Ron Kaplan’s Baseball Bookshelf — If it fits on a bookshelf, it fits here

The Bookshelf Conversation #184: Keith O’Brien

October 17, 2024 · 0 comments

I’ve long believed that the death of a famous athlete leads to renewed interest in any books about him, a theory that holds when you look at the weekly Baseball Best-Sellers.

Sure enough, the recent passing of Pete Rose provided an uptick in sales of books about the controversial superstar and since Keith O’Brien wrote Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and The Last Glory Days of Baseball — the most recent and most complete bio to date — he was the go-to resource for the media seeking comment on the late great Rose (as well as to receive that aforementioned bump).

O’Brien is a New York Times best-selling author, not for Charlie Hustle, but for Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History. I’ve always been curious as to what that means/how is that determined, as well as whether having that honor is similar to an inductee to Cooperstown benefiting from being able to add “HOF” to his autograph. As a baseball-loving native-born Cincinnatian, O’Brien seems like a logical choice for this latest addition to the Rose examination and how athletes are subject to human frailties just like the rest of us.

Sidenote: My profound apologies to KB and the audience: I’m usually pretty careful about such things, but my cat, Floyd, somehow ended up in the office and I felt I had to let him out, lest he insinuate himself into the conversation at some crucial point. Normally, you wouldn’t have seen that but I failed to check the Zoom settings to show only the speaker, so both O’Brien and I were on at the same time. Life, you know? But we learn from our mistakes so I’ll make sure I’m in an animal-free zone in the future.

The audio-only version appears below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Tagged as: Keith O'Brien, Pete Rose

{ 0 comments }

The proper way to wear a baseball cap

October 10, 2024 · 0 comments

Because you can keep them on your bookshelf.

Not that I’m a fashion maven, but I never liked the flat brim look. A pet peeve of mine. Kudos to the writers of Reacher.

Tagged as: baseball caps

{ 0 comments }

Lest we forget: Luis Tiant

October 9, 2024 · 0 comments

The irascible, cigar-smoking Cuban pitcher passed away yesterday (Oct. 8) at the age of 83. Here’s his obituary from The New York Times by Bruce Weber; the Boston Herald; and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Tiant enjoyed a spirited career, compiling a record of 229-172 over a 19-year career. He made his debut with the Cleveland Indians in 1964, going 10-4. In 1968 — the “Year of the Pitcher” — he won 21 games and led the American League with a 1.60 ERA and nine shutouts. It was his tough luck that Denny McClain pitched for the Tigers that year.

Tiant spent one season with the Minnesota Twins before being signing as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox where he won 20 or more three times in eight seasons. From there he went to the New York Yankees, also as a free agent, for another two years before winding down with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981 and the California Angels the following year.

Here’s his obituary from The New York Times by Bruce Weber; the Boston Herald; and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

He published two autobiographies. The first — El Tiante: The Luis Tiant Story — written with Joe Fitzgerald, came out in 1976, right after the Red Sox’s World Series appearance against the Cincinnati Reds/ The second — Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back — with Saul Wisnia, was released in 2019.

Tiant won two games in that ’75 Fall Classic. And since Pete Rose recently died, I had to look up their head-to-head stats. In Game 1, Rose went 0-4 as the Sox won, 6-0, with Tiant going all the way. They went at it again in Game 4 with Rose singling in three official at-bats (plus two walks) and scoring a run in the 5-4 Sox victory.

Tagged as: Luis Tant

{ 0 comments }

Lest we forget: Robert Coover

October 8, 2024 · 0 comments

Robert Coover, who wrote one of the most famous pieces of baseball fiction, passed away October 5 at the age of 92. Here’s his obituary from The New York Times.

Of course, Coover many well-received novels over his lengthy career but the one that resonates most for readers of this blog would have to be The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. For decades, it has been at the tops of the baseball fiction list, along with The Natural and The Celebrant.

