In his new book, Going Deep: 20 Classic Sports Stories, author Gary Smith brings us a personal collection of his favorite sports stories originally featured in Sports Illustrated magazine. From stories on soccer star Mia Hamm to fiery pitcher Mark Fidrych, Smith’s energetic and memorable writing makes Going Deep worth the read. Bill Littlefield comments.

In his new book, War As They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest, Michael Rosenberg describes how the intense rivalry between Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes and Michigan coach Bo Schembechler during the sixties and seventies reached far beyond the football field. Only A Game’s Karen Given comments.

Last Thursday Bill Littlefield visited with former Olympian Jo Warren Madden and others as they shared their Olympic experiences during a panel discussion at the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History in Weston, MA. Take a look at some photos from the event.

In his new book, A People’s History of Sports in the United States, author Dave Zirin celebrates athletes who have gone beyond the clichés of locker room interviews to create a voice of their own in social and political arenas. From Muhammad Ali to Michael Jordan, Zirin praises and attacks the roles of individual athletes throughout the years. Bill Littlefield weighs in on the pros and cons of Zirin’s bold commentary.

Truly good sports writing gets past box scores and statistics, by bringing together the sports world with the real world.  Throughout his career, Pat Jordan’s has tried to do just this, taking the games that we watch and the players that we root for and putting them in context.  Bill Littlefield reviews Jordan’s new book, The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan, and discusses some of the more memorable tales that Jordan has covered.

Bill Littlefield reviews, "South of the Color Barrier: How Jorge Pasquel and the Mexican League Pushed Baseball Toward Racial Integration" by John Virtue.

In his new book The Dark Side of the Diamond, Roger Adams takes a closer look at America’s Pastime, for better or worse. Despite the gloomy title, the book also celebrates baseball, and as Bill Littlefield says, it tells some fun stories along the way.