* Review: Rob Neyer’s Big Book of Baseball Legends

From Bleacherreport.com.

* Baseball beach reading, via ESPN

An “annotated” list of several general sports titles from ESPN’s D.J. Gallo includes baseball books such as:

• Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out” by Josh Pahigian. Hey, who says I’m going to strike out, jerk? I was a two-time Little League All-Star. Two times! Be a bit more complimentary with your title and perhaps I will consider getting your book. Not buying it, mind you, but borrowing a copy at my local library for free.
• Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes by Bobby Murcer. Gross. This guy could probably use a shower and some clean laundry.
• Dugout Wisdom: Life Lesson from Baseball by Dan Migala. If how to spit tobacco or spot hot chicks in the stands are the life lessons you seek, this is the book for you.
• Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference by Cal Ripken Jr. It’s a good thing Ripken wasn’t No. 54 or 99 or something. This would have been a ridiculously long book.
• Red Sox Rule: Terry Francona and Boston’s Rise to Dominance by Michael Holley. Finally! A book about the Boston Red Sox. You know what I would like to read? A book about Red Sox players who golf.
• We Would Have Played for Nothing: Baseball Stars of the 1950s and 1960s Talk About the Game They Loved by Fay Vincent. No doubt all the ex-players included in this book talk about how they donated all of their baseball income to charity.
• Facing Clemens: Hitters on Confronting Baseball’s Most Intimidating Pitcher by Jonathan Mayo with a foreword by Roger Clemens. Soon to be followed by the book: Facing Clemens: Congressmen on Confronting Baseball’s Most Awesome Hero,” by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC
• Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember by John Feinstein. This book follows the 2007 seasons of New York pitchers Mike Mussina and Tom Glavine. I can’t wait for the 2008 follow-up about Phil Hughes and Oliver Perez called Dying on the White: Two Pitchers, Countless Meatballs, One Season to Forget.
• The Last Real Season: A Hilarious Look Back at 1975 — When Major Leaguers Made Peanuts, the Umpires Wore Red, and Billy Martin Terrorized Everyone by Mike Shropshire. I wasn’t alive in 1975, but my dad says that back then in the good old days, book titles stayed under 130 words.
• Yankee Stadium: The Official Retrospective by Al Santasiere. Thankfully this is not a scratch-and-sniff book.
• The Greatest Game: The Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Playoff of ‘78 by Richard Bradley. Wait a minute … I thought the Giants-Colts game in 1958 was the best game ever? Author fight! Author fight! They’ll draw their laptops at dawn at Starbucks.
• The 33-Year-Old Rookie: How I Finally Made it to the Big Leagues After Eleven Years in the Minors” by Chris Coste. Coste’s name wasn’t in the Mitchell report, so this book might actually have a surprising and inspirational story to tell.
• The View from the Upper Deck by DJ Gallo. This book isn’t brand-new like the rest of these. But any book that has stayed entrenched in the top 350,000 of the bestsellers list for an entire year must be really, really good.

* Reports from SABR Nation

The Pastime.net reports the daily happenings at the 38th SABR convention, now wrapping up in Cleveland.

* This week in Sports Illustrated (June 30)

Last week the SI MLB player poll asked about the most overrated athlete. This week, it’s the most underrated.

Rays’ DH Cliff Floyd opens up a bit about his new team.

Michael Farber profiles Marlin’s slugger Dan Uggla.

Whither C.C. Sabathia? Yankees or not Yankees?

Maybe I’m getting old, but I remember when playing Milton Bradley used to be fun.

* Author profile: John Wolff

Former minor league player and coauthor with his father of The Harvard Boys. From the Bristol Herald Courier.

* Bull Durham 20 years later

Has it really been 20 years? ESPNthemag.com has a five-part retrospective, featuring interviews with director Ron Shelton and actors Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner.

 

 

* Author profile: Dale Tafoya

In today’s Modesto Bee.

Odd that anyone would want to be associated playing a role in the steroids era, but according to the piece,

What you may not recall, though, was Canseco and McGwire during their stay in Modesto. Canseco was here in 1984, McGwire the final month of ‘84 and all of ‘85. They overlapped for only the end of ‘84 while the Motown A’s nailed down a California League title.

