Deford's Springfield appearance is the result of a meeting with George Mitrovich, chairman of "The Great Fenway Park Writers Series,'' and Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.
Frank DeFord, sports writer and columnist for Sports Illustrated and National Public Radio, will speak Friday at The Student Prince in Springfield, Mass.
Frank Deford never planned to write a memoir.
Talking about himself is not the style of one of the most revered sportswriters of the last half-century.
"I always wanted less written about me, not more,'' said Deford, who will talk about his latest book, "Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter,'' at The Student Prince on Friday night.
"This is mostly about the fascinating people I've been fortunate to meet.''
Deford's appearance is part of "The Great Fenway Park Writers Series,'' a public service sponsored by the Boston Red Sox.
According to series chairman George Mitrovich, the Red Sox are the only team in the history of pro sports that has sponsored a literary series.
Congressman Richard Neal (D-Springfield) is the event sponsor. People can register by emailing fenwayparkwriters@gmail.com.
Deford's Springfield appearance is the result of a meeting with Mitrovich and Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who saw the event as a way to connect the team and the series with Western Massachusetts.
Noted as not only a peerless writer but a compelling public speaker, Deford will begin his program at 6:30. Cost for the night is $50, which includes an autographed copy of his new book.
Deford's latest work is the by-product of a suggestion by an editor at Sports Illustrated, who said Deford should share stories from his early years at the magazine in the 1960s.
Encouraged by the magazine staff, his wife and literary outlets such as Atlantic Monthly, Deford saw the idea mushroom into the latest literary project in a career that has brought him into contact with the great sports figures of the post-1960 era.
In addition to writing, Deford, 73, is known for his commentaries on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. He has never looked at sports purely through statistics and scores.
His niche has been in feature writing, where he has humanized the contests and their participants for generations of readers.
"I think I've been lucky. I haven't been the typical sportswriter, because most sportswriters cover games,'' he said.
"You can reach the point where you can get jaded, but I still enjoy sports.
"I grew up in Baltimore, so what is happening with the Orioles is exciting to me. But at my age, I don't necessarily run out each morning to see who won the NBA game last night, for instance.''
Using sports as his canvas, Deford became known as an author of memorable literature about culture and society. His subjects happened to be athletes, but rarely did he limit his analysis to the results of the competition.
He does not think such an intellectual style is vanishing, but he wonders if new media outlets are suited for it.
"There are some wonderful writers out there, but newspapers are going out of business, and the Internet is driven mostly by statistics and opinions,'' he said.
One subject not discussed in the book is cystic fibrosis, a subject which has drawn Deford's tireless attention.
After losing a daughter to the disease, he wrote a book about the experience. He remains committed to the cause of research, treatment and awareness, but his new book is designed to suit other purposes.
"That was another reason I had not planned to write a memoir, because in a sense, I had already written one,'' he said.
"That book was inspirational, but it was also by its nature a sad book. I wanted this to be a fun book.''