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Now I Can Die in Peace: How The Sports Guy Found Salvation Thanks to the World Champion (Twice!) Red Sox
ESPN's beloved Sports Guy replays the years leading up to the Boston Red Sox historic championship season and says goodbye to a lifetime of suffering. At least for now. "The Red Sox won the World Series." To Citizen No. 1 of Red Sox Nation, those seven words meant "No more 1918 chants. No more smug glances from Yankee fans. No more worrying about living an entire life -- that's 80 years, followed by death without seeing the Red Sox win a Series."
But once he was able to type those life-changing words, Bill Simmons decided to look back at his Sports Guy columns for the last five years to find out how the miracle came to pass. And that's where the trouble began. Why didnt he see it coming? Why didn't it happen sooner? What was the key deal, the lucky move, the funny bounce, the sign from above that he failed to spot? Pretty soon, The Sports Guy was second-guessing himself, rewriting history, sniping at his own past predictions, pounding the table -- that's what sports guys do, right And doing so, he let himself get sidetracked by the suffering of the Boston Bruins, frustrated by the false promise of the Celtics -- and driven into a state of ecstasy by the dynastic New England Patriots.
The result is Now I Can Die in Peace , a hilarious and fresh new look at some of the best sportswriting in America, with sharp critical commentary (and fresh insights) from the guy who wrote it in the first place.
But once he was able to type those life-changing words, Bill Simmons decided to look back at his Sports Guy columns for the last five years to find out how the miracle came to pass. And that's where the trouble began. Why didnt he see it coming? Why didn't it happen sooner? What was the key deal, the lucky move, the funny bounce, the sign from above that he failed to spot? Pretty soon, The Sports Guy was second-guessing himself, rewriting history, sniping at his own past predictions, pounding the table -- that's what sports guys do, right And doing so, he let himself get sidetracked by the suffering of the Boston Bruins, frustrated by the false promise of the Celtics -- and driven into a state of ecstasy by the dynastic New England Patriots.
The result is Now I Can Die in Peace , a hilarious and fresh new look at some of the best sportswriting in America, with sharp critical commentary (and fresh insights) from the guy who wrote it in the first place.
468 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
48 people are currently reading
3836 people want to read
About the author
Bill Simmons
30 books363 followersBill Simmons is a sports columnist, author, and TV personality. He rose to prominence as a columnist for ESPN's online 'Page 3' forum, before becoming editor in chief for Grantland, a sports and pop culture website and ESPN affiliate.
After a dispute with ESPN in 2015, Simmons began working with HBO; both developing a television show and continuing his podcast.
After a dispute with ESPN in 2015, Simmons began working with HBO; both developing a television show and continuing his podcast.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews
February 11, 2009
It's hard for anyone to write a book about the things they love, I think, and it's especially hard when that love borders on the masochistic and obsessive - what else can you do but vent, gush, and pontificate about the significance of your emotions? About the only way to make such an effort work is to gear it to your fellow sufferers as testament and therapy, which explains why Kahlil Gibran is featured in every crappy wedding vow, why Charles Bukowski has such godlike status in AA, and why fellow Red Sox martyrs aged 28-52 responded so wildly to Now I Can Die In Peace, one of the messiest, nerdiest paeans to undying love that I hope I ever read.
I should preface this review by saying that while I sorta like Bill Simmons, I think he's a sportswriting equivalent of what old baseball writers used to call "press box hot", a phenomenon in which a kinda pretty girl suddenly looks like a top model when set against the heifers in the press box. Compared to most of the windbags, blowhards, and schmaltz merchants who infest contemporary sports journalism, Simmons has the wit of PG Wodehouse and the common sense of Thomas Paine, and considering how much fun sports are to follow he's naturally a favorite of every sports fan with a brain and a sense of humor: after all, he seems to be the only writer with a meaningful platform in the entire industry who comes even close to Getting It, and as such is the incidental champion of millions. At his best -- very infrequent these days -- Simmons is as good as any comic-minded sportswriter, and anybody reading this review who hasn't read his "Atrocious GM Summit" or his "Idiot's Guide to the Isiah Trial" needs to get to Google posthaste.
