Or at least will be on Saturday, August 3, I'll be signing copies of 501 at the annual SABR Conference at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the University of Nebraska Press booth in the vendor's room.
You do not have to be a registered conference attendee to visit the room, which is always an interesting venue. Hope to see some of you there.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Shop talk: '501' on The Sherman Report
Been awhile. Apologies. The latest nonsense is a pinched nerve in my throwing arm, which makes typing extremely uncomfortable, hence the dearth of posts lately. But back to business...
Ed Sherman was kind enough to invite me to discuss 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die
for his blog on Sports and Media, which appeared this past Sunday.
Ed Sherman was kind enough to invite me to discuss 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die
for his blog on Sports and Media, which appeared this past Sunday.Friday, July 12, 2013
Still crazy after all these years...
Well, perhaps not crazy. Let's just say "annoyed?"
I was reading this piece about "Why I’m Giving Up the NYTimes Book Review Habit," by Matthew Gasda on the IndieReader website when I came across this passage:
Although Gasda does not mention this book by name, I knew -- just knew -- that he had to be referring to The Art of Fielding (although
why he just didn't come out and reveal that info, I don't know; his
essay is not solely about this title). It didn't take long to confirm my
suspicions: the quote comes from Michiro Kakutani's column, published Sept. 5, 2011, one of two (!) pieces on TAOF by the Times. The other, by Gregroy Cowles, appeared four days later.
I'm sorry, and I know that 501 Baseball Books is probably not the type to get a Times review, but with all the books out there, for one project to get two featured reviews seems an embarrassment of riches, especially if they are both positive (I would hope the Times would not waste the space on two negative reviews; that would just be mean).
Here's the comment I left at the IndieReader site FYI, just in case they decide not to run it:
I was reading this piece about "Why I’m Giving Up the NYTimes Book Review Habit," by Matthew Gasda on the IndieReader website when I came across this passage:
This means that, for instance, when a completely unoriginal, flat book gets pushed by its publisher as the next great American novel, the initial wave of reviews just picks up on the pre-written narrative about the narrative and praises the new book for being pleasantly reminiscent of older, better books. To wit:… it zooms immediately into the pantheon of classics, alongside “The Natural” by Bernard Malamud and “The Southpaw” by Mark Harris — but it’s also a magical, melancholy story about friendship and coming of age that marks the debut of an immensely talented writer.
Although Gasda does not mention this book by name, I knew -- just knew -- that he had to be referring to The Art of Fielding (although
why he just didn't come out and reveal that info, I don't know; his
essay is not solely about this title). It didn't take long to confirm my
suspicions: the quote comes from Michiro Kakutani's column, published Sept. 5, 2011, one of two (!) pieces on TAOF by the Times. The other, by Gregroy Cowles, appeared four days later.I'm sorry, and I know that 501 Baseball Books is probably not the type to get a Times review, but with all the books out there, for one project to get two featured reviews seems an embarrassment of riches, especially if they are both positive (I would hope the Times would not waste the space on two negative reviews; that would just be mean).
Here's the comment I left at the IndieReader site FYI, just in case they decide not to run it:
As a first-time author who would LOVE to see his book reviewed in the Times, I take extra umbrage when the newspaper runs two reviews of the same work, as it did for The Art of Fielding, to which Gasda refers above (“… it zooms immediately into the pantheon of classics, alongside “The Natural” by Bernard Malamud and “The Southpaw” by Mark Harris”) without actually mentioning the title.
At the risk of sounding “sour grapesy,” my mind harkens back to the days of radio payola, when records labels influenced radio stations to give their songs extra play, resulting in extra sales. I’m sure that’s not the case with publishers and publicists pushing their books and authors (no lawsuits, please), but I’d be curious to see the research on what a listing on the Times’ best-seller list means in terms of sales.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Back in the saddle again
I love new technology. There's nothing like getting a brand new computer and I had the occasion to get two -- one for home, and one for work -- last month.The downside of that is that since the previous models were acquired about five years ago, I had to replace the audio software used to create the interviews I enjoy so much. But then when I got those programs I discovered my digital tape record was obsolete as well. Finally took care of that inconvenience and am ready to resume author and artists interviews both for this blog and the one dedicated to my 501 Baseball Book site, for which I have plans to chat with the likes of Tom Dyja (Play for a Kingdom), Joshua Prager (The Echoing Green), Michael Bishop (Brittle Innings), and as many more whose work I included in my book as I can arrange.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
for "a new book." Thank you.)
Monday, June 24, 2013
An oldie but a goodie: John Tunis
One author that frequently comes up in comments about who I neglected in 501 is John Tunis, who published a series of books for younger reader about fictitious players for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The list includes:
He also wrote novels about other sports, as well as non-fiction.
