Always by My Side

April 28, 2008
In this sentimental look back, Nantz recounts his beloved father's descent into illness during his own rise to success in sports broadcasting. Nantz's early ambition was to announce sporting events, and he got his start by taking advantage of even the smallest opportunity; his first job was driving Houston Open announcers from the parking lot to the clubhouse. Meanwhile, his jolly, curious and encouraging father was fielding the first symptoms of Alzheimers; sadly, as Nance finds greater recognition within the industry, the man who inspired him becomes more distant. Nantz finds father figures in his friendships with George H.W. Bush and golfer/broadcaster Ken Venturi, and turns up charming stories of others he admires like Tony Dungy, Arnold Palmer and former college roommate Freddie Couples. Though it has a saccharine streak, Nantz's on-the-job memoir fulfills his old man's vision ("Good people with good stories... To him, that was what sports-and sportsmanship-were all about") with a gentle, anecdote-heavy tour.

CBS broadcasting legend Jim Nantz recounts how his father influenced his career. Nantz's reading is both energetic and precise as he interweaves sports plays with insider moments in an exciting "you-are-there" style. Nantz's tone is often bittersweet in this moving tribute to his father, who is now devastated by Alzheimer's disease. Even though he's unable to share in his son's successes, Nantz believes his father will always be by his side. Nantz's true-to-life narration of the history-making broadcasting stretch in which he called the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the Masters in a 63-day stretch in 2007 captures his style and love of sports. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine