Born on 31 July 1904 in New York City, Arthur John Daley thought of himself throughout his life as a New Yorker. New York was where he was raised and schooled and where he spent his entire professional career as a newspaper reporter. From an early age he was interested in a wide variety of sports. At Fordham Preparatory School he participated in baseball, basketball, football, track and field, and swimming. A skilled and competitive athlete, he seemed to enjoy the variety of his pursuits as much as his athletic success. His favorite sport, though, was baseball, which he pursued passionately as a player and later as a writer.

Daley graduated from Fordham Prep in 1922 and entered Fordham University, where he continued to be an energetic student who took part in athletics. However, it was on the baseball diamond that he left his mark as an alert and focused center...