Books & Reviews
This section contains information about books I have written or contributed to. Also included are reviews of my work by external media.
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Baltimore Baseball
SABR published a BioProject book on October 18, 2021, titled Baltimore Baseball. The book covers the history of baseball in the Baltimore area through accounts of 84 games from 1876 to 2019. My contributions to the book were game accounts about an 18-inning game in 1959 between the Orioles and Chicago White Sox ended in a tie; and 19-year-old Dave McNally's major-league debut in 1962. Click here to review and purchase on Amazon.com.
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One-Hit Wonders
SABR published its latest BioProject book on September 20, 2021, titled One-Hit Wonders. The book features biographies of 70 major-league players who got only one hit during their career. My contribution to the book included bios for John Hairston Sr. and Rod Dedeaux. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.com.
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Baseball's Biggest Blowout Games
SABR published Baseball's Biggest Blowout Games on September 8, 2020. It contains accounts of games that were the biggest blowout wins for each major-league team. I authored the introduction for the St. Louis Cardinals section, as well as accounts for Cardinals games in 1926, 1929, and 1977. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.
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Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win! The 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves
SABR published its latest BioProject book on April 27, 2020. It features biographies of all 40 players who played for the Braves that season and several stories about noteworthy games. I contributed two games stories: June 6: Klesko and Jones Lead Braves' Biggest Offensive Show of the Year; and October 14: Avery and Devereaux Shine as Braves Complete 1995 NLCS Sweep. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.
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Whales, Terriers, and Terrapins: The Federal League 1914-1915
SABR published its latest BioProject book on March 29, 2020. It contains bios of players and executives and stories about noteworthy games during the two-year existence of the league. The Federal League declared itself a third major league after it "stole" players from the American and National Leagues. It was dissolved after the 1915 season. I contributed game stories about Dave Dvavenport's no-hitter for St. Louis in 1915 and Chicago's triple play during its pennant stretch. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.
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The Glorious Beaneaters of the 1890s
SABR published its latest BioProject book on December 17, 2019. It is titled "The Glorious Beaneaters of the 1890's." The book includes bios of every Boston Beaneater player of the decade in which the team won five pennants. I authored three of the 50 game accounts included in the publication, including their home opener and two pennant-winning games at the end of the 1891 season. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.
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This SABR book, which was published on October 22, 2019, includes 30 articles and accounts of 50 noteworthy games during Babe Ruth's career. I contributed a story about a 1928 World Series game in which Ruth hit three home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.
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Base Ball Palace of the World: Comiskey Park
The latest SABR book titled "Base Ball Palace of the World: Comiskey Park" was published on October 22, 2019. The book includes stories about some of the most memorable games at Chicago's Comiskey Park. I contributed five stories to the book: two involving Negro League World Series games in 1946 and 1947; Gus Zernial's three-homer game in 1950; Jack Harshman's 16-inning shutout in 1954; and Gary Peters's near-perfect game in 1963. Click here to review and purchase the book on Amazon.
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Kansas City Royals: A Royal Tradition
On June 1, 2019, my contribution to this SABR book was published. The book covers the best moments and best players in the franchise's first 50 years. I contributed two game accounts: Danny Duffy's 16-strikeout performance in 2016 and Frank White's 7-RBI game in 1986. Click here to review the book on Amazon.
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San Diego Padres: The First Half Century
On May 7, 2019, my contribution to this SABR book was published. The book contains bios of the players, managers, and executives of the Padres' first season in 1969. It also has accounts of memorable games from that season. I contributed two stories: Tony Gwynn edging out Will Clark for the batting title on the last day of the season; and Adrian Gonzalez's walk off home run to win an 18-inning game. Click here to review the book on Amazon.
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Wrigley Field: Friendly Confines at Clark and Addison
On April 29, 2019, my contribution to this SABR book was published. The book contains stories about noteworthy games at Chicago's Wrigley Field. I wrote the account for Hank Sauer's three-homer games in 1950 and 1952, as well as Mike Schmidt's four-homer game in 1976. Click here to review the book on Amazon.
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1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes
On January 4, 2019, my contribution to this SABR book was published. The book contains biographies of the 1995 Cleveland Indians team, as well as memorable Indians games from that season. I wrote the bio of Eddie "Scooter" Tucker and two game accounts: a 17-inning game on May 7 between the Indians and Twins and Dennis Martinez's ninth consecutive win on July 21. Click here to review the book on Amazon.
