They say you never have a second chance to make a first impression. Well, duh. But you may have a second chance when it comes to a book review. I often wonder about professional critics. What kind of expertise do they have in the topic they’re writing about? What was their mood when they wrote […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
John Grisham
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:
Babe Ruth,
Bill James,
Calico Joe,
Chicago Cubs,
Federal League,
Ichiro Suzuki,
John Grisham,
John Thorn,
Robert Creamer,
sabermetrics
* A couple of reviews on John Grisham’s Calico Joe, one yea (“Calico Joe is his first baseball themed book and it didn’t disappoint.”), one nay (“Grisham’s work lacks the meat and potatoes to satisfy this reader’s appetite for page-turning substance. It’s a slim book that perhaps would have made a much better short story […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
James T. Farrell,
John Grisham,
Lefty Gomez,
R.A. Dickey
MLB Reports reported on David Stinson’s Deadball: A Metaphysical Baseball Novel. Upshot: “…David Stinson accomplished his mission. I read. I learned. I experienced. I thought. I questioned the baseball past and starting looking to my baseball future. I am. Therefore baseball is the answer. The Metaphysics of Baseball. Welcome to Deadball.” The Jackson (Miss.) Clarion […]
Tagged as:
Asbury Park Press,
Bryce Harper,
Calico Joe,
Clarion Ledger,
John Grisham,
Los Angeles Times,
Washington Post
♦ The London Free Press (Ontario) published this piece on Calico Joe. Upshot: Calico Joe has home run power. The baseball portions, particularly the first 100 pages or so, are more delicious than a Fenway frank. But Grisham saves his heaviest hitting in the 198-page Calico Joe for the second half, where push comes to […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
Detroit Tigers,
John Grisham,
London Free Press,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Tom Wendel
♦ Bailey’s Baseball Book Reviews posted this one on Grisham’s Calico Joe. Upshot: “We’ve now had baseball tales from two of the literary world’s heavyweights in the past three years. Both have failed to live up to expectations.” [The other one is Stephen King’s novella, Blockade Billy.] ♦ Bailey also offers this on Just a […]
Tagged as:
Bill Veeck,
Blockade Billy,
Calico Joe,
Dirk Hayhurst,
Rob Neyer,
Stephen King
John Grisham’s Calico Joe was number one on The New York Times Bestseller list two weeks ago; now it’s number three, (It has been explained to that the list as printed in the Sunday book supplement is two weeks behind the on-line version, but I can’t say it makes much sense to me.) Needless to […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
John Grisham
♦ Recently “discovered” At Home Plate, a nice little baseball site that posts the occasional review. Recent titles include Long Taters: A Baseball Biography of George “Boomer” Scott The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast league, 1903-1957 Hit By Pitch: Ray Chapman, Carl Mays, and the Fatal Fastball Wherever I Wind Up: […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
Carl Mays,
Hank Aaron,
Jim Abbott,
John Grisham,
R.A. Dickey,
Ray Chapman,
Roberto Clemente
♦ The Oklahoman reviewed R.A. Dickey’s memoir. Upshot: “This isn’t just a book about baseball. It’s a book, as Dickey often said, about hope. Hope of attaining his dream. Hope of being happy. Hope of proving people wrong about being a knuckleball pitcher. How he reaches each point of hope is an incredible journey, and […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
Jim Abbott,
John Grisham,
R.A. Dickey,
Steve Blass
♦ The Knoxville News published this review of native son R.A. Dickley’s Wherever I Wind Up. Upshot: “t is rare to find a baseball book by an insider that dishes no dirt. It is even rarer to find a professional athlete willing to acknowledge his own mistakes. In “Wherever I Wind Up,” R.A. Dickey reveals […]
Tagged as:
Bill Veeck,
Calico Joe,
Connie Mack,
R.A. Dickey,
Tom Hoffarth
♦ The latest in Tom Hoffarth’s 30/30 feature: A People’s History of Baseball, by Mitchell Nathanson. Upshot: “The book jacket says Nathan writes with “passion and occasional outrage.” Sometimes it comes off as more bittnerness [sic] or misdirected anger. ♦ The Chicago-Sun Times posted this review of Grisham’s Calico Joe. Upshot: “In baseball terms, Calico […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
John Grisham,
Mitchell Nathanson,
Tom Hoffarth
John Grisham appeared on Weekend Edition Saturday to discuss his new baseball novel, Calico Joe. Mets Pitcher R.A. Dickey is also making the rounds. He was on Fresh Air to talk about his memoir, Wherever I Wind Up. The program also re-ran an interview from last August with Brad Aumus, now in the San Diego […]
Tagged as:
Calico Joe,
John Grisham,
RA Dickey,
Weekend Edition