This one, originally from 1968, is one of the first of the now way common technique (plot? device?) of following a team over the course of a season and attempting to provide something of an insider view. The Packers, of course, were the dominant football team of the 60s and Jerry Kramer was one of their star offensive linemen.
Of course, professional athletes are a tight brotherhood forever distinguishing between those who actually played the game and those that did not--for example, most reporters and announcers. To breach that brotherhood by providing to those outside some of the internal secrets is to place one's own position within at some risk. For Kramer, his memoir possibly created enough ill will as to prevent his being voted into football's hall of fame--the NFL network has proclaimed him as the best player not currently enshrined. The, in reality quite vanilla, tell-all provided the basis for the far more risque Ball Four in 1971 and all the subsequent "turn back the curtain" attempts since.
Was it worth it? Would I be willing to share the secrets of any particular society to which I belonged for some spending money and literary notoriety? Of course I would, why else would I be spending time just playing with words as I am?
By the by, I thought his 1985 book had a far more cute title--"Distant Replay."
No comments:
Post a Comment