PSA for the PBBC, April 28, 2021

Yikes! Has it really been a week since my last post? Bummer. I’ve got a good excuse, but you don’t want to hear it. So…

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 they discuss the arduous process of bringing their projects to press.

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

• John Shea
• Joan Ryan
• Jason Turbow
• Anika Orrock
• Brad Balukjian
• Dan Schlossberg
• Devin Gordon
• Luke Epplin

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

Dave Parker was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, a two-time batting champion, the 1978 National League MVP and a vital piece of the legendary late-’70s “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse. When considering his career, however, Parker could not overlook those he encountered along the way, from people who paved his path to those whose path he paved. Parker’s story, told with PBBC author Dave Jordan, is one of on-field success and off-field indulgence, but mostly it is about friends and family.

Read about COBRA below, and check out Dave Jordan’s conversation about the book with Dan Epstein, author of The Captain & Me.

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ASK AN AUTHOR
Dave Jordan
COBRA: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood (University of Nebraska Press, April 1, 2021)

What’s your book about? 
It’s Dave Parker’s life story, but it’s also a holistic exploration of the peak of Black Baseball during the 1970s & ’80s, as seen through the eyes of The Cobra. Ultimately, COBRA is the story of a million-dollar athlete just before baseball became a billion-dollar game.

Why this book? Why now?
Parker has been eager to get this on the shelf for a while now. This wasn’t supposed to be a book “of the moment”—it just happened to work out that way. Parker wanted to celebrate the people who helped him achieve his dreams, and, more importantly, those who were beside him as he lived his dreams.

What’s something noteworthy that you learned while researching your book?
I discovered the statistic BRS%, accounting for the percentage of baserunners who scored on the batter’s play. (It’s like RBIs, with a wider scope.) Since Jackie Robinson broke the Major League color barrier in 1947, 113 players have at least 9,000 plate appearances, and among those Dave Parker is ranked No. 2 in BRS% (tied with Manny Ramirez, one spot behind Miguel Cabrera). The preponderance of Pirates on the list—Al Oliver is No. 6, Willie Stargell is No. 7 and Roberto Clemente is No. 12—seems less like a coincidence than an organizational philosophy. During the 1970s, the Pirates were third overall in team wins and last in walks among the legacy clubs from the previous decade. Those data points make for some pretty interesting baseball conversations.

Who had the biggest influence on this book?
No question: Dave Parker. He wanted to “spread some sunshine” on the many accomplished athletes that he befriended over the years who never received their due—some at the prep level, some minor league teammates and even fellow major leaguers who, through injury or happenstance, didn’t achieve all that they might have otherwise. That’s important to Parker. Now, as we witness so many of our baseball heroes pass away in a tragic cluster, Parker’s especially glad to create something tangible that says, “These fellas were here.”

How long did the book take?
Parker and I first worked together in late 2017, when we co-authored a piece for Sporting News exploring the politics of right field. We spent the following summer composing a sample chapter and book proposal that came out to about 45 pages. It took about eight months to write the first draft.

What’s the most memorable interview you conducted for the book?
Parker asked me to reach out to just about everyone connected to his life as a means of fact-checking and confirming his stories. I spoke to more than 75 players, coaches, teachers, managers, scouts, agents and executives.

Would you say there is a comparable sports book or movie to your work?
Parker and I talked early on about how we wanted to capture the essence of something like North Dallas Forty, the 1973 book by former NFL Wide Receiver Peter Gent (and the Nick Nolte/Mac Davis movie that followed), which is part romp through cities, stadiums and parties, and which also explores the politics of the sport at hand. Rollerball, the Jimmy Caan classic, is another great film that dissects the corporate politics of sport. We wanted to capture that essence in COBRA, and we believe that we did.

What’s one memorable instance of your editor lending direction?
We delivered a 229,000-word manuscript. Rob Taylor, our fantastic editor at Nebraska, laughed when he received it. His congenial attitude was like, “Oh, man, we can’t publish an 800-page book.” He gave us the freedom to police ourselves with the length, and we ultimately ended up with around 178,000 words.

Do you have a favored work routine? Has that been affected by the pandemic?
I used to love working late at night and in the early mornings. There were some Saturday mornings where I would write for an hour, go run errands and come back at noon to find I’d lost my mojo. Above all else, I try to be productive with time. If nothing’s coming out, I outline my research or just go full Nicholson and type nonsense onto the screen—that way at least I’ll have something to work from the following day. I don’t believe in writer’s block, at least with respect to non-fiction. Either you know your story or you don’t. If I’ve got it down, I can power through and get the narrative onto the page. If I don’t, I keep researching and outlining until a cohesive notion comes to me. With the digital resources at our fingertips, it’s really hard to run out of places to look for information. If I’m not writing, I’m reading and outlining. Editors in the book industry like highly-creative, prolific writers … but they absolutely adore writers who meet their deadlines.

