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History

Baseball best-sellers, Sept. 12

September 12, 2014

Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]

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Here’s the dope on the upcoming film festival hosted at the Baseball Hall of Fame from Sept. 19-21. The following events all take place in the Grandstand Theater. Blurbs come from the Hall of Fame press release. Following a reception at 5 p.m., The festival gets under way with an introductory discussion and opening film– […]

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Because some people eat across while others “rotate.” I host a blog about Jews and sports as part of my day job as sports editor for the NJ Jewish News. One of the daily routines is to scan the box scores to see how the Jewish ballplayers fared, but obviously you can do this for […]

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“Reality” TV

September 11, 2014

Is something I’ve never been into. I find very little “real” about it. And I don’t mean to keep on picking on Brandon Steiner (see here and here), but I accidentally came on his eponymous SNY show, The Hookup with Brandon Steiner, last night. I say “accidentally” because my on-air TV guide said it was […]

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I don’t need an excuse to visit the Yogi Berra Museum. For one thing, it’s almost a Roberto Clemente throw from my house. For another, they always have great events with interesting guests. (The only problem is parking. Hey, Dave Kaplan, work on that, okay?) Last night the Museum hosted an opening reception for “The […]

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Nicholas Dawidoff has pretty much done it all when it comes to non-fiction writing: memoir, biography, anthology. And done it all well. The Flyswatter, a sentimental recollection of his grandfather, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2003.  His first book, The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg, is considered the […]

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Baseball best-sellers, Sept. 5

September 5, 2014

Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]

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Sy Berger: Still the Topps

September 4, 2014

Sports Collectors Digest ran a nice profile on the “father of the modern baseball card,” who recently turned 91. A few years ago, Topps, seeking to nudge their way into relevance again, produced a number of videos about their work. Here’s one on Berger: Speaking of collectibles, the Miami Marlins have a Bobblehead Museum at […]

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Because you can put all this Derek Jeter memorabilia on your bookshelf… Yesterday I came across this piece on ESPN: “Yankees to wear Derek Jeter patch.” There was a lot of social media chatter about the appropriateness of this gesture. Sports fans debated whether an active player should be honored like this. Such tributes usually […]

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Jealousy reared its ugly head once again when I saw the full-page review of  Josh Ostergaard‘s The Devil’s Snake Curve in The New York Times‘ Sunday book supplement in June. It brought back memories of Chad Harbach’s 2011 debut novel, The Art of Fielding, which garnered him tremendous kudos, not to mention a huge advance. (The […]

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Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]

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Few things bring a smile to my face more than memories of Montreal. My maternal family hails from that city and I spent many happy times there, including five summers working at Camp Maromac in the Laurentian Mountains. So it’s only natural I would become a fan of the Montreal Expos. And disappointed when they […]

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Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]

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Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]

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Congratulations to Tim. N. of Fair Oaks,Calif., winner of the tenth anniversary edition of The Last Best League, by Jim Collins. Next up: Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love by C. David Heymann. Here’s my review from Bookreporter.com. A couple of things I neglected to mention in the piece: Notice the cover. The photo conveys […]

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My take on the recent “biography” by the late C. David Heymann, via Bookreporter.com.

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Any serious scholar of the game knows the work McFarland does in bringing eclectic material to the bookshelf. This fall’s line-up includes: A Calculus of Color: The Integration of Baseball’s American League, by Robert Kuhn McGregor Understanding Baseball: A Textbook, edited by Trey Strecker, et al The Negro Southern League:  A Baseball History, 1920-1951, by […]

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Angell angles

August 1, 2014

More articles have come out lately in praise of Roger Angell, who received the Spink Award for baseball writing last weekend at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Tom Verducci, senior baseball writer for Sports Illustrated had this to say. Is Verducci the “heir apparent” for Angell? Remember, Angell has been writing about the game since […]

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Note: Just like Chuck Lorre’s “vanity cards” at the end of The Big Bang Theory, you should read these list stories to their conclusion; the end is always changing, even though the theme is basically the same, finishing up with a self-promotional message. On with the show… Here are the top ten baseball books as […]

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the debut of one of my favorite TV shows of all time: Lost. The iconic program earned extra credit for me by including baseball in its canon: And here: Happy anniversary, Lost! Update: It appears, once again, my math is off. I was basing this entry on a […]

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