Xmas time--BASW '07 stories

Bought this a few days ago and have been devouring it since. There's a pretty interesting rant by Glenn Stout in the forward, aimed at editors.

I remember reading Jeff MacGregor's story last year, and it was one of my favorite stories in a long time. It's one of the few in the book that's not online, though, so a lot of people probably haven't read it. If you don't buy the book, stand in the bookstore and at least read that one. "Let us now raze famous men" is about the Friar's Club Roast of Don King, hosted by Donald Trump.

The piece as a whole is tremendous, but MacGregor has some of the best single sentences anywhere. Here are some of my favorites from this story:

On King: "He's been named in more lawsuits than you've had hot meals." "He is as God made him, a scorpion in a world full of frogs."

On being on the red carpet: "This is perhaps the only moment in history when the words 'Where's Dick Capri? Get me Dick Capri!' have been spoken with real urgency."

On Trump: "Excepting certain tinhorn heads of state with large standing armies, Trump is the only person in the last quarter-century to publicly rival King's matchless ego or to equal his self-loving zeal."

"Trump scowls that well-known scowl, all gunfighter squint and powdered jowls, a dour look that must have bought him all kinds of street cred with the other kids at military school."

After comedian Lisa Lampanelli's routine: "Other than Don King, she's the only person on this dais who actually killed."

"Trump flees the scene like a line handler beneath the Hindenburg. In his haste, he leaves behind his script. A millionaire perhaps, but not a strong speller."

Finally, after seeing Holyfield and King huddled following the roast: "And that too-old fighter and that ageless promoter, sitting bent in the lamplight, far from the others, will whisper, heads drawn close, about a deal you can only pray never gets made."

Book's definitely worth the 14 bucks ($18.95 for the Canadians).

 

Brown is among my two or three favorite authors. I got to know him a little when I was at Ole Miss. I read On Fire at least once a year, and have for more than a decade.

 

The line about Lampinelli still makes me laugh. What a great story. And the Jake Scott work is a masterpiece. Great writing, great subject matter, great detail.

 

He talks a little about the structure in a Q-and-A on the WaPo website:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/10/27/DI2006102700905.html

 

Where did you guys buy this? At Hastings a clerk told me it won't come out until Oct. 31. Didn't see it at Barnes and Noble either.

 

I ordered it on Amazon a few days ago. Today I got this message:

We're writing about the order you placed on October 01 2007. Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below has
changed, and we need to provide you with a new delivery estimate based on the new release date:

David Maraniss (Editor), Glenn Stout (Series Editor) "The Best
American Sports Writing 2007 (The Best American Series)" [Paperback]
Estimated arrival date: 10/13/2007 - 10/16/2007

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay.

 

My Barnes and Noble actually had it. I know sometimes some stores get it earlier than others, maybe even earlier than they're expected to or are supposed to.

 

Care to give us a brief synopsis?

 

At work so don't have it in front of me, but the gist of it was that magazine and newspaper stories have been edited to death. I'm over simplifying it a bit, so people shouldn't think it's a blanket denouncement of editing. I think his phrase was many of his writing friends feel they're being "edited into monotony." He mentions that someone like Ring Lardner would get edited beyond recognition if he worked today. Another major point is that individual style is taken out in favor of a single voice that publications strive for (which is probably more of a magazine concern than newspapers). So stories all read the same.

I remember Klosterman writing once that he had much more editorial control in newspapers than magazines, for those same reasons. With the tight deadlines of papers, writers can get more of their voice into stories than magazines, where several editors will take a shot at a story.

 

I'm sure some of y'all out there know this already, but Lisa Lampanelli is the sister of Len Lampugnale, formerly the deputy SE at the Hartford Courant who's now with ESPN.

 

anyone have a list of the year's notable sports writing? i can dream.

 

The book is out.

At least in some places.

If you are bear Manchester Center, Vt., Northshire has had it for a week.

Amazon, however, has not shipped it yet.

Yes, I know a lot of you are in western Vermont.