The surprising connection between baseball and Halloween

"Oddballs"

Whoda thunk it? But according to this piece –“Baseball Meets Horror” — by Bruce Markusen in the “Cooperstown Confidential” portion of The Hardball Times, yep.  

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Teddy Ballgame would be proud

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

To have such an impact on such high-caliber players all these years later, that’s a great legacy. The New York Times‘ Bill Witz published “Cubs’ Win Comes With an Assist From Another Era,” which is basically a tribute to The Science of Hitting, originally published in 1971 by Ted Williams and John Underwood (who also […]

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World Series gives booksellers and libraries a (Wrigley) field day.

History

I previously posted on books about the World Series and the Cubs and Indians. Here’s a story from the Chicago Tribune on how the local booksellers and libraries are having a grand time of it all.

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The irony of the “untold story”

2016 title

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.: […]

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Shameless self-promotion

2016 title

If my mother were still alive, she’d probably have this framed and place it on a bookshelf.

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Baseball Best-Sellers, October 28, 2016

"Annuals"

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 […]

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It must be true. I read it in The New York Times

Baseball best-seller

Marty Appel, who knows a thing or two about baseball, New York, and literature, recently contributed this article about the 75 baseball titles that earned recognition as a New York Times best-seller to the online National Pastime Museum. There might be a little local bias here: 33 of the titles were written by or about […]

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World Series reading

Classic title

It’s an travel day today. Aren’t you glad they stared the game am hour early yesterday because of perilous weather? If not — and assuming the same length of four hours and four minutes — it would have ended after midnight. So I thought I’d save you some time and offering links to some of […]

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I say a little prayer for…Cubs

Baseball and religion

I guess there are a lot of fans there who think Divine Provenance is to credit for their their team winning the pennant. John Sexton, author of Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game, weighs in with the Chicago Tribune.

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The book(s) on David Ortiz

2007 title

It almost seemed like David Ortiz had to retire this year, regardless of the impressive numbers — 38 home runs, a .315 batting average, and leading the league in five  categories, including RBIs (127), doubles (48), slugging (.620), OPS (1.021), and intentional walks (15) — at the age of 40 in his 20th and final […]

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An oldie but a goodie

2015 title

Haven’t done one of these in a long time so here goes: From the New York Sportsday website, a review of A Baseball Guy: Former Kansas City Royals Farmhand, Scout, and Major League Coach Takes You Inside the Game He Loves, by Guy Hansen and Tom Gresham. From Lookout Landing, a Seattle Mariners-centric site, this […]

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Author appearance: Scott Longert

2016 title

Can’t make it to the World Series tonight? Why not visit the Hudson Library & Historical Society in Ohio where you can hear author Scott Longert talk about his new book, No Money, No Beer, No Pennants: The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression. For reservations, call 330-653-6658. By the way, the Indians […]

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Hail fellow, well met: Michael Leahy

2016 title

I don’t like Manhattan very much for a variety of reasons. The noise, the crowds, the rush. But every once in awhile I venture in when the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse features an author event with a writer whose work I especially enjoy. Case in point, several weeks ago when Michael Leahy, author of the exceptional […]

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Hell Freezes Over (Chicago Cubs)

"Ripped from today's headlines..."

Back in 2005, Bill Simmons published Now I Can Die in Peace: How ESPN’s Sports Guy Found Salvation, with a Little Help From Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank, and the 2004 Red Sox. (He issued a revised edition when they won again a few years later). Now that the Chicago Cubs have battled their way to the […]

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Guess who’s back?

2017 Title

Hello, friends. Been awhile. Apologies for the dearth of entries lately. Especially now that the season is over and your team’s season is over — unless your a Cubs or Indians fan — you’ll look for the comfort of books to get you through the long cold winter — unless you’re a resident of Florida, […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, Oct. 21, 2016

2015 title

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 […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, October 14, 2016

"Annuals"

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 […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, Sept. 30, 2016

2015 title

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 […]

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Baseball Best-sellers, Sept. 23, 2016

2015 title

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 […]

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Baseball Best-Sellers, Sept. 9, 2016

2015 title

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 […]

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