Thomas Hauser is best known as Muhammad Ali's biographer and for his recording of the contemporary boxing scene. Booklist called Hauser "the most respected boxing journalist working today and perhaps the best ever." Robert Lipsyte said Hauser is "the best boxing writer of our time." Still, Hauser's love of sports began not with boxing but with baseball. Long before he turned to the sweet science, America's national pastime had captured his heart. His childhood allegiance was to the New York Yankees. Growing up in the suburbs of New York, he cheered for the Giants in football and Knicks in basketball. In college, the often-hapless Columbia Lions became his cause. Thomas Hauser on Sports brings together Hauser's articles on sports other than boxing. It combines personal memories with issue-oriented commentary and an intimate look at some of the most remarkable athletes of modern times. Hauser has dealt one-on-one with Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Arnold Palmer, Pete Rose, Arthur Ashe, Wilt Chamberlain, and other giants of sports. He has crossed swords with the likes of Marvin Miller and Howard Cosell. Thomas Hauser on Sports is a remarkable journey that begins in the days of Hauser's youth and follows the games we play into the era of steroids and multi-billion-dollar television contracts. Hauser is best known as a biographer of Muhammad Ali and as an excellent, indefatigable recorder of the contemporary boxing scene. However, to label him a “boxing writer” is inaccurate and an injustice. He’s written about all sports, not just boxing, and his true-crime story, Missing (1988), which was adapted for the screen in 1982, won numerous international awards. He’s also written 10 other nonfiction books on subjects as disparate as Chernobyl and Arnold Palmer, and 10 novels, including some very good mysteries. This collection covers many sports but no boxing. Topics include disaster plans for the four major American team sports, the saga of a 34-year struggle to interview Mickey Mantle, a visit to the Westminster dog show, and his thoughts on Marvin Miller, who negotiated the first collective-bargaining agreement for professional athletes in 1966 on behalf of Major League baseball players. Also included are a moving tribute to tennis star and civil rights leader Arthur Ashe, who died far too soon in 1993 at age 49, and a fitting and honest appraisal of Howard Cosell, the most important sportscaster of his time. Strongly recommended for the quality of the work as well as the informal overview it provides of sports over the last 40 years. --Wes Lukowsky "Strongly recommended for the quality of the work as well as the informal overview it provides of sports over the last 40 years." -- Booklist "Thomas Hauser is a rare writer who puts sports in the context of American life." --Jerry Izenberg Thomas Hauser is best known as Muhammad Ali's biographer and for his recording of the contemporary boxing scene. Booklist called Hauser "the most respected boxing journalist working today and perhaps the best ever." Robert Lipsyte said Hauser is "the best boxing writer of our time." Still, Hauser's love of sports began not with boxing but with baseball. Long before he turned to the sweet science, America's national pastime had captured his heart. His childhood allegiance was to the New York Yankees. Growing up in the suburbs of New York, he cheered for the Giants in football and Knicks in basketball. In college, the often-hapless Columbia Lions became his cause. Thomas Hauser on Sports brings together Hauser's articles on sports other than boxing. It combines personal memories with issue-oriented commentary and an intimate look at some of the most remarkable athletes of modern times. Hauser has dealt one-on-one with Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Arnold Palmer, Pete Rose, Arthur Ashe, Wilt Chamberlain, and other giants of sports. He has crossed swords with the likes of Marvin Miller and Howard Cosell. Thomas Hauser on Sports is a remarkable journey that begins in the days of Hauser's youth and follows the games we play into the era of steroids and multi-billion-dollar television contracts. Thomas Hauser is best known as Muhammad Ali's biographer and for his recording of the contemporary boxing scene. "Booklist" called Hauser "the most respected boxing journalist working today and perhaps the best ever." Robert Lipsyte said Hauser is "the best boxing writer of our time." Still, Hauser's love of sports began not with boxing but with baseball. Long before he turned to the sweet science, America's national pastime had captured his heart. His childhood allegiance was to the New York Yankees. Growing up in the suburbs of New York, he cheered for the Giants in football and Knicks in basketball. In college, the often-hapless Columbia Lions became his cause. "Thomas Hauser on Sports" brings together Hauser's articles on sports other than boxing. It combines personal memories with issue-oriented commentary and an intimate look at so