BASW 2010 and 2011

So, how does everyone think Peter Gammons did? (Here's the Table of Contents, if you need it: http://bit.ly/d2hZ1E.)

I think he nailed it for the most part, though I would have liked to have seen S.L. Price's profile of Urban Meyer in the book. (http://bit.ly/7dMns8)

Wright Thompson's "Shadow Boxing" was brilliant, albeit a little too reminiscent of J.R. Moehringer's classic "Resurrecting the Champ." And "The No-Stats All-Star" by Michael Lewis was a no-brainer, but there have been other no-brainers that haven't made the book.

It was also nice to see two unaffiliated websites make the list, as well as the return of the newspaper.

I will say, I was expecting something on the Yankees and the World Series, which was the on-field sports story of the year in my opinion. Something on Tiger Woods would have also been appropriate.

Therein, actually, lies my annual complaint about BASW: It often fails to represent the biggest stories of the year in sports.

...

And while we're on the topic -- anyone got any musts for Jane Leavy next year?

The one that jumps out at me immediately is "The Dirtiest Player," Jason Fagone's excellent profile of Marvin Harrison in GQ (http://bit.ly/4R4jj5).

 

I appreciate that the series focuses on the best sportswriting of a particular year and not the best sports stories from that year. If there's a beautifully crafted story on the Yankees' win, then it belongs. If there was a fascinating, inside look at Tiger Woods, then it belongs. But the editors should not worry about the events of that year.

If I have a beef with the series (and I own all 20 books), it's that there aren't enough newspaper stories. I'd love to see more -- even some deadline work.

 

If anybody has the 2010 book and can look at something in it for me and PM me with the answer, I'd appreciate it...

 

The Jonathan Boyer profile in Bicycling is a great read; I think I flagged it on here when it first debuted.

 

Friedman, as well as Mark Levine, are two of the most underrated longform writers around because they work for Rodale. Really talented writers, though.

There were four Rodale stories in BASW 2010, which I have to imagine is a record. Consider this: There were only four Sports Illustrated stories, and Gammons used to work for SI.