Lest We Forget: Rusty Staub

Biography

So this is the way it’s going to be, I guess. The stars and favorites from my youth are of an age where their passing is not uncommon and therefore should not be shocking. But it is shocking and serves as an unwelcome reminder that my contemporaries are getting older, too. Rusty Staub is the […]

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A cinematic opening day lineup

Baseball movies

To celebrate opening day, here’s the lineup on TCM tomorrow (March 29) starting at 815 am: 815 — The Big Leaguer 930 — Too Many Women 1000 — The Winning Team 1145 — Home Run on the Keys Noon — The Babe Ruth Story 2 pm — Diamond Demon 215 — The Great American Pastime […]

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Why Lewis Black hates the Yankees

Baseball humor

Since you could technically watch a video if you have a TV or device on your bookshelf… Lewis Black is one of my favorite comedians. Smart, politically savvy, cranky, and old like me. And profane, so EXTREMELY FOUL LANGUAGE HERE!!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED HT to Shawn R., himself a staunch Orioles fan, for the link.

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Bryan Hoch

2018 Title

Full disclosure: Bryan Hoch and I go back a long way, although it’s one of those internet relationships in which you rarely, if ever, get to meet the people you befriend online, regardless of how long you’e been in touch. One of the first freelance jobs (emphasis on the “free”) I had was providing book reviews for his […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, March 23, 2018

"Annuals"

I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Sridhar Pappu

2017 Title

They say the Golden Age of a thing — in this case a sports thing —  is often what you remember from your childhood, a time when you had a love for the game that wasn’t affected by too much “grown up” knowledge of salary disputes, gossip, scandal, etc. Roger Kahn got the ball rolling with The Boys of Summer, […]

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Lest We Forget: Ed Charles

Lest We Forget

The literal “port laureate” of baseball passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Nicknamed “The Glider,” Ed Charles got a relatively late start, making his debut with the Kansas City Athletics in 1962 at the age of 29. He was traded to the Mets in 1967. As a fan of the team, I rooted […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, March 16, 2018

"Annuals"

I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]

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The Bookshelf Conversation: Rich Cohen

Author profile/interview by Ron Kaplan

Remember these things? Been awhile since I had the pleasure of posting a Bookshelf Conversation. They get a bit tricky when you don’t do them regularly. I forget how to use GarageBand, how to export, how to convert and shrink down to a usable size. But it’s worth it, especially when I see I’m getting a […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, March 9, 2018

"Annuals"

I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]

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Lest We Forget: David Ogden Stiers

Baseball out of context

One of my favorite shows of all times was M*A*S*H. Some of the earlier episodes don’t hold up so well, but one which sticks out is “A War for All Seasons.” Why, you may ask? Because baseball. Stiers — who passed away last Saturday at the age of 75 — played the imperious Major Charles […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, March 2, 2018

"Annuals"

I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]

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Lest We Forget: Jack Hamilton

Lest We Forget

How would you like it if as a ballplayer the main reason your obituary was noteworthy was because you seriously injured someone during a game? Well, there are those who think it wouldn’t matter to you because you are, you know, dead. But I’m guessing if Jack Hamilton had not inadvertently beaned Tony Conigliaro, the […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, February 23, 2018

"Annuals"

I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]

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Review roundup: The Catcher Was a Spy

2018 Title

I looked at a lot of video clips when writing about the recent passing of John Mahoney, the actor who played Kid Gleason, manager of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, in the film version of Eliot Asinof’s Eight Men Out. I was specifically looking for the courtroom scene but couldn’t find it. I did find […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, February 16, 2018

2017 Title

I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about the quality. As far as the audio goes, I’m a […]

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Screw the first robin of spring…

2018 Title

The first review copies of spring. Just arrived today.

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You could probably put a lot of bookshelves here

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

Too bad I didn’t know about this before. Could have started a GoFundMe campaign. Beverly Hills home of Detroit Tigers great Hank Greenberg pulls in $7.75 million

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Lest We Forget: Wally Moon

2010 title

If ever there were a ballpark designed to assist a player, that would be the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Dodgers’ first home after the abandoned Brooklyn for Wally Moon. From the NY Times‘ obituary by Richard Goldstein: Its dimensions were bizarrely suited for baseball. The wall behind right-center field was some 440 feet from home […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, February 9, 2018

"Annuals"

A new year, a new look for the BBS list. I’ve decided to bow to the times and include separate lists for e-books and audio books. Be aware that while many titles also appear in print versions, pretty much anyone can produce an e-book these days, so I’m not going to comment at all about […]

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