Some champions: Sketches & fiction

by Ring Lardner

Bound in the publisher's original brown cloth, spine stamped in gilt.

Genres: Short Stories

205 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.

Father of author Ring Lardner Jr.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Lardner, all written in his inimitable, 1920s American vernacular voice. Includes two Jack Keefe stories, the first of which bridges the gap between You Know Me Al and The Real Dope, and the second which appears to take place after he returns from the war to his (dubious) career. But as funny as these stories are, there’s also plenty of darkness. Drunkenness and alcoholism always seem to be lurking in the background, if not taking center stage. Makes me wonder if Lardner was a bit too familiar with the subject.

[Billhotto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unpublished autobiographical pieces and short stories by the one-time sportswriter. Lardner wrote with a wry cynicism using the vernacular. Another ex-newspaper man, Ernest Hemingway admired and was influenced by Lardner. I enjoyed reading Lardner's baseball pieces, including his Jack Keefe stories. It's interesting that Lardner disliked the lively ball style popularized by Babe Ruth in the 1920's. It is always the case that today's players cannot compare to those of one's youth.
Lardner wrote a lot of short pieces, He did so to support his family, without a concern for posterity. He did not keep copies of his pieces. He was embittered by the Black Sox scandal and hampered by poor health (he died at forty-five). These are not his best-known writings, but are enjoyable and interesting.

[Seth Augenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journalism wouldn't be in trouble if it was still written like this.