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Met-rospectives: A Collection of the Greatest Games in New York Mets History
On September 20, 2018, my contribution to this SABR book was published. The book contains stories about some of the most memorable games in New York Mets history. I wrote the game account for Ron Swoboda's two-homer game in 1969 against Steve Carlton, who struck out 19 for the St. Louis Cardinals that day. I also authored the story about Darryl Strawberry's 11th-inning homer in 1985 to keep the Mets' pennant hopes alive. Click here to review the book on Amazon.
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Cincinnati's Crosley Field: A Gem in the Queen City
On June 9, 2018, my contribution to this SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) book was published. I wrote the stories about the first game at Crosley Field in 1912 and the last game in 1970. A third story I authored was about a 1969 game when the Cincinnat Reds overcame a nine-run deficit to defeat the Astros. Click here to view the book on Amazon.
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Major League Baseball A Mile High: The First Century of the Colorado Rockies
On April 28, 2018, my latest contribution to the SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) BioProject was published in this book, which contains biographies of Rockies players and executives, as well as accounts of memorable Rockies games. I wrote the story about Ken Griffey Jr.'s 400th career home run which he hit on Opening Day at Mile High Stadium in 2000. Click here to view the book on Amazon.
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Sportsman's Park in St. Louis: Home of the Browns and Cardinals at Grand and Dodier
I contributed to this SABR book published in November 2017, about historic games in the old stadium used by the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns until 1965. I wrote two stories about games played in the 1928 World Series and an account of Harry Brecheen's near-perfect game in 1948. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon.com.
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Puerto Rico and Baseball: 60 Biographies
This book was released in June 2017 by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). It contains biographies of the top major-league players from Puerto Rico. The book was a collaborative effort of over 35 SABR member-authors and was edited by Gregory H. Wolf.
I researched and wrote the biography of Ivan DeJesus Sr., who played shortstop in the majors from 1974 to 1988, primarily with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon.com.
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Dome Sweet Dome: History and Highlights from 30 Years of the Houston Astrodome
This book was released in February 2017 by Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). It provides game accounts of seventy significant major-league games in the Houston Astrodome and essays on the introduction of the first domed stadium in American sports, affectionately called "The Eighth Wonder of the World."
The book is a collaborative effort of thirty-seven authors from the SABR community. The lead editor was Gregory H. Wolf. I researched and wrote the game account for Astros pitcher Jerry Reuss' one-hitter on June 18, 1972, against the Philadelphia Phillies. Click here to view and purchased the book on Amazon.com.
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Who's on First: Replacement Players in World War II
This book released in March 2015 by Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) profiles forty-eight players whose careers in major league baseball were tied to the shortage of players during the war. Because of the large number of unknown, unproven players who ascended to big league rosters during the war years, it was the proverbial case of needing a scorecard to know who was in the starting lineup, hence the book title, “Who’s on First.”
I wrote the biography of one of the players featured in the book, John “Fats” Dantonio. He was from New Orleans and played in 50 games with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 and 1945, his only major league seasons.
The book had contributions from over 50 members from SABR who provided the detailed biographies of the 48 players included, as well as interesting pieces about the state of baseball during the war. The primary editors of the book were Marc Aaron and Bill Nowlin. Click here to order this book.
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Family Ties: A Comprehensive Collection of Facts and Trivia About Baseball's Relatives
The game of baseball has more family relationships than any other professional sport. Family Ties contains a wide-ranging compilation of information about the many relatives who have participated in major league baseball. Find out which major league players had roots in the Negro Leagues or the Latin American leagues. Discover which baseball families were the most prolific on the field. Learn about major league brothers’ achievements as teammates and opponents. Family Ties introduces such topics as the “First Family of Baseball” and the “Sons of the Big Red Machine.” These are just a few of the many dimensions of baseball’s relatives organized in this book. Baseball trivia buffs will be re-stocked with new tidbits of information. Baseball researchers and journalists will have new reference material for biographical projects. All readers will be amazed at the vastness of the research represented in this book.
Click here to order this fascinating book.
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Reviews of My Work
Delta Magazine listed Family Ties in its "Hot Topics" feature in the March/April 2013 issue. Click here to read.
Tom Bartsch, editor of Sports Collectors Digest, reviewed Family Ties in its November 2, 2012 issue. Click here to read.
The West Bank Beacon published an article about Family Ties in its November 2102 issue. Click here to read.
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