By Len Berman, HarperCollins, May 2005

A must read for every sports fan, Spanning the World is an irresistible blend of humor, history, and contemporary commentary on the state of sports from the ultimate fan who has seen it all.

Berman has been a fixture on the New York City sports scene since the 1980s, but he is best know nationally for the sports bloopers he collects in his "Spanning the World" pieces on the Tonight Show. This collection of funny or unusual anecdotes draws from both "Spanning" video and his own memory bank. Along the way, Berman offers insights into such various sports figures as Bob Knight and Arthur Ashe, but it's the oddball stuff that will most interest readers, including the story of a practical joke played by Detroit Piston Rick Mahorn, who told a referee during a game that teammate Joe Dumars had just scored his twenty-thousandth career point. Dumars was actually 5,000 short, but Mahorn's deception generated an impromptu ceremony that interrupted the game. There are hundreds of similar stand-alone anecdotes collected here, loosely organized around themes. Try a couple of chapters at a time for maximum enjoyment. Expect Berman to generate his own demand with multiple media appearances. Wes Lukowsky

Book Description:

Go Spanning the World with Len Berman in this wildly entertaining, insightful, and often hilarious book that takes sports fans behind the scenes and inside locker rooms.

One of the most popular television sports personalities -- known for his "Spanning the World" segments on NBC's Today show -- Len Berman delivers his unique view of the world of sports, from the bizarre to the historic, all with his characteristic wit.

Over the years sports and sports reporting have changed, but Spanning the World puts it all in perspective in this irreverent take on the heroes and iconic moments.

• Barry Bonds massages the media: "If you put that camera in my face, I'll slit your throat."
• Mickey Mantle reveals his most pleasurable Yankee Stadium experience (it didn't happen on the field).
• Bobby Orr loses his cool and chairs start flying from the upper decks.
• Bill Parcells finally spills his Super Bowl–winning formula: "Power wins!"
• And much more ...

Berman guides us through the world he knows like no one else, from intimate recollections of his heroes to postgame celebrations, exhibiting the most hilarious and shocking moments from the whole cast of characters from the last decades in sports: John McEnroe, Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird, Derek Jeter, and many more. He also addresses the more serious issues facing sports today, including steroids, overpaid stars, athletes and violence, and the place of sports in society.

A must read for every sports fan, Spanning the World is an irresistible blend of humor, history, and contemporary commentary on the state of sports from the ultimate fan who has seen it all.

About the Author:

Len Berman is the weekday sports anchor at WNBC New York, and the host of the popular "Spanning the World" segments on NBC's Today show. He has won six local Emmy Awards and has been voted New York Sportscaster of the Year five times by his peers in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

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