Publication date:
16 November 2010Length of book:
344 pagesPublisher
Taylor Trade PublishingISBN-13: 9781589794597
As he did in his acclaimed '77: Denver, the Broncos, and a Coming of Age and his earlier nonfiction works, Terry Frei combines reporting, historical research, memoir, and opinion, discussing his varied experiences and the diverse characters—including John and Jack Elway, plus 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith—he has encountered in covering Colorado, national, and international sports since he was a green sportswriter in the era of '77. Those diverse figures include Olympic heroes, Hall of Famers, world boxing champions, and other marquee athletes. He also displays his knack for narrative and inquisitive journalism, introducing readers to intriguing figures and taking them behind the scenes of some very high-profile events and settings. All this follows a blunt and unsparing assessment of the modern newspaper and sports journalism.
Frei is a columnist with the Denver Post, covering the National Hockey League and college football. Interestingly, his father was also involved in sports, as the head football coach at the University of Oregon in the late 1960s and later as an assistant in the NFL. The title refers to his mother’s preferred vocation for him—anything but a sportswriter! He begins with some impassioned thoughts on the state of sports journalism today and its slavish adherence to short, obvious, and noninformative articles with no depth. He then presents a series of articles that are long, relatively subtle, and quite informative. Subjects include the far-reaching effect Super Bowl–winning Denver Bronco quarterback John Elway had on Colorado sports; a very interesting look at the world of the NFL offensive lineman; and a look back at the Denver Nuggets of the mid-1980s and their personality-plus coach, Doug Moe. Note: the book is not a collection of columns. These are original pieces assembled from memories of a lifetime in sports. Here’s hoping Mama Frei is among the readers. She’ll have to revise her opinion of sports journalists.