Sports Books Update

She said she got a $50,000 advance, and almost no royalties.

You could argue the $50,000 advance is better than royalties, because it's guaranteed money in the bank.

Her point, I think, was that she hit the Times bestseller list and most people (including the author) would assume that means a payday. It surely does not (and the bigger the advance, the more surely it does not).

Anyway, a couple of recent deals for our running list:

Todd Denault's THE GREATEST GAME: The Montreal Canadiens, the Red Army, & New Year's Eve, 1975, to McClelland & Stewart (Canadian).

George Castle's WHEN THE GAME CHANGED, an oral history of 1970s baseball, to Lyons Press.

Seth Davis's THE TEACHER, a biography of the legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden to Times Books.

 

The Denault book looks like a great idea. Can't wait to see that one!

 

What's the short & dirty on the game?

 

A lot of veteran hockey insiders/watchers say it's one of the greatest games ever played, a 3-3 tie between the Habs, who would win the first of four consecutive Stanley Cups that season, and the Red Army squad that formed the core of the mighty Soviet Union hockey juggernaut.

The Habs outshot the Red Army 38-13 and completely outplayed them in all but one area - goaltending. Vladislav Tretiak stood on his head, as he often did, and Ken Dryden had an uncharacteristically bad game.

Red Fisher, who's been covering the Canadiens and the NHL since 1955, ranked this game No. 5 on his "Top 10 Moments" that he's seen during his career.

http://habsinsideout.com/main/2332

 

I'm positive this has been tackled here before, but I'm currently making my way through Best American Sports Writing 2008. As good as always! It was $3 in the bargain bin at my local Waldenbooks, which was great. I seemingly forget to get it every year, until I see my old copies on the bookshelf, which kickstarts my memory.

I'm about halfway through and thought the opening piece on Coolbaugh was incredible, as was the one on the Bengals' cheerleaders.

 

Roger Clemens' trainer Brian McNamee to self-publish his tell-all memoir:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6711120.html?nid=2286&rid=##CustomerId##&source=title

 

Keri's book gets excerpted here today:

http://deadspin.com/#!5779887/the-devil-in-tampa-remembering-the-penny+pinching-snack+policing-nut+cutting-days-of-vince-naimoli

It tells some of the classic stories of Naimoli's penny pinching ways.

 

Jeremy's book on ski bums was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal ... Link: http://online.wSportsJournalists.com/article/SB10001424052748704312504575618473051895654.html.

 

Has anyone heard an update on the Joe Nick Patoski book about the Dallas Cowboys? I know these things take time, but this project was announced two years ago, and there is still no advance listing for it on Amazon.

 

Was that book released under the name "The Ones Who Hit the Hardest"?