Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Friday, September 1, 2006, Washington Post

Inside the Mystery of Sportswriting

John Feinstein is one of America's most famous sportswriters. Sometimes his work appears in The Washington Post. In addition, he has written best-selling sports books for adults about college basketball, football, tennis and golf. Now Feinstein is also writing sports novels for kids. "Last Shot," his first kids book, is a mystery at college basketball's Final Four. "Vanishing Act," his newest, is a mystery at the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York (where the top pros are playing right now). I talked with Feinstein about his books and how he became a writer.

Did you play sports as a kid?

"I played everything -- football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring, plus lots of swimming, tennis and golf in the summer. When I was young I wanted to be a pro basketball player. But my swimming coach convinced me that a 5-foot-4 kid -- I am 6 feet now -- did not have much of a chance for the NBA. So I went to Duke University as a swimmer."

When did you get the idea to become a sportswriter?

"I broke my ankle at Duke and couldn't swim. So I joined the school newspaper to give me something to do. I have always liked to write. I was famous for writing the longest letters home from summer camp. Being a sportswriter combined my passions: writing and sports. But I also wrote non-sports stories."

What did you do as a kid that helped you when you became a sportswriter?

"I read a lot. I learned to read by reading about the New York Mets in the New York Times sports section. I read books, too, such as the Hardy Boys [mysteries] and Chip Hilton [sports stories]. Reading is still what I look forward to doing the most."

Why did you start to write kids books?

"I had kids. Danny is 12, and Brigid is 8. Danny wanted to read something that I had written. He read one page of my adult books and got bored. So we read 'Hoot' by Carl Hiaasen together and loved it. My agent suggested that I could write a kids book like 'Hoot'; I just had to come up with an idea."

How did you come up with the idea for "Last Shot"?

"I think the best books are the ones where the author really knows the subject. I am a sportswriter, so I made my main characters a boy and a girl who had won a sportswriting contest. I placed the action at the college basketball Final Four because I have covered 26 Final Fours."

Why is your new book, "Vanishing Act," a tennis book?

"I have covered 23 United States Open tennis tournaments, so I am very familiar with the scene. Even so, I spent several days last summer walking around the National Tennis Center so I would get everything right."

Are you working on a new kids book?

"I just started a book that will take place at the Super Bowl."

Is it more fun to write for adults or kids?

"I enjoy writing my adult sports books and covering college basketball for The Washington Post. But it's work, and I have to travel to do it. Writing kids books is pure fun. And it's a great excuse to spend more time with my kids, because it is the one job I can do without leaving my house."