Always By My Side: A Father’s Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other

Whether or not you know his work on CBS Sports, there’s no doubting Jim Nantz belongs squarely within the top echelon of sports broadcasters. His unshakable and youthful determination translated into early success—by his mid-20s he was already anchoring major sporting events. While Nantz rapidly scaled the ladder of success at CBS, his father, Jim Sr., always Nantz’s source of inspiration, became increasingly lost in the agonizing grip of Alzheimer’s disease. But here Nantz only occasionally refers to his father’s struggle, preferring instead to spin yarns about his own professional career. At times he gives us more about his bond with former President George H.W. Bush. And that’s a shame. Nantz is an eloquent writer who is also, at times, totally self-serving and self-congratulatory. You’d think a book that features the author’s father in the title would have more to do with him than who he gets to take pictures with. The result is a thinly veiled tribute to his father and a spirited read about calling The Final Four and The Masters.