In The Fray

PacMan: Behind The Scenes With Manny Pacquiao

2010-12-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

PacMan: Behind The Scenes With Manny Pacquiao is available on Amazon and at bookstores worldwide. On Sunday it was recommended by the Los Angeles Times.

Praise for PacMan: Behind The Scenes With Manny Pacquiao by Gary Andrew Poole:

"Gary Andrew Poole's excellent biography of boxing's pound-for-pound kingpin is absolutely worth the read."--Sports Illustrated

"It is an amazing behind-the-scenes look into the life of Manny Pacquiao. Poole had tremendous access while he traveled the world reporting and observing the fighter. The effort has paid off for the readers because the book is brutally honest. Poole takes you on a one-of-a-kind ride into the one-of-a-kind life of Manny Pacquiao."--New York Newsday

"Poole takes you on a journey to Planet Pacquiao and it couldn't have been a better read...I loved the book from beginning to end, it's a fantastic, entertaining and informative read...and I consider it to be as good as any boxing biography my hands have ever touched."--Boxing Insider

"The book is an amazing tale of how a reed-thin Filipino, who left his home in the poorest pocket of the Philippines ("The City of Dust") at the age of 15 to become a boxer, became one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world. I recommend it."--Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News

"This is good, one for the ages. It's a fantastic book. It's not the work of a ridiculous fan boy. It's quality. If you listen to me enough, you know I don't endorse books that are garbage."--Steve Bunce, BBC

"PacMan tells the rags to riches story of this remarkable boxer who has begun a journey which will see him transcend the sport. It is a fine biography."--Gareth A. Davies, The Daily Telegraph

"If you don't know Pacquiao's amazing story, Poole will open your eyes. If you know Pacquiao already, Poole will help you know him more deeply. And with a masterful guide like Poole leading you down the path, you'll enjoy the experience immensely."--Tim Starks, The Queensberry Rules

"Offers fascinating insight into the PacMan's crowded life."--The Daily Mail

"The American writer Gary Andrew Poole describes a man of complex and fierce beliefs."--The Guardian (UK)

Juanma jumping rope

2010-11-01T16:26:00.001-07:00

Stopped by Fortune Gym to watch Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0) go through his regime. He fights Saturday against Rafael Marquez.

24oras: Pacquiao invites mediamen to Wild Card gym - Video - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News

2010-10-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

24oras: Pacquiao invites mediamen to Wild Card gym - Video - GMANews.TV - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News

Pacquiao Media Day at the Wild Card

2010-10-27T18:50:00.001-07:00

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

West Hollywood with The Daily Telegraph

2010-10-18T23:02:00.001-07:00

Just had a drink and dinner with Gareth Davies, the fine boxing writer for the Daily Telegraph, who was interviewing me about my forthcoming book, PacMan. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

TIME: Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The Fight — or Farce? — of the Century

2010-07-18T04:24:00.000-07:00

My latest article in TIME about Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Pacquiao vs. Mayweather: The Fight — or Farce? — of the Century

The Atlantic: Cotto-Foreman

2010-06-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

My article in The Atlantic about Saturday's Cotto-Foreman fight at Yankee Stadium.

Esquire: Will a Drug Test Stop the Boxing Match of the Millennium?

2010-05-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

My latest in Esquire: Will a Drug Test Stop the Boxing Match of the Millennium?

As the hype for a title bout with Floyd Mayweather reaches fever pitch, Manny Pacquiao's confidants insist steroids aren't what stand in the way — a fighter's secret is

Article here.

The Atlantic: Mayweather-Mosley

2010-05-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

I have an article in The Atlantic. It is about Saturday's Mayweather-Mosley fight. The piece is entitled, "Floyd Mayweather Jr.: The World's Greatest Boxer?"

Only one way to answer that question: Manny Pacquiao Vs. Mayweather.

Esquire: The Ali Inside of Manny Pacquiao

2010-03-15T09:15:00.001-07:00

My story in Esquire about Manny Pacquiao. The piece is entitled: "Secrets of the World's Best Boxer: The Ali Inside of Manny Pacquiao."

Pacquiao and Mayweather: One Bout Away from the Big One?

2010-03-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Pacquiao and Mayweather: One Bout Away from the Big One?

Click here for my story in TIME.

The Atlantic: Coaches Gone Wild

2010-01-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

My latest article in The Atlantic: Coaches Gone Wild: The BCS football championship game is this week. But all the action is off the field.

Will Bad Blood Scuttle the Pacquiao-Mayweather Fight?

2009-12-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

My article in TIME about Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

What's Wrong With Notre Dame Football?

2009-11-30T18:20:00.000-08:00

My article in TIME about Notre Dame football.

The Pacman's Power

2009-11-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

With speed and brutality, Manny Pacquiao has won seven world-title belts in seven weight classes. He may just be the greatest fighter ever. My story in The Atlantic about the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight last night.

The Realtime Project on Sports

2009-10-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Realtime Project on sports in the digital age. In the Fray is quoted. Click here.

Larger Than Life: The Red Grange Story (Coming in November)

2009-10-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

There is a Red Grange documentary coming out in November. I make an appearance or two in the film. Click here for the trailer.

A Cammy Award and Twitter

2009-09-25T19:16:00.001-07:00

The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend (Houghton Mifflin) won the Cammy Award at the CSU Media Festival. I had a good time at the event talking about the book and modern journalism. Also, you can now follow me on Twitter.

Red Grange News: Statue, Twitter, Book

2009-09-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Some Red Grange news:

>Some nice images of the new Red Grange statue, which was just unveiled at the University of Illinois. (More news on the statue at a later date, but here is a radio interview about it.)

>I have been enjoying Red Grange on Twitter. Very funny.

>And I will be talking about my book next Friday, September 18, at the Colorado State University Media Festival.

The Worst Sports Column Ever?

2009-09-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Mark Whicker, a sports columnist with the Orange County Register, wrote a column (some are calling it the "worst sports column in history" and it has my vote) relating sports to the Jaycee Dugard kidnapping. It showed poor taste. Sometimes a journalist will come up with an idea that seems clever but it does not work; these misguided attempts at over-the-top gravity or immature humor usually only see the light of day in college newspapers or on blogs. At major daily newspapers there is usually a system in place to check stories, or at least there is the ability to run an article by a colleague. Whicker's article should have been spiked. An editor looks after the integrity of the paper and tries his or her best to bring readers the most lucid coverage. With the implosion of the newspaper industry, there are fewer editors. Without good editing, newspaper writers do not always elevate the discussion, which is their mission, and there is a creeping sloppiness in our papers. Humor can be difficult to pull off, especially in a daily newspaper. So the Orange County Register ran the column, which really missed the mark in many ways, and readers were mad about it. They wrote outraged letters. Whicker apologized, kind of. In an interview with the Poynter Institute, he did not blame himself, bad editing, or weak judgment. It's the Web's fault! According to Poynter, "...in a phone interview, he defended the premise of his column and suggested that the fast-moving, quick-to-judge culture of the Web was behind the wave of criticism."

In the column, Whicker noted all the sporting events and activities Dugard missed as she was confined to a shed behind her kidnapper's house. "She was not allowed to spike a volleyball. Or pitch a softball. Or smack a forehand down the line. Or run in a 5-footer for double bogey," wrote Whicker, who's been in the business for 35 years. "Now, that's deprivation." And here is Whicker's baseball-inspired kicker: "Congratulations, Jaycee. You left the yard."

The Galloping Ghost: One year later

2009-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

It is the one year anniversary of the release of my biography of Red Grange If you haven't bought The Galloping Ghost--and who hasn't?--click here.

Slate: Fedor Emelianenko

2009-08-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

Big Fan: The Movie

2009-08-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

This looks like a good movie about sports fanatics. (Thanks to Jory Kruspe for alerting me to the movie.)

Travel Guide: USA V. Mexico, August 12

2009-07-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

Click the image to go to the guide, created by This Is American Soccer and Du Nord.

