THE WORLD'S TALLEST MIDGET: The Best of Frank Deford

by Frank Deford ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 1987

If Deford's not the best writer of sports around today, he's sure got numero uno hearing footsteps. This eclectic bag of articles written over the last 15 years for Sports Illustrated should win him the title outright. In a perceptive and graceful introduction to the 17 pieces, Deford candidly admits that he prefers to go one-on-one with his subjects (""the fewest number of people involved in a competition, the better it lends itself to writing""), then goes on to artfully demonstrate his bias with, among others, a wickedly puckish yet at the same time warm and homey profile of boxer Billy Corm 44 years after he came closer than anyone to beating Joe Louis (""The Boxer and the Blonde""); an insightful and nicely felt piece on basketball coach Al McGuire--""The Depression Baby""; a telling psychological examination of tennis phenom Jimmy Connors (""Raised by Women to Conquer Men""); a piece that successfully negotiates the narrow sideline between tragedy and melodrama--""The Toughest Coast There Ever Was,"" and in the collection's strongest offering (""Every Little Town Has Somebody"") perhaps the best reflection on the fleeting perfidy of athletic fame and failed expectations ever done. . .about a one-time star jock who can't repeat his success. There are also pieces on golf, horse racing, baseball's opening day, touring Florida, and, in a droll bend of the knee to that quintessential American activity called Hustling, ""Little Irvy, the only 20-Ton Travelling Whale."" A treat for anyone who enjoys good writing; if you're into sports, a double.

Pub Date: May 14, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION