The Way It Looks from Here: Contemporary Canadian Writing on Sports

In the first ever anthology of its kind, one of Canada’s premier sportswriters brings together the best writing on sport in this country, with a strong contemporary flavour. It’s all here: classic reports on Canada’s great sporting triumphs, from Joe Carter’s World Series--winning home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 to the excitement of the back-to-back men’s and women’s hockey gold medals in Salt Lake City. Stephen Brunt gives an entire section to writers who, unlike those covering other beats, must work tightly by the clock, submitting their stories just as soon as the action for the day is over. But he has also chosen our best writers’ more thoughtful pieces on our national obsessions--such as Ed Willes on the WHA’s seven tumultuous years and Wayne Johnston on the Original Six--and a good sampling of the great sportswriters such as Trent Frayne, Peter Gzowski and Milt Dunnell. The net effect is an examination of the deep role sport plays in our lives and imaginations, in our sense of self and nationhood. Stephen Brunt has cast his net widely. He includes superb stories of lower profile Canadian sports such as wrestling and horse racing, even Monster Truck battles, and allows space for his own unequalled and unforgettable profiles of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, as well as his post-mortem on Ben Johnson’ s fall from grace. Full of triumph and heartbreak, great writing and great passions — and a few wonderful surprises — this book will be essential reading for every serious sports fan. Including: • Ian Brown on the stud-horse business • Christie Blatchford on the 2003 Women’s Olympic Hockey Gold • Rosie DiManno on the Men’s • James Christie on Ben Johnson’s 1988 Olympic triumph in Seoul • Michael Faber on Pat Burns • Red Fisher on Lemieux and Gretzky at the 1987 Canada Cup • Trent Frayne on Canadian Open golf champ Ken Green deciding to play Sun City during apartheid • Bruce Grierson on Canada’s best squash player • Peter Gzowski on the Oilers with Gretzky • Tom Hawthorn on John Brophy’s last brawl • Brian Hutchinson on Owen Hart’s widow’s revenge • Wayne Johnston on the Montreal Canadiens • Guy Lawson on curling • Allan Maki on the 1989 Hamilton–Saskatchewan Grey Cup • Dave Perkins on the biggest home run in World Series history • Mordecai Richler on snooker’s Cliff Thorburn • Steve Simmons on Donovan Bailey • Mike Ulmer on Cujo’s charm and more…

Table of Contents:
Introduction Baseball • Raines Beats $1000-a-Week Habit, Michael Farber — The Gazette (Montreal) • Carter’s No Ordinary Joe after Series-Winning Blast, Dave Perkins — Toronto Star, deadline writing • Walker Worthy Target for Jays, Milt Dunnell — Toronto Star, deadline writing • August 7, 1921, Steven Hayward — From Buddha Stevens and Other Stories, fiction Basketball • White Rules, Gare Joyce — Saturday Night Boxing • Part of the Game, Allen Abel — The Globe and Mail, deadline writing • Discord Works in Tyson’s Favour, Milt Dunnell — Toronto Star, deadline writing • Boxing the Greatest at Ali’s Farm, Stephen Brunt — The Globe and Mail • Going the Distance from Reality, Chris Jones — National Post • The Trouble with Tyson, Stephen Brunt — The Globe and Mail Curling • Merv Curls Lead, Guy Lawson — Saturday Night Football • Destiny Finally Arrives for Long-Suffering Franchise, Allan Maki — Calgary Herald, deadline writing • Garry Sawatzky: Uncaged Lion, Jim Taylor — Sports Only • Out of Africa, Jack Todd — The Gazette (Montreal) Golf • Rough Stuff in the Rain, Cam Cole — National Post, deadline writing • Issue Black and White, but Green Sees Only the Colour of Money, Trent Frayne — The Globe and Mail, deadline writing • Weir Wins in Canadian Style, Cam Cole — National Post, deadline writing Hockey • Lemieux, Gretzky Team for Winner: Oh, Canada!, Red Fisher — The Gazette (Montreal), deadline writing • Pat Burns Goes Home, Michael Farber — The Gazette (Montreal) • Real-Life Slap Shot, Tom Hawthorn — Toronto Life • Mogilny, Iain MacIntyre — The Vancouver Sun • The Montreal Canadiens, Wayne Johnston — From Original Six: True Stories from Hockey’s Classic Era, fiction • The WHA Revisited, Ed Willes — Ottawa Citizen • Curtis’s Charm, Mike Ulmer — Saturday Night • The Best in the World, Peter Gzowski — Maclean’s • Still Scrapping After All These Years, Dave Feschuk — National Post • A Win When It Counts, Christie Blatchford — National Post, deadline writing • Gretzky’s Gang Beats U.S. 5–2 — and Keeps the Faith for a Desperate Nation, Rosie DiManno — Toronto Star, deadline writing • Saving the Game, Ken Dryden — The Globe and Mail • Orr’s Left Knee Gone for Good, Damien Cox — Toronto Star • Goaltender Suite (iii) “One of You”; Things in Our Day; Desperate Moves, Randall Maggs — From The Sawchuk Poems, unpublished Horse Racing • The Flood, Jim Coleman — Toronto Telegram • Front Page Girl, Archie McDonald — The Vancouver Sun • Racing’s Other Plate, Beverley Smith — The Globe and Mail • A Stud Is Born, Ian Brown — The Globe and Mail • Silent Cruise, Timothy Taylor — From Silent Cruise: Stories, fiction Monster Trucks • Return of the Battle of the Monster Trucks, Tom Hawthorn — This Magazine Pool • Mr. Iceberg, Stan Dragland — From Stormy Weather: Foursomes, unpublished Snooker • From On Snooker: The Game and the Characters Who Play It, Mordecai Richler Squash • Court Jester, Bruce Grierson — Saturday Night Swimming • Olympic Pressure Takes Personal Toll, James Christie — The Globe and Mail Track • World’s Fastest Man Even Faster, James Christie — The Globe and Mail, deadline writing • Simply the Best, Steve Simmons — The Toronto Sun • Unforgiven, Stephen Brunt — Toronto Life Wrestling • The Widow’s Revenge, Brian Hutchinson — Saturday Night Acknowledgments Permissions

About the Author :
Stephen Brunt is one of Canada’s premier sportswriters and commentators. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, and in Winterhouse Brook, Newfoundland.

Review :
"What drives a Bobby Orr to push along on wrecked knees? How was Wayne Gretzky able to see patterns opening up on a rush before they did? Why did Tim Raines risk all his potential on cocaine? Not all of the answers are to be found in this eclectic and intentionally quirky collection of exceptional Canadian sports reportage, but the questions are posed frankly and with no ulterior motive beyond sincere curiosity." Ottawa Citizen "The way it looks from here is pretty darn good. With Mordecai Richler writing on former world snooker champion Cliff Thorburn of Victoria, Peter Gzowski on Gretzky, Ken Dryden on saving hockey and Stephen Brunt on the still unforgiven Ben Johnson, how can it not be?... These varied and mostly well-chosen pieces reflect [the Canadian] understated yet sometimes surprisingly feisty national sporting character." The Times-Colonist  "[Brunt] has assembled an eclectic and intentionally quirky collection of exceptional Canadian sports reportage.... As a whole, [the selections] explore what it is about sports that captivates so many of us.... Questions are posed frankly and with no ulterior motive beyond sincere curiosity." The Gazette "Skillfully selected.… Sure to take readers back to a more innocent time--when Wayne Gretzky was the world’s greatest hockey player, not a Hockey Canada executive, Ben Johnson was the world’s fastest human, not a drug cheat, and the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays were at the top of the baseball world and had more than a few thousand fans in the stands per game to witness it." Winnipeg Free Press