Pandemic Baseball Book Club

The Real Hank Aaron, with Author Terence Moore

Longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution sportswriter Terence Moore covered Hank Aaron for decades, getting to know him so well that he was an honorary pallbearer at Aaron's funeral, staying up late into the night with Aaron's widow, Billye, to get the obituary for the program just right. In The Real Hank Aaron, Moore shares his intimate perspective on the baseball legend, the culmination of decades of friendship and correspondence, and gets Aaron to open up about topics ranging from his admiration for Jackie Robinson to his true thoughts on Barry Bonds and the steroid era. Moore is here in conversation with Jim Alexander, author of Dodgers!

Max Gordon, with Authors Jacob and Dylan Kornhauser

A left-handed hitter at Oregon State, Max Gordon ended up staring down scarier opponents than the Pac 10 pitchers on the Beavers' schedule. Following the death of his brother Nick and injuries suffered in a car crash during high school that left him in a coma and had doctors telling him he'd never play ball again, Gordon went on a transformative personal journey. In this intimate narrative about the healing power of sports, a family is made whole again through the determination of a son who proves that, in life as in baseball, as long as you have one more at bat, you're still in the game. Authors Jacob and Dylan Kornhauser tell the story from the perspective of having shared relationships with the Gordon brothers. They are in conversation here with David Krell, author of 1962.

Dodgers!, with Author Jim Alexander

In the 1880s, a Brooklyn baseball manager plotted to steal pitching signs and alert batters with a hidden electrical wire. In 1951, the Brooklyn Dodgers were robbed of a pennant via a sign-stealing scheme involving a center field office, a telescope and a button connected to the bullpen phone. In 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers were robbed of a World Series championship via a sign-stealing system involving a TV camera, a monitor, a trash can and a bat. History has often repeated itself around the Dodgers franchise. Author Jim Alexander talks about their beginnings as the Brooklyn Atlantics to their move from Flatbush to L.A. and into the 21st Century with Andrew Forbes, author of The Only Way is the Steady Way.

True, with Author Kostya Kennedy

True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson focuses on four transformative years in Robinson's athletic and public life: 1946, his first year playing in the essentially all-white minor leagues for the Montreal Royals; 1949, when he won the Most Valuable Player Award in his third season as a Brooklyn Dodger; 1956, his final season in major league baseball, when he played valiantly despite his increasing health struggles; and 1972, the year of his untimely death. Author Kostya Kennedy examines each of these years through details not reported in previous biographies, via interviews with fans and players who witnessed Robinson's impact, as well as with Robinson's surviving family. H is here in discussion with Andrew Maraniss, the author of another Dodgers book, Singled Out.

The Recruiting Process, with Author Walter Beede

Walter Beede is a former NCAA head coach and father of two collegiate players (one of them, Tyler, a current Major Leaguer), and the author of multiple books. His two most recent -- the Process and The Recruiting Process -- explain what it takes for teenage ballplayers to jump to the next level. Cultivating collegiate opportunities requires strategy and know-how, an understanding of the labyrinth of travel ball and showcases set out before you, let alone the differences between collegiate divisions and schools, and the varying eligibility requirements therein. Walter discusses it all with Andrew Maraniss, author of Singled Out.

100 Years of Baseball, with Author Rick Vaughn

An argument can be made that St. Petersburg was built by baseball, and that the primary architect was Al Lang, who introduced spring training to a sleepy settlement still finding its bearings. Soon enough, Babe Ruth and the Yankees were there, preparing for their upcoming season. The combined light of baseball’s star power and the Florida coast was an irresistible attraction, and the town's population exploded. St. Petersburg ultimately led the way out of the segregationist practices in which Florida’s spring training cities were mired, with nearly 200 Hall of Famers prepping for seasons in St. Pete as the city grew up around them. Author Rick Vaughn, a 30-year PR veteran with the likes of the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays, explores the partnership between Florida’s Sunshine City and America’s pastime. He's here in conversation with Andrew Maraniss, author of Singled Out.

The Lineup, with Author Paul Aron

Focusing on ten of the most influential baseball books of all time, Paul Aron's The Lineup explores how these landmark works changed the sport and made waves though American society. Satchel Paige's Pitchin' Man informed the dialog surrounding integration. Ring Lardner's You Know Me Al changed the way Americans viewed their baseball heroes, and influenced the work of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Bill James's Baseball Abstract transformed the way managers -- including those in fields other than baseball -- analyzed numbers. Pete Rose's My Story and My Prison Without Bars exposed and deepened a cultural divide that paved the way for Donald Trump. Paul is here in conversation with Chris Lamb, author of Stolen Dreams.

