Fanatic: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do B4 They Die

The Wild Card and A Book Review

2007-09-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

I must admit it would be delicious if the Yankees caught the Red Sox and won the division just because it would knock the Sox off the perch they've been looking down from all season, and because it would be a stunning turnaround considering the boys in pinstripes were down 14.5 games in July. Ouch. But the truth is, it doesn't much matter anymore because either way (most likely) both teams will make the playoffs and neither will have home field advantage in the first round. The chase has been intriguing, but imagine how intense it would be if there were no fall back position. Win the division or stay home. People would be hanging on every pitch. Back pages would feature screaming headlines every day. Manny Ramirez would play--well, maybe. If he felt like it. He is only getting paid $18 million. Anyway, the Wild Card has been good, and overall makes things more interesting, I think, but this is one case where, the added intensity of the old days would be nice.

Enough reminiscing, though. Here's a book review I wrote for parade.com. Live link to the Fanatic home page at the bottom, so if you haven't yet bought a copy of the book, fire away.

Interview

2007-09-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the text of a Q&A I did with MVN.com for anyone who's suffering insomnia.

Also, a very happy birthday to reader No. 1. You know who you are, and let me be the first to tell you, you don't look a day over 49.

Though Experiment, Part II

2007-09-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm back. Went on vacation and just about stayed there. Last I recall we were in the middle of arranging a hypothetical sequel, i.e. The Next 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Blah, Blah, Blah...The first five (or third five depending on how you look at it) were World Cup Soccer, Heavyweight Title Fight in Vegas, Duke-Carolina at Cameron Indoor, Australia-New Zealand Rugby, and the Bassmaster Classic (for the reasoning behind those picks, scroll down). Here then are the next five.

6. The Rose Bowl. Great tradition and festivities and pageantry that stretches well beyond the game and makes this one more than just a sports event. I remember watching the parade from the time I was a kid. I would want to catch it on a year it's hosting the National Championship, though.

7. Canadians v. Maple Leafs. Two of the NHL's oldest and Canada's most beloved teams. Their proximity to each other and there games carry the undertone of cultural and linguistic tensions adds to the rivalry. Too bad you can't still go to Maple Leaf Gardens or the Forum for this one, but the new venues will do as long as the teams are wearing those that are as iconic as anything in sports.

8. Spring Training. I'd like to spend a week in the late winter driving from ball park to ball park to see a whole string of spring games. It's not so much the whole renewal of hope cliche, but the idea of watching guys whole never have cup of coffee in the bigs playing their guts out.

9. The British Open. As a golf guy this is a hard one for me to turn down. Seeing the game played on any of the classic courses would be great, but I'd really love to make it to St. Andrews, Turnberry, Muirfield or Carnoustie.

10. Midnight Madness at UK. College basketball is a religion and the University of Kentucky, sometimes to the point where they love it so much they just about suffocate it. Still, when the university was getting ready to announce the hiring of a new coach last spring, more the 15,000 people logged on to the UK basketball message board. That kind of intensity funneled into a fun, upbeat event like Midnight Madness would have to be a great time.

Well, that's it, although I could easily rattle of a bunch more.

One More for the Road

2007-08-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Another online review popped up today on Joy of Sox, so I decided to throw up a quick link before shipping out.

Thought Experiment

2007-08-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm going away for a week so I'll leave you with little theoretical exercise: If there was a sequel, what should the next 10 events be? Trust me, no such plans are currently in the works, but if...

Here are my first five. I'll roll out the next five after I return. Meanwhile, feel free to agree, disagree, or add your own thoughts by clicking on the comments section below.

1. World Cup Soccer. My one biggest regret from the first book was not getting soccer in the mix. I've watched a quite a bit of the last two Cup final rounds and I find it fascinating, from the intensity of the games, to the passion of the crowds to the operatic drama on the pitch. The fake injuries alone are enough to keep me spellbound for weeks.

2. Heavyweight Title Fight, Las Vegas. This one is tough, because boxing has had the lifeblood sucked out of it—case in point, there are currently 54 heavyweight champions, all of them from former Soviet satellite countries—but if you could get a post-Olympic up and comer with a little momentum and one of the Klitschko brothers (I'm not sure which one is currently holding a belt or two, or that there are actually even two of them, but...) you could have a real old-fashioned, smell-of-blood-and-money-in-the-air prize fight. I'd like to see that.

3. Duke-Carolina at Cameron Indoor. The hatred, the atmosphere, the closeness of the sweaty little arena, the sight of all those spoiled morons leaving with tears streaking their face paint after the Heels stomp the Devils on their home floor. Hand me a tissue Coach Kry my little heart is breaking.

