Considering how good the podcast of the same name is, it’s no surprise George Ofman’s “Tell Me A Story I Don’t Know: Conversations With Chicago Sports Legends” is a wonderful read.
Ofman makes a seamless transition from pod to word in this effort, to be released by Triumph Books of Chicago on Nov. 14. This is a work that would stand alone without the podcast.
The 241-page book features excerpts of conversations with guests from Ofman’s podcast. Among those featured in print are Ozzie Guillen, Bob Costas, Dan Hampton, Jason Benetti, Steve Stone, Eddie Olczyk and many more.
While the conversations are the stars of the book, Ofman gives those chats wonderful context with his writing.
Reading this book makes me want to revisit my favorite episodes of the pod. The ones that comes to mind are shows with Benetti, Costas and Kenny McReynolds.
The McReynolds saga is a microcosm of the beauty of Ofman’s franchise. I’ve seen and listened to McReynolds for years. I only knew of his fascinating beginnings in the media industry and his valiant battle with health issues through Ofman’s pod and book.
The Benetti section is transformational. Throughout the pod’s nine seasons, the affable Ofman has a way of getting guests to open up about delicate subjects. This was on display during the Benetti pod and chapter as he told George about the challenges of living with cerebral palsy.
This is the bi-product of Ofman’s five decades in the sports media industry. His lengthy experience as a reporter, anchor and host comes through on the podcast and in the book.
The pod and book are full of great stories like McReynolds’ and Benetti’s.
With the media shrinking daily and the passage of time, this book and accompanying pod serve an important role in preserving the stories we don’t know and their storytellers.
Here’s hoping we hear and read more stories we don’t know in the future.
For more information on the book …
Here’s the Benetti podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/last-word-on-sports-media-podcast/id1549396526?i=1000606219188