A new appreciation for the craft

Author Profile / interview

Jeff Pearlman did this interview with SI‘s senior baseball writer Tom Verducci and Rob Neyer added his thoughts based on a single passage, which I reproduce here because I think it’s going to change my professional life: Imagine Johnny All-Star tells you his father used to throw bottle caps to him to hit in their […]

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A slow sports day for The New York Times

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

With all due respect and this is a fascinating, if sad, story, but how else to explain this story about the murder of ex-Pittsburgh Pirate infielder Sammy Khalifa’s father and the psychic toll it took on the ballplayer over the years that starts on the first sports page then jumps to a full-page continuation? Rob […]

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W2W4

Baseball movies

EW.com includes Chadwick Boseman, star of 42, the upcoming biopic about Jackie Robinson as one of the “13 to Watch in 2013.” From the item: Why He’ll Be Big: Not only does Boseman hold his own next to Harrison Ford in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 (out April 12), he also has the acting chops […]

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Bookshelf “rewind” review: Brittle Innings

501 Baseball Books...

With so many books I haven’t gotten to, I find it almost wasteful to reread books I’ve enjoyed (who would revisit one they didn’t enjoy? That’s like saying “this is a picture of me when I was younger.” As the late comedian Mitch Hedberg once said, “Every picture of you is when you were younger.” […]

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Here we go! A 501 update

2013 title

Happy new year, everybody. Best wishes for a healthy and contented 2013. Now that the writing and production part of 501 is over, I hope to bring more fun interviews, features, and reviews. AND… New Year, new book, new blog. I just launched the stand-alone site for 501. Please visit it and like it on […]

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New Year’s resolution

Uncategorized

One of my favorite podcasts is NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, the topics on which are pretty self-explanatory. Last week’s episode took up the issue of “stuff.” It’s amazing the things we keep that have no value — earthly or un- — to anyone, including the owner. Does anyone still need a college paper written […]

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And a gold watch goes to…Hideki Matsui

2007 title

The Japanese import known — perhaps politically incorrectly — as “Godzilla,” announced his retirement at the age 38. Matsui spent most of his career with the New York Yankees. I’m guessing he’s had at least one book written about him based on his career in Japan. At least two titles were released in the U.S., […]

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Topping off your bookshelf

collectibles

I don’t do a lot of collecting anymore, but I do like baseball caps. I keep several on top of my bookshelf and many hang along an overhang I have in my basement office. The only rule I have is I can’t buy them online; I have to be at least in the city where […]

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Finding baseball in the most unusual places

2009 title

I’m a big fan of audio books. I recently borrowed two titles from the library — The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, by Mlodinow, Leonard, and 1861: The Civil War Awakening, by Adam Goodheart — that would seem to have nothing to do with the national pastime. But lo and behold the former […]

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Lest we forget: Roberto Clemente

2012 title

It’s almost inconceivable to me to think that we are coming on the 40th anniversary of the death of Roberto Clemente. That’s an entire generation ago and makes me feel much older than I am. Kevin Guilfoile took some time out fro his carer as a novelist to write A Drive into the Gap, a […]

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A 501 update

Uncategorized

This wait is killing me. Not much to do until the publisher — who is enjoying a well-deserved holiday — returns and starts arranging interviews and sends out review copies, etc. So I’ve been ordering new business cards, post cards, and very “limited-edition” 501 merch, more as souvenirs for the family than any kind of […]

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Hail and farewell, R.A.

2012 title

R.A. Dickey, the author of  Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball who was ignominiously “dumped” by the NY Mets, makes a class exit with his “farewell to the fans” piece in the Dec. 22 NY Daily News. The paper also named Dickey its “Sportsperson of the Year.” I […]

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Lest we forget: Jack Klugman and Charles Durning

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

Every Christmas you can count on a couple of celebrities to cast off this mortal coil. This time, sadly, it’s two of my favorite actors, Jack Klugman obit by Bruce Weber) and Charles Durning. One of Klugman’s signature roles was, of course, the sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison in beloved TV series The Odd Couple, for […]

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So much for that…

"Oddballs"
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Book Launch Party: Greg Prince

2012 title

Last Saturday, I had the honor of attending the book launch/birthday party for Greg Prince, author of the The Happiest Recap: First Base (1962-1973): 50 Years of the New York Mets As Told in 500 Amazin’ Wins (Volume 1). There will eventually be three additional volumes. Several of Prince’s friends were on hand at Foley’s, […]

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Merry Christmas…from beyond the grave

"Oddballs"

This could be a Twilight Zone episode. There’s till time to get a gen-u-ine Connie Mack Christmas card, along with other little Philadelphia A’s knick-knacks, via eBay.

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Who knew? Yes.

"Oddballs"

A few months ago Bob Costas and Jerry Seinfeld sat down to deconstruct the famous Abbot and Costello routine, Who”s on First. Jimmy Fallon recently took it a step further in this bit feature Seinfeld, Billy Crystal and a couple of other guys regular viewers of the show probably recognize. Of course this one, by […]

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No ‘minor’ feat

2012 title

Milb.com, the repository of minor league news, has a new and recurring off-season book review feature by Ben Hill. Up first, Making It in the Minors: A Team Owner’s Lessons in the Business of Baseball, by Arthur Solomon, owner of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Bowling Green Hot Rods and a former professor of […]

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Kevin Youkilis: The inner man

"Oddballs"

Craig Robinson is one of my favorite Internet friends. One of his websites offers unusual graphical representations of ideas (infographics), such as how tall Alex Rodriguez’s salary would be in penny form (short answer, miles). Robinson published Flip Flop Fly Ball: An Infographic Baseball Adventure, a collection of his work last year, which I highly […]

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Lest we forget: Frank Pastore

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

What a shame. The former Cincinnati Reds pitcher was just 55. Pastore, who pitched the final year of his eight-year career with the Minnesota Twins, died on Monday from injuries sustained last month in a motorcycle accident. Following his retirement from baseball at the age of 28, Pastore became a popular Christian radio personality.

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