George Plimpton on Sports

by George Plimpton

• ISBN13: 9781592280810
• ISBN10: 1592280811
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2003-11-01
• Publisher: The Lyons Press

Summary

"There are people who would perhaps call me a dilettante, because it looks as though I'm having too much fun. I have never been convinced there's anything inherently wrong in having fun." -- George Plimpton George Plimpton on Sportscollects the best writing -- the most observant, the most acerbic, the most humane, and the most fun -- from George Plimpton's long career as the consummate and prototypical participatory sports journalist. Included are excerpts from his book-length work, as well as articles that have appeared inSports Illustratedand other magazines and sporting journals, that range from golf and bowling to his experiences trying out for quarterback with the Detroit Lions and pitching to the Major League All-Stars, to sparring a couple of rounds with one of the toughest boxers in the sport.

Author Biography

GEORGE PLIMPTON, the originator of "participatory journalism," is the founder and editor of the renowned literary magazine The Paris Review. His books include Paper Lion (page TK), The Bogey Man (page TK), Open Net (page TK), Shadow Box (page TK), As Told at the Explorers Club (page TK), and Mad Ducks and Bears (page TK). He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xiii
Baseball
Chateau Baseball (from Out of My League)	p. 3
Right Field (from Cigar Aficionado)	p. 7
Canyon of Heroes (from The New York Times)	p. 13
A Love of Fungo (from Birth of a Fan)	p. 17
Marianne Moore in Yankee Stadium (from Harper's Magazine)	p. 23
The Curious Case of Sidd Finch (from Sports Illustrated)	p. 41
Basketball
The Boston Celtics (from Boston Celtics 50)	p. 61
Bicycling
Two-Wheeling (from Avenue)	p. 77
Boxing
Muhammad Ali, the Mongoose, and Me (from Esquire)	p. 83
Fishing
Hooking Bull with My Father-in-Law (from Esquire Sportsman)	p. 93
Football
Vince Lombardi: A Portrait (from One More July)	p. 101
Medora Goes to the Game (from Sports Illustrated)	p. 119
Golf
Fear and Trembling at the Masters (from Golf Digest)	p. 137
The Small Ball Theory (from US Air)	p. 155
It's Not in the Hole (from Golf Journal)	p. 161
Golf Lessons (from Callaway Journal)	p. 171
Grape-Catching
Paul Tavilla (from Smart)	p. 185
Hockey
Eddie Shore: A Portrait (from Open Net)	p. 193
Rowing
Yanks at Cambridge (from Esquire)	p. 205
Sport
Gods (from Saints, Saviors & Sinners, ESPN)	p. 213
Squash
Squash (introduction to Squash)	p. 237
Stickball
Did Willie Hit It for Five Sewers? (from Daily News)	p. 243
Swimming
Come On In--The Water's Fine (Once You're In) (introduction to Splash)	p. 257
Tennis
On the Firing Line (from Sports Illustrated)	p. 265
John McEnroe Keeps the Peace (from Esquire)	p. 283
Ten Ways to Shake an Opponent's Hand at the Net After Being Defeated 6-0, 6-2 (from Tennis Week)	p. 289
Wimbledon (from Tennis Week)	p. 293
Track
Sidd Finch for Sydney? (by "Mark Hofmann" from Sports Illustrated)	p. 305
Wrestling
Managing to Wrestle (from Smart)	p. 317
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Ali arrived with an hour to go before the fight. Even before he got out of his streetclothes he was moving around the room, snapping out the jabs and staring at himself in the mirrors. "This room's too crowded," he said. "I want room to rest."

The room was cleared except for the entourage he would take to the ring, along with two interns assigned to the fight, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. I was allowed to stay. I crouched in a corner with a notebook open. Ali stripped quickly. He pulled on a pair of white boxing trunks and turned slowly in front of the mirror. "I am the champ," he said softly. "He must fall." He tried out the Ali shuffle, his white gym shoes snapping against the floor. -- from Shadow Box

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Excerpted from George Plimpton on Sports by George Plimpton
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.