As I'm reading Why We Love Baseball, I come across the DiMaggio and the Don Larson entries back-to-back. They are, of course, beautiful, but they hit me different because this weekend I found a funny, weird, miraculous baseball at a local vintage sports store.
I collect stuff related to the Indianapolis Indians, and the shop owner brings out this bizarre ball with a 70s or 80s Indians logo on it. But when I look at the player names, I don't see any ex-Indians. In fact, I immediately recognize Bob Feller, Don Newcomb and Don Larson.
The ball is clearly some kind of old-timers ball, and there written right across the classic Indianapolis baseball head logo is Joe DiMaggio. The shop owner can't figure out this ball either, and he gives me a deal on it.
I take it home and realize there are so many amazing names on it...Bobby Thompson, Bobby Richardson, Tony Oliva. So I research how the ball could possibly have come to be. And I find out there was an old-timers game PLAYED AT THE HOOSIER DOME IN 1984! Every word in that sentence is bizarre.
Sure enough, in a bid to lure MLB to Indianapolis, they tried to play a game at the old Hoosier Dome on July 27, 1984, and DiMaggio was there and dressed, but did not play. You can find a clip of him being interviewed about it on Youtube.
So I have this ball so intimately connected to 1950s baseball, stamped with Indianapolis's real team (the AAA Indians) and connected to the impossible and impractical hope to bring major league baseball to Indy...and it's all beautiful.
So today, to pick up the book and find those two entries back-to-back. Well of course. They are why I love baseball. But also so is the hilarious idea of these legends getting together to as old men to play on a ridiculously configured field in a dome in Indianapolis, just for the promise that maybe our sleepy Naptown would some day become a real major league city.
Just watched the video cast analysis of the HOF voting. First rate!!! Combined with the pre-vote HOF prediction, leads me down a new rabbit hole. This may not be the usual forum (a special baseball related blog rather than a typical daily baseball related. blog), but here is an Intelligent (?) Reader Request. We so frequently talk about a Hall of Very Good that I think Joe should make one up based on Hall of Fame votes. Here is how it should work: Take all the players who were not inducted and come up with a cut off. Make the Hall of Very Good members those who were on the ballot for a full ten years, or there are not enough of those, nine years, or eight years or whatever number of ballots would yield a number roughly comparable to the number of players actually inducted based on the BBWA vote. Another alternative would be ordering non-inductees by their highest vote percentage in any year on the ballot. In either case we could come up with a Reader Veteran Committee and vote on players who did not make it under the automatic criteria and elect 3 more players a year.
I was mildly surprised to not see October 1964, by the great David Halberstam, on here. An incredible look at that year's World Series, and the factors behind the impending (and self-inflicted) destruction of the Yankees dynasty and rise of the Cardinals.
Then I remembered it came out in 1994, the same year as Lords of the Realm -- the definitive true history of baseball -- and it made a lot more sense.
CONGRATULATIONS, Joe! No surprise there! (And thanks for the list of all the CASEY award winners in one place!) AND in the same week you and WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL got a mention in The Queue in the Arts and Leisure section of the Sunday NYT - Culture desk's reporter, Jonathan Abrams' five things he has been watching, reading, and listening to that left him feeling curious and motivated! "Joe Posnanski is baseball's greatest modern-day storyteller, and his passion and experience leap through every page of this book on why baseball became America's national pastime." You're the best, Joe! Thanks!
Love your baseball books and your blog, but for me Paterno stands out. As an over 60 year fan of Penn State your book offered me some knowledge of what was going on with Joe at such a terrible moment in his life.
I write because I have purchased The Baseball 100. It's wonderfully written but my copy is missing pages 665 to 728. So I'm missing #'s 9 through 14. Honus Wagner #13?
Congratulations Joe on an honor so richly deserved! Three of your books among so many outstanding baseball books is absolutely sensational! Especially considering there are no Roger Angell books on the list, not to mention some of the deserving books you or other readers mentioned. Well done. A fantastic achievement, but definitely not surprising to your many loyal readers.
As I'm reading Why We Love Baseball, I come across the DiMaggio and the Don Larson entries back-to-back. They are, of course, beautiful, but they hit me different because this weekend I found a funny, weird, miraculous baseball at a local vintage sports store.
I collect stuff related to the Indianapolis Indians, and the shop owner brings out this bizarre ball with a 70s or 80s Indians logo on it. But when I look at the player names, I don't see any ex-Indians. In fact, I immediately recognize Bob Feller, Don Newcomb and Don Larson.
