“We’d like to thank the Academy…”

Movies

Would that be cool for the Miller brothers? This NY Times review of their movie, Touching Home, is a good start. You can also view an interview with Josh and Logan here. A reminder, the film premieres in NYC tonight at the Village East Cinema.

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TWIBB: May 14, 2010

2009 title

This top baseball books, according to Amazon.com as of Friday, May 14. Title Rank General The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime, by Jason Turbow and Michael Duca 1 The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran, by Dirk Hayhurst 2 Moneyball: The Art […]

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This week (May 17) in Sports Illustrated

Broadcasting

The cover story features Shaquille O’Neill and the Cavs playoff run. Baseball items include a tribute to Ernie Harwell and his generation of broadcasters by Michael Rosenberg a quick look at Bill Madden’s bio on George Steinbrenner an assessment of the suddenly faltering San Diego Padres and the more successful Tampa Bay Rays

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Catching up

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

The first of several attempts to try to get current with information about baseball books, etc. Edward Achorn, author of the new Hoss Radbourn bio, wrote about his experience at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books held earlier this month. Mark Kurlansky, author of Eastern Stars, was a guest on Southern California Public Radio. […]

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Birthday Greetings, Yogi Berra

Biography

The Hall of Fame catcher (and my Montclair “neighbor”) was born this date in 1925. Ain’t it amazing how many books by/about him — on basically the same stuff — there are, including, but not limited to:

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Bookshelf review: Big Hair and Plastic Grass

2010 title

A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging ’70s, by Dan Epstein. Thomas Dunne, 2010. For many fans of a certain age, the 7os are too quickly becoming “the good old days. ” Man, that sounds strange. But as the fan base changes in demographics, books like Big Hair and Plastic Grass will […]

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Review: The Last Hero

2010 title

I was reading this New York Times review of Howard Bryant’s new biography, The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, when the title hit me. The Last Hero. What does that say about us? Are heroes just for kids? Have we become so jaded that such an idea seems old-fashioned? I probably say this […]

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Lest we forget: Jane Jarvis

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

Jane Jarvis, the stellar Mets organist during their early years at Shea Stadium, passed away in January, but she has not been forgotten. Several of her friends and fans gathered for a musical tribute. From Richard Sandomir in today’s New York Times: … [I]t was fitting that at her memorial service Monday, the giant organ […]

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Birthday greetings

Autobiography/memoirs

Milt Pappas (1939). From the Baseball-Reference “Bullpen”: Milt Pappas came one batter short of throwing a perfect game for the Chicago Cubs on September 2, 1972. He had 2 balls and 2 strikes on hitter #27, Larry Stahl, and his last two pitches were ruled balls. He settled for the no-hitter, but he never forgave […]

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That’s Entertainment

2010 title

Two baseball items of note in the May 7 issue of popular pop culture weekly: A story on Touching Home, the Miller Brother’s homage to their father, starring Ed Harris. By the way, the film makes its New York debut on May 14 at the Village East Cinema. Might be stopping by myself. If you […]

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Birthday greetings, Tony Gwynn

Birthday greetings

The Hall of Famer was born this date in 1960.

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Now hear this: Robert Schnakenburg

"Oddballs"

The author of The Underground Baseball Encyclopedia spent a few moments with the Bookshelf to discuss some of his favorite pop-culturish baseball people, places, and things. Hear it here: [audio:http://www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SchnakenburgDone.mp3|titles=SchnakenburgDone] http://www.ronkaplansbaseballbookshelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SchnakenburgDone.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

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Real survey says

Magazines

The curent issue of ESPN The Magazine features a survey of 100 MLB players on sundry issues. Here are some of the more unusual questions and results, if you believe them. (Come one, don’t you think a few of the questionees are just playin’?) The city with the best baseball groupies: Chicago How many games […]

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Survey Says…

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

Today’s Wall Street Journal ran this extensive article about the differences (and similarities) between Met and Yankee fans. I took a brief on-line interactive survey, which rendered me — incorrectly — a fan of the Bronx bombers. (Only 14 people took the poll, which indicates that WSJ readers have better things to do with their […]

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* This week (May 10) in Sports Illustrated

2010 title

Cover story: Athletes behaving badly (and that was before Lawrence Taylor). The main baseball story is a profile of Carlos Pena and the Tampa Bay Rays, by Ben Reiter. Other baseball items include: A mini-review of Josh Wilker’s Cardboard Gods (but, hey, just getting your book mentioned in SI is a coup). Ben Reiter’s brief […]

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And belated birthday greetings

2010 title

to Willie Mays, who turned 79 yesterday.

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Birthday greetings

Autobiography/memoirs

to Dick Williams, born this date in 1929. Williams published a memoir/autobio No More Mr. Nice Guy: A Life in Hardball (with Bill Plashcke) in 1990. He was also one of the baseball personalities interviewed in Fay Vincent’s latest collection, It’s What’s Inside the Lines That Counts : Baseball Stars of the 1970s and 1980s […]

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TWIBB: Week of May 7, 2010

2009 title

This week’s best-selling baseball books, according to Amazon.com as of Friday, May 7. Title Rank General The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime, by Jason Turbow and Michael Duca 1 The Bullpen Gospels: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran, by Dirk Hayhurst 2 Moneyball: The […]

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* Lest we forget: Robin Roberts

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

The Hall of Fame pitcher passed away today at the age of 83. Roberts was still in the majors when I was coming to the game. I can picture one his last baseball cards in my mind (and here on the page). One of the things I always admired about him — especially in this […]

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* Bookshelf Review: The Underground Baseball Encyclopedia

2010 title

Baseball Stuff You Never Needed to Know and Can Certainly Live Without, by Robert Schnakenberg. Triumph, 2010. Schnakenberg takes his love for pop culture (anti-culture?) and puts a national pastime spin on it in this little faux-reference volume. The connection between PC and baseball has been handled in more serious veins by Jonathan Fraser Light […]

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