Louisa Thomas

I had the chance, actually, the other day to go back and look at his draft. And there's this passage, and it's one of the passages that Updike actually worked over most, both in the original process of writing it with the typewriter. You can see all these Xs out, and also with his pencil after. He's really...

really trying to get it exactly right so that, you know, there's this line, it went over the first baseman's head and rose along a straight line.

really trying to get it exactly right so that, you know, there's this line, it went over the first baseman's head and rose along a straight line.

really trying to get it exactly right so that, you know, there's this line, it went over the first baseman's head and rose along a straight line.

And when you see, when you look at the draft, you know, it went over the first baseman's head and rose, originally it was just, and rose along a straight line. And then he made it rose slowly along a straight line. But then it's not slowly, it's meticulously along a straight line.

And when you see, when you look at the draft, you know, it went over the first baseman's head and rose, originally it was just, and rose along a straight line. And then he made it rose slowly along a straight line. But then it's not slowly, it's meticulously along a straight line.

And when you see, when you look at the draft, you know, it went over the first baseman's head and rose, originally it was just, and rose along a straight line. And then he made it rose slowly along a straight line. But then it's not slowly, it's meticulously along a straight line.

And I mean, there's just kind of constant emendation, refining, getting it right, because these marginal differences really matter. And it's those marginal differences that are the difference between a pop-up, between a long fly, and between a home run. And Updike really understood that, and so did Williams.

And I mean, there's just kind of constant emendation, refining, getting it right, because these marginal differences really matter. And it's those marginal differences that are the difference between a pop-up, between a long fly, and between a home run. And Updike really understood that, and so did Williams.

And I mean, there's just kind of constant emendation, refining, getting it right, because these marginal differences really matter. And it's those marginal differences that are the difference between a pop-up, between a long fly, and between a home run. And Updike really understood that, and so did Williams.

I just love that line, gods do not answer letters. His editor on this piece was William Shawn. He said it was the best thing that they'd ever published in the magazine about baseball, although Updike sort of made a quip that that wasn't saying much because they didn't really, the previous editor, Harold Ross, had not liked baseball among many other things. So, but William Shawn did.

I just love that line, gods do not answer letters. His editor on this piece was William Shawn. He said it was the best thing that they'd ever published in the magazine about baseball, although Updike sort of made a quip that that wasn't saying much because they didn't really, the previous editor, Harold Ross, had not liked baseball among many other things. So, but William Shawn did.

I just love that line, gods do not answer letters. His editor on this piece was William Shawn. He said it was the best thing that they'd ever published in the magazine about baseball, although Updike sort of made a quip that that wasn't saying much because they didn't really, the previous editor, Harold Ross, had not liked baseball among many other things. So, but William Shawn did.

And, you know, there weren't a lot of sports writers writing like this. In some ways, he really kind of set the bar for great writing about sports. It's not really sports writing, right? It's great writing that happens to be about sports. It happens to be about a great human being who is playing a great game.

And, you know, there weren't a lot of sports writers writing like this. In some ways, he really kind of set the bar for great writing about sports. It's not really sports writing, right? It's great writing that happens to be about sports. It happens to be about a great human being who is playing a great game.

And, you know, there weren't a lot of sports writers writing like this. In some ways, he really kind of set the bar for great writing about sports. It's not really sports writing, right? It's great writing that happens to be about sports. It happens to be about a great human being who is playing a great game.