4. Australia-New Zealand Rugby. The Kiwi All Blacks are legendary and the Aussies have long-been a power. Great rivalry, unique, unfamiliar cultures, fascinating sport. Couldn't ask for much more. Dare I say, scrumdilicious?

5. The Bassmaster Classic. Another one the just missed the first edition. Hey, 15,000 people in an arena screaming their heads off while rock music blares and guys logoed out togs hold up big ugly fish can't help but be fascinating. If you can't find a few interesting stories to tell in that crowd you never will.

Boston Bump

2007-08-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Got a nice shout out this week from the hubtrotter.com, a site devoted to travel in the Boston area. The guy who runs it is a good dude and if you live in Bean Town you should make his site a regular stop while surfing.

And while you're in Boston, light a candle for the Sox. Here come the Yanks!

New Reviews

2007-08-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Our efforts to build a grassroots campaign rumbles, well maybe stumbles, onward. Two very perceptive and highly intelligent bloggers have weighed in on Fanatic. You can get Jason Reiger's Cubs slanted insights at Goat Riders of the Apocalypse and a Villanova viewpoint at LetsGoNova.

In other news, I may be out of job soon, as it seems the sports world is on the verge of imploding. I'm not even talking about Barry Bonds, but rather about my old classmate Tim Donaghy and this Russian tennis player who might have faked an injury to lose a match in which he was highly favored and on which huge sums of money had been bet on his opponent. Both reek of outside forces attempting to influence games and if that happens, professional sports goes away and Sports Illustrated goes with it. So, you know, save me a corner of your basement to crash in.

As for Barry, I've been rooting against him for years, and when I can muster the energy to care anymore I wish he would just go away. At the same time, what's really been lost? Baseball's already been through a dead ball era, a juiced ball era, which distorted numbers, a spit ball era, sign stealing scandals, etc. The sport in many ways is already a joke and Bonds was far from the only guy using (allegedly). Even Hank Aaron, an honorable man with a social conscience and a buttload of courage, played the majority of his career in Atlanta, which is more than 1,000 feet above sea level. Does the advantage of playing half his games every year in thinner air somehow make his record less worthy. I know, that's apples and oranges. All I'm saying is the whole thing's been a cesspool for years, and we've all been bathing in it quite happily, so it's somewhat disingenuous to look around now and wonder how come we smell like shit.

Who's That Guy

2007-07-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, another proud member of Villanova's class of '89, Tim Donaghy, the NBA ref accused of betting on games. Donaghy's name sounds familiar and he looks familiar, but of course he looks like 87% of the guys who went to Villanova. And if you had a dime for every Donaghy or Donahue or O'Donnell, you wouldn't have to fix games to make ends meet. In truth, I think Donaghy might have worked a few of my intramural games, and if it weren't for his tainted officiating, The Crack Attach might have reached .500.

On another note, I filmed a 30 minute interview for a local cable access show called Beyond The Game with John Vorperian or Johnny V. Not sure I've ever talked for 30 minutes while not under the influence of alcohol but I have to say it went by much quicker than I could have imagined. Anyway, those of you in the Westchester area can set you Tivo for that gripping half hour of TV, which should hit the cable universe some time in the end of August.

Later this week we'll vote on what my next book should be, so make sure to come back.

Ripped Off

2007-07-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

So the book comes out and I'm pushing hard to get anyone and everyone to cover it. A friend agrees to send a copy to a friend of hers at ESPN.com. Maybe they'll review it or something. No. Instead, two weeks later they come out with their own list of 101 Things All Sports Fans Should Experience Before They Die. Now where does that ring a bell? Worst part is the thing had like a 500-word intro where they could've very easily mentioned the book and made everyone happy. Alas,they did not.

The Pack and The Bastard

2007-07-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Intersting news from Green Bay (sort of). One of the spots I visited while out there in the land of the eternal Danish was City Stadium, where the Packers played their first games. In other words, it's the original Frozen Tundra. Today it's actually a high-school field with only a few remnants of the structure that existed back Curley Lambeau was running the show, but it seems with team will return to its roots this year during training camp to raise money for charity. Click here for details.

On a much more fun note, the aforementioned Cynical Bastard has reviewed my book and posted about it on his blog. It's a fun read as he takes you through the experience start to finish. Funny comments by his followers too. You'll have to scroll down to the post from 7/11 to find it.

