling priests in Mexico City, and (reluctantly) accompanying models on the swimsuit issue. His level-headed and often hilarious approach has earned him a devoted readership. This collection presents the best of Reilly: unforgettable sporting moments, favorite columns, and unpublished pieces.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rick Reilly, the mainstay of Sports Illustrated's back page, is a writer with a facile short game, but, as The Life of Reilly makes clear, he was born to go long. As entertaining, clever, witty, and, at times, irate as his rants and raves at the end of each week's issue can be, it's the sheer talent and bravura he displays in the features he's penned for the magazine that best exhibit why he's considered one of the finest sportswriters of our time. If his columns have a way of constantly poking you in the ribs, the longer pieces can sometimes take your breath away.

While The Life of Reilly covers the bases of all major and most other sports, Reilly's writing about golf is especially stellar, and three pieces alone--his chronicle of a round of golf with President Clinton, his account of O.J. Simpson's trials on public golf courses, and his reportage, on deadline, of Jack Nicklaus's sixth victory at Augusta--are worth the volume's greens fee. As beautifully as Reilly can paint the big picture, these pieces display his uncanny eye for detail, his skills as a reporter, and his inventiveness as a writer. On Nicklaus's improbable Masters title at age 46: "Maybe Nicklaus had drawn up a contract with Lucifer for one last major, for that slippery 20th that had eluded him since 1980, for a sixth green blazer. In exchange, Nicklaus would do pro-ams in Hades for the rest of his days. What else could explain it?" What else, indeed.

Reilly provides short postscripts to most of the pieces--some are just pithy, while others open windows onto the writer's craft. They're a nice touch, but then, Reilly's work, in general, is full of them. --Jeff Silverman

Review

"He's that rare sports guy who can write about so much more than sports, even when he's writing about sports." -- Bill Husted, Denver Post

"Rick Reilly has the best combination of wit and insight in sports writing today." -- Mark Emmons, San Jose Mercury News

When Jim Murray died, Reilly said "Murray could write anything," Reilly said, "sports just happened to get lucky." Ditto, Reilly. -- Greg Barrett, Gannett News Service, December 6, 2000

When Reilly's friend, mentor and Los Angeles Times legend Jim Murray died two years ago, Reilly called him the greatest sports writer who ever lived. "Murray coould write anything," Reilly said, "sports just happened to get lucky." --Greg Barrett, Gannett News Service, December 6, 2000

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Total Sports Illustrated (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892129884
• ISBN-13: 978-1892129888
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars sports: whats wrong, right, funny, absurd etc. from Reilly, November 23, 2000

By 

C. Falzone "Imperator" (San Jose, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life of Reilly (Hardcover)

Reilly certainly has a view that at times can be labeled as extreme,on both sides of the line. Funny, witty, absurd, irreverent. He hits it from all sides and leaves us laughing in the wake. The book is a compilation (that why I gave it 4 instead of 5)of Reilly's veiws, most of which are or have been shared on the last page of Sports Illustrated. It is hard to put down, highly entertaining, even if you don't agree with the quips, gripes or humor you will find his take on things anything but boring or passe and at times evocative of where sports has been and were it going. Nothing is of limits here, cheerleading, fishing etc. Worth every penny.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Need More Swoosh, December 20, 2000

By 

Chad Spivak (North Miami Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life of Reilly (Hardcover)

Anyone who even read the first few pages of the book would know what I am talking about in my review title. For years, Rick Reilly has been making me laugh on the last page of Sports Illustrated. Now, with this book, I get to relive some of those hilarious moments.

Rick Reilly is one of the best in the business. His writing is funny, off-the-wall, witty, and always informative, even if his subject is not something you really want to be informed about. He has a knack for making light of any subject, and he has written about almost everything imaginable.

This book compiles his absolute best pieces, and they truly are masterful pieces of writing. He uses a very candid language that allows the reader just to take his article in, usually laughing the whole way through.

The Life of Reilly is a perfect book for anyone who is a fan of the columnist, or even for those of you who are sports' fans. This book will make you laugh out loud, as it truly is just pure non-stop enjoyment. This book really is a "can't miss." Besides, anyone chosing Charles Barkley to write the introduction to his book has to be doing something write, er, right!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ya gotta love this guy, December 6, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Life of Reilly (Hardcover)

in my opinion rick reilly's writing is the best in the biz. i have been reading his columns on the last page of sports illustrated since i was eight. he no doubt has a talent for writing and can mix sports and humor in to a wonderful page. his writing appeals to all ages, and is my writing inspiration.