Damn Yankees: Twenty-Four Major League Writers on the World’s Most Loved (and Hated) Team by Rob Fleder

On April 5, 2012, in Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Sports, by Editor

Superbly written, deeply insightful, and full of both passion and humor, Damn Yankees is a completely fresh look at baseball’s most enduring franchise by a Murderers’ Row of writers as stacked as that of the 1927 Yanks.

The Emerald Diamond: How the Irish Transformed America’s Greatest Pastime by Charley Rosen

On April 1, 2012, in Book Reviews, History, Nonfiction, Sports, by Editor

The history of the Irish in baseball is much richer than anyone realizes. From early discrimination to later domination, from Mike Kelly, a society star in the 1880s, to the managerial fame of Connie Mack (nÉ McGillicuddy), early Irish players and managers helped shape the game of baseball in every way. From the first curveball to the first players’ unions, Irishmen took America’s national pastime and made it their own, turning it into the glorious game we know today, as more recent players have kept alive the Irish tradition of setting records.

Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball by R.A. Dickey and Wayne Coffey

On March 30, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Sports, by Editor

Sustained by his profound Christian faith, the love of his wife and children, and a relentless quest for self-awareness and authenticity, the immensely likable Dickey details his transformation from a reckless, risk-taking loner to a grounded, life- affirming big leaguer.

Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick by Paul Dickson

On March 30, 2012, in Biographies & Memoirs, Book Reviews, Nonfiction, Sports, by Editor

Relying on primary sources, including more than a hundred interviews, Paul Dickson has crafted a richly detailed portrait of an American original: baseball impresario and innovator, independent spirit and unflinching advocate of racial equality, Bill Veeck.

The Murderous Red Sox – Yankees Rivalry

On April 19, 2010, in Baseball is NOT a Sport!, Life in New England, by Editor

The rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is a much needed spice for an otherwise sober game that, more than once, challenged my ability to stay awake during late night hours.

Really! Baseball is NOT a Sport!

On April 16, 2010, in Baseball is NOT a Sport!, by Editor

Yes, I do stand to my statement that Baseball is not a sport. To put it in a nut-shell, Baseball is a game interrupted by momentary eruptions of athletic interferences, or, as Yogi Berra put it so much more exquisitely, “Baseball is 90% mental; the other half is physical.”