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
Funny how discoveries are made. My wife and I were having lunch at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, last fall and dropped by the gift shop on the way out. Now usually, I hover around the door, tapping my foot impatiently and watching my watch. But right at the front of the shop […]
Tagged as:
Kevin Larkin,
Lou Gehrig
It hasn’t even been released yet (official date: March 22) but Stealing Games: How John McGraw Transformed Baseball with the 1911 New York Giants by Maury Klein leads off this Examiner.com article on “The Write Stuff: A look at some of this year’s most notable books.” According to the piece, “The book gives a great—yet […]
Tagged as:
George Gibsonb,
Maury Klein,
New York Giants
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 […]
(Note: I posted this originally on my blog about Jews and sports, but since it’s based on a fantastic baseball book, I thought it would be appropriate here as well.) And when I say “The Catch,” of course I’m talking about Willie Mays’ iconic grab in Game One of the 1954 World Series against the […]
Tagged as:
Al Rosen,
Arnold Hano,
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse,
Jon Leonoudakis,
Willie Mays
Here’s a little departure from the usual conversation in which I chat with authors, filmmakers, et al. During one of my regular visits to Amazon to see what’s coming down the pike, I came across Stealing Games: How John McGraw Transformed Baseball with the 1911 New York Giants by Maury Klein. Now normally I would […]
Tagged as:
George Gibson
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
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 […]
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:
Adam Greenberg,
Baseball Hall of Fame,
baseball managers,
Chicago Cubs,
Florida Marlins,
Forbes,
Grantland,
kunckleball,
Matt Harvey,
Piuttsburgh Pirates,
R.A. Dickey,
Shawn Green,
Stephen Strasburg,
Tim Wakefield,
Tony LaRussa,
Will Ferrell,
Zev Chafets
The Brian Lehrer Show conducted this great interview with former Mets pitcher and current TV broadcaster Ron Darling. Despite a number of sports media writers criticizing the way FOX handled its coverage, Darling would not pile on. But I appreciated his honesty as he spoke about the disappointment for himself and his booth-mates Keith Hernandez […]
Tagged as:
Brian Lehrer Show,
Extra Hot Great,
Fox Sports,
Joe Posnanski,
National Public Radio,
NPR,
Ralph Kiner,
Ron Darling,
Sarah D. Bunting,
Toronto Blue Jays,
World Series
Missed last week because of vacation. Hey, I’m entitled. Anyway… 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 […]
Tagged as:
Bob Gibson,
Derek Jeter,
Kansas City Royals,
Lonnie Wheeler,
Los Angeles Dodger,
Michael Lewis,
Molly Knights,
New York Yankees,
Oakland Athletics,
Ted Williams,
Ty Cobb,
Yogi Berra
Now that we’ve come to the end of the season, we can see who the geniuses and pretenders are. On the one end, you have Theo Epstein, who may be on the verge of taking another team that had gone decades in the doldrums — the Chicago Cubs — to the World’s Championship, just as […]
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:
Bob Gibson,
Cincinatti Reds,
Derek Jeter,
Lonnie Wheeler,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Moneyball,
New York Yankees,
Oakland Athletics,
Pittsburgh Pirates,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Ted Williams,
World Series,
Yogi Berra
Very little grass grows under Lonnie Wheeler’s feet. His second-most recent title, Intangiball: The Subtle Things That Win Baseball Games, was released on August 11 and less than two months later we have Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game, the third book he has done with Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. (Actually, […]
Tagged as:
Bob Gibson,
Cincinnati Reds,
Lonnie Wheeler
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:
Derek Jeter,
Jeremy Affeldt,
Los Angeles Dodgers,
Moneyball,
New York Yankees,
Oakland Athletics,
Pittsburgh Pirates,
San Francisco Giants,
Yogi Berra
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 and politics,
Baseball Cards,
Baseball Propsectus,
Bill Veeck,
Brooklyn Dodgers,
Carl Mays,
Chad Harbach,
Detroit Tigers,
Ebbets Field,
Jim Abbot,
Josh Lewin,
Molly Lawless,
Paul Dickson,
Ray Chapman,
St. Louis Cardinals,
Texas Rangers,
The Art of Fielding,
Tim Wendell
In addition to his “solo career,” such as one of my favorites, Cult Baseball Players: The Greats, the Flakes, the Weird and the Wonderful, Danny Peary knows how to work nice with other people. He’s served as co-author on memoirs such as Ralph Kiner’s Baseball Forever: Reflections on 60 Years in the Game as well […]
Tagged as:
Danny Peary,
Derek Jeter,
Gil Hodges,
Ralph Kiner,
Roger Maris,
Tim McCarver