Buzz Bissinger: One angry man

He also said he gets $13,000 a year for rights to the FNL TV series.

 

Just read that. Funny as shit.

 

Buzz went off on both Tucker Carlson (re: Vick should have been executed) and Ed Rendell (we're wussies for not playing in a blizzard) on CNN's Reliable Sources this morning.

Both of them deserved criticism for their over the top statements, but then Buzz's criticism is in itself so over the top that it's ridiculous.

He called out Rendell for serving in the Reserves and not serving in Vietnam for God's sake.

I think Bissinger would hate Bissinger if he weren't Bissinger.

 

i actually think buzz does sort of hate bissenger...

 

Just to back up and make a general point about FNL (the book), and it's place in the canon of sports books: What elevates it above some of those mentioned, at least in my opinion, is that it touches on much larger issues that sports. It's about poverty. And race. And small towns. And the myths we indulge about what sports mean to a community, as well as the glory days/Springsteen stuff about high school athletes.

I think Leahy's book about Jordan is one of the most well written books in years, perhaps even better written than FNL. But it's focus is much narrower than FNL.

 

DD: Much of what you mentioned, although perhaps tweaking the issues, is why When Pride Still Mattered is such a great book.

 

I agree with that, SF. And I'm not going to knock When Pride Still Mattered. But I think narrative is harder than biography to discuss those larger issues and not lose the momentum of the story.

 

Good point....

 

The best thing about A Season On the Brink is the title. Considering Frank Deford's story on Knight is better than Feinstein's whole book, may I suggest you reconsider.

 

What Bouton had that Brosnan didn't was ... more colorful teammates. Musial and Robby are two of the greatest players in history, but their personalities are both boring as hell, from a writer's perspective. Solly Hemus or Joe Schultz? Cot Deal or Sal Maglie? Brosnan did the best he could, that's for sure.

(Oh, and Brosnan's still kicking. He did fall off a ladder a couple years ago, though. But still very much alive.)

 

I wish I could aim Buzz Bissinger at my enemies. Not that I have many, but still.