Every week when "Sports Illustrated" arrives at my house the first thing I do is flip the last page and read Rick O'Reilly's "The Life of Reilly" column. I'm not a sports aficionado, but I love the behind the scenes look into the heart of all sports.
The minute I had this book in my hands I had it open, reading as I walked. I couldn't put it down and yet I never read it cover to cover, just a story here, a story there. At the end of each story, Rick Reilly adds his comments as to how the story was received when it was published. I started to pick a favorite or two and when I was done I had a book full of scraps of paper markers.
Of those, my favorite is "Half the Size, Twice the Man". Bobby Martin plays a great game of football at a high school in Ohio. He ran into trouble with the refs because he doesn't play with shoes, knee pads, or thigh pads. This is difficult for him because he doesn't have feet or legs to wear the equipment. A ruling from the Ohio Athletic Association put an end to this nonsense by stating that the refs were wrong, Bobby could play. Rick Reilly concluded: "Bobby Martin is back playing football without shoes. And official Dennis Daly and his crew were back reffing without brains."
What is hate mail from cheerleaders? Reilly says it really isn't bad at all. It's sort of like getting pelted with rolls of scented Charmin. It's always on pastel paper and usually includes a picture of the squad. And they write, "I hope you die" with a little heart over the i. Wait! I found another favorite.
Submitted by:
Linda Morgan
Puskarich Public Library
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