Let’s see if I remember how to do this… One of the joys I derive from this blog is the opportunity to speak to authors, artists, filmmakers, musicians, etc. about a common interest. When I was working at the paper, I had more time and resources to do these conversations. Now it’s more a catch-as-catch-can […]
Tagged as:
baseball history,
baseball photography,
Kostya Kennedy,
Nostalgia
Having participated in the 2017 Series, I can attest to home much fun it is for the authors. Sorry not to have posted earlier for the events that have already taken place, but here’s the rest. Normally, I would include links to Amazon, but the idea is to buy the books there. From the Hall’s […]
Here’s an interview with one of my favorites: Dan Epstein with Clayton Trutor of the Down the Drive blog. From the Chester County Press, “Steve Potter recently released his book, “2nd Annual Phillies Minor League Digest: A Fan’s View” as a recap to the 2017 minor league season. The book includes team review of each […]
Tagged as:
Dan Epstein,
Philadelphia Phillies,
World War I
Here we go again. Man, is this a dull off-season or what? Aside from the Yankees getting richer with the acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton, what is has really rocked your socks? SO, trying to make lemonade out of lemons… Let’s start off with a little shameless self-promotion: Paul Hagen offers this piece — “Looking back […]
Tagged as:
Aaron Judge,
Casey Stengel,
Dick Enberg,
Houston Astros,
Leo Durocher,
Marty Appel,
Mickey Mantle,
New York Times,
Paul Dickson,
Richard Sandomir,
Troy Soos
Once again, a semi-regular attempt to catch up on reviews from other sources… From BlueBirdBanter, a Blue Jays-centric site — this on Stacey May Fowles’ Baseball Life Advice: Loving the Game That Saved Me. Upshot: ” It is deeply human and relatable, even when dealing with uncomfortable situations which would be easier to gloss over.” From […]
Tagged as:
Baseball Hall of Fame,
Casey Stengel,
Cincinnati Reds,
Dick Allen,
Los Angeles Dodgers
(WTF, right? Kids, ask your parents.) From The Hardball Times website, this on Stacey May Fowles‘ Baseball Life Advice: Loving the Game That Saved Me. Upshot: “Every day in baseball brings a chance for something new and exciting, an occurrence to talk about and focus on, to share and enjoy…. Fowles’ latest book…offers exactly that.” […]
Tagged as:
ballparks,
baseball fiction,
Chipper Jones,
Leigh Montville,
Leo Durocher,
Paul Dickson,
Stacey May Fowles,
Ted Williams,
Tim Raines,
Urban Shocker
It strikes me as a happy coincidence that this year offers biographies of two of the most iconic characters in baseball history: Casey Stengel and Leo Durocher. They were both baseball “lifers,” enjoying careers that spanned 50 years, starting as players and continuing as World Championship managers. And both books are brought to you by […]
Tagged as:
Casey Stengel,
Leo Durocher,
Marty Appel,
Paul Dickson
Not only is baseball season upon us, but baseball book season is upon us as demonstrated by the bouquet that arrived since Friday. My apologies, dear mail carrier. So in an attempt to catch up a bit… Meet Andy Green, San Diego Padres manager and bibliophile. A Q&A with Dan Schlossberg, author of the just-released […]
Tagged as:
Adrian Burgos,
Adrian Burgos Jr.,
Andy Green,
Dan Schlossn=berg,
David Ortiz,
Jon Post,
Jose Canseco,
Nolan Ryan,
Will Leitch
Larry Gerlach, author of The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires recently made news when he decided to give his baseball book collection to Colorado Mesa University earlier this month. According to the article from the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, some 1,400 books were involved. It’s not a contest — I’m sure some of you […]
Tagged as:
baseball book collections,
baseball books,
Larry Gerlach
Haven’t done one of these in a long time so here goes: From the New York Sportsday website, a review of A Baseball Guy: Former Kansas City Royals Farmhand, Scout, and Major League Coach Takes You Inside the Game He Loves, by Guy Hansen and Tom Gresham. From Lookout Landing, a Seattle Mariners-centric site, this […]