Although TUBAI was originally published in 1968, you can find some surprisingly recent coverage, such as this from a 2017 edition of The Paris Review and even this from a Times Book Review supplement from 2011. Here’s the Times‘ original review by Wilfred Sheed in July of that year. This one is from Kirkus, a publishing industry magazine.

It’s basically the story of a lonely “loser” who becomes obsessed with a fantasy league he’s “created,” to such a degree that it becomes an overwhelming obsession that completely takes over his life. Maybe it was because of when the book came out, but I didn’t find it a great big deal. I compare it to old movies vs. current films. “Back in the day,” there was little actual blood shown. Nowadays, it’s a gore-fest with lots of explosions and other forms of violence. And don’t get me started on the vast difference in how sex is depicted in the cinema. What one generation found amazing and exciting is eye-rolled by another.

Amazon.com: The Universal Baseball Association: 9781590203118: Robert Coover: Books

Tagged as: Robert Coover

{ 0 comments }

Baseball Best-Sellers, October 4, 2024

October 4, 2024 · 0 comments

A reminder: The Amazon rankings are updated every hour, so these lists might not be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them (or even by the time I finish posting them). But close enough for government work, as the saying goes (see my piece on “Why Amazon’s search engine sucks“).

In addition, occasionally the powers-that-be over there try to pull a fast one by including a book in a category in which it should not be listed (in my opinion). For example, The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect has appeared on Amazon’s BBS list. “Why” is a good question. There might be a smattering of the national pastime in it, but not enough to make it a baseball book per se (again, IMO).

Finally, adults only here. That is, no books for younger readers (i.e., 12 and under). Also no “adult” adult books (romance/erotic fiction that features baseball as a theme although goodness knows there are a bunch of those out there).

So, with all that said…

The links under the authors’ names will take you to the Bookshelf Conversations I did with them. An asterisk denotes a book making its debut on the BBS list. And a Ω (omega) means it’s an award winner.

PRINT

Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (My review on Bookreporter.com)
Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, by Joe Posnanski Ω (My review on Bookreporter.com)
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Ω (paperback)
The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams, by Adam Lazarus
Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas, by Jesse Cole and Don Yeager
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and Tom Underwood
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II, by Anne R. Keen
The Baseball 100, by Joe Posnanski Ω
The Ultimate New York Yankees Trivia Book: A Collection of Amazing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts for Die-Hard Yankees Fans!, by Ray Walker
The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection: Celebrating the Game’s Greatest Players, by James Buckley Jr.

KINDLE BOOKS

Baseball, The Movie, by Noah Gittell
Charlie Hustle
Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, by Jonathan Eig
The Machine, by Joe Posnanski
Moneyball
The Wingmen
Wait Til Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?: The Improbable Saga of the New York Mets’ First Year, by Jimmy Breslin
Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson, by Doug Wilson
Why We Love Baseball

AUDIBLE

Note: Amazon has changed the way they list audiobooks. No longer under the general category of “biography and memoir,” they are now treated in their own baseball/softball category. Here’s the general link to the section where you will find further links to the individual titles, their reader/narrators, and samples. Note further that these are updated regularly and the top ten list below might no longer be the same.

Charlie Hustle
The Baseball 100
Moneyball (unabridged, read by Scott Brick)
Why We Love Baseball
Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Individual, by Howard Bryant
Ball Four: The Final Pitch, by Jim Bouton (narrated by the author)
Ninety Percent Mental, by Bob Tewksbury (narrated by the author)
Wait Til Next Year
Banana Ball, by Jesse Cole
The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves, by Keith Law

As expected, the passing of Pete Rose has generated renewed interest in his story. Look for a Bookshelf Conversation with Keith O’Brien in the not-too-distant future.

Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 2,243,504 overall in books; last time, 3,218,026. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 3,044,124; last time, 3,028,955.

Shameless self-promotion: if you’re looking for some good baseball reading during this down time, why not pick up a copy of 501? It’s like the dictionary; it has the other books in it, which reminds me of one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite shows.

A reminder: There’s an Excel “checklist” of the books list in 501. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many you have read or own, drop me a line.