I recently read Keystone Kids because of the anti-Semitic content. It is impossible to go through it without thinking of the recent feature bio-pic 42. It has been said you can't compare the experiences of African-American and Jewish players because the latter group could always try to hide their religion, which the former obviously can't hide the color of their skin. Nevertheless, Keystone Kids is a shocking commentary on anti-Jewish sentiment, especially given its publication during the midst of World War Two and the Holocaust.
Of course, given its audience, Keystone is full of the Pollyanna-ish sentiment of cooperation and acceptance in this great land of ours. And, of course, there's a happy ending, although I must say I'm glad the Jewish player did not hit the pennant-clinching home run. It was sufficient that he stood up to the bullies on his own team (in addition to the opposition) and finally did win that acceptance.
The subtitle for the 1987 Odyssey Classic version I read asks, "Will prejudice cost the team the season?" From the introduction by Bruce Brooks, another author of books for young people,
Which leads me to ask an obvious question: Why did the character asking the introductions feel compelled to include that Klein is a "Jewish boy." After all, neither of the real-life Kleins -- Chuck, the Hall of Fame outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, or Lou, who played five years in the Majors before managing for parts of three more -- were Jewish, so you couldn't just go by the surname. (Then, too, the players start calling the rookie him "Buglenose," another stereotype regarding the Jewish appearance.)
To read such a book now (Keystone was recently re-issued as an e-book by Open Road Media) , is a bit jarring. It's like watching the classic film Gentlemen's Agreement, in which an enterprising magazine writer has the brilliant idea of tearing the cover off anti-Semitism by pretending to be Jewish. For the most part (thank goodness), it's hard for contemporary young people to fathom that this was the situation and that such conditions were practically considered the norm. Then again you have a Paula Deen situation, which is quite sad, regardless of those who would "excuse" her because she is a member of a generation and culture for whom such disparaging was considered the norm.
As I maintain on my Bookshelf blog, I do not include juvenile literature for the most part. There is too much duplication of subject matter and too much lesson-teaching for my adult interests, although it is practically a requirement of that genre. That said, my curiosity is piqued, and I will continue to explore the Tunis' baseball oeuvre.
- The Kid from Tomkinsville, 1940
- Keystone Kids, 1943
- World Series, 1944
- Rookie of the Year, 1944
- The Kid Comes Back, 1946
- Highpockets, 1948
- Young Razzle, 1949
- Schoolboy Johnson, 1958
Of course, given its audience, Keystone is full of the Pollyanna-ish sentiment of cooperation and acceptance in this great land of ours. And, of course, there's a happy ending, although I must say I'm glad the Jewish player did not hit the pennant-clinching home run. It was sufficient that he stood up to the bullies on his own team (in addition to the opposition) and finally did win that acceptance.
The subtitle for the 1987 Odyssey Classic version I read asks, "Will prejudice cost the team the season?" From the introduction by Bruce Brooks, another author of books for young people,
What a simple trap it is, too: Hey guys, says the author, here's out new rookie catcher. Name of Klein, Jewish boy, hits for power, good arm. Can really help the club. Okay, fellahs--play ball.
But the ballplaying changes around the presence of Jocko Klein. Sure, he hits for power, chucks a good ball -- but he's Jewish. That changes everything, right?
Which leads me to ask an obvious question: Why did the character asking the introductions feel compelled to include that Klein is a "Jewish boy." After all, neither of the real-life Kleins -- Chuck, the Hall of Fame outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, or Lou, who played five years in the Majors before managing for parts of three more -- were Jewish, so you couldn't just go by the surname. (Then, too, the players start calling the rookie him "Buglenose," another stereotype regarding the Jewish appearance.)
To read such a book now (Keystone was recently re-issued as an e-book by Open Road Media) , is a bit jarring. It's like watching the classic film Gentlemen's Agreement, in which an enterprising magazine writer has the brilliant idea of tearing the cover off anti-Semitism by pretending to be Jewish. For the most part (thank goodness), it's hard for contemporary young people to fathom that this was the situation and that such conditions were practically considered the norm. Then again you have a Paula Deen situation, which is quite sad, regardless of those who would "excuse" her because she is a member of a generation and culture for whom such disparaging was considered the norm.
As I maintain on my Bookshelf blog, I do not include juvenile literature for the most part. There is too much duplication of subject matter and too much lesson-teaching for my adult interests, although it is practically a requirement of that genre. That said, my curiosity is piqued, and I will continue to explore the Tunis' baseball oeuvre.
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