Wertheim, L. Jon 1971-

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Wertheim, L. Jon 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born 1971; married; wife's name Ellie; children: Benjamin, Allegra. Education: Yale University, B.A., 1993; University of Pennsylvania, J.D., 1997.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Sports journalist. Sports Illustrated, senior writer, 1997—.

WRITINGS:

Venus Envy: A Sensational Season inside the Women's Tennis Tour, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001, also published as Venus Envy: Power Games, Teenage Vixens, and Million-Dollar Egos on the Women's Tennis Tour, Perennial (New York, NY), 2002.

Transition Game: How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop, Putnam (New York, NY), 2005.

(With Jack McCallum) Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2007.

Contributor to Best American Sports Writing.

SIDELIGHTS:

L. Jon Wertheim is a sports journalist. Wertheim graduated from Yale University in 1993 and went on to earn his juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania a few years later. In 1997 he began working for Sports Illustrated, eventually becoming a senior writer for the magazine.

Wertheim published his first book, Venus Envy: A Sensational Season inside the Women's Tennis Tour, in 2001. The book covers the 2000 season of women's tennis, from Melbourne's Australian Open through to the end of the season. He looks at the stars of the season, including the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena), Anna Kournikova, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis, and others, including doting parents.

Heather Joslyn, writing on the Metro Times Web site, observed that Wertheim "is blessed with a charismatic cast of characters." Joslyn also remarked that "the storyteller manages to make his job look easy—which is exactly what the women he writes about do, in spite of everything." Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Naomi Bliven commented that "Wertheim's writing occasionally betrays haste, but it is generally lively and readable and stays fresh through countless interviews, each bringing us an individual's voice. He conveys a sense of tennis as a sport and business." Bliven added that "sports provide suspense, and in Wertheim's account we learn why women's tennis has become more suspenseful—and more entertaining—in recent years." Budd Bailey, writing on the BookPage Web site, found that Wertheim "wisely sticks to those stars in the book, but he does take some side trips." Bailey noted that "with Venus Envy, Wertheim presents a clear, compelling snapshot of what the sport is like right now." Time contributor Joel Stein commented that Wertheim "does more than deliver incredible access to the women's tennis circuit." Chris McKendry, writing on ESPN.com, noted that "Wertheim is lucky. He doesn't have to create characters, merely describe them. These players, like all people, are more complicated than the labels placed on them. Wertheim has a great eye for details and mannerisms, and he does give the players depth." Booklist contributor Wes Lukowsky noted that "Wertheim provides a fascinating update," adding that the book is "a must for tennis fans of all ages."

In 2005 Wertheim published Transition Game: How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop. The book covers the close relationship the state of Indiana has with the game of basketball. Wertheim returned to his high school in Bloomington to cover the season and intersperses factoids about college and professional levels of the game.

John Schroeder, writing on the Blog Critics Web site, remarked that Transition Game "is good reporting, but lacks sufficient analysis to give it real importance and depth. It is a must-read for basketball fans, but disappointing in that it could have been so much more." A contributor to Publishers Weekly commented that Wertheim's "forays into thought-provoking cultural topics add weight to a fun and fast-paced examination of an enduring game." People contributor Sue Corbett called the book "essential reading for hoops fans—and excellent social history as well." James Miller, writing in Library Journal, commented that Wertheim's "condescending tone and ham-handed style do not make for a pleasant read." A critic writing in Publishers Weekly remarked that "the book should hold more than just tabloid interest for young women who aspire to tennis careers." Lukowsky, again writing in Booklist, called the book "a wonderfully written peek into the modern game." Lukowsky added that the book contains "lots of history, but teen hoop fans will enjoy the contrast between then and now."

Composed with fellow Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum, Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel, was published in 2006. Yale-educated Jamal Kelly is hired by a professional Los Angeles sports team to fill in for their recently deceased public relations director and is immediately thrust into the problems faced in dealing with players, executives, and the city itself. A contributor to Publishers Weekly concluded: "There's enough plot tension to keep things moving, but it's the insider details that give the book punch."

The following year Wertheim published Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler. The book examines the life of Danny Basavich, otherwise known as Kid Delicious, who achieved notoriety by being a pool hustler. Wertheim covers his larger-than-life personality, dealings, and the style of game he plays to make his living.

Heather Byer, writing in the Los Angeles Times, remarked that "Wertheim is great at getting the perfect quote and has a keen eye for detail, but the reader can sometimes feel him interviewing people, and this occasionally makes it feel as if we're reading a long magazine article." Byer noted a few "minor complaints," but otherwise found Running the Table to be "a tremendously satisfying read." Byer stated: "What makes Running the Table so special is not the pool prowess of its protagonist but the unlikely bond between two wildly different young men who find each other through an exhilarating, often infuriating game. They may have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, but their friendship was never a hustle." Booklist contributor Keir Graff wrote that Wertheim "has an eye for detail and can turn a phrase—and he's clearly fascinated by the game." A contributor to Publishers Weekly found that "the book's appeal is Wertheim's eloquent and vivid prose that so perfectly captures the squalid, sepiatoned environs of America's" pool halls. A critic writing in Kirkus Reviews observed that Wertheim "offers plenty of nitty-gritty details and notorious characters along the way," in writing this "enjoyable vicarious descent into the world of pool hustling."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 2001, Wes Lukowsky, review of Venus Envy: A Sensational Season inside the Women's Tennis Tour, p. 1969; February 1, 2005, Wes Lukowsky, review of Transition Game: How Hoosiers Went Hip-Hop, p. 929; September 1, 2007, Keir Graff, review of Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler, p. 48.

Iris: A Journal about Women, fall, 2002, Erin Hanusa, review of Venus Envy.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2007, review of Running the Table.

Library Journal, May 1, 2005, James Miller, review of Transition Game, p. 96.

Los Angeles Times, October 21, 2007, Heather Byer, review of Running the Table.

New York Times Book Review, September 9, 2001, Naomi Bliven, review of Venus Envy.

People, April 11, 2005, Sue Corbett, review of Transition Game, p. 52.

Publishers Weekly, August 13, 2001, review of Venus Envy, p. 300; January 31, 2005, review of Transition Game, p. 58; January 2, 2006, review of Foul Lines: A Pro Basketball Novel, p. 36; July 30, 2007, review of Running the Table, p. 64.

Sports Illustrated, summer, 2006, author profile.

Time, September 17, 2001, Joel Stein, review of Venus Envy, p. 102.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2001, review of Venus Envy, p. 385.