The Jim Murray Reader
Published on 1. July 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-8032-8326-8 (ISBN)
Description
His striking images, evocative prose, and hyperbolic one-liners have made Murray one of the most quotable and most celebrated sports columnists of the twentieth century.
Jim Murray, the dean of American sportswriters, entertained readers with writing that is so good and so funny that even people who don't like sports read him. The Jim Murray Reader gathers some of Murray's best columns from the height of his career and showcases the wit and the style that won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1990.
His inexhaustible talent and limitless range are on full display here: from the perplexities of tennis scoring ("a game in which love counts for nothing, deuces are wild, and the scoring system was invented by Lewis Carroll") and baseball rules ("The infield fly rule is about as simple as calligraphy. It might as well be a Japanese naval code") to Murray's Laws ("The way to make a line move faster is to join the other one") and many of his colorful profiles ("Richard Petty has climbed in more windows than 50 car thieves. . . . He wasn't born, he was assembled and modified").
Jim Murray, the dean of American sportswriters, entertained readers with writing that is so good and so funny that even people who don't like sports read him. The Jim Murray Reader gathers some of Murray's best columns from the height of his career and showcases the wit and the style that won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1990.
His inexhaustible talent and limitless range are on full display here: from the perplexities of tennis scoring ("a game in which love counts for nothing, deuces are wild, and the scoring system was invented by Lewis Carroll") and baseball rules ("The infield fly rule is about as simple as calligraphy. It might as well be a Japanese naval code") to Murray's Laws ("The way to make a line move faster is to join the other one") and many of his colorful profiles ("Richard Petty has climbed in more windows than 50 car thieves. . . . He wasn't born, he was assembled and modified").
Reviews / Votes
"It's easy to bash sportswriters at newspapers, a section sometimes called The Toy Shop. Every fan thinks it would be a great life-all those games for free! But the travel and covering bad teams can take its toll. From this collection, you get the sense that Jim Murray never minded any of that. It is nice to read the work of a true professional who loved his job." -Kathleen Hennrikus, New York Journal of BooksMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Nebraska
United States
Publishing group
University of Nebraska Press
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
431 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8032-8326-8 (9780803283268)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jim Murray (1919-98) was one of the founders of Sports Illustrated and a writer for Time magazine before his tenure as sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times from 1961 until 1998. Murray won the Red Smith Award, America's most prestigious sportswriting honor, and the Pulitzer Prize. Vin Scully has been the voice of the Dodgers since 1950, which is the longest consecutive service of any current Major League broadcaster for one team.
Content
Preface Personally SpeakingAs White as the Ku Klux KlanIt's Business as Usual"Marring" the RacesThankful, But . . .Don't Blame Little LeagueMissing: An Ocean of JoyOf Human BondageBlasting a Golf TrailWeird Site for a FightThe Terror of IndyScore It NonsenseA Matter of Blind FaithThe Hall of What?Laws of MurrayThe Same Old SongThe Joy of SeeingTranslating the QuotesIf You're Expecting One-LinersRecruiting Sales TalkOne Man's OpinionInstant CelebrityA Car to RememberAll-Time Greatest NameIt Wasn't Too BadBo, You Have CompanyWe Just Have It Too GoodIt's Seen and Not HeardIt Doesn't Suit ThemSome Nights I Stay Up through the NewsLet's Be Honest about the MastersBreeding Counts but Doesn't Add UpThe Sport That Time Leaves AloneJust Once, I'd Like to See . . . Who Let Lawyers in the Ballpark?No Bosox Tea PartyRed-Blooded RunnersTribute to AbeGolf Is to Football as Palm Springs Is to PittsburghNo Grundges in the Kumquat BowlA Transient BusinessFrom Russia with Love or . . . I'll Never Smile Again PortraitsMan without a FunnyboneIdol Whose Time Is PastCatchin' Up with SatchA Woman of the CenturyHe Earned His WayHe Dared Stand AloneDr. J Came to PlayBaseball's ShowboatThe Pirate Has HeartBaby-Face BomberThat's Shoe BizComaneci OlympicsWho Is This Guy?A Rejected LandmarkThe Cowboy's LamentAlzado Is Razor SharpFame but No HallA Salute to GilliamThe People's ChampTrouble Hits TapeLieutenant Fair-and-SquareA College GraduateA Tough Little LadyFirst Test-Tube LinebackerMaking of a ManThe One and OnlyPerfect TimingWorld Class LeprechaunThe One That CountsAnother Rocky StoryMaster of the City GameAn American LegendTrack and Field's Hottest Double FeatureYou'd Never Think She Is One of ThemCoach of the Living DeadPatching an ImageHe Needn't Take Number; It's HisAn Actor on CanvasThe Eternal Cowboy Fond FarewellsLife Finally Caught Marciano with a Sucker PunchLast of the VictoriansHe Never Grew UpDeath of an HeirloomA Portrait in CourageThe Call of a SirenHe Made a Name of Red Smith Index