Editorial Content for Tall Men, Short Shorts: The 1969 NBA Finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a Very Young Sports Reporter
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
It’s probably inevitable. You get to a certain point when it’s natural to look back at key points of your life. Unlike many of us, Leigh Montville has the ability to do so in a way that is at once entertaining, educational and self-serving (the latter of which I mean in the best way possible).
Unless you’re the queen of England, to be on a job for more than 50 years is an amazing feat. It means that you have to be pretty good at what you do. But even the best of us have to start somewhere at the bottom of the food chain. Montville talks us through his “origin” story as a reporter for the Boston Globe on his first major assignment: covering the 1969 championship series between his city’s Celtics and their cross-country rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Once again [Montville] shows his unique talent and lighthearted approach to his subject."
The finals pitted two of the most dominant centers in the history of the game: the former’s playing coach Bill Russell and the latter’s Wilt Chamberlain. It was also a contest between the dominant but aging Celtics, who had won more finals than fingers to accommodate the championship rings, and the Lakers, who represented a new generation of athletes as the country moved from the swinging ’60s into the next decade.
Montville refers to himself throughout his account as “the bright young man” (or TBYM). Whether that’s tongue-in-cheek or self-aggrandizing is for the reader to decide; I choose to go with the former. Everything is new to him, from the traveling to the filing of stories to the intimidating necessity of interviewing reticent players and coaches.
About half of the book consists of reprints of stories and columns by the author and those of colleagues and competitors about the games, examples of the differing styles and methods. It is an homage to the men --- exclusively men since the events in TALL MEN, SHORT SHORTS predates the inclusion of women in that profession --- from whom Montville learned valuable lessons in what to do (and not do).
The more interesting half consists of his recollections of those days, admittedly not always accurate as some details have grown hazy over time. That candidness and wistfulness add to the book’s charm.
Montville is the author of two outstanding baseball works --- THE BIG BAM: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth and TED WILLIAMS: The Biography of an American Hero --- among other titles. Once again he shows his unique talent and lighthearted approach to his subject.
Teaser
It's 1969, and the greatest basketball player of all time --- Bill Russell --- and his juggernaut Boston Celtics squeak through one more playoff run and land in the NBA Finals again. Russell’s opponent is the fearsome seven-foot, one-inch next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Covering this epic series is a wide-eyed young sportswriter named Leigh Montville, who would go on to become an award-winning legend himself at The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, and who is sent to L.A. (for the first time!) to write about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men. What follows is a raucous, colorful, joyous account of one of the greatest seven-game series in NBA history.
Promo
It's 1969, and the greatest basketball player of all time --- Bill Russell --- and his juggernaut Boston Celtics squeak through one more playoff run and land in the NBA Finals again. Russell’s opponent is the fearsome seven-foot, one-inch next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Covering this epic series is a wide-eyed young sportswriter named Leigh Montville, who would go on to become an award-winning legend himself at The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, and who is sent to L.A. (for the first time!) to write about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men. What follows is a raucous, colorful, joyous account of one of the greatest seven-game series in NBA history.
About the Book
This "part memoir, part sports story" (Wall Street Journal) from the New York Times bestselling author of THE BIG BAM chronicles the clash of NBA titans over seven riveting games --- Celtics versus Lakers, Russell versus Chamberlain --- covered by one young reporter. Welcome to the 1969 NBA Finals!
It's 1969, and the greatest basketball player of all time --- Bill Russell --- and his juggernaut Boston Celtics squeak through one more playoff run and land in the NBA Finals again. Russell’s opponent is the fearsome seven-foot, one-inch next-generation superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, recently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to form the league’s first dream team. Bill Russell and John Havlicek versus Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Covering this epic series is a wide-eyed young sportswriter named Leigh Montville, who would go on to become an award-winning legend himself at The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated, and who is sent to L.A. (for the first time!) to write about his luminous heroes, the biggest of big men.
What follows is a raucous, colorful, joyous account of one of the greatest seven-game series in NBA history: seven breathtaking, see-saw games, highlight-reel moments from an unprecedented cast of future Hall of Famers, all set against the tumult of the late '60s and the burgeoning of a league on its way to becoming a billion-dollar industry. TALL MEN, SHORT SHORTS is a masterpiece of sports journalism with a charming touch of personal memoir. Leigh Montville has crafted his most entertaining book yet, richly enshrining luminous players and moments at a unique American time.
Audiobook available, read by Leigh Montville