News Flash

2007-07-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

This just in: I'm not as good as Dan Jenkins. At least that's the conclusion of a high school social studies teacher who reviews books for Tampa Bay online. Actually, I think he likes the book, although it's not terribly clear. What is more certain is that the review is much more about him than it is about my book. Check it out for yourself and see if you can follow his train of thought. Oh, and in case you didn't realize, he was once a sports writer, too.

And here's another mention from the Courier-News. Doesn't seem to quite capture what the book's all about, but I'm in good company and you gotta love the big photo.

My Kind of Town

2007-07-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

It's not much, but Fanatic picked up a mention in the July 5 Chicago Sun Times, here. Every little bit helps.

Also, did the Gelf magazine reading on Thursday night, and it went well. Probably 40 or 50 people there, and I didn't drool on myself, mumble or otherwise embarrass myself. I must admit it felt a bit odd standing up there in the dark of the bar with one light shining up from the podium, a bit like channeling Mike Myers during one of the beatnik poetry scenes in So I Married An Axe Murderer. In fact, I think I started out with a bit of a staccato rhythm, but luckily it went away. In the end, it was fun. You should feel bad you weren't there...

Picking Up Steam??

2007-06-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Another review showed up this week, this one in the Buffalo News, and again it's positive, which we like. I imagine things will slow up through the holiday weekend, but then we're gonna hit that summer beach book crowd like a load of crowbars.

There's One In Every Crowd

2007-06-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Came across this last week and it was too funny not to share. Click here then scroll about half way down and read the post titled Speaking of Stupid People.

A Real Review

2007-06-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Great new review just out in the Rocky Mountain News. If we could get a few more like that, we'll be in business.

Speaking of reviews still only two on the Amazon page. If you're moved to do so, posting your thoughts could really help. Unless, you didn't like the book. Then you should keep it to yourself.

Further Exposure

2007-06-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

This was posted last week by our friends at Playboy. Nicely written, and I'm not just saying that because it's complementary:

Send Your Dad to The Masters

Father¹s Day is this Sunday, unless of course you live in a place like, say,
Romania.

As I¹m sure many of you have, I bonded with my father over sports. Though
now we live in two different places and live two different lives, we can
always talk sports‹one minute on the phone and it¹s like I'm six years old
again and he's explaining the intricacies of the triple-option offense.
Since I won't be able to bring him to a ball game this Father¹s Day, I¹ll
send him to a number of them by giving him Jim Gorant¹s new book Fanatic: 10
Things All Sports Fans Should do Before They Die.

Gorant, who touches on the relationship he had with his father through
sports, spent a little over a year attending 10 of the most important
sporting events and captured the flavor and essence of the happenings in his
charmingly dry tone while meditating on the deeper meanings of sports and
life in general. Somehow he managed to unveil universal truths about love,
father-daughter relationships, commitment, fandom, heartbreak and purity,
all in one lazy afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Gorant¹s list:
The Super Bowl
The Daytona 500
The Final Four
The Masters
The Kentucky Derby
Wimbledon
Wrigley Field
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Lambeau Field in December
Opening Day at Fenway

I¹m not quite sure how my top 10 would shake out, but I do know I¹d want my
father in the seat next to me.

Playing Catch-Up

2007-06-18T19:21:00.000-07:00

Now that the insane Father's Day push is over I'm back. In the last two weeks I've done two TV appearences and about 35 radio interviews. On the 13th we had a great Book Party, at which about 45 family, friends and neighbors came out to celebrate. Thanks to any of you who made it. Next thing on the docket is the Varsity Letters reading series. Details below:

Three sports-book authors will be speaking at a free Gelf event in New York on Thursday, July 5, at 8 p.m. Come by the Happy Ending Lounge to hear writers Jim Gorant, author of Fanatic: Ten Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die; John Heidenry, author of The Gashouse Gang: How Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Branch Rickey, Pepper Martin, and Their Colorful, Come-from-Behind Ball Club Won the World Series—and America's Heart—During the Great Depression; Lee Lowenfish, author of Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman; and Eric Mirlis, author of Being There: 100 Sports Pros Talk About the Best Sporting Events They Ever Witnessed Firsthand.
Happy Ending Lounge (official site, CitySearch, MySpace)
302 Broome St.
(between Forsyth and Eldridge)
212-334-9676
J/M/Z/F to Delancey
B/D to Grand Street
Look for the hot-pink awning with the words "Health Club" on it.

Doors open at 7:30.
Readings start at 8 sharp.
FREE!

Hope to see you there.

