William Nack, RIP

[dilanesp]

I was never a fan, as I thought he contributed to a lot of the BS surrounding Secretariat (22 pound hearts, "overtraining" going into the Woodward, etc.), but he certainly was a giant in turf writing, working for Sports Illustrated for decades after Whitney Tower retired.

RIP.

[tucker6]

RIP indeed. He certainly helped create the Secretariat legend. While he may have been over exuberant at times about Big Red, there's a little bit of fan in every horse player, so I forgive it. I'll miss his prose when it comes to describing horse racing. The sport needs more of that these days.

[Bluto Blutarsky]

He was a great writer.
When I read his stuff, I felt like I was right there with him experiencing what he was witnessing.

[pandy]

Rich Perloff just interviewed Laura Hillenbrand, who was friends with Bill Nack. I didn't know that Nack was a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, in particular, The Great Gatsby, and could recite passages from the book in two languages. He was a terrific writer, as is Hillenbrand.

Hillenbrand said that Nack met Swaps when he was a little boy, and Swaps licked the palm of his hand, one of Bill Nack's fondest memories.

[Denny]

Steve Byk did a nice segment on his show yesterday with Tim Layden of SI.

It's archived for anyone not familiar with At The Races.

One thing they talked about was what Pandy mentioned - Nack's ability to quote passages from his favorite writers.

I've never read the Secretariat book since I saw him in person so many times, but, might have to pick up a copy. I've noticed it's one of the very few horseracing books that you'll still see on the shelf at Barnes & Noble these days.

[pandy]

I read the Secretariat book when it first came out, so I barely remember it, except that it was excellent...I do think that Nack's book, and the Seabiscuit book by Hillenbrand were the two best racing books I've ever read.

[Afleet]

[PointGiven]

I really enjoy his work. Really everything about him. His narration, speaking and story telling.