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BOOK REVIEW
Run, Leap, Sail, Dunk
A Collection of Stories from a Sports Crazy Father
By Venkat Srinivasan
Reviewed by Rajam Ramamurthy, MD
Come and watch this, my husband screamed from the family
room where he was sprawled on his favorite couch, watching tennis,
his favorite sport. In the U.S. Open in 2011, Roger Federer was serv-
ing for game, set and match. It was a fantastic serve and was returned
by Novak Djokovic which turned out a winner. I watched the shot
and went off to do my chores. Later, I heard that the cross court
forehand by Novak, described by John McEnroe as “one of the all-
time great shots,” turned the tide for Djokovic who won the U.S.
Open that year. Although momentary, the thrill of a magical mo-
ment in sports is what keeps fans rooted to their seats. That is what
Venkat Srinivasan’s book “Run, Leap, Sail, Dunk” did to me.
The book, a 116-page paperback, is written with a passion for
sports. The 14 chapters about 14 icons in sports not only describes
the events that the author thought worthy of including in the book,
they also reveal the person who otherwise is private, distant and un-
approachable in the minds of the fans.
“It was a small act by a man, but a giant gesture against racism”
describes Srinivasan as he recounts the incident when fans were
taunting Dani Alves, a native of Brazil and one of the best right
backs in soccer who was playing for Barcelona. Dani had ignored
for years the monkey calls aimed at his skin color and race. However
when a banana landed in front of him when he was about to take a
corner kick he could have left the field, kicked the ball at the crowd quested him to help us raise funds for the Premature Infant Devel-
or cursed; just what the perpetrators wanted. Without a moment’s
hesitation, Dani picked up the banana, peeled it and ate it. Later he
posted an Instagram of himself eating the banana, “My father always
told me: ‘Son, eat bananas, which prevent cramps,’ how did you
guess it? Ha ha.” The response to his action was instant and positive
when thousands of messages reverberated the air and thousands of
celebrities posted pictures eating bananas.
Srinivasan starts each chapter with a quote. “If you can meet tri-
umph and disaster and treat those two just the same” – Rudyard
Kipling, opens the fourth chapter. He goes on to describe Debbie
Brill, an Olympic high jumper, and her great act of kindness for a
fellow athlete, Zola Budd a sprinter from South Africa. Reading this
chapter gave me goose bumps for two reasons. The poignant story
and a personal experience at the Olympics in 1984. I and my family
had bought tickets for several events at the Olympics. The one I
most wanted to see was the 100-meters finals and Carl Lewis, the
fastest man on earth. He won the gold clocking at 9.99 seconds, two
42 San Antonio Medicine • July 2016
seconds faster than the
silver medalist.
I never thought I
would sit still, hour after
hour, finishing a book
about sports. I did not
know what a Sky Hook was. Srinivasan describes; “with an esthetic
flip of the wrist, Kareem (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) launched the ball.
The ball traversed a smooth arch and, like a homing pigeon, gently
landed in the basket. Kareem had scored again with his Sky Hook.
I thought of a dance movement where I make the students jump as
high as they can and land gently, a technique called planting your
feet. The description was poetic and seemed as effortless as the Sky
Hook.
The 13th chapter also started with a quote. “A leader is like a shep-
herd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out
ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they
are being directed from behind.” — Nelson Mandela. An apt open-
ing for a chapter on our own David Robinson, who is fondly called
by his team mates the Admiral. David Robinson is spoken of as
someone who rescued the Spurs from irrelevance when he joined the
team. I have seen Mr. Robinson in a very different setting. We re-
opment Program at the U.T. Health Science Center. The program is
sustained through donations and fundraising. We wanted to make a
poster of David holding a premature infant with our moto “Small
beginnings, great expectations.” I was expecting big hands, knobby
and toughened with callouses after years of beating from the basket-
ball. He held the baby in his palm with fingers as delicate as a piano
player. Even more telling of the kindness and peace in this man was
when he spontaneously stopped by the incubator of a very sick baby
and placed his hands on the incubator and said a silent prayer.
As I conclude I realize that Srinivasan’s book has evoked so many
memories in me, a marginally sports-informed person, and I wonder
what the sports connoisseurs among you will do. I will not be surprised
if you carry the book in your pocket for a brief break between patients.
Rajam Ramamurthy, MD
Professor Emeritus, Department of Pediatrics
UTHSCSA