True/Slant: Log In

2009-06-10T18:06:00.001-07:00

I have been asked to write about technology for True/Slant, a blog network. (Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal wrote about True/Slant here.) I am excited about my column, Log In. I have written tech stories, including articles published in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wired, for twenty years and I hope people will come to True/Slant to read my articles. Log In will focus on putting technology into perspective through reported journalism.

I will continue to write about sports and post items on In the Fray, and continue with my other journalism.

Printers Row Recap

2009-06-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at Chicago's Printers Row Lit Fest. I was on an excellent panel with Jonathan Eig who wrote Opening Day and Luckiest Man, and Melissa Isaacson who wrote a biography about Lou Pinella. Dan McGrath of the Chicago Tribune did a great job moderating, and we had a standing room only crowd and there were lots of questions about my book. I also posted a piece about Printers Row, and publishing in general, on my True/Slant column.

Printers Row Lit Fest

2009-06-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

I will be in Chicago on Sunday for the Printers Row Lit Fest. Printers Row is one of the largest literary festivals in the country.

I will be talking about my book, The Galloping Ghost, on a sports biography panel. My panel starts at 1 p.m. and will be held at the University Center (more details here). The panel will be hosted by Dan McGrath of the Chicago Tribune.

If you happen to be at the festival, please stop by and say hello.

Printers Row Lit Fest 2009

2009-04-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

I will be in Chicago speaking at Printers Row Lit Fest 2009 (June 6 & 7). Printers Row is the Midwest's largest literary event, and it is sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. I will post more specific information when I have it, but I will be there to talk about my book The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend (Houghton Mifflin).

LA Times: The Blind Side Movie

2009-04-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Patrick Goldstein (Los Angeles Times) writes about the difficulties in casting the movie version of Michael Lewis' The Blind Side.

On Jay Cutler & fandom

2009-04-03T13:30:00.001-07:00

As a life-long Denver Broncos fan (I grew up in Denver), In The Fray is not so pleased with yesterday's trade of Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for Kyle Orton (Kyle Orton!) and draft picks. But as Red Grange's biographer, I have a different perspective on the trade than most Broncos fans and so I am going to enjoy seeing what happens with Cutler in the Second City. The Cutler drama that has played out over the NFL off-season has made me think a lot about fandom. I continue to follow the Broncos with a great deal of interest, but my passion has been on a sort of auto-pilot for a decade or so. With Mike Shanahan leading the team there was an amazing amount of consistency with the Broncos. They haven't been particularly great since their last Super Bowl win but they have been consistently decent. Shanahan was fired and that marked the beginning of several blundering mis-steps. But something happened to me as I watched the train wreck: a renewed passion for the team. Becoming a fan (I wrote about this issue in USA Today, too) can be quite complex. I have followed the team since childhood and I have been on emotional highs and lows through the years, but lately I have been a relatively impartial observer. For example, I was displeased when they didn't make the playoffs last season, but the end of the Broncos season didn't put me into a three-month depression. The disastrous off-season culminating in the Cutler trade shook me from my stupor: I haven't been this embarrassed and upset about my favorite team for awhile, and it's been nice to know that I still care so much.

Los Angeles Times: Senate plans to tackle BCS

2009-03-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Economy? War? Global warming? I am glad the Senate is tackling the most important issue of modern times.

Endangered: Newspaper beat writers

2009-03-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

There are troubling issues related to the demise of newspapers, particularly how journalists serve a watchdog role over our government and how that role might be lost. Every newspaper beat has been impacted. ESPN's Page 2 has a good article about how the demise of newspapers is hurting sports coverage.

Conference: Blogs With Balls

2009-03-25T15:44:00.001-07:00

If you are going to be in New York on June 13 and you're interested in sports blogs, you might want to check out Blogs With Balls, a "series of regional social sports blogger and new media gatherings featuring speakers and panelists specifically focused on sports fans, writers, sites, teams, athletes and companies..."

Interview: Hugging Harold Reynolds

2009-02-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hugging Harold Reynolds, a popular sports blog, interviewed me about The Galloping Ghost.

As it happens, ESPN has been airing a series in which the great athletes of each state are featured as an athletic Mt. Rushmore. The HHR interview was posted the same day as the segment on the Mt. Rushmore of Illinois, and so the blogsphere started linking the HHR interview. (Red Grange was left off the World Wide Leader's list.) This is what Deadspin had to say, "I'm sorry; I know that no one should ever actually give a crap about something like this—ever—but the fact that the Mt. Rushmore of Illinois did not have Red Grange on it is a crime against humanity."

Ditka?!

St. Petersburg Times: The Galloping Ghost

2009-02-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

Dave Scheiber reviewed The Galloping Ghost in the St. Petersburg Times today, Super Bowl Sunday.

For the full article, click here. Excerpt of "'The Galloping Ghost' shares the 'Red' Grange story":

His name long ago faded into the mist of history, a legend of the game whose complex life story was largely lost amid the hype of his gridiron greatness.

But in The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, An American Football Legend, author Gary Andrew Poole digs beneath the surface to present a compelling and fascinating look at the rise of an iconic figure from the Roaring '20s, his tragic undoing and — surprisingly — his profound influence on the sport today.

Through exhaustive research and interviewing, Poole does more than paint a vivid picture of a golden age of American culture. He illustrates how the accomplishments of Harold "Red" Grange permeate professional football today. And when Super Bowl XLIII kicks off at 6:28 p.m. today in Tampa, the most-watched event on the planet can trace a meaningful part of its genealogy — as Poole lays out with well-crafted prose — to gifted ballcarrier and lonely hero Grange...

The central aspect of Poole's book is the light it casts on the unusual business partnership between Grange and his manager, a wheeler-dealer entrepreneur named Charles "C.C." Pyle, who became, in his own way, America's first super sports agent. The author brings both men to life in rich historical detail and reveals how Pyle, a smooth-operating movie theater owner in Grange's hometown of Wheaton, Ill., saw the young star as a ticket to fame and fortune...

Still, the shadow cast today by the Galloping Ghost remains a formidable one — even if it's hard to see through the mist of time and the megahype of one more Super Bowl Sunday.

New York Times: The Physics of the Hit & Polamalu

2009-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

In The Fray readers might want to check out two Super Bowl-related articles in the New York Times: "The Physics of 'the Hit'", which talks about football collisions, you know, Newton’s second law of motion (force equals mass times acceleration); and "The Tao of Polamalu," a collection of quotes, many about the spirituality of sports, from Steelers defender Troy Polamalu.

Chicagoist: Interview about The Galloping Ghost and Journalism

2009-01-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here is an interview with me on today's Chicagoist. I talk about The Galloping Ghost and journalism. I was interviewed by Marcus Gilmer who did a nice job with the questions.

What's Mine is Yours [Design] Blog: The Galloping Ghost

2009-01-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

Nice write-up of The Galloping Ghost Website on art director and designer Casey Sheehan's blog, which is worth checking out in its own right.

Cigar City Magazine: Excerpt

2009-01-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

Just in time for the Super Bowl this Sunday, I am proud to announce that there is an excerpt of my book, The Galloping Ghost, in Tampa Bay's Cigar City Magazine. Red Grange and the Chicago Bears toured through Florida--and played a game in Tampa Bay--as part of a barnstorming tour that brought credibility and widespread attention to the NFL. If you're in TB for the big game and you have an afternoon to kill, go to Ybor City, eat a Cuban sandwich, smoke a cigar, and buy a copy of Cigar City, a great little magazine.

WCCO

2009-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

I will be on WCCO Radio (830 AM/Minneapolis) tonight talking about the current state of sports writing. I am scheduled to go on at around 9:10 p.m., PST (11:10 p.m., CST).

Site Update

2009-01-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

My friends at Analogue updated my award-winning website. The site--dedicated to my book, The Galloping Ghost--has links to The Galloping Ghost FaceBook page, interviews with me on iTunes, and some review blurbs. If you have a chance, check it out, and if you have never seen it definitely check it out, particularly the site's Experience section.

Sports Media Guide: Q & A

2009-01-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

Sports Media Guide--a "website for fans, media professionals, and media students," which is affiliated with The Sports Institute at Boston University--interviewed me about sports writing.

