There are over 300 pages of passionate, truly hilarious sports journalism in Bill Simmons’ debut book “Now I Can Die in Peace”, but there is one sentence that truly defines how Simmons’ persona, The Sports Guy, came to be.
The Sports Guy, once an online cult in the metropolitan Boston area for sports-crazed locals, then an occasional columnist on <a href="http://www.espn.com“>www.espn.com‘s Page 2 and finally a star writer for ESPN the Magazine and his own section on Page 2, was once a down-and-out bartender in Boston.
It was 1997 and he had given up at the both the Boston Herald and the Boston Phoenix. His writing career, and his life, seemingly had no direction.
But as Simmons says near the beginning of his book, which chronicles the Red Sox-related columns he’s written from the winter of 1997 onward, “I needed to learn to love sports again.”
For legions of proclaimed “Simmons readers,” more important words could not have been spoken or written by the former Boston Sports Guy.
Readers rely on Simmons for his offbeat, unique brand of humor which incorporates simple but relatable pop culture references and jokes. Instead of waxing poetic on sports heroes or writing an analytical piece on the issues of steroids in baseball, Simmons consistently produces fan-oriented, easy-going columns. These columns, conveniently and noticeably archived on his espn.com page, continue to be read by his fans to this day – many of whom began following his work from the start.
“Now I Can Die in Peace” chronicles Simmons’ work related to the Red Sox from the very beginning. Starting with the trade for and signing of Pedro Martinez in November of 1997 up to the 2004 World Series, the book is a meaningful, entertaining glance at the work of man who saw it all very closely, and entertained thousands upon thousands in the process.
Simmons provides sidebar notes throughout the book on his old columns – joking about himself or commenting on inside jokes or culture references. It feels as though the reader is reminiscing alongside The Sports Guy.
What makes the book special, unique and worth buying is how Simmons is able to recreate situations for the everyday fan, and add polished, hilarious detail that everyone knows they know, but probably couldn’t quite nail down quite like Simmons.
That’s the genius of The Sports Guy. Fans are addicted to his column and his Web site because, although they get their information and their analysis from the standard writers, they fall back to Simmons when they’re in need of such topics as relating the NBA to “Boogie Nights,” or a quote-by-quote recounting of the Jeff Moorad-Manny Ramirez deal with the Red Sox in 2000.
In “Now I Can Die in Peace,” the only criticism is, in many respects, a compliment. The topics tackled in the book are slightly limited since they deal primarily with the Red Sox. Simmons, however, wants us to see where the Red Sox once were and where they came to be.
He wants us to reread his opinions of Fenway Park, or why Rich Garces truly was so beloved. The six seasons from 1998 to 2003 was a very long, agonizing period for Boston fans; many of whom, like Simmons, saw no hope for the future.
Upon finishing “Now I Can Die in Peace,” you’ll see that the Red Sox did no what no other team did in the history of the MLB playoffs.
Reading many of Simmons’ columns incites almost a nostalgic feeling, especially when he writes during or after one of the Red Sox’ high moments.
The Sports Guy is known to produce quirky diaries of major events (everything from the Oscars to Wrestlemania) and he recounts many big moments of the current Red Sox time period in the same fashion.
For those who know Simmons well and will continue to read him, you’ll find yourself with a refreshing reminder of why he’s truly so fun to read. Newcomers who may be not understand Simmons’ appeal will quickly understand.
If you don’t quite get the humor, then that’s fine for the Sports Guy, though. After all, you’ll end up between 90 and 98 out of 100 on his Unintentional Comedy Scale.