That said, outside of the world of sports writers, Simmons looks good but not great: though he can be thoughtful and sharp, he's really not a 'writer' per se, but more of a talker whose preferred audience is a word processor screen. He never does much with language itself, and his analysis tends to ramble, contradict itself, and worst of all, detour into all these excruciating lists and scales and arbitrary nerd metrics (The Vengeance Scale, a 50-item Wonderlich test to determine true Red Sox fans, the 18 reasons one can root for a team, etc.) that make this reader crumble in despair. All his faults tend to proliferate when he writes about teams he loves, probably because he can't pause or self-edit -- he thinks he can, but I think his idea of 'editing' is too often polishing up ideas that were misguided to begin with -- which brings me to an unhappy verdict.
This book sucks. It combines the worst features of a diary -- tics and foibles and regrettable displays -- with the glibness of a sports bar argument -- unconnected or unexplained passages, scads of distracting footnotes -- while making virtually no attempt to evoke why anyone would be a baseball fan, just giving a numbing catalog of the minutiae and badinage of those who were born one. Like any diary the book is almost without a narrative, which means that if you don't own DVD's of Sox seasons from 1998-2004, you'll be lost every other page ... and none of this complaining even begins to address Simmons' proclivity for pop culture metaphors, which are lazy and perishable in the first place and crippling for a writer who supposedly has an eye on posterity: half the jokes in here expired the week they were written. Some funny one-liners still sparkle here and there, but ultimately this is as much of an ordeal to read as it must've been to live. The worst thing is that this book didn't have to suck: it's just riddled with straight-up bad writing and self-indulgence. I suppose that for Simmons this book was a personal Zihuantanejo, and I respect that, but for non-Sox freaks it's just that 500-meter tunnel of shit that Andy had to crawl through to get out of his cell. Let this one die in peace, or at least the remainder bin, and let's hope for a lot of improvement in Simmons' forthcoming history of the NBA.
I should preface this review by saying that while I sorta like Bill Simmons, I think he's a sportswriting equivalent of what old baseball writers used to call "press box hot", a phenomenon in which a kinda pretty girl suddenly looks like a top model when set against the heifers in the press box. Compared to most of the windbags, blowhards, and schmaltz merchants who infest contemporary sports journalism, Simmons has the wit of PG Wodehouse and the common sense of Thomas Paine, and considering how much fun sports are to follow he's naturally a favorite of every sports fan with a brain and a sense of humor: after all, he seems to be the only writer with a meaningful platform in the entire industry who comes even close to Getting It, and as such is the incidental champion of millions. At his best -- very infrequent these days -- Simmons is as good as any comic-minded sportswriter, and anybody reading this review who hasn't read his "Atrocious GM Summit" or his "Idiot's Guide to the Isiah Trial" needs to get to Google posthaste.
That said, outside of the world of sports writers, Simmons looks good but not great: though he can be thoughtful and sharp, he's really not a 'writer' per se, but more of a talker whose preferred audience is a word processor screen. He never does much with language itself, and his analysis tends to ramble, contradict itself, and worst of all, detour into all these excruciating lists and scales and arbitrary nerd metrics (The Vengeance Scale, a 50-item Wonderlich test to determine true Red Sox fans, the 18 reasons one can root for a team, etc.) that make this reader crumble in despair. All his faults tend to proliferate when he writes about teams he loves, probably because he can't pause or self-edit -- he thinks he can, but I think his idea of 'editing' is too often polishing up ideas that were misguided to begin with -- which brings me to an unhappy verdict.
This book sucks. It combines the worst features of a diary -- tics and foibles and regrettable displays -- with the glibness of a sports bar argument -- unconnected or unexplained passages, scads of distracting footnotes -- while making virtually no attempt to evoke why anyone would be a baseball fan, just giving a numbing catalog of the minutiae and badinage of those who were born one. Like any diary the book is almost without a narrative, which means that if you don't own DVD's of Sox seasons from 1998-2004, you'll be lost every other page ... and none of this complaining even begins to address Simmons' proclivity for pop culture metaphors, which are lazy and perishable in the first place and crippling for a writer who supposedly has an eye on posterity: half the jokes in here expired the week they were written. Some funny one-liners still sparkle here and there, but ultimately this is as much of an ordeal to read as it must've been to live. The worst thing is that this book didn't have to suck: it's just riddled with straight-up bad writing and self-indulgence. I suppose that for Simmons this book was a personal Zihuantanejo, and I respect that, but for non-Sox freaks it's just that 500-meter tunnel of shit that Andy had to crawl through to get out of his cell. Let this one die in peace, or at least the remainder bin, and let's hope for a lot of improvement in Simmons' forthcoming history of the NBA.