Backstage Pass

2007-06-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

So what goes on behind the scenes at the Today Show? Not to much. Nice spread of bagels, muffins and fruit in the green room. Bizarre experience in make-up, where they basically spray paint you to one uniform color. Little chit-chat before air time, Campbell Brown talking about impending 39th birthday, Lester reminiscing about visiting Wrigley when he lived in Chicago. Then it was go time, and you saw the rest. If you didn't, here's the link.

Tivo Time

2007-05-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

As of right now the Today Weekend appearance is set for 7:40 Saturday morning (that's channel 4, for those who don't pay attention to such things). If anything changes, I'll post again.

Ready For My Close-Up

2007-05-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the two-week hiatus, but things got a bit hairy. Good news on the publicity front. Looks like I'll be appearing on Weekend Today this Sunday, June 3. Don't know the time yet, but I'll update that when I get it. Also good news in that Barnes & Noble and Borders will both be stocking the book in front-of-store displays and on special Father's Day tables between this weekend and pappy's day. That's it for now although tomorrow I'll link to a few new reviews and articles that have popped up on the web.

The Force Returns

2007-05-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here's one reason why I've been away from the blog for the last week and a half. A little assignment, I took on for Parade.com Should have some other book news soon.

Derby Days

2007-05-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

SI.com has posted a nice chunck of the Kentucky Derby chapter. Click here to give it a read.

Senior Moment

2007-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Big news. Fanatic earned a mention as a "Hot Read" on the book review page of AARP magazine. Hate to suggest it, but perhaps the subtitle added an extra bit of urgency for this audience. Just a thought.

Doesn't look like I'll have a chance to post more before the Derby, although Curlin at 7-2 has got my attention. However, I do love a long shot, which means Any Given Saturday is attractive too. Mind you, these are just my random musings about my own preferences for the race and don't in any way constitute advice (that's called covering your ass).

At any rate, I'll have a full report from Churchill Downs next week.

The Ultimate Draft Strategy

2007-05-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Just received this from a good friend regarding the NFL Draft. Too funny not to post.

"The thing I liked doing most while I tuned in on a perfectly nice spring day when I should have been outside was this: while my lovely wife recuperated from a minor medical procedure, she was a captive audience late Saturday afternoon and I flipped to ESPN whenever I could to get an update and to torment her ever so slightly. But just to show that I'm not too much of a sadist, my ulterior motive was to attempt to improve standing as her spouse: every time the camera panned over the audience and gave some tongue-wagging green-, blue-, or red-painted fan some fleeting air time, I turned to her and said "You know, you could have married that guy."

Ross, Boss, Whoever

2007-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

So the draft happened. The Giants picked a bunch of guys--including Aaron Ross and Kevin Boss--who I don't know enough about to say anything intelligent. What was far more interesting was my draft experience. Since we were working on our special preview issue of the upcoming Players Championship I had to work on Saturday, when the draft was taking place right across the street from our building. I got in about 10:00 a.m. and the streets were filled with guys in groups of three or four wearing jerseys, helmets, big foam fingers, and, honestly, often a little bit of ketchup that had dripped off something fried. They yelled at each other from across the street and offered high fives to fellas in similar colors. The NFL had blocked off part of 51st street, where they had set up a bunch of interactive displays, including something with tackling dummies and big speaker towers from which they played music, announced the selections and called out the winners of various giveaways. All of which meant that as I sat in my office watching and listening to the draft, I could also look out the window and watch and listen to the draft. Spooky.

On a more exciting note, I'm fortunate enough to be attending the Kentucky Derby again this year, so I'll have a few Derby thoughts and maybe even a few photos to share later in the week. I know, the anticipation is almost too much to bear, but hang in there...

True Loserdom or How I Learned to Love the NFL Draft

2007-04-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

The NFL Draft takes place this weekend, and it's the rare sports events that divides sports fans. For some, it's as if not more exciting than a game. Others join the general public in thinking, "Could anything possibly be more boring?" It's sort of like sushi, either you love it or you don't get it—at all.

Sad to admit. I love it. I watch it all day long in small doses, and that's only because I don't want to get caught watching it non-stop. If I could, I have it on from start to finish. True, I like to do other things while I'm watching but I love to watch. Can't say I know exactly what the appeal it, but it's something about hope. It's a day that's filled with nothing but possibility, and that's very encouraging.

Still, I don't know that I would ever want to go watch it live. Those people who sit in the stands all day and cheer are a degree of sick beyond me. I'll admit, as much as I enjoy the draft, it didn't even come close to making my list of 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do. Maybe if there's sequel??

