An Accidental Sportswriter (22 page)

“Twenty years ago,” he said, “this would have been a real find. But in the age of the Internet, all this information is easily available. There are very few important first editions here, and most of them are not in good shape.”

He seemed reluctant to leave. “You know, this is not a collection of trophy books, it's a collection of ideas. I know many people who collect expensive books they never open. Your father bought books he wanted to read. I would like to have met him.”

I would have liked to have met Dad earlier in the emotional place we found together in the end. By the time I came to appreciate him, to understand his impact on me, we were both old men. But there was time enough.

Acknowledgments

I've stood on many shoulders and accepted many helping hands. Some are mentioned in the book. Not all are still alive, although they are to me.

In the big inning, as we sportswriters like to say, there were teachers who gave me confidence: James J. Kernan at Forest Hills High School; George Nobbe, Sr., at Columbia College; and Lawrence Pinkham at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

In the
Times
sports department, among those who reached out to me were my editors/coaches, Jim Roach and Neil Amdur, Steve Cady, Frank Litsky, Bob Teague, Howard Tuckner, Bill Wallace, Sam Goldaper, Jim Tuite, Gerald Eskenazi, Ira Berkow, Dave Anderson, Susan B. Adams, Ray Corio, Steve Tyno, Joe Prisco, Al Levy, Barton Silverman, Tom Rogers, and my fellow copyboys, John Corry and Tom Kenville.

Colleagues along the way included Tom Hauser, Vic Ziegel, Len Shecter, Stan Isaacs, Mike Harris, Lewis Franck, Lee Ballinger, Bud and Susan Lamoreaux, Shad Northshield, Bill Moran, Larry Doyle, Tim Russert, Tom Engelhardt, Karen DeCrow, Lou Charlip, Naomi Boak, Ron Fried, and Glen Nishimura.

I came to depend on the friendship of Peter Levine, Jon Kandell, Joel Millman, Mike Miletic, Joe and Carolyn Lelyveld, Peter Golenbock, and Jay Lovinger.

I'm grateful for love and support from Gene and Layton Borkan and their four daughters, Mara, Rachel, Johanna, and Sasha; Susan Jordan and Ronnie Wong and their daughter, Jenny; and Alun and Fiona Morris and their children and grandchildren, especially Ceridwen, Alfred, and Sylvia.

You wouldn't be reading this without David Hirshey, my brilliant editor; the steadfast and smart Barry Harbaugh; the enthusiasm and wise counsel of Josh Marwell; my commando agent, Jay Mandel; and my three wise readers, Sam Lipsyte, Jay Lovinger, and Lois B. Morris.

And for those who lived in the lights and shadows of this story and actively helped me with it, my sister, Gale; my children, Sam and Susannah; and my wife, Lois, yet another round of inadequate thanks.

About the Author

ROBERT LIPSYTE
was an
award-winning sportswriter for the
New York Times
and the Emmy-winning host of
the nightly public affairs show
The Eleventh Hour
. He is the author of twelve
acclaimed novels for young adults and is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards
Award honoring his lifetime contribution in that genre. He lives in Manhattan and on
Shelter Island, New York, with his wife, Lois, and his dog, Milo.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your
favorite HarperCollins authors.

Also by Robert Lipsyte

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Center Field

Yellow Flag

Raiders Night

The Contender

The Brave

The Chief

Warrior Angel

One Fat Summer

Summer Rules

The Summerboy

The Chemo Kid

Jock and Jill

FICTION

Liberty Two

Something Going
(with Steve Cody)

NONFICTION

Nigger
(with Dick Gregory)

The Masculine Mystique

Idols of the Game
(with Peter Levine)

Assignment Sports

Free to Be Muhammad Ali

SportsWorld: An American Dreamland

Heroes of Baseball

In the Country of Illness: Comfort and Advice for the Journey

Credits

AN ACCIDENTAL SPORTSWRITER.
Copyright
© 2011 by Robert Lipsyte. All rights reserved under International and
Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been
granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this
e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded,
decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information
storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or
mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written
permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been
applied for.

ISBN 978-0-06-176913-9

EPub Edition © May 2011 ISBN: 9780062079268

11  12  13  14  15    
OV/RRD
    10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1