"A beautifully observed narrative of American sport: character, grit, tragedy, unremarked heroism, and, always, the illuminating story behind the story. As a columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Washington Post, and Time magazine, Tom Callahan witnessed an extraordinary number of defining moments in American sport over four decades. He takes us from Roberto Clemente clinching his 3,000th, and final, regular season hit in Pittsburgh, to ringside for the Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman fight in Zaire, and to Arthur Ashe announcing, at a news conference, that he'd tested positive for HIV. There are also little known private moments: a despairing Roberto Clemente at his last locker after the historic hit, not knowing it; Joe Morgan whispering thank you to a virtually blind Jackie Robinson on the field at the 1972 World Series. Brimming with colorful vignettes and enlivened by Callahan's eye for detail, Gods at Play offers surprising portraits of the most celebrated names in sports in this panoramic account of our favorite pastimes"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes index.

The Empire State Building, the redwood trees --Whatever Clemente had to do, wherever he had to do it -- Black men scare white men more than Black men scare Black men -- I can define a gerund. Can you? -- Blind mother, dead father; or, blind father, dead mother? -- Down like Arthur and 4 across like Ashe -- Hard, sad, used : it was a convention of hitchhikers -- How did Secretariat work this morning? : the trees swayed -- Joe Montana. Joe Montana. Joe Montana. Who is he? -- Thomas! : a voice from the past! Bob Cousy!.