The ball is clearly some kind of old-timers ball, and there written right across the classic Indianapolis baseball head logo is Joe DiMaggio. The shop owner can't figure out this ball either, and he gives me a deal on it.
I take it home and realize there are so many amazing names on it...Bobby Thompson, Bobby Richardson, Tony Oliva. So I research how the ball could possibly have come to be. And I find out there was an old-timers game PLAYED AT THE HOOSIER DOME IN 1984! Every word in that sentence is bizarre.
Sure enough, in a bid to lure MLB to Indianapolis, they tried to play a game at the old Hoosier Dome on July 27, 1984, and DiMaggio was there and dressed, but did not play. You can find a clip of him being interviewed about it on Youtube.
So I have this ball so intimately connected to 1950s baseball, stamped with Indianapolis's real team (the AAA Indians) and connected to the impossible and impractical hope to bring major league baseball to Indy...and it's all beautiful.
So today, to pick up the book and find those two entries back-to-back. Well of course. They are why I love baseball. But also so is the hilarious idea of these legends getting together to as old men to play on a ridiculously configured field in a dome in Indianapolis, just for the promise that maybe our sleepy Naptown would some day become a real major league city.
It's all just weird and wonderful.
As a Cincinnati local still waiting for your rescheduled book tour stop at Joseph-Beth, I’d like to hear more about this award ceremony coming to town
Congratulations! It's a deeply enjoyable book, and it deserves every accolade it receives.
Just watched the video cast analysis of the HOF voting. First rate!!! Combined with the pre-vote HOF prediction, leads me down a new rabbit hole. This may not be the usual forum (a special baseball related blog rather than a typical daily baseball related. blog), but here is an Intelligent (?) Reader Request. We so frequently talk about a Hall of Very Good that I think Joe should make one up based on Hall of Fame votes. Here is how it should work: Take all the players who were not inducted and come up with a cut off. Make the Hall of Very Good members those who were on the ballot for a full ten years, or there are not enough of those, nine years, or eight years or whatever number of ballots would yield a number roughly comparable to the number of players actually inducted based on the BBWA vote. Another alternative would be ordering non-inductees by their highest vote percentage in any year on the ballot. In either case we could come up with a Reader Veteran Committee and vote on players who did not make it under the automatic criteria and elect 3 more players a year.
Congratulations on a well-deserved award
I was mildly surprised to not see October 1964, by the great David Halberstam, on here. An incredible look at that year's World Series, and the factors behind the impending (and self-inflicted) destruction of the Yankees dynasty and rise of the Cardinals.
Then I remembered it came out in 1994, the same year as Lords of the Realm -- the definitive true history of baseball -- and it made a lot more sense.
Many congratulations, Joe
CONGRATULATIONS, Joe! No surprise there! (And thanks for the list of all the CASEY award winners in one place!) AND in the same week you and WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL got a mention in The Queue in the Arts and Leisure section of the Sunday NYT - Culture desk's reporter, Jonathan Abrams' five things he has been watching, reading, and listening to that left him feeling curious and motivated! "Joe Posnanski is baseball's greatest modern-day storyteller, and his passion and experience leap through every page of this book on why baseball became America's national pastime." You're the best, Joe! Thanks!
Thanks Carmen! Yes, that Jonathan Abrams is the best.
Love your baseball books and your blog, but for me Paterno stands out. As an over 60 year fan of Penn State your book offered me some knowledge of what was going on with Joe at such a terrible moment in his life.
I write because I have purchased The Baseball 100. It's wonderfully written but my copy is missing pages 665 to 728. So I'm missing #'s 9 through 14. Honus Wagner #13?
Congrats on the hat trick, Joe!
Thanks for mentioning Dick Perez’s The Immortals. It’s an incredibly beautiful book. Highly recommended.
Joe, please let us know when the awards ceremony is because I'd love to attend! Congrats!
Joe, you're in good company.
But so are the other authors.
Congratulations Joe on an honor so richly deserved! Three of your books among so many outstanding baseball books is absolutely sensational! Especially considering there are no Roger Angell books on the list, not to mention some of the deserving books you or other readers mentioned. Well done. A fantastic achievement, but definitely not surprising to your many loyal readers.
Season Ticket was nominated, but didn't win.
Great news, Joe, and very well deserved!! You remain in excellent company.
Although many of Roger Angell's books were published pre-1983, a couple came out after that date. Sorry to see that he was never honored.
I can't believe David Lamb's "Stolen Season" didn't win. That book made me want to spend a summer crossing the country hitting minor league parks.
Now I have some books to read!