Fathers & Sons & Sports: Great Writing by Buzz Bissinger, John Ed Bradley, Bill Geist, Donald Hall, Mark Kriegel, Norman Maclean, and others » (Reprint)

Mike Lupica lives in Connecticut.

For generations, fathers and sons have used the language of sports to work out their differences and express their love for each other. Fathers & Sons & Sports presents a powerful lineup of real-world stories about fathers and sons playing one-on-one in the game of life, written by such great sportswriters and authors as

Henry Aaron, as told to Cal Fussman • Michael J. Agovino • Buzz Bissinger • Jeff Bradley • John Ed Bradley • James Brown • Darcy Frey • Tom Friend • Bill Geist • Mike Golic • Donald Hall • Paul Hoffman • Mark Kriegel • Norman Maclean • John Buffalo Mailer • Ron Reagan • Peter Richmond • Jeremy Schaap • Lew Schneider • Dan Shaughnessy • Paul Solotaroff • John Jeremiah Sullivan • Wright Thompson • Steve Wulf

The unforgettable accounts here include the stories of a professional football player passing on his father’s secrets to his own sons, a severely disabled boy discovering joy on a surfboard, a wealthy NFL player taking his coddled children back to the mean streets that made him, and a major league manager who must face the hard fact that nothing, not even unconditional love, can save his son.

Anyone who has ever been a father or a son will see himself in these moving snapshots of family life at its most emotional. Whether the stories take place on a diamond, a court, a gridiron, a fairway, or a chessboard, they’re all about the same subject: fatherhood, one of the world’s most intriguing sports.

Introduction Mike Lupica Lupica, Mike

Worlds Apart Tom Friend Friend, Tom 3

A Father's Small Hope Paul Solotaroff Solotaroff, Paul 15

from Little League Confidential Bill Geist Geist, Bill 33

from Senior Year Dan Shaughnessy Shaughnessy, Dan 41

from It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium John Ed Bradley Bradley, John Ed 49

from After Jackie as told to Cal Fussman Henry Aaron Aaron, Henry 73

from Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich Mark Kriegel Kriegel, Mark 75

SomeoneYou Want to Play With Jeff Bradley Bradley, Jeff 101

What Got You Where You Are Mike Golic Golic, Mike Andrew Chaikivsky Chaikivsky, Andrew 105

Flip Turn Ron Reagan Reagan, Ron 111

My Dad, the Bookie Michael J. Agovino Agovino, Michael J. 125

Holy Ground Wright Thompson Thompson, Wright 139

Sporting Chance Lew Schneider Schneider, Lew 155

Dirty Moves James Brown Brown, James 165

Mailer vs. Mailer John Buffalo Mailer Mailer, John Buffalo 181

from A River Runs Through It Norman Maclean Maclean, Norman 183

from Fathers Playing Catch With Sons Donald Hall Hall, Donald 209

Tangled Up in Blue Peter Richmond Richmond, Peter 221

from Friday Night Lights Buzz Bissinger Bissinger, Buzz 251

from Blood Horses John Jeremiah Sullivan Sullivan, John Jeremiah 259

A Father's Gift Jeremy Schaap Schaap, Jeremy 283

from King's Gambit Paul Hoffman Hoffman, Paul 287

from The Last Shot Darcy Frey Frey, Darcy 301

Bo Knows Steve Wulf Wulf, Steve 311