Newsday: In tough times, try fun and games

2009-01-12T21:25:00.001-08:00

New York Newsday column about sports in difficult times; my CJR essay is mentioned.

CJR: Sports writing

2009-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

I have an essay in the Columbia Journalism Review's January/February issue. The article is entitled "Back to the Future: How sports writing can recapture its relevance."

The essay has struck a nerve with sports scribes. The article came out Tuesday and it has already been cited by the San Jose Mercury News, New York Newsday, MediaBistro, and blogs like Sports Media Journal, Boston Sports Media Watch, The Big Lead, and a bunch of other ones. I have been getting lots of emails from sports writers and bloggers who fundamentally agree with the piece and are passing it around to colleagues; I am hoping the article is read by editors and newspaper managers because I think the philosophy behind it could be applied to all newspaper sections.

Here is an excerpt:

In the 1920s, The New Yorker published a piece that declared sports a “trivial enterprise” involving “second-rate people and their second-rate dreams and emotions.” The magazine went on to concede, however, that “the quality of writing in the sports pages is, in the large, much superior—wittier, more emotional, more dramatic, and more accurate—to the quality of writing that flows through the news columns.” Indeed, many of the greatest writers in journalism—Grantland Rice, W. C. Heinz, Jim Murray, Red Smith, to name but a few—found their home on the sports pages. Sports are big business and they have big themes: physical and intellectual tests, joy and heartbreak, hope and perseverance, teamwork and individual transcendence. The games and characters are ripe for vivid storytelling, and philosophic discourse about human nature and our culture. They are also part of a multibillion-dollar industry in need of dogged watchdog journalism.

But since the mid-1990s, two forces have diminished classic sports writing...

Click here to read the rest of the piece.

The Galloping Ghost: Reviews

2009-01-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked me about my book and if--in this difficult media climate--it has been reviewed. I have been fortunate that The Galloping Ghost was reviewed by a lot of different outlets, including the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and Sports Illustrated. The book also made it onto the Denver Post's best-seller list, and it was featured as a book of the week by Christianity Today.

I am glad the project has received so much attention, and I am hoping for a few more reviews (hello, New York Times and my hometown Los Angeles Times), but--most of all--I appreciate the support from friends, family, and readers.

A few people asked to see some of the blurbs so I thought I would just compile most of them and put them on my blog, thus:

"Football's first superstar played with a ballerina's grace and a bull's power, but as Gary Andrew Poole shows in The Galloping Ghost, there was more. 21st-century fans will benefit from his reburnishing of the legend."--Sports Illustrated

"The book is a terrific read."-- Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News

"You can almost feel the hits Grange took from defensive players and nearly taste the mud... This book is ideal for any football fan. I had chills reading [it]." (Chicago) Sun-Times News Group

"Red Grange may have been the best football player of all time, but hardly anyone talks about him the way baseball fans talk about Grange's contemporary, Babe Ruth. Gary Andrew Poole's new biography fills in the blanks of the life of a football legend."--Bob Edwards, The Bob Edwards Show

"[Poole] traveled the country for two years to meticulously research Grange's life. The book is a quick, lively, unpretentious read that captures Grange's greatness as well as his day, and clearly details his role in the growth of the game. I would recommend this to football fans, as much as I recommended Michael Lewis' 'The Blind Side.'"--Ethan Skolnick, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"The Galloping Ghost, by Gary Andrew Poole, may convince readers that Red Grange was the most productive college football player ever to strap on a helmet."--The Boston Globe

"Poole is blessedly non-preachy about the lessons of the Grange story. He could have said a great deal more. If agents are not as powerful on the field now as [Grange's agent} C.C. Pyle was—effectively coaching the team while [Bears owner George] Halas sat by during the barnstorming tour—they're far more prominent in other ways. There is not an NFL second stringer today who doesn't pull down seven figures. Poole could've waxed on about the tragedy of wearing out a prize horse by racing him so often. He could have said more about what he calls in one place the "holiness" of seeing such athletic achievement in person. He doesn't, and the book's understatement makes it better than most sports volumes.--Christianity Today, which named The Galloping Ghost a book of the week.

"Red Grange was the most important figure in the history of American football, both college and pro, and Gary Andrew Poole's extremely well-researched biography of the man, The Galloping Ghost, sheds all new light on Grange's career from his days as a young phenom to his barn-storming around the country as an American hero to his ultimate decline and fall. It is a fascinating read."--William Nack, author of Secretariat and Ruffian

"Even the casual football fan will find Poole's book intriguing."--Columbus Dispatch

"A lively, well-written biography of this towering figure. Grange revolutionized the game on the field and his business manager, C.C. Pyle, revolutionized it off it." --Orange County Register

"In writing the authoritative biography of Red Grange, Gary Andrew Poole has done so much more. He has vividly brought us back to the glory days of college football's past and the raucous birth pangs of the pro game. And he has brilliantly shown us how America's first national football hero was also, thanks to his charismatic and conniving manager, America's first sports commodity, as well."--Samuel G. Freedman, author of The Inheritance

"...reveals how the game is played on the field, and how it resonates in the wider world."--The Washington Post

"The Galloping Ghost is–as the subtitle indicates–the story of 'an American football legend.' It’s also the tale of a gifted and durable but somewhat dim young man who enriched promoters with his physical prowess and excited fans with his play without much concern for his own well-being. In that sense, at least, it’s a story as current as this weekend’s NFL games."--NPR's Only A Game

"An excellent book. Poole uses a wealth of information-interviews, box scores, etc.- in recreating Grange's life and recreating specific games in exquisite detail."--Chicagoist

"Grange was a roaring success in the ‘20s, and Gary Andrew Poole speaks for almost all of us when he says, in The Galloping Ghost: 'Red Grange played way before my time, but his ghost always hovered above the American sporting landscape.' Exceptional players are often described as defining an era, but Grange did more. He defined a game. 'If you were to draw a line through the mud of American history and find one man who could be considered the founding father of our football culture, it would be Red Grange,' Poole says. He’s right; Grange’s mastery moved football from the periphery to the center of American life. At Illinois and later, breaking a great taboo for a squeaky- clean collegian by signing with pro teams, Grange placed an indelible footprint on the gridiron. He built up statistics that impress even eight decades later, including a fabled 1924 showdown against Michigan in which the Ghost recorded 402 net yards in only 41 minutes of play. He was, as Poole puts it, 'a quiet warrior,' but his game, and impact, were loud."--Bloomberg News

"One of the best sports books I have read in a very long time, maybe ever."--CFTT , which awarded The Galloping Ghost a Book End Award, citing TGG as "Hands down...my favorite book of the year."

"Through The Galloping Ghost, Poole has managed to use history in such a way that it is both relatable and thought-provoking whether you follow sports or not."--(Jackson, Mississippi) Clarion Ledger

"With superb reporting and deft writing, Gary Andrew Poole pulls off his version of a spectacular Grange touchdown run, invigorating a legendary sports story with energy and new detail. Grange’s inner life is explored as broken-field runs come alive and a controversial saga plays out."--John Eisenberg, author of The Great Match Race

"Poole's new biography of one of football's founding legends focuses on Grange's pioneering role in the transformation of a backlot game into a money-making machine, along the way turning athletes into the highly paid celebrities we take for granted today."--Savannah Morning News

"Poole gives us the first major biography of Grange." --Time Out Chicago

"Puts Grange's great career in the context of its colorful time... Pays worthy tribute to a legend."--Booklist

"Poole is eminently readable, and the accent on Pyle is a real bonus."--Library Journal

"In the Roaring '20s, Red Grange, the Galloping Ghost of Illinois and the Chicago Bears, defined football the way Babe Ruth defined baseball. The greatest college player of all time (so declared ESPN this year), the Forksville, Sullivan County native also popularized professional football. Biographer Gary Andrew Poole examines the life of the player Damon Runyan described as "three or four men and a horse rolled into one. He is Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, Al Jolson, Paavo Nurmi and Man o' War. Put them together and they spell Grange."--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"[Poole] recounts the rise and tragic fall of the first national star of the gridiron. Poole also lays bare the complex relationship between a prominent athlete and the nation's first real sports agent." -- (Chicago) Sun-Times News Group

"Football wasn't truly football until the coming of Red Grange."--Chicago Magazine

"Gary Andrew Poole has chosen a subject matter like few others in the American sports landscape. Red Grange is one of the greatest football players, and personalities in the history of the game. The Galloping Ghost is not only a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame (and yes, he also played for the New York Yankees in 1926-27), but was on the cover of Time Magazine, and was the recipient of the first 'six figure' contract in American athletics by way of his 19-game barnstorming tour with the Chicago Bears. Few athletes before or since have captured the imagination of sports fans in the way Grange did. Poole's account captures this story and this era in a unique and fascinating way."--Pat Haden, former college and NFL quarterback, and currently NBC's college football analyst

"The Galloping Ghost was as big in his day as Babe Ruth, but we've forgotten how critical he was in building the modern NFL. A new biography aims to set that right."--Gelf Magazine

Breaking the Huddle

2009-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

HBO's documentary Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football came out last month. I just had a chance to see it. If you get a chance check it out; it's exceptional.

