Bergino Baseball Clubhouse: Recent Episodes
Bergino Baseball Clubhouse
Featuring premier authors, Pulitzer Prize-winners, team owners, Hall of Famers, and the most interesting folks in baseball
A special presentation from the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Our first podcast during these pandemic times…
In the Fall of 2017, the now shuttered brick-and-mortar location of the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse hosted “Baseball in Black and White: The Watercolor Paintings of James Fiorentino.”
In the Fall of 2021, the Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery in Bernardsville NJ hosted James Fiorentino and “Baseball in Black and White: Extra Innings.”
I sat down at the beautiful Studio 7 gallery with my long-time friend and we had a wide ranging “inside baseball” discussion that touched on memories through the years, the life — and gifts — of an artist, mentors, watercolor painting, ballplayers, the cake boss, passion, process, the feeling when a painting is finished, and more.
On Friday, December 10, we’ll be back at the Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery in Bernardsville NJ. If you’re anywhere close to the area, stop by between 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Meet James and see his spectacular original black and white watercolor paintings, while enjoying treats and a glass of wine. I’ll be conducting in-person video interviews for my multimedia project — “The Memory of America: Remember Your First Baseball Game.” The interviews take only 15 minutes or so. Would love to capture your story that evening.
Hope to see you then. In the meantime, pull up a chair, relax, and enjoy our conversation…
With love from New York,
Jay
San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval, Punk Rock, and a Third-Place Baseball Team with Lincoln Mitchell
Special Roundtable Guests: Jennifer Blowdryer and Kenneth Sherrill
A wide-ranging conversation touching on San Francisco in the 1970s, George Moscone, Harvey Milk, Dan White, urban America, political campaigns, city government, the San Francisco Giants leaving the city, segregation, diversity, bubbles, Dianne Feinstein, Jello Biafra, the Dead Kennedys, the punk rock scene, Joe Dirt, East Bay Ray, David Peel, the 1978 Giants, being a gay elected official in the 1970s, and Reggie Jackson’s role in reforming the judiciary.
Lincoln Mitchell is an adjunct associate professor of Political Science at Columbia University, where he also serves as an associate scholar in the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. He has authored many books on the former Soviet states, democracy, and baseball, including Baseball Goes West: How the Giants and Dodgers Shaped the Major Leagues and Will Big League Baseball Survive. He has also written extensively about San Francisco’s history in Instant City, Roads and Kingdoms, Parts Unknown and the New York Observer.
Jennifer Blowdryer got her name from singing in The Blowdryer in 1978. They played in San Francisco at the Mabuhay Gardens and The Deaf Club. She published her first book, Modern English, a photo-illustrated trendy slang dictionary with Last Gasp in 1984, and moved to New York City the same year on a fellowship to the Columbia Writing Division. She just finished a new album called She’s Got The Weirdness, and her next book is slated for Spring 2020, with Pedestrian Press, working title of The 86ed Project.
Kenneth Sherrill is Professor Emeritus at Hunter College and the City University of New York graduate school. In 1977, he became the first openly gay elected official in New York. He is the author of Power, Policy and Participation, as well as Gays and the Military. His current book in progress, Identity and Consciousness in LGBT Political Behavior, is expected to be completed next year. Ken is also the author of articles, papers and reviews in various scholarly journals.
Thanks to our delectable sponsors: Sauce Pizzeria and St. Marks Wine & Liquor
San Francisco Year Zero. Listen in...
War in the Ring with John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro -- and special Roundtable Guest: Mitch Nathanson.
A wide-ranging conversation touching on a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process and the challenges of a Young Adult book, Joe Louis and the IRS, Max Schmeling’s actions during the Nazi regime, Jim Bouton, Dick Allen, Willie Horton and the Detroit riots, the “First Game” project and memory, Janis Ian, Mudcat Grant and JFK, boxing in the 20th century, Major League Baseball in 1938 and its state in 2019.
John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro are the authors of One Nation Under Baseball and One Punch from the Promised Land. Together, they’ve written about sports for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, VICE Sports, and Sports Illustrated. Ouisie is a six-time Emmy award-winning writer/producer of sports documentaries. John is the author of historical crime novels. They are married and live in the beautiful borough of Brooklyn.
Mitch Nathanson is a Professor of Law at Villanova University and the author of numerous books and articles on baseball, including God Almighty Hisself. Mitch is a two-time winner of the McFarland-SABR Award. In the spring of 2020, his next book, Bouton: The Life of a Baseball Original, will be released.
Thanks to our delectable sponsors: Sauce Pizzeria and St. Marks Wine & Liquor
War in the Ring. Listen in...
Doc, Donnie, The Kid, and Billy Brawl with author Chris Donnelly and special Roundtable Guest: Tony Denera.
We discussed Major League baseball in 1980s New York, Gary Carter, Don Baylor, Nelson Doubleday, George Steinbrenner, Frank Cashen, Seinfeld, Bat Day, Billy Martin, Ed Whitson, the National and American Leagues, the All-Star Game, Duane Reade and ticket scalping, and Sinatra the French Bulldog.
Chris Donnelly is the author of How the Yankees Explain New York and Baseball’s Greatest Series: Yankees, Mariners, and the 1995 Matchup That Changed History.
Tony Denera was born Anthony D’Ambrosio on Easter Sunday in 1962. After reading Joining Arnold: Rise of the Girlie Man, you will understand why he changed his name to spare his family further embarrassment.
Thanks to our delectable sponsors: Sauce Pizzeria and St. Marks Wine & Liquor
Doc, Donnie, The Kid, and Billy Brawl. Listen in…
Inside the tailgating, ticket-scalping, mascot-racing, dubiously funded, and possibly haunted monuments of American sport
"For one year, I traveled the United States visiting sports stadiums -- all manner of arenas, domes, ballparks -- for the purpose of writing a book. The idea was to go beyond the ball games and architectural blueprints to explore the inner workings of these steel and concrete structures that hover over our towns, imposing their will on landscapes and skylines, to better understand our relationship to them -- psychologically, economically, politically, culturally, historically -- as individuals, as cities, and as a society." -Rafi Kohan
Rafi Kohan is a freelance writer and editor. Formerly, he served as deputy editor at the "New York Observer" and has written for "GQ," "Men's Journal," "Wall Street Journal," "Town & Country," ESPN.com, and more. He lives in New York City and deeply misses the old Yankee Stadium.
On a November evening in the Clubhouse, Rafi Kohan took us into The Arena. Have a seat and listen in...
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, tucked away in upstate New York in a small town called Cooperstown, is far from any major media market or big league stadium. Yet no sports hall of fame's membership is so hallowed, nor its qualifications so debated, nor its voting process so dissected.
Since its founding in 1936, the Hall of Fame's standards for election have been nebulous, and its selection processes arcane, resulting in confusion among voters, not to mention mistakes in who has been recognized and who has been bypassed. Numerous so-called "greats" have been inducted despite having not been so great, while popular but controversial players such as all-time home run leader Barry Bonds and all-time hits leader Pete Rose are on the outside looking in.
Now, in The Cooperstown Casebook, Jay Jaffe takes us through his revolutionary ranking system. The foundation of Jaffe's approach is JAWS, an acronym for the Jaffe WAR Score, which he developed over a decade ago. Through JAWS, each candidate can be objectively compared on the basis of career and peak value to the players at his position who are already in the Hall of Fame. Because of its utility, JAWS has gained an increasing amount of exposure in recent years. Through his analysis, Jaffe shows why the Hall of Fame still matters and how it can remain relevant in the 21st century.
Jay Jaffe is a contributing baseball writer for SI.com. He is the founder of the Futility Infielder website, one of the oldest baseball blogs, and from 2005 - 2012 was a columnist for "Baseball Prospectus." He has been a recurring guest on MLB Network's "MLB Now" and "Clubhouse Confidential" shows and a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America since 2011.
On a Wednesday evening in July, Jay Jaffe led our final author event of the summer. Listen in to our intimate and lively Clubhouse conversation...
The untold story behind the first great sports film... The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic
On July 4, 1939, baseball great Lou Gehrig stood in Yankee Stadium and gave a speech that contained the phrase that would become legendary: "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
He died two years later and his fiery widow, Eleanor, wanted nothing more than to keep his memory alive. With her forceful will, she and the irascible producer Samuel Goldwyn quickly agreed to make a film based on Gehrig's life, "The Pride of the Yankees." Goldwyn didn't understand -- or care about -- baseball. For him this film was the emotional story of a quiet, modest hero who married a spirited woman who was the love of his life, and, after a storied career, gave a short speech that transformed his legacy. With the world at war and soldiers dying on foreign soil, it was the kind of movie America needed.
Using original scripts, letters, memos, and other rare documents, Richard Sandomir tells the behind-the-scenes story of how a classic was born. The search to find the actor to play Gehrig; the stunning revelations Eleanor made to the scriptwriter Paul Gallico about her life with Lou; the intensive training Gary Cooper underwent to learn how to catch, throw, and hit a baseball for the first time.
On a warm summer evening, Richard Sandomir led our intimate Clubhouse conversation and brought "The Pride of the Yankees" to life. Listen in...
A franchise and fan base in perpetual search of validation finally had its ticket punched as 2016 dawned. Mike Piazza, who held records in one hand and a city's rapt attention in the other, gained election to the Hall of Fame. Within weeks of this long-awaited announcement, the ballclub with whom he chose to cast his eternal lot, the New York Mets, made a date to retire his number.
In Piazza: Catcher, Slugger, Icon, Star, Greg Prince explores the parallel paths Piazza and the Mets set out on in the early 1990s and how their individual journeys merged into a mutual quest for transcendence. From marriage of convenience to lifetime bond to a state of baseball grace reached only once before in team history, "Piazza" examines how the stranger from Los Angeles became New York's favorite son and why the Mets fans continued to rally to Piazza's cause years after he took his final swing for them.
Greg Prince is co-creator of the blog Faith and Fear in Flushing, the daily destination for "Mets fans who like to read." His memoir of the same name was published in 2009 and was followed in 2016 by "Amazin' Again." He has written about baseball for the "New York Times," "Huffington Post," and ESPN.com; served as a consultant to the film "The Last Play at Shea;" and helped organize the New York Mets Fiftieth Anniversary Conference at Hofstra.
On June 15, 2017 -- the 40th Anniversary of "The Midnight Massacre" -- Greg Prince led our intimate Clubhouse conversation into a slice of Mets history, as only he can. Piazza, Seaver, Prince. Hall of Famers, all. Listen in...
"Making My Pitch: A Woman's Baseball Odyssey" tells the story of Ila Jane Borders, who despite formidable obstacles became a Little League prodigy, MVP of her otherwise all-male middle school and high school teams, the first woman awarded a baseball scholarship, and the first to pitch and win a complete men's collegiate game.
After Mike Veeck signed Borders in May 1997 to pitch for his St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League, she accomplished what no woman had done since the Negro Leagues era: play men's professional baseball. Borders played four professional seasons and in 1998 became the first woman in the modern era to win a professional ball game.
Borders had to find ways to fit in with her teammates, reassure their wives and girlfriends, work with the media, and fend off groupies. But these weren't the toughest challenges. She had a troubled family life, a difficult adolescence as she struggled with her sexual orientation, and an emotionally fraught college experience as a closeted gay athlete at a Christian university.
"Making My Pitch" shows what it's like to be the only woman on the team bus, in the clubhouse, and on the field. Raw, open, and funny at times, her story encompasses the loneliness of a groundbreaking pioneer who experienced grave personal loss. Borders ultimately relates how she achieved self-acceptance and created a life as a firefighter and paramedic and as a coach and goodwill ambassador for the game of baseball.
Jean Hastings Ardell is an Author/Editor/Speaker/Researcher/Teacher. She is co-chair of the NINE Spring Training Conference, and author of "Breaking into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime."
On a Thursday in June, Jean Hastings Ardell led our intimate Clubhouse conversation. A beautiful evening. Listen in...
Baseball in the 1920's is most known for Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees, but there was another great Yankees player in that era whose compelling story remains untold.