The Legendary Harry Caray, with Author Don Zminda

In The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball's Greatest Salesman, author Don Zminda delivers the first full-length biography of Caray since his death in 1998. It includes details of Caray's orphaned childhood, his 25 years as the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, his tempestuous 11 years broadcasting games for the White Sox, and the 16 years he broadcast for the Chicago Cubs, which made him a national celebrity. Featuring new information on Caray's life — including little-known details about his firing by the Cardinals and his feuds with players, executives, and fellow broadcasters — this book provides an intimate and in-depth look at a broadcasting legend. 

Bases Loaded, with Author Danny Gallagher

Danny Gallagher’s third book about the Montreal Expos, Bases Loaded: Inside stories about Eli, Cro, Cy, Terminator and the Expos, features brand-new interviews with players—stars and part-timers alike—who helped shape the team over the course of its 36-season existence. This book is a sequel to Gallagher's 2020 release, Always Remembered, and his 2021 offering, Never Forgotten. Danny is here in conversation with Lincoln Mitchell, author of The Giants and Their City.

Baeball Rebels, with Author Peter Dreier

In Baseball Rebels, Peter Dreier and Robert Elias examine the key social challenges—racism, sexism and homophobia—that shaped society and worked their way into baseball’s culture, economics, and politics. Icons like Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey have become part of American lore, but many key figures to challenge baseball establishment and societal status quos have been relatively lost to history. Like Sam Nahem, who organized an integrated U.S. military baseball team that won a championship in 1945, or Toni Stone, the first of three women to play for the Indianapolis Clowns in the previously all-male Negro Leagues. Baseball Rebels tells stories of baseball’s reformers and radicals who were influenced by, and in turn influenced, America’s broader political and social protest movements. Author Peter Dreier is here in conversation with author/poet E. Ethelbert Miller.

Long Schott, with Author John Shea

​After a career spent building tens of thousands of residences in California, Steve Schott bought the Oakland A's, fostering the culture of experimentation and autonomy during the 1990s and early 2000s that was highlighted so well in Moneyball. Four straight playoff appearances behind the likes of Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada and Eric Chavez, plus the Big 3 pitchers, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito, cemented this as one of the great eras in franchise history. Long Schott is a story about unlikely victories, from the historic A's squad that tallied a 20-game win streak to the booming California real estate market and beyond. Author John Shea is interviewed here by A's historian David Feldman.

Stolen Dreams, with Author Chris Lamb

When the Cannon Street YMCA All-Star team — the first Black Little League team in South Carolina — registered for a baseball tournament in Charleston in June 1955, they won by forfeit when white teams refused to take the field. They advanced to the state tournament, which they won in similar fashion after the white teams withdrew in protest. Victory in the regional tournament would have advanced Cannon Street to the Little League World Series, but officials ruled the team ineligible because it had advanced by forfeit. Little League Baseball invited the Cannon Street All-Stars to be the organization’s guests at the Little League World Series, where they heard spectators yell, “Let them play! Let them play!” Stolen Dreams is the story of those Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars, and of the early civil rights movement. It’s also the story of centuries of bigotry in Charleston, South Carolina. Author Chris Lamb is here in conversation with Paul Aron, author of The Lineup.

Sho-Time, with Author Jeff Fletcher

Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher was on hand for every moment of Shohei Ohtani’s MVP season as baseball’s greatest two-way player, and leverages that insider access into a stunning account of how it all went down. Along the way, Fletcher weaves in the history of two-way players—including Babe Ruth and unsung Negro Leagues players like “Bullet” Joe Rogan, Martín Dihigo, and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe—and the Japanese athletes who preceded Ohtani in the majors. With insight from Japanese and American baseball front office personnel, managers, scouts, athletic trainers, ballplayers, and more, Sho-Time breaks down the physics of Ohtani’s game, his technologically advanced training and his international fame. He's interviewed here by Dan Good, author of Playing Through the Pain.

