No Medals for Trying: A Week in the Life of a Pro Football Team

Syndicated sports columnist Izenberg ( The Rivals ), who has covered the New York Giants for three decades, here reports on one week in the life of the team, November 27-December 3, 1989, when the players were recuperating from a loss to the San Francisco 49ers and preparing for a game with the Philadelphia Eagles, whom they had to beat in order to win their division. With both quarterback Phil Simms and linebacker Lawrence Taylor badly injured, everyone, from head coach Bill Parcells to the most untried rookie, felt the necessity of making an extra effort. Izenberg builds the suspense so masterfully that grid aficionados will be caught up in the story. The book's title, however, is ill-chosen, as it reveals the outcome of the game. (Sept.)