cover image Up Close, and in Your Face with the Greats, Near-Greats, and Ingrates of Sports: And in Your Face with the Greats, Near Greats, and Ingrates of Sports

Up Close, and in Your Face with the Greats, Near-Greats, and Ingrates of Sports: And in Your Face with the Greats, Near Greats, and Ingrates of Sports

Roy Firestone. Hyperion Books, $19.95 (198pp) ISBN 978-1-56282-869-1

During the 13 years Firestone has hosted SportsLook and Up Close on ESPN, he has interviewed almost all of the major figures in and on the fringes of sports. Additionally, in his career as a stand-up comic, he has become acquainted with many show-biz types as well. His ease with the greats, near greats and ingrates is apparent here as he and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Ostler segue smoothly from one celebrity to the next, meshing Howard Cosell, Tommy Lasorda and basketball coaches Abe Lemons and Rick Mejerus in one section; blending Willie Stargell, Al McGuire and Bill Walsh in another. Firestone, not an awed fan, tells why he dislikes Bobby Knight, pities Cosell and despises Don King. One of the best chapters in the book concerns race in America. Unlike those who view sports as contributing to the end of racism, Firestone views the celebrity status of black athletes as white America's means of relieving guilt, which ``puts us in a false comfort zone.'' Photos not seen by PW. (June)