This is the only Robinson biography I've read that tells me about the ballplayer and athlete - the others either try to turn him into a saint or a political figure. This book, while not ignoring his role or his image, places that in perspective and sticks with the story of what he actually did, rather than indulging in hagiography. And the revelations about what he actually did are startling.

This book is really two books in one. On the one hand it is the history of the Yankees as written by the writers who covered the team (with a few exceptions, like Rizzuto's hysterical Hall of Fame induction speech). But at the same time it is a history of sportswriting. But it doesn't really matter, because the bottom line is this book is full of 350 pages of great writing by everyone from Ring Lardner, Heywood Broun and Damon Runyon to Dick YOung, Talese, Halberstam, Buster Olney and Ira Berkow. Other books about the Yankees may be prettier, but if you buy a book to read it, this one's for you.

This book has lots of text -- that is a good thing! This is not a picture book, but more of a detailed history with some good photos. I enjoyed all the details and seeing some pictures that I had not seen before. Probably one of the "keepers" of the Yankees 100th craze.

I'll have to agree with Book Magazine on this one, which named this book one of the best sports books of 2002. Of all the Yankee books out this year (and there are many), this is clearly the best, combining hundreds of stunning photographs with what is easily the most detailed and comprehensive history of this team ever written. Quite simply, it makes all the other Yankee books out there seem as if they were written for children. That's not to say this is a tough read or anything, but it is a comprehensive book that you can spend days and weeks with, and is critical when it needs to be. I also think it's the only Yankee book in recent memory that contains anything NEW - there are literally dozens of stories in here that don't appear elsewhere, like the story about why Boston sold Ruth (it's no curse SOx fans). It is particularly good with early Yankee history and the last decade, both of which are rarely written about in other books at all. There are also essays by people like Ira Berkow and Paul O'Neill's sister, just enough stats and a huge index that makes it possible to look up just about anything. This book is certain to become the definitive history for the first hundred years of the Yankee dynasty and is a must-have for Yankee fans or anyone interested in baseball history.

I was led to this book by a recent review by Eric Neel on ESPN.com. He wrote, "It says here that 14 percent of Americans root for the Yankees and the other 86 percent root for their demise. No fence sitting ; you're in or you're out with the Yanks.

I'm sure the 14 percent have this book already and that they're reading it aloud to their kids every night before bed, wiping tears from the kids' faces, letting them know how deep and wide the Yankees history is.

If you're the other 86 percent, you ought to be reading it too. First, because there's something devilishly satisfying in reading about the early days, when the team was nearly shut out of Manhattan, playing on a sloppy, cobbled together frield with a sawamp in right. Second, because as you turn the pages you come to realize that from DiMaggio to Mantle, from Bucky Dent to Reggie to Paul O'Neill and El Duque, these guys and the things they've done (sometimes to you, sometimes in spite of you) are part of your history, part of how you remember and imagine your life. An third, because it's insanely thorough, full of details you've forgotten or never knew, and very good looking.

Stout started this series with Red Sox Century in 2000. Dodger Century is in the works. These are rich, dazzling books, standard-setters, fully-realized, complicated portraits of the ways a team and a game weave in and out of politics, history and popular culture.

O'Neill's sister contributes an essay that sums up the series appeal much better than I can: 'In our family we tell stories. We don't really Talk. We let baseball articulate the hopes and fears that we'd never consider telling each other.'"

In this case, I found the review was completely accurate. Of the spate of books out now that claim to tell the history of this team, this book, in almost 500 pages of words and photographs, is the only one up to its subject. If you don't believe me, or ESPN, I suggest you read the excerpt about the birth of the team - even hard core Yankee fans will learn something new.

Tiger is a very fast learner. He even learned when he was 8 months old. He went to many tournaments. His father was even in the Vietnam war. I liked this book because it tells about his cool life.

I thought the the book was great! Tiger is a great athlete and has a great attitude!The way dat matt writes da book makes it cool. I think u should read it!

I thought that the book was great!I think that Tiger is a great athlet and has a great attidude. I think the way Matt Christopher puts the book makes it easy for kids to read. I think you should read the book because it it phat!

Da Capo Press present a collection of sports stories chronicling the career of the phenomenal "Tiger" Woods. As a player, icon and astute businessman, Tiger has captured the hearts and minds of sports writers. As much as they have written about this great champion of the links, the more he suprises them with new records. They are chasing Tiger but he is not so easily to be captured and defined in words. Thus this collection gives us an over-view of those writers fascination with their young prey as he launches his career.

