His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir

From Dan Jenkinsone ofAmericas most respected andacclaimed sportswriters and author of the bestselling novels Semi-Tough and Dead Solid Perfectcomes a colorful, sentimental, hilarious,and cantankerous memoir abouthis lifelong journey through theworld of sports.


Sometimes, I envy my own childhood, says Dan Jenkins. Many can say that about Dans whole life. In His Ownself, we follow him from his youth in Texas, where being a sports fan meant understanding a lot about religion, heroes, and drinking; to his first job at the Fort Worth Press working alongside all-time journalistic greats like Blackie Sherrod and Bud Shrake; to the glory days of Sports Illustrated. One of a handful of writers to establish SI as the most important sports magazine ever, Dan refocused the magazines college football coverage and covered the games greatest players and coaches. Beyond football, Dan is in the conversation about the best golf writers of all time. Having covered every Masters, U.S. Open, PGA, and British Open for the past fifty years, he takes us behind the scenes to capture the dramaas well as the humorof these tournaments as he brings us up close and personal with the likes of Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
From his friendship and the rounds played with Ben Hogan, to the stories swapped with New Yorks elite, to the corporate expense accounts abused, Dan lets loose on his experiences in journalism, sports, and showbiz. An honest, one-of-a-kind look at politics, hypocrites, political correctness, the past, the present, Hollywood, money, and athletes, this is a sports fans dream book. Its a touching, laugh-out-loud tribute to the romanticism of sportswriting and the glory days of sports, told straight from the mouth of the man who saw it all his ownself.