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His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir
From Dan Jenkins—one of America’s most respected and acclaimed sportswriters and author of the bestselling novels Semi-Tough and Dead Solid Perfect —comes a colorful, sentimental, hilarious, and cantankerous memoir about his lifelong journey through the world of sports.
“Sometimes, I envy my own childhood,” says Dan Jenkins. Many can say that about Dan’s 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 magazine’s college football coverage and covered the game’s 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 drama—as well as the humor—of 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 York’s 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 fan’s dream book. It’s 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.
“Sometimes, I envy my own childhood,” says Dan Jenkins. Many can say that about Dan’s 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 magazine’s college football coverage and covered the game’s 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 drama—as well as the humor—of 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 York’s 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 fan’s dream book. It’s 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.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
31 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Dan Jenkins
80 books54 followersDan Jenkins was an American author and sportswriter, most notably for Sports Illustrated.
Jenkins was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended R.L. Paschal High School and Texas Christian University (TCU), where he played on the varsity golf team. Jenkins worked for many publications including the Fort Worth Press, Dallas Times Herald, Playboy, and Sports Illustrated. In 1985 he retired from Sports Illustrated and began writing books full-time and maintained a monthly column in Golf Digest magazine.
Larry King called Jenkins "the quintessential Sports Illustrated writer" and "the best sportswriter in America." Jenkins authored numerous works and over 500 articles for Sports Illustrated. In 1972, Jenkins wrote his first novel, Semi-Tough.
His daughter, Sally Jenkins, is a sports columnist for the Washington Post.
Jenkins was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended R.L. Paschal High School and Texas Christian University (TCU), where he played on the varsity golf team. Jenkins worked for many publications including the Fort Worth Press, Dallas Times Herald, Playboy, and Sports Illustrated. In 1985 he retired from Sports Illustrated and began writing books full-time and maintained a monthly column in Golf Digest magazine.
Larry King called Jenkins "the quintessential Sports Illustrated writer" and "the best sportswriter in America." Jenkins authored numerous works and over 500 articles for Sports Illustrated. In 1972, Jenkins wrote his first novel, Semi-Tough.
His daughter, Sally Jenkins, is a sports columnist for the Washington Post.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 19, 2014
A grudge-holding hack writes an autobiography that's not that great, even by standards of medium-form sports writing.
The grudge-holding hack?
First, I need to stipulate that I am NOT a fan of Tiger Woods, let alone the daddy-created hoopla behind it.
That said.
A fair amount of the book is about golf, and much of that is about using Ben Hogan as a foil-club with which to beat on Woods.
Case in point? Major championships.
I had heard, before this book, that the Western Open used to be considered a "major." I had NOT heard that about the North & South Open. Nor had I heard that the USGA had an "ersatz" US Open in 1942.
Add all of Hogan's wins there to the 9 recognized majors he has and voila! He has 15.
While Woods has 14.
Only problem for Danny Boy?
Woods won multiple US Amateurs. And, in mentioning Bobby Jones, DAnny Boy discusses his US Amateurs, and British Amateurs, as majors.
Hoist by your own petard, Dan. Tiger passes Ben again.
I also got tired of the railing against political correctness. Too bad more of Blackie Sherrod's political and social thinking didn't rub off on you, Dan.
The grudge-holding hack?
First, I need to stipulate that I am NOT a fan of Tiger Woods, let alone the daddy-created hoopla behind it.
That said.
A fair amount of the book is about golf, and much of that is about using Ben Hogan as a foil-club with which to beat on Woods.
Case in point? Major championships.
I had heard, before this book, that the Western Open used to be considered a "major." I had NOT heard that about the North & South Open. Nor had I heard that the USGA had an "ersatz" US Open in 1942.
Add all of Hogan's wins there to the 9 recognized majors he has and voila! He has 15.
While Woods has 14.
Only problem for Danny Boy?
Woods won multiple US Amateurs. And, in mentioning Bobby Jones, DAnny Boy discusses his US Amateurs, and British Amateurs, as majors.
