1 Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports Books of All Time
Sports Illustrated put together the top 100 sports books of all time. Of the titles on their list, 55 titles are available in accessible formats from the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library catalog. Below is the list with the description and call number for books available through WTBBL.
The Sweet Science, By A.J. Liebling. In this collection of articles on prizefighting, a longtime writer for the "New Yorker" reveals his "fascination with the odd characters who inhabit the world of boxing" as much as his love of the sport itself. From visits to the training camps of opponents to post-fight assessments in the bar, Liebling interweaves sketches of people who follow "the sweet science" with accounts of his personal involvement in the matches. DB 34565.
The Boys of Summer, By Roger Kahn. A former sportswriter for the 'Herald Tribune' writes about the Brooklyn Dodgers of Ebbets Field. He also tells what happened to Jackie Robinson, Carl Erskine, Pee Wee Reese, Preacher Roe, and the other baseball greats of the team. DB 16430.
Ball Four, By Jim Bouton. The author recalls his effort to make a comeback as a big-league pitcher in the late 1960s, revealing inside-the-locker-room details that tarnished the game's wholesome image and made him a persona non grata for years afterward. Edited by Leonard Shecter. Originally published in 1970; includes Bouton's 1990 epilogue. [New York Times bestseller] DB 17098 / DB 77068.
Friday Night Lights, By H. G Bissinger. Odessa, Texas, is dying--stores are closing and people are moving out--and yet it is a town with a dream. For on Friday nights, the football stadium is filled with 20,000 fans cheering the Permian Panthers. Bissinger, who spent four months following the team--on the field and off--and talking with people from all segments of the community, offers a picture of American sports and American culture. [New York Times bestseller] DB 32152.
You Know Me, Al: A Busher's Letters, By Ring Lardner. Mark and Kate sit next to each other in school but are barely acquainted, until they meet at a San Francisco club during Pride Week and help each other over their forbidden crushes. DB 84699
A Season on the Brink: a year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers, By John Feinstein. The author spent the 1985-86 season with the team as coach Knight attempted to lead a miraculous recovery from the debacle of 1984-85 when Indiana finished under 500 for the first time in fourteen years. Offers an inside-the-locker-room peek at the man whom Feinstein portrays as a complete sports dictator, a man incapable of accepting defeat, who can rouse his players to their top performance. DB 25987.
Semi-Tough, By Dan Jenkins. Football player Billy Clyde Puckett of the New York Giants comes to Los Angeles with his pals for an epic duel with the Jets in the Super Bowl. Followed by Life Its Ownself (DB 21223). DB 52159.
Paper Lion, By George Plimpton. After becoming a last-string quarterback for the Detroit Lions, writer Plimpton reveals details of their activities, styles of individuals and coaches, in-game tensions, and off-hours carousing. DB 32938.
The Game: a thoughtful and provocative look at a life in hockey, By Ken Dryden. The former goalkeeper for the Montreal Canadiens describes the world of the locker room, the days and nights on the road, the camaraderie among players, the jealousies, and the game itself. Dryden focuses on the life of an athlete with frank anecdotes and commentary. DB 20824.
Fever Pitch, By Nick Hornsby (1991)
A River Runs Through It, and Other Stories, By Norman MacLean. The author of Young Men and Fire (RC 35639) recreates his early years in Montana. In "A River Runs through It" he reminisces about fly fishing with his brother and father in the 1930s. Other stories deal with summer jobs in logging and firefighting. Some strong language. DB 53083.
Seabiscuit: an American Legend, By Laura Hillenbrand. Recounts the rise of an "undersized, crooked-legged" thoroughbred horse who in 1938 was the year's number-one newsmaker over Franklin Roosevelt, Hitler, and Lou Gehrig. Hillenbrand tells Seabiscuit's story through the three men who made a true long shot into a winner: owner Charles Howard, trainer Tom Smith, and jockey Red Pollard. [New York Times bestseller] DB 51968.
Loose Balls, By Terry Pluto (1990)
Bang the Drum Slowly, By Mark Harris. Bruce, a big league baseball catcher, is slowly dying of Hodgkin's disease. His teammate Henry, the only person who knows about Bruce's condition, becomes his protector and champion as a complex relationship develops between the two men. BRA 17278
Heaven is a Playground, By Rick Telander (1976)
Levels of the Gam, By John McPhee (1969)
The Breaks of the Game, By David Halberstam. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who spent the 1979-1980 season with the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team provides a revealing look at the world of professional basketball--the