Urban Shocker was a fiercely competitive and colorful pitcher. With the 1927 Yankees, widely viewed to be the best team in Major League Baseball history, Shocker pitched with guts and guile, finishing with a record of 18-6 even while his fastball and physical skills were deserting him. Hardly anyone knew that Shocker was suffering from incurable heart disease that left him able to sleep only while sitting up and which would take his life in less than a year.
Steve Steinberg is a baseball historian and coauthor with Lyle Spatz of "The Colonel and Hug: The Partnership that Transformed the New York Yankees" and "1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York."
Delving into his baseball career, his love of the game, and his battle with health issues, Steve Steinberg led our intimate Clubhouse conversation about the dominant and courageous force of "Urban Shocker: Silent Hero of Baseball's Golden Age." Listen in...
A Pulitzer Prize-winner returns to the Clubhouse.
It Happens Every Spring: DiMaggio, Mays, the Splendid Splinter, and a Lifetime at the Ballpark -- opinions and reflections on the National Pastime from one of New York's most popular sportswriters.
As these gents would say...
"It can be stated as a law that the sportswriter whose horizons are no wider than the outfield fences is a bad sportswriter because he has no sense of proportion and no awareness of the real world around him. Ira Berkow knows what is important about a game is not the score but the people who play it." -Red Smith
"Ira Berkow belongs to that rare breed: a writer who specializes in sports but whose subjects represent a broad range in human aspirations and challenges." -Gay Talese
"Ira Berkow is one of the great American writers, without limitation to the field of sports." -Scott Turow
Ira Berkow is a former sports columnist and feature writer for "The New York Times," where he worked for more than 25 years. He shared the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of 25 books, including the bestsellers "Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar" and "Red: A Biography of Red Smith." His work has frequently been cited in the prestigious anthology series Best American Sports Writing, as well as the 1999 anthology Best American Sports Writing of the Century.
On a May evening, Ira Berkow led our intimate, indelible Clubhouse conversation. Listen in -- and you'll agree with those gents named Smith, Talese and Turow. Enjoy...
The real Joe DiMaggio -- remembered by the man who knew him best in the last decade of his life. Candid and little-known stories about icons from Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and his Yankees teammates on the field to Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and other great celebrities off the field.
Dr. Rock Positano, an internationally renowned foot specialist in New York City, was introduced to Joe DiMaggio by Bill Gallo in 1990. The Yankee Clipper's career-ending heel spur injury and botched surgeries brought them together. During the time Dr. Positano successfully treated DiMaggio, a friendship slowly developed. As Dr. Positano would learn, DiMaggio moved carefully and deliberately.
Dinner with DiMaggio follows the story of their friendship from its starstruck beginning through its highs and lows over the next decade. Forty years younger than DiMaggio, Dr. Positano became like a surrogate son. Positano's accounts of their times together reveal DiMaggio's many rituals and quirks. At the pinnacle of his fame, DiMaggio had learned to be guarded and carefully managed his image and private life. As his trust in his young friend grew, DiMaggio opened up about Marilyn, but also about his first wife, Dorothy Arnold, the mother of his son. The Yankee Clipper knew everyone, and Positano shares never-before-told stories of famous people DiMaggio admired and those he didn't.
The stories and experiences he shared with Rock Positano comprise an intimate portrait of one of the great stars of baseball and one of the icons of the twentieth century.
Dr. Rock Positano is the Founder and Director of the Non-Surgical Foot and Ankle Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, where he has been on staff since 1991. He graduated from Yale School of Medicine. Positano is a clinical assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. He is internationally known for his non-surgical approach for the treatment of foot disorders.
On a May evening, Dr. Rock Positano and John Positano led a compelling Clubhouse conversation. Pull up a chair at your dinner table and listen in...
Hank Greenberg was coming off a stellar season where he hit 40 home runs and had 184 RBIs. Even with his success at the plate, neither Greenberg nor the rest of the world could have expected what was about to happen in 1938.
From his first day in the big leagues, the New York-born Greenberg had dealt with persecution for being Jewish. From a teammate asking where his horns were to the verbal abuse from bigoted fans and the media, the 6'3" slugger always did his best to shut the noise out and concentrate on baseball. But in 1938, that would be more difficult than he could have ever imagined.
While Greenberg was battling at the plate, his people overseas were dealing with a battle for their lives. Adolf Hitler, who had been chancellor of Germany since 1933, had taken direct control of the country's military in February 1938. He then began his methodic takeover of all neighboring countries, spreading Nazism and the early stages of World War II and the Holocaust.
"Hank Greenberg in 1938" chronicles the events of that year, both on the baseball diamond and the streets of Europe. As Greenberg's bat had him on course for Babe Ruth's home run record, Hitler's "Final Solution" was beginning to take shape. Jews across the US looked to Greenberg as a symbol of hope. Though normally hesitant to speak about the anti-Semitism he dealt with, the slugger still knew the role he was playing, saying "I came to feel that if I, as a Jew, hit a home run, I was hitting one against Hitler."
Ron Kaplan is an award-winning journalist and blogger. He writes about baseball literature and pop culture at "Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf," and is the author of three books including "501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die." His work has appeared in such outlets as "Baseball America," "Irish America," and "American Book Review," among other national and international publications.
On a Wednesday evening in May 2017, Ron Kaplan took us back to 1938. Listen in to our intimate Clubhouse conversation...
As a player, Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel's contemporaries included Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Christy Mathewson... and he was the only person in history to wear the uniforms of all four New York teams: the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, and Mets.
For more than five glorious decades, Stengel was the undisputed, quirky, hilarious, and beloved face of baseball -- and along the way he revolutionized the role of manager while winning a spectacular ten pennants and seven World Series Championships.
But for a man who spent so much of his life in the limelight -- an astounding fifty-five years in professional baseball -- Stengel remains an enigma. Acclaimed baseball historian and bestselling author Marty Appel digs into Casey Stengel's quirks and foibles, unearthing a tremendous trove of baseball stories, perspective, and history. Weaving in never-before-published family documents, Appel creates an intimate portrait of a private man and Hall of Famer.
Marty Appel was the youngest public relations director in baseball history when George Steinbrenner elevated him to the New York Yankees post in 1973. He worked for the team for ten seasons, beginning in 1968, and followed it by producing its games on WPIX television. He is the author of twenty-three books, including the New York Times bestselling "Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain" and "Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss."
On an April evening in 2017, Marty Appel took us through the 20th century with "Casey Stengel: Baseball's Greatest Character." A splendid, intimate Clubhouse conversation. Pull up a chair and listen in...
buck•et list - noun informal - a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime
All New York Yankees fans have a bucket list of activities to take part in at some point in their lives. But even the most die-hard fans haven't done everything there is to experience.
Sportswriter Mark Feinsand led us through ideas, recommendations, and insider tips for must-see places and can't-miss activities. And not every experience requires a trip to the Bronx.
Feinsand has covered the Yankees for 16 years for the "New York Daily News" and MLB.com. He appears regularly on multiple television and radio outlets, including MLB Network, YES Network, and WFAN.
On a Thursday in April, Mark Feinsand led our wide-ranging Clubhouse conversation. A fascinating evening. Listen in and enjoy...
"The '60s were a time of conflict, progress, tragedy, triumph, and unforgettable events in the nation and its pastime. One Nation Under Baseball connects the two in revealing and insightful fashion." -Bob Costas
One Nation Under Baseball highlights the intersection between American society and America's pastime during the 1960s, when the hallmarks of the sport -- fairness, competition, and mythology -- came under scrutiny. John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro examine the events of the era that reshaped the game: the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale million-dollar holdout, the encroachment of television on newspaper coverage, the changing perception of ballplayers from mythic figures to overgrown boys, the arrival of the everyman Mets and their free-spirited fans, and the lawsuit brought against team owners by Curt Flood.
Florio and Shapiro bring to life the seminal figures of the era -- including Bob Gibson, Marvin Miller, Tom Seaver, and Dick Young -- richly portraying their roles during a decade of flux and uncertainty.
John Florio is a freelance writer and novelist. He is the author of Sugar Pop Moon and Blind Moon Alley. Ouisie Shapiro is an Emmy-winning writer and producer of sport documentaries. Her writing credits include HBO's Nine Innings from Ground Zero and ESPN's Playing for the Mob. Florio and Shapiro are the authors of One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, and the Myth of the Heavyweight Title. They are also contributors to the Atlantic and the New Yorker.
On an April evening in 2017, John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro took us back to the 1960s in a fascinating Clubhouse conversation. Listen in...
"Quit praying for me alone, Ma, and pray for the whole team." -Jackie Robinson's letter to his mother in 1947, his rookie season
Journalist and baseball lover Ed Henry reveals for the first time the backstory of faith that guided Jackie Robinson into not only the baseball record books but the annals of civil rights advancement as well. Through recently discovered sermons, interviews with Robinson's family and friends, and even an unpublished book by the player himself, Henry details a side of Jackie's humanity that few have seen.
42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story also digs into why Jackie was the man he was and what both drove him and challenged him after his retirement. From his early years before baseball, to his time with Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers, to his failing health in his final years, we see a man of faith.
Ed Henry serves as Fox News Channel's Chief National Correspondent. He joined the network in 2011. Henry has won numerous journalism honors, including the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress and the White House Correspondents Association's Merriman Smith Award for excellence in presidential coverage under deadline pressure. He also served in the prestigious post of president of the White House Correspondents' Association from 2012-2013. Prior to joining Fox News Channel, Henry was at CNN from 2004-2011. He began his career working for Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jack Anderson.
On the first Thursday of April, Ed Henry led our intimate Clubhouse conversation for over an hour. Listen in and enjoy...
"Keep your temper. A decision made in anger is never sound."
Ford Frick is best known as the baseball commissioner who put the "asterisk" next to Roger Maris's record.
But his tenure as commissioner carried the game through pivotal changes -- television, continued integration, West Coast expansion and labor unrest. During those 14 years, and 17 more as National League president, he witnessed baseball history from the perspective of a man who began as a sportswriter.
Auburn University professor John Carvalho led our final intimate Clubhouse conversation of 2016. Listen in...
In his shrewd analysis -- Will Big League Baseball Survive? -- Lincoln Mitchell asks whether the sport will continue in its current form as a huge, lucrative global business that offers a monopoly in North America and whether those structures are sustainable.
Mitchell places baseball in the context of the larger, evolving American and global entertainment sector. He examines how both changes directly related to baseball -- including youth sports and the increased globalization of the game -- and broader societal trends, such as developments in media consumption and celebrity culture, will impact big league baseball over the next few decades.
On the first evening of December, Lincoln Mitchell led our intimate Clubhouse conversation. Listen in...
"I just won the Nobel Prize of baseball." -Elston Howard, American League MVP, 1963
Snubs. Grudges. Conspiracies. Incompetence.
All in a day's work for some of those who vote on Baseball's Most Valuable Player Award.
From its colorful and scandalous beginnings more than a century ago, the MVP has evolved into the most prestigious -- and contentious -- individual honor in the sport. No award means more to the players, the media, or the fans -- and no other award can claim a voting history so rich in controversy.
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“This is a tough park for a hitter when the air conditioning is blowing in.” -Bob Boone
When it opened in 1965, the Houston Astrodome -- nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World -- captured the attention of a nation, bringing pride to the city and enhancing its reputation across the country.
It was a Texas-sized vision of the future, an unthinkable feat of engineering with premium luxury suites, theater-style seating, and the first animated scoreboard. Yet there were memorable problems such as outfielders’ inability to see fly balls and failed attempts to grow natural grass -- which ultimately led to the development of Astroturf. The Astrodome nonetheless changed the way people viewed sports, putting casual fans at the forefront of a user-experience approach that soon became the standard in all American sports.
On the day after the completion of this year's wonderful World Series, authors Robert Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack tore back the Astrodome's facade while discussing the building’s pivotal fifty years in existence and the ongoing debate about its preservation. Listen in to our intimate Clubhouse conversation...
White, black, Jewish, Christian, wealthy, working class, conservative, liberal -- the Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960s embodied the disparate cultural forces at play in an America riven by race and war.
