Zaret, Eli 1950–

PERSONAL:

Born March 17, 1950. Education: Graduated from University of Michigan.

ADDRESSES:

Home— Detroit, MI. E-mail— ezaret@msn.com.

CAREER:

Broadcaster and author, c. 1974—. Broadcaster and disc jockey in Detroit, MI, at WABX-FM, 1974-75, WJZZ-FM, 1975-78, and WRIF-FM, beginning 1978; broadcaster of syndicated show "Eli Zaret on Sports," ABC-FM, beginning 1979; reporter, Lake Placid Winter Olympics, 1980; sports anchorman, WDIV-TV, Detroit, beginning 1980; lead sports anchor, WABC-TV, New York, NY, 1986-88; sports director, and cohost of "The Eli & Denny Show" (with Denny McLain), beginning 1988; creator and host, "The LockerRoom," 1997-2004; reporter for Detroit Pistons broadcasts, WDIV-TV, Detroit, 2005—.

WRITINGS:

'84: The Last of the Great Tigers—Untold Stories from an Amazing Season, introduction by Ernie Harwell, foreword by Elmore Leonard, Crofton Creek Press (South Boardman, MI), 2003.

Blue Collar Blueprint: How the Pistons Constructed Their Championship Formula, Malloy (Ann Arbor, MI), 2004.

(With Denny McLain)I Told You I Wasn't Perfect, Triumph Books (Chicago, IL), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sportscaster Eli Zaret has been familiar to radio listeners as a major voice in Detroit sports for better than thirty years. Since he started his career in 1974 as the first FM sportscaster in the city, he has worked for all of the major television networks and has covered the Detroit Tigers, Pistons, and Lions. By the 1980s, wrote a contributor to Zaret's Web site, as a result of his television work "along with his continued radio work on both WRIF and WXYT-AM, Eli became synonymous with Detroit sports."

Zaret and former Detroit Tigers star Denny McLain first worked together on the sports-talk television show "The Eli & Denny Show," broadcast on WJBK-TV. Together they tell the story of the pitcher's fall from grace and his later life in I Told You I Wasn't Perfect, an autobiography "as brash as McLain was in his playing days," wrote Martin Brady on BookPage. "He tells his tale frankly, sparing no feelings," but he is also, Brady continued, very forthcoming about his involvement in drugs, racketeering, and embezzlement that sent him to prison. "McClain's life has been an often heartbreaking, self-destructive journey," Wes Lukowsky declared in a Booklist review, "and he relates it all with humor (as appropriate) and stunning honesty." "His book's a great read," stated Toledo Blade reviewer Tom Henry, "worthy of comparison to Jim Bouton's classic Ball Four, although this isn't an expose. If anything, it's a long overdue explanation and a fascinating tale." "Blunt and outspoken," Henry declared, "he offers a story that's worth reading." "It's an interesting story," Brady concluded, "and Zaret helps McLain tell it in an unpretentious first-person style."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Blade(Toledo, OH), September 9, 2007, Tom Henry, "Denny McLain: Perfect Pitch."

Booklist, January 1, 2007, Wes Lukowsky, review of I Told You I Wasn't Perfect, p. 40.

Business Wire, March 27, 2006, "Detroit Radio Says ‘Welcome Back’ to Legendary Sportscaster Eli Zaret."

ONLINE

BookPage,http://www.bookpage.com/ (December 1, 2007), Martin Brady, "Baseball Books Hit the Shelves for Opening Day."

Eli Zaret Web log,http://bluecollarblueprint.typepad.com/ (December 3, 2007), author biography.

Eli Zaret Web site,http://www.elizaret.com (December 3, 2007), "Eli Zaret … Emmy Award-Winning Sportscaster and Author of Blue Collar Blueprint."

Metro Times(Detroit, MI),http://www.metrotimes.com/ (December 3, 2007), "Eli Zaret."

National Basketball Association,http://www.nba.com/ (December 3, 2007), "The Pistons Blog Squad: Eli Zaret."

Patriot One Professionals, http://www.patriotoneprofessionals.com/(December 3, 2007), author biography.