Posts tagged as:

Roger Maris

Lest we forget: Sal Durante

December 7, 2022

The young man who caught Roger Maris’ iconic 61st home run in 1961 died as an old man of 81 in 2022. He passed away last Thursday. From today’s New York Times obituary by Richard Sandomir On that fall afternoon, Maris was tied with Babe Ruth for the single-season major league record of 60 home […]

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Headnote: One of the thing I like about the Pandemic Baseball Book Club is that it’s a kind of “one stop shopping.” Instead of posting about various authors, projects, and events, all I’m doing here is cutting and pasting their weekly newsletter. Do take a moment to read the author Q&A. I find them particularly interesting as […]

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As I mentioned in the previous post, I was looking into baseball titles that came out during the year. So why not kill two birds with one stone with my occasional looks ahead. So looking ahead to 2021, in no particular order: Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood, by Dave Parker and Dave Jordan […]

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In addition to his “solo career,” such as one of my favorites, Cult Baseball Players: The Greats, the Flakes, the Weird and the Wonderful, Danny Peary knows how to work nice with other people. He’s served as co-author on memoirs such as Ralph Kiner’s Baseball Forever: Reflections on 60 Years in the Game as well […]

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Veteran sports journalist Phil Pepe wants you to know his newest book is not a memoir. His philosophy is that most people don’t care about the writer, how he got his job, the day-to-day doings of the craft. I disagree, but that’s just me. Pepe, who recently turned 80, has been covering baseball since the […]

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Literary birthday greetings: 1952 – Bob Costas, announcer Fair Ball: A Fan’s Case for Baseball, by Costas. Broadway, 2000. Also on this date: 1962: A former member of the New York Giants requesting anonymity reveals that Bobby Thomson’s home run in the 1951 playoffs against the Brooklyn Dodgers was helped by a sign-stealing clubhouse spy. […]

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But will it work for Gil Hodges? In 2010, Danny Peary and Tom Clavin collaborated on Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero. In conversations, Peary made no bones about his desire to see Maris inducted into the Hall of Fame. Is this becoming a cause celebre for the writing team? Their newest project is Gil Hodges: […]

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Suit up* (updated)

August 24, 2012

A recent episode of Suits had as its “B” plot a defamation suit between an ESPN-type broadcaster and the baseball player he accused of using steroids. As with most of the episode of this intriguing show, “Asterisk” has a primary plot that shares a connection. One of the weaselly characters is put up for a […]

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Greg Spira passed along this link to an NJ.com review of five New York-centric books, including (with a “symbolic” thumbs up-thumbs down): 1961: The Inside Story of the Maris-Mantle Home Run Chase, by Phil Pepe (-) Donnie Baseball: The Definitive Biography of Don Mattingly, by Mike Shalin (-) Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The […]

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Actually it’s the Fall 2010 issue of SABR’s Baseball Research Journal, in which I have a review-essay on four Yankee titles including The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood; Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball: Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero; and The Yankee Years. It’s so new, it isn’t even up […]

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TWIBB: Oct. 8, 2010

October 8, 2010

The top baseball books, according to Amazon.com as of 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 8. Title Rank General The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood, by Jane Leavy 1 Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis 2 Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: John Updike on Ted Williams, […]

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Birthday greetings

September 10, 2010

Randy Johnson turns 47 today. There have been several books about him, but mostly in the area of juvenile biography, plus a couple of instructions, including Randy Johnson’s Power Pitching: The Big Unit’s Secrets to Domination, Intimidation, and Winning. And, of course, he’s included in books that focus on the top hurlers in the game, […]

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Brad Balfour interviews the author of Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero, on the Film Festival Traveler website. Note to Danny: Next time, don’t cover the label!

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When I spoke with Danny Peary (that’s pronounced “PERRY,” as in Gaylord) recently about his new biography, Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero, I expressed surprise over the timing of his book, co-written with Tom Clavin. Then he made me feel ashamed I didn’t remember that 2010 is the 50th anniversary of Maris’ joining the Yankees. […]

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The coauthors of Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero will be appearing at — appropriately enough —  Mickey Mantle’s Restaurant, 42 Central Park South in Manhattan, on Tuesday, April 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. From Peary: Book signings can be lonely events for authors, especially in nontraditional venues, so we’re inviting you to stop by to buy […]

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The co-authors of Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero sat down for this interview, courtesy of Simon and Schuster.

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* Timing is everything

February 9, 2010 · 2 comments

Here’s to the Class of 2010. And I don’t mean the newest Hall of Famers. How cool is it that this year marks the release of biographies on some of the true icons of the game? The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, by Howard Bryant The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End […]

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The man considered by more than a few to be the “real” all-time home run king turns 76 today. At the risk of appearing lazy (I prefer to consider it “recycling”) here’s a link to last year’s birthday tribute to Hammerin’ Hank with a list of books about the Hall of Fame slugger. Howard Bryant’s […]

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