Buy COBRA here.

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THIS WEEK AT BASEBALL PROSPECTUS
This week’s PBBC contribution to Baseball Prospectus is courtesy of Don Zminda, and draws from his 2019 book, The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball’s Greatest Salesman. (Don’s latest book is Double Plays and Double Crosses.)

For the 50^th anniversary of Caray’s debut in Chicago, Zminda put together an appreciative essay:

“Fifty years ago this month, Harry Caray made his Chicago debut as the radio voice of the White Sox. In all honesty, it was not exactly a plum assignment for a man who until recently had been one of the most popular and successful baseball broadcasters in the nation. But after a tumultuous 25-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals (1945-69), Caray had been summarily fired after the 1969 season (amid rumors of an affair between Harry and Cardinal owner Gussie Busch’s daughter-in-law). He quickly found another employer, but his one-year stint with Charlie Finley’s Oakland Athletics had proved an uncomfortable fit for both Caray and the A’s. Caray wanted to return to the Midwest for the 1971 season, but he had lost out on the best job available—with the Cincinnati Reds—to a young broadcaster named Al Michaels. So it was hello, South Side for Harry. …”

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ATTENTION EASTERN SEABOARD
David Krell tells us that there are signed copies of his book, 1962: Baseball and America in the Time of JFK, at the Indigo store in The Mall at Short Hills, N.J. What better reason could there be to visit New Jersey?

Andrew Forbes’ The Only Way is the Steady Way was written up, in all places, in RL Mag (the Ralph Lauren magazine) because Andrew is fancy like that.

The School Library Connection created an Educators Guide for high school teachers and librarians to accompany Andrew Maraniss’ Singled Out. (Accordingly, a high school librarian in Milwaukee who goes by The Jockbrarian also reviewed the book.)

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WHAT ELSE WE’RE DOING
Eric Nusbaum’s wonderful Sports Stories newsletter focused on baseball (and weed farming) last week. If you’re not yet familiar with Ferris Fain, click on through. If you haven’t subscribed to Sports Stories, you too can get this kind of goodness delivered straight to your in-box.

Jason Turbow had thoughts on the showdown between Trevor Bauer and Fernando Tatis, over at The Baseball Codes blog.

Andrew Forbes wrote about Tony Fernandez for the SABR Baseball Card Research Committee blog.

Lincoln Mitchell recorded the latest Say It Ain’t Contagious podcast with Craig Calcaterra, Tova Wang, Adrian Burgos Jr. and Steven Goldman, in which they look at Major League Baseball’s response to the Chauvin verdict, as well as the short-lived soccer “Super League” in the context of baseball’s big- and small-market divide.

Greg Larson filled his seventh legal pad with prose for his forthcoming novel, and is feeling pretty good about things right about now.

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WHERE WE’VE BEEN
Erik Sherman had a busy week, appearing on the National Baseball Hall of Fame author series to discuss Two Sides of Glory with Bruce Markusen, and spoke with Mark Rosenman on WLIE in New York. He also did a couple of noteworthy Facebook Live sessions, one with Jeff Pearlman and one with Red Sox legend Marty Barrett. Also also, ESPN published a story about the 1969 New York Mets, which referenced Erik’s earlier book, After the Miracle.

Dan Epstein appeared on SABRcast with Rob Neyer, and with Ron Blomberg on Rich Kimball’s Downtown show in Bangor, Maine.

Greg Larson talked about Clubbie on the Samuel Bilsky Show and on PCBombast, as well as with Jerry Coleman on KFAN. Also, notably, he read at the premiere literary event of his alma mater, the Old Dominion University Literary Festival.

Don Zminda went onto The Bern radio show in Philadelphia to talk with Mitch Bernstein about baseball cards and Harry Caray.

Frank Guridy spoke about The Sports Revolution at the University of Houston and at the Heyman Center at Columbia University, which included commentary from sports historian Amy Bass and Columbia professor Samuel Freedman.

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UPCOMING APPEARANCES
Andrew Maraniss will participate in an online discussion about Singled Out with the Massanutten Regional Library in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Thursday, April 29, at 7 p.m. EST.
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GET SHOPPING
Does your baby have a PBBC branded onesie? If “yes”: You are a solid citizen, carrying out a yeoman’s parental duty. If “no”: What the hell are you waiting for? If “I don’t have a baby”: Doesn’t matter. Buy one anyway. Or buy a PBBC t-shirt or hoodie or sticker or something. They’re great and you’ll sleep easy knowing that once you have a baby of your own it will already be outfitted in superfly baseball attire. Head over to the Pandemic Baseball Book Club shop if you like sleeping easy.