If you love writing, you've got to love sports books. After all, they are an inspiration to us all. Alex Ferguson writes about his favorite books.....
1) Summer of '98 - Mike Lupica
Plain and simple review of this one: Lupica's detailing about THAT summer ten years ago makes you love baseball again. The iconic black-and-white shot of McGwire hitting No 62 against Chicago will stick in your mind - as will the feeling that 'ball' made the world a better place after reading it.
2) Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer- Warren St John
A wonderful journal about driving in a SUV with Alabama fans for the season, while Shaun Alexander was running back for the team. Makes you actually appreciate Alabama and their crazy, crazy fans.
3) A Lifetime of Yankee Octobers - Sal Maiorana
After I finished this book I felt well and truly cheated. Not only because of the fact that the book was over, but because the whole story was MADE UP. I must have skipped that bit. And you know what? I'm glad I did.
4) The Blind Side- Michael Lewis
Quite possibly the best sports book ever written, this concerns a dumb offensive linesman getting recruited by every school in the country. And he goes to Mississippi. Great for recruiting, Lewis' book is an incredible page-turner.
5) Beyond the Game- Gary Smith
When Gary Smith writes for Sports Illustrated, his pieces are on the front page of the magazine. And more often than not, they deserve to be. His piece about being part of THAT 1998 home run chase is incredible to reading: you don't know whether to cheer or cry.
6) Hate Mail From Cheerleaders/ Life of Reilly - Rick Reilly
Rick Reilly's always been my favourite writer. His What Would Jesus Do? Article (now available on SIVault.com but criminally not in these books) still stands the test of time as one of the best pieces ever written. That's saying something - because Reilly - who was at SI but is now at ESPN after 'gardening' for about a year - makes sport come alive in almost every single one of these articles.
7) Moneyball - Michael Lewis
People have talked about it as one of the best baseball books ever written. It's basically a piece about Oakland As GM Billy Beane, who searches far and wide to draft or trade the country's most criminally underrated players. And when they get to a good value, he'll trade them. Lewis' chronicle spawned a generation of stat fans the likes of which will never come again....unless he does another one about steroids.
8) Quiet Strength - Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy kickstarted one of the country's best offences and made the Indianapolis Colts an NFL superpower. His book - which talks as much about his faith and his family life as it does about football - is inspiring to the coach - and the person - in you.
9) Dixieland Delight - Clay Travis
Booze? Check. Tickets? Nope. Hotel reservation? Nope. Map? Nope. Love of the SEC? Yes. Going to every ground in 16 weekends? Check. Unputdownable? You've got it.
10) Tilting at Windmills - Andy Miller
About a guy who actually HATES sport, but he'll go around Britain trying to find out why sports is a British obsession. Brilliant.
Honorable mentions:
Boys of Summer - Roger Kahn. The Brooklyn Dodgers an' all that jazz
Saturday Rules - Austin Murphy. A journey through the 2006 College Football season. Wish someone would write one about the 2007 football season, which was ironically a better season....
Friday Night Lights: A town, a team, and a dream. by H.G. 'Buzz' Bissinger. Football crazy Odessa, TX and its Permian Panthers are on display during the 1988 season. The book only became a movie and inspired a TV show.
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15 days ago
Good list. Add "Meat On The Hoof" as one I've enjoyed. The truth about Texas football in its heyday.
15 days ago
Man, Rick Reilly is terrible, there is no way I'm buying his book. And you left off one book that stands as the greatest sports book I've ever read, The Last Shot: City Streets and Basketball Dreams. D'arcy Frey follows three seniors and one outstanding freshman from Lincoln High in Coney Island and follows the recruiting and work that has to be put in by those three seniors so that they can achieve NCAA schlorships. It goes in depth into how bad the school and social system is in Coney Island, and how many kids believe that basketball is the only way to get out, away from the crime and drug lords. This book was written in 1991 and Frey wrote a new afterward recently detailing how each individual turned out. I wont spoil anything because i want everyone to enjoy it as much as I did.
Another interesting point is that the superstar freshman ended up being Stephon Marbury.
from 14 days ago
I love Rick Reilly, but as I say, he's an acquired taste for people that dislike him. And don't pay attention to his TV stuff - it sucks....
15 days ago
this is a good list. i totally agree on dixieland delight.
15 days ago
Id say Moneyball has to be my favorite book of all time. I mean its just so funny the story about Billy Beane, plus I love sabermetrics.
14 days ago
Friday Night Lights: A town, a team, and a dream. by H.G. 'Buzz' Bissinger.
Football crazy Odessa, TX and its Permian Panthers are on display during the 1988 season. The book only became a movie and inspired a TV show.
14 days ago
You're right - it "only" became a movie and inspired a TV show. It's still not in my Top 10 - although I'm adding it now for Honorable Mentions....
14 days ago
I love Mike Lupicia. He has some great books. And I'm right in the middle of Hate Mail from Cheerleaders by Rick Reilly, he's got to be the funniest man alive. What makes him great is that he doesn't write about sports first, it's people first, then sports. It's amazing the stories he gets about determination, perserverance, and comebacks. He's one of my all-time favorite writers.
from 14 days ago
Yeah, but it's also some great piece about religion and his views on that, too...
14 days ago
how about works of fiction???
dan jenkins book "dead solid perfect" is ,well, dead solid perfect!!!
14 days ago
Never read it - it's on my list though....any other suggestions?
13 days ago
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer is a great one. Also of interest for college football/alabama football fans is The Missing Ring. After Alabama had won back-to-back championships in 1964 and 1965 the media snubbed Bama from its third consecutive title. The 1966 team was better than both of the previous two teams, but sports writers felt that giving it to Bama again would be unfair. They didn't even get a share of it after one of their greatest seasons ever! Pretty lengthy, but great read.
BTW - good list above.
13 days ago
Thanks for the nice comments. Forward it to your buddies. Any other suggestions?
13 days ago
Here' a couple for your list:
1. 'NATRUAL ENEMIES - The Notre Dame-Michigan Football Feud' by John Kryk. Yes, its about Michigan and Notre Dame football, but also gives a view of College football from its beginnings.
2. 'BO' by Bo Schembehler & Mitch Albom For all of you who don't care about, or even despise Michigan football, it may surprise you to know that BO was not the quintessential 'Michigan Man'. He played under Woody Hayes, and later coached under him. He was also at Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern, to name a couple Excellent read, also a look into the world of some of the legendary coaches. NOTE: This book was written in 1990, quite a few years before he died.
12 days ago
Fab!
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