If you have read either of my books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late.

Tagged as: Pete Rose

{ 0 comments }

Lest We Forget: Pete Rose

October 1, 2024 · 0 comments

(Been on vacation for a bit to Hyannis. Unfortunately, it was after the Cape Code League had concluded so no games to attend or caps to purchase, although I was able to get a Harbor Hawks t-shirt.)

It’s always a shock when I see a news flash on a crawl on the TV screen. While watching the MLB Network’s recap of the Mets-Braves doubleheader, I learned that Pete Rose had passed away at the age of 83. It seemed oddly appropriate, following that first heart-stopping game that put the Mets in the playoffs that Rose and/or news about him continued to try to steal the limelight.

Naturally the opening page for the Cincinnati Enquirer is all about Rose, and rightly so. (Those stories will probably be gone after a day or so.) I feel badly for the Hit King, but at the same time, he brought all these problems on himself by continually lying about his baseball gambling. Based on his stats, I believe he’s a Hall of Famer, but his denials costs him dearly and he spent ever since lobbying to reinstatement.

I often wonder about the first lines in a player’s obituary. In fact, I’m working on a project about that topic from the pages of The New York Times. Here’s their online intro for Rose, written by Bruce Weber: “Pete Rose, one of baseball’s greatest players and most confounding characters, who earned glory as the game’s hit king and shame as a gambler and dissembler, died on Monday. He was 83. ”

There have been numerous books about Rose, his successes on the field but perhaps more notably,his rise and fall.

Rose himself published several “memoirs” of various veracity, including Pete Rose: My Story (with Roger Kahn, 1989); My Prison Without Bars (with Rick Hill, 2014; here’s my review for Bookreporter.com); Play Hungry: The Making of a Baseball Player (2019; my review); and Charlie Hustle (with Bob Hurtzel, 1975). I interviewed Kostya Kennedy for Pete Rose: An American Dilemma, which won the author a CASEY Award from Spitball Magazine. I also reviewed Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (link here).

Then there was the recent four-part documentary on HBO, Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose.

I find this image representative of Rose’s playing career

I’m willing to bet cash money that this week’s Baseball Best-Sellers entry will feature several titles about Rose. That is, unless the news wears off pretty quickly.

Tagged as: Pete Rose

{ 0 comments }

Baseball Best-Sellers, September 13, 2024

September 13, 2024

So, with all that said…

PRINT

The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams, by Adam Lazarus
Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, by Joe Posnanski Ω (My review on Bookreporter.com)
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II, by Anne R. Keen
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and Tom Underwood
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Ω (paperback)
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (hardcover)
The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City, by Kevin Baker (My review on Bookreporter.com)
Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas, by Jesse Cole and Don Yeager
Wait Til Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove, by Dwight Evans and Erik Sherman

KINDLE BOOKS

The Wingmen
Why We Love Baseball
Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?: The Improbable Saga of the New York Mets’ First Year, by Jimmy Breslin
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (My review on Bookreporter.com)
Bushville Wins!: The Wild Saga of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the Screwballs, Sluggers, and Beer Swiggers Who Canned the New York Yankees and Changed Baseball, by John Klima
The Greatest Game: The Day that Bucky, Yaz, Reggie, Pudge, and Company Played the Most Memorable Game in Baseball’s Most Intense Rivalry, by Richard Bradley
The Umpire Strikes Back, by Ron Luciano and David Fisher
Wait Til Next Year
Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball from Itself, by Michael Shapiro
Baseball’s Greatest Quotations: An Illustrated Treasury of Baseball Quotations and Historical Lore, by Paul Dickson

AUDIBLE

Why We Love Baseball
The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series, by Tyler Kepner (narrated by the author)
Schoolboy: The Untold Journey of a Yankees Hero, by Waite Hoyt with Tim Manners
My Mets Bible: Scoring 30 Years of Baseball Fandom, by Evan Roberts (narrated by the author)
Moneyball (unabridged, read by Scott Brick)
The Baseball 100, by Posnanski
Charlie Hustle
The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves, by Keith Law
The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness, by Andy McCullough
Ball Four: The Final Pitch, by Jim Bouton (narrated by the author)

Nothing new under the sun.

Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 3,218,026 overall in books; last time, 3,209,783. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 3,028,955; last time, 3,005,629.

A reminder: There’s an Excel “checklist” of the books list in 501. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many you have read or own, drop me a line.

If you have read either of my books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Lest We Forget: Ed Kranepool

September 11, 2024

Lost in the tributes to baseball “legend” James Earl Jones was the passing of Ed Kranepool, one of the original New York Mets, who died Sunday at the age of 79 after struggling with heath issues for many years. Here’s his obituary by Richard Sandomir from The New York Times, which noted that “[Kranepool] is the fourth member of the Mets’ 1969 World Series championship team — the “Miracle Mets,” as they were called — to die this year, following Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson and Jim McAndrew.”

This was a bit tough for me. For reasons I can’t explain, Kranepool was my hero as a kid.

I took a lot of teasing for that. After all, Kranepool — who made his debut at the age of 17 and spent his entire 18-year career with the Mets — hit just .261. For a big guy (6’3″, 205), he hit just 116 home runs. He wasn’t fast nor was he particularly graceful at first base. But I liked him anyway; he was my Joe Shlabotnik.

Later on, he became one of the better pinch-hitters in the game. According to Centerfieldmaz.com, “From 1974- 1979 Kranepool would come off the bench to chants of “Ed-die, Ed-die” and usually answered with a base hit. In his career Eddie went 63 – 181 in pinch hit at bats, good for a .358 average.” He was out of the game at the young age of 34.

Kranepool was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 1990.

Like many of his former mates who played before the age of big money, he spent the last several years making public appearances. He published his memoirs — The Last Miracle: My 18-Year Journey with the Amazin’ New York Mets — with Gary Kaschak in 2023. Sadly, it was kind of a bitter retelling. Here’s my review.

Tagged as: Ed Kranepool, New York Mets

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

The Bookshelf Conversation #183: Dan Epstein on James Earl Jones

September 11, 2024

It was a shocker to see the breaking news on CNN on Monday that James Earl Jones had passed away.

The tributes that followed seemed to highlight two roles: Darth Vader from the Star Wars universe and Terrence Mann from Field of Dreams.

But Jones, who died at the age of 93, was also in a couple of other beloved baseballs flick: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings and The Sandlot (and The Sandlot 2). He also appeared on stage in August Wilson’ Fences.

Interestingly, his turns as an athlete (or ex-athlete) all had to do with the Negro Leagues. In addition to portraying Leon Carter, a Josh Gibson-like slugging catcher in Bingo, he was Mr. Mertle, a blind veteran of the Leagues in Sandlot, and Troy Maxon (Fences), a bitter ex-player who came just a bit too late to make it to the Majors after Jackie Robinson broke the color line.

James Earl Jones Spent 1 Day on the Set of The Sandlot

The Celluloid Sorceress presents The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) on 35mm » The Cinema Museum, London

Here is Jones discussing his iconic role on the 25th anniversary of Field of Dreams.

It’s worth noting that despite his seeming non-interest in the game, Jones is one of those actors who have appeared in multiple baseball flicks, including Kevin Costner (FoD, Bull Durham, and For Love of the Game) and Dennis Haysbert (the Major League films plus Mr. Baseball). A generation earlier, you had Jimmy Stewart who had the titular role in The Stratton Story as well as Strategic Air Command in which he played an All-Star infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals who was called back into military service. Coincidentally, June Allyson plays his wife in both films.

Jones acquitted himself well in his movies’ action scenes, just as Costner and Haysbert had in theirs. As the years rolled on, it was no longer acceptable to have unathletic actors trying to get by (talkin’ about you, Anthony Perkins in Fear Strikes Out, and William Bendix in The Babe Ruth Story).

