The Last of the Best

by Jim Murray

Book Overview

Pages clean and unmarked. Slight wear from time on shelf like you would see on a major chain. Immediate shipping. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1883792509
• ISBN13: 9781883792503
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Times (Los Angeles Times)
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

"THE LAST OF THE BEST" BY JIM MURRAY

He was not a columnist, he was a poet. He was to the written word what Stradivarius was to the violin, Patton to the tank, Aristotle to philosophy. Jim Murray did not pen what he wrote, he conjured it up. No mere mortal could come up with the stuff he did. He never met hyperbole he did not like. USC, coming from behind against Notre Dame, was not just a football team. They were the Wehrmacht marching on Poland. Sherman burning Atlanta. A big game was not just a big game, it was the Roman Legion vs. Hannibal, Grant taking Richmond. Murray did not reserve this kind of bluster for only the mighty in the world of sport. "Al Scates?!" he once exclaimed of UCLA's volleyball coach. "He is to volleyball what Napoleon was to artillery." Every morning, Southern Californians woke up and were reminded of one of the very best reasons for living here. Jim Murray's column in the Los Angeles Times was that reason. Actually, Murray was syndicated, so it was not just Los Angelenos who enjoyed his work, but the fact that he belonged to us was a source of civic pride, like the Beach Boys, the film industry, or our coast line. If you were a writer, you read him in awe, like an actor watching Olivier do Othelo, or a young pitcher checking out Randy Johnson. If you liked sports, or even if you did not, you just appreciated the guy. When some friends of mine lived in Paris, I would send them care packages from home. Nothing was more valuable to them than Jim Murray's column. When Jim passed away a few years ago, it was like seeing part of the Smithsonian lost to a fire. When the Times published a selection of his columns from 1990-98, it was like seeing the demolished portion of the great museum re-furbished. Or at least like a farewell exhibit. He is gone, we will never see his likes again, but we can at least read and re-read "The Last of the Best", with a forward by Tommy Lasorda and an introduction by the Times venerable sports editor, Bill Dwyre. Murray towers above his profession, like Grantland Rice and Red Smith, but as New York Times columnist Dave Anderson says, he is to be compared with the likes of Twain and Hemingway. A great American. His work: Literature. Murray was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1990, and his response was "I never thought you could win a Pulitzer Prize just for quoting Tommy Lasorda correctly." Lasorda was greatly honored that Murray thought of him during his great moment, and Tommy has it right. Like Vin Scully and very, very few others, Murray was a guy who towered above the athletes he covered. The ones with some brains and respect for history knew that. If they did not, Murray never let it bother him. Let the ignorant wallow in their stupidity! Murray came to sportswriting after covering Hollywood. He once had a date with Marilyn Monroe, but she left him before the night was over for another guy. Murray understood. The other guy was Joe DiMaggio. Murray wrote with his heart. He had compassion. He also read like crazy. He was a man

Jim Murray--Quite Simply He Is My Favorite Writer

I enjoy reading books of sportswriters whether it is Red Smith, Jimmy Cannon, Joe Falls, Thomas Boswell, Damon Runyon, Roger Kahn, Roger Angell, Shirley Povich, or any other scribe that has used the written word to tell us about sports. Jim Murray, however, late of the Los Angeles Times, is in a league of his own. Back in the 1960's I would wait for my great uncle's copy of the Milwaukee Sentinel to come in the mail so I could read Jim Murray's column. He has written several books that include his columns of past years. I have them all. This book include a number of his best articles from the 1990's. To show how much I enjoy his writing I even read the ones on tennis, golf, and horse racing. I couldn't care less about any of them, but Jim had a way with words that would make you laugh with a funny simile or anecdote. Here is a sample: Ben Hogan drove his ball off the tee, then looked at the ball and the green in the distance and asked his caddie, "What's the shot?" The caddie said, "Mr. Hogan, it's 146-147 yards." Hogan barked at the caddie, "Make up your mind!" Jim often didn't write in complete sentences, but he got his point across nonetheless. What a gifted writer! If you are familiar with his writing you owe it to yourself to buy this book and any of the others that may still be available. If you are not familiar with Jim Murray, but you enjoy sports, buy this book and enjoy the laughs. There are several on each page.

