Frank DeFord

It's hard to distill 37 years of Frank Deford's sports commentaries down to a few "best of" pieces. But before he retired, he shared some of his favorites with us and, here, we share them with you.

The sportswriter was a mainstay on Morning Edition for 37 years, applying his keen wit and incisive eye to games of every stripe. Deford died Sunday, just weeks after hanging up his cleats with NPR.

We've passed the vernal equinox and baseball's Opening Day was Monday, but Frank Deford argues that there's really only one true first day of spring: the arrival of the Masters golf tournament.