Rockaway Blue, with Author Larry Kirwan

Larry Kirwan wears many hats – rock ‘n’ roll frontman, satellite radio DJ, playwright, author and baseball fan. He talks about becoming a New York Mets’ fan, as well as his recent novel Rockaway Blue and the Broadway musical Paradise Square, with Tim Wendel (Escape from Castro’s Cuba, Summer of ’68). Kirwan’s band, Black 47, played Shea Stadium more times than the Beatles and his show “Celtic Crush” is a longtime favorite on SiriusXM’s Loft channel. In this PBBC conversation Kirwan reads about an epic moment in the 2000 World Series that he features in his new novel.

Red Barber, with Authors Judith Hiltner and James Walker

As play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Red Barber brought the down-home idioms of his Southern roots to New York. From colorful expressions like “sitting in the catbird seat” to his vivid similes (a close game was “tighter than a new pair of shoes on a rainy day”) Barber’s influence was undeniable. Red Barber: The Life and Legacy of a Broadcasting Legend examines all of that, and tells the compelling story of Barber's adaption to the changing norms of American life. When the Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson, Barber struggled to overcome ingrained racism from his Mississippi childhood, and soon became an ardent supporter of Robinson and Black players to follow. Barber was also challenged to navigate longtime family tensions after his only child, Sarah, came out as a lesbian. Authors James Walker and Judith Hiltner discuss their book here with Andy McCue, author of Stumbling Around the Bases.

Valentine's Way, with Author Peter Golenbock

Between his playing career and managerial stints with the Rangers, the Mets and the Red Sox, Bobby Valentine is one of baseball's true characters. In Valentine's Way, author Peter Golenbock helps him reflect on the remarkable moments of his career, from his wild times as a player in the early 1970s to his transition to coaching with the Mets after a catastrophic injury derailed his playing days; from managing the Texas Rangers in 1985, where he employed sabermetrics and witnessed the beginning of the steroid era, to his iconic stretch at Shea Stadium, when he led the Mets to the 2000 World Series while battling a dysfunctional front office and ownership; from his time in Japan managing the Chiba Lotte Marines to the absolute disaster of a season in Boston, where he was greeted by a toxic clubhouse and fractured organization. Valentine's off-the-field exploits include his early years as an international ballroom dancing champion and his post-playing days, where he may have invented the wrap sandwich and the modern sports bar. Golenbock is here in conversation with Dan Levitt, co-author of Intentional Balk.

The Saga of Sudden Sam, with Sam McDowell and Author Martin Gitlin

Sam McDowell was a six-time All-Star who reached the major leagues at age 18 thanks to a world-class fastball. His alcohol-fueled life quickly spiraled out of control before he found redemption as an addiction counselor. In The Saga of Sudden Sam, McDowell and author Martin Gitlin explore the pitcher's alcoholism, depression, narcissism and thoughts of suicide. The self-admitted “worst drunk in baseball,” McDowell shares the pressures he felt as a phenom, his frustration over a lack of quality coaching, the pitfalls of his alcoholic lifestyle and his attempted suicide before emerging as MLB's first successful rehab counselor. McDowell and Gitlin talk about the pitcher's career and the book with former pro pitcher and author of Clean Your Cleats, Dan Blewett.

Major League Rebels, with authors Peter Dreier and Robert Elias

Compared to their counterparts in other sports, baseball players are cautious about speaking out on controversial issues, yet the sport has a history of players willing to fight for what was right. The book Major League Rebels reveals a little-known yet important history of reformers among the MLB ranks, who took inspiration from the country’s dissenters and progressive movements, speaking and acting against abuses within and beyond their profession, demanding better working conditions, battling against corporate power and challenging American imperialism. Authors Peter Dreier and Robert Elias discuss their book with Eric Nusbaum, author of Stealing Home.

Baseball Poetry, with Poets E. Ethelbert Miller and Dean Smith

Poetry in baseball is more than what happens between the lines. An evocative passage or a well-written stanza can be as emblematic of the game as a double play or a close play at the plate. E. Ethelbert Miller and Dean Smith are with the Pandemic Baseball Book Club this week to talk baseball and read from their work. Miller is the author of several collections with a baseball theme, including the forthcoming "How I Found Love Behind the Catcher’s Mask,” while Smith’s new book, “Baltimore Sons,” has several classics about our game. Tim Wendel (“Escape from Castro’s Cuba)” moderates the conversation.

