A funny thing happened while I was reading this book. I was reading a book of poems at the same time. Several times I set down the poetry, and picked up the Halberstam, and the transition seemed seamless. Halberstam's sentences were rhythmic, complex, vivid. It felt like I was still reading poetry. Almost. So, #1 thing I liked about the book: Halberstam writes beautifully. #2: He has a rare and refreshing broad view of sports. He loves sports (baseball, basketball, football, boxing, fencing, hockey, rowing, and fishing are represented here), but with the perspective of a man who has devoted most of his life to history and politics and war. Sports are only games. They are not of life-or-death importance. Enjoy them, by all means, but lighten up a little. For Halberstam, discipline, character, and the pursuit of excellence are more important than winning. Some of his best writings place sports in the larger context of culture and cultural change. "The Education of Reggie Smith" compares the different styles of American and Japanese baseball. "The Basket-Case State" describes the lonely, rural landscape that turned Indiana into a basketball powerhouse, and the changes brought by urbanization and electronic media. Numerous essays address the relationship between sports and race relations, and the effect of celebrity culture and big-time money on sports. If this book has one serious flaw, it is repetition. Several essays overlap in content. Several times we hear how he used to gather with his buddies to watch Sunday football games (and how they were better in those days, before expansion), several times we hear how he used to gather at the bar named Rotiers, several times how he used to fish on his uncle's lake, how he left the fishing in Patagonia to watch the Super Bowl on TV. I wondered, along with some other reviewers, if this book had been rushed to publication to "cash in on" Halberstam's death, if the editing process had been given short shrift. I also agree with other reviewers that Halberstam's longer pieces are the best, and that the more journalistic articles are better than the personal reminiscences. This book was my introduction to Halberstam, and it was fine, but I suspect that if you like sports, and you like Halberstam's writing, the most satisfying experience would be to read his full-length books, of which there are plenty.