First off the Kansas City Royals announced that their annual fan caravan is coming to Topeka on Thursday January 17th.  The group of Royal players will meet fans  at Skinny’s Sports Bar and Grill 4016 SW Huntoon.  The fan caravan offers baseball fans a glimpse into the upcoming baseball season and offers the community a opportunity to meet Royals players in a informal setting.

The Royals Players scheduled to appear are–Topeka native Aaron Crow, first baseman Eric Hosmer, and pitcher Everett Teaford, along with team Hall of Fame member Willie Wilson. The players are scheduled to be at Skinnys around 3:30 p.m. and stay for about an hour.  (A word of caution–the caravan events usually draw a large crowd often start a little later than scheduled so be flexible and allow for time.)

if your thing is seeing some exciting High School basketball action, check out the 51st Topeka Invitational Tournament.  The eight team tournament begins January 17th with a full slate of 4 games