One of the great ambassadors of the game, Monte Irvin passed away last night at the age of 96. Irvin was member of that generation of African-American ballplayers who suffered greatly as they integrated the game. Jackie Robinson was the first and most famous, and sometimes men like Irvin and Larry Doby don’t get the […]
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Monte Irvin
I don’t know who Matthew Price is, but he recently contributed this piece which appeared on the Newsday website on “11 books every New York Mets fan should read.” As a fan of the team myself, I believe every Mets devotee should read just about every book they can on the ball club, so I […]
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New York Mets
In a vain attempt to clear out my inbox, here is the final B&P for the year. Hope you’ve enjoyed learning about these things as much as I have. Don’t read anything political into the posting of this piece about “How Bernie Sanders brought professional baseball to Vermont,” via The Sporting News. From outsports.com, this […]
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Baseball-Reference.com,
Bernie Sanders,
Bob Gibson,
Boston Red Sox,
Carlton Fisk,
Dusty Baker,
Lonnie Wheeler,
minor leagues,
Negro Leagues,
Roger Angell,
World Series
Dandy Sandy turns 80 today, if you can believe it. Back at the All-Star Game in July, Koufax was anointed — along with Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Johnny Bench — as one of baseball’s greatest living legends. The MLB Network aired a special moderated by Bob Costas featuring the quarter reminiscing and sharing anecdotes. […]
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Sandy Koufax
I know most of you have more pressing things to do today, you procrastinators, you. But here’s something for when you take a break. ♦ Like the Bookshelf, DiamondHoggers has a podcast segment. This episode features Rob Miech, author of the 2012 release, The Last Natural: Bryce Harper’s Big Gamble in Sin City and the […]
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Allen Barra,
Bryce Harper,
Christy Walsh,
Johan Santana,
Lefty Gomez,
Maggie Lawrence,
New York Mets,
New York Yankees,
Ozzie Guillen
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 […]
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baseball stadiums,
Bill Veeck,
cricket,
Dock Ellis,
New York Mets,
New York Yankees
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
The longlist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing To honor a nonfiction book on the subject of sports published in 2015 was announced today. Winner gets $5,000. Of the ten books on the list, four are baseball titles including: The Best Team Money Can Buy: The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Wild Struggle to Build […]
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Bengie Molina,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Ty Cobb,
Washington Nationals
My kindle is telling me I’m running out of storage so submitted for your interest from another semi-regular scan of new titles. It may seem unfair, but I do tend to judge e-books by their cover, especially when they are offered only in that format. It’s often an indication of the time and effort the […]
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baseball fiction,
Chicago Cubs,
Dayton Moore,
Dodgers,
Kansas City Royals,
Leo Durocher
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
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baseball statistics,
Bob Gibson,
Derek Jeter,
Kansas City Royals,
Lonnie Wheeler,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
New York Yankees,
Roger Angell,
Sports Illustrated,
World Series,
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: […]
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Casey Award,
Spitball Magazine
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
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baseball statistics,
Bob Gibson,
Chicago White Sox,
Kansas City Royals,
Lonnie Wheeler,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Oakland Athletics,
Roger Angell,
Sports Illustrated,
World Series
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 […]
Tagged as:
Andy Pettitte,
baseball fiction,
Baseball Hall of Fame,
Ben Carson,
Bernie Williams,
Frank Nappi,
Joe DiMaggio,
Joe Posnanski,
John Rocker,
Jorge Posada,
Richard Ben Cramer,
Ted Lyons,
Tim Wiles
Been a bit busy lately with the two author events, so I know I’ve fallen behind. You never know where inspiration will come from. According to this public radio story, Haruki Murakami came up with the idea for his first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, as the result of a 1978 pro game in Japan, […]
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Ball Four,
Bruce Bochy,
David Halberstam,
Derek Jeter,
Fritz Peterson,
Haruki Mirukami,
Jackie Robinson,
Jim Bouton,
Jimmy Breslin,
Jorge Posada,
New York Yankees,
Steohen Kings,
Washington Nationals
I recently created a bit of a stir of Facebook when, after doing some research for new titles coming down the pike, I questioned the “necessity” for a biography on Mike Torrez. All due respect for the 18-year veteran, he doesn’t seem to have the gravitas of a Hall of Famer. That reminded me of […]
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Baseball Hall of Fame
Here’s guy who takes the admonition “Don’t quite your day job” to heart. Dr. Doug Wilson, a full-time ophthalmologist with a thriving practice, has written biographies about four prominent men — including two Hall of Famers — who nevertheless have slipped under the radar, especially for fans who never saw them player. Wilson’s latest — […]
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Brooks Robinson,
Carlton Fisk,
Doug Wilson,
Fred Hutchinson,
Mark Fidrych
NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on […]
Throwback Thursday (aka, links dump), Dec. 17, 2015
December 17, 2015
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 […]
Tagged as: baseball stadiums, Bill Veeck, cricket, Dock Ellis, New York Mets, New York Yankees
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