A good sports reporter conveys the story of the day; a great one senses stories that will unfold over time and has the conviction to share them with their audience, nonetheless. Jim Gray is one of the greats!
I cherish the moments that I’m alone with a good book, and Talking to GOATs certainly qualifies. I love the great interviews that Jim has done throughout his career and the storytelling he captures on these pages. So please pull up a chair and enjoy this fascinating narrative that details his life with so many of the icons, just as I have.
Talking to GOATs captures so beautifully the stories that my husband, Muhammad, shared with Jim. It brought back to life so many great memories and was very moving. I loved it, and I highly recommend this book.
I got to meet my heroes growing up: Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. Then I was able to spend time with the guys in my era that I admired including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Mike Tyson, Joe Montana, and Tom Brady. We all shared the same dream: wanting to win titles. All of us have been interviewed many times by Jim Gray, as he has shared our stories. Now, he shares them with us, and it’s a compelling, riveting, and insightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The first interview Jim ever did was with me. From his first to my last (many years later), we have had a very special relationship. I’m The Greatest and he’s The Latest. Jim is the me of his profession. Just don’t tell Howard (Cosell).
2020-08-24
A Hall of Fame broadcaster takes us behind the scenes of his biggest interviews and stories.
Gray, recognizable to even casual sports fans, has had a front row seat to some of the most indelible games, fights, and moments in sports history. Here, he pulls readers aside to explain how it all came together, from his days as a wide-eyed college kid in Denver assigned to interview Muhammad Ali to his friendships with the likes of LeBron James, Mike Tyson, Jack Nicholson, and countless others. In a sense, there are versions of the author. One is a hard-nosed journalist who famously put the screws to Pete Rose before a World Series game about Rose’s gambling on baseball (an interview that earned Gray death threats). The other Gray knows that the best way to cultivate sources in his line of work is to form real relationships. “Over the years,” he writes, “I found that relationships and loyalty matter as much as ability—in my business and in almost any endeavor worth doing.” Though the prose isn’t scintillating, Gray knows how to tell a story, and he’s wise enough to know that anyone who buys the book will be drawn to the cast of characters. The narrative abounds with fascinating tales: Gray watched boxing promoter Don King hand Tyson a $30 million check only to see the fighter rack up an $800,000 tab at Versace—a night before he stepped into the ring and bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear. While wandering the Upper West Side in Manhattan, a limo pulled up, and Richard Nixon rolled down the window, invited Gray inside, and peppered him with sports talk for 45 minutes. Throughout, the author demonstrates his combination of knowledge, longevity, talent, and likability, with just a little pit bull thrown in for good measure. Tom Brady provides the foreword.
Gray has been there, done that, and taken excellent notes.
Forty-plus years of exchanging stories, creating memories, and experiencing moments of a lifetime together with Jim Gray—I would call that the very definition of ‘friends for life.’ Congratulations for successfully sharing your special story with the world. This book is a must read, and I’m looking forward to our next chapter together.
Jim will ask the questions, and he will calibrate your answers and they better not be silly or off the facts. That’s why I nicknamed him Scratchy a long time ago. He keeps that mic in people’s faces, as he’s always digging and scratching for the story. Jim dug them all out for this book, which I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did.
If I had one word to describe Jim Gray, I would say, honest. It’s very tough for reporters to be honest in the media business. He’s not afraid to ask the tough questions, even if they’re uncomfortable ones. He’s transparent and direct about it. And that’s why I have always had respect for Jim and what he does and how he does it.
If you love sports, and you love this country, and you love father-son stories, you will love this book.”
In this fast-moving account, the big moments, big names, and occasional big controversies that have marked Jim Gray’s long and eventful career are revisited with insight and a dose of humor. Sports fans will recall many of these moments but may be surprised by the details and stories Jim provides on these pages.
I know Jim Gray the man. He stood up for me with tremendous integrity and principle. He suffered the consequences for doing what was right on my behalf and for others for a just cause. Integrity is what matters, and I will never forget his honor and honesty. Jim tells our story in the book, and I appreciate it. I will always hold him in high regard with great respect and admiration.”
Jim Gray’s riveting and powerful Talking to GOATs is a rare and different masterpiece for the ages. It’s a poignant, personal, passionate, and purposeful reveal of what really happened everywhere in the world of sports in the past forty years. As a giant of the profession and the galaxy’s most connected human, Jim has delivered a staggering festival of light that is comprehensive in its breadth, depth, currency, and relevancy.
Jim interviewed me after my prolific fights. We were a sensational duo. Out of the ring, Jim became my most trusted friend. He’s there no matter what and never afraid to give it to me straight, as he does in this book. He’s always coming from a place of love and compassion. You know where you stand. Jim talks to GOATs because it takes a GOAT to know a GOAT. I’m so proud he wrote this book to share his legacy and, as you will learn, Jim is the goat whisperer.
I found so much to learn in these chapters. If there is an art to an interview, then believe me, Jim Gray is Michelangelo and Talking to GOATs is a masterpiece. Why is he so good? Because he asks tough, hard, fair questions that you have to answer. He could have played for me, because he’s tough, and he’s a winner. So is this book.
