There are plenty of good choices for the sports book reader during the holidays. Here are some of the best.
Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby (Little, Brown, $30)
This is the first comprehensive biography of the Bulls superstar. At more than 700 pages, Lazenby doesn’t miss much. While some of the stories of the Jordan legend are well-known, there are compelling passages about him growing up in a volatile family environment in North Carolina, and how his mother had to talk a reluctant Jordan into making a trip to Oregon to hear Nike’s plans for him.
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Showtime by Jeff Pearlman (Gotham, $20 paperback)
The “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers, led by Magic Johnson, won five NBA titles during the 1980s. However, this team was about much more than just basketball. Owner Jerry Buss turned their games into a glitzy spectacle, writing the template for what we see today. Pearlman also details the behind-the-scenes stories of drugs, women, celebrity and other excesses — including those of Buss — that came with being stars in Los Angeles.
Where Nobody Knows Your Name by John Feinstein (Doubleday, $26.95)
The prolific author of sports books ventures into the world of minor league baseball. He documents stories of longtime hopefuls angling for their chance to play in the big leagues. He also looks at some well-known fading stars hanging on for one last shot.
Wooden: A Coach’s Life by Seth Davis (Times, $35)
John Wooden is on the short list with Vince Lombardi as one of the most successful and revered coaches in sports history. Davis incorporates a series of interviews shortly before the coach’s death in 2010 to examine the methods that allowed him to get the most out of his great UCLA teams. However, Davis also details Wooden’s warts, as he somehow managed to stay above the fray when cheating occurred in his program.
Football: Great Writing About the National Sport edited by John Schulian (Library of America, $30)
The former Chicago Sun-Times columnist has put together a collection of some of the all-time best stories on football. The book has a distinctive Chicago flavor with classic long profiles looking at a menacing Dick Butkus in his prime; Gale Sayers trying to bounce back from his debilitating knee injury; and the tragic suicide of Dave Duerson.
Ed Sherman is the author of “Babe Ruth’s Called Shot: The Myth and Mystery of Baseball’s Great Home Run.”