The Top of His Game The Best Sportsw..., W. C. Heinz
The Top of His Game The Best Sportsw..., W. C. Heinz
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The Top of His Game: The Best Sportswriting of W. C. Heinz
A Library of America Special Publication

Author: W. C. Heinz

Narrator: Bill Littlefield

Unabridged: 5 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/06/2015

Synopsis

A pioneer of the long-form sports story, W. C. Heinz wrote with a freshness of perception, a gift for characterization, and a finely tuned ear for dialogue. Here is a first of its kind audio edition of some of his finest work, selected and read by Bill Littlefield (NPR's "Only a Game"), including “Brownsville Bum”—“the greatest magazine sports story I’ve ever read, bar none” (Jimmy Breslin)—and the unforgettable “Death of a Race Horse.” As a special feature this exclusive audio edition includes Bill Littlefield's 2001 interview with W. C. Heinz as well as commentary and recollections from the author's daughter, Gayl Heinz.

About The Author

W. C. Heinz (1915-2008), a war correspondent during World War II,  wrote a daily sports column for the New York Sun and later, as a freelance writer, sports profiles and articles, mostly about boxers, for Collier’s, The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, Look, Life, and other magazines. He was the author of the novels The Professional, The Surgeon, Emergency, and, under the pseudonym “Richard Hooker,” M*A*S*H (with Korean vet Richard Hornberger.) He also wrote Run to Daylight!, a bestselling as-told-to memoir by Packers coach Vince Lombardi, and, Once They Heard the Cheers, a book of twenty profiles of the sports greats of his youth. Bill Littlefield has hosted National Public Radio’s weekly sports magazine, “Only A Game,” since 1993 and has written commentaries for NPR and Boston’s WBUR-FM for over thirty years. He is the author of seven books, including the novels Prospect and The Circus in the Woods and the recent collection of sports verse Take Me Out. In 2001 he met W. C. Heinz and they became friends, for which he has been grateful ever since.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Julie on September 10, 2023

My dad gave me this book when I asked for a beach read which frankly makes no sense on his part but I had a threat time reading some of these essays and learning about the cultures of sports like boxing and horse racing that are not nearly as ubiquitous or popular today. Best stories were Bummy Davi......more

Goodreads review by Bro_Pair أعرف on June 10, 2015

A.J. Liebling, the other contender for "greatest sportswriter ever," strikes me as a ham, his prose greasy and piled high, the sportswriter other hammy writers like. Heinz is something altogether more mystical and subdued, and thus more powerful. A beautiful writer. I highly recommend this excellent......more

Goodreads review by David on September 27, 2021

A difficult book to rate and I admit my 3 stars may be a bit harsh. You have to admire the writing in this book -- no doubt. The introduction, by the editor, Bill Littlefield the wonderful host of WBUR's Only A Game, compares Heinz's writing with Hemingway; the comparisons are well deserved. The au......more

Goodreads review by Tariq on May 24, 2019

WC Heinz is in the pantheon of great sportswriters and so it's impossible to finish reading this collection of his features and columns because at the very least you will want to re-read the best of the stories in here - Brownsville Bum or the Rocky Road of Pistol Pete or Death of a Race Horse.......more

Goodreads review by Brad on July 11, 2018

Even if you don't consider yourself a sports fan, this is damn good writing and deserves your attention.......more

Quotes

“Heinz had it all—a deep understanding of human nature, a wonderful sense of humor, and a writing style so clear and clean that he makes the difficult seem easy, just the way a great athlete does.” — David Maraniss

"Bill Heinz is not just one of the great sportswriters this country has produced, he is one of the great American writers." — Mike Lupica

"Heinz could make sentences sing, but his special gift was somehow to sound the chord of music that was the man. The subjects of his profiles lived and breathed and laughed and wept with unforgettable vitality." — Roger Kahn

"Heinz is that rare writer who not only becomes more important over time but more essential. His work deserves to be read and treasured by a new generation of readers." — Glenn Stout

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