Sid! The Sports Legends, the Inside Scoops, and the Close Personal Friends Book

Sid Hartman has been at the center of Minnesota sports for more than sixty years. From his relationship with notorious local gangster Kid Cann Blumenfeld to his controversial role as de facto general manager of the Minneapolis Lakers to the battles for a new Twins stadium, Sid gives the inside scoop on hundreds of events and legendary figures in this fascinating exposé.

Originally published in 1997, this updated edition of Sid Hartman’s personal memoir includes a new epilogue with his reflections on the past ten years in Minnesota sports, including the good (the resurgent Twins and championships for Gopher hockey), the bad (Kirby Puckett’s death), and the ugly (the Vikings’ loss in the 1998 NFC conference finals and the Gopher basketball scandal). Join Sid as he reveals behind-the-scenes insight into such legendary characters as Bud Grant and Bob Knight, George Mikan and Kirby Puckett, Billy Martin and Randy Moss, and many, many more. You’ll enjoy the outrageous stories, and learn some Minnesota sports history in the process.

Sid Hartman, the dean of Twin Cities sports journalists, is one of the most visible, most listened-to, and most read characters in the Upper Midwest. His first column appeared in the Minneapolis Daily Times in September 1945, and he has been a sports announcer at WCCO Radio since 1955. In that time, he has covered virtually every significant sports event and personality in Minnesota. He is the author of Sid Hartman’s Great Minnesota Sports Moments.

Patrick Reusse first began working with Sid forty years ago as Sid’s copy boy at the Minneapolis Tribune. After a twenty-year stint as Sid’s competitor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, he rejoined the Star Tribune sports department in 1988 as Sid’s colleague. He can be heard regularly on KSTP Radio, am1500.