It's Not Who Won or Lost the Game: It's How You Sold the Beer

Wolff began his career as a sports broadcaster on radio in 1939 and moved to television in 1946. But his chief claim to fame is his versatility, for he has covered baseball, football, basketball, hockey, track, boxing and surfing (everything but wrestling, he says). His most memorable contests were Don Larsen's perfect game for the Yankees in the 1956 World Series and the Baltimore Colts' overtime win over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL championship game, judged by many the best football game ever played. And in 50 years, Wolff has accumulated amusing anecdotes, like his lessons on how to pour beer for a live TV commercial, a skill he mastered using ice-cold brews, only to be handed a hot can on camera with the predictable result. His astoundingly busy schedule kept him jetting around the country between broadcasts, often with only minutes to spare. The book is entertaining but leaves the impression that Wolff doesn't suffer from a surfeit of modesty. Photos not seen by PW. (July)