In “The Last Innocents,” award-winning writer Michael Leahy tells the story of this mesmerizing time and extraordinary team through seven players -- Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Wes Parker, Jeff Torborg, Tommy Davis, Dick Tracewski, and Lou Johnson.
It is a story about what it was like to be a major leaguer when the country was turned upside down by the tumult of the civil rights movement, a series of wrenching political assassinations, and the shock waves of the Vietnam War. Outside the public eye, these seven Dodgers -- friends, mentors, and confidants -- struggled to understand their place in society and in a sport controlled by owners whose wishes were fiat. Even as they starred in games watched by millions, they coped with anxieties and indignities their fans knew nothing about -- some of their wounds deeply personal, others more common to the times. In their dissatisfaction, they helped plant the seeds of a rebellion that would change their sport.
Michael Leahy is the author of “Hard Lessons” and “When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan’s Last Comeback.” His award-winning career has included thirteen years as a writer for the “Washington Post” and the “Washington Post Magazine.” Leahy’s 2005 “Washington Post Magazine” story about a California sperm donor won the Society of Professional Journalists Award for best magazine story of the year. His stories have been selected four times for the annual Best American Sports Writing anthologies.
On the final Thursday of the regular season, Michael Leahy led an enthralling Clubhouse conversation about his great -- yes, great -- book. One hour, three minutes, fourteen seconds. Listen in...
“For all who care about baseball, character, and leadership, Michael Tackett has brought us the inspiring and unforgettable story of a phenomenal coach and his legacy.” -Michael Beschloss, historian and political commentator
Clarinda, Iowa, population 5,000, sits two hours from anything. There, between the corn fields and hog yards, is a ball field with a bronze bust of a man named Merl Eberly, a baseball whisperer who specialized in second chances and lost causes. The statue was a gift from one of Merl’s original long-shot projects, a skinny kid from the ghetto in Los Angeles: Ozzie Smith.
“The Baseball Whisperer” traces the remarkable story of Merl Eberly and his Clarinda A’s baseball team, which he tended over the course of five decades, transforming it from a town team to a collegiate summer league powerhouse. Along with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, future manager Bud Black, and star player Von Hayes, Merl developed scores of major leaguers -- six of which are currently playing.
More than a book about ballplayers who landed in the nation’s agricultural heartland, “The Baseball Whisperer” is the story of a coach who put character and dedication first, and reminds us of the best, purest form of baseball excellence.
Michael Tackett is an editor in the Washington bureau of “The New York Times.” Previously, he was a managing editor for “Bloomberg,” the Washington bureau chief of the “Chicago Tribune,” and a national editor at “U.S. News & World Report.”
On an autumn evening, Michael Tackett led our Clubhouse conversation about a small-town coach who shaped big league dreams. Listen in...
“Ralph Kiner was a jewel. He loved the game of baseball. He loved to talk baseball.” -Tom Seaver
One of the staples of the long and storied history of baseball on television is the postgame show, and none was more beloved than “Kiner’s Korner.” From the early 1960s into the 1990s, Hall of Famer and iconic broadcaster Ralph Kiner hosted the show that brought players into the homes of fans across the nation.
Down on the Korner -- from the host, to the set, to the guests, to the stories amassed over more than thirty-two years on the air.
On a July evening in the Clubhouse, author Mark Rosenman took us behind the scenes. Listen in...
“The Freedom of Information Act is a critical and sometimes underappreciated tool that allows all of us access to the records of our government. It was through the act that I obtained copies of more than nine hundred pages of FBI documents related to the Black Legion. These proved vital.” -Tom Stanton
In the mid-1930s, Detroit reigned as the City of Champions. Within a six-month span, the Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings won a World Series, NFL title, and Stanley Cup -- a major-sports trifecta achieved by no other American city before or since -- and it happened as undefeated local boxer Joe Louis was becoming a national sensation. As the successes mounted, the national media made heroes of the city’s sports stars, and Detroit grew almost delirious, the string of victories providing a sweet diversion from the Great Depression.
But beneath the jubilance, a nefarious plague was spreading unchecked. A wave of mysterious crimes had police baffled: bodies dumped along roadsides, suspicious suicides, bombings of homes and halls, flogging victims who refused to speak, assassination plots. All were the work of the Black Legion, a secret terrorist organization that flourished in Detroit until the summer of 1936.
On a summer's evening in 2016 New York, award-winning author Tom Stanton took a teeming Clubhouse through a stunning tale of history, crime, and baseball in 1930s America. Listen in...
“When he was eight, Dad got into a name-calling fight with the little white girl who lived across the street. The children’s verbal battle was interrupted when the girl’s father came outside and started throwing rocks at my father.” -Sharon Robinson, Jackie’s daughter
"Jackie Robinson In Quotes: The Remarkable Life of Baseball's Most Significant Player"
Danny Peary has skillfully curated the best quotes to shed new light on the man behind number 42. Featured are quotes by Jackie Robinson, his widow Rachel, other family members, friends, teammates, coaches, members of the media, and many more.
A behind-the-headlines narrative about the making and life of a hero. A first-hand account of Jackie Robinson’s baseball stardom, his friendships and rivalries, the people he loved and who loved him, the issues that troubled him, and how he took on all challenges to change the face of America’s favorite pastime, the country itself, and, thus, history forever.
Danny Peary is an acclaimed baseball historian. He is the author/editor of “Baseball Immortal Derek Jeter: A Career in Quotes.” Peary collaborated on the biographies “Roger Maris” and “Gil Hodges,” Ralph Kiner’s autobiography “Baseball Forever,” and Tim McCarver’s “Baseball for Brain Surgeons and Other Fans.”
In his fourth Clubhouse appearance, Danny Peary led a fascinating discussion about Jackie Robinson. Listen in...
In 1966, Jim Palmer was just 20 years old when he became the youngest pitcher to throw a World Series shutout, helping lead the Baltimore Orioles to their first-ever championship. Two years later, Palmer's budding career almost ended due to arm problems. Yet, he mounted an inspiring comeback and reached the pinnacle of his profession, becoming the winningest pitcher of the 1970s and the only hurler to win a World Series game in three different decades.
A Hall of Famer... with three World Series rings, three Cy Young Awards, six All-Star selections, an exemplary record as a model spokesperson for charities and corporations, and a long tenure as a TV baseball analyst.
Nine Innings To Success: A Hall of Famer's Approach To Achieving Excellence. An hour discussion Jim Palmer. A Hall of Fame evening in the Clubhouse. Listen in and enjoy...
“All things considered there are only two kinds of men in the world -- those that stay at home and those that do not. The second are the most interesting.” -Rudyard Kipling
The stellar play and fascinating backstories of exiled Cuban ballplayers in Major League Baseball has become one of the biggest headlines in America's national pastime. On-field exploits by Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, Aroldis Chapman, and a handful of others have been further enhanced by feel-good tales of desperate Cuban superstars risking their lives to escape Castro’s communist realm and chase a celebrated American Dream of financial and athletic success. But a truly ugly underbelly to this story has also slowly emerged, one that involves human smuggling operations financed by Miami crime syndicates, operated by Mexican drug cartels, and conveniently ignored by big league ball clubs endlessly searching for fresh waves of international talent.
In Cuba’s Baseball Defectors: The Inside Story, Cuban baseball expert Peter Bjarkman reveals the truth behind the wave of Cuban big league talent coming to Major League Baseball. Given rare access to Cuba and its ballplayers, Bjarkman has spent over twenty years traveling to all corners of the island getting to know the top Cuban stars and witnessing their baseball struggles and triumphs. Bjarkman places recent events -- including the apparent thaw in US-Cuba relations -- in the context of Cuban baseball history and tradition before delving into the stories of the major Cuban stars who have left the island.
Peter Bjarkman is the recognized authority on Cuba’s post-1961 revolutionary-era baseball. He has witnessed domestic-league Cuban baseball firsthand on more than fifty visits to the communist country since 1997 and has also followed the Cuban national team to international events since 1999. Bjarkman is a regular consultant on Cuban baseball for the North American media.
On a May evening, Peter Bjarkman led a packed Clubhouse in a master's class on Cuba's Baseball Defectors. Listen in...
What would happen if two statistics-minded outsiders were allowed to run a professional baseball team?
It’s the ultimate in fantasy baseball: You get to pick the roster, set the lineup, and decide on strategies -- with real players, in a real ballpark, in a real playoff race.
That’s what baseball analysts Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller got to do when an independent minor-league team in California, the Sonoma Stompers, offered them the chance to run its baseball operations according to the most advanced statistics.
Lindbergh and Miller applied their number-crunching insights to all aspects of assembling and running a team, following one cardinal rule for judging each innovation they tried: It Has To Work.
Ben Lindbergh is a staff writer for “FiveThirtyEight” and, with Sam Miller, the cohost of “Effectively Wild,” the daily “Baseball Prospectus” podcast. He is a former staff writer for “Grantland” and a former editor in chief of “Baseball Prospectus.”
It was standing-room-only in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse for our discussion with Ben Lindbergh and "The Only Rule Is It Has To Work." Have a seat and listen in...
“The Cubs became a metaphor for the underdog, the loser, lovable or not, that we as a species can’t help but instinctively pull for.” -Joe Mantegna, actor
"The Last Chicago Cubs Dynasty: Before The Curse" by Hal Bock
The last time the Chicago Cubs played in the World Series, World War II had just ended. The last time they won a World Series, World War I had not yet begun. But from 1906 - 1910 the Cubs not only played in the World Series four of the five years, they won two World Championships, as well. It was a time when the Cubs ruled baseball, and no one could have imagined the roller coaster adventures that were ahead for this grand old franchise.
Distinguished writer Hal Bock returned to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse on a May evening and told the story of this legendary team, the characters who were central to its success, and the misfortunes which have plagued the team ever since. During our Q&A, we had a wide-ranging baseball discussion. Listen in and enjoy...
Hal Bock was a sportswriter and columnist with the Associated Press for over 40 years. During that time he covered 30 World Series, none of them including the Cubs.
“I believe God Almighty hisself would have trouble handling Richie Allen.” -George Myatt, Philadelphia Phillies’ interim manager, 1969
When the Philadelphia Phillies signed Dick Allen in 1960, fans of the franchise envisioned bearing witness to feats never before accomplished by a Phillies player. A half-century later, they’re still trying to make sense of what they saw.
Carrying to the plate baseball’s heaviest and loudest bat as well as the burden of being the club’s first African American superstar, Allen found both hits and controversy with regularity as he established himself as the premier individualist in a game that prided itself on conformity. Mitchell Nathanson unveils the strange and maddening career of a man who somehow managed to fulfill and frustrate expectations all at once.
Mitchell Nathanson is Professor of Law at Villanova University School of Law. He is author of “A People's History of Baseball” and coauthor of “Understanding Baseball: A Textbook.”
An April evening in the Clubhouse and God Almighty Hisself: The Life and Legacy of Dick Allen. Listen in...
“I’m so proud of what we accomplished in that magical 1986 season and the brotherhood that we still have for one another all these years later. Enjoy this personal portrayal of one of baseball history’s greatest and most charismatic teams.” -Davey Johnson
In 1986, the bad guys of baseball won the World Series.
“What if I actually went out and visited the players where they are today -- in their homes, in the dugouts they currently coach or manage in, or in the bars they might frequent? I would interview the men who’d made up this magical team, find out what happened to them after their glory days were behind them, and explore the impact they as individuals and as a team had on the fans and the organization -- then and now.” -Erik Sherman
During the first week of the 2016 season, Erik Sherman offered his unique perspective in a Clubhouse conversation about the "Kings of Queens: Life Beyond Baseball with the '86 Mets." Listen in...
“Larry Doby’s trials, and the triumphs that earned him a place in Cooperstown, are a stirring story wonderfully told by Douglas Branson.” -George F. Will
Just eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, Larry Doby became the first black player to integrate the American League, signing with the Cleveland Indians in July 1947. Doby went on to become a seven-time All-Star who led the Indians to two pennants. In many respects, Robinson and Doby were equals in their baseball talent and experiences and had remarkably similar playing careers.
