I'd Know That Voice Anywhere: My Favorite NPR Commentaries

Deford is a skilled and versatile writer on sports and other topics who has been associated with Sports Illustrated for over 50 years. In addition, his three-minute sports commentaries on National Public Radio's (NPR) "Morning Edition" have been a staple for many listeners since 1980, with a slight gap from 1989 to 1991, when he edited the ill-fated daily sports newspaper the National. From roughly 2,150 NPR commentaries, Deford has culled 98 to be included in this collection, arranged to provide a mix of subjects and tone. Deford claims the transition from spoken to written word is "99 44/100ths pure," only occasionally editing the originals. A 1983 essay on baseball and language adds a sentence about Bill Clinton's politics, but the pieces mostly hold up on their own. The essays tend to be light and frothy amusing interludes; quick reads that do not go into much depth and generally concern sports' impact on and reflection of our culture. Readers learn that Deford likes human interest pieces and charming characters such as former college basketball coach Al McGuire and does not care for soccer, the NCAA, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, touchdown celebrations, and modern uniforms.