My Home Team

“Revered sports journalist Kindred…shares his own story, from his roots in Illinois to stints at newspapers like the Washington Post to a return to his hometown, where he enthusiastically and generously volunteers to cover the Morton High School women's basketball team, the Lady Potters, a commitment that brings him joy and carries him through difficult times. Admirably, Kindred avoids self-pity whether he's writing about personal losses or professional setbacks. Instead, he cites the inspiration of other legends, like earlier sportswriter Red Smith, and the camaraderie among contemporary sportswriters.” —Booklist, starred review

“An iconic American sportswriter returns to his Midwest roots and finds his greatest story…An enjoyable, poignant, meaningful memoir.” —Kirkus

“For those of us who followed his career as a columnist and reporter, this book brings back memories of some of his most memorable stories, interviews and experiences… It provides great insights into the life of a sportswriter at all levels and the trials and tribulations of family life and aging in a changing world.”—Eric Sondheimer, The Los Angeles Times

Dave Kindred told me not to read this book. I ignored him and so should you. Gorgeous and searing, My Home Team is the story of a big time sports columnist, the envy of every American male: the guy sitting at the 50-yard line of every Super Bowl. The guy invited under the covers by Muhammad Ali. The guy, of course, is Kindred, who having seen it all, and written it all better than anyone could, grew tired of it all, and took his high school sweet heart home to the heartland where life turned as cruel as the rural Illinois winter. When loss piles upon loss, Kindred finds a new story and a new love in a girl’s basketball team that saves his life—Jane Leavy, New York Times-bestselling author of The Big Fella