Hoist by your own petard, Dan. Tiger passes Ben again.
I also got tired of the railing against political correctness. Too bad more of Blackie Sherrod's political and social thinking didn't rub off on you, Dan.
September 23, 2014
The first part of this book is pretty fun as Jenkins writes about his rise through the ranks of West Texas sports reporting, but then about halfway through it turns into a series of anecdotes about all the famous people he's had drinks with and all the fancy hotels/restaurants he abused his Sports Illustrated expense account in. In between his flashy travel notes and self-deprecating asides about how much money he made in Hollywood, he takes time to drop the hammer on "hippies" and winds the whole shebang up with a full chapter about playing golf with Bush 41. Blah.
Jenkins is kind of the Bill Simmons of his day, and a lot of his pop culture (did they have "pop culture in the 50's?) references will be lost of anyone under 50.
Perhaps the worst thing is that throughout the book he pays homage to all the great sportswriters of his era, but his exclusion of WC Heinz seems to be so damn deliberate that you have to wonder if old Bill Heinz called Jenkins on his shit once or twice back in the day.
It's too bad Jenkins is so puffed up in this memoir, because his early stuff (including and especially "The Glory Game at Goat Hills") is legend. This book is just him repeatedly patting "his ownself" on the back.
Jenkins is kind of the Bill Simmons of his day, and a lot of his pop culture (did they have "pop culture in the 50's?) references will be lost of anyone under 50.
Perhaps the worst thing is that throughout the book he pays homage to all the great sportswriters of his era, but his exclusion of WC Heinz seems to be so damn deliberate that you have to wonder if old Bill Heinz called Jenkins on his shit once or twice back in the day.
It's too bad Jenkins is so puffed up in this memoir, because his early stuff (including and especially "The Glory Game at Goat Hills") is legend. This book is just him repeatedly patting "his ownself" on the back.
July 23, 2014
Good writer but too much "himself".
July 28, 2024
This is a tough one to rate, because unless you’ve read Jenkins and liked him, you shouldn’t be anywhere near this book.
But it delivers on what I came for, some funny, behind the scenes tales and anecdotes from a unique personality who spent a lifetime around golf (and college football). He still had his fastball even well into his 80’s when this book was published.
Yet, he couldn’t help himself from putting in his own out-of-touch political views every 10 to 15 pages, and the book cover is an insult to graphic design, but both are mostly harmless. A decent palate cleanser and an amiable companion for a few hours.
But it delivers on what I came for, some funny, behind the scenes tales and anecdotes from a unique personality who spent a lifetime around golf (and college football). He still had his fastball even well into his 80’s when this book was published.
Yet, he couldn’t help himself from putting in his own out-of-touch political views every 10 to 15 pages, and the book cover is an insult to graphic design, but both are mostly harmless. A decent palate cleanser and an amiable companion for a few hours.
June 21, 2015
I was surprised to find this book at a local bookstore, because I didn't know about it. Surprising because Dan Jenkins is my literary hero. I think he's about the funniest man alive.
This is his attempt at a memoir, and though I had read some of the stories before from his other books and articles, much of the content is new, and wonderfully funny and insightful as always. Jenkins takes us through his childhood in Fort Worth, through high school and college, and on through his stops at various locales in his journalism career. He has been many places, seen many interesting things, and above all has met a large number of fascinating people.
Maybe this in not Jenkins at the top of his game, but not far from it. As always, a funny and interesting read from one of the all-time immortals in sports journalism.
This is his attempt at a memoir, and though I had read some of the stories before from his other books and articles, much of the content is new, and wonderfully funny and insightful as always. Jenkins takes us through his childhood in Fort Worth, through high school and college, and on through his stops at various locales in his journalism career. He has been many places, seen many interesting things, and above all has met a large number of fascinating people.
Maybe this in not Jenkins at the top of his game, but not far from it. As always, a funny and interesting read from one of the all-time immortals in sports journalism.
