Sporting Life, Horses, Boxers, Rivers, and a Russian Ballclub

-- three different types of horse racing: down-and-dirty bush racing in Cajun country; the elegant steeplechase at Ascot, England; and a big-time Santa Anita thoroughbred heading for the Kentucky Derby

-- two boxers from radically opposite ends of the spectrum: Pat Lawlor struggling to make it, and Mike Tyson battling his emotions

-- two fly-fishing adventures on legendary California rivers

-- and the world's strangest baseball club, the Moscow Red Devils, barnstorming the United States with Soviet trinkets for sale and skills on a par with good American high school teams

Every piece shines with Barich's distinctive voice, an approach that splendidly balances both enthusiasm and criticism with healthy doses of humor The result is a rare, informed, and thoroughly enjoyable visit with subjects addressed by many, but mastered by very few.