The Life of Reilly: The Best of Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly by Rick Reilly
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(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: May 2008
- 272pp
- Sales Rank: 36,894
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: May 2008
- Publisher: Time, Incorporated Home Entertainment
- Format: Paperback, 272pp
- Sales Rank: 36,894
- ISBN-13: 9781603207812
- ISBN: 1603207813
Synopsis
Witty, irreverent, opinionated, honest, laugh-out-loud funny. These are just a few of the adjectives that have been used to describe the writing of Rick Reilly, the eleven-time National Sportswriter of the Year, who has entertained the readers of Sports Illustrated for 22 years with his unique perspective on the world of sports and life in general. Now, in The Life of Reilly, Rick has selected over 60 of his finest stories to create a collection that will amuse, inform, and provoke sports fans and non-fans alike.
The book is organized around Reilly's seven Rs: Rants, Raves, Reality, Roots, Rough, Wrecks, and Royalty. There are features on sports greats, rants against high-profile athletic programs, tales of golfing glory in and out of the spotlight, reflections on enduring values and the true meaning of sacrifice, and personal stories about the Reilly family trials and tribulations and much more!
Those of you who know Reilly's work will be pleased to revisit the master; those who don't will be thrilled to discover an extraordinary talent. This book was a New York Times bestseller in hardcover.
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Life of Reilly: The Best of Sports Illustrated's Rick Reillyby Anonymous
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March 30, 2004: This collection of Reilly's pieces, organized around his seven R's, is must read material for all who love the best of sportswriting. To have these stories collected in one place is really a treat. His take on sports is truly unique, funny, and informative.
Life of Reilly: The Best of Sports Illustrated's Rick Reillyby Anonymous
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November 23, 2003: I?ll admit it?I?m a skimmer. If an article or story doesn?t immediately grab my attention, I lose interest. I need personal asides and jutting statements that will give the piece character, which I find when I flip to the back page of my Sports Illustrated each week. The only opinion columnist in the magazine?s 40-year history, Rick Reilly delivers his weekly rants and ramblings without fail, and regardless of the topic he is intriguing, he is talented and he is unique?all of which is amply displayed in his nationally bestselling book ?The Life of Reilly.? After an introductory claim that he fell into this job because ?The only thing I could do was write,? we are given 272 pages to judge for ourselves. What follows is Reilly?s own selection of 66 of his finest stories?favorite columns, unforgettable sporting moments and unpublished pieces?that create a collection that can amuse, inform, and provoke both sports fans and non-fans alike. Organized around Reilly's seven R?s: Rants, Raves, Reality, Roots, Rough, Wrecks, and Royalty, he covers everything from golfing with ex-presidents (Clinton) to ex-cons (O.J.), the Nike symbol and struggles of both the athletic and human spirit. Almost every story is followed up by a brief postscript, whether it is to explain how that certain column came about, describe the reaction it received or to simply interject a comment on a more personal level. At times, the postscript is found to be more entertaining than the story itself, if only because it leaves you with one final laugh or thought to ponder. It?s not just Reilly?s style, but the way he writes from real experience?such a vast array of unique experiences that no one else can compare to?that give his writing a credibility lacking in general commentaries. He has flown upside down at 600 miles per hour in an F-14, driven a stock car 142 miles per hour, competed against 107 women for a spot in the WNBA, done three innings of play-by-play for the Colorado Rockies, and played 108 holes of golf in one day, to name just a few examples of where he draws his creative prowess. However, his many adventures appear mild in comparison to the time he spent with the legendarily-hated Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott. Rarely knowing the names of her own players, much less Reilly (?This guy from Sports Thingy?), she reduced her high-end executives to dog walkers of Schottzie with hourly reports (?poo or tinkle??) and was suspended from Major League Baseball. Reilly paints this morally corrupt woman as such a surreal character you may wonder if he suddenly switched to fiction. Overall, Reilly hits the target on most attempts throughout the book, providing enough variety to entertain both fan and rookie. While you won?t love every single story, like sports themselves, he provides something for everyone?even the chronic skimmer. In the end, this collection proves that although Reilly is famous for his sprint, he?s also built for distance.
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