PSA for the PBBC, March 2, 2021

Haven’t done one of these for a while…

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 newsletter. This one was received on March 2. Enjoy.

By the way, here are “Bookshelf Conversations” I’ve had with some of the authors associated with the PBBC:

Visit the PBBC for the latest batch of authors with new books coming out this year.

Big News on the Awards Front
No better way to start the week than with our very own Eric Nusbaum winning the Seymour Medal, awarded by SABR for its baseball book of the year. This is big and fabulous news.

We’ll be speaking with Eric and SABR president Scott Bush about this next week (podcast alert!), but in the meantime Eric sends the following via text: “I am legitimately honored and surprised, considering the limited amount of baseball in the book.”

That Eric has weathered the pandemic with two small children at home makes his ability to be legitimately surprised by anything extraordinary.

Huge congratulations.

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In other exciting news, next week will see the publication of the first two books on the PBBC’s 2021 roster: Andrew Maraniss’ Singled Out, and Lincoln Mitchell’s The Giants and Their City, both of which drop on March 2.

We ran a Q&A with Andrew about his book last week, touching on the legacy of Glenn Burke and YA authorship. This week marks Lincoln’s turn, discussing the Giants, their city and Bob Lurie’s goddamn dead body (metaphorically speaking). Read on.

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ASK AN AUTHOR
Lincoln Mitchell
The Giants and Their City: Major League Baseball in San Francisco, 1976-1992 (Kent State University Press, March 2, 2021)

How do you describe your book?
The Giants and Their City is about the San Francisco Giants on and off the field during the Bob Lurie ownership era, from 1976 to 1992. In recounting memorable and not-so-memorable baseball seasons, the book is a study of the Giants’ struggle to stay in San Francisco, as well as the affects on the team of free agency, the 1981 strike and other changes in baseball during that time. The book draws on interviews with former players, managers and executives, and is written from the perspective of a lifelong Giants fan who is deeply familiar with San Francisco history and politics.

Why this book? Why now?
My intellectual pursuits have, in recent years, shifted from US democracy promotion and the former Soviet Union to San Francisco’s political and baseball history. This book gave me an opportunity to probe a period in Giants history that is hugely important and largely overlooked. Lurie, who in 1976 saved the Giants from moving to Toronto, had just turned 90 when I began the project, and I very much wanted to hear his perspective. Lurie was extremely helpful and generous with his time, and this book ultimately re-centers him a bit in Giants history.

What is something you learned during research?
When the 1989 World Series was interrupted by an earthquake, Major League Baseball did not know quite what to do. Then-commissioner Fay Vincent proposed completing the World Series in San Diego—a detail about which I had either forgotten or never known. When Vincent proposed the idea, Lurie and San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos were flabbergasted. Agnos didn’t even have time to tell Vincent what he thought of the idea before the usually mild-mannered Lurie interjected that such a thing would happen only over “my goddamn dead body.”

What surprised you?
The book discusses Peter Ueberroth’s 1985 decision to reinstate Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, after which the Giants hired Mays as a special assistant. In researching that period, I was surprised by just how foolish Bowie Kuhn, the commissioner who suspended them, was, and the extent to which Kuhn was overmatched by the changing world of baseball.

How long did the book take to complete?
Two years and two months, from my first interview, which was with Bob Lurie in January of 2019, to publication.

What’s the most memorable interview you conducted?
There were several. Vida Blue was very generous with his time, told great stories and, with no prompting, signed a ball for me. Bob and Connie Lurie were extremely helpful and friendly. Former executive Corey Busch spent hours with me, and answered all of my questions in great depth. John Montefusco, the Count, kept Fox News on throughout the interview, which was a little disturbing. My most memorable interview was with Will Clark, who recounted his rookie season, the 1989 NLCS and the earthquake. We did the interview in the dugout of what is now Oracle Park, which was an extraordinary experience for somebody like me, who has always loved baseball but never had much access at the big league level.

Do you have a favored work routine? Has that been affected by the pandemic?
I like to work with my research assistant, Isis the dog, nearby. I write better when she is with me. My routine has been affected by the pandemic because I also like to write in cafes, particularly when traveling. Of late, both cafes and travel have been knocked from the equation.

Buy The Giants and Their City here.

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WHAT ELSE WE’VE BEEN DOING

One could make the argument that a pitching staff is only as good as the catcher who leads it. In his latest Gotham Baseball column, Mark Healey wonders if Gary Sanchez is the right guy to handle a Yankees staff in need of every advantage it can get.

Lincoln Mitchell had thoughts about Gavin Newsom’s possible recall over at CNN.

The latest episode of the Say It Ain’t Contagious podcast, featuring our own Frank Guridy and Lincoln Mitchell, as well as Craig Calcaterra and Adrian Burgos, Jr., is out. The discussion centers on fandom: Its formation, its nature, its irrationality and its exploitation by powerful interests. (This description comes from Calcaterra’s Cup of Coffee newsletter, which if you don’t already subscribe to it, you should.)

Andrew Forbes bought some baseball cards.

Among numerous recent SABR entries to his name, Bill Nowlin wrote a bio for Tom Simpson, and a game recap for a Red Sox tilt from 1931.

Anika Orrock created 11 illustrations to accompany a series of “Love Letters” to restaurants and the dining experience, written by food and travel writers and chefs from all over the world, for Resy. They’re kinda great.

… also, “Birdie Can, Too!”—the children’s book Orrock illustrated, written by Team USA veteran infielder Malaika Underwood—is now available for purchase. More info at birdiecantoo.com.

Jason Turbow remembered former Dodgers pitcher Stan Williams at the Baseball Codes blog.

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UPCOMING APPEARANCES
Andrew Maraniss will talk about Glenn Burke and Singled Out with Jeff Pearlman at 4 p.m. PST on March 2, and with Dave Zirin at 4 p.m. PST on March 3.

Seven attendees of this Sunday’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum roundtable webinar will win Negro Leagues-inspired art, donated by seven artists—including our own Anika Orrock (check her donation out here). The discussion, moderated by Ernie Suggs of Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will feature former Negro Leaguers Chuck Layton, Dennis Biddle, W. James Cobbin and Larry LeGrande. Tickets are between $10 and $60, with proceeds benefiting the Buck Leonard Association for Human Enrichment. Sunday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. ET.

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WHO HAS A HOODIE THAT MAKES THEM THE ENVY OF ALL THEIR FRIENDS? YOU, WITH JUST A COUPLE OF MOUSE CLICKS.

The PBBC Shop is loaded with gear to help you usher in baseball season. Already have layers? Grab a t-shirt. Already have t-shirts? Grab a onesie. Don’t have a baby? We’ve got you covered with mugs and tote bags. It’s a freaking extravaganza up in here.