I wanted to get a feeling about Jones’ baseball work so I reached out to Dan Epstein, an award winning journalist, pop culture historian, and avid baseball fan who is the author of Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of ‘76, Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging ’70s, and co-author of Rob Blomberg’s The Captain & Me: On and Off the Field with Thurman Munson.

We discussed Jones’ virtuoso performances despite the fact that the actor wasn’t really that much of a baseball fan. According to Epstein, the scene in FoD in which Costner’s Ray Kinsella takes Terrence Mann to Fenway Park was the first time Jones had been to a major league stadium.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Tagged as: Bingo Long, Dan Epstein, Field of Dreams, James Earl Jones, The Sandlot

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Baseball Best-Sellers, September 6, 2024

September 6, 2024

So, with all that said…

PRINT

The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams, by Adam Lazarus
Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments, by Joe Posnanski Ω (My review on Bookreporter.com)
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis Ω
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, by Keith O’Brien (My review on Bookreporter.com)
Heads-Up Baseball, by Ken Ravizza and and Tom Hanson
The Enchanted Season, by Lance Parrish with Tom Gage *
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II, by Anne R. Keen
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and Tom Underwood
Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience, by Jesse Cole
Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove, by Dwight Evans and Erik Sherman

KINDLE BOOKS

The Wingmen
Nice Guys Finish Last, by Leo Durocher and Ed Linn
Baseball Memories & Dreams: Reflections on the National Pastime from the Baseball Hall of Fame
The Game from Where I Stand: From Batting Practice to the Clubhouse to the Best Breakfast on the Road, an Inside View of a Ballplayer’s Life, by Doug Glanville
Why We Love Baseball
Moneyball
Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?: The Improbable Saga of the New York Mets’ First Year, by Jimmy Breslin
Wait Til Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Bushville Wins!: The Wild Saga of the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the Screwballs, Sluggers, and Beer Swiggers Who Canned the New York Yankees and Changed Baseball, by John Klima
The Zen of Zim: Baseball, Beanballs, and Bosses, by Don Zimmer with Bill Madden

AUDIBLE

Moneyball (unabridged, read by Scott Brick)
Wait Till Next Year
Just Show Up: And Other Enduring Values from Baseball’s Iron Man, by Cal Ripken Jr. and James Dale (narrated by Ripken)
Charlie Hustle
The Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves, by Keith Law
The Baseball 100, by Posnanski
Moneyball (en espagnol!)
Banana Ball, by Jesse Cole
Ball Four: The Final Pitch, by Jim Bouton (narrated by the author)
Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Individual, by Howard Bryant

Kind of surprised the Parrish book didn’t come out earlier in the year.

Still not in the Amazon top ten? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. FYI, as of this posting it ranks 3,209,783 overall in books; last time, 3,144,142. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War ranks 3,005,629; last time, 2,849,375.

A reminder: There’s an Excel “checklist” of the books list in 501. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many you have read or own, drop me a line.

If you have read either of my books, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing an Amazon review; it’s never too late.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Pass the Popcorn: A Bookshelf video review

August 28, 2024

I have an ongoing DVR thing set up for MLB Network documentaries. Since I don’t watch that channel regularly (believe it or not), I never know what’s going to appear on the list until it shows up. Sometimes it’s not a “major motion picture,” but recently I got to watch “One of a Kind,” about Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. (This, as opposed to the Clayton Kershaw biography, The Last of His Kind.)

Maddux was a master of his craft, often described in academic terms when it comes to plying his trade. In fact, the bespectacled pitcher looked like a college professor. He was not physically imposing like a Randy Johnson, or especially cantankerous like a Bob Gibson, or a speedballer like a Nolan Ryan. But Maddux was an artist; when you hear “painting the corner,” his is the image that pops up.

“One of a Kind” is quite well done. It has the usual interviews with the main subject, discussing his childhood and early days on the field, his struggles as he adjusted to the demands of his newfound profession. And it includes comments from his teammates and opponents. The comments of his former Braves’ pitching coach, Leo Mazzone, are especially entertaining, as is a lengthy scene in which Maddux and Barry Bonds watch videos from separate locations of some of their face-offs. I am always fascinated by the memories athletes have for every situation as they analyze the at-bats pitch by pitch. It’s endearing to see Maddux sitting with former teammates John Smoltz and Tom Gavine, just a few slightly paunchy, somewhat balding middle-aged dads.

