In the age of political correctness, Bob Broeg's iconoclastic nature stands out. Broeg's personality fused with his talent to produce one of the giants in sportswriting in the generation following World War II. Indeed, Broeg helped to define American sportswriting in that era. Those who know him only through his books or the many articles he has written for magazines and newspapers would find, on meeting him, a certain familiarity: Broeg writes as he speaks--entertainingly and accurately. Unlike many current writers who focus on statistical measurements of a player's career, Broeg hones in on the person inside the uniform or behind the team owner's desk. His emphasis is on the anecdotal, and his stories are heavily laden with his own opinions; his writing is crisp and sprightly, with a frequent use of alliteration.

Robert William Broeg was born in Saint Louis on 18 March 1918 to Robert M. Broeg, a...