Christianity Today: The Galloping Ghost

2009-01-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

Christianity Today reviewed The Galloping Ghost, and named it its "book of the week." Of all the reviews of TGG, I think this is one of the most intelligent takes on it; the piece is well worth a read. The author is Jason Byassee, the director of the Center for Theology, Writing & Media at Duke Divinity School. His review is entitled, "How We Got to Superbowl Sunday: The story behind pro football's first superstar and the rise of the NFL."

Here is an excerpt:

If you want to know what America is like, just flip on a game in the National Football League.

They start with an odd mash of pageantry. Nashville celebs like Hank Williams, Jr., or Faith Hill betray country music's real greatness—heartbreak—to grind out an impossibly chipper musical intro. Cheerleaders bounce in uniforms that show a genius for growing smaller each year. Players kneel for prayer at the 50-yardline while banners in the crowd offer evangelistic outreach. Fighter jets streak overhead. It's all a glimpse of the USA: celebrity, sex, religion, patriotism, violence. President Bush himself a few years ago found time amidst fighting terror and a tanking economy (and presumably a few other important things) to introduce a Monday Night game with an homage to the troops, the Almighty, and the violence to come, drawling where Hank usually croons, "Are you ready for some football?"

Obviously enough, it was not always thus. But how did it come to be?

Gary Andrew Poole provides an answer with The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, An American Football Legend. He chronicles not only the career of the red-headed Illinoisian, but of a certain C. C. Pyle, a huckster who served as Red's promoter. The pair managed to transform the fledgling NFL's image from that of a disreputable (and worse, unprofitable) gang of thugs into a national pastime on par with boxing and baseball at the time and far beyond all competitors now.

And:

Poole tells Grange's Horatio Alger story well. His father was the only policeman in Wheaton, Illinois. Red spent his high school summers as the town's iceman—delivering 75-pound blocks to farmsteads was the perfect pre-weightlifting way to burnish his muscular frame. He also played football in the town's orchard, once coming home with two vertebrae knocked out of place. And don't you know that every element of the backstory came into the legend? Red listed his profession as "iceman" on official forms even as he built his father a mansion and returned to town wearing raccoon-skin coats.

We think of football as a violent game now, though players can hardly come near one another's helmets today, and had better not blow a kiss to an opposing quarterback lest they be penalized. In Grange's day only leather helmets protected players' brains, and pads were just sponges sewn into clothes. Punching and kicking and biting would go unpenalized. Coaches ridiculed the injured. Poole estimates that during Grange's greatest season he had ten concussions. As a pro he played through a lacerated bladder in one game, and remade himself into a serviceable (if no longer dominant) defensive player after a catastrophic knee injury. Part of greatness then was simply having almost superhuman tolerance for pain.

And:

Poole is blessedly non-preachy about the lessons of the Grange story. He could have said a great deal more. If agents are not as powerful on the field now as Pyle was—effectively coaching the team while Halas sat by during the barnstorming tour—they're far more prominent in other ways. There is not an NFL second stringer today who doesn't pull down seven figures. Poole could've waxed on about the tragedy of wearing out a prize horse by racing him so often. He could have said more about what he calls in one place the "holiness" of seeing such athletic achievement in person. He doesn't, and the book's understatement makes it better than most sports volumes.

To read the entire review, click here.

Boston Globe: a ghost of football past

2009-01-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

The Boston Globe reviewed The Galloping Ghost in today's paper.

Media Roundup: Book reviews

2009-01-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

With all the commotion around the holidays, I neglected to post some reviews...

College Football Top Ten, a blog, has a very generous review of The Galloping Ghost:

[The Galloping Ghost] was one of the best sports books I have read in a very long time, maybe ever. His prose rates right up there with Jim Dent’s Twelve Mighty Orphans. Indeed, Poole doesn’t just tell us about the facts of Grange’s life, he illustrates it for us describing in detail and taking us to the very scene as if we are standing there next to Grange.

Also, two other outlets reviewed the book:

Corn Nation, a blog about Nebraska football, had a nice write-up:

Gary Andrew Poole delivers an authoritative biography of Grange...If you like college or professional football history, this is a must read book. Poole’s writing is compelling as the book reads more like a novel than a history text. His research is extensive and the characters are exquisite.

And, American Chronicle reviewed it too, saying it's a "great read."

Raging Bull

2009-01-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Click here for the title sequence for Raging Bull, only the best ever sports film.

[Raging Bull title sequence via Analogue.com via Design Observer via Art of The Title]

2009-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Columbus Dispatch: The Galloping Ghost

2008-12-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Bob Hunter, a writer for the Columbus Dispatch, has a nice review of The Galloping Ghost in his column. About the book and Red Grange he says that the "former Illinois and NFL star is a fascinating story and Poole has obviously done a good job in telling it. I think even the casual football fan will find Poole's book intriguing." He also recommends the book as a nice gift for football fans this Christmas and Hanukkah season.

Hunter knows the early era of football. He is the author of Chic: The Extraordinary Rise of Ohio State Football and the Tragic Schoolboy Athlete Who Made It Happen.

For the whole review, click here.

Thanks also to Chicagoist, Bloomberg, and various radio hosts for recommending The Galloping Ghost this holiday season.

Chicago Sun-Times: Red Grange, "best of the best"

2008-12-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

For the last 25 weeks, the Chicago Sun-Times has been counting down the "Top 25 Athletes in Chicago History." According to Sun Times writer Neil Hayes, who has been writing the excellent series, "we left it up to our panel of current and former Sun-Times writers and editors to define 'greatness.' The result was a Top 25 that featured nine football players, eight basketball players, four baseball greats, two swimmers, a hockey player and a track star."

Red Grange was voted the greatest athlete in Chicago history by the panel. The Grange article--No. 1: Red Grange | A 'GHOST' TOWN | Illinois legend who put pro football on map with Bears is best of the best--appears in today's paper.

(I am quoted.)

Here is an excerpt:

He's considered among the greatest football players in history, but Red Grange never was able to explain what made him great. The former Illinois and Bears superstar is perhaps the person most responsible for football as we know it today, but he never could articulate what separated him from the rest.

''I can't take much credit for what I did, running with a football, because I don't know what I did,'' Grange told sportswriter W.C. Heinz. ''Nobody ever taught me, and I can't teach anybody. You can teach a man how to block or tackle or kick or pass. The ability to run with a ball is something you have or you haven't. If you can't explain it, how can you take credit for it?''

Red Grange was perhaps the greatest single attraction football has ever known. People flocked to see him play.

Grange was perhaps the greatest single attraction the game has ever known. He was one of four athletes (Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Bobby Jones being the others) who made the 1920s roar. Not long after leaving his hometown of Wheaton, the former ice man became an American obsession whom people flocked to see. Not only was he perhaps the greatest player in college history, but he almost single-handedly transformed pro football into a spectator sport.