June 8, 2017
This book really resonated with me because I am a Sox fan and I remember riding this roller coaster when it happened. In my eyes, few can articulate and express the feelings of the crazed fan the way Bill Simmons can. From the melodramatic lows to the euphoric highs, Bill is the voice of the biased, passionate and slightly psychotic "Boston Sports Fan".
Long Live the Boston Sports Guy.
Long Live the Boston Sports Guy.
July 3, 2007
When i was about 7, I used the money I was given for my dad's birthday gift to buy him a sweet baseball/hockey/football game for our computer; when my mother gently questioned the selflessness of this gift, I insisted that it was the kind of thing he would love and it definitely was not because i wanted it for myself.
Of course I was lying. I was 7.
Anyway, I did the same thing about 10 years later when I bought this for him. On the one hand, I used my own money, and it was something he would/did enjoy. On the other hand, I was still sneaking into his bedroom, stealing the book and reading it until he got home. What can I say? Bill Simmons is the Klosterman of sports (except, i guess, when Klosterman is writing about sports), and I love the Red Sox.
Of course I was lying. I was 7.
Anyway, I did the same thing about 10 years later when I bought this for him. On the one hand, I used my own money, and it was something he would/did enjoy. On the other hand, I was still sneaking into his bedroom, stealing the book and reading it until he got home. What can I say? Bill Simmons is the Klosterman of sports (except, i guess, when Klosterman is writing about sports), and I love the Red Sox.
May 4, 2025
If you have ever listened to Bill, read this & you will understand why he has become the figure he is
November 2, 2011
Tyler Succi
11/2/11
Plot Summary:
What this book is about is a guy named Bill Simmons being a HUGE sports fan. Particularly a Red Sox/ New England fan. He really focuses on the Red Sox most. He has a lot of interesting facts about them and talks about the "curse" a lot too. Bill himself is really the main character. Other characters he mentions is the "sports gal", he wedding buds, and his dad. He doesn't really bring names into the story at all. The book itself is more like a story of a period in his life were he really paid attention to all the New England sports. He goes to plenty of Red Sox games and talks about the players, coaches, and the stadium itself. He always talks about his new seat or how he buys his tickets off a scalper out front.
Opinion:
I liked the book. It was kind of a funny read. Wasn't exactly what I was expecting to read the whole time. There was DEFINITELY a lot of facts and I enjoyed that. I really found out things I never knew being a Sox fan. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a simple read about someone who travels around to games. Its really just about his life. It's half and half of a autobiography and just a sports book. I probably wouldn't read this again unless I really had to. Bill did a great job writing it. It's definitely from his view through out the whole entire book. I liked that aspect of the book. His vocabulary used isn't that hard but does make you pay attention to the parts. There were a few areas in the book I wasn't interested in reading and was dry. I felt the need to just put the book back down yet again, there were parts where I wanted to keep reading it to see what was going to happen. There was a lot of points that would make you be extremely curious to what goes on. Lot of rising points that went on.
Rating & Ratinoal:
Out of 5, 5 being the best, I would give this book a 4.5. It was a good book to read. Mr. Gagnon just gave me a book to read because I had asked him to surprise me with one. He chose a good book and I thank him for it. Even though the book was good, I would recommend it but I wouldn't ever read it again. Without the dry parts of reading I went through.
11/2/11
Plot Summary:
What this book is about is a guy named Bill Simmons being a HUGE sports fan. Particularly a Red Sox/ New England fan. He really focuses on the Red Sox most. He has a lot of interesting facts about them and talks about the "curse" a lot too. Bill himself is really the main character. Other characters he mentions is the "sports gal", he wedding buds, and his dad. He doesn't really bring names into the story at all. The book itself is more like a story of a period in his life were he really paid attention to all the New England sports. He goes to plenty of Red Sox games and talks about the players, coaches, and the stadium itself. He always talks about his new seat or how he buys his tickets off a scalper out front.
