Literary birthday greetings

October 1, 2010

To Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who turns 65 today.

Also marking the occasion, Mark McGwire, who perhaps could have been a Hall of Famer, turns 47.

There were two “waves” of books about Big Mac. The first came in 1998 when he shattered the single season home run mark. He was lauded as a Paul Bunyon-type — larger than life — and credited, along with Sammy Sosa and Cal Ripken, Jr., of helping to bring baseball back into popularity following the 1994-95 strike. The second set of titles started when allegations of PED use began to surface.

But let’s end this on a positive note: a shout-out to Jimmy Reese, born James Herman Solomon in 1901. The basbeall lifer was a favorite of fans and ballplayers alike and maintained a knack for the art of fungo hitting until well into his later years. Reese passed away in 1994.

Here’s an audio on Reese from the defunct Baseball History podcast from 2008:

[audio:http://www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/01-Baseball-HP-0901_-Jimmie-Reese.mp3|titles=01 Baseball HP 0901_ Jimmie Reese]

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Tagged as: Jimmy Reese, Mark McGwire, Rod Carew

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