"THE LAST OF THE BEST" BY JIM MURRAY

"THE LAST OF THE BEST" BY JIM MURRAYHe was not a columnist, he was a poet. He was to the written word what Stradivarius was to the violin, Patton to the tank, Aristotle to philosophy.Jim Murray did not pen what he wrote, he conjured it up. No mere mortal could come up with the stuff he did. He never met hyperbole he did not like.USC, coming from behind against Notre Dame, was not just a football team. They were the Wehrmacht marching on Poland. Sherman burning Atlanta. A big game was not just a big game, it was the Roman Legion vs. Hannibal, Grant taking Richmond.Murray did not reserve this kind of bluster for only the mighty in the world of sport. "Al Scates?!" he once exclaimed of UCLA's volleyball coach. "He is to volleyball what Napoleon was to artillery."Every morning, Southern Californians woke up and were reminded of one of the very best reasons for living here. Jim Murray's column in the Los Angeles Times was that reason. Actually, Murray was syndicated, so it was not just Los Angelenos who enjoyed his work, but the fact that he belonged to us was a source of civic pride, like the Beach Boys, the film industry, or our coast line. If you were a writer, you read him in awe, like an actor watching Olivier do Othelo, or a young pitcher checking out Randy Johnson. If you liked sports, or even if you did not, you just appreciated the guy.When some friends of mine lived in Paris, I would send them care packages from home. Nothing was more valuable to them than Jim Murray's column.When Jim passed away a few years ago, it was like seeing part of the Smithsonian lost to a fire. When the Times published a selection of his columns from 1990-98, it was like seeing the demolished portion of the great museum re-furbished. Or at least like a farewell exhibit.He is gone, we will never see his likes again, but we can at least read and re-read "The Last of the Best", with a forward by Tommy Lasorda and an introduction by the Times venerable sports editor, Bill Dwyre.Murray towers above his profession, like Grantland Rice and Red Smith, but as New York Times columnist Dave Anderson says, he is to be compared with the likes of Twain and Hemingway. A great American. His work: Literature.Murray was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1990, and his response was "I never thought you could win a Pulitzer Prize just for quoting Tommy Lasorda correctly."Lasorda was greatly honored that Murray thought of him during his great moment, and Tommy has it right. Like Vin Scully and very, very few others, Murray was a guy who towered above the athletes he covered. The ones with some brains and respect for history knew that. If they did not, Murray never let it bother him. Let the ignorant wallow in their stupidity!Murray came to sportswriting after covering Hollywood. He once had a date with Marilyn Monroe, but she left him before the night was over for another guy.Murray understood. The other guy was Joe DiMaggio.Murray wrote with his heart. He had compassion. He also read like

Jim ole boy, we miss you ..........

This book is a must for any sports fan. No matter if you ever read Jim Murray or not. Regardless of what sport(s) that you follow. You will end up having a tough time putting this book down. Compiled by the editors of the Los Angeles Times, after Murray's death. It is a memorable read. There is no way I can describe the brilliant, evocotive, grab you by the scruff, writing style of a Jim Murray column. He will 'put you in the seats' of that sporting event. You just have to read it personally. He was the greatest sports writer in my reading lifetime. Do yourself a favor, read this book. You will laugh and cry your way through, and at the conclusion, you will wish it were a lot thicker. Las Vegas Dave

The greatest book for Jim Murray fans.

This book shows off Murray's greatest writings from the 1990's, something that previously had not been published. For anyone of the numerous Murray fans out there, this is a must buy. This collection of his columns will have you laughing, crying, and wishing for more. It shows completly what a great writer and artist that Murray really was. Even though it is sad to wake up, reach for your sports page, and not have Murray's column in it, you should at least wake up and read a couple out of this book. Even for those who have not read Murray their whole lives like myself, if you read this you will wish that you had. This is a chance to see what all your friends in Southern California were bragging about when the told you stories of how great a paper the LA Times is, Murray was a big reason for it. It includes some of his greatest lines and tributes that nobody else could ever write. You will not be sorry if you read this.