A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish posting them). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes. In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast […]
Tagged as:
Brooklyn Dodgers,
Henry Aaron,
Willie Mays,
Yogi Berra
Something to look forward to. Recently received the Spring/Summer catalog from the University of Nebraska Press, publishers of my own 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. These folks traditionally come up with thoughtful and somewhat unusual topics, but for their upcoming season, there seems to be a higher number of pertinent titles […]
Tagged as:
Boston Red Sox,
Dave Parker,
Grover Cleveland Alexander,
Horace Stoneham,
Minnesota Twins,
Oscar Charleston,
Tony Lazzari,
University of Nebraska Press
The legendary country singer died last Saturday at the age of 86 from complications of Covid after attending the CMA Awards in Nashville. Here’s the obituary from The New York Times. Pride had legitimate baseball roots, pitching professionally in the Negro Leagues. He was also a part owner of the Texas Rangers for a time. […]
Tagged as:
Charley Pride
According to Bert Sugar’s Rain Delays, one of Willie Mays‘ literary collaborators had an ignominious interaction with his subject. “[A]t the end of the 1965 season, when [Charles] Einstein gave his subject a follow up call, after having taken notes with Mays throughout the season and after having identified himself over the phone, Mays said ‘Charlie […]
Tagged as:
John Shea,
Willie Mays
The end of January already?? Where did the time go? Note: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish writing one). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes. In addition, occasionally […]
If African-American ballplayers had a terrible go of it, can you imagine what female African-American ballplayers had to deal with? From the New York Times‘ obituary by Daniel E. Slotnick Mamie Johnson, one of a handful of women to play in baseball’s Negro leagues in the early 1950s — and the only one known to […]
Tagged as:
Mamie "Peanut" Johnson
These are my favorite posts, taking a look at what new baseball books are on the horizon. A few notes: Traditional print rules the land here here. There may be a Kindle edition involved, but no Kindle-only titles are included herein. Second, Amazon does not want top make my life easier. I practically never include […]
Bob Motley, the last surviving Negro Leagues umpire, passed away Thursday at the age of 94. I had posted about Motley when he turned 91. He was the author of Ruling Over Monarchs, Giants, and Stars: True Tales of Breaking Barriers, Umpiring Baseball Legends, and Wild Adventures in the Negro Leagues, which he co-wrote with […]
Tagged as:
Bob Motely,
Byron Motley,
Negros Leagues
Because as soon as you write about it, it’s no longer untold, is it? Maybe it was before you told it, Sherman Jenkins, but now it’s not. So does that mean he has to change the title? “Aurora resident authors book about ‘untold’ baseball All Star, Globetrotter.” The book in question is Ted Strong Jr.: […]
Tagged as:
Harlem Globetrotters,
Negro Leagues,
The Strong Jr.
Graham Womack published this ranked list of the 25 greatest baseball books on The Sporting News site. When I wrote 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die, I made a decision not to put them in an order other than alphabetical to avoid having to defend my choices. Such a method invites arguments […]
Tagged as:
Babe Ruth,
Baseball Cards,
Baseball Hall of Fame,
baseball history,
baseball statistics,
Bill James,
Branch Rickey,
Brooklyn Dodgers,
Bucl O'Neil,
David Halberstam,
Jackie Robinson,
Jo DiMaggio,
John Thorn,
Mickey Mantle,
Negro Leagues,
New YorkYankees,
Roger Angell,
Roger Kahn,
Sportswriters
♦ The Minnesota Spokesman Record, an African-America newspaper, posted this review of They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota, published by Frank M. White. ♦ The Lincoln (NE) Journal Star provided this piece on Roger Angell‘s memoir, This Old Man: All in Pieces. I still maintain this […]
Tagged as:
Baseball Cards,
minor leagues,
Negro Leagues,
Roger Angell,
Topps,
Washington Senators
A number of authors of upcoming books will be taking their turn at bat at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse in Manhattan. All events are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25: Roberta Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen, Black Baseball, Black Business: Race Enterprise and the Fate of the Segregated Dollar Thursday, March 3: Howard Megdal, […]
Tagged as:
black baseball,
Howard Megdal,
Larry Doby,
New York Mets,
Oakland Athletics,
St. Louis Cardinals
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 […]
Tagged as:
Monte Irvin
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
I have a pretty set routine with the podcasts I listen to. On my Monday commute to work, it’s always (barring repeats and clip shows) Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. On the Friday commute home from work it’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. Many of the others regulars — WTF, The Leonard Lopate Show, Fresh Air, […]
Tagged as:
Extra Hot Great,
Jesse L. Martin,
Negro Leagues,
Sarah D. Bunting,
X-Files
Been following the adventures of Brad Balukjian, who’s traveling the country in search of his baseball heroes for a book project. He was a guest on a recent edition of Slate’s excellent sports podcast, Hang Up and Listen. We had a Bookshelf Conversation prior to his departure and I hope to have another one upon his […]
Tagged as:
Andi Dorfman,
baseball history,
Brad Balukjian,
Game of Thrones,
George R.R. Martin,
Joe Girardi,
John Klima,
Josh Murray,
Lonnie Wheeler,
Matt Nadel,
minor leagues,
NY Yankees,
The Bachelorette
Bits and pieces, March 3, 2016
March 3, 2016
♦ As you know, I normally do not include books written for kids on this blog, but in this case — The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game — I’ve made an exception because of the special “teaching moment” involved and the fact that, unlike a lot of other titles […]
Tagged as: Buck O'Neil, Fans, Howard Megdal, Joe Posnanski, St. Louis Cardinals, William "Dummy": Hoy
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