Tagged as:
Cleveland Indians,
George F. Will,
Guy Hansen,
Kansas City Royals,
Mickey Cochrane,
Pittsburgh Pirates,
Seinfeld
I don’t like Manhattan very much for a variety of reasons. The noise, the crowds, the rush. But every once in awhile I venture in when the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse features an author event with a writer whose work I especially enjoy. Case in point, several weeks ago when Michael Leahy, author of the exceptional […]
Tagged as:
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Michael Leahy
When I saw this segment pop up in my iTunes podcast list, I was surprised. Surprised that Leonard Lopate would want Lenny Dykstra on as a guest, and surprised that Dykstra would appear. I do not know him at all other than the profiles I’ve read about him but my impression is that he’s not […]
Tagged as:
Lenny Dykstra,
Leonard Lopate,
National Public Radio,
New York Mets,
NPR,
s
Might as well wind up with this: Ron Darling was a guest on the April 6 Leonard Lopate Show to hump his latest, Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life (which has gone up three spots since I posted the best-seller entry a few hours earlier). Darling, a Yale […]
Tagged as:
Leonard Lopate,
New York Mets,
Ron Darling
Been a bit remiss in my own Bookshelf Conversations lately. But always happy to pass along what I’ve come across. Jonathan Hock’s new documentary Fastball recently hit the screens. I had the opportunity to watch a screener. Fascinating stuff. There’s a “Zelig moment” with Justin Verlander “visiting” Bob Feller during his famous “motorcycle showdown.” That […]
Tagged as:
Aroldis Chapman,
Bob Feller,
Bob Gibson,
David Price,
Fastball,
Jonathan Hock,
Justin Verlander,
Nolan Ryan,
Randy Johnson,
Steve Dalkowski,
Walter Johnson
Sort list this time, as I’m pretty much caught up on most current events. ♦ Dwier Brown, who play Ray Kinsella’s dad in Field of Dreams was a recent guest on the Hall of Very Good podcast. (As a reminder, I also had a chat with Brown.) ♦ I keep meaning to brush up on […]
Tagged as:
Babe Ruth,
Boston Red Sox,
Dwier Brown,
Field of Dream,
Glenn Stout,
Howard Megdal,
New York Yankees,
St. Louis Cardinals
In a vain attempt to clear out my inbox, here is the final B&P for the year. Hope you’ve enjoyed learning about these things as much as I have. Don’t read anything political into the posting of this piece about “How Bernie Sanders brought professional baseball to Vermont,” via The Sporting News. From outsports.com, this […]
Tagged as:
Baseball-Reference.com,
Bernie Sanders,
Bob Gibson,
Boston Red Sox,
Carlton Fisk,
Dusty Baker,
Lonnie Wheeler,
minor leagues,
Negro Leagues,
Roger Angell,
World Series
I know most of you have more pressing things to do today, you procrastinators, you. But here’s something for when you take a break. ♦ Like the Bookshelf, DiamondHoggers has a podcast segment. This episode features Rob Miech, author of the 2012 release, The Last Natural: Bryce Harper’s Big Gamble in Sin City and the […]
Tagged as:
Allen Barra,
Bryce Harper,
Christy Walsh,
Johan Santana,
Lefty Gomez,
Maggie Lawrence,
New York Mets,
New York Yankees,
Ozzie Guillen
(Note: I posted this originally on my blog about Jews and sports, but since it’s based on a fantastic baseball book, I thought it would be appropriate here as well.) And when I say “The Catch,” of course I’m talking about Willie Mays’ iconic grab in Game One of the 1954 World Series against the […]
Tagged as:
Al Rosen,
Arnold Hano,
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse,
Jon Leonoudakis,
Willie Mays
Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]
Tagged as:
Andy Pettitte,
baseball fiction,
Baseball Hall of Fame,
Ben Carson,
Bernie Williams,
Frank Nappi,
Joe DiMaggio,
Joe Posnanski,
John Rocker,
Jorge Posada,
Richard Ben Cramer,
Ted Lyons,
Tim Wiles
is available on Amazon.com,