McGwire and Canseco were young, ambitious and would have done anything to make
a name for themselves in baseball. Sadly, we found out later how far they went.

Like if they had played their ball in another city, they wouldn’t have gotten involved with PEDs? Modesto is a hotbed of the steroids community? And after all is said and done, the best Tafoya can come up with is, “Did Modesto have a role in the steroids era? Possibly.”

And possibly not.

* AFI’s “Double Feature”

The American Film Institute released its list of the top ten films in ten categories.

Pride of the Yankees and Bull Durham came in third and fifth respectively in the Sports genre.

The list includes:

1. Raging Bull
2. Rocky
3. Pride of the Yankees
   
4. Hoosiers
5. Bull Durham
   
6. The Hustler
7. Caddyshack
8. National Velvet
9. Breaking away
10. Jerry Maguire

Talk amongst yourselves.

The AFI website has some nice links for the each film, including clips, stills and brief commentary:

• Pride of the Yankees
• Bull Durham

* Announcement: Still looking out for Shoeless Joe

Richard Sandomir, the sports media columnist for The New York Times, wrote this piece about the new Joe Jackson museum opening in Greenville, SC.

“Admission is free but donations will be appreciated to augment the
meager, privately financed budget. Marcley says there are enough
Jackson fans to make this personal and passionate campaign succeed.”

* Now pitching: Hall of Fame catcher Bench

Johnny Bench was published a book that seems to be a combination of memoir, and motivation/self-help.

According to this article in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Catch Every Ball: How to Handle Life’s Pitches (Orange Frazer Press) “looks at how diligence, dedication and perseverance describe a common trait of most professionals and high achievers: pluck.”

Pluck? That reminds me of that famous line from the first episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which Lou Grant (played by Edward Asner) tells a feisty Moore, “You’ve got spunk,” which she takes as a compliment until he snarls, “I hate spunk!”

* Announcement: Last go-around for Baseball As America exhibit

I was at the first one, when it was presented in New York City several years ago and highly recommend a visit. If you can’t get to the Hall of Fame, this is the next best thing.

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FIRST EXHIBIT TO HIGHLIGHT BASEBALL’S INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN CULTURE PLAYS ITS FINAL INNING IN BOSTON
Museum of Science, Boston creates Home Plate Baseball Lab to showcase the science of baseball

BOSTON—More than a game, baseball weaves together the many threads of American culture. With each new season, hopes and dreams are renewed as fans root for their favorite teams.And this summer, the Museum of Science gives fans another reason to cheer when it presents the last stop on the national tour of Baseball As America June 15 through September 1, 2008.

Organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Baseball As America is the first major exhibition to highlight the relationship between baseball and American culture. To augment the exhibit, the Museum of Science has created new exhibits and programs, offering visitors the chance to explore the science and technology behind the game.

With more than 500 artifacts on display, the exhibit is organized into thematic sections that allow visitors to experience and understand the role of baseball in American culture and history. Through the exploration of this broad range of themes—including immigration, nationalism, integration, technology, and popular culture—the exhibit reveals how the game has reflected and in many cases shaped American society.
“Along with offering visitors and fans the opportunity to experience Baseball’s rich history through amazing artifacts, the Museum is excited to showcase the role science plays in the game, and how technology has changed it through the decades—from improvements in equipment and field surfaces, to advances in sports medicine and the treatment of injuries,” says Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis, president and director of the Museum of Science. “Like any good teacher, we value the opportunity to present science and technology through topics visitors are truly passionate about. Since we live in the greatest baseball city in the world, there is no better place to showcase this special exhibit.”

Exclusive to the exhibit’s final run in Boston, the Museum’s Home Plate Baseball Lab will give visitors the chance to explore the science of baseball, such as the physics of a 95 mph pitch, the biology behind sports injuries, and the engineering concepts behind choosing the perfect bat. With supporting content provided by the Boston Red Sox, the Home Plate Baseball Lab features hands-on components like a baseball dissection exhibit and demonstrations in the Pitching Cage led by Museum educators.
Baseball As America features artifacts dating back more than 150 years ago to the game’s origins, including:

• “Green Light” letter, written by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to baseball commissioner Kenesaw Landis, January 15, 19 42, in which he encourages the commissioner to keep baseball going during World War II
• The world’s most valuable baseball card: a Honus Wagner T206 of 1909
• The first baseball pitched by Cy Young in the first World Series in 1903
• Chicago Stars Ladies’ Base Ball Club Postcard
• Rare photos and possessions from baseball greats Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, and other heroes.