March 18, 2019
I'm torn on this book. The first half is really good, with a bunch of great golf stories. Once he gets to SI though, it becomes a string of name drops, and how cool I am stories. Throw in a bunch of extreme right wing non sequiturs and it gets a bit tiring. If its possible for a memoir to be self indulgent, this is it. Good read, but frustrating.
July 17, 2019
Henny Bogan Does His Ownself
As expected, Dan Jenkins covers his own life as a journalist in superb fashion and with a self-deprecating humour. He is at his best when he delivers the goods on Ben Hogan, showing a side of Hogan not generally known. Jenkins cites three examples of Hogan’s legendary curtness with people and all three are priceless. At the same time, Jenkins altogether missed Hogan’s lone British Open victory at Carnoustie in 1953, claiming to be in Venice at the time and had been taken hostage “ in St. Mark’s Square by a fetching young English babe – and I don’t even remember her name”. Jenkins takes us through his early days and his introduction into journalism with the disclaimer that “he was the luckiest sumbitch ever allowed to make a living as a writer.” Perhaps a bit unnecessary, he mentions the names of seemingly hundreds of fellow writers in the various publications at which he toiled. But Jenkins has a beautifully crafted M.O. of underplaying his take on each and every celeb he encounters, including former President Bush the Elder, an old golfing buddy. And among his many thousands of interviews he conducted in all sports, he states that his best interviewee was none other than Jack Nicklaus.
As expected, Dan Jenkins covers his own life as a journalist in superb fashion and with a self-deprecating humour. He is at his best when he delivers the goods on Ben Hogan, showing a side of Hogan not generally known. Jenkins cites three examples of Hogan’s legendary curtness with people and all three are priceless. At the same time, Jenkins altogether missed Hogan’s lone British Open victory at Carnoustie in 1953, claiming to be in Venice at the time and had been taken hostage “ in St. Mark’s Square by a fetching young English babe – and I don’t even remember her name”. Jenkins takes us through his early days and his introduction into journalism with the disclaimer that “he was the luckiest sumbitch ever allowed to make a living as a writer.” Perhaps a bit unnecessary, he mentions the names of seemingly hundreds of fellow writers in the various publications at which he toiled. But Jenkins has a beautifully crafted M.O. of underplaying his take on each and every celeb he encounters, including former President Bush the Elder, an old golfing buddy. And among his many thousands of interviews he conducted in all sports, he states that his best interviewee was none other than Jack Nicklaus.
May 31, 2019
A memoir that is pure, undiluted His Ownself. Anyone familiar with the legendary Jenkins will find great stuff on golf, college football, Texas, Manhattan, and Hollywood. While I found the Ben Hogan stories, and the inside dope on Hollywood screenwriting to be insightful and entertaining, the thread that kept me pulled to Dan’s story was his career in sports journalism. From humble Fort Worth local rag beginnings, all the way to NYC, a half decade of columns filed (always making deadline), countless golf tournaments attended, all described by a legend who so very clearly loved his occupation and his peers (some of his editors, not so much). The chapter on his departure from SI stuck with me, not just because of the literary way he filed his notice, but because of how fantastical the idea seems now (in 2019) of a sports columnist taking early retirement in his mid-50’s, with two years peak compensation and lifetime family medical.
December 11, 2025
Dan Jenkins is a legend among sportswriters.
I've probably read pieces he wrote for Sports Illustrated, but nearly every sportswriter I've read about, always mentions Jenkins as an influence or model of great writing.
This is not a politically-correct book, so be warned. Jenkins is from a different generation, similar to Mad Men, where booze, smoking and chasing skirts all seemed like part of the job.
Jenkins led a privileged life, and he'll be the first one to tell you. He grew up in Texas, following TCU football, and covered the college game for SI throughout the '60s, after a career in daily journalism for some Texas newspapers.
He shares great stories about sporting legends, Hollywood elite, and some of the finest writers and editors of the 20th Century.
