The Story
The riveting autobiography of iconic American sportscaster Tom Durkin
Sports have become indelibly linked to the voices that describe the action, from Al Michaels at the Olympics to baseballās Vin Scully and basketballās Marv Albert. In horseracing, perhaps no single voice did as much to reshape, modernize, and improve the soundtrack of the sport as Tom Durkin.
In A Lifeās Calling: The Voice Behind the Worldās Greatest Horse Races, Tom Durkin, alongside longtime turf writers Paul Volponi and Lenny Shulman, shares his fascinating story. Readers will revel in his tales of life in the backwater stops of the Midwest learning horse racing among rickety grandstands and local hustlers, and of the day when he called the first Breedersā Cup and ended up at an after-party surrounded by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Cary Grant. Durkin also candidly recounts how the pressure to describe each race with flawless accuracy became too much, leading him to step away from the spotlight while still at his prime.
Durkinās life is as colorful as his description of a come-from-behinder weaving his way through horses toward a photo finish. A Lifeās Calling is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the voice behind many of horse racingās greatest calls.
Description
The riveting autobiography of iconic American sportscaster Tom Durkin
Sports have become indelibly linked to the voices that describe the action, from Al Michaels at the Olympics to baseballās Vin Scully and basketballās Marv Albert. In horseracing, perhaps no single voice did as much to reshape, modernize, and improve the soundtrack of the sport as Tom Durkin.
In A Lifeās Calling: The Voice Behind the Worldās Greatest Horse Races, Tom Durkin, alongside longtime turf writers Paul Volponi and Lenny Shulman, shares his fascinating story. Readers will revel in his tales of life in the backwater stops of the Midwest learning horse racing among rickety grandstands and local hustlers, and of the day when he called the first Breedersā Cup and ended up at an after-party surrounded by Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and Cary Grant. Durkin also candidly recounts how the pressure to describe each race with flawless accuracy became too much, leading him to step away from the spotlight while still at his prime.
Durkinās life is as colorful as his description of a come-from-behinder weaving his way through horses toward a photo finish. A Lifeās Calling is a must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the voice behind many of horse racingās greatest calls.