What am hoping for my Giants this year? I'd like to see them take a left tackle if there's a good one available, maybe Staley from Central Michigan or Ugoh from Arkansas. They need linebackers too, but those guys are more plentiful and they tend to come and go. You can keep a good left tackle for 10 or 15 years and build a team around him. My boys at SI have them going another way in their mock draft but I'm holding out hope.

No matter who the Giants pick, for at least one day, everything about the team will be filled with possibility.

10 Things I Love About the Masters

2007-04-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

No Augusta for me this year, and here are few of the things I'm missing...

10. The Tree—The huge oak behind the clubhouse where everyone who is anyone gathers is a neverending spectacle.

9. The marshalls—These fairway guardians are tuned out in white jumpsuits and yellow hard hats that have the number of hole they guard painted on the side in Master green. Hilarious.

8. Washington Rd.—Honky Tonk strip of roadway right outside Augusta National is the perfect antidote the club's notorious stuffiness.

7. The Media Center—Amphitheater with a live leaderboard and a wall of TVs with video feeds of every hole on the back nine.

6. The Chow—Peach Cobbler in the clubhouse, pulled-pork sammys, Krispy Kremes (gratis in the Media Center), sublime.

5. Driving Range—No matter how many times you've seen it, still amazing to watch a pro effortlessly pound balls to the horizon.

4. 16th Hole—During practice rounds rowdy fans convince players to try to skip the ball across the pond; rollicking.

3. The smell—Fresh cut grass, pine needles, an undercurrent of suntan lotion.

2. The roar—When something big happens that explosion of applause ricochets through the trees, instant adrenaline follows.

1. The Azeleas and Dogwoods—No words necessary.

Fanatic on Golf.com

2007-04-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

With the Masters upon us, the good folks at Golf.com have posted a long excerpt from Chapter 4. Click here to check it out.

An Excerpt

2007-03-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

With the Final Four upon us I decided to share a few paragraphs from Chapter Four. Hope you enjoy.

"Under a perfect blue sky, crowds of revelers jam Laclede's Landing, St. Louis's cobblestoned version of the French Quarter. There is no want for local color—among the jugglers, street performers on stilts, and music blaring from the DJ booth situated at the main intersection flow streams of Carolina Blue, Louisville red, Michigan State green, and Illinois orange—especially Illinois orange. The Mississippi sluices by in the background but the aura of frivolity in the early spring air floats on a different liquid: beer. This is, after all, the home of Anheuser-Busch.

As I walk among these people, I study their faces. I'm looking for someone in particular. Someone of the right age and type who seems approachable. I'm still on a high from Daytona. I had such a good time with my hosts that I'm now testing a theory that what makes these iconic events stand apart is not just the magnitude of the game, but the company you keep during it.

Ideally, Villanova would have made the Final Four, and I could have hooked up with my old college buddies and finally had the experience we missed 20 years ago. It almost worked out, as Nova made it to the Sweet 16 without their best player before losing by one point to the eventual champions. With Nova out of the mix, so was my old gang. The next best option was to hook up with students from one of the schools that did make it: North Carolina, Michigan State, Louisville and Illinois. I would, in essence, embed myself among them. These people would be my troops. I would share in their joy, call them by their nicknames, high-five them after dunks, hit on their girlfriends..."

An Actual Review

2007-03-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lapse, but it was a crushing week getting out our Masters preview issue. Here's the first real review of the book, from the 3/19 issue of Publisher's Weekly.

All true obsessives, whatever their object of adoration, love making lists. It's a way of trying to organize (or at least make sense of) the sprawling, life-controlling nature of their obsession. Sports Illustrated editor Gorant, being the kind of self-described "idiot" who has spent far too much of his life watching televised sports (any kind, "the more obscure, in some ways, the better") took his particular list and made it into a book. If Gorant's genial account of attending the 10 ultimate sporting events seems at times like little more than an excuse to get out of the office and make random alcohol-based friendships with assorted strangers, so much the better. As an exercise in vicarious frivolous fandom, Gorant's year-plus-long odyssey—he starts at the Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl in February 2005 and ends with Fenway Park's Opening Day on April 11, 2006—is serenely satisfying reading in the manner of a lengthy magazine article. Gorant's selection trends toward the obvious (a Packers game at Lambeau, the Masters, the Daytona 500) and the decision to include only one non-American event (Wimbledon) comes off as a little lazy. All that to the side, Gorant brings a fresh and appreciative eye to each event, whether it's the days spent lazing around an RV at the Daytona 500 with a self-described "family" of NASCAR fans or discovering how a relaxed afternoon game at Wrigley "could be all the romance a man needs."