If you're a sports fan or a fan of sportswriting, you will want to pick this up.
www.thebrianlennonshow.substack.com
www.tailgatorssetup.substack.com
I've probably read pieces he wrote for Sports Illustrated, but nearly every sportswriter I've read about, always mentions Jenkins as an influence or model of great writing.
This is not a politically-correct book, so be warned. Jenkins is from a different generation, similar to Mad Men, where booze, smoking and chasing skirts all seemed like part of the job.
Jenkins led a privileged life, and he'll be the first one to tell you. He grew up in Texas, following TCU football, and covered the college game for SI throughout the '60s, after a career in daily journalism for some Texas newspapers.
He shares great stories about sporting legends, Hollywood elite, and some of the finest writers and editors of the 20th Century.
If you're a sports fan or a fan of sportswriting, you will want to pick this up.
www.thebrianlennonshow.substack.com
www.tailgatorssetup.substack.com
January 18, 2023
Dan Jenkins is a classic example of a college athlete going into his chosen field as a cub reporter in the 30’s, trained by crusty but benign editors to go from newspapers in Ft Worth, writing about his Alma mater TCU to Sports Illustrated and other international weekly’s. Along the way he wrote over a dozen books and saw Hollywood put several on the silver screen such as semi-tough. But it was his wit and sense of humor that make him the sportswriter other writers read. He declared a boring golf tourney; “Harder to watch than a circumcision at an imax theater”. Of a particularly difficult female he wondered to himself; “I can’t believe I was never married to you”.
June 2, 2022
interesting because he’s about my dad’s age, went to same schools in Fort Worth, lets me see back in time a little. Lots of name dropping, interesting if you know the name. Tons of golf stories with pros, presidents, other luminaries. There are some old timey sexist comments that used to be the ‘suave guy’ thing to say, and he’s not apologetic about liking things the old way. Being himself, and not too annoying.
November 9, 2021
Not nearly as fun as the author's novels or actual sports writing but his look back at his early years was interesting. Listened to the audio version which was narrated by Henry Strozier who was a bit bland.
August 14, 2018
Funny at times, interesting during others, but I found myself just wanting to finish already. Some great golf and football stories, but the majority of them were before my time.
RB Digital
RB Digital
June 6, 2019
Funny. some great one-liners. maybe he's a little too Full of HisOwnself.
March 8, 2017
I may be wrong but I believe I am a rare breed. I am a Dan Jenkins fan and I have never - ever - read one of his sports columns. I wasn't raised in Texas, never had a subscription to Sports Illustrated, read only the cartoons and the occasional interview in Playboy (in those weak moments when the "shapely adorables" did not have me transfixed), and have never broken 100 on even the lamest of golf courses so I saw picking up Golf Digest as an unwise investment.
He is, however, the Ben Hogan of rip-roaring authors. I distinctly remember reading You Gotta Play Hurt with tears streaming down my face. All his novels are witty, audacious and just damn fun to read - except for Fast Copy ; I'm still scratching my head wondering what I missed there.
This semi-memoir is no less funny as it chronicles Mr. Jenkins rise to the top of the sports and celebrity world, from growing up in Texas during the Depression (an event he didn't even know how to spell until he saw it printed in the newspaper sometime around 1943), ingratiating himself to the legends of the PGA and NCAA, to weekends hobnobbing with U.S. Presidents and the glitterati of showbiz.
Okay, so it's a rich-boy-makes-good story. It just proves that not all writers come from squalor and broken homes. It just seems that way.
He is, however, the Ben Hogan of rip-roaring authors. I distinctly remember reading You Gotta Play Hurt with tears streaming down my face. All his novels are witty, audacious and just damn fun to read - except for Fast Copy ; I'm still scratching my head wondering what I missed there.
This semi-memoir is no less funny as it chronicles Mr. Jenkins rise to the top of the sports and celebrity world, from growing up in Texas during the Depression (an event he didn't even know how to spell until he saw it printed in the newspaper sometime around 1943), ingratiating himself to the legends of the PGA and NCAA, to weekends hobnobbing with U.S. Presidents and the glitterati of showbiz.