Well into the 1950s, Doby was the only African American All-Star in the American League during a period in which fifteen black players became National League All-Stars. Why is Doby largely forgotten as a central figure in baseball’s integration? Why has he not been accorded his rightful place in baseball history? Greatness in the Shadows: Larry Doby and the Integration of the American League attempts to answer these questions, bringing Doby’s story to life and sharing his achievements and firsts with a new generation.
Douglas M. Branson is the W. Edward Sell Chair in Business Law at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of nineteen books, including No Seat at the Table; The Last Male Bastion; and Three Tastes of Nuoc Mam.
Listen in to Douglas Branson and Greatness in the Shadows, live in the Clubhouse...
“The Mets are gonna be amazing.” -Casey Stengel, circa 1975
They were coming off a seemingly endless string of losing records. They were considered years away from legitimate contention. They were derided and disregarded as a matter of course. But in 2015, the New York Mets changed their course and changed their story. The result was the best kind of amazin’. They proceeded to capture a division title, raise a pennant, and lay claim to the heart of their city.
Author Greg Prince -- cocreator of Faith and Fear in Flushing -- traces the trajectory of this championship season and recreates the emotions of a year that culminated in the Mets making New York their kind of town once again in
How one team embraced tradition and Moneyball at the same time...
The St. Louis Cardinals have experienced the kind of success that is rare in baseball. They not only win, but do so with an apparently bottomless pool of talent, one that is mostly homegrown.
“The Cardinal Way” -- a term that has come to represent many things to fans, media, and other organizations, from an ironclad code of conduct to the team’s cutting-edge use of statistics and analytics, and a farm system that has transformed baseball.
In the spirit of “Moneyball,” baseball journalist Howard Megdal takes fans behind the scenes and off the field. Megdal reveals how the players are assessed and groomed using an unrivaled player development system. He tells an in-depth, fascinating story about a consistently good franchise, the business of sports in the 21st century, and a team that has learned how to level the playing field, turning in season after successful season.
Howard Megdal has written for “Capital New York,” “Sports Illustrated,” “The New York Times,” and “USA Today,” among others. His prior books include “The Baseball Talmud” and “Wilpon’s Folly.”
On the first Thursday in March, Howard Megdal led a packed Clubhouse in our captivating conversation about “The Cardinals Way.” Listen in...
“Desegregation in baseball was hard on everybody.” -Monte Irvin, Hall of Famer
An extraordinary history of the Negro Leagues and the economic disruptions of desegregating a sport
Roberta Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen examine how the relationship between black baseball and black businesses functioned, particularly in urban areas with significant African American populations. Inextricably bound together by circumstance, these sports and business alliances faced destruction and upheaval.
Once Jackie Robinson and a select handful of black baseball’s elite gained acceptance in Major League Baseball and financial stability in the mainstream economy, shock waves traveled throughout the black business world. Though the economic impact on Negro League baseball is perhaps obvious due to its demise, the impact on other black-owned businesses and on segregated neighborhoods is often undervalued if not outright ignored in current accounts. We know about the great individual players who played in the Negro Leagues and integrated the Major Leagues. But what happens when a community has its economic footing undermined while simultaneously being called upon to celebrate a larger social progress?
On a February evening in front of a standing-room-only crowd in the Clubhouse, Roberta Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen took us through Black Baseball, Black Business. Pull up a chair and listen in...
A former CIA analyst walked through the Clubhouse door...
In The Golden Era of Major League Baseball: A Time of Transition and Integration, Bryan Soderholm-Difatte explores the significant events and momentous changes that took place in baseball from 1947 to 1960.
Beginning with Jackie Robinson’s rookie season in 1947, Soderholm-Difatte provides a careful and thorough examination of baseball’s integration, including the struggles of black players who were not able to break into the starting lineups. In addition, the author looks at the dying practice of player-managers, the increasing use of relief pitchers and platooning, the iconic 1951 pennant race between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, and more. Soderholm-Difatte also tells the stories of three central characters to this era, whose innovations, strategies, and vision changed the game -- Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and Leo Durocher.
Bryan Soderholm-Difatte is a former senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Counterterrorism Center. He is a regular contributor to The Baseball Research Journal.
Listen in to a fascinating “deep dive” discussion on a February evening in the Clubhouse with Bryan Soderholm-Difatte...
“Coming events cast their shadows before.” -Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet
On January 1, 1966, New York came to a standstill as the city’s transit workers went on strike. This was the first day on the job for Mayor John Lindsay. He would approach the transit shutdown with the sort of dynamic problem solving that would be his hallmark. He ignored the cold and walked four miles, famously declaring, “I still think it is a fun city.”
As Lindsay juggled his city’s repeated crises, the sporting scene saw tremendous upheaval. On one hand, the venerable Yankees -- who had won 15 pennants in an 18-year span before 1965 -- and the NFL’s powerhouse Giants suddenly went into a level of decline neither had known for generations. But on the other, the fall of the city’s sports behemoths was accompanied by the rise of anti-establishment outsiders -- there were Joe Namath and the Jets, as well as the shocking triumph of the Amazin’ Mets, who won the 1969 World Series after spending the franchise’s first seven seasons losing 737 ballgames.
The overlap of these two worlds in the 1960s -- Lindsay’s politics and the reemerging sports landscape -- serves as the backbone of “Fun City.” It is a story of a thrilling time in New York sports, set against the backdrop of a remarkable and often difficult time for the city, culturally and socially.
Listen in to our fascinating discussion with Sean Deveney on a “Fun City” winter evening in the Clubhouse...
(This podcast is dedicated to the memory of David Garth, a truly great New Yorker.)
“Passion is the genesis of genius.” -Galileo
Baseball Immortal: Derek Jeter takes you on a remarkable forty-year journey, letting you step inside the great Yankee shortstop’s life and career through his own words and those of the people who have known him best personally and in the sports community. The result is an incredible, insightful look at what made him not only an amazing ballplayer, but also an intriguing and complex personality.
The book is packed with quotes by Jeter’s parents, friends, teachers and mentors, coaches, scouts, teammates, opposing players, his fans and critics, celebrities, elite athletes like Michael Jordan, writers and broadcasters, managers, George Steinbrenner and even two presidents. The big surprise comes from the revealing quotes from Derek Jeter himself, who, during his career, constantly frustrated journalists by keeping his thoughts to himself.
Danny Peary is a sports and film historian who has published 24 books. He collaborated on the biographies of Roger Maris and Gil Hodges, the autobiographies of Ralph Kiner and Shannon Miller, and three books with Tim McCarver. Peary is the writer-researcher of The Tim McCarver Show.
Listen in to our conversation with Danny Peary on a warm December evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
Meet Arnold Hano. He might be the Babe Ruth of writers.
Arnold has been published in nine decades, wrote twenty-seven books, sold over a million of them, and penned 500 magazine and newspaper articles.
Hano! A Century in the Bleachers is the story of the extraordinary life and times of 93-year-old Arnold Hano, one of the most prolific writers of the past century.
Baseball fan, war veteran, activist and storyteller emeritus: few have lived and chronicled the American experience as extensively. His story has flown under the radar of popular culture for almost a hundred years... until now.
On a Friday evening in November, we welcomed the legendary Arnold Hano and filmmaker Jon Leonoudakis to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse for a special event. Listen in...
In February 1947, the most memorable season in the history of the Cuban League finished with a dramatic series win by Almendares against its rival Habana. As the celebration spread through the streets of Havana and across Cuba, the Brooklyn Dodgers -- and a minor leaguer named Jackie Robinson -- were beginning spring training on the island.
Robinson was two months away from making his major league debut in Brooklyn. To avoid racism and harassment from the crowds in Florida during this critical time, the Dodgers relocated their spring training to Cuba.
It was also during this time that Major League Baseball was trying to bring the “outlaw” Cuban League under the control of organized baseball. As the Cubans fought to stay independent, Robinson worked to earn a roster spot on the Dodgers.
In Havana Hardball, veteran journalist Cesar Brioso brings together a rich mix of worlds as the heyday of Latino baseball converged with one of the most socially meaningful events in American history. Listen in to our discussion on a Fall evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
We are continually pulled to the story of the 1919 World Series and the Chicago White Sox -- The Black Sox -- because so much of modern sport, and our attitude towards it, springs from the scandal.
In The Betrayal, Charles Fountain traces the Black Sox story from its roots in the gambling culture that pervaded the game in the years surrounding World War I, through the confusing events of the 1919 World Series itself, to the noisy aftermath and trial, and illuminates the moment as baseball's tipping point.
Situating the Black Sox events in the context of later scandals, including those involving Cincinnati Reds manager and player Pete Rose, and the ongoing use of performance-enhancing drugs in the game up through the present, Fountain illuminates America’s near century-long fascination with the story, and its continuing relevance today.
Charles Fountain is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University’s School of Journalism. His journalism career encompassed work in television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Fountain is the author of several books, including Under the March Sun: The Story of Spring Training and Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice.
On an off day for this year’s World Series, we took a look back at the most talked about Fall Classic in baseball history. Listen in...
An October evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse with a World Series Champion.
Michael Garry, author of Game of My Life: New York Mets, took us through the most unforgettable games in Mets history, as the franchise morphed from a dismal expansion team in 1962 to World Series Champions in 1969 and 1986 and then back to basement dwellers before meeting the Yankees in the 2000 Subway Series and evolving into the current, highly promising squad.
Then, special guest Ed Charles -- "The Glider" -- of the 1969 Miracle Mets, told stories and answered questions. It was a night filled with emotion. A special night. Listen in...
“I want you to stay away from my brothers. You are prone to trouble. You are always in trouble.” -Mickey Mantle
After a private screening of the award-winning documentary Long Road Home, John Malangone spoke in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse.
In 1937, at the age of six, John found a broken umbrella in the basement of his East Harlem tenement. He stripped it and turned it into a javelin. John threw it, accidentally hitting a child in the head, piercing his skull. The child was only a year older. He was also John’s uncle.
As a teenager, Malangone couldn’t play for his high school team because he was “classified” as intellectually slow. Paul Krichell, the scout who first identified Lou Gehrig and Whitey Ford as prospects, spotted John in a sandlot game. Soon, Malangone was a 17-year-old catcher in the Yankees organization.
John’s life story -- as featured in Pinstripes and Penance by author Michael Harrison -- offers an unvarnished look into that organization and a man’s struggle with memories of a life-changing childhood tragedy.
On an October evening in the Clubhouse, we heard stories about the rich and often tumultuous culture of East Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s... betting on ballgames, the Hoodlum Priest, the Mob, hijacking tractor trailers in Winston-Salem and dropping them off at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike, and many more. John also reminisced about Casey Stengel, Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, and Earl Weaver.
Pull up a chair, relax, and listen in on the life of the best New York Yankee prospect you never heard of: John Malangone at the age of 84...
A phenomenal panel on a Friday evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
“At The Ballpark” with Lee Lowenfish, Roberta Newman, Charlie Vascellaro & Russell Wolinsky.
They talked Baseball. We listened and learned.
“At the Ballpark: A Fan’s Companion” is the perfect how-to guide -- especially for young fans -- illustrating the experience of watching, understanding and enjoying baseball. In the words of the Chicago Tribune: “Take kids out to the ballgame -- and bring this book.”
The phenomenal panel...
Lee Lowenfish, baseball author and CBN (Certified Baseball Nut), still remembers the thrill of seeing the green grass at the Polo Grounds at his first game in 1948.
Roberta Newman, a cultural historian who teaches at NYU, writes about the connections between baseball and advertising.
Charlie Vascellaro is a vagabond freelance baseball/travel writer who spends inordinate amounts of time in Cooperstown and spring training in Arizona, from where he issues frequent dispatches for newspapers and magazines around the country and speaks to various groups of people interested in baseball.
Russell Wolinsky is a punk rocker/baseball historian who was raised on the mean streets of the 1960s-1970s Bronx.
Listen. Enjoy...
A tapestry of uplifting stories in which fathers and sons share the game...
Almost two hundred father-son pairs have played in the big leagues. Kevin Cook takes us inside the clubhouses, homes, and lives of many of the greats.