Opinion:
I liked the book. It was kind of a funny read. Wasn't exactly what I was expecting to read the whole time. There was DEFINITELY a lot of facts and I enjoyed that. I really found out things I never knew being a Sox fan. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a simple read about someone who travels around to games. Its really just about his life. It's half and half of a autobiography and just a sports book. I probably wouldn't read this again unless I really had to. Bill did a great job writing it. It's definitely from his view through out the whole entire book. I liked that aspect of the book. His vocabulary used isn't that hard but does make you pay attention to the parts. There were a few areas in the book I wasn't interested in reading and was dry. I felt the need to just put the book back down yet again, there were parts where I wanted to keep reading it to see what was going to happen. There was a lot of points that would make you be extremely curious to what goes on. Lot of rising points that went on.
Rating & Ratinoal:
Out of 5, 5 being the best, I would give this book a 4.5. It was a good book to read. Mr. Gagnon just gave me a book to read because I had asked him to surprise me with one. He chose a good book and I thank him for it. Even though the book was good, I would recommend it but I wouldn't ever read it again. Without the dry parts of reading I went through.
March 14, 2008
I'm 11 pages in, and I've been a fan since page 1. Footnotes! Red Sox! Diehard fans!
There will be no objectivity here. BEST BOOK EVER. Bill Simmons, why haven't we gotten married and had babies yet?
Now that I've finished it, my review is pretty much the same. (Footnotes!) And, really, Red Sox fans will love the book, anyone who hates the Yankees will like the book, and anyone who thinks Shawshank Redemption is the best movie of all time will adore the book.
Really, though - Simmons references either Shawshank, Saved by the Bell, or The Godfather in literally every column, and sometimes all three. Want to know who on the 2001 Red Sox would play who on 90210? Check out page 151.
Once again, I'm pretty happy with any book that name checks my baseball husband, Kevin Youkilis, but Simmons goes one step further and gives us this sentence (and accompanying footnote): "The farm system is teeming with prospects like Craig Hansen, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Edgar Martinez. (I just included that sentence in case none of those guys pans out and you can giggle to yourself about it 25 years from now. I'm thoughtful that way.)" Sorry, Bill, but you're batting a solid.500 right now. Make that .750! Hmm. Make that .666?
And, finally, reading about the 2004 ALCS will never, ever get old. Oh, Dave Roberts.
Plus I have to make my mother read it, because he defends Damon signing with the Yankees.
There will be no objectivity here. BEST BOOK EVER. Bill Simmons, why haven't we gotten married and had babies yet?
Now that I've finished it, my review is pretty much the same. (Footnotes!) And, really, Red Sox fans will love the book, anyone who hates the Yankees will like the book, and anyone who thinks Shawshank Redemption is the best movie of all time will adore the book.
Really, though - Simmons references either Shawshank, Saved by the Bell, or The Godfather in literally every column, and sometimes all three. Want to know who on the 2001 Red Sox would play who on 90210? Check out page 151.
Once again, I'm pretty happy with any book that name checks my baseball husband, Kevin Youkilis, but Simmons goes one step further and gives us this sentence (and accompanying footnote): "The farm system is teeming with prospects like Craig Hansen, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Edgar Martinez. (I just included that sentence in case none of those guys pans out and you can giggle to yourself about it 25 years from now. I'm thoughtful that way.)" Sorry, Bill, but you're batting a solid
And, finally, reading about the 2004 ALCS will never, ever get old. Oh, Dave Roberts.
Plus I have to make my mother read it, because he defends Damon signing with the Yankees.
July 30, 2009
This book is a series of columns written by the author (who is currently a columnist for espn.com) about what it was like to see the Red Sox win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. It is that actual columns written at the time with commentary written a few years later. The book is at times brutally funny (like when the author describes the "Tom Cruise face". Basically he's trying to look sad when Goose dies in Top Gun but it really looks like he is trying to take a dump) and at other times touchingly sad (like when the author debates whether he should raise his child to root for his team because being a Red Sox fan can be so painful).
