My favorite writing

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html

This story made me want to be a sports columnist. Michael Lewis explains how Shane Battier (one of my favorite players) is successful in the NBA despite not being the most athletic player.

This story begins and ends in an NBA game, and Lewis writes it in the present tense. The lead is actually Battier describing how he doesn't feel anything when the crowd screams his name anymore when he's announced. Battier says, "If you had filet mignon every single night, you'd stop tasting it." It's a brilliant quote taht totally wraps me into the story.

In the game, Battier is guarding Lakers' star Kobe Bryant. Bryant is the game's most prolific story, and he ends up being the game's point-scoring leader. But Battier forces Bryant into so many missed shots that the Rockets have a chance to win.

The middle of the story is a riveting profile of Battier. It includes tons of insight to how general managers grade NBA players. This is the type of insight I want in a story, and Lewis provides it.

The end of the story is the conclusion of the game, where Bryant makes a nearly impossible shot with Battier guarding him closely. But instead of being frustrated, Battier basically says that he would take his odds and Bryant missing that shot any time. It's the perfect closer. Battier falls short, but he did everything fundamentally right, and chances are if he did the same thing the next time they played the Lakers, the Rockets would win.