The Top of His Game: the Best Sportswriting of W

BillLittlefield(NPR'sOnlyaGame)presentsthesecondinstallmentintheLibraryofAmericaseriesdevotedtoclassicAmericansportswriters，adefintivecollector’seditionofthepathbreakingwriterwhoinventedthelong-formsportsstory.LikehisfriendandadmirerRedSmith，W.C.Heinz(1915–2008)wasoneofthemostdistinctiveandinfluentialsportswritersofthelastcentury.Thoughhebeganhiscareerasanewspaperreporter，Heinzsoonmovedbeyondtheconfinesofthedailycolumn，turningfreelanceandbecomingthefirstsportwritertomakehislivingwritingformagazines.Indoingsoheeffectivelyinventedthelong-formsportsstory，perfectingastylethatpavedthewayfortheNewJournalismofthe1960s.Hisprofilesofthetopathletesofhisdaystillfeelremarkablycurrent，writtenwithafreshnessofperception，agiftforcharacterization，andafinelytunedearfordialogue.JimmyBreslinnamedHeinz’s“BrownsvilleBum”—abrieflifeofAl“Bummy”Davis，Brooklynstreettoughandonetimewelterweightchampionoftheworld—“thegreatestmagazinesportsstoryI’veeverread，barnone.”Hisspareandpowerful1949column，“DeathofaRaceHorse，”hasbeencalledaliteraryclassic，aworkofclarityandprecisioncomparabletoHemingwayathisbest.Now，forthisessentialwriter’scentennial，BillLittlefield，thehostofNPR’sOnlyAGame，presentstheessentialHeinz：thirty-eightcolumns，profiles，andmemoirsfromtheauthor’spersonalarchive，includingeighteenpiecesnevercollectedduringhislifetime.ThoughHeinz’sgreatpassionwasboxing—thegoldeneraofRockyGraziano，FloydPatterson，andSugarRayRobinson—hisinterestsextendedtothewideworldofsports，withindelibleprofilesofbaseballplayers(BabeRuth，JoeDiMaggio)，jockeys(GeorgeWoolf，EddieArcaro)，hockeyplayers，footballcoaches，scoutsandtrainersandrodeoriders.