Okay, so it's a rich-boy-makes-good story. It just proves that not all writers come from squalor and broken homes. It just seems that way.
June 17, 2015
http://www.themaineedge.com/sports/a-...
Memoirs are a hit or miss business. While there are a number of factors that go into whether or not a memoir is successful, the two biggest are fairly intuitive.
1) Did the memoirist live an interesting life?
2) Can the memoirist write?
If the answer to both of those questions is “Yes,” then the odds are good that you’re going to get a solid read out of the deal. Longtime sportswriter Dan Jenkins offers an easy affirmative to both of those key queries, meaning that his latest book “His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir” makes for an awfully entertaining addition to the genre.
Jenkins has been a working sportswriter for coming up on 70 years; he started his career in his late teens in the years following World War II. Since then, he has worked constantly, going from newspapers in his hometown (Fort Worth Press) and home state (Dallas Times Herald) to national publications such as “Sports Illustrated” (where he spent 20-plus years) and “Playboy.” He has also been a longtime writer for Golf Digest, though his later years have been spent primarily focused on books.
His primary beats were golf and college football - Jenkins is probably America’s quintessential golf writer – but he covered just about every sport and sporting event imaginable over the course of his lengthy and illustrious career.
But in “His Ownself,” we get more than the glimpses of himself that Jenkins allowed to seep into his sporting coverage. We get the full story of the man himself from The Man Himself; Jenkins takes the reader along on the whole journey. From his comfortable childhood in Texas to his steady climb up the literary ladder, Jenkins lays it all bare. We meet all the colorful and outsized personalities that he encountered along the way – personalities almost as colorful and outsized as Jenkins himself.
The passion Jenkins carried – and still carries – for what he does is palpable throughout. Whether he’s talking about his early days covering golf tournaments and TCU football, sharing his experience in covering the Olympics or relating the rollercoaster ride of writing a best-seller, there’s no mistaking his love for the life’s work that chose him.
The anecdotes related tend to have a feel of familiarity. That’s not to say that you’ve heard these tales before so much as to say that Jenkins has clearly told them before. These are stories that have been told and told and told again, polished to a smoothly glowing sheen by way of innumerable recounting. It’s like listening to the recollections of someone else’s older relative; the cadences and concepts feel familiar even though you’ve never heard the content. And while Jenkins sometimes gets a bit too self-congratulatory, there’s no denying that even the most self-serving passages are both well-written and legitimately interesting.
This book is not the ramblings of some old codger, though Jenkins can be unapologetically curmudgeonly and occasionally adopts attitudes that feel a touch antiquated. Maybe he name-drops a little too frequently. But oh the names! Gridiron gods and legends of the links – these are the people with whom Dan Jenkins rubbed elbows and drank cocktails. This is a man who has experienced a vast chunk of our culture’s sporting history – he has been on the sidelines and in the locker rooms for nigh on seven decades. He’s seen it all.
And in “His Ownself,” he shares it.
Memoirs are a hit or miss business. While there are a number of factors that go into whether or not a memoir is successful, the two biggest are fairly intuitive.
1) Did the memoirist live an interesting life?
2) Can the memoirist write?
If the answer to both of those questions is “Yes,” then the odds are good that you’re going to get a solid read out of the deal. Longtime sportswriter Dan Jenkins offers an easy affirmative to both of those key queries, meaning that his latest book “His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir” makes for an awfully entertaining addition to the genre.
Jenkins has been a working sportswriter for coming up on 70 years; he started his career in his late teens in the years following World War II. Since then, he has worked constantly, going from newspapers in his hometown (Fort Worth Press) and home state (Dallas Times Herald) to national publications such as “Sports Illustrated” (where he spent 20-plus years) and “Playboy.” He has also been a longtime writer for Golf Digest, though his later years have been spent primarily focused on books.
His primary beats were golf and college football - Jenkins is probably America’s quintessential golf writer – but he covered just about every sport and sporting event imaginable over the course of his lengthy and illustrious career.