Not exactly back flips, but "serenely satisfying" and "a fresh and appreciative eye" work for me.

Net Working It

2007-03-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed the nifty new Blog Roll (that's net speak for list of other blogs) in the right margin. As the clever headline indicates, they're all related to the the 10 Things and after reading a lot of bad writing I can also tell you they're some of the best out there on their chosen subject. Some of them, like Goat Riders of the Apocalypse, are worth checking out just because the name is so damn funny. And if you don't know why it's funny check out the Wrigley site, which is entirely devoted to the Cubs Curse. Must say I'm not a big Curt Schilling fan, but his blog is one of the best by a pro athlete I've ever read. Of course, you'll notice I also threw some Nova hoops in there for my own enjoyment. Hopefully yours too. Here's the important part: If a bunch of you click onto these sites from my site, those guys will take notice (with any luck) and link back to me. Then their readers will start to read my blog too. Now, we're really spreading the word. That's what we call "viral" marketing when we're trying to sound smart at cocktail parties. Good luck, click with abandon, and...let's be careful out there.

My Ship's Come In

2007-03-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Spoke to the publisher on Friday and they told me that although the official publication date is June 4, the ship date for the book is May 2. That's when the big trucks will back up to the printer and start hauling Fanatic off to book stores. So, now you know when to start sleeping out at the local Barnes & Noble.

On another note, one of the Top 10 events was the Final Four, and now that Selection Sunday has passed and March Madness is officially underway, it's time to talk a little college hoops. Villanova plays Friday night at 9:30 against Kentucky, so set your Tivo and stock up on hot wings. I know one thing, the Wildcats will win. How many times will that joke be made this week? (Weber St., also the Wildcats, is in the same bracket)

Bit of a rebuilding year for Nova, so it's great that they made The Big Dance. Seemed like they deserved better than a 9 seed, but the only thing to do about that is go and win some games. Plus, it gives all the bloggers and internet chat rooms something to whine about. To hear some of that whining, or read more about the Cats check out letsgonova or villanova viewpoint.

Me on Me, Part Deux

2007-03-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

In your introduction, you explain that you’ve been a sports fan since around five years of age. What initially drew you to sports—was it a family pastime or something else?
I can remember from a very young age sitting on the couch watching the NY Giants with my dad, and that was something of a family event. My sister and brother also gathered for the games and we often fought for the spot next to our dad. And he got into the games. He shouted at the TV and stood and clapped and waved his hands in disgust, so all that made quite an impression. Still, other than the Giants and the occasional golf tournament, my dad didn’t really watch sports or follow them very closely. I think those experiences prepared the ground, so to speak, and when I went to school the whole thing just blossomed. Socially, culturally and instinctively, it seems, the boys in my class were drawn to sports. They were a way to express ourselves and expend our energy and figure out where we fit among our peers, and that’s not only in terms of playing them but following them. There was a cultural cache to knowing the Yankees back-up left fielder or collecting the entire series of baseball cards for a given year. I remember getting the sign-up sheet for Little League in first grade, and just feeling like there was no way I wasn’t going to play. And I don’t want to understate this, but even at young age there was a feeling that sports were a way to get girls to like you. The irony is that just such thinking starts you down the road to becoming a sports meathead, which women do not find attractive. At all.

How did you ultimately finalize your list of 10 must-attend sports events?
I had a list of maybe 17 or 18 events that I had compiled over time. Some events eliminated themselves—the timing wasn’t right for the Olympics, the World Cup or the Americas Cup—so that got it down to 14 or so. From there I just really thought about which ones I would most like to go to. It’s as simple as that. There are still a number of events I’d like to see, and some I have a deep curiosity about but I don’t know enough about them to say they’re “must-see” events (like various European soccer rivalries and few other international events), but I have no regrets. That’s not entirely true. For a brief period in college I had what can only be described as a mullet, for which I’m deeply regretful.

Can you tell us the difference between a sports viewer and a fanatic?
Literally, fanaticism connotes devotion beyond reason. If you’re a fan, you’re a little crazy, and at least for the purposes of this book that plays out in two ways. First, in that sense of being so devoted to a team that you can actually feel physically ill after they lose, and second, in a willingness to go to extreme lengths to watch a sports event, whether that’s traveling or skipping some family occasion or whatever. In either case, you’ve clearly lost touch with the rational world. Now that I think of it, that’s part of the appeal. It’s like a Calgon moment for guys.