One reason I read books is to be transported to another person's reality (whether made up or real) and to see his perspective. This book gives me a glimpse into the life of someone who has cheered for a team all his life but the team keeps losing in tragic fashion. Someone who begins to fear that he might live a full life and never see his team win. It gives me a perspective that I could never have had on my own. In the end I really sympathized for him and am now a little more glad that the Red Sox did finally win.
In fact, I might just now root for the Cubs. (OK, maybe not!)
One reason I read books is to be transported to another person's reality (whether made up or real) and to see his perspective. This book gives me a glimpse into the life of someone who has cheered for a team all his life but the team keeps losing in tragic fashion. Someone who begins to fear that he might live a full life and never see his team win. It gives me a perspective that I could never have had on my own. In the end I really sympathized for him and am now a little more glad that the Red Sox did finally win.
In fact, I might just now root for the Cubs. (OK, maybe not!)
July 29, 2013
MEh...
I picked this book up because I got a little teary eyed during the homerun derby this year, with Nomar and Curt providing commentary. I wanted to relive some of what we went through in 2004, and I got that, but I also got old blog posts from 2000-2003 as well, plus distracting footnotes that weren't funny and tired old pop culture references that, again, weren't funny.
It wasn't all bad though. When Simmons is talking about how his heart was broken as a kid in '86, I remembered my son in 2003, who slept with his Red Sox bat every night and went to bed before the infamous "Why doesn't Grady take Pedro out?" game assured that our team would win. And how I felt the next morning, telling him it wasn't to be. Again.Simmons railing on the Fox commentators during the playoff games with the Yankees and the World Series with St Louis, getting Bronson Arroyo's name wrong, flashing way too many Babe Ruth pictures, yes. I remember all that too, and it's good to remember. But there are better books about the Red Sox out there, with better, shorter, titles. If you want to relive and remember, good find those books.
I picked this book up because I got a little teary eyed during the homerun derby this year, with Nomar and Curt providing commentary. I wanted to relive some of what we went through in 2004, and I got that, but I also got old blog posts from 2000-2003 as well, plus distracting footnotes that weren't funny and tired old pop culture references that, again, weren't funny.
It wasn't all bad though. When Simmons is talking about how his heart was broken as a kid in '86, I remembered my son in 2003, who slept with his Red Sox bat every night and went to bed before the infamous "Why doesn't Grady take Pedro out?" game assured that our team would win. And how I felt the next morning, telling him it wasn't to be. Again.Simmons railing on the Fox commentators during the playoff games with the Yankees and the World Series with St Louis, getting Bronson Arroyo's name wrong, flashing way too many Babe Ruth pictures, yes. I remember all that too, and it's good to remember. But there are better books about the Red Sox out there, with better, shorter, titles. If you want to relive and remember, good find those books.
August 27, 2009
I don't like the Red Sox OR the Yankees, but I appreciate Simmons' humor and the fact that he's a true Sox fan and not a bandwagoner. I almost died reading pages 265-273, being an Angels fan myself (when you cut us, we bleed too, Bill! We bleed too!)* Incidentally, the season this book highlights marks the season I really, and I mean really, started to dislike the Red Sox. What I do like is Simmons' approach to being a fan. And I will give him this... he is more emotionally invested in his teams than almost anyone I know. So five stars for writing like a true fan, but minus two because I just cannot stand the Red Sox.
*I remember watching those painful games, seeing my team choke, and then actually hoping the Yankees would win because I was so bitter about that loss. And this wasn't the last time the Halos would choke against the Sox. Ugh. Also, this applies with the 2008 Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals. I do not like Boston.
*I remember watching those painful games, seeing my team choke, and then actually hoping the Yankees would win because I was so bitter about that loss. And this wasn't the last time the Halos would choke against the Sox. Ugh. Also, this applies with the 2008 Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals. I do not like Boston.
November 21, 2009
For a Red Sox fan, Bill Simmons is the ultimate: he is sharp, he is funny, he knows his team, and he makes absolutely no pretense at being fair. My own memories of the miraculous 2004 win over the Yankees and the Cardinals include the systematic destruction of my fingernails, a lot of agonized whimpering, and the consumption of enough straight rum to destroy my stomach lining. Bill Simmons recalls that hectic and marvelous time much more eloquently and humorously in this account of the Red Sox's miraculous stampede to the championship. His footnotes alone are worth the price of the book.