In visiting these legendary families, Cook discovers that ball-playing families are a lot like our own. Dan Haren regrets the long road trips that keep him from his kids. Ike Davis and his father, a former Yankee, debate whether Ike should pitch or play first base. Buddy Bell leads a generation of big-leaguers determined to open their workplace -- the clubhouse -- to their kids.
Framing The Dad Report is the story of Kevin Cook's own father, Art Cook, a minor-league pitcher, a loveable rogue with a wicked screwball. In Art's later years, Kevin phoned him almost every night to talk baseball. They called those nightly conversations “the Dad Report.” In time, Kevin came to see that these conversations were about much more than the game. That's what this book is about: the way fathers and sons talk baseball as a way of talking about everything -- courage, fear, fun, family, morality, and mortality.
An award-winning sportswriter and former senior editor at Sports Illustrated, Kevin Cook is the author of Titanic Thompson, Tommy's Honor, and Kitty Genovese.
Listen in to Kevin Cook's special Father’s Day week conversation in the Clubhouse...
“I watch a lot of baseball on the radio.” -President Gerald R. Ford
Radio has brought the sounds of baseball into homes for almost one hundred years. The first All-Star Game, Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech, Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World.” Red Barber, Vin Scully, Harry Caray, Ernie Harwell, Bob Uecker, and dozens of other beloved announcers helped cement the love affair between radio and the national pastime. Crack of the Bat: A History of Baseball on the Radio takes readers from the 1920s to the present. Despite cable television’s ubiquity, live video streaming, and social media, radio remains an important medium through which fans engage with their teams. Even in changing times, the familiar sounds of the ball hitting the glove and the satisfying crack of the bat stay the same.
Pull up a chair and listen in to our Clubhouse conversation with James Walker. An evening well spent...
“Ruppert and Huggins were the principal figures in the transition of the Yankees from an afterthought on the New York baseball scene to the nation’s greatest sports dynasty of the twentieth century.” -Marty Appel
From the team’s inception in 1903, the New York Yankees were a floundering group that played as second-class citizens to the New York Giants. With four winning seasons to date, the team was purchased in 1915 by Jacob Ruppert and his partner, Cap “Til” Huston. Three years later, when Ruppert hired Miller Huggins as manager, the unlikely partnership of the two figures began, one that set into motion the Yankees’ run as the dominant baseball franchise of the 1920s and the rest of the twentieth century, capturing six American League pennants with Huggins at the helm and four more during Ruppert’s lifetime. The Yankees’ success was driven by Ruppert’s executive style and enduring financial commitment, combined with Huggins’s philosophy of continual improvement and personnel development. While Ruppert and Huggins had more than a little help from one of baseball’s greats, Babe Ruth, their close relationship has been overlooked in the Yankees’ rise to dominance. Though both were small of stature, the two men nonetheless became giants of the game with unassailable mutual trust and loyalty. The Colonel and Hug tells the story of how these two men transformed the Yankees. It also tells the larger story about baseball primarily in the tumultuous period from 1918 to 1929 -- with the end of the Deadball Era and the rise of the Lively Ball Era, a gambling scandal, and the collapse of baseball’s governing structure -- and the significant role the Yankees played in it all.
On a Thursday evening in May, Steve Steinberg took us back in time. Listen in to our Clubhouse conversation...
Steve Steinberg is a baseball historian and coauthor (with Lyle Spatz) of “1921: The Yankees, the Giants, and the Battle for Baseball Supremacy in New York.”
The Mayor of Cooperstown, an author, and a former options trader walked into a Clubhouse...
The never-before-told, behind-the-scenes story of the exciting and memorable 1981 baseball season. The year of Fernando Valenzuela, Pete Rose, the last Yankees-Dodgers World Series -- and the mid-season players’ strike that cut the heart out of the American summer.
Sourcing extensive interviews with almost all of the major participants in the strike, Split Season 1981: Fernandomania, The Bronx Zoo, and The Strike That Saved Baseball returns us to the on- and off-field drama of an unforgettable baseball year.
On a spring evening, Jeff Katz -- the Mayor of Cooperstown, author, former options trader -- walked into the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. We had a star-studded, standing-room-only crowd. Listen in to our Clubhouse conversation...
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” Billy Martin said. He was in second grade.
Billy Martin is a story of contrasts. He was the “other” second baseman in New York in the 1950s, playing nearly every fall opposite Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson. He spent sixteen seasons managing in the big leagues and is considered by anyone who knows the sport to have been a true baseball genius, a field manager without peer. Yet he’s remembered more for his habit of kicking dirt at umpires, for being hired and fired by George Steinbrenner five separate times, for his rabble-rousing and public brawls on the field and off. He was combative, fiery, intimidating, bombastic, and yet endearing and beloved by the everyday fan. He was hard on his players and even harder on himself. But he knew how to turn around a losing team like no one else. And how to entertain us every step of the way.
Drawing on exhaustive interviews with friends, family, teammates, players, and countless adversaries -- and his own time covering Martin as a young sportswriter -- Bill Pennington paints an indelible portrait of a man who never backed down for the game he loved. From his upbringing in a broken home surrounded by a shantytown to his days on the Yankees in the 1950s, where he found success as a scrappy clutch player, through sixteen years of managing, including his legendary, often fraught tenure at the helm of the Yankees, Billy Martin made sure no one ever ignored him. And indeed no one could. He was the hero, the antihero, and the alter ego -- or some combination of all three -- for his short sixty-one years among us.
Pitching through four decades in the Major Leagues, Jim Kaat won 283 games with the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. After his playing days, Jim went on to win seven Emmy Awards for his work as a broadcaster for the New York Yankees. Since joining MLB Network, Jim has been nominated for three national Emmys.
As a ballplayer and broadcaster, Jim had a prime seat to watch it all unfold. In If These Walls Could Talk, he provides a closer look at the Yankees. Via multiple interviews conducted with current and past Yankees, readers will meet the players, coaches and management, and share in their moments of victory and defeat.
During our special event with Jim Kaat, he discussed his childhood baseball memories, favorite piece of memorabilia, matching up in the World Series against Sandy Koufax, the best ballplayers of his era, the ballplayers of today, Sabermetrics, Billy Martin, George Steinbrenner, Pete Rose, Stephen Strasburg, pitch counts, and his broadcasting career.
Listen in to our fascinating evening with Jim Kaat, when the Clubhouse walls talked...
There is a national women’s baseball team in the United States. It is virtually unknown.
One of the best kept secrets in American sports: Team USA has medaled in every international competition it has played in for the past decade. A Game of Their Own chronicles the largely invisible history of women in baseball. Jennifer Ring includes oral histories of eleven members of the U.S. Women’s National Team, from the moment each player picked up a bat and ball as a young girl to her selection for Team USA. Each story is unique, but they share common themes that will resonate with all baseball fans: facing skepticism and taunts from players and parents when taking the batter’s box or the pitcher’s mound, self-doubt, the unceasing pressure to switch to softball, and eventual acceptance by their baseball teammates as they prove themselves as ballplayers. The stories of these racially, culturally, and economically diverse players come alive as they recount their battles and most memorable moments playing baseball -- the joys of exceeding expectations and the pleasure of honing baseball skills and talent despite the lack of support. Featuring exclusive interviews with players, coaches, and administrators, A Game of Their Own celebrates the U.S. Women’s National Team and the excellence of its remarkable players. In response to the jeer “No girls allowed!” these are powerful stories of optimism and staying true to oneself.
Listen in to our wonderful evening with Jennifer Ring in the Clubhouse...
A story that needs to be told...
Devised in the late nineteenth century, the United States government’s “solution” to “the Indian Problem” was simple and heartless. Take the children from their homes, strip them of their cultural identity and pride, and make them “Americans.” Teaching them baseball -- “America's Game” -- would complete the indoctrination. Or so they thought.
Freedom Between The Lines recreates the story of Native American youth sent to a federally run boarding school -- the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. What awaits the children is a carefully plotted re-education program intended to “civilize” them by “driving the Indian out of them.” The psychological assault begins as soon as they arrive: hair is cut, uniforms issued, clothes and keepsakes destroyed. In baseball, however, the boys find a way to reclaim their proud warrior tradition, a way to compete fairly against an unjust society. The book focuses upon one of the boys, Charles Albert Bender. He was so good at “America' Game,” Bender became the only Native American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The book includes a supplement with many photos that traces both the tragic history of the government’s attempts to solve “the Indian problem,” and the early history of baseball’s amazing appeal to all of America.
A recently retired English teacher, Gregory Rubano is currently the director and curriculum consultant for an arts integrated anti-bullying and intolerance program, All for Youth.
Listen in to our Clubhouse conversation with Greg Rubano and Freedom Between The Lines...
We’ve hosted Hall of Famers and Pulitzer Prize winners. But never a 16-year-old author. Until now.
Matt Nadel’s first book -- Amazing Aaron to Zero Zippers -- is an A-to-Z compendium of the best players, ballparks, teams, and moments in the history of the game. Filled with stats and quick facts, and featuring over 50 iconic photographs, the book is a primer for baseball beginners, a resource for developing fans, and a treat for long-time devotees. Special bonus: a foreword by Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.
All of Matt’s book proceeds will be donated to the ALS, Turn 2, Jackie Robinson, and Hall of Fame foundations.
Matt Nadel has written an MLB.com Pro Blog since he was 13-years-old. He’s interviewed Yogi Berra, Hank Aaron, Bud Selig, Rob Manfred, Billy Crystal, President George W. Bush and many others. Matt would like to interview every living President and Hall of Famer. A 10th grader who resides in New Jersey, he aspires to be a baseball journalist and historian. When not doing baseball research or working on his blog, Matt enjoys watching his beloved Yankees, playing video games, and eating chocolate ice cream with rice krispies.
On a March evening, Matt Nadel came to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse for his first-ever book event. In front of a standing-room-only crowd, Matt showed why he's a "can't-miss" prospect. Listen in...
“I pray that my Dad knew how much I loved and respected him. I am very blessed to be able to say that Joe Black was my father.” -Martha Jo Black
When Joe Black was in high school, a Major League scout told him that the color of his skin would keep him out of the big leagues. But in 1952, at the age of 28, he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In the face of segregation, verbal harassment, and even death threats, Joe Black became Jackie Robinson’s roommate and rose to the top of his game; he was named National League Rookie of the Year and became the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game. With the same tenacity he showed in his baseball career, Black became the first African-American vice president of a transportation corporation when he went to work for Greyhound.
Martha Jo Black is the daughter of Joe Black. She lives in Chicago, where she works for the Chicago White Sox.
Joe Black: More Than A Dodger. Listen in to our intimate Clubhouse conversation with Martha Jo Black from a March evening, where she shared stories of the father she knew and loved...
“No man lives his image.” -Gil Hodges
“As a Marine, one of Brooklyn’s beloved Boys of Summer, and the manager of the Miracle Mets, Gil Hodges lived a great American life, though one cut too short. In these pages you understand how Hodges defined what it meant to be a role model in a golden age." -Tom Verducci, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
“Zachter brings the same grace and precision to the page that Hodges brought to first base at Ebbets Field and with methodical research, insight, and pure affection gives life to the man behind the astounding stats.” -Marty Markowitz, former Brooklyn Borough president
“Whether focusing on Hodges the Hoosier, the marine on Okinawa, the home run-hitting slugger, or the Brooklynite on Bedford Avenue, Mort Zachter has given us Gil, right down to the nub of his Marlboro.” -Bob McGee, author of The Greatest Ballpark Ever
Listen in to Mort Zachter's appearance in the Clubhouse on a snowy March evening and you’ll understand the warm praise...
Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup
“Andrew Zimbalist is a perpetual source of insight on the economics and administration of modern sports.” -Bob Costas
For his third appearance in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse -- and on the date of its release -- we celebrated the newest book by noted sports economist Andrew Zimbalist.
Athletes compete for national honor in Olympic and World Cup games. But the road to these mega events is paved by big business. How did both the Olympics and the World Cup evolve from noble sporting events to exhibits of excess? And what is the "winner's curse?"
Listen in to our wide-ranging, fascinating Clubhouse conversation with Andrew Zimbalist...
