From the latest Effectively Wild podcast:
Ben Lindbergh rounds up the authors of three new baseball books for conversations about their work and our relationships with the past. First he talks to John W. Miller about his biography of Earl Weaver, The Last Manager, Weaver’s wiring and sabermetric intuition, and the diminished role and reputation of managers. Then he brings on Will Bardenwerper to discuss his book, Homestand, the contraction of the minor leagues, and baseball as a social bond. Finally, Jacob McArthur Mooney joins to explore his new novel, The Northern, the baseball card wars, and road/coming-of-age stories.
The Last Manager is also included in this list of “51 New Books for Summer Reading in 2025” in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The recent decision by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the eligibility of Pete Rose (and Shoeless Joe Jackson), will no doubt lead to new books. Keith O’Brien, author of the latest Rose bio, Charlie Hustle, posted this opinion piece on the MSNBC website.
John Nogowski will be on hand on Saturday, May 24, from 11 a.m.to 1 p.m. for a book signing at Barnes & Noble in South Nashua, NH, to sign copies of his newest book, Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups, featuring the best pitcher-hitter battles in baseball history.
Ever wonder who invented “walkup music?” Wonder no more. According to MLB.com, it’s Nancy Faust:
Faust was the famed White Sox organist from 1970 until 2010, a fabled 40-year run during which she became a beloved ballpark staple, starting at the old Comiskey Park. She’ll be back at the organ for select Sundays this season at Rate Field, beginning with [yesterday’s] game against the Marlins.
Walkup songs as we know them today were essentially her brainchild, in part because legendary owner Bill Veeck had the idea to move her organ among the fans behind home plate, where she received quite a few song suggestions. That led to Faust testing out playing songs catered to specific players when they came up to bat, like “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Dick Allen and “He’s So Shy” for the introverted Harold Baines.
is available on Amazon.com,