Prior to this endeavor, you had scaled back your sports intake, and you state that part of this journey was to find out why so many fans are addicted to sports, and why your relationship had changed from “passionate participant to distant viewer.” Did you find the answers you were looking for?
I don’t know if this answers the question, but I found that sports are a totally legit way to engage with the world. I think you need to keep perspective, and be well rounded, but there’s nothing wrong with being devoted to sports, which is what I had lost sight of. There’s something invigorating and enriching about reaching that level of emotional and intellectual involvement where you can be carried to great highs or terrible lows by watching an event or following a team that, in retrospect, I realize, my life would be diminished without.

What’s the 11th event on your list?
There are a few 11ths, but if I had to pick one it would be the final rounds of the World Cup. There’s just so much going on there with the history, the rivalries, the nationalism, and the sort of operatic drama on the pitch, with the faked injuries and the prima donnas. It seems like something that would be both fun and compelling to get close to. And when else will I have a chance to pillage and riot?

In addition to Fanatic, you’ve written two golf books. Do you have another sports-related book in the works?
I’m researching two or three potential ideas right now, trying to figure out which is the most viable and which I’d most like to work on. I hope to get started on something this summer.

Favorite sportswriter or book—fiction or nonfiction about sports?
There are a bunch of fantastic writers at Sports Illustrated—Tom Verducci, Scott Price, Jon Wertheim, John Garrity—although naming names is a bit like giving an acceptance speech at the Oscars: I’m certain to leave someone out. Oh well. Otherwise, I’ve always liked Charlie Pierce at the Boston Globe, Chris Jones at Esquire, Harvey Araton at the New York Times, and Steve Friedman. As far as books, I can’t say because I don’t really read sports books. I think one of my assets when it comes to writing about sports is that I haven’t been a sportswriter, which allows me to come at the subject from a different place. I don’t think I can name 10 sports books I’ve read (although I’ve certainly read more than that). In fact, the only ones that come to mind are A Fan’s Notes by Fred Exley, which is more about mental illness and self-identity than sports, and Seabiscuit, which I recently read because I was interested in the architecture of how she (Laura Hillenbrand) put it together. Let me just say, what she did, in terms of research, is sort of amazing. Hat’s off.

Fanatic will be great Father’s Day gift. What do you hope to unwrap on Father’s Day?
Since I’ll be in the office on Father’s Day working on our coverage of the U.S. Open, I’d like to unwrap a few elves that could go in and do my job for me. Short of that I’d love a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Me on Me, Part 1

2007-03-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

Here is part one of my exclusive interview with me. If you listen closely while reading, you can hear the sound of one hand clapping.

Q: Jim, great to see you thanks for coming out today.
A: No problem. Always a pleasure.

Q: So, is that you on the cover?
A: Um, no.

Q: I see you work at Sports Illustrated, do you get to contribute to the Swimsuit Issue?
A: No. In fact, this year they distributed copies to the staff on a day when most of us were out of the office and someone helped himself/herself to most of them, so I haven’t even seen this year’s issue, except when I pass a newsstand.

Q: Okay, which event was your favorite?
A: Have to say the Kentucky Derby. It’s got everything. History, tradition, it’s a little bit wild yet sophisticated. You’re all dressed up, rubbing elbows with celebs and sipping drinks one minute, then standing on your chair screaming at the top of your lungs the next. And there’s a palpable excitement, an audible buzz, that lasts the entire day and permeates the entire track. There’s something about it being outdoors too—the blue of the sky and the smell of the grass. It’s a full sensory experience. I suppose the gambling doesn’t hurt either.

Q: How did you pick the events?
A: It’s a mix. Some of them are ironclad icons of sport, like the Super Bowl and some of them are more personal, events that for whatever reason I’ve just always wanted to go to. Also, some of those quirkier events-like a trip to Lambeau-are things I think everyone should go to even if they don’t realize it, and part of what the book attempts to do is show why that’s the case.

Q: Which event was the biggest surprise to you?
A: The Daytona 500. I spent three days living in an RV in the infield with some people I met over the Internet. So going into it, I had never been to a NASCAR event, I didn’t know the people I’d be living with and generally had no idea what to expect. But the folks I stayed with were great and the entire stay was really a blast. And the place itself was surprising. I had no idea how big the track is—it’s so big that there’s a lake on the infield and they put on waterskiing shows a few times a day.

Q: Any events you put on the list that you wish you left off?
A: No. No regrets. I enjoyed every stop along the way, although an interesting phenomenon occurs after a while. About five events into it, everything takes on a certain sameness, but at the same time, that sameness also makes the individualities of each experience stand out even more.