One fascinating tidbit: Maddux claims credit for the current custom of players covering their mouths with their gloves as they converse on the mound. Apparently one batter read Maddux’s lips, knew what was coming, and promptly put the ball over the fence for a home run.

One thing that disappointed me, though:

There are several mentions of his sense of humor. So why didn’t they include this?

Here Tom Glavine talks about the making of a classic.

FYI, Maddux hit five home runs over his 22-year career, Glavine just one in the same length of service.

I wonder if the Maddux-Bonds face-offs will appear in John Nogowski’s forthcoming book, Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups?

Tagged as: Greg Maddux

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Lest we forget: Don Wert and Mike Cubbage

August 28, 2024

Appearances to the contrary, Don Wert was not the quintessential “light hitting shortstop.” Over the course of his nine-year career, all but the last spent with the Detroit Tigers, he had four seasons of 10 or more homers to go along with slash line of .244/.314/.343 (notice how we’re getting farther and farther away from just including the batting average?).

Wert passed away August 25 at the age of 86. Here’s his obituary from the Detroit Free Press.

Wert was a main cog of the 1968 World Championship team, the only year in which he was named to an All-Star team, despite a batting average of just .200. He also finished tenth in the 1965 MVP race, having led the AL in games played (162).

Books about that special campaign include:

* * *

Mike Cubbage played for the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and New York Mets during his eight years in the bigs (seemed like longer). After his playing days came to an end, he served as a coach and was (very) briefly the Mets manager, winning three of his seven games at the helm in 1991.

Cubbage died August 11 at the age of 74. Here’s his obit from the New York Post.

Tagged as: Don Wert, Mike Cubbage

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Sandy in Minny

Jewish baseball

My article, “Sandy in Minny: Honoring Him for That,” appears in the latest edition of SABR’s The National Pastime, which was devoted to baseball in the North Star State. Koufax, the Dodger’s Hall of Famer, famously declined to pitch the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest […]

Tagged as: SABR, Sandy Koufax

Read the full article →

Baseball Best-Sellers, August 23, 2024

2023 title

Read the full article →

Baseball Best-Sellers, August 9, 2024

2022 title

Read the full article →

The Bookshelf Conversations #182: Jim Chapman

"Bookshelf Conversations"

Just about 30 years ago, I bought Baseball’s Golden Age: The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon. Even if you’re not a connoisseur of the early 20th century game, I’m willing to be you’ve sen photos taken by Conlon. Many of the close-ups are haunting. To me, the players always seemed much older than the 20- […]

Read the full article →

Lest We Forget: Billy Bean

Baseball and pop culture

I must admit, when I first saw the headline, I though it was Billy Beane, the former GM of the Oakland As for the Moneyball phenomenon. But Billy Bean was a pioneer in his own right, having been the only living openly gay Major League player (current or former), after coming out in 1999. Glenn […]

Tagged as: Billy Bean

Read the full article →

Baseball Best-Sellers, August 2, 2024

2023 title

Read the full article →

The Bookshelf Conversation #181: Noah Gittell

"Bookshelf Conversations"

I don’t have a whole lot of hobbies, so when I see a book that combines any of them on my periodic “Coming down the pike” stories, I get extra pumped. Baseball: The Movie covers two of them. Now that I no longer have Turner Classic Movies, since they went to a subscription platform, I […]

Read the full article →

Lest We Forget: Bob Newhart

2014 title

I’ve been remiss. Bob Newhart passed away July 18 at the age of 94. I don’t know how this comes across, but when a celebrity dies, I look for baseball connections. Actors who portrayed athletes in films or on stage; writers of other topics who had a fondness for the game; musicians who palled around […]

Tagged as: Bob Newhart

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries