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 […]
Tagged as:
Bernard Malamud,
Brian Kenny,
instructionals,
Lenny Dykstra,
managing,
Michael Lewis,
Mike Mathany,
Moneyball,
New York Mets,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
Ron Darling,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Ted Williams,
World Series
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 […]
Tagged as:
Bernard Malamud,
Brian Kenny,
independent leagues,
instructionals,
Lenny Dykstra,
managing,
Michael Lewis,
Mike Mathany,
Moneyball,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Tim Kurkjian
I quite enjoyed David Duchovny’s first novel, Holy Cow. He’s out with a new one, titled Bucky F*cking Dent. As you might guess by the name, there’s a good deal of baseball in it, but it’s one of those things that is not about baseball (are any of them ever?). Rather it’s about the relationship […]
Tagged as:
baseball novel,
David Duchovny
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 […]
Tagged as:
amateur baseball,
baseball analysis,
baseball fiction,
Bernard Malamud,
ESPN,
H.A. Dorfman,
instructionals,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Michel Lewis,
Mike Matheny,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
Shoeless Joe Jackson,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Tim Kurkjian
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 […]
Tagged as:
baseball analysis,
ESPN,
Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas,
Jim Palmer,
Michel Lewis,
Mike Matheny,
New York Mets,
Oakland Athletics,
Pitching,
Ron Darling,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Tim Kurkjian,
Ty Cobb,
World Series
Many of us play Strat-o-matic or some other fantasy version of the game. Robert Coover wrote the classic baseball fiction, The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. Well, Coover has company in Jeff Polman, who recently released Twinbill: Further Immersions in Historical Baseball Fiction — his fourth book — which includes a speculative […]
Tagged as:
Hank Greenberg,
Jeff Polman
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 […]
Tagged as:
Baseball America,
baseball analysis,
baseball fiction,
Bernard Malamud,
Bill James,
Fantasy baseball,
instructionals,
Michel Lewis,
minor leagues,
Oakland Athletics,
Roger Angell
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:
Arnold Hano,
Baseball Cards,
Bill James,
David Simon,
Dock Ellis,
ESPN,
John Grisham,
Jon Leonoudakis,
Mark Ulriksen,
NPR,
Ray Negron,
Sports Illustrated,
Trouble With the Curve,
Zack Hample
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 fiction,
Chad Harbach,
Harvey Araton,
John Grisham,
Mordecai Brown,
New York Mets,
no-hitter,
Sandy Koufax,
Sparky Anderson,
Willard Mullin,
World Series,
Yogi Berra
As the sports editor for a weekly Jewish publication, I always have my antenna out for anything that pertains to this niche topic. You might be surprised, but as someone so connected with Jews and sports, it’s amazing the number of times I come across reference to the scene from Airplane and the variations thereof […]
Tagged as:
Abie Rotenberg,
Fiction,
Jewish baseball
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 […]
Tagged as:
Baseball America,
baseball fiction,
Bill James,
Michel Lewis,
Oakland Athletics,
Rogerl Angell
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 […]
Tagged as:
Baseball-Reference.com,
Bernie Sanders,
Bob Gibson,
Boston Red Sox,
Carlton Fisk,
Dusty Baker,
Lonnie Wheeler,
minor leagues,
Negro Leagues,
Roger Angell,
World Series
by Abie Rotenberg. Feldheim, 2015, $22.99 hardcover; $14.99 paperback; $9.99 Kindle. If I get excited when a new Jewish Major Leaguer pops up on the scene, imagine how I feel when there’s a new book with a Jewish baseball theme. So when I saw this novel by Rotenberg in one of my Amazon searches for […]
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 […]
Tagged as:
baseball fiction,
Chicago Cubs,
Dayton Moore,
Dodgers,
Kansas City Royals,
Leo Durocher
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
Next to baseball and books (and, of course, baseball books), I enjoy learning about what goes on behind the scenes in movies. That’s why I enjoy the I Was There Too podcast hosted by Matt Gourley, which features interviews with actors who may not have been the stars of the films in which they appeared, […]
Tagged as:
baseball movies,
Dwier Brown,
Field of Dreams,
I Was There Too,
Kevin Costner,
W.P. Kinsella
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, […]
Tagged as:
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
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 — […]
Tagged as:
Brooks Robinson,
Carlton Fisk,
Doug Wilson,
Fred Hutchinson,
Mark Fidrych
is available on Amazon.com,