Q: So are you done now?
A: Yes and no. Having gone through this makes me feel that there are a number of events I don’t need to go to anymore, unless there was some special circumstance. At the same time, it makes me want to go to others over and over again, and it whets my appetite for some of the other events that I considered but that didn’t make the list.

Q: Such as?
A: The Olympics. World Cup soccer. The Bassmaster Classic—which is supposed to be really wild. Some of the great college rivalries I passed on.

Q: What’s the craziest thing you saw?
A: Well, there was quite a bit. From some of the partying at the Michigan-Ohio State game to the tailgates at Lambeau and the scene at the Final Four, but overall the center of insanity was definitely the Super Bowl. The scale of it is just overwhelming and the characters are incredible. I spent some time with one guy who was standing on a corner with 20 $100 bills fanned out in his hand trying to buy tickets. He claimed to be a former scalper who’d been to every Super Bowl since 1973 and who’d also snuck into dozens of major events and had even partied backstage with the Rolling Stones after talking his way into one of their concerts. He said if I let him, he could sneak into the Super Bowl with me. He’d just carry a box and walk behind me and we’d breeze right through. I’ve never been able to resist a plot with all the complexity of a Scooby Doo episode so I agreed to meet with him outside the media entrance before the game. I’d bring my media credential, he’d bring the box. Little surprise, he failed to show. He did call me on my cell about an hour before kickoff. I was already in the stadium and he wanted me to come down and meet him. I hung up on him. The guy was certifiable, but he told a lot of great stories.

Get off your A and send me some Qs

2007-02-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

When you’re getting ready to publish a book one of the things the publisher asks you to do (besides start a blog) is a self Q&A. In other words, interview yourself with commonly asked or anticipated questions about the book, not only to give you practice answering them, but so they can send the Q&A out to various media outlets in the hope that it will inspire them to interview you. I've already begun writing up this scintilating document, but I was having trouble coming up with questions for myself. Any suggestions? Anything you're dying to know? WWMLA? (That's What Would Matt Lauer Ask?)

Send 'em in and as soon as I can fabricate some answers I'll post the whole thing, because that's what you do when you have a blog, you throw every mundane thing you can think of up on the Internet in the desperate hope that someone out there gives a crap. Enjoy!

The Review Is In!

2007-02-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's not really a review, it's more of an appreciation and a second opinion about the 10 Things, but pretty cool nonetheless. Don't know Andy Clayton, but he's clearly a man of great learning and high literary judgement. He's also the leader in the clubhouse to win his own copy of the book. Lucky fella. Enjoy.

Click here to read Andy's article.

The Debate

2007-02-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

I realize that writing a book with the subtitle 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do is both brash and somewhat egomaniacal and, like most things in sports these days, it invites debate. I doubt you could find two, nevermind 10, sports fans who'd come up with the exact same list. That makes sense because try as hard as I did to identify the events that transcended fandom, there was no way to get around the personal aspect of sports—you just care more about certain teams or events than others. That's why my list is filled with unimpeachable choices (the Super Bowl) and quirkier ones (Wrigley Field on an August afternoon). Here's the complete line-up:

The Super Bowl
The Daytona 500
The Final Four
The Masters
The Kentucky Derby
Wimbledon
Wrigley Field
Ohio State v. Michigan
Lambeau Field in December
Opening Day at Fenway

A few obvious omissions will jump out: The World Series, the NBA, NHL. I'll admit they were strange to leave off, but I had my reasons. I find the NBA largely unwatchable. I like hockey, but there really is no event or match-up that captures the imagination, save a game seven in the playoffs, but those are hard to come by (especially since the NHL was on strike when I was on the road). The Series, like the NBA and NHL finals, is a seven-game playoff, which somehow dilutes it for me. It's also somehow more provincial, i.e. it only really matters to the very specific fans of the two teams involved. I know, you could say the same thing about the Cubs or the Packers or several other events on my list, but in my mind at least, there's a difference. I know this, in the end, I didn't feel like I missed anything.

In fact there were other events I considered that were harder to leave off. They included the Olympics, World Cup soccer, The Americas Cup and, believe it or not, the Bassmaster Classic. I had a deep curiosity about all of them, but in the end they couldn't work they're way into the top 10. They're now the first four events on my new list.

I'd love to hear what people think of my choices and invite anyone out there to send me his or her list. Maybe we'll make a little contest out of it. Free copy of the book for the whomever I think sends in the best, and most well-reasoned list. I look forward to reading them