"As children, we all had someone we considered a hero. For some,
it was a family member or coach. However, many had childhood idols
we welcomed into our lives after seeing them on television, hearing
about them on the radio or reading about them in magazines and
newspapers," said Lynn. "They were the sports stars of the day,
young men and women whose athletic achievements resulted in us
dreaming of life as a professional athlete. Have you ever considered
that those star athletes also grew up trying to follow in the
footsteps of their heroes? As we go through life, heroes often
change. However, one thing remains constant for each of us—the
person we considered our very first childhood idol."
An overview by the author:
SPORTS IDOLS’ IDOLS
First Heroes of Our Heroes
In the new book from veteran sportscaster/author Scott Lynn, some of
the biggest names in sports reveal who meant the most to them when
they were young and what it was like the first time they met their
childhood heroes. Many of those first encounters left these sports
legends feeling euphoric. However, there were times a future star
walked away in bitter disappointment after being rejected or
ignored.
Nearly 150 past and present sports stars are featured in SPORTS
IDOLS’ IDOLS, and dozens of Hall of Famers reveal their childhood
heroes. You’ll hear about the childhood idols of basketball’s Walt
Frazier, Jerry West, Rick Barry, Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton, Bill
Walton, Mike Krzyzewski, Jack Ramsay and Harry Gallatin; baseball’s
Yogi Berra, Bobby Doerr, Brooks Robinson, Joe Torre, Ozzie Smith.
Tony Gwynn and Ken Griffey, Jr.; football’s Dan Fouts and John
Hannah; golf’s Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam, Beth Daniel and Juli
Inkster; racing’s Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt; and hockey’s Phil
Esposito and Grant Fuhr.
Among the present day standouts who discuss their childhood idols
are Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Dwyane
Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Alex Morgan, Christine Sinclair, Jacoby
Ellsbury, Michael Conforto, Paula Creamer, Stacy Lewis, Natalie
Gulbis, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen, Yani Tseng, Scott Dixon,
Will Power, Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe, Helio Castroneves, Greg
Biffle, Galen Rupp, Shoni Schimmel and Mariel Zagunis.
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Among the other stars interviewed in the book are Vida Blue, Steve
Garvey, Dale Murphy, Dave Henderson, Joe Carter, Chris Chambliss,
Tommy John, Mickey Lolich, Dave Stewart, Dick Groat, Carl Erskine,
Bill White, Don Larsen, Quinn Buckner, Mike Glenn, Doug Collins,
Austin Carr, Terry Porter, Mychal Thompson, Kiki Vandeweghe, Jack
Sikma, Brandon Roy, Derek Harper, A.C. Green, Jeff Hornacek, Erik
Spoelstra, Rick Carlisle, Terry Stotts, Rick Adelman, Nate McMillan,
Craig Robinson, Steven Jackson, Neil Lomax, Steve Grogan, Brady
Quinn, Lorena Ochoa, Peter Jacobsen, Alberto Salazar, Marshall
Holman, Michael Andretti, Dario Franchitti, Bobby Rahal, Bobby
Unser, Al Unser, and Al Unser, Jr. The list goes on and on.
In this insightful oral history, the stars discuss their
childhood heroes, the special moments in their careers and what it
means to serve as idols for the next generation of sports fans.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A native of Lincoln, Illinois, Scott Lynn has been a radio/TV
sportscaster for nearly 40 years. His professional stops include
Decatur, Illinois; Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida; and Portland,
Oregon. A 7-time Oregon Sportscaster of the year and 3-time regional
winner of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, Lynn has called
play-by-play of hundreds of high school, college and professional
games on television for Fox Sports Northwest, Comcast SportsNet
Northwest, Versus and Oregon State University. He has also called
games on the radio networks of the Oregon State Beavers and the
Portland Trail Blazers. Lynn has returned to live in the Tampa Bay
area and presently calls play-by-play of University of Tampa
baseball and UT men’s and women’s basketball on TampaSpartans.TV.
Scott Lynn is a colon cancer survivor who underwent life-saving
emergency surgery in late December, 2008. He wrote his first book,
THORNRIDGE: The Perfect Season in Black and White, while undergoing
chemotherapy during the summer of 2009.
SPORTS IDOLS’ IDOLS is his second book.
[Scott Lynn] |