Almost a quarter-century after he retired, the spector of the ''Galloping Ghost'' still looms large over the game. For those reasons, Grange was voted the Greatest Athlete in Chicago History by a Sun-Times panel.

''If you were to draw a line through the mud of American history and find one man who could be considered the founding father of our football culture, it would be Red Grange,'' said Gary Andrew Poole, author of The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend...

To read the rest of the article, click here.

XM Satellite: Edge of Sports

2008-12-20T05:06:00.000-08:00

I will be on today's the Edge of Sports Radio with Dave Zirin. The Edge of Sports is "where sports and politics collide." The show is broadcast on XM Channel 167 (Saturday) at 9 a.m. PST and is repeated Sunday at 11 a.m. PST. Zirin is the author of A People's History of Sports in the United States: From Bull-Baiting to Barry Bonds . . . 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play.

And tonight, if you live in Phoenix, you can catch me on 1010 AM at around 8 p.m. (PST).

Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and … Kindle?

2008-12-19T21:57:00.001-08:00

Sports Business Journal had an article--Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and … Kindle?--on December 8 in which it asked different executives what they wanted for the holidays, and Jim Steeg, Executive Vice President & COO, San Diego Chargers, wanted a copy of The Galloping Ghost. That made my day, but I was in a bit of a dilemma. Since I am a life-long Denver Broncos fan, I would like a lineman who can tackle a running back, particularly in a couple weeks when we play SD and the great LT...I doubt I will get my wish this season, but I played Santa Claus so I know Mr. Steeg's holiday wish will come true. (I have always had a soft spot for San Diego.) And, no, Broncos fans, I am not losing the faith: I figured a good-will gesture would bring the Broncs some good karma after the ref'ing mistake earlier this season that helped give the Broncos a win over the Chargers--the teams seem to be on a collision course in the race to win the AFC West.

Sirius NFL Radio: Sammy Baugh

2008-12-19T06:33:00.001-08:00

I will be on Sirius NFL Radio today at around 2:30 p.m. (PST). I will be on Movin' The Chains with Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan (actually Ross Tucker will be co-hosting today because Ryan is readying himself to call the St. Louis Rams game this weekend). I am a big fan of the show and happy to be on it, but I wish the circumstances of the "appearance" were better. I am on to talk about football great Sammy Baugh, who passed away on Wednesday. We are going to discuss Baugh's place in football history. By the way, Baugh and Red Grange were inducted into the first class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame....And if you live in Las Vegas, I will be on Marty Rodick's show today on Fox Radio 920 AM at 1 p.m. (PST).

Sammy Baugh, 1914-2008

2008-12-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Sammy Baugh, arguably one of the greatest players in NFL history, has died. If you ever get a chance to see any footage of “Slingin’ Sammy,” take a look because his throwing accuracy was uncanny. He really changed the game, making the forward pass into a primary offensive weapon. But in reading the obituries, I have noticed that what has been lost in time is Baugh's all-around ability: in 1943 he lead the NFL in passing, punting, and interceptions. I am sure his "Triple Crown" feat will never be matched.

Baugh was one of 17 men to make up the inaugural class inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. That group included Red Grange, George Halas, Bronko Nagurski and Jim Thorpe. Baugh was the last surviving member of the inaugural class.

Bloomberg: Holiday books

2008-12-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

Nice mention of The Galloping Ghost on today's Bloomberg.com in a roundup of books to buy for the holidays. And I like what the writer, David M. Shribman--executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette--says about sports books:

Really good sports writing -- and no, that’s not an oxymoron, like “military music” -- is almost never about sports. It’s about bigger issues. Men and women play sports, and write about sports, as a way of understanding their broader challenges and struggles, the victories and the losses they create and suffer every day. Load up on these books over the holidays, but don’t for a minute think they’re about games.

Only A Game: The Galloping Ghost

2008-12-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

I will be on NPR's Only A Game on Saturday (12/13/08). If you're not familiar with the show, it is well worth checking out: sports for the thinking sports fan.

The host, Bill Littlefield, interviewed me, and he also reviewed my book on the Only A Game Website.

Red Grange was a dominant college football player and the first true star of the National Football League. In his book, The Galloping Ghost: An American Football Legend, Gary Andrew Poole profiles the man who was an American icon long before the NFL was the place where players went to become stars. Bill Littlefield shares his observations on the book.

Despite the inherently goofy nature of comparing football as it is played now with football as it was played almost a century ago, a case can probably be made that Red Grange was as dominant as any football player has ever been.

Grange played his college ball at Illinois, where he enjoyed numerous glowing autumn afternoons. On one of those afternoons in 1924, he gained 402 yards and scored 5 touchdowns against Michigan. On another in 1925, he gained 363 yards and scored 3 touchdowns against Pennsylvania. He was also an exceptionally talented player on defense in the days when pro teams sometimes carried as few as sixteen players. Grange’s performances earned him national acclaim. Babe Ruth was among his admirers. The most celebrated sportswriters of the time traveled hundreds of miles to see Grange play and celebrate his achievements in florid prose and, occasionally, in verse.

When he left school, Grange embarked on an exceedingly rocky pro career. He made an insanely ambitious barnstorming tour with the Chicago Bears, sometimes playing as many as four games in a week. According to Gary Andrew Poole, the author of The Galloping Ghost, Grange may have suffered as many as ten concussions during this debacle, and some who were familiar with his talents claimed that afterward he was never the same player, although the tour certainly helped make the pro game more popular.

While he was still at Illinois, Grange fell under the influence of a notorious con artist named C.C. Pyle. Pyle manipulated Grange into the barnstorming tour and various other ill-considered adventures, among them the creation of a league that was supposed to rival the fledgling NFL, but that collapsed after one season.

Certainly The Galloping Ghost is – as the subtitle indicates – the story of “an American football legend.” It’s also the tale of a gifted and durable but somewhat dim young man who enriched promoters with his physical prowess and excited fans with his play without much concern for his own well-being. In that sense, at least, it’s a story as current as this weekend’s NFL games.

Signed Copies: The Galloping Ghost

2008-12-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from Jeff Pearlman, the author of Boys Will Be Boys, and, well, a bunch of people who keep asking me to send them autographed copies of The Galloping Ghost. If you would like an autographed copy, please email me at: info@garyandrewpoole.com

We can work out the details but, basically, I will sign a book and mail it to you after you send me a $21 check to handle the book and postage. Please indicate in the email if you would like a specific inscription, or if you just want me to sign it. I am more than happy to do it.

If you want the book by the holidays, please email me soon.

Chicagoist: The Galloping Ghost

2008-12-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

Nice review in today's Chicagoist. The Galloping Ghost was featured in the 2008 Gift Guide.

Another excellent book hitting shelves is The Galloping Ghost, Gary Andrew Poole's biography of football legend Harold "Red" Grange. With football such a part of the life of Chicagoans, there's no better way to delve into the sport's rich history - Grange was named the best college football player ever by ESPN - than by exploring Poole's excellent account of the life and career of the University of Illinois and Chicago Bears star. Poole uses a wealth of information - interviews, box scores, etc. - in recreating Grange's life and recreating specific games in exquisite detail. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the book is Grange's relationship with the famed agent, Charles "Cash 'N' Carry" Pyle. This book would make a great gift for the football fan in your family.

The Galloping Ghost: Grand Central Station

2008-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

I took this shot of my book at Posman Books at Grand Central Station in NYC. (The camera on my iPhone is not so great.) If you see a copy of The Galloping Ghost in a local bookstore, send me a photo: info@garyandrewpoole.com. Best one gets a signed copy of the book.

Publishing: Grim

2008-12-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

New York Magazine article about the current state of book publishing.

The Front Row

2008-12-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

I will be on WVXU/91.7 FM, the NPR station in Cincinnati, on Saturday (tomorrow) at 7:00 a.m. The interview is with Betsy Ross, the ex-ESPN anchor, who hosts an interview segment, called The Front Row, on Cincinnati Edition.

Denver Post: Best-seller list #6

2008-12-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that I made the Denver Post best-seller list last week. I was #6 in the nonfiction category. I appreciate the hometown support.