May 2, 2017
Rating - 7.5
A bit disappointing as it turns out to be nothing more than a few years worth of his columns & does not have the same inside knowledge that I was expecting - still have to love his writing wit though
Pop culture references were cool but become repetitious 50% of the way through the book (Shawshank, Victory); What is most interesting is his physical transformation from cool to nerdy appearance
A bit disappointing as it turns out to be nothing more than a few years worth of his columns & does not have the same inside knowledge that I was expecting - still have to love his writing wit though
Pop culture references were cool but become repetitious 50% of the way through the book (Shawshank, Victory); What is most interesting is his physical transformation from cool to nerdy appearance
October 10, 2008
For real Red Sox fans only! Simmons is the funniest sports writer ever, this is the kind of book that made me laugh out loud on the T. It's taken me a while to get through, but I love it every time I pick it up.
July 18, 2024
Down 4-3 in the 9th, 3-0 in the Series, and Mariano Rivera is coming in from the bullpen.
And then Kevin Millar draws a walk.....
And then Kevin Millar draws a walk.....
November 26, 2024
Now I Can Die in Peace is an excellent compendium of sports journalism that also serves as a social history of Boston from the late 90's to the late 2000's, in addition to being a Rosetta Stone for the career of Bill Simmons himself. I was lucky enough to pick up a bargain copy of this book at the magical Stand Bookstore in New York City, and to get it signed by Simmons himself after a Live Rewatchables taping on Broadway the following night. As soon as he saw me holding the book, Simmons made a beeline toward me and we chatted briefly about movies and the Boston Celtics, whose home opener and banner raising ceremony I was attending in a couple of weeks. Behind the hot takes and playful argumentativeness, Simmons is one of the nicest celebrities I've ever met, and really gave me time of day when he didn't have to. Truly an example of when meeting your heroes pays off.
I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about baseball. Indeed, when I went to Boston earlier this year, I decided not to go to Fenway as I felt I was a Red Sox fan only on paper and didn't really know the lore. Thankfully, Bill Bryson's One Summer: America 1927 was a good primer for the rules and iconography of baseball history, so I gleaned what I could from Simmons's book from a technical perspective. But its the storylines of the agony and ecstasy of the Boston Red Sox that make Now I Can Die in Peace so successful. Along with getting insight into titanic figures of the game like Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, and David "Big Papi" Ortiz, the book provides a glimpse into the life of the Sports Guy as he hoped beyond hope in a Shawshank-ian sense to reach baseball Zihuatanejo. The colourful characters in his life, from the Sports Gal and Bill's Dad to buddies like J-Bug and Hench are also humorous contextual asides that pair perfectly with the highs and lows of each Sox season.
Though there's some regrettable turns-of-phrase emblematic of the 90's and 2000's bro culture which Simmons's generation helped to patent, these do not totally distract from the through-line of the book. Fundamentally, I believe that Simmons would not have had the mega-successful career he's had without the trials and tribulations of the Boston Red Sox, and especially their breakthrough 2004 season. Two things are for sure; I owe a debt of gratitude to this book for the sheer quantity of Ringer podcasts I listen to, and I now feel confident to make a pilgrimage to Fenway. Simmons's refrain and a catch-cry for all Sox fans is 'Either you love sports or you don't". Well, for a guy who was bullied for his lack of sporting ability, I firmly fall into the former camp thanks primarily to the phenomenal writing of The Sports Guy.
I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about baseball. Indeed, when I went to Boston earlier this year, I decided not to go to Fenway as I felt I was a Red Sox fan only on paper and didn't really know the lore. Thankfully, Bill Bryson's One Summer: America 1927 was a good primer for the rules and iconography of baseball history, so I gleaned what I could from Simmons's book from a technical perspective. But its the storylines of the agony and ecstasy of the Boston Red Sox that make Now I Can Die in Peace so successful. Along with getting insight into titanic figures of the game like Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Curt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, and David "Big Papi" Ortiz, the book provides a glimpse into the life of the Sports Guy as he hoped beyond hope in a Shawshank-ian sense to reach baseball Zihuatanejo. The colourful characters in his life, from the Sports Gal and Bill's Dad to buddies like J-Bug and Hench are also humorous contextual asides that pair perfectly with the highs and lows of each Sox season.
