LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE!

Longtime sportscaster Wolf offers high-spirited anecdotes and opinions in this quick read.

"We're the country of fast food—quick and move on." Although Warner Wolf made this statement while discussing soccer's lack of success in the US, he might well have been describing his own literary style. Chock-full of anecdotes and told at a rapid- fire pace, his 112 "chapters"—most of which are only two to three pages long—are organized in a stream-of-consciousness style, in which Wolf switches from one topic to another. Using the enthusiastic tone that has made his sports coverage so popular with radio and TV audiences in the Washington, DC, and New York City areas (where he has broadcast for more than 30 years), Wolf focuses most of his attention on the big-time sports of baseball (especially the Yankees), football, and boxing. He also makes mention of golf, hockey, bowling, horse-racing, and even soccer (but only to explain why he doesn’t follow it). Non-sport stories include tidbits about his family history (his parents were in vaudeville) and warm, respectful appreciations of Don Imus (on whose syndicated radio show Wolf's sports updates have found a national audience). Some of these anecdotes describe the business of sportscasting, but most of them are name-dropping exercises involving the athletes, politicians, and movie stars Wolf has encountered during his long career. And when Wolf complains about something (such as the NFL overtime rule), his rantings are brief and harmless. The best reason to read this book, then, is not Wolf's opinions but his catchphrases and style, which (like

his on-air voice) are literally and figuratively punctuated with exclamation points. Without delving into any controversy, this is a light read that amuses rather than informs.