New York: Gelf Magazine & Varsity Letters

2008-12-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was featured in a Q & A published in Gelf Magazine. It's a lively read (I think): we talk about Red Grange, and for those of you who have heard enough about Grange this year, we also talk quite a bit about sports-writing. Click here to read the interview.

Also, Carl Bialik, a co-founder of Gelf who edits the Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix, hosts a monthly reading series called Varsity Letters. He asked me to talk about my book so I will be speaking on Thursday at the event. Varsity Letters is held in New York at the Happy Ending Lounge.

Here are the details:

December 4: Gelf's Varsity Letters

Gelf's Varsity Letters sports reading series returns to New York on Thursday, December 4, at 8 p.m. At this free monthly event at a Lower East Side bar, hosted by Gelf, Gary Andrew Poole, Liz Robbins, Nathaniel Friedman, Jacob Weinstein, and Jesse Einhorn will read from and talk about their work, and take questions. Poole is the author of a biography of the legendary football star Red Grange. Robbins is a New York Times sportswriter and author of a book about her city's greatest day, the marathon. And Einhorn, Friedman, and Weinstein are authors of the offbeat NBA blog Free Darko, and a book spinoff that catalogs the league's biggest and most-colorful stars.

Admission is FREE. Please spread the word to sports fans and book lovers.

Event Details:

Happy Ending Lounge (official site, CitySearch, MySpace)
302 Broome St.
(between Forsyth and Eldridge)
212-334-9676
J/M/Z/F to Delancey
B/D to Grand Street
Look for the hot-pink awning with the words "Health Club" on it.

Doors open at 7:30.
Readings start at 8 sharp.
FREE!

Bloomberg: The Galloping Ghost

2008-12-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

Excellent review of The Galloping Ghost on Bloomberg News.

Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- How many football figures do you find on the cover of Time magazine? Not many. There’s Dick Kazmaier of Princeton. Bobby Layne of the Detroit Lions. Tom Harmon of Michigan. Knute Rockne of Notre Dame. Here’s another: Red Grange of Illinois, in jacket and tie, his face a portrait of purpose on the front of the Oct 5, 1925, issue.

Good thing he was there, too, because without that cover most Americans would never have seen Grange, who played at a time before football players became television stars. He was a roaring success in the ‘20s, and Gary Andrew Poole speaks for almost all of us when he says, in “The Galloping Ghost” (Houghton Mifflin, $25): “Red Grange played way before my time, but his ghost always hovered above the American sporting landscape.”

Exceptional players are often described as defining an era, but Grange did more. He defined a game. “If you were to draw a line through the mud of American history and find one man who could be considered the founding father of our football culture, it would be Red Grange,” Poole says. He’s right; Grange’s mastery moved football from the periphery to the center of American life.

At Illinois and later, breaking a great taboo for a squeaky- clean collegian by signing with pro teams, Grange placed an indelible footprint on the gridiron. He built up statistics that impress even eight decades later, including a fabled 1924 showdown against Michigan in which the Ghost recorded 402 net yards in only 41 minutes of play. He was, as Poole puts it, “a quiet warrior,” but his game, and impact, were loud.

Click here for the link.

Denver Post: "Beer and goosebumps"

2008-12-01T09:47:00.000-08:00

Nice mention in the Denver Post about my appearance at The Tattered Cover:

Colorado native Gary Andrew Poole read and signed his book "The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend" at the Tattered Cover Colfax last week — and waxed poetic.

"When I was a teenager growing up in Denver, I liked to do two things: Sneak into Coors for the tour and the resulting free beer. The second thing: To go to the Tattered Cover. . . . When I walked through the doors tonight I had goosebumps."

New York Times: A Couple of Beers and 140 Views of Yellowstone

2008-11-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

I have a personal essay in today's (November 21) New York Times; it is entitled: The Slide Show: A Couple of Beers and 140 Views of Yellowstone.

It starts:

Every year of my childhood, my parents took my brother and me on one big trip. A few months later our neighbors, if they couldn’t think up a reasonable excuse, came over for the Slide Show. For those whose only memories of sharing photographs involve Flickr or iPhoto, I should explain that this involved tiny squares placed into an electronic projector to display oversized images as a friendly host droned on … and on … about what was in them.

Now people share photographs through e-mailed pictures, postings on a Web site or — for the truly ambitious — a digital movie accompanied by Coldplay. It’s all fun and easy, and I use all these modern image-sharing tools myself. But we have lost the great tradition of going on a journey and then, back home, telling your stories to friends and colleagues while they endure your 140 slides of Yellowstone.

All of the great explorers practiced post-travel show-and-tell rituals in some form, and many renowned institutions of exploration, like the National Geographic Society, were born from the desire to share unseen worlds, solicit funds and brag.

Most people who have actually experienced traditional slide shows are reading this and silently praying that I don’t try to revive them. But for me, our family slide shows held great meaning...

Click here to read the rest of the piece.

CBC's The Fifth Estate: Head Games

2008-11-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

Good program about concussions. It aired yesterday on CBC's Fifth Estate.

Head Games description:

They have been called the greatest football team in the history of the CFL — the Edmonton Eskimos of the 1970s and '80s that won five consecutive Grey Cups. But, for some of the star players on that team, the years of triumph ended ingloriously in early deaths, from heart attack, suicide and misadventure. The tragedy of those early deaths was often compounded by alcohol or drug addictions, probably caused by another, less visible, killer. Recent research by neuroscientists now shows the link between on-the-field concussions and brain damage; a permanent injury that can lead to depression, suicide and severe aberrant behaviour. The damage is so profound, the researchers say, that post-mortem examinations of the brain tissue of five former professional football players can be compared only to the tissue found in the brain tissue of advanced Alzheimers cases.

Homecoming: The Tattered Cover

2008-11-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

As a Colorado native, I am looking forward to my reading at Denver's awesome independent bookstore The Tattered Cover tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7:30 p.m. The event will be at the Colfax store: 2526 East Colfax Avenue at Elizabeth Street.

Also, for anyone in the Denver area who can't make the reading, I will be on Rick Crandall's KEZW/1430-AM show on Wednesday morning at around 9:40 a.m., and Mile High Sports Radio 1510-AM at 5 p.m.

Information Overload: How sports have changed

2008-11-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

From the 1920s, a time in which people had to imagine sporting feats through newspaper articles, to our modern sports saturation with the Web, radio, and television, the way we see sports has been completely altered. Sport reflects our dreams, the good and the bad parts of ourselves, and I wonder what modern instant-information gratification does to us. Do we enjoy sports more today, as we sit and watch a game, laptop on our lap, checking statistics? Are we more informed, or do we just have more bits of data flowing through our brain? Through the information overload, have we lost our emotional connection to sports?

New York Times: Tom Donnelly

2008-11-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is an excellent story about Tom Donnelly, Haverford College's men's cross-country and track coach. The article, by Bill Pennington, was published in today's New York Times.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel: The Galloping Ghost

2008-11-13T17:14:00.001-08:00

Very positive review of The Galloping Ghost in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

"[Poole] traveled the country for two years to meticulously research Grange's life. The book is a quick, lively, unpretentious read that captures Grange's greatness as well as his day, and clearly details his role in the growth of the game. I would recommend this to football fans, as much as I recommended [Michael Lewis'] 'The Blind Side' earlier this year."

The reviewer is sports columnist Ethan Skolnick.

Mellissa Fung & journalism

2008-11-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

I rarely venture outside the realm of sports and culture on this blog, but I am greatly pleased to read that Mellissa Fung, a classmate of mine at Columbia University some years ago, was released by her captors in Afghanistan, and that journalists cooperated so intelligently to help her live. Story from the Globe and Mail here, and click here for the CBC interview with Fung.

