"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] |