February 20, 2012
Sportswriter (Sports Illustrated) and author (Everybody’s All-American) Deford tells the story of his rise from the comfortable and modest streets of Baltimore to the top of the sports journalism world. He discovered that he “had some facility for writing” when he was nine, even though he had not “suffered a miserable upbringing,” which helps “if you are to become a writer.” He was hired by Sports Illustrated in 1962, despite the personnel department classifying him as “not very bright.” “Sportswriting was still in something of a netherworld” when he began his career, “presented with own desk and... Royal typewriter.” Unfortunately, as a self-proclaimed “old and cranky” man, he opines, “Journalism, as we know it... with the internet.” The mixture of homage to sportswriters who came before him, such as Grantland Rice; sometimes wistful vignettes of sports figures like Arthur Ashe; and his own personal reflections on the evolution of sports journalism combine to offer a cultural perspective that transcends a mere job.
December 1, 2011
Some life. Joining Sports Illustrated in 1962, Deford quickly discovered fellow Princetonian Bill Bradley and Canadian Bobby Orr; he eventually won both a Peabody and an Emmy, wrote ten novels, and continues to star on NPR. Here, he revisits his personal and professional lives while interweaving the story of American sportswriting. Interesting stuff from a proven commodity.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from April 1, 2012
Deford went to work for Sports Illustrated in 1962, fresh out of college. Since then, in addition to magazine work, he's won a Peabody and an Emmy, written 10 novels, and delivered more than 1,500 commentaries on NPR's Morning Edition. His accomplishments are many, but in this wildly entertaining and informative memoir, he refers to himself only as the scrivener. His subjects are what matters, and he gives them their due, as in a poignant chapter on the late Wilt Chamberlain, which offers more insight into that enigmatic basketball icon than any half-dozen books. Fortunately, despite the self-deprecating tone, Deford does portray the highlights of his remarkable career, including his early stint covering the NBA at a time when players flew commercial, played doubleheaders to boost the gate, and hung out with sportswriters because they could expense the bar tab. He was also ahead of the pack in covering women's sports, especially tennis, and he offers some insight into why women's team sports have never moved beyond a niche level of popularity in the U.S. A lifetime sportswriter, he's very aware of the history of his craft, and, along the way, he shares his thoughts on then-and-now, including pointed anecdotes on some sportswriting legends from the past. Put this one on the shelf alongside such other classic sportswriters' memoirs as Robert Lipsyte's An Accidental Sportswriter (2011), Roger Kahn's Into My Own (2006), and Ira Berkow's Full Swing (2006).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
March 1, 2012
The prolific sports commentator returns with an episodic, anecdotal memoir. Deford (Bliss, Remembered, 2010, etc.) is an amiable travel companion--sometimes sharp, witty, even irreverent (twice he slams big-time college sports for corruption and even for trivializing American education)--but for the most part here he's on cruise control. Although he takes us back to his school days (he knew in third grade he could write) and high-school sports career (he had one good season in basketball), and writes breezily about acquiring, fairly easily, his editing gig at Sports Illustrated, he offers no real detailed, sequential account of learning his craft. Deford is principally interested in telling stories, a few jokes and a few poignant recollections. He recalls, for example, his very close relationship with Arthur Ashe and how he, John Feinstein and some others covered up Ashe's AIDS battle until the story finally broke elsewhere. He also remembers a touching moment when Magic Johnson refused to let a press conference end until veteran journalist Jim Murray could ask his question. He relates some stories about sportswriters from earlier generations (Grantland Rice, Ring Lardner) and describes the shift in sportswriting from cheerleading to criticism. He also writes about the diminished state of print journalism (and his own failed paper, The National) and the adjustments he's had to make--from print to radio to TV to the Internet. Celebrities of all sorts populate the pages--Howard Cosell, Mickey Mantle, Dean Smith, Ted Williams, Bobby Orr, Carl Lewis, Jimmy Connors, Bobby Knight--but only rarely does Deford strip the bark to see what lies beneath. A throwback jersey of a book.
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