From Black Sox to Three-Peats A Century of Chicago's Best Sportswriting from the "Tribune," "Sun-Times," and Other Newspapers
edited by Ron Rapoport
University of Chicago Press, 2013
Cloth: 978-0-226-03657-1 | Paper: 978-0-226-03660-1 | Electronic: 978-0-226-03674-8
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226036748.001.0001
ABOUT THIS BOOKAUTHOR BIOGRAPHYREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Bears, Bulls, Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks—there’s no city like Chicago when it comes to sports. Generation after generation, Chicagoans pass down their almost religious allegiances to teams, stadiums, and players and their never-say-die attitude, along with the stories of the city’s best (and worst) sports moments. And every one of those moments—every come-from-behind victory or crushing defeat—has been chronicled by Chicago’s unparalleled sportswriters.

In From Black Sox to Three-Peats, veteran Chicago sports columnist Ron Rapoportassembles one hundred of the best columns and articles from the Tribune, Sun-Times, Daily News, Defender, and other papers to tell the unforgettable story of a century of Chicago sports. From Ring Lardner to Rick Telander, Westbrook Pegler to Bob Verdi, Mike Royko to Hugh Fullerton , Melissa Isaacson to Brent Musburger, and on and on, this collection reminds us that Chicago sports fans have enjoyed a wealth of talent not just on the field, but in the press box as well. Through their stories we relive the betrayal of the Black Sox, the cocksure power of the ’85 Bears, the assassin’s efficiency of Jordan’s Bulls, the Blackhawks’ stunning reclamation of the Stanley Cup, the Cubs’ century of futility—all as seen in the moment, described and interpreted on the spot by some of the most talented columnists ever to grace a sports page.

Sports are the most ephemeral of news events: once you know the outcome, the drama is gone. But every once in a while, there are those games, those teams, those players that make it into something more—and great writers can transform those fleeting moments into lasting stories that become part of the very identity of a city. From Black Sox to Three-Peats is Chicago history at its most exciting and celebratory. No sports fan should be without it.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Ron Rapoport was a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than twenty years and also wrote for the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, and the Associated Press. He served as the sports commentator for NPR's Weekend Edition for two decades and has written a number of books about sports and entertainment. He lives in Van Nuys, CA.

REVIEWS

“This is a great book for a great sports town.”

— Mayor Rahm Emanuel

“Growing up in Chicago, I was privileged to read some of the sports columnists that Ron Rapoport includes in this marvelous collection. Though I moved to New York to write my own sports column, I continued to enjoy the contemporary Chicago sportswriters. Now, we can re-read all of them, plus greats from past years. From Black Sox to Three-Peats is pure pleasure from beginning to end.”
— Ira Berkow, former New York Times sports columnist

"Some cities can boast of more winners, but no town ever had more good people to write about than Chicago. What writers, what characters, what moments!"

— Alan Barra, Chicago Tribune

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Pioneers

Legends and Heroes

Only In Chicago

Magic Moments

Any Team Can Have A Bad Century

Michael

Neighborhoods

Sidekicks and Amateurs, Forgotten Men and Lost Teams, Hustlers and Clowns

The Real World

Battles Won and Lost

From The Heart

Contributors

Acknowledgments

Index