Pat Jordan

I tell him what Hemingway said about writing talent, "It's like a knife blade. If you save it it gets dull and rusty. Better to use it constantly to keep it sharp even if it wears down." Tom tilts his head like dogs do when confused by their master. He says, with a small smile, "You just keep thinking, Butch. That's what you're good at." I say, "I got vision, Sundance, and the rest of the world wears bifocals." Tom throws again. Fastball, low outside...

On his way to writing the classic A FALSE SPRING, Pat Jordan wrote a series of essays for Sports Illustrated that was anthologized in THE SUITORS OF SPRING, a fascinating collection of character studies of pitchers great and not-so-great, along with a scout, a career minor league catcher, and legendary pitching coach Johnny Sain. The work is not autobiographical, but its profound insights into the essence of success and failure would not have been...