Though there's some regrettable turns-of-phrase emblematic of the 90's and 2000's bro culture which Simmons's generation helped to patent, these do not totally distract from the through-line of the book. Fundamentally, I believe that Simmons would not have had the mega-successful career he's had without the trials and tribulations of the Boston Red Sox, and especially their breakthrough 2004 season. Two things are for sure; I owe a debt of gratitude to this book for the sheer quantity of Ringer podcasts I listen to, and I now feel confident to make a pilgrimage to Fenway. Simmons's refrain and a catch-cry for all Sox fans is 'Either you love sports or you don't". Well, for a guy who was bullied for his lack of sporting ability, I firmly fall into the former camp thanks primarily to the phenomenal writing of The Sports Guy.
March 10, 2017
As a die-hard fan of our national pastime, I have a very nostalgic soft-spot in my heart for that 2004 Boston Red Sox team that defied the odds to first topple the Yankees and then capture their first World Series championship since 1918. Though not a geographically-based Sox fan (I live in Minnesota and root, root, root, for the home team Twins), I jumped on the bandwagon that season just purely for the sense of history that was being accomplished.
As a result, I have read a good many books on this subject, and up until this point Stephen King's "Faithful" had been my favorite. Not anymore...by a long shot. The sincerity and humor that author/columnist Bill Simmons puts down on paper is a combination of genius and the sort of passion that most sports fans only wish they had.
In this collection of select columns between 1997-2005, Simmons runs the emotional gamut that all sports fans have experienced at one point or another. The difference, of course, is that Simmons can make it so doggone funny and enjoyable to relive again! The obscure and hilarious references he makes to sports situations and players will have you chuckling all the way through.
Like I said, I have read many books about the '04 Red Sox, and this is the best of the bunch. Once you crack the cover, it becomes incredibly difficult to put down, as each column will just leave you dying to read the next one.
As a result, I have read a good many books on this subject, and up until this point Stephen King's "Faithful" had been my favorite. Not anymore...by a long shot. The sincerity and humor that author/columnist Bill Simmons puts down on paper is a combination of genius and the sort of passion that most sports fans only wish they had.
In this collection of select columns between 1997-2005, Simmons runs the emotional gamut that all sports fans have experienced at one point or another. The difference, of course, is that Simmons can make it so doggone funny and enjoyable to relive again! The obscure and hilarious references he makes to sports situations and players will have you chuckling all the way through.
Like I said, I have read many books about the '04 Red Sox, and this is the best of the bunch. Once you crack the cover, it becomes incredibly difficult to put down, as each column will just leave you dying to read the next one.
December 15, 2020
15 years later, Bill Simmons is now a podcaster and a media mogul. But once upon a time, he was a great writer. Sometimes people think Simmons is self-absorbed...and maybe he is. But he writes from the perspective of a passionate fan, and this is a brilliant accounting of how the brilliant Red Sox miraculously won the World Series in 2004. The collection of old articles is great, but the footnotes put this book over the top. I'm not a Red Sox fan, but when my Royals won the World Series in 2015 I felt many of the things that Simmons felt in 2004. Such a great memoir...maybe someday Simmons will start writing again.
March 22, 2025
I grew up around Boston in this era, and while I didn’t read the sports pages back then, I followed along on TV my dad, just as Bill did. This book brought back a lot of good memories, and some of his footnotes reference 2020 and 2025, which funny enough is when I’m reading it! Despite this, I knocked it down to 3 stars because (and I recognize maybe I wouldn’t be Simmons target audience) some of the columns and footnotes come off as crass in my eyes. But it’s also been 20 years since it’s been published, so maybe my thoughts would be different in 2005! If that doesn’t concern you, read it and enjoy the roller coaster that was the late 90’s and early 2000’s for the Sox!
