A highly-entertaining collection of sports journalism from a forty-year veteran.
For decades, Pat Jordan has been one of the best sports writers in America. This engrossing book compiles twenty-six features from throughout his career, among them his most famous magazine pieces and a small selection of previously unpublished gems.
Included is an exciting selection of Jordan's profiles of sports legends such as Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Seaver, Greg Louganis, Venus and Serena Williams--each one frank, insightful, and salty--as well as an extraordinary sampling of the pieces with which Jordan made his name: those about athletes who are obscure, unsuccessful, or have fallen from grace. Whether writing about the marginal, the famous, or the infamous, Jordan displays a hard-boiled, highly literate prose and a capacity to convey how the idiosyncratic mindsets of athletes lead to success or failure.
"The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan" covers a variety of mainstream sports and some less athletic (but equally competitive) pastimes like poker, pool, and child beauty pageants. A Q&A with Jordan gives intriguing behind-the-scenes scoops on select stories. Fun, revealing, and very readable, this book represents the best work from a standout in his field.
Highlights from "The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan":
"Trouble in Paradise": L.A. Dodger all-star (and presumed future-U.S. Senator) Steve Garvey takes a hit to his public image--from his unsatisfied wife.
"Roger Clemens Refuses to Grow Up": The greatest pitcher of his generation is really just a big baby.
"The Outcast": O. J. Simpson stars as O. J. Simpson and has a thing for Jennifer Love Hewitt.
"Of Memory, Death, and the Automobile": Phil Hill, Renaissance Formula 1 racecar driver, obsesses over his obsessions.
"Renee's Retreat": Transsexual tennis pro Renee Richards reflects on her life on both the women's and men's tours.
"Duquesne, PA": In a down-and-out factory town, high school football provides the only escape.
"Is this Man the Future of Poker?": Poker phenom David Williams beats the odds, but can't bluff his girlfriend.
"The Noble Turtle": A wannabe actor can't escape his boxing past. His name? Sylvester Stallone.

At a time when few Americans had visited Australia, journalist John Lardner sailed down under with the U.S. armed forces as one of the first American war correspondents in the Pacific theater. With his excellent sense of humor and gift for narrative, Lardner penned vignettes of MacArthur's arrival and his reception in Melbourne and a flight with the daring Dutch flier Capt. Hans Smits. More frequently, Lardner wrote about the ordinary day and the average person. Traveling throughout the country, in Southwest Passage Lardner offers a glimpse of Australia in the 1940s and generates warmth and admiration for World War II fighters in the Pacific, whether Australian, New Zealander, aboriginal, or American. For generations of readers who have learned about World War II with the benefit of hindsight, Lardner's tone, style, and selected topics give more than just entertaining anecdotes about the military in the Pacific; they are a view into the culture and society of midcentury America.

Curt Flood was a dazzling center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals when, in 1969, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. But instead of accepting his fate, Flood shocked baseball by suing the sport over its Reserve Clause, an age-old rule that bound players to their teams in perpetuity. His extraordinary case went all the way to the Supreme Court and helped pave the way for major advancements in the rights of professional athletes. Stepping Up is Flood's astonishing story. Accessible to teens but of interest to baseball fans of all ages, it begins with Flood as a an artistic black kid in Oakland, and continues with his eye-opening experience as a minor leaguer in the racist South. It describes Flood's years with the exciting Cardinals teams of the 1960s (with teammates like Stan Musial, Joe Torre, and Bob Gibson), and his increasing frustrations with baseball's mistreatment of players especially blacks. The book culminates with his historic suit, which changed his life and the sports world forever. In lively, conversational prose, Alex Belth provides fascinating details and anecdotes about Flood's Cardinals, the Negro Leagues, and many of the dramatic differences in baseball and America between Flood's era and today. Including a foreword by acclaimed broadcaster Tim McCarver (who, as a player, was traded with Flood to the Phillies), Stepping Up is the compelling tale of a ballplayer's desire to make a difference.