But in “His Ownself,” we get more than the glimpses of himself that Jenkins allowed to seep into his sporting coverage. We get the full story of the man himself from The Man Himself; Jenkins takes the reader along on the whole journey. From his comfortable childhood in Texas to his steady climb up the literary ladder, Jenkins lays it all bare. We meet all the colorful and outsized personalities that he encountered along the way – personalities almost as colorful and outsized as Jenkins himself.
The passion Jenkins carried – and still carries – for what he does is palpable throughout. Whether he’s talking about his early days covering golf tournaments and TCU football, sharing his experience in covering the Olympics or relating the rollercoaster ride of writing a best-seller, there’s no mistaking his love for the life’s work that chose him.
The anecdotes related tend to have a feel of familiarity. That’s not to say that you’ve heard these tales before so much as to say that Jenkins has clearly told them before. These are stories that have been told and told and told again, polished to a smoothly glowing sheen by way of innumerable recounting. It’s like listening to the recollections of someone else’s older relative; the cadences and concepts feel familiar even though you’ve never heard the content. And while Jenkins sometimes gets a bit too self-congratulatory, there’s no denying that even the most self-serving passages are both well-written and legitimately interesting.
This book is not the ramblings of some old codger, though Jenkins can be unapologetically curmudgeonly and occasionally adopts attitudes that feel a touch antiquated. Maybe he name-drops a little too frequently. But oh the names! Gridiron gods and legends of the links – these are the people with whom Dan Jenkins rubbed elbows and drank cocktails. This is a man who has experienced a vast chunk of our culture’s sporting history – he has been on the sidelines and in the locker rooms for nigh on seven decades. He’s seen it all.
And in “His Ownself,” he shares it.
October 25, 2014
I read Dan Jenkins' book Dead Solid Perfect quite a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely. I didn't pay attention to who wrote it. I did not read Semi-Tough but saw the movie and again would not have been able to tell you who wrote it. I did read Dan Jenkins' column in Golf Digest for many years. I cannot remember when I learned he had written the two books (and many others) but it did not surprise me. He is an engaging writer who I looked forward to each month. And he has had a pretty wild life, perhaps a little more interesting than the characters in his books. Throughout he gives examples of "leads," the first paragraph of a story that he finds interesting or entertaining. I don't know what the word for the last sentence of a story is but I'll nominate the last sentence of chapter 23 as a good example of a sentence with a whole story buried in it. In talking about his carousing with another Sports Illustrated reporter: "As you might guess, that wasn't the only time we got lit and I made her sing it." Like that sentence this book left me wanting to know just a little more.
January 23, 2016
I ordered this book because it was billed as a funny memoir about the sports world. It did live up to the billing, and while enjoyable, there are some things I wish I had known.
Dan Jenkins is an old time sportswriter. He started covering sports when my dad was a kid. Therefore, some of the athletes and virtually all of the colleagues he mentions are completely foreign to me. As he does drop a lot of names, it got tedious reading about people I had never heard of. Second, he for the most part covered golf (which I am not that interested in) and football (which I love). So it bounced back and forth between things of interest for me and things that didn't interest me all that much.
I did like how he quoted some of his best stories, as well as some of the best from his colleagues. The overall book was light and warm, though it did slow down in the middle. The last six or seven stories made up for it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.
More mature sports fans will enjoy, as well as any die hard followers of sportswriting in general.
Dan Jenkins is an old time sportswriter. He started covering sports when my dad was a kid. Therefore, some of the athletes and virtually all of the colleagues he mentions are completely foreign to me. As he does drop a lot of names, it got tedious reading about people I had never heard of. Second, he for the most part covered golf (which I am not that interested in) and football (which I love). So it bounced back and forth between things of interest for me and things that didn't interest me all that much.
I did like how he quoted some of his best stories, as well as some of the best from his colleagues. The overall book was light and warm, though it did slow down in the middle. The last six or seven stories made up for it, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending.
