The Poet

Forget Ring Lardner, Grantland Rice, and the others. Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times was not merely the best writer but the single greatest sports columnist who ever lived - fullstop. Known for his highly descriptive metaphors and phrasing - i.e "a strike zone the size of Hitler's heart" - Murray was a poet. Steven Travers provides an in-depth look at a man whose influence went far beyond the baseball diamond and the boxing ring.