Damn, that was a good program

May 5, 2012

Spent a pleasant evening at the Yogi Berra Museum last month (even if it did come at the expense of missing my softball game). Some members of the “cast” of Damn Yankees — the book, not the classic musical that’s making the rounds at community theaters again — were on hand to entertain a small but loyal group of fans with anecdotes about their various relationships with the  Bronx Bombers.

Rob Fleder, who served as editor of the book, led the discussion. The panel included New York Times columnist Dan Barry, Will Leitch  who was the young whippersnapper on the panel, which served as an interesting counterpoint); and Jane Leavy, whose biographies on Sandy Koufax and Mickey Mantle are arguably the best for both players.

From left, Dan Barry, Will Leitch, Jane Leavy, and Rob Fleder

I had interviewed Fleder, Leitch (Part One, Two, and Three), and Leavy (Part One, Part Two) for the Bookshelf, but with the exception of a fleeting few minutes with Leavy at a previous YBM author event, had never met them in person. It’s always a pleasure to finally do so (and somewhat ego boosting if they actually have an inking of who I am.  And heads up, Dan; I’ve got you in my sights.).

The conversation was lively. Barry and Leavy noted their dissatisfaction with with the contemporary emphasis on statistics as the sole indicator of a player’s worth, while Leitch suggested than indignation over the use of PED will gradually dissipate over the next generation. Some might consider the relative lack of audience members as a problem; I see it as an intimate setting, a baseball conversation among friends.

I was tooling around with a new Flip camera and hope to post some video when I figure out the technicalities. One of the problems I foresee is that even when chopped into small segments, the clips exceed the limits imposed by WordPress. I might have to find another venue.

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