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John Feinstein

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John Feinstein is an American sportswriter and commentator. He is a columnist for the Washington Post, an author, is a guest commentator on NPR, and does color commentary for United States Naval Academy (aka "Navy") football games. He is also a frequent contributor to The Tony Kornheiser Show and The Jim Rome Show.

Feinstein was a sports writer for the The Chronicle while enrolled at Duke University, where he graduated in 1977. Feinstein made his name as a prominent author with A Season on the Brink (1987), a book documenting a season with the Indiana University basketball team and controversial coach Bob Knight. Feinstein has now written 23 books, including various best sellers on sports such as basketball, football, and golf. Feinstein's notable titles include the aforementioned A Season on the Brink (1987), A Good Walk Spoiled (1993), A March to Madness (1998), The Punch (2002), and Next Man Up (2005). In 2006, Feinstein branched out into children's literature with a mystery novel for kids titled, Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery.

During a television broadcast of the football game between Navy and Duke University on October 1, 2005, Feinstein blurted an obscenity over-the-air in response to what he perceived to be a bad call on the field. He immediately removed himself from the rest of the broadcast, except to return at the end to apologize on the air. Although he offered his resignation to the Naval Academy, they rejected it because of his contrition and have invited him to continue to participate in future broadcasts.

One of Feinstein's nicknames is "Junior," despite not having the suffix in his name. The name was given by fellow Washington sportswriter and commentator Tony Kornheiser because of the similarities in his temper to John McEnroe.

Feinstein sometimes fills in as a guest host on The Jim Rome Show. Rome considers Feinstein to be one of the most intelligent people he's interviewed on the show, and occasionally teases him about an over-the-phone interview that was interrupted by Feinstein's daughter.

Feinstein currently resides in Potomac, MD, and Shelter Island, New York, with his wife, son, and daughter.

Works

  • Tales from Q School: Inside Golf's Fifth Major ISBN 0-316-01430-3
The story of the players who compete for coveted positions on tour in the 2005 Q School
  • Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four ISBN 0-316-16030-X
Tales from plays, coaches, and refs about the Final Four
  • Next Man Up: A Year Behind The Lines in Today's NFL ISBN 0-316-00964-4
The story of the 2004-2005 Baltimore Ravens.
  • Vanishing Act second book in series that includes "Last Shot". Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson try to solve a kidnapping and numerous crimes at the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
  • Last Shot: A final four mystery ISBN 0-375-83168-1
A fictional children's book about two children trying to solve a mystery at the Final Four. Winner of the 2006 Edgar Award in the Best Young Adult category.
  • Let Me Tell You A Story (with Red Auerbach) ISBN 0-316-73823-9
An audio collection of Feinstein's interviews with the legendary coach of the Boston Celtics.
  • Caddy For Life: The Bruce Edwards Story ISBN 0-316-77788-9
The story of Bruce Edwards, the longtime caddy for golf great Tom Watson, and his ultimately losing battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.
  • Open: Inside the Ropes At Bethpage Park ISBN 0-316-77852-4
A look at the 2002 US Open golf tournament, held at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park on Long Island.
  • The Punch ISBN 0-316-73563-9
Deals with the infamous punch thrown by Kermit Washington that nearly killed Rudy Tomjanovich during an NBA game in 1977, and its impact on both men and the league.
  • A Good Walk Spoiled: Days And Nights on the PGA Tour ISBN 0-316-27737-1
Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 1995.
A look at the 1999-2000 basketball season in the Patriot League, a low-ranked Division I basketball conference. "Amateurs" refers to the fact that when Feinstein wrote this book, the conference had a policy against the granting of athletic scholarships, and even today strongly emphasizes the "student" in "student-athlete".
  • The Majors: In Pursuit of Golf's Holy Grail ISBN 0-316-27795-9
A look behind the scenes at a season's worth of majors, and what players do to win their sport's biggest prizes.
An inside look at the 1996-97 basketball season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, featuring segments on each of the nine schools then in the conference. Notably, this was the last season for North Carolina coaching legend Dean Smith.
A look at the 1995 football season at Army and Navy, culminating in the Army-Navy Game.
  • Running Mates (book)|Running Mates
  • Play Ball ISBN 0-679-41618-8
  • Hard Courts ISBN 0-679-74106-2
  • Forever's Team ISBN 0-394-56892-3
A look at the Duke team that lost in the NCAA final game in 1978. Because many of its stars were freshmen and sophomores, it was widely expected that the team would win a national title, but this group of Duke players never did so.
  • A Season Inside ISBN 0-394-56891-5
In his follow up to Brink, Feinstein took an inside look at the Kansas basketball team in 1987-88—which turned out to be a national championship season.
A look at the 1985-86 basketball season at Indiana University, especially famous for its treatment of legendary coach Bob Knight.
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