*

With the major changes happening in the media (pity the people of Los Angeles who only have a shell of a newspaper), I think we tend to forget the importance of quote-unquote mainstream journalists, and how many of them put their lives on the line to tell us stories of grand importance. While I think blogging and social media have a significant place in our media landscape, we should not simply do away with professional watchdogs. The Los Angeles Times seems to be laying off Pulitzer Prize winners every week, and they are not alone...Newspapers probably won't be around in ten years, but journalists are not simply moving on-line, they are leaving the profession. Difficulties in the newspaper business model should not mean destroying a profession built to help people stay informed. Media companies and the public need to reassess the value of journalism, and journalists, for the public good.

In a similar vein, I write about the impact of our modern preoccupations with news speed, not context, and how it relates to sports journalism in an upcoming issue of the Columbia Journalism Review. When it get closer to the publication date, I will have a link on In The Fray.

Dallas Morning News: Review

2008-10-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rick Gosselin, the respected NFL writer for the Dallas Morning News, has a nice review of The Galloping Ghost.

The Galloping Ghost, by Gary Andrew Poole.

In the three-plus decades I've covered the NFL, I've interviewed many an inflated ego that thought pro football began with him. Poole's book is about the one player who can truly make that claim – Red Grange, the Galloping Ghost from the University of Illinois. Pro football was a sideshow in the 1920s that drew sparse crowds of family and friends. But when Grange turned pro after his college career, the crowds swelled to 20,000 and 30,000 overnight.

There's an incredible amount of research by Poole in telling the tale of a football player who shared the national sporting stage back then with Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Bobby Jones. The legendary football names of George Halas, Jim Thorpe, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Bronko Nagurski, Fielding Yost and Ernie Nevers are weaved into the narrative. Here's what George Halas had to say about Grange's impact on pro football: "Grange was to us then what television is to the modern era."

It's also a tragic tale of how Grange was manipulated by the sport's first player agent. It's a story of how C.C. Pyle milked Grange, burned through his fortune and likely shortened his career (and window of greatness) with a ridiculous barnstorming tour after his first season as a pro that staged 10 games in 18 days, battering the American hero to a pulp.

Grange was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the only unanimous selection by the Football Writers Association of America to its 100th anniversary college All-America team selected in 1969.

The book is a terrific read.

Sports Illustrated: The Galloping Ghost

2008-10-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

A very nice review of my Red Grange biography in Sports Illustrated's October 20 edition. (The article is entitled "Remember the Titans".) I have been reading SI since I was a kid so being in the magazine is a total thrill.

Reading: Village Books

2008-10-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I will be speaking at Village Books (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) tonight. The event starts at 7:30 p.m.

In The Fray: On iTunes

2008-10-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

You can now hear my podcast on iTunes. Thus far, I have posted several radio interviews, featuring yours truly on my book tour talking about The Galloping Ghost. In the coming months, I will contribute essays and interviews to the podcast--"Gary Andrew Poole: In The Fray". The podcast is targeted at the thinking sports fan, which I am sure, includes you.

Just go to the iTunes Store and type in my name and subscribe.

(Please note: some shows, like The Bob Edwards Show, prohibit me from posting the interviews...but...you can hear the full Edwards interview through Audible.com.)

Bob Edwards: The Galloping Ghost

2008-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I will be on The Bob Edwards Show on Tuesday, October 14.

I listened to Edwards for years on NPR, and I am a fan of the Hall of Fame broadcaster. He is now with XM/Sirius, and he also distributes his Bob Edwards Weekend show through public radio stations. Edwards is arguably the best interviewer in the business, and after being interviewed by him I realize why. He spent 50 minutes talking with me about The Galloping Ghost and his questions and sense of narrative were astounding.

The Bob Edwards Show airs Monday through Friday from 8-9 AM on XM Channel 133 and Sirius Channel 196. Encore presentations: M-F 9-10 AM; M-F 10-11 AM; M-F 8-9 PM; M-F 7-8 AM (they replay each show the following morning at 7:00 AM).

Show description:

Red Grange was a three-time All-American running back at Illinois in the 1920’s when the college game was the only football that fans respected. Indeed, it was only when Grange joined the Chicago Bears that anyone paid attention to professional football. In 1969, when the Football Writers Association selected its all-time All-American team, Red Grange was the only player chosen unanimously. Writer Gary Andrew Poole joins Bob to talk about The Galloping Ghost, Poole’s new biography of the man who may have been the best player in football history...

Hopefully, for those of you without XM/Sirius, the interview will be re-broadcast on Bob Edwards Weekend. I will let you know later this week on In The Fray.

New York Newsday: Football books

2008-10-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

New York Newsday featured The Galloping Ghost as part of a roundup review of football books. Gotta say, the review is definitely a head-scratcher: referring to the book "War As They Knew It" about the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, the reviewer says that "neither team is very good these days." Maybe that is true with Michigan, but wasn't Ohio State in the last two national championship games? And it won the title in 2002. That ranks the Buckeyes as one of the best teams of this decade.

MediaBistro: Author web sites

2008-10-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

I penned a little article ("Making Author Web Sites Work") about author Web sites for MediaBistro, a site for media professionals. I talk about the making of my Website and include some tips. Unless you're a writer, it's mostly inside baseball, and you have to be a MediaBistro AvantGuild member, but--if you're interested--click here for the article url.

The Galloping Ghost: Media Roundup

2008-10-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

My local paper wrote an article about the book.

Wheaton College--the home of the most comprehensive collection of Red Grange papers, memorabilia, etc.--has a nice write-up of the book. I can't say enough positive things about the collection. Wheaton has an incredibly well-organized archive and it was pleasure to do research there.

Sticks of Fire, a blog out of Tampa Bay, talks about my book, and Grange's place in Tampa's history.

History Wire talks about the book and includes an interview.

Q & A with Best Ever Sports Talk, a blog.

The radio interviews continue...I wanted to tell you about one recent one. Tony Crivello, a Tony Award winner, who plays the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian, has a sports radio show on KBAD in Las Vegas. Crivello is a knowledgeable sports history guy; the Phantom was passionate about the Galloping Ghost.

Comeback: The single wing

2008-10-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

I like that the Miami Dolphins have brought back the single wing, a play made popular in the early part of the last century. This innovation-by-going-back-in-history has some of the best football minds, including Bill Belichick of the Patriots, struggling with ways to defend it. [Registration required for the New York Times article.]

Design Charts: More website praise

2008-10-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

The Galloping Ghost Website is number 2 on Design Charts Top 40 Websites. According to Design Charts, "Every week Design Charts scans the traffic generated from our network of Websites that award Website design...with our weekly chart design lovers and creatives alike have a new defacto standard for gaging which Websites are truly a cut above the rest."

Southtown Star: "A masterful job"

2008-09-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

A very nice review in the (Chicago) Sun-Times' Southtown Star about the book...

Galloping Ghost is an ideal read for any football fan
BY STEVE METSCH, STAFF WRITER

As we settle in to enjoy another NFL season, it's time to remember the guy who helped bring respectability to a fledgling football league back in the 1920s.

Picture a pro-sports league looked down upon by most of the American public, who view it as a collection of rogues not worthy of their attention. Then picture the top college star of the day shocking the sports world by joining that pro league.

The scenario, in a nutshell, is what happened when Harold "Red" Grange,--who attained legendary status when he played for the University of Illinois, joined the Chicago Bears after the 1925 college season.

Author Gary Andrew Poole does a masterful job telling the story in "The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, An American Football Legend."...Poole's storytelling is top-notch. You can almost feel the hits Grange took from defensive players and nearly taste the mud...This book is ideal book for any football fan...I had chills reading about the Michigan game...

To read more, click here.

"Site of the Day"

2008-09-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

The Galloping Ghost website has won a "site of the day" award from Design Licks.

The Galloping Ghost: Website Launch

2008-09-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never announced the launch of my Website. The site has been up for about a year, but it was only 1/4 of what it is now. We waited until the launch of the book to totally complete it. So it has been totally live for just a few weeks. Make sure you go to the Experience side of the site, too, which tells the story of the book through moving images, images, and sound. It is very cool.

The site been a couple years in the making, and a great journey for me. I have enjoyed working with Jory Kruspe and Craig Hooper, the Analogue team. It couldn't have gone any better. Kruspe and Hooper are incredibly smart, creative designers, and true pros. We went to great pains to reflect my book, The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend (Houghton Mifflin). I will try and hold back on the hyperbole, but the site is beautiful, haunting, fun, and moving. Hats off to Jory and Craig.

Please let me know what you think of it.

Philadelphia Inquirer: The Galloping Ghost

2008-09-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Galloping Ghost was mentioned in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Washington Post: Review of The Galloping Ghost

2008-09-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Galloping Ghost was reviewed in Sunday's Washington Post. Click here for the review.

In the Stands: Ohio State Vs. USC

2008-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

Orange County Register: Q & A

2008-09-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Click here for a Q & A. The interview is with Mark Saxon of the Orange County Register.

Chicago History Museum: Author! Author!

2008-09-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Nice write-up of my book from Chicago History Museum President Gary Johnson, who writes a monthly commentary called "Author! Author!" on significant books. Chicago has always impressed me with its love of history. The museum is well-worth a visit and it was a great resource in my book research.

Poole, Gary Andrew. The Galloping Ghost: Red Grange, an American Football Legend. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company (2008).

President's Commentary, October, 2008: College football was popular and well-established when Red Grange starred for the University of Illinois, but professional football was seen as a kind of carnival freak show. That all changed when Grange went to play for George Halas, the young owner of the Chicago Bears and a "missionary" for what professional football could become. The third indispensible ingredient was Charles C. Pyle, a theatre-owner in Champaign and a promoter with a shadowy reputation. Grange's college coach, Robert Zuppke, was disgusted at Grange's decision to go pro and tried to talk him out of it, but what followed was the creation of a pro football world with stars and loyal fans, a world that we would recognize today. Still, the most interesting details about Grange himself come from his college years, when working off-season as an iceman in his hometown of Wheaton kept him in shape. On the day in 1924 when the University of Illinois stadium was dedicated, Grange scored six touchdowns against the University of Michigan, a day that always will be remembered in college football.

Illinois Loyalty

2008-09-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Illinois Loyalty talks about The Galloping Ghost, and raves about my Website.

Book Tour, Day #5 & #6

2008-09-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

For the last couple days I have been on a "national radio tour" talking about The Galloping Ghost to radio hosts in large and small cities. I go on a half-dozen radio shows everyday and get interviewed about my book. It has really been a kick, and the hosts have asked excellent questions. One definitely took me by surprise, however. "Would Red Grange be a guy we would like to party with?"

That one stumped me a bit.

My favorite line: "Nothin' better than a Sunday in the fall: huntin' in the mornin', watchin' football in the afternoon."

Runner-up: The host repeatedly calling me "the GAP man," and saying "there is no GAP in your brain, man, this is a groovy book...my last copy goes to the seventh caller..."

Also, I had a nice mention of the book in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Chicago Public Radio: The Galloping Ghost

2008-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

I was on Chicago Public Radio this morning. It's an interview with me about my book, and it is on an excellent show called 848, WBEZ's version of NPR's Morning Edition. If you're not familiar with Chicago Public Radio, it is the home base for such stellar programs as This American Life. For people in Chicago, the interview will be rebroadcast tonight at 8 p.m. (CST).

I plan to put the interview on iTunes in the near future, but for now you can click here to listen to it.

Book Tour, Day #4

2008-09-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

The University of Illinois has been renovating Memorial Stadium, and today was the opening day. A big deal for Illini fans. Memorial is the place that Red Grange made famous with his outstanding performance on dedication day in 1924 so that is why I was here. (If you are not a regular reader of In The Fray, Red Grange is the subject of my just-released book.)

So this morning I went to Memorial at about 8 a.m. with John Carroll, a Grange historian.

Although I am not a big fan of luxury boxes, Illinois did a nice job with the renovation, and it really celebrates its history with banners and photos and other memorabilia. I haven't been back to Champaign-Urbana since I was researching The Galloping Ghost and reporting an article for the New York Times on the great midwestern football stadiums. Memorial is really a masterpiece of brickwork and I think the University of Illinois did a good job in its renovation; they preserved the stadiums qualities without tricking it up too much.

We were interviewed on the WDWS pre-game show. The hosts-- Jim Turpin and Loren Tate--were terrific. (Click here for the interview. We had a really nice chat about Grange for about 12 minutes but, unfortunately, they don't have it all on-line.)

Then we watched the game in University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman's suite. (Grange is still very popular in C-U, as you can probably guess.) Chancellor Herman penned a nice write-up of my book, too.

Sitting in the luxury box was very nice and I am thankful for the experience, and it was interesting to get a glimpse into the world of college boosters...

Post-game, we went to the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. Carroll and I talked about Grange and we signed a few dozen books.

It was a great way to end the first leg of the tour. Special thanks to Charlie Finn who escorted us around all day, and Lynn Chaney who organized the reading. In the next two weeks, I will be on sports radio shows, and I will be talking at Village Books (Pacific Palisades, CA; October 16); the Tattered Cover (Denver, Colorado; November 19); Varsity Letters (New York; December 4).

Book Tour, Day #3

2008-09-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Before leaving Chicago today, I went to the Barnes & Noble near my hotel. I have heard of writers going into stores to see how their books are displayed. I vowed to myself never to be so crazy as to worry about such things and leave the book selling to the book-selling professionals. Of course, I found my book--"Only the spines are showing!"--and turned one so the front cover was facing store gazers. I also wanted to take a couple copies and put them in the "Local Interest" section at the front of the store. Red Grange is a Chicago icon! Despite an urge to put my book on the table with its Chicago brothers and sisters, I decided against it because a security guard was eyeing me suspiciously and following me around...

I drove to Champaign-Urbana, home of the University of Illinois. Once in C-U, I went on The Afternoon Magazine with Celeste Quinn, a radio show on WILL, an NPR affiliate. Celeste asked some great questions. Click here to listen in. (My interview, about 12 minutes in length, starts about a 1/4 of the way through.)

Library Journal: Good review

2008-09-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Good review of The Galloping Ghost in Library Journal:

Poole's biography of seminal 1920s football legend Red Grange draws inevitable comparison to John M. Carroll's fine Red Grange and the Rise of Modern Football(1999). Carroll's book was more academically oriented and allotted more attention to Grange's postfootball life. Poole takes more of a journalistic approach and devotes special focus to Grange's manager, duplicitous showman C.C. Pyle, in depicting Grange and the world gone by in which he starred. Poole is eminently readable, and the accent on Pyle is a real bonus. Even libraries with Carroll's work should welcome this new biography of a giant in American sports and pop culture.

Book Tour, Day #2

2008-09-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

Before beginning my book tour, I read about authors who hated the grind of going on the road. Authors live a hermit-like existence: we spend a few years working on a book and then we come out of our cave for awhile to talk about our work. Many writers choose the profession because they like to exist in isolation.

But I have the opposite reaction to my author tour. I am lucky to be on one, and it is a lot of fun.

I think it is incredibly interesting to talk about my book, and I am appreciative of people who come to hear me speak. I had a very nice day today. Bob Asmussen of the News-Gazette interviewed me, and I was on Mark Tupper's show on WSOY-1340 AM (Decatur, Illinois); The Daily Herald, the largest exclusively suburban newspaper in the Chicago area and the third-largest newspaper in Illinois, had a story about The Galloping Ghost.

At 7 p.m. I spoke at the Center for History in Wheaton (Illinois). Despite intense rains, John McCain's speech, and the opening of the NFL season, 30 people attended my talk and the Center sold out all of its copies of my book. I spent a lot of time chatting with people, many of whom knew Red Grange. It was really a nice evening and several people who helped me with the book were there supporting me, too.

But here is why I like author tours: you get to meet people impacted by your work; you get to create connections...I introduced myself to a woman who told me her husband was a Red Grange fan. Her husband was in ill health and in the hospital. She had read the Daily Herald article about Grange; she read it aloud to her husband. Her husband insisted that she attend the reading, meet me, and buy a book. She told me she would read The Galloping Ghost, as a form of comfort, to him.