The first "official" (non-list) post to this blog was about Chris Jones who writes (I believe) primarily for Esquire Magazine. Titled "Out of Orbit (or "Too Far From Home") & other writings by Chris Jones, the post is about his book ("Too Far From Home" in hardcover / "Out of Orbit" in paperback) chronicling the astronauts and cosmonauts who were on the International Space Station at the time of the Challenger disaster. Additionally, it has mention of the poignant story "The Things That Carried Him" from Esquire.
Jones' book and this Esquire story now duly noted (twice), his other writings from the magazine also deserve mention. His work there can be found through a search of his name at the magazine's site and some of the stories that stood out as particularly interesting are listed below:
- "The Runaway" from Dec 2004 about Ricky Williams and his less than excited return to the life of an NFL player. Very insightful look at the choices a star football player has to make between the sport they play and the league they have to play it in.
- "Barry Zito is Lights Out" from June 2007 about the newly signed (to a $126M contract) San Francisco Giant pitcher. Similar to the Williams piece, it shows a fascinating look at an individual whose vocation places them squarely in the public eye.
- "Into the Void" from Feb 2007 about Chris Snow, Minnesota Wild Director of Hockey Operations. Snow took this role at 25 after previously being employed as a Red Sox beat writer by the Boston Globe. The particulars of this story are amazing in and of themselves and Jones as always does a great job of fleshing out the details.
- "One of Us" written in three installments from August 2006 through March 2008 about the presumptive 2008 Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain. It's a very detailed and intimate look at a one of the two remaining major party challengers to lead the country through the next four years.
