'If there's anyone doing sports who is even close, I haven't read him.'_Mike Royko. Ira Berkow's stories in the sports pages of the New York Times transcend what we know as 'sportswriting.' Mr. Berkow has a clear understanding of the games he reports, but he also has a sharp eye for the lives of the players, an appreciation of the larger social context, andDnot leastDan affinity for the well-turned phrase. The Minority Quarterback contains thirty-eight examples of his craft. His subjects have often been touched, transformed, enriched, or, in some cases, destroyed by circumstances that may have nothing to do with their sports connection. The centerpiece of the book is Mr. Berkow's widely admired story of a white quarterback who chose to play football at an all-black college in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and what happened to him. Like most of his stories, it offers a surprising perspective and is certain to provoke. But Mr. Berkow can also capture the playfulness of Muhammad Ali, the dignity of Arthur Ashe, the intensity of Michael Jordan, or the buffoonery of Marge Schott. He can report engagingly on lunch at LutZce with Chuck Norris, or describe the carnival atmosphere of Jake La Motta's wedding in Las Vegas. The Minority Quarterback is a book for anyone who loves good writing; for sports lovers especially, these pieces are candy treatsDbut without soft centers.