October 4, 2021
Simmons is very funny. But it's kind of hard listening to someone from Boston complain about their sports teams lack of winning. Of course the Sox took 86 years between championships, but the Celtic's and Bruins were winners. Since this book was written the Red Sox have won like 3 titles and the Pat's have won like 6. For a MN sports fan, this is all like listening to a rich person crying I only have 7 cars. Boohoo. Anyway, my favorite part of the book was remembering a lot of the games and history and looking up the players. It's a fun book to read.
January 6, 2023
Simmons back when his fingers worked. This was the stuff I grew up on from him, so it was fun to revisit. Such a weird thing to go back to now since Boston was such a lovable loser town (except for the Mickey Mouse Celtics titles they won when there was like 3 good players in the league) back then and now have turned into what they hated about Yankees fans. For a guy that is basically a parody of himself at this point (still can’t quit listening to the pod tho) it’s hard to understate how cool of writer he once was.
August 28, 2020
I’m not a Red Sox fan so some of the super fan references were lost on me. But I loved reading Simmons when I was younger and this book reminded me why. Some very funny stories and pop culture references. Luckily it’s mostly a compilation of old pieces on ESPN which aren’t super long and have fun footnotes. Some of the jokes are dated and not PC but at the time I’m sure they were acceptable. It’s a fun read and any sports fan can relate to his passion for the Red Sox.
December 25, 2022
Okay, so there's chick lit, and with this book we have bro lit, which means it is very tedious to read, even for a Red Sox fan. It's a collection of online essays from the period up to and including the 2004 World Series, when the Red Sox finally won a championship. He's a diehard fan, and he writes from a fan's perspective, but I sure didn't need to read a scene about getting drunk at a friend's wedding or several sexist comments about female celebrities.
February 6, 2023
Would be a 3 1/2. Salute to sports guy. such a trip to read this 15 years after the fact given how now every fanbase acts as aggrieved as Red Sox fans did back then when like at least they had earned it. Now you got lakers and Yankees and Red Sox fans crying about the hard times when they‘don’t win for 5 years. Oh well. Go mariners
also lol at simmons being like a beacon for film idiocy and the worshipping of shawshank. Re-watchables still kinda bangs tho
also lol at simmons being like a beacon for film idiocy and the worshipping of shawshank. Re-watchables still kinda bangs tho
May 3, 2024
I’m a big fan of the Red Sox, 90s/00s movies, and Bill Simmons. If you check just two out of those three boxes, this book might not be your cup of tea. Lucky for me, I tick all three. Reading this book was a blast, stirring up nostalgia for times I barely remember and helping me remember how much I love baseball and love Boston. Go Sox.
December 31, 2024
This era of Bill Simmons was when he was the funny mail bag sports guy. You rooted for him rooting for the Red Sox. Then all Boston sports teams decided to go HAM and win all the shit then he turned into the marginally insufferable sports guy. I genuinely applaud him for turning a mail bag column into the Ringer and beyond. How is anything I just wrote relevant to this book? Who knows, who cares!
August 11, 2025
How the sports guy found salvation thanks to the world champion (twice) Red Sox! By Bill Simmons. Collection of essays on the Ref Sox by my favorite sports personality. The essays chronicle the heart break and eventual pay off of being a Red Sox fan. It's also cool to see Bill Grow as a writer over the years.
November 28, 2017
If you love the Red Sox and remember the times before 2004, then you will find a lot to love about this book. If you love Bill Simmons work then this is some of it as its more pure.
I did enjoy large parts of Now I Can Die in Peace but the format prevented me from enjoying it more.
I did enjoy large parts of Now I Can Die in Peace but the format prevented me from enjoying it more.
April 7, 2021
A collection of old School Bill Simmons' columns leading up to the 2004 Red Sox World Series Championship. Bill changed the way sportswriting was done by refusing to hide his love of Boston teams. A true pioneer in online sports blogging, it's a great time capsule to the early 2000's
April 21, 2018
A must read for the depressed and devastated baseball fan. Go Mariners
June 30, 2018
My favorite author. For Hardcore Red Sox fans and funny insightful
July 22, 2020
Line the 2004 Red Sox, it starts slow but gets really, really good. One piece of advice: watch Shawshank Redemption before reading this.
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