From the category archives:

Documentary

Came across this hour-long documentary about the Hall on GreatMuseuems.org. Warning: There are actually a few commercials sprinkled within the program.

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Lest we forget: Bud Greenspan

December 29, 2010

The legendary documentarian died this weekend at the age of 84. I met Greenspan in 2007 at a program hosted by the Yogi Berra Museum for the premier of his last major project, Pride Against Prejudice: The Larry Doby Story. He was already in failing health but wanted to be on hand out of respect […]

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TWIBB: Dec. 17, 2010

December 17, 2010

The top baseball books, according to Amazon.com, as of Friday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. Title Rank General The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood, by Jane Leavy 1 Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis 2 Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back, by Josh […]

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While writing up the previous entry and reading the Forbes’ review of Ken Burns’ addenda, I was reminded that I wanted to add my two cents. The Forbes‘ writer thought there was too much information crammed into too little time. In one sense I agree, but perhaps if less time had been allotted for certain […]

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Time for a trip to IKEA?

October 3, 2010

Pithy observation from the Baseball USA: Two late-season baseball books arrived in the mail. They are “Glory in the Fall,” an anthology of stories about World Series history and the Red Sox figure prominently. It is published by Union Square Press. The other is Baseball: An Illustrated History. It is essentially the print version of […]

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“Cro” was once considered a part of the best outfields in the game as a member of the Montreal Expos in the early 1980s. Then he made a name for himself — as well as a book — when he took his game to Japan. He turns 57 today. Slugging It Out in Japan: An […]

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A reminder: The Tenth Inning

September 27, 2010

premieres tomorrow on PBS. Consult your local listings. From The New York Times: “Baseball Continued: Between Rebirth and Calamity“ From The Atlantic: “Burns Back at Bat“

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Celebrating Ball Four

September 20, 2010

From Terry Cannon, executive director of the Baseball Reliquary, which hosted the Sept. 18 event honoring the 40thn anniversary of the literary classic: Yesterday’s “Ball Four Turns Forty” program…was a marvelous and magical day.  An SRO crowd (approximately 175 attendees) witnessed two wonderful panel discussions and the world premiere screening of “The Seattle Pilots: Short […]

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Some new programs are coming to a television near you. Ken Burns tacks The Tenth Inning onto his wonderful Baseball miniseries, which originally aired in 1995. The two-part, four-hour epilogue airs on PBS Sept. 28-29 at 8 p.m. EST, but as they say, check your local listings. You’ll probably have to adjust the volume on […]

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Richard Sandomir of The New York Times reports on the generally disappointing documentary on the late Yankees owner, part of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series. Upshot: Documentaries soar when they reveal something new and send viewers on new paths. From the start of “One Night in Vegas,” the ESPN “30 for 30” film that had […]

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Crossing Jordan?

August 27, 2010

Haven’t seen too many of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series, but happened on this one while flipping through the dial. Jordan Rides the Bus is a nifty piece by Ron (Bull Durham) Shelton that takes a studied look at Michael’s days as member of the Birmingham Barons, a minor team in the Chicago White […]

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I had been looking forward to visiting Austin’s Antiquarian Books, a small store about a mile away from where we’re staying in Wilmington. I had gone online to see the type of material they offered and had visions of some old treasure. Sadly, when I arrived there a little while ago, I was met with […]

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I ran this Q&A with Gary Bedingfield, author and host Baseball in Wartime, last November in honor of Veteran’s Day. Thought I’d do post again to commemorate Memorial Day. In addition, I received a sweet little video recently which also has some WW II content. Around the League, 1939-1946 was filmed and later narrated by […]

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Birthday greetings

May 23, 2010

to Clyde King, who turns 86 today. And to William Elsworth “Dummy” Hoy, the first deaf Major Leaguer, who was born this day in 1862. Hoy was responsible (depending on whose story your believe) for helping to create umpires’ signals. His descendants have created a website in his honor and are coming out with a […]

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* Bits and pieces

January 18, 2010

Haven’t done one of these for awhile, so here goes: The Dallas Morning News ran this review of The Wizard of Waxahachie by Warren Corbett, the biography of baseball lifer Paul Richards. Upshot: “Those who love baseball’s strategies and myriad statistics probably will relish this book. The author blends them seamlessly into an entertaining, warts-and-all […]

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The MLB Network will present Holy Land Hardball, the documentary about the lone season of the Israel Baseball League, on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 10 p.m.

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For all the best intentions, hopes, and excitement, the Israel Baseball League lasted just one season. Tepid responses by the media and native-born population, poor playing conditions, and questionable business practices all led to the league’s downfall after its 2007 debut. Little of that gloom, however, is evidenced in Holy Land Hardball, a documentary about […]

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Congratulations to the cast and crew of Signs of the Time,  winner of the Award for Baseball Excellence at the 2009 Baseball Film Festival, held at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  The award, “given to the film that excels in one or all of the following categories: research, historical context, appreciation of the […]

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(If you live in the Washington, DC area.) The Library of Congress will host a series of baseball films from Sept. 28-Oct. 2, as part of its “Baseball Americana Lunchtime Film Series” in the Pickford Theater of the Madison Building. Monday, Sept. 28 In Search of History: The World Series Fixed! The Black Sox Scandal […]

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