Andrew Zimbalist is the country’s preeminent sports economist, a frequent sports industry consultant and media commentator, professor at Smith College, and author of many books, including The Sabermetric Revolution, Baseball and Billions, Circling the Bases, and In the Best Interests of Baseball.
"I was born and raised in a ballpark."
A special event in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse: "A Baseball Life" with Bill Giles and author John Lord.
Celebrating Bill Giles & Baseball, we discussed the inner workings of the national pastime.
Bill and John spoke about realignment, the wild card, revenue sharing, collusion, Bud Selig, Peter Ueberroth, Lance Parrish, Ernie Lombardi's missing glove, Pete Rose, the Major League Baseball Players Association, Citizens Bank Park, and so much more.
Listen in to an evening of emotion and stories, live from the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
In 1910, auto magnate Hugh Chalmers offered an automobile to the baseball player with the highest batting average that season. What followed was a batting race unlike any before or since, between the greatest but most despised hitter, Detroit's Ty Cobb, and the American League's first superstar, Cleveland’s popular Napoleon Lajoie.
The race came down to the last game of the season and became a national obsession.
The Chalmers Race details a story of dubious scorekeeping and statistical systems, of performances and personalities in conflict, of accurate results coming in 70 years too late, and of a contest settled not by play on the field but by human foibles.
Do you know this story of baseball and America?
On October 9, Rick Huhn led our Clubhouse conversation. Listen in...
The final NY Giants Preservation Society event of the 2014 season.
Special guest: Ed Lucas
"Baseball took my sight, but gave me a life."
There is nothing else to add, except listen. Please pull up a chair and listen. 47 spellbinding minutes...
On a September evening, we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of The Catcher Was a Spy with Nicholas Dawidoff, writer extraordinaire.
Dawidoff, a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard, has been a Guggenheim Fellow, Civitella Ranieri Fellow, Berlin Prize Fellow of the American Academy, Anschutz Distinguished Fellow at Princeton University, and is currently a Branford Fellow at Yale University. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Fly Swatter, Dawidoff is a contributor to The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, and Rolling Stone.
Listen in to Nicholas Dawidoff, a fascinating fellow, discuss his books The Catcher Was a Spy and Collision Low Crossers. A captivating conversation in the Clubhouse...
On an evening in June 1970, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In all of baseball history, Dock is the only pitcher to ever claim he accomplished this feat while high on LSD.
During his 12 years in the major leagues, Dock lived the expression “Black is Beautiful!” He wore curlers on the field. He stepped out of his Cadillac wearing the widest bell bottoms and the broadest collars. When he put on his uniform, he was one of the most intimidating pitchers of the 1970s.
Dock was often at the forefront of controversy and was an outspoken leader of a new wave of civil rights in sports.
After retiring, Dock became as outspoken about his career-spanning substance abuse issues as he had been about intolerance. He spent his last decades utilizing his brash approach as a counselor, helping other addicts in their recoveries.
On the eve of its theatrical release, we viewed limited footage from No No: A Dockumentary. Listen in to the discussion that followed with director Jeffrey Radice and preeminent sports agent Tom Reich. A fascinating evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
A special All-Star evening in the Clubhouse...
"Big Red: Baseball, Fatherhood, and My Life in the Big Red Machine" by Ken Griffey and Phil Pepe
Reflecting on an outstanding 19-year major league career, Ken Griffey's autobiography details his decision to venture into the baseball business, documenting his time as a player, scout, coach, and manager along with his accomplishments as a father, raising two other major league ballplayers: Craig, who played briefly for the Seattle Mariners, and future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
Capturing Griffey's time with the Big Red Machine, this book details his days playing alongside Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Pete Rose, highlighting the Reds' two consecutive world championships in 1975 and 1976. Finally, the ultimate thrill of his career is featured: playing in the same outfield in 1990 with his son, Ken Griffey Jr., during the game where they hit back-to-back home runs -- the only father-son combination to do so in the history of Major League Baseball.
We spent the night of the All-Star Game with someone who played in it. Listen in to Ken Griffey's behind-the-scenes stories of what it’s like when baseball really does run in the family...
America 1976. Colorful. Complex. Combustible.
A year of Bicentennial celebrations and presidential primaries, of Olympic glory and busing riots, of “killer bees” hysteria and Pong fever. For both the nation and the national pastime, the year was revolutionary.
It was the craziest season of baseball’s most colorful decade. A year which witnessed the “Big Red Machine,” the rise of the “Bronx Zoo”-era New York Yankees, the dismantling of the Oakland A’s dynasty, the onset of full-scale free agency, the outrageous antics of team owners Bill Veeck, Ted Turner, George Steinbrenner, and Charlie Finley -- all set against the star-spangled backdrop of America’s Bicentennial.
Listen in as author Dan Epstein visited the Clubhouse for this highly entertaining trip back to 1976...
Dan Epstein is an award-winning journalist, pop culture historian, and avid baseball fan who has written for Rolling Stone, SPIN, Men’s Journal, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, MOJO, Guitar World, Revolver, LA Weekly and dozens of other publications. He is the author of the acclaimed Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging ‘70s. A Detroit Tigers fan since the mid-70s, he adopted the Chicago Cubs as his National League team in 1980, for better and (mostly) worse.
On June 17th, the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse hosted the NY Giants Preservation Society's summer meeting. Their special guest: Bill Madden.
The 2010 recipient of the Baseball Hall of Fame's J.G. Taylor Spink Award, Bill Madden has covered baseball for the New York Daily News for more than 30 years.
Listen in as Bill discussed his outstanding new book -- 1954: The Year Willie Mays and the First Generation of Black Superstars Changed Major League Baseball Forever...
On a June evening, a Pulitzer Prize-winner returned to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse.
This stunning tribute to Wrigley Field, written by journalist Ira Berkow, coincides with the 100th anniversary of “the one and only.” Wrigley Field brilliantly and beautifully documents the stadium’s entire career through a decade-by-decade account, a priceless collection of historical photographs and memorabilia, and vivid first-person reminiscences of the people to whom this great place has meant so much.
Notable fans interviewed for this book include Barack Obama, Scott Turow, Joe Mantegna, Sara Paretsky, Jim Bouton, and George Will, among others. With a foreword by former major leaguer Kerry Wood and a preface by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, this is a keepsake book for all baseball fans.
Ira Berkow, a sports columnist and feature writer for The New York Times for 26 years, shared a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and was a Pulitzer finalist for Distinguished Commentary. The author of 20 books, Ira was born and raised in Chicago, but has called New York home for many years.
An evening of storytelling in the Clubhouse with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ira Berkow. Listen in...
“John Rosengren extraordinarily depicts how two men long since retired taught the world a valuable lesson -- that it is okay to forgive.”
-Andre Dawson, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
The moment is immortalized by an iconic photo: Juan Marichal’s bat poised to strike John Roseboro’s head.
But that moment is merely a flashpoint in an extraordinary story about fierce baseball competition and culture, an era of great conflict and change, and two men who were determined to turn an ugly incident from their past into a beautiful friendship.
One Sunday in August 1965, when baseball’s bitter rivals, the Giants and Dodgers, vied for the pennant, the national pastime reflected the tensions in society and nearly sullied two men forever. Marichal, a Dominican anxious about his family’s safety during the civil war back home, and Roseboro, a black man living in South Central L.A. shaken by the Watts riots, attacked one another during a fight -- uncharacteristic of either man -- that linked the two forever and haunted both.
In The Fight of Their Lives, award-winning author John Rosengren explores the American culture of the time. Through interviews with Roseboro’s surviving family and Marichal himself, contemporary and remembered accounts of teammates like Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays, and dogged research, Rosengren unpacks a story that transcends the game. Listen in...
John Rosengren is the award-winning author of eight books, including Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. His articles have appeared in more than 100 publications, ranging from Reader’s Digest to Sports Illustrated to the Utne Reader.
The Myth and Mystery of Baseball's Greatest Home Run
Game Three of the 1932 World Series between the Cubs and Yankees. Some 50,000 fans had gathered at Wrigley Field that bright October day, but above their roar Babe Ruth heard insults pouring from the Cubs dugout. He watched a fastball from Cubs pitcher Charlie Root set the count at 2-2. Agitated, the Bambino made a gesture, holding out two fingers -- but what did it mean? In the on-deck circle, Lou Gehrig heard him call out: “I’m going to knock the next one down your goddamn throat.” Then the game’s greatest showman pounded the next pitch. The ball whizzed past the centerfield scoreboard and began its long journey into history.
In an instant, the legend of the Called Shot was born. The debate about what Ruth actually did still divides fans and sports historians alike more than 80 years later. Deftly placing the homer in the social and economic contexts of the time, veteran sportswriter Ed Sherman gives us the first full-length, in-depth look at one of baseball’s most celebrated, debated, and enduring moments -- including the incredible stories of two handheld films taken by fans and rediscovered decades later -- and answers the question: Did Ruth really call his shot?
Pull up a seat and listen in to our Clubhouse discussion as we learn the answer...
Ed Sherman, a longtime Chicago Tribune writer, reports on sports media for his highly acclaimed website, ShermanReport.com
“The star of Down to the Last Pitch is Tim Wendel, one of our game’s must-read writers.”
-John Thorn, official historian of Major League Baseball
Never before in baseball history had a team finished last and rallied to take the pennant the following season. Yet in 1991, lightning struck twice as the Minnesota Twins and the Atlanta Braves both reached the World Series. Four of the games between the Twins and Braves were settled by “walk-off” runs. Three of them, including the climactic Game Seven, went into extra innings. And all seven games had memorable moments.
In Down to the Last Pitch, award-winning writer Tim Wendel brings to life these seven memorable games, weaving contemporary interviews with discussions decades later about this classic World Series, and teasing out fact from legend.
Tim Wendel was a founding editor of USA Today's Baseball Weekly, which was in its inaugural season when the 1991 Twins-Braves Series played out. The highly acclaimed author of 11 books is currently writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University.
The first three-time author in the Clubhouse, Tim was previously here with High Heat and Summer of '68. Listen in to this discussion of Down to the Last Pitch with one of the game's must-read writers...
On April 10th, the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse hosted the NY Giants Preservation Society's spring meeting. Their special guests: Dusty Rhodes's children, Helane and Jeffrey. They spoke, answered questions, mingled, exhibited one-of-a-kind memorabilia. A special night in the Clubhouse. A standing-room-only crowd. Pull up a chair and listen in...
Ted Williams wanted to be an immortal. He arrived in Boston in 1939, a cocky 20-year-old phenom eager to become, in his words, the “greatest hitter who ever lived.” Just two years later, his .406 batting average -- a mark that has never again been met -- backed up that claim. In The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams, Ben Bradlee, Jr., draws on numerous untapped sources to take us inside the clubhouse, the batter’s box, and beyond. He reveals new details about Williams’s feelings of shame over his Mexican heritage, his war service, the rages that fueled his brilliance on the field but severely damaged his private life, and the bizarre family drama that played out after Ted’s death, when his body was cryonically preserved. The Kid is the story of a man as big as his myth, the story of an exceptional, tumultuous and epic American life -- an immortal life.
Ben Bradlee Jr. spent 25 years with The Boston Globe. As a deputy managing editor, Bradlee oversaw the Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. He also reported overseas for The Globe from Afghanistan, South Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Vietnam. Bradlee has written three previous books: “The Ambush Murders,” “Prophet of Blood,” and “Guts and Glory: The Rise and Fall of Oliver North.”
To celebrate the start of Baseball Season 2014, a .400 hitter and a Pulitzer Prize-winner. Join The Kid and Ben Bradlee Jr. in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
Leading off our first author event of 2014, the country's preeminent sports economist...
The Sabermetric Revolution with Andrew Zimbalist
From the front office to the family room, sabermetrics has dramatically changed the way baseball players are assessed and valued. Rocketed to popularity by the 2003 bestseller Moneyball and the film of the same name, the use of sabermetrics to analyze player performance has appeared to be a David to the Goliath of systemically advantaged richer teams who could only be toppled by creative statistical analysis. The story has been so compelling that, over the past decade, team after team has integrated statistical analysis into their front offices. But how accurately can crunching numbers quantify a player's ability? Do sabermetrics truly level the playing field for financially disadvantaged teams? How much of the baseball analytic trend is fad and how much fact?