Jaime Diaz's profile of Tiger in 1991 kicks off the beginning of this collection. It is significantin that it set the pattern for Tiger becoming more than just a name in the crowd who happened to be a good golfer. Diaz warns Nicklaus to watch out for a new young man is in town (Tiger was fifteen)who will surpass him.

A decade later, Michael Wilborn from the Washington Post bemoans the fact that being great isn't good enough in golf anymore. Why? The answer is simple, Tiger Woods. The young man has changed the stakes of the game to the point where being great isn't enough to win. Even in his "slump" periods, Tiger is still at his peak. He has raised the stakes and game to a much higher level that forces his opponents to play better.

The rest of the articles touch on issues about his deal with Nike, his refusal to be baited into "race" issues, his golf career at Stanford and his becoming a cultural icon. All of these articles are informative and enlightening as you see Tiger develop over the years. Truly this young man has changed the face of golf in many ways. Chasing Tiger:The Tiger Woods Reader is an essential book to have in seeing how the sports world has kept its eye on one of golf's greatest champions.

This book surprised me. It is really, really good. I began it while waiting out the rain during the Masters and by the time I finished it I knew more about Woods than I learned from any other book. Its got the best writers (Deford, Boswell, Jenkins, Kindred etc.) doing some of their best work about probably the best golfer of our time. All the big wins and controversies of Woods' career are thoroughly covered, as is his upbringing. While there are a few other books that give you the details of Tiger's career, no other book takes you there like this one, and it's both fun and informative to read stories written about Woods before he was famous and the hype machine took over. While there are a few stories most golf fans have probably read before, like Gary Smith's, most were surprises to me, and I even enjoyed those few written by non-sportswriters. A real comprehensive collection and required reading if you consider yourself either a golf fan or a Tiger Woods fan.

Hard to believe Amazon.com can't keep their years straight when it comes to reviewing this series. Anyway, the latest collection of sports writing was all right but nothing special by the usual high standards. It's a smaller collection than normal, and there are a few hunting and fishing pieces that I couldn't get into. That didn't leave a whole lot, although what was left was pretty darn good. I particularly enjoyed the articles on the parents of a benched high school football player suing the school, and on the 1998 World Cup.

The 1999 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story. The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume. The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering. The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 1999 edition include Thomas Boswell's account of Cal Ripken's voluntary stoppage of his historic games played streak, Steve Friedman's biographical article on tormented 2nd generation professional bowler Pete Weber, Allen Abel's hilarous tribute to the long-folded World Hockey Association, and Adam Gopnik's insightful explantion of why World Cup Soccer fails to excite American fans. As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

As of 10/17/99 the consumer reviews for The Best American Sports Writing 1999 are actually reviews of The Best American Sports Writing 1998.

I would recommend this book not only to people who love soccer, but to everyone who enjoys a true story about a great athlete and role model. The story of Mia Hamm is basically about how she was introduced to soccer and how she follows her dream to be the best women's soccer player in the world.

On teh field with Mia Hamm by Matt Christopher was a very goodbook. I didn't have a very good idea who Mia Hamm really was though.The only thing I know is a professional soccer player. I aw the book and it looked pretty interesting. I'm about a quarter of the way through the book and I'm liking it so far. Usually I don't read books , let alone a whole book.

This book is by far the best i've ever read. It has great pictures and has lots of info on Mia. I think she is the best player i've ever seen. So this book was very interesting. If you love to play soccer, and enjoy watching and learning about Mia , this is THE perfect book! Once you start reading it, you won't stop reading until you've finished! SO GET OUT THERE,GET OFF YOUR BUTT, AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER, AND READ!

This is an excellent book for several reasons--it is convenient in that you can quickly read one story and put the book aside without having to go back to get back into the story, it is full of excellent writing, and it gives beautiful glimpses into a very diverse group of sports. The book advertises itself as containing the "best" sports writing of the century and for the most past I would certainly agree, and disagreement has to be expected when you declare something the best, so it is great reading. It is fine journalism, telling captivating stories about people and games, but it is also does an excellent job of showing the importance of sports beyond the fields of play. I would highly recommend the book to sports loves, aspiring journalists, and I would also recommend many of the pieces for people who cannot understand why sports lovers really love sports.

The selection are excellent (they'd have to be for best writing of the century). The essays show a love of sports but also deeper meditations on the art of writing, as well as society. Endless amounts of ink have been used in describing seasons' worth of stats and hyperbole but it is the quiet nature of the essay that allows a deeper glimpse behind the stats or beyond the glare of the media. The essays on DiMaggio and Williams are examples of showing life after baseball and at the same time the influence of these men on the sport.