New to Boston - The Museum of Science has secured local memorabilia for the Boston run of the exhibit presented for the first time outside of Cooperstown including:

• Curt Schilling’s bloody sock from the 2004 World Series
• The final out baseball from the 2004 World Series
• David Ortiz’s jersey worn during the 2004 World Series
• Glove worn by Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon in the 2007 World Series
• Boston Red Sox jersey worn by Cy Young

In addition to presenting the science behind the sport, the Museum will connect with baseball fans through a truly unique exhibit component. People from around the country who visit mos.org/baseball can submit videos or photographs of themselves telling their favorite baseball stories. These submissions will be featured online and on a monitor in the exhibit, joining videos that chronicle the personal stories of notable fans like Red Sox favorite Johnny Pesky, Senator Kennedy, Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Poet Laureate Sam Cornish, filmmaker Ken Burns, sportswriters Jackie MacMullan, Tony Massarotti, Dan Shaughnessey, broadcaster Robin Young, and many more.

To complement the exhibit’s run, the Museum of Science will also host several programs for all ages throughout the summer. Featuring topics such as the science of pitching, architectural designs of ball parks, and the latest statistical theory used to analyze player success and managerial decisions, these programs will include a variety of baseball insiders and experts—from Red Sox executives Bill James and Janet Marie Smith to broadcasters and former stars like Joe Castiglione and Bill Lee.

For more information, the public can call 617/723-2500, (TTY) 617/589-0417, or visit mos.org.

* * *

Back to me:

The MOS Creativity and Collaboration Center hosts a Web site for those who wish to she their stories and, in effect, become part of the exhibition.

Do you have a story to share? Send us photos and videos that detail your most treasured baseball memories. Not only will they appear here, they will also be available for you to watch in the Baseball As America exhibit.

Johnny Pesky, Jackie MacMullan, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and others have already told us their stories — now we want yours.

To participate, visit www.mos.org/create/baseball.
Also, check out the Baseball as America Web site.

* Happy birthday, Hideki Matsui

“Godzilla” turns 34 today.

The Amazon Report on Hideki Matsui:

Godzilla Takes the Bronx: The Inside Story of Hideki Matsui

Hideki Matsui: Sportsmanship, Modesty, and the Art of the Home Run

It’s kind of interesting just reading the titles and how the book by the Asian author carries over the Japanese philosophy surrounding the game, while the American title seems more aggressive.

* Announcement: Baseball Night at Barnes and Noble in Orland Park, IL

This Friday, June 13.

Please join us for a chance to win 2 free Cubs tickets, as well as meet author Lew Freedman of the highly acclaimed book,  Then Ozzie Said to Harold: The Best Chicago White Sox Stories Ever Told. Tinley Park High School’s Baseball Team will conduct a treasure hunt in-store, as well as the team players hosting a baseball clinic for its supporters. Announcement of the Cubs’ tickets winners will be held at 6 p.m. Author signing by Lew Freedman will promptly follow at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Elisabeth Eiermann, Community Relations Manager at 708-226-5773.

* Another one bites the dust

From the NY Daily News, this article about the demise of Paperbacks Plus, the last independent bookstore in the Bronx.

…every Yankee baseball player-cum-author has held a book signing at Paperbacks Plus, including Yogi Berra, Paul O’Neill and Derek Jeter.

“Every Yankee player who’s ever come through here has been super nice to everyone, especially the kids,” Jaffe recalled. “They made you proud.”

* Author profile: Dale Tafoya

The author of The Bash Brothers: A Legacy Subpoenaed, gets the treatmen courtesy the Contra Costa Times.

Note to local readers: Tafoya will be signing copies of his new book at Borders in Pleasant Hill on Saturday, June 8.