From the category archives:

Documentary

Hold the butter

April 17, 2020

After the previous post, I decided to do a “baseball movie” search on Netflix to see what I could stream on my computer. Here are the results in the order they appear in the results, with some comments where warranted. Note that this was the exact search phrase used for these results. There are other […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Pass the popcorn

April 17, 2020

Because what else is there to do, baseball-wise, besides read and watch movies? Via ScreenRant: According to Rotten Tomatoes, these are the top ten baseball flics. Here’s the criteria: It should be noted that only certified fresh movies are included, as some baseball films have high ratings but only a handful of reviews. Definition of […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

I don’t watch a whole lot of the MLB Network. I find the shows repetitive, since they show the same programs multiple times over the course of a week. But suddenly a documentary about Dave Parker showed up on my DVR as part of the “MLB Presents…” series. I often just delete these things, but […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

From the press release: The Baseball Heritage Museum has a pair of events scheduled: Throw Like a Woman Author Susan Petrone will give a presentation 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9. Petrone wrote the 2015 novel Throw Like a Woman, about a woman who, at age 40, finds her life taking an unexpected turn when she […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 15, 2019

Belated, of course. There have been seven players with that last name, but only one has documentary about him. Bob Valentine, 1876 Bobby Valentine, 1968-79 Corky Valentine, 1954-55 Ellis Valentine, 1975-85 Fred Valentine, 1959-68 Joe Valentine, 2003-05 John Valentine, 1883 The former Texas Rangers, NY Mets, and Boston Red Sox manager was the subject of […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

If I had the wherewithal, I think I’d be doing something like Jon Leonouakis‘ streaming TV show, The Sweet Spot: A Treasury of Baseball Stories. I mean, he interviews people, I interview people. But as the saying goes, “Show me, don’t tell me,” and as a veteran filmmaker, he’s the man behind several well-crafted baseball […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The All-Star break affects more than just the ball clubs. It leaves fans hungry for something to watch and puts a big burden on the MLB Network and other sports channels to find content. After all, there are only so many highlight-reel shows you can watch. So tonight at 9:30 (EST) ESPN airs Doc & Darryl, […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Been a bit remiss in my own Bookshelf Conversations lately. But always happy to pass along what I’ve come across. Jonathan Hock’s new documentary Fastball recently hit the screens. I had the opportunity to watch a screener. Fascinating stuff. There’s a “Zelig moment” with Justin Verlander “visiting” Bob Feller during his famous “motorcycle showdown.” That […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Ken Burns was on the show yesterday to discuss his upcoming documentary on Jackie Robinson, to be aired next month on PBS.   If they’d just done this a few days earlier, it would have been a perfect feature for Black History Month. But I can also understand that you don’t want to publicize something […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The last time I spoke with Jon Leonoudakis for a Bookshelf Conversation, it was to discuss his 2012 project Not Exactly Cooperstown, a documentary about The Baseball Reliquary, a “nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

BBC owner Jay Goldberg does a great service in providing podcasts of his numerous author events. (I was honored to have one there when 501 came out in 2013.) The charming Manhattan store can only accommodate so many people and these audios allow far-flung baseball fans and readers to share in the fun. Among his […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Lucky (?) 13

November 13, 2015 · 2 comments

I never got that. Without going into the popular history of friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th as opposed to triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number itself), isn’t 13 kind of a good number for the Jews? Bar mitzva and all? According to Baseball-Reference.com, there have been 299 players who wore the number 13 for part […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Fastball, the acclaimed new documentary film, celebrates the game’s signature delivery and headlines the 10th Annual Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival Sept. 25-27 in Cooperstown. All films will be shown in the Hall of Fame’s Bullpen Theater. Produced by National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Board member Thomas Tull (the producer of 42), […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

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 […]

0Shares

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-5496371-4']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();