You can't judge a book by ... whatever the phrase

The 2008 edition of the Best American Sports Writing has been out a few weeks, in paperback at most bookstores and online (linked here), edited by Bill Nack.

Buy it for $14, or pick it up in the store to review some of the better scribing you may have missed during 2007 (that's how it works) and if you have ideas for anything you've seen in 2008, you've got a couple of months to submit it to the series editor, Glenn Stout ... it's all explained in the book.

One of the stories noticed for its quality content in this book comes from L.A. Times columnist T.J. Simers, a piece he did in January (now nearly two years ago) entitled "Family Carries On After Tragic Day" (linked here).

Among the "notable" stories of '07 that didn't make the top 25:

"Old Mike, New Christine," L.A. Times, April 26, by Christine Daniels.