Loserville, with Author Clayton Trutor

When the NHL awarded the expansion Flames to Atlanta in 1972, it became the first southern city with teams in all four major sports. The city's initial excitement soon gave way to widespread frustration and, eventually, apathy. The Braves, the Falcons, the Hawks and the Flames all struggled to draw fans. Atlantans’ indifference to their new teams took place amid the social and political fracturing that had resulted from a new Black majority in Atlanta and a predominately white suburban exodus. In Loserville, Clayton Trutor examines the pursuit, arrival, and response to professional sports in Atlanta during those early days, scrutinizing the origins of what remains the primary tool for acquiring professional sports franchises: municipal financing for new stadiums. Other cities followed, with similarly mixed results. 

The Umpire is Out, with Author Rob Neyer

Dale Scott was a Major League umpire from 1985 to 2017, working exactly a thousand games behind the plate and, with author Rob Neyer, accumulating a book’s worth of stories. What makes this tale different is Scott’s perspective as the only umpire in the history of professional baseball to come out as gay during his career. This followed decades spent in the closet, and Scott writes vividly about maintaining a facade of straightness while building a lasting relationship with his future husband. Neyer helps Scott tell this story, as well as unlocking decades’ worth of on-the-field tales involving some of baseball’s brightest stars. Rob Neyer talks about The Umpire is Out with Jason Cannon, author of Charlie Murphy.

Rethinking Fandom, with Author Craig Calcaterra

​In an age when modern sports franchises make more money from real estate investments than they do from ticket sales, when TV packages and other revenue streams make the winning of games almost incidental, it can be tough to root for a team for which on-field success does not appear to bear any sort of priority. It can be similarly tough to root for a winner that appears to systematically alienate its fans in pursuit of corporate dollars. Either way, sports fandom isn't what it once once. Craig Calcaterra breaks it all down in Rethinking Fandom, explaining not only how franchise owners care less than ever about their respective fanbases, but what we as fans can do to respond. He's in conversation with Dan Epstein, author of Big Hair and Plastic Grass, and, more recently, The Captain & Me.

Charlie Murphy, with Author Jason Cannon

Charles Webb Murphy was the ebullient and mercurial owner of the Chicago Cubs from 1905 through 1914. In his second full season, the Cubs won their first World Series, and then won again in 1908. Murphy’s unconventional style alienated fellow owners, the press and his own players, even as he led the Cubs through their most successful era. In Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman behind the Chicago Cubs, author Jason Cannon explores the life of the man who sent the sport spinning and elevated Chicago to the center of the baseball universe. He's in conversation here with Jim Overmyer, author of Queen of the Negro Leagues, and Cum Posey.

Classic Baseball, with Author John Rosengren

John Rosengren's stories about baseball legends like Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Josh Gibson, Bob Feller, Frank Robinson, Sandy Koufax and Kirby Puckett have appeared in Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker and Sports on Earth. Now they are collected in his book, Classic Baseball, and cover the game's most famous moments (Hank Aaron hitting No. 715) as well as some you've never heard of (the Ku Klux Klan squaring off against an all-Black team). There are stories about John Roseboro forgiving Juan Marichal for clubbing him in the head with a bat, about Elston Howard breaking down the Yankees' systemic racism, and the national pastime played on snowshoes during July in a remote Wisconsin town. Rosengren discusses his book in conversation with Tim Wendel, author of Escape From Castro's Cuba.

Stumbling Around the Bases, with Author Andy McCue

From the late 1950s to the early '80s, the American League lagged far behind the National League when it came to topics like integration and expansion. The league was saddled by owners who were disruptive, incompetent or insufficiently wealthy, and continued to miss out on baseball's best expansion markets. The NL ended up drawing more fans and better attention in bigger cities while the American League struggled with infighting. Stumbling Around the Bases takes a close look at how this all came to be. Author Andy McCue is in conversation here with James Walker, co-author of Red Barber.

Victory on Two Fronts, with Author Scott Longert

When pitcher Bob Feller became the first major leaguer to enlist in the military during World War II, it began a string of hard luck for the Cleveland Indians. That string ended when Cleveland became the first American League team to employ Black players -- Larry Doby and Satchel Paige -- and ended up winning the World Series. Author Scott Longert covers it all in his new book, and discusses it here with fellow Indians author Luke Epplin (Our Team). 

Whispers of the Gods, with Author Peter Golenbock

Author Peter Golenbock talks about his new book, compiled from hundreds of hours of taped interviews he's conducted with the likes of Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Roy Campanella. In the spirit of The Glory of Their Times, these first-person accounts of legendary baseball figures offer a vivid glimpse into bygone eras of baseball. In conversation with Jason Turbow.