After fifteen years as a Sports Illustrated writer, pleading for interviews with large men in possession of larger egos, Austin Murphy decides to bail out. The time has come, he concludes, to fly beneath the radar of big-league sports, to while away a season with the Johnnies. So, he moves his family to the middle of Minnesota to chronicle a season at St. John's, a Division III program that has reached unparalleled success under the unorthodox guidance of John "Gags" Gagliardi.

The Sweet Season is an account of what happens when a family pulls up stakes and spends...

Boxing: Yes, Don King once beat a man to death. Yes, he ripped off fighters. But he also saved boxing.

Trash Talk: A lot of today's jocks bring nothing to the game but trash talk. They talk the talk, but their game sucks. Shut up and play ball.

Portland, Oregon: The plumber's butt of American.

Sports Marketing: Unless sanity returns, the leagues will be taken over by shoe and soft drink companies that won't be satisfied until they sew their logos on Michael Jordan's butt.

The Modern...

Maybe It Should Have Been a Three-Iron is the funny and poignant story of one man's search for sporting glory. Lawrence Donegan had the desire but lacked the talent to be a professional golfer, so he settled for the next best thing--caddying for Ross Drummond, a little-known pro on the European PGA tour, ranking 438th in the world. With self-deprecating humor, Donegan recounts the days and endless nights he spent on the road with Drummond as they existed on a string of meager tournament checks and chased the elusive "big win" much as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza chased...

From renowned outdoor writer Jim Fergus comes this collection which represents a kind of extended journey across the country from Colorado to Florida and points beyond. From pheasant hunting at Nebraska's Fort Robinson to bone fishing on the flats of Grand Exuma, Bahamas, these 32 essays, arranged by season, chronicle Fergus's most memorable travels hunting and fishing over a period of 6 years. A book about the natural world and man's place in it, The Sporting Road is also a book about relationships, which for Fergus include old friends, new acquaintances, and his trusted yellow...

From Elizabeth Cady Stanton on bicycling to Anna Seaton huntington on rowing, the first anthology of women's personal essays on sports.

With edge, passion, and depth, Whatever It Takes demonstrates the enormous importance of sports for girls and women. These essays deal with everything from finding a mentor -whether it's an Olympic gold winner or a neighborhood coach-to reveling in female team spirit. There are historical selections, as well as discussions of such developments as Title IX. The contributors, including world-class athletes and celebrated writers from Mariah...