The only drawback I saw to the book was no information about the writers themselves. I am looking through the prism of a writer -- catching facets of light and form. Through the writer I am seeing someone who is seen by millions. I can speculate on the writer or if the writer is upfront about their views of the person but the writer is a mystery at the same time they are revealing the mystery of the sport or sportsmen.

I would recommend this book not only for the lover of sports but also to anyone who appreciates good writing in general. As a newbie to reading sportwriting it was a very welcome introduction.

This book is a fascinating look into the personalities of some of America's most cherished sports icons. It does what sports journalism should aspire to do - delve beneath the surface layer of statistics, and show us the heart and soul of the athletes that compete in the American limelight. The dissections of DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Ali are especially insightful, while the coverage of many individual sporting events is gripping, making you feel as if you are actually attending the event. Because this book covers almost every conceivable American sport, it affords the reader the luxury of picking and choosing the stories that may pertain to one's favorite sports.

Many readers may take issue with the fact that this series represents sportswriting at its best. THe editor, Dick SCHaap is really a hack writer, at best. I'm sure there are many other examples of fine sportswriting out there. The series seems to be making efforts to dig up newer, alternative writers who often become as much a part of the story as what they are writing about, though no one will do that better than Hunter THompson! The strength of this series is that its increasingly focusing on lesser known or alternative sports, or just on activities that are beyond our normal view of what constitutes recreation. There are pieces on cockfighting, long-distance swimming, poker playing, bullriding, ultra-running, and guns. In fact, there are only a few pieces of writing on the big 4 sports of football, baseball, hockey and basketball. While this may turn off many a reader who prefers to read about their larger than life heroes, to me its a strength in that we get to read about people who are just as dedicated to their craft (however obscure), perhaps more so, than those athletes in the well known sports. But just when we get comfortable with a new sport, there will be a piece written totally tongue-in-cheek, such as the one by Garirison Keillor. I've read the books in the series going back a number of years and the series seems to be going more and more in this direction. This to me is its appeal, though those of you who are fans of the more conventional sports may take issue. Its not the best of American Sportswriting, but is among the most diverse of American sports writing. Many of the pieces were interesting enough to make me wish there was more to read on the event or sport, or that I could find a longer version of the story by the same author. Looking forward to next year's book.

The 1997 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story. The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume. The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering. The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 1997 edition include New Yorker editor David Remnick's hilarous book review of Dennis Rodman's "Bad As I Wanna Be," Rick Reilly's revealing (and revolting) interview with former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott, Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," the Outside Magazine piece that later became a runaway bestselling book, Gary Smith's account of how Tiger Woods destiny was largely predetermined by his father, and Padgett Powell's biography of an American arm wrestling champion. As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

The 2000 edition of "The Best American Sports Writing" has plenty of moments that will enthrall avid sports fans and even those less avid who merely like a good story. The series is a national treasure, which collects the best sports related writing every year and puts it into a single easy-to-read volume. The sports included run the gamut from the traditional team sports of baseball and football to more extreme examples like mountaineering. The main requirement for inclusion is great writing, and that's wht this series delivers consistently.

The best articles in the 2000 edition include Jeff Macgreggor's disturbing account of the violence that permeats Candian youth league hockey, Robert Hubert's sad biographical piece on Joe DiMaggio's only son, Michael Finkel's story about the cult of extreme marathoning, Allison Glock's entertaining biography of Robbie Knievel, and Charles Sprawson's tale of the feats of extreme swimmers. As always, the quality of the reporting means that even if you have only a margainal interest in the sport described, you'll still find it entertaining.

Overall, another fine entry in an outstanding series.

I highly doubt this is the best sportswriting of 1998! Littlefield picks two mediocre efforts by Charlie Pierce, and neglects the superb '98 writings of S.I.'s Steve Rushin and Franz Lidz. One has to wonder if a sort of reverse "race card" has been played here. This series grows increasingly mediocre. You'd be better off reading Rushin's great "Road Swing" and Lidz's astonishing "Unstrung Heroes."

Bill Littlefield made a couple of odd choices, and this series is a bit too narrow (given that it limits to a year's writing).

Try Halberstam's "Best American Sports Writing of the Century". Much better

The Moehringer, Hendra, Remnick, and Sterling pieces are standouts, but almost all the pieces sparkle with originality, integrity, and wit. It's particularly nice to see Sterling's "Soccer Parents" included alongside more standard fare, since it's somewhat experimental. Sterling has a lyrical voice and a sharp eye for detail; one hopes to hear more from her in the future.