The Best American Sports Writing

Perhaps no other genre lends itself to cliche quite as often as sports writing, with its thrilling victories and agonizing defeats, its loss and redemption. Washington Post associate editor Maraniss (author of Clemente), however, avoids the most tired sports writing and unearths some obscure gems in this installment of the Best American series. Robert Huber's rough, stylish profile of John Chaney seethes with the anger of the legendary coach (""Chaney wants to will the world into a righteous place as he kicks your ass. Or at least still have the goddamn chance to!""). Other highlights include Bob Hohler's penetrating examination of the connection between high school basketball and the sneaker business, and Larry Brown's beautifully evocative story of hunting a rare white raccoon-a story written 20 years ago but published for the first time in 2007. Moving beyond ""the old baseball, football, hockey, boxing, track and field, tennis tradition,"" Maraniss also includes stories like William Finnegan's fascinating surfing-technology story ""Black Monday,"" (which originally appeared not in Sports Illustrated, but The New Yorker). The result is a timely, forward-thinking collection that should please fans of just about every sport.