Background
Pat Jordan grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut where he became a highly pursued baseball prospect after going 17-4 over three seasons for the Fairfield Preparatory Jesuits.
Pat Jordan grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut where he became a highly pursued baseball prospect after going 17-4 over three seasons for the Fairfield Preparatory Jesuits.
Jordan graduated from the Fairfield College Preparatory School in 1959 and received his bachelor"s degree in English from Fairfield University in 1965.
He is also the acclaimed author of A False Spring, a bittersweet memoir about his minor league baseball career, which is ranked #37 on Sports Illustrated"s Top 100 Sports Books of All Time. and Time magazine called “one of the best and truest books about baseball, and about coming to maturity in America…” On July 9, 1959, after being pursued by over 15 major league baseball organizations, he signed a $36,000 bonus with the Milwaukee Braves, which at the time was reported to be the highest amount given to any new player signed by the organization. He reported to the McCook Braves of the Nebraska State League where he played alongside teammates and future major leaguers Philosophy Niekro and Joe Torre. He struggled in the minors for three seasons, as chronicled in his memoir, A False Spring, at which point he retired and returned home to Connecticut to pursue his writing career.
Jordan is the author of eleven books and a regular contributor to a number of prominent periodicals.
Jordan work has been included in Best American Sports Writing seven times, the Best American Mystery Stories, Best American Crime Writing, Best American Essays, and the Norton Anthology of World Literature. Best American Sports Writing The following writings of Pat Jordan have appeared in the Best American Sports Writing anthology series: 1993: The Wit and Wisdom of the White Rat from The Los Angeles Times Magazine 1995: Behind the Icy Glare from The Sporting News 1996: Belittled Big Men from The New York Times Magazine 2005: The Lion in Late, Late Autumn from The New York Times Magazine 2006: Card Study from The New York Times Magazine 2006: The Magician from The Atlantic Monthly 2010: Chasing Jose from Deadspin.com Best American Mystery Stories The following writings of Pat Jordan have appeared in the Best American Mystery Stories anthology series: 1997: The Mark from Playboy, July 1996 1998: Beyond Dog from Playboy, August 1997 Best American Crime Writing The following writings of Pat Jordan have appeared in the Best American Crime Writing anthology series: 2002: The Outcast: Conversations with O.J. Simpson from The New Yorker 2004: Civil Service Commission: Crime Scene Cleanup from Playboy, July 2003 Bibliography Black Coach (1971, ) The Suitors of Spring (1974, ) A False Spring (2005, Revised Edition, ) Broken Patterns (1977, ) Chase the Game (1979, ) After the Sundown (1979, ) The Cheat (1985, ) a.k.a.
Sheila Doyle (2002, ) a.k.a. Sheila Weinstein (2003, ) A Nice Tuesday (2005, ) The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan (2008, ) Jordan is married to the mother of actress Meg Ryan.
They reside in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.