In the last 15 years as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the only opinion columnist in the magazine's 40-year history, Rick Reilly has covered every aspect of the sporting life, from tennis moms to Lakers-obsessed Jack Nicholson. He's written about Katarina Witt behind the Iron Curtain, wrestling priests in Mexico City, and (reluctantly) accompanying models on the swimsuit issue. His level-headed and often hilarious approach has earned him a devoted readership. This collection presents the best of Reilly: unforgettable sporting moments, favorite columns, and unpublished pieces. Rick Reilly, the mainstay of Sports Illustrated 's back page, is a writer with a facile short game, but, as The Life of Reilly makes clear, he was born to go long. As entertaining, clever, witty, and, at times, irate as his rants and raves at the end of each week's issue can be, it's the sheer talent and bravura he displays in the features he's penned for the magazine that best exhibit why he's considered one of the finest sportswriters of our time. If his columns have a way of constantly poking you in the ribs, the longer pieces can sometimes take your breath away. While The Life of Reilly covers the bases of all major and most other sports, Reilly's writing about golf is especially stellar, and three pieces alone--his chronicle of a round of golf with President Clinton, his account of O.J. Simpson's trials on public golf courses, and his reportage, on deadline, of Jack Nicklaus's sixth victory at Augusta--are worth the volume's greens fee. As beautifully as Reilly can paint the big picture, these pieces display his uncanny eye for detail, his skills as a reporter, and his inventiveness as a writer. On Nicklaus's improbable Masters title at age 46: "Maybe Nicklaus had drawn up a contract with Lucifer for one last major, for that slippery 20th that had eluded him since 1980, for a sixth green blazer. In exchange, Nicklaus would do pro-ams in Hades for the rest of his days. What else could explain it?" What else, indeed. Reilly provides short postscripts to most of the pieces--some are just pithy, while others open windows onto the writer's craft. They're a nice touch, but then, Reilly's work, in general, is full of them. -- Jeff Silverman "He's that rare sports guy who can write about so much more than sports, even when he's writing about sports." -- Bill Husted, Denver Post "Rick Reilly has the best combination of wit and insight in sports writing today." -- Mark Emmons, San Jose Mercury News When Jim Murray died, Reilly said "Murray could write anything," Reilly said, "sports just happened to get lucky." Ditto, Reilly. -- Greg Barrett, Gannett News Service, December 6, 2000 When Reilly's friend, mentor and Los Angeles Times legend Jim Murray died two years ago, Reilly called him the greatest sports writer who ever lived. "Murray coould write anything," Reilly said, "sports just happened to get lucky." -- Greg Barrett, Gannett News Service, December 6, 2000 Used Book in Good Condition