SIMMONS: THE BOOK

By: B -- 10/13/05

Bill Simmons is the ultimate DIY sportswriter. Simmons, the self-named Sports Guy, spent three gloomy years at the Boston Herald before quitting to start his own website in 1998, eventually parlaying it into his current Sports Guy’s World site at ESPN.com. Now he gets to sleep in everyday and write about whatever he feels like. I can’t decide if I admire Simmons’ career path or hate his guts out of sheer jealousy.

Simmons’ writing style combines astute sports commentary with pop culture irreverence, all while writing in conversation-speak. He writes as an avid fan while his colleagues write as cold-blooded objectivists, a distinctness that has made him one of the most popular sportswriters of his generation.

Simmons recently released his first book, Now I Can Die In Peace, a 353-page collection of his columns about the Red Sox. The book’s premise is to show the years of torture as a Sox fan, ultimately culminating in Simmons’ over-the-top exuberance in watching the 2004 Sox finally win the World Series (I still have a hard time believing Simmons can be that passionate about sports. I mean, I played baseball and was never as emotional as him).

The thing is, I’ve read nearly every word of Simmons’ writing in the past few years, and since this book was made up of old columns, I knew I’d read most of the material. I bought the book anyway and poured through it in three short days (weekdays even).

And the book is…pretty much exactly what I expected, with one added effect for those who’ve already read the columns: footnotes. Simmons includes over 500 of them throughout the book, used to provide updates, specify a point or just make fun of his old articles. I highly enjoyed the footnotes and the earlier, rougher columns from Simmons’ old site (Simmons fully admits he wasn’t a great writer back in the day, but seeing his imperfections were refreshing and endearing).

Here’s the gist: Now I Can Die In Peace is a predictable necessity for Simmons disciples, and a must-read for baseball fans who haven’t read the Sports Guy. Categorize yourself and act accordingly.

Buy Now I Can Die In Peace on Amazon

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