Crazy, with the Papers to Prove It: Stories about the Most Unusual, Eccentric and Outlandish People I've Known in Four Decades as a Sports Journalist (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781598510683)

Meet some of the most colorful characters in the history of Cleveland sports ...

Dan Coughlin isn't crazy, but for 45 years he covered sports in Cleveland, which means he lived life under a full moon. In this book, the award-winning Plain Dealer and WJW-TV reporter reflects on the most unusual, eccentric and outlandish people and events he covered.

"I never met a wacko I didn't like," Coughlin says.

Not only did he write about them, they became his lifelong friends, including:

• a degenerate gambler
• a sportswriter who ripped open beer cans with his teeth
• an Olympic champion who turned out to be a hermaphrodite
• a football player who was a compulsive practical joker
• and dozens of others.

Every day was an adventure, but it wasn't all laughs; some of his boxers went to jail, his softball players got shot, his race car drivers were killed. Luckily, Coughlin kept notes!

"Fascinating and fun ... If you love Cleveland sports--in spite of the records--you will love this book." -- The Morning Journal