More mature sports fans will enjoy, as well as any die hard followers of sportswriting in general.
January 27, 2016
This is not Semi-Tough and what seemed chokingly funny to me in the 1970's apparently no longer does. Still, many of the stories are interesting -- how many people have played golf with Babe Didrikson, Ben Hogan, Johnny Miller, and President Bush, "41?" -- and lots of the anecdotes are still funny:
"The Todds and the Jenkinses were dining at a fish camp one night on the Intracoastal Canal in Ponte Vedra, Florida and after we'd finished the fried catfish, June asked our waitress, Paula Jean, for a cappuccino. Paula Jean said, 'A whut?' June described a cappuccino. Paula Jean said, 'Hon, that ain't got here yet.'" (p. 150)
"The Todds and the Jenkinses were dining at a fish camp one night on the Intracoastal Canal in Ponte Vedra, Florida and after we'd finished the fried catfish, June asked our waitress, Paula Jean, for a cappuccino. Paula Jean said, 'A whut?' June described a cappuccino. Paula Jean said, 'Hon, that ain't got here yet.'" (p. 150)
April 17, 2014
I was a big fan of Dan Jenkins when he wrote for Sports Illustrated. Alas, he has not met those standards in this book. There are occasional flashes of his humor and wit, but too often his right-wing political views are aired, along with his rather annoying rants against "political correctness" and his potshots at some famous people.
June 24, 2014
Dan Jenkins is a famous Paschal High grad...just a few years younger than my folks who attended Arlington Heights...
i loved the parts of the book about Ft. Worth...filled in some data i for me...was entertained by his memoirs of famous people...esp Ben Hogan...another Ft. Worth great...perhaps the greatest golfer of all time!
Love Jenkins style of writing...
i loved the parts of the book about Ft. Worth...filled in some data i for me...was entertained by his memoirs of famous people...esp Ben Hogan...another Ft. Worth great...perhaps the greatest golfer of all time!
Love Jenkins style of writing...
February 12, 2015
Suffers a little from rampant old-fogeyism and cornball humor but Jenkins had a very interesting career and the glimpses he gives into the heyday of Sports Illustrated and old-time college football were interesting.
Confirms what I've always felt about Ben Hogan, he needed someone in his life to tell him to f___ off every once in a while.
Confirms what I've always felt about Ben Hogan, he needed someone in his life to tell him to f___ off every once in a while.
September 8, 2015
Quote: "Life's a funny old dog ain't she?"
I loved reading Jenkins' take on his writing life. By reading about all the important people in his life, I learned who some of his wild book characters are based on. Jenkins describes having something of a privileged background - his attraction to golf - and he is also a great American success story.
I loved reading Jenkins' take on his writing life. By reading about all the important people in his life, I learned who some of his wild book characters are based on. Jenkins describes having something of a privileged background - his attraction to golf - and he is also a great American success story.
March 26, 2014
Very rarely do you read a memoir and think that the author could have added another 100 pages easily. Dan Jenkins truly belongs on the Mount Rushmore of sportswriters. He has lead an amazing life and I enjoyed this book. Thanks Dan for all the entertainment you have provided over the years!
July 20, 2014
Dan Jenkins has been my favorite author since I read "Semi-Tough" over 40 years ago! In "His Ownself: A Semi-Memoir" he has given us a hilarious look at his life story. A must read for fans of any sport!
March 18, 2015
If you're a fan of Jenkins, golf, college football, the old Southwest Conference or Fort Worth, Texas, then you will love this memoir. If you've not read any of his work, or are easily offended by Arkansas jokes, stay away.
April 10, 2015
GREAT BOOK - LAUGHED OUT LOUD A LOT!! I just bought another Jenkins book because I always love his writing.
July 21, 2016
How could anyone who has laughed at and relished any measure of Dan Jenkins's work take a pass on this memoir?
August 5, 2016
I quick little memoir, from a very funny fiction writer, and one of the best golf and football sports writers ever.
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