The Best American Sports Writing

Brief Description: The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind. The Best American Sports Writing 2005 includes Michael Lewis - Gary Smith - Steve Coll - Tom Verducci - Ira Berkow - Bill Plaschke - Linda Robertson - Michael Bamberger - L. Jon Wertheim - Thomas McGuane - John Brant - Pat Jordan - David DiBenedetto - and others Mike Lupica, guest editor, has been a columnist for the New York Daily News since 1977 and is the best-selling author of numerous books, including, most recently, Travel Team, a number one New York Times bestseller. Table of Contents: Contents Foreword xi Introduction by Mike Lupica xvii Gary Smith. Running for Their Lives 1 from Sports Illustrated Bill Plaschke. Phat Chants 20 from The Los Angeles Times Mark Zeigler. Fatal Errors 26 from The San Diego Union-Tribune Michael Lewis. The Eli Experiment 41 from The New York Times Magazine Mark Fainaru-Wada. Dreams, Steroids, Death -- A Ballplayer's Downfall 62 from The San Francisco Chronicle Pam Belluck. How to Catch Fish in Vermont 74 from The New York Times Thomas McGuane. Seeing Snook 78 from Sports Illustrated Ira Berkow. Making Contact 88 from Chicago Magazine Sean Flynn. The Memorial 97 from Golf Magazine David Shields. The Wound and the Bow 102 from The Believer Richard Sandomir. Five-Second Delay Can't Mute Old Voice 116 from The New York Times Pat Jordan. The Lion in Late, Late Autumn 119 from The New York Times Magazine David Dibenedetto. The Biggest Fish Story Ever Told 129 from Men's Journal Andrew Miller. Field of Broken Dreams 140 from The Pitch John Brant. Duel in the Sun 152 from Runner's World Mark Kram, Jr. A Lethal Catch 169 from The Philadelphia Daily News Linda Robertson. "A Great Day for Arab Women" 178 from The Miami Herald Steve Coll. Barrage of Bullets Drowned Out Cries of Comrades 181 from The Washington Post L. Jon Wertheim. Outside Looking In 199 from Sports Illustrated Wright Thompson. A Man Who Made Good 214 from The Kansas City Star Travis Haney. More Than Skin Deep 224 from The Anderson Independent-Mail Michael Hall. The Duke of Dunbar 232 from Texas Monthly Michael Bamberger. The Pride of Peabody 247 from Sports Illustrated Chris Jones. The Man in the Ice 264 from Esquire Kevin Van Valkenburg. Rayna's Second Season 273 from The Baltimore Sun Katy Vine. Alive and Kicking 305 from Texas Monthly Michael Rosenberg. Why We Must Listen 313 from The Detroit Free Press Tom Verducci. Sportsmen of the Year 326 from Sports Illustrated Bill Reynolds. Spectacular -- but Sad 343 from The Providence Journal Biographical Notes 349 Notable Sports Writing of 2004 354 Contents ix Review Citations:

Booklist 09/01/2005 pg. 50 (EAN 9780618470204, Paperback)

Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 174 (EAN 9780618470204, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Lupica, Mike Mike Lupica is the author of multiple bestselling books for young readers, including "QB 1", "Heat", "Travel Team", "Million-Dollar Throw", and "The Underdogs". He has carved out a niche as the sporting world's finest storyteller. Mike lives in Connecticut with his wife and their four children. When not writing novels, he writes "for New York's Daily News", appears on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" and hosts "The Mike Lupica Show" on ESPN Radio. You can visit Mike Lupica at MikeLupicaBooks.com.