And so we begin again. Hope everyone had as happy and healthy a New Year as is possible under these circumstances. Looking forward to a new season full of interesting topics handled by talented writers. A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the […]
Note: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish writing one). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes. In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast one […]
Tagged as:
Baseball Cards,
David Wright,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Ted Williams,
Tom Seaver
Not going to go into a whole long intro. Seems redundant since it’s already in the video. But here’s the review I posted a while back about The Batter’s Box: A Novel of Baseball, War, and Love, by our guest, Andy Kutler.
Tagged as:
baseball in war time,
Bob Feller,
Washington Senators
The Batter’s Box: A Novel of Baseball, War, and Love, by Andy Kutler (Warrior’s Publishing, 2019) Those of you who have been following this blog for a while know my aversion to reviewing fiction. I am not educated in creative writing and feel ill-equipped to judge the hard work of others. Unless it’s really bad. […]
Note: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish writing one). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes. In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast one […]
One of my comfort TV shows is M*A*S*H. If I’m home (and awake) when it airs on ME TV (hold the jokes, please), that’s what I’m watching. The episodes are usually played sequentially, so it was especially interesting that “A War for All Seasons” (season nine, episode six) was on tonight’s schedule. This one follows […]
Tagged as:
Brooklyn Dodgers,
New York Giants
Welcome to 2019. I hope y’all had a great holiday season. “Pitchers and catchers” are still more than a month away, so I hope this list of forthcoming books will serve as a source of warmth and comfort until then. We seem to have the requisite number of material about former stars such as Jackie […]
Tagged as:
Art Shamsky,
Baltimore Orioles,
Barry Zito,
Boston Red Sox,
Bud Selig,
Chicago Cubs,
David Cone,
Edgar Martinex,
Ernie Banks,
Harry Caray,
Jackie Robinsoin,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Luis Tiant,
Mickey Mantle,
Moneyball,
New York Mets,
New York Yankees,
Pete Rose,
Pitching,
Roger Angell,
Ron Swoboda,
World Chanmpionship,
World Series,
Wrigley Field,
Yogi Berra
I looked at a lot of video clips when writing about the recent passing of John Mahoney, the actor who played Kid Gleason, manager of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, in the film version of Eliot Asinof’s Eight Men Out. I was specifically looking for the courtroom scene but couldn’t find it. I did find […]
Tagged as:
Moe Berg
Here’s an interview with one of my favorites: Dan Epstein with Clayton Trutor of the Down the Drive blog. From the Chester County Press, “Steve Potter recently released his book, “2nd Annual Phillies Minor League Digest: A Fan’s View” as a recap to the 2017 minor league season. The book includes team review of each […]
Tagged as:
Dan Epstein,
Philadelphia Phillies,
World War I
A couple of months ago, I posted about some of the new books being published in 2018. Since then, Amazon has put up a few more titles. You’re welcome. In order of release, and sticking to the same restrictions as I have often stated… The Science of Baseball: Modeling Bat-Ball Collisions and the Flight of […]
Tagged as:
Chicago White Sox,
Houston Astros,
New Yiork Yankees
These are my favorite posts, taking a look at what new baseball books are on the horizon. A few notes: Traditional print rules the land here here. There may be a Kindle edition involved, but no Kindle-only titles are included herein. Second, Amazon does not want top make my life easier. I practically never include […]
Shameless self-promotion alert: Happy to announce that Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War officially launched at midnight. I’ll be posting links to events, interviews, and reviews (both favorable and un-; already received one of the latter from someone who was disappointed that a) it wasn’t a full biography […]
Tagged as:
Hank Greenberg,
Jewish Baseball News,
World War II
Now available: At long last I’m happy to announce the official release of my latest book, Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War. Support your local local bookstore and tell your friends! Merci. Save Save Save Save
Tagged as:
Hank Greenberg
How appropriate is it that the end of Band of Brothers takes place on the baseball diamond? After all, what were we fighting for? Mom, apple pie, the girl next door, and baseball?
This entry originally appeared in 2010 but is still relevant today. As we observe Veterans Day, I just wanted to put give a shout out to the men and women who have sacrificed in the service of their country. A sampling of the literature on the subject: Ted Williams at War An American Journey: My […]
Tagged as:
Veterans
♦ The Minnesota Spokesman Record, an African-America newspaper, posted this review of They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota, published by Frank M. White. ♦ The Lincoln (NE) Journal Star provided this piece on Roger Angell‘s memoir, This Old Man: All in Pieces. I still maintain this […]
Tagged as:
Baseball Cards,
minor leagues,
Negro Leagues,
Roger Angell,
Topps,
Washington Senators
Since I posted the first of these on a Thursday, which is known on social media as a time of reflection, I thought to make it a regular thing under this rubric. These are kind of fun; it’s like a box of chocolates — you never know what you’re gonna get. (Actually, I never understood […]
Congrats to Willie Mays and the late Yogi Berra, two of the most recent recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. You can watch the CSPAN coverage of the event here. From NBCNews.com: New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who died in September at the age of 90, was awarded the medal posthumously…. Celebrating Berra’s […]
Tagged as:
Presidential Medal of Freedom,
Willie Mays,
Yogi Berra
At least you won’t have the ridiculous dramatic pauses with camera zoom-ins and throbbing music as the audience awaits the name of the winner. (DWTS, I’m looking at you.) The editors of Spitball Magazine announced the nine finalists for the coveted CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. The titles include: The Betrayal: […]
Tagged as:
Casey Award,
Spitball Magazine