Head Note: One of the thing I like about the Pandemic Baseball Book Club is that it’s a kind of “one stop shopping.” Instead of posting about various authors, projects, and events, all I’m doing here is cutting and pasting their newsletter. This one was received on September 16. Enjoy.
By the way, here are Bookshelf Conversations I’ve had with some of the authors associated with the PBBC:
We’re kicking off our SABR partnership with some real heavy hitters
The PBBC is launching its collaboration with SABR — the Society for American Baseball Research — next week with a spate of content. We’ll kick things off on Monday, Sept. 21, with a Zoom chat with SABR CEO Scott Bush, talking about how SABR and the PBBC were kind of made for each other.
The week’s highlight will come on Wednesday, Sept. 23, when our very own Jason Turbow sits down for a live roundtable with some of the biggest names in the biz, all of whom served as editors on SABR’s just-released opus from University of Nebraska Press, 50 at 50, a retrospective of some of the most impactful writing the organization has produced over its half-century of existence. Mark Armour (founder of the SABR Bioproject and the SABR Baseball Cards Committee; also the board president), Leslie Heaphy (board member and chair of SABR’s Women in Baseball and Negro Leagues Committees), Bill Nowlin (member of both the PBBC [woot!] and the SABR board, and editor of dozens of SABR books, including the lead role on 50 at 50) and John Thorn (official historian of Major League Baseball, with countless SABR articles and initiatives to his name) will all be on hand. Join us on Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. EST. It’s free! Email pandemicbaseball@gmail.com to register. You will not be disappointed.
NEW PODCAST
Dan Schlossberg interviews Danny Gallagher about his new book, Always Remembered: New Revelations and Old Tales About Those Fabulous Expos.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
This week we get by with a little help from our friends, as we discuss our fellow writers who went above and beyond to help us with our own work. Here’s a sampling:
One of the things I have found rewarding about SABR is that, in working on any book or article, I never hesitate to use the SABR Directory to reach out to people who might be able to help. I have done this dozens of times, looking for people who might help me find a local newspaper article in, say, Salida, Col. (as I once needed to do to learn more about a 1911 Red Sox baseball game scheduled there). Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but members almost always write back and give it a shot. …
-Bill Nowlin
When I first attempted a book back in 2005 (an ill-fated biography/travelogue of my time with professional wrestler the Iron Sheik), I bought a book titled something like “How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal.” It was helpful, but a book can only take you so far. When my second rodeo rolled around in 2014, I made cold calls to writers like Jason Turbow, Ken Ilgunas, Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster, asking them for the real story on how to approach the proposal process. (Nothing beats a conversation with a candid fellow author who can tell you how all of the advice you read actually works out in practice.) …
–Brad Balukjian
As part of my research for They Bled Blue, I read Jeff Katz’s Split Season, about the 1981 campaign. It covered all of baseball, not just the Dodgers, and contained some great insights into the players’ strike. My own research left me with some unanswered questions—all minor, but intriguing enough to follow up on—and, knowing that Katz lived in Cooperstown, with ready access to the Hall of Fame’s research library, I wondered whether he may have uncovered some answers to my questions. So I asked. …
–Jason Turbow
Read them all at the site.
ON DECK AT PBBCLUB.COM
On the podcast, Brad Balukjian interviews Mitchell Nathanson about his new biography of baseball raconteur, Jim Bouton. (Available 9/17)
Mark Healey talks to Colin Cerniglia, author of Culture of Excellence: What We Can Learn From the Yankees About Leadership, about how the dynastic success of the Yankees can serve as a model for everyday life. (Available 9/17)
SABR president Scott Bush sits down with PBBC co-founders Jason Turbow, Anika Orrock and Eric Nusbaum to discuss his vision for SABR, and how the new partnership with PBBC will benefit everybody. They also talk a little minor league baseball. (Available 9/21)
WHAT ELSE WE’VE BEEN DOING
Mitchell Nathanson spoke with the folks at The Library Show about Bouton, featured book of the month in the Lower Merion Libraries’ “One Book, One Lower Merion” program.
More than 80 artists and makers are coming together for NLBMART, a virtual art show and sale in celebration of the 2020 Negro Leagues Centennial. During the week of Oct. 4-10, a percentage of all participating artist sales will be donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and its programs in Kansas City. Many of your favorite baseball artists, including PBBC co-founder Anika Orrock, are creating new works honoring the Negro Major Leagues, specifically for this show. For a list of artists, up-to-date news and a sneak preview of what’s ahead, visit www.nlbmart.com.
Adam MacKinnon looks at what’s going on with stolen bases, at Romantic About Baseball.
Dan Schlossberg points out that this pandemic season has denied us of a time-honored baseball tradition: the mid-season manager firing. His column is at Forbes.
For Gotham Baseball, Mark Healey talks about the passing of Tom Seaver and how the Mets did The Franchise dirty.
Jared Diamond looks at Steve Cohen‘s $2.5 billion deal for the Mets, a record for a North American sports franchise.
There go those Padres, breaking the unwritten rules again. Jason Turbow talks about how San Diego doesn’t care if the old guard finds them abrasive. They’ve got their eyes on October.
In The New York Times, Tyler Kepner thinks it’s going to take more than Cohen’s billions to fix the Mets.
GREAT GEAR FOR GETTING AWAY
It’s never too late to support the PBBC. Be sure to stop by our bookstore and swag shop for all the merch you need to let the world know just how cultured and well-read you are. Everyone needs a sweet mug.
is available on Amazon.com,
Comments on this entry are closed.