Book excerpt: We've all seen the images: a stadium of fans performing the 'we are not worthy' genuflection, a St. Vincent Lombardi medal, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods being followed by a worshipful crowd of media members. And what room doesn't grow silent to absorb the words of Muhammad Ali, to watch Babe Ruth hit it out of the park or to revel in footage of the miracle victory of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team Indeed, sports is America's obsession, and its famous figures occupy a hallowed place in our culture. No one has ever captured this topic as cogently as the writers included in The Gospel According to ESPN.