My Home Team

A Sportswriter's Life and the Redemptive Power of Small-Town Girls' Basketball

By: Dave Kindred

Narrated by: Dave Kindred

The legendary sports journalist writes about the team that changed his life: the Morton High School Lady Potters basketball team.

Dave Kindred has covered dozens of Super Bowls and written about stars like Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan. But a high-school girls basketball team—the Lady Potters of Morton, Illinois—stands apart from the rest.

In this moving and intimate story, Kindred writes about his rise to professional success and the changes that brought him back to his hometown late in life. As he dealt with personal hardship, his urge to write sustained him. For years, he has recapped the games of the Lady Potters, including their many runs to state championships. He attended game after game, sitting in the stands and making notes, paid nothing but Milk Duds. And the team and their community were there for him as he lost a grandson to addiction and his wife to long-term illness.

Tender and honest, Kindred’s story reminds listeners what sports are really about. He trades in the exhausting spectacle of Super Bowl Sunday for the joy of togetherness, the fire of competition, and the inexhaustible hope for victory tomorrow.

©2023 Dave Kindred (P)2023 PublicAffairs

Critic reviews

“Revered sports journalist Kindred…shares his own story, from his roots in Illinois to stints at newspapers like the Washington Post to a return to his hometown, where he enthusiastically and generously volunteers to cover the Morton High School women's basketball team, the Lady Potters, a commitment that brings him joy and carries him through difficult times. Admirably, Kindred avoids self-pity whether he's writing about personal losses or professional setbacks. Instead, he cites the inspiration of other legends, like earlier sportswriter Red Smith, and the camaraderie among contemporary sportswriters."—Booklist, starred review

“An iconic American sportswriter returns to his Midwest roots and finds his greatest story…An enjoyable, poignant, meaningful memoir.”—Kirkus

“For those of us who followed his career as a columnist and reporter, this book brings back memories of some of his most memorable stories, interviews and experiences… It provides great insights into the life of a sportswriter at all levels and the trials and tribulations of family life and aging in a changing world.”—Eric Sondheimer, The Los Angeles Times

No one can tell a story like Dave Kindred

I grew up reading Dave Kindred’s work when he was at The Courier-Journal and I lived across the river in Southern indiana. Without a doubt, he is one of the reasons I became a journalist (along with a couple of guys named Woodward and Bernstein).
I think I’ve read every book he’s written, but this one and the one before about his grandson registered on a more personal level.
We all feel helpless when we can’t stop a family from traveling a dangerous path like his grandson. And we all understand finding a new purpose in life like he did when he began writing about the Lady Potters.
And he did both with his beloved wife by his side for so many years — though not nearly enough.
Thanks, Dave, for sharing your stories. I hope there’s more to come.

Wonderful, bittersweet, redemptive

Told in three acts, Dave takes us on a journey through an ink-stained life that ends where it begins and begins again. For fans of journalism. For sports fans. For those who crave the nostalgia of days gone by. For those wondering what comes next.

Great book!

Good story. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Narrator ,who is also the author,” is terrific. Excellent read! M.Atwater

Well Done!

Love how Mr Kindred intertwined the story of his career and life to the seasons he covered with the high school team.

Something for Everyone

If you have followed sports your whole life, you will appreciate this book. The behind-the-scenes anecdotes about different sport stars, give new insights. The sheer volume of sports the author covered during his long career, gives the book credibility.
If you like books with authenticity and deep personal feeling you will definitely find this a meaningful experience. The loving and evolving relationship between the author and his wife, is a joy to read.
His surprising focus on a small town high school girls basketball team is a delight!
What does an aging superstar sports writer do? He reinvents himself with Act II and Act III. Thanks, Dave, for sharing your amazing and touching life story.

Dave’s openness

I like the entire book. The story of a big-time sports writer covering high school girls basketball is compelling. Interwoven with his life with Cheryl makes the book fantastic.