The Sabermetric Revolution sets the record straight on the role of analytics in baseball, correcting common misinterpretations and developing new methods to assess the effectiveness of sabermetrics on team performance. While the conclusion is optimistic, there is also caution that sabermetric insights will be more difficult to come by in the future.
Spend an hour with the country's preeminent sports economist. Listen in to our fascinating Clubhouse discussion with Andrew Zimbalist...
On Wednesday, January 8th -- the evening of the Hall of Fame announcement -- baseball columnist Ken Davidoff joined the New York Giants Preservation Society winter meeting for a fascinating discussion/Q&A at the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Pull up a seat and listen in...
Before we closed the book on another year of extraordinary events in the Clubhouse, we had one more for the fans...
The Groundbreaking History of WFAN with author Tim Sullivan and special guest Rich Ackerman
A behind-the-scenes look at the most powerful voices on New York’s AM dial, this is the all-encompassing history of WFAN. Created in 1987, WFAN was the nation’s first 24-hour, all-sports radio station and this work recounts how, a quarter-century later, it is the highest-rated station in New York and the home to many unforgettable radio personalities.
On December 18th, seasoned journalist Tim Sullivan -- along with special guest Rich Ackerman -- took us through the history, impact, egos, fans, and stories of WFAN. For your listening pleasure...
On December 12th, three noted Major League Baseball Scouts returned to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse for a fascinating insider's conversation/Q&A...
Billy Blitzer - Pro Scout, Chicago Cubs
Joe Rigoli - Pro Scout, St. Louis Cardinals
Dennis Sheehan - Northeast Area Supervisor, Atlanta Braves
Panel Moderator: Lee Lowenfish
It was, once again, an enchanting evening. Listen in...
“A beautiful compilation of the finest work of a uniquely talented artist.” -Bob Costas
Willard Mullin’s Golden Age of Baseball: Drawings 1934-1972 collects for the first time Mullin’s best drawings devoted to baseball. From Babe Ruth to the Baby Mets, Willard Mullin, “Sports Cartoonist of the 20th Century,” was there. Beautiful, tearful, insightful, morally charged, and outrageously hilarious cartoons. Gehrig, DiMaggio, Musial, Berra, Mantle, Mays, the Brooklyn Bum, and hundreds more make history anew in this astounding collection.
Join Hal Bock from his December appearance in the Clubhouse and learn why millions of baseball fans from the ‘30s to the ‘70s looked forward to Willard Mullin’s cartoons in their daily paper.
Hal Bock, an Associated Press sportswriter for over 40 years, specialized in baseball. He covered more World Series than any AP sportswriter in history. A New York City native, Hal’s passion for sportswriting was cultivated by boyhood trips to the ballpark with his father, a postal worker and sports enthusiast who sometimes wrote poetry.
Smoky Joe Wood. He impersonated a woman, had one of the most dominating seasons in major league history, and coached the Yale University baseball team.
With details culled from interviews and family archives, this biography, the first of this rugged player of the Deadball Era, brings to life one of the genuine characters in baseball history.
Listen in to a fascinating Clubhouse discussion led by Gerald Wood... Smoky Joe Wood.
One of the most revered public figures of the 20th Century, Jackie Robinson is remembered for both his athletic prowess and his strong personal character. The world knows him as the man who crossed baseball's color line, but there is much more to his legacy. At the conclusion of his baseball career, Robinson continued in his pursuit of social progress. Beyond Home Plate, an anthology of Jackie Robinson's columns in the New York Post and the New York Amsterdam News, offers fresh insight into the Hall of Famer's life and work following his historic years on the baseball diamond.
Robinson's syndicated newspaper columns afforded him the opportunity to provide rich social commentary, while simultaneously exploring his own life and experiences. He was free to write about any subject of his choosing, and he took full advantage of this license, speaking his mind about everything from playing Santa to confronting racism, from loving his wife Rachel to despising Barry Goldwater, from complaining about Cassius Clay's verbosity to teaching Little Leaguers how to lose well.
Jackie wrote to prod and provoke, inflame and infuriate, and sway and persuade. With their pointed opinions, these fascinating columns reveal that the mature Robinson was a truly American prophet, a civil rights leader in his own right, furious with racial injustice and committed to securing first-class citizenship for all. Jackie believed that his life after his baseball career was far more important than all of his baseball exploits. Beyond Home Plate shows why he believed this so fervently.
Listen in to a fascinating Clubhouse discussion led by Michael G. Long...
A night to remember.
The Bergino Baseball Clubhouse hosted the NY Giants Preservation Society for their final meeting of 2013. The featured guest speaker: none other than Peter Magowan.
In a packed, yet relaxed, Clubhouse, Peter told stories about his life as a Giants fan, the Polo Grounds, AT&T Park, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Horace Stoneham, Stan Musial, and more.
Listen in to one of the great night’s in Clubhouse history, featuring the guys & dolls of the NY Giants Preservation Society and Peter Magowan...
Part Two of the All-Star Scouts Round Table... On the morning of the All-Star Game, Baseball Prospectus hosted an All-Star Scouts Round Table in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. The panel was moderated by Joe Hamrahi, president of Baseball Prospectus. Joining Joe on the panel: Don Welke, senior special assistant to the GM & Scouting for the Texas Rangers Dennis Sheehan, northeast area supervisor for the Atlanta Braves *Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus Listen in as these legendary gents discussed the art of scouting and then took questions from our VIP audience. A fascinating morning in the Clubhouse. Here's the conclusion, part two...
On the morning of the All-Star Game, Baseball Prospectus hosted an All-Star Scouts Round Table in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. The panel was moderated by Joe Hamrahi, president of Baseball Prospectus. Joining Joe on the panel: Don Welke, senior special assistant to the GM & Scouting for the Texas Rangers Dennis Sheehan, northeast area supervisor for the Atlanta Braves *Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus Listen in as these legendary gents discussed the art of scouting and then took questions from our VIP audience. A fascinating morning in the Clubhouse...
The DiMaggios: Three Brothers, Their Passion for Baseball, Their Pursuit of the American Dream In The DiMaggios, Tom Clavin draws on a wealth of source materials, interviews with family members and teammates, and in-depth reporting to reveal how three kids from an immigrant family of eleven found their way to the upper echelons of American sports and popular culture. A vivid portrait of a family and the ways in which their shifting fortunes and status shaped their relationships, it is also a transporting exploration of an era and a culture, using baseball as a lens to view and understand American society in the twentieth century. Listen in to a fascinating discussion from the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse, as Tom Clavin brings to life the great American story of three brothers -- Joltin' Joe, Dom, and Vince DiMaggio -- and the great American game, baseball, that would consume their lives...
The team that's lived a life like no other finally receives the epic retelling it deserves. From the author of the beloved Mets fan memoir Faith and Fear in Flushing comes The Happiest Recap, a four-volume history of the New York Mets.
Their greatest games, the era they were played in, the circumstances surrounding them, the people who made them happen. 500-plus tales of the Mets at their best and sometimes overcoming their worst. The championship years, the striving years, the stumbling years. These are the games you'll always remember and the games you'll be glad you finally met.
Greg Prince is co-author of Faith and Fear in Flushing, "the blog for Mets fans who like to read," and author of the book of the same name, an intensely personal memoir of his life as a Mets fan. Greg has written about baseball for The New York Times, ESPN.com, the Huffington Post and Yahoo! Sports, and contributed to the documentary The Last Play at Shea. A communications consultant away from the diamond, Greg lives on Long Island, but will always consider Shea Stadium his spiritual home.
Listen in to Greg Prince -- and the happy recap -- from the Clubhouse...
During our intimate, exclusive VIP Special Event, Dwight spoke eloquently about his relationship with his Dad, the pressure of pitching in NYC, his childhood, the memories of his playing career, his teammates, addiction, the fans, Mets history and more...
Listen in as Doc made us laugh, cry, remember. Father’s Day. A special day in the Clubhouse.
Between 1870 and 2010, 165 Jewish Americans played Major League Baseball. This book presents oral histories from Bob Berman, a catcher for the Washington Senators in 1918, to Adam Greenberg, an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs in 2005. The players discuss their careers and consider how their Jewish heritage affected them. Legends like Hank Greenberg and Al Rosen, as well as lesser-known players, reflect on the issue of whether to play on high holidays, responses to anti-Semitism on and off the field, bonds formed with Black teammates also facing prejudice, and personal and Jewish pride in their accomplishments.
Listen in, as Peter Ephross takes us through the oral histories that present a vivid portrait of what it was like to be a Jewish Major Leaguer...
For those who remember him, Mark Fidrych is still that player who brings a smile to your face, the irresistibly likable pitcher whose sudden rise brightened the season of 1976 and reminded us of the pure joy of the game.
Lanky, mop-topped, and nicknamed for his resemblance to Big Bird on Sesame Street, Fidrych exploded onto the national stage during the Bicentennial summer as a rookie with the Detroit Tigers. He won over fans nationwide with his wildly endearing antics such as talking to the ball -- and throwing back the ones that “had hits in them;” getting down on his knees to “manicure” the mound of any cleat marks; and shaking hands with just about everyone from teammates to groundskeepers to cops during and after games. Female fans tried to obtain locks of his hair from his barber and even named babies after him.
But The Bird was no mere sideshow. The non-roster invitee to spring training that year quickly emerged as one of the best pitchers in the game. Meanwhile, his boyish enthusiasm, his famously modest lifestyle, and his refusal to sign with an agent during the days of labor disputes and free agency made him a fan favorite. A rare player who transcended pop culture, Fidrych was named starting pitcher in the All-Star Game as a rookie (the first of his two All-Star nods) and became the first athlete to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Baseball researcher Doug Wilson delivers the first biography of this once-in-a-lifetime player. Through extensive interviews and meticulous research, the author recounts Fidrych’s meteoric rise from Northborough, Massachusetts to the big leagues, his heartbreaking fall after injuries, his comeback attempts with the Tigers and in the Red Sox system, and one unforgettable night when The Bird pitched a swan song for the Pawtucket Red Sox against future star Dave Righetti in a game that remains part of local folklore. Finally, Wilson captures Fidrych’s post-baseball life and his roles in the community, tragically culminating with his death in a freak accident at the age of 54.
Listen in -- as we celebrate The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych...
You're not getting any younger. Listen up.
"I don't know whether Ron Kaplan took any performance-enhancing drugs, but he has accomplished something amazing. His book is the ultimate guide to baseball literature. If you love baseball or books or any combination thereof, you should pick this up now." -A. J. Jacobs, editor-at-large at Esquire magazine and author of four New York Times bestsellers
From a bewildering array of baseball books, Ron Kaplan has chosen 501 of the best, making it easier for fans to find just the books to suit them -- or to know what they're missing. From biography, history, fiction, and instruction to books about ballparks, business, and rules, anyone who loves to read about baseball will find in this book a companionable guide, far more fun than a reference work has any right to be.
In addition to working as a sports and features editor for a weekly New Jersey publication, Ron Kaplan is a freelance writer, specializing in book reviews. A long-time member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he serves as editor for the Bibliography Committee Newsletter. Ron writes about baseball books and other media regularly at RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com.
Since the pages on a calendar continue to turn for us all, listen in to the lively Clubhouse discussion about 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die...
Derek Jeter. Mariano Rivera. Jorge Posada. Andy Pettitte.
Tracing the careers of four instrumental players who turned around the New York Yankees, Core Four shares behind-the-scenes stories from their early days together in the minors through the 2012 season, and follows them on their majestic ride to the top of the baseball world. At a time when the Yankees were in free fall, having failed to win a World Series in 17 years and had not played in one in 14 years -- the Bronx Bombers’ longest drought since before the days of Babe Ruth -- along came four young players whose powerful impact returned the franchise to its former glory.
Phil Pepe is the author of more than 50 books on sports, including Few and Chosen Yankees: Defining Yankee Greatness Across the Eras, The Yankees: An Authorized History of the New York Yankees, as well as a biography of Yogi Berra, and collaborations with New York Yankee legends Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin, and Whitey Ford. He is a former Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News and a past president of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
The legendary Phil Pepe filled the Clubhouse with fascinating stories about the Core Four, Yankees history, and a touching memory about Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey. Listen and enjoy...
“A man does not expire with his last breath. He lives on in memories and the changes he wrought. Hank Greenberg is not dead. So long as his story is told, he remains with us.” --John Rosengren, epilogue to “Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes”
Baseball in the 1930's was more than a national pastime; it was a cultural touchstone that galvanized communities and gave a struggling country its heroes despite the woes of the Depression.
Hank Greenberg, one of the most exciting sluggers in baseball history, gave the people of Detroit a reason to be proud. But America was facing more than economic hardship. With the Nazis gaining power across Europe, political and social tensions were approaching a boiling point. As one of the few Jewish athletes competing nationally, Greenberg became not only an iconic ballplayer, but also an important and sometimes controversial symbol of Jewish identity and the American immigrant experience.
When Hank joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933, they were headed for a dismal fifth-place season finish. The following year, with Hank leading the charge, they were fighting off the New York Yankees for the pennant. As his star ascended, he found himself cheered wherever he went. But there were other noises, too. On and off the field, he met with taunts and anti-Semitic threats. Yet the hardship only drove him on to greater heights, sharing the spotlight with the most legendary sluggers of the day, including Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig.
Enter the Clubhouse, as award-winning author John Rosengren discussed his new book, Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. Director Aviva Kempner joined the discussion and screened exciting new extra footage from the DVD of her Peabody Award-winning documentary, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.
So Many Seasons In The Sun is the untold history of baseball as seen in the story of the major leagues' two most historically important teams told from the vantage point of the game's ultimate insiders, Fred and Ed Logan, Pete Sheehy, and Mike Murphy. These four legendary clubhouse men are at the center of So Many Seasons In the Sun. Their combined service for baseball's two most storied franchises, the Highlanders/Yankees of New York, and the Giants of both New York and San Francisco, stretches over a century. Their stories, and the stories they tell, present the rich history of major league baseball, of great players, great teams, and great seasons from the 1880s until today.
In visiting baseball's inner sanctum, the "No Visitors Allowed" sign that has barred the clubhouse door for So Many Seasons In The Sun is taken down for the first time for a unique look at what is the real center of all that is important with any baseball team.
Join Larry Hogan as he takes us into major league clubhouses at this special event hosted by the New York Giants Preservation Society...
It would have been enough just to see them pitch. Taking the mound at San Francisco's Candlestick Park that summer night in 1963 were 42-year-old Warren Spahn and 25-year-old Juan Marichal -- the embodiment of an ageless wonder headed for the Hall of Fame and a whirling wunderkind making his own case for immortality. But as one scoreless inning followed another en route to a 16th-inning climax, the 15,921 fans in attendance began to sense that they were watching a pitching duel for the ages. They remained, shivering and thrilled, to see it end after midnight. The sui generis event surpassed the world of statistics and entered into the realm of magic.
Author Jim Kaplan, who covered baseball for Sports Illustrated in the 1970's and 1980's, initially planned to expand a magazine story he'd written about the game into book form. The more he researched the principals in his travels from San Francisco to South Buffalo to Santo Domingo, however, the more fascinated he became with their biographies. Spahn was one of the most decorated ballplayers to fight in World War II. Marichal narrowly escaped death three times. Despite their obvious differences -- Spahn was white, American, and left-handed, Marichal is bronzed, Dominican, and right-handed -- Kaplan found extraordinary similarities between the friendly rivals.
Listen in as Jim Kaplan takes us back, 50 years ago, to The Greatest Game Ever Pitched...
BIG FLY BASEBALL RADIO HOUR - FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2013
A CELEBRATION OF BASEBALL ENTERTAINMENT
SPECIAL GUEST: FORMER MLB PLAYER, BILLY SAMPLE
YOUR HOST: CHRIS LUTKIN
BIG FLY BASEBALL RADIO HOUR PROGRAM
RAPHAEL BADAGLIACCA - THE YOGI POEMS & OTHER CELEBRATIONS OF LOCAL BASEBALL
Author Raphael Badagliacca reads from his book, “The Yogi Poems,” a collection of 25 stories and poems is for anyone who loves baseball. http://www.theyogibook.com/
BROOKLYN BRAD – CASEY AT THE BAT
Brad "Brooklyn" Shaw, President of the Flemington Neshanock Base Ball Club and historian of the MAVBBL and VBBA (Vintage Base Ball Associations), performs his rendition of “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1888).
Brad will also share insights on playing in Vintage Baseball leagues in the area, including his team, the Flemington Neshanock, from Huntington, NJ. Chris Lutkin also plays Vintage Baseball, for the Hoboken Nine. The Hoboken Nine are partially sponsored by the Hoboken Historical Museum.
http://www.neshanock.org/ www.HobokenNine.vbba.org
A READING FROM SCREENPLAY ‘BULL’
Written by Chris Lutkin and Enrico Falconi / Directed by Enrico Falconi
CAST:
Johnny Lancaster as Bull Smith
Brian Kelly as Honus Wagner
Jack Mulcahy as Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Fred Clarke
Enrico Falconi as Umpire Silk O’Connor
“Field of Dreams” meets a modern day "League of Their Own" in this new feature film screenplay, “Bull.” Seen through the eyes of a troubled 17-year old All Star athlete, we uncover the life of her Great Great Grandfather, "Bull," a real life ball player from a bygone era.
https://pro-labs.imdb.com/title/tt2609368/filmmakers http://www.bullsmithmovie.com/
MORTY’S SONG by LEFTY
The Big Fly Baseball Radio Hour is proud to host LEFTY as our first House Band.
LEFTY IS:
Todd Montgomery, guitar, vocals
Todd Grapes, guitar, harmonica, percussion
Dave Bergman, flute
Bridget Hayes, percussion, vocals
In addition to music throughout the show, Lefty performed a special song honoring anyone who ever played softball in Central Park: Morty’s Song. Morty Gilbert has been playing Softball on the Hecksher Fields since WWII. Now 82 years old, he still holds the permit for Sundays at 11am; he no longer pitches but still bats in his games. Diana Gross has made a documentary, "The Regulars," about Morty and his longest running (and one of the last) pickup softball games in Central Park. Please go to the website to donate or get more info: www.TheRegularsDocumentary.com
BILLY SAMPLE - REUNION 108
INTERVIEWED by JACK MULCAHEY
“Reunion 108” is a full-length, comedy feature film that promises to be a no holds barred behind the scenes and in your face look into the world of professional baseball.
Billy Sample is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1978-1986. Sample played for the Texas Rangers (1978-1984), New York Yankees (1985) and Atlanta Braves (1986). His new baseball comedy “Reunion 108,” based on many of his own experiences in baseball, comical and otherwise, will have its first showings at the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, N.J., on April 8.
Jack Mulcahy is the epitome of the working New York actor with over 80 stage, screen and television credits. He has starred in a wide array of feature films, from the award winning and critically acclaimed “Brothers McMullen” all the way back to the box office smashes of the “Porky’s” trilogy. Jack has several films set for release in 2013, including “Stuck in the Middle”, a theological slacker comedy, and “Reunion 108”, a baseball comedy that’s certain to ruffle the feathers of baseball’s establishment.
www.reunion108.com
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME - Led by Brad “Brooklyn” Shaw
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was written by Jack Norworth in 1908 after seeing a subway add for the NY Giants. The music was by Albert Von Tilzer. Neither had ever been to a baseball game.
From the Library Journal: "If you had to pick out one year that epitomized the volatility of the 1970s, 1973 would be it. Watergate was rearing its ugly head. The Vietnam War finally ended. OPEC embargoed oil, sending gas prices soaring. In the midst of all of this, Matthew Silverman suggests, baseball offered a reprieve. He details how the 1973 MLB season unfolded as it ushered in Willie Mays’s last season, and started two American League phenomena that changed the game: the designated hitter and George Steinbrenner’s ownership of the New York Yankees. Silverman takes readers around the major leagues, placing the baseball season in the cultural and political climate of 1973 as he does so. Anecdotes about such cultural details as the Atkin’s diet and Archie Bunker do not hinder the larger story as he effectively connects 1973 into baseball history. He crafts a thrilling account of the 1973 baseball season itself right up to the final out of the World Series. The reader will not get bogged down in detail during this fun and fascinating read."
Listen in as author Matthew Silverman takes us back to 1973 -- Baseball's Wildest Season...
Opening Day for the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse Spring 2013 Event Calendar... with a Pulitzer Prize winner throwing out the first pitch!
"My job as a columnist and feature writer, primarily -- as opposed to a beat writer covering the game itself -- was to give a sense, a feel of being there, to write about elements of the on-field participants that the spectator is not aware of, and cannot be aware of from his vantage in the grandstands, or on a couch in front of his television set." -Ira Berkow
Former New York Times columnist Ira Berkow captures the spirit of the New York Mets in this unforgettable collection of opinions, stories, and observations. On this night in the Clubhouse, memories and reflections about Casey Stengel, Tom Seaver, Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra, Art Shamsky, Ron Darling -- and even Michael Jordan & Abba Eban.
Ira Berkow, a sports columnist and feature writer for The New York Times for more than 25 years, won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of 20 books, including the bestsellers Red: A Biography of Red Smith and Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar.
On March 14th, we had a standing-room-only crowd in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse -- and an hour's worth of stories from a Pulitzer Prize winner. Listen in...
(This podcast is dedicated to the memory of Audrey McGinn)
Leroy "Satchel" Paige -- Athlete / Showman / Philosopher / Boundary Breaker
Through dogged research and extensive interviews, award-winning author and journalist Larry Tye has tracked down the truth about this majestic and enigmatic pitcher. A stirring account of the child born to a poor Alabama washerwoman, the boy who earned his nickname from his enterprising work as a railroad porter, and the young man who took up baseball on the streets and in reform school before becoming the superstar hurler of the Negro Leagues.
Larry Tye reveals how Paige, hurt and angry when Jackie Robinson beat him in breaking the Major League color barrier, emerged at the improbable age of 42 to help propel the Cleveland Indians to the World Series.
Over a career that spanned four decades, Satchel pitched more baseballs, for more fans, in more ballparks, for more teams, than any player in history.
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend
Listen in as author Larry Tye leads the discussion in the Clubhouse. And, remember, don't look back. Something might be gaining on you.
Part Two -- Q&A -- with Vernona Gomez.
Enjoy this special event -- live from the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse on December 13, 2012...
Vernona Gomez is the daughter of New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Lefty Gomez and Broadway star June O'Dea.
As a child, she bounced on Babe Ruth's knee, made sandcastles on the spring training beach with Joe DiMaggio, and won card games with Cy Young. Growing up in a baseball family, Vernona was a tag-along with her parents at Old Timers' games, World Series, and Cooperstown Induction weekends. A concert pianist, Vernona made her debut at Carnegie Hall -- at the age of 8.
On December 13th, we were extremely fortunate to have hosted a special night with Vernona Gomez... stories, rare films and personal memories about the dusty streets of turn-of-the-century California, to the frenzied roar of Yankee Stadium and the exuberant sophistication of Broadway.
Our final author of the 2012 Event Calendar in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Enjoy Part One of this special evening with Vernona Gomez...
Listen in as we welcomed Ray Negron for an emotional evening in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse...
"Much of sports can leave us skeptical if not cynical. But I defy anyone to read Ray Negron's remarkable story and not come away believing that there still can be genuine heart, soul, and even redemption in the games we watch and play." -Bob Costas
"Full of fascinating personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes details, it brings back memories of what it was like to be in Yankee Stadium on a warm summer afternoon." -Henry Kissinger
Why was this night different from all other nights in the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse?
On October 25, 2012, we hosted the Inaugural Meeting of the New York Giants Preservation Society. The Clubhouse was packed with mensches who happen to love the Giants.
Listen in to a bit of this evening, as Joshua Prager, author of "The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round The World," told story upon fascinating story.
(This podcast is dedicated to the memory of my Dad.)