Open Court: More summer reading

Wow, Green Valley must love to read.

Last week’s “summer reading” column was as well-received as any of the previous 71 editions of “Open Court.”

Instead of focusing on recent books about current athletic trends and personalities like I did last week, I’m going to recommend a pair of my favorite books that detail some of the most fascinating sports stories imaginable.

Hopefully, these legendary pieces of literature will help pass the time during these sweltering summer months.

Perhaps my biggest oversight in last week’s column was the inexplicable omission of Ralph Wiley, perhaps my favorite sportswriter.

After his sudden passing in 2004, a handful of Wiley imitators attempted to fill the sizable void left by the former Sports Illustrated, ESPN, GQ and National Geographic writer, but none of them came close to matching Wiley’s wit, intelligence and passion.

A good starter for those not familiar with Wiley’s work would be the new compliation “Classic Wiley,” but I’m going to recommend “Serenity, a Boxing Memoir.”

Wiley released this compilation of essays in 1989, and it includes some devastating passages about some of boxing’s biggest stars.

His section on Sugar Ray Leonard’s motivations to continue returning to the ring are particularly poignant for anyone who has ever struggled to let go.

Another moving piece of sports literature belongs to Jonathan Eig.

While his biography of Lou Gehrig was a phenomenal work in its own right, Eig’s portrait of Jackie Robinson in “Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season,” paints a portrait of one of America’s most talented athletes and the unimaginable hardships he faced while breaking baseball’s color barrier.

Robinson wasn’t the biggest star in the Negro Leagues—that honor was shared by Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige—but Brooklyn Dodgers’ general manager Branch Rickey believed Robinson had the proper mental makeup to survive the violently harsh treatment he would receive during the 1947 season.

A year ago, I interviewed Green Valley resident Roy Smalley, who played in the big leagues from 1948 to 1958.

During our interview, Smalley discussed how Robinson was better than any other player he’d seen at devising ways to create advantages for himself.

“I can picture a game at Ebbet’s Field in Brooklyn,” Smalley said. “In the National League, the home team takes infield practice first. After the Dodgers finished their infield practice, all of the players went into the clubhouse to relax, except for Jackie. He sat on the bench and watched our outfielders throw. He took mental notes on which ones had the weaker arms and how each guy charged a ground ball. He knew all of the little edges. He could go from first to third on a base hit to left field with these edges. He was something else.”

Eig’s book does an outstanding job collecting Robinson-related anecdotes like Smalley’s and putting Robinson’s phenomenal accomplishments into perspective.

Again, further reading suggestions are welcomed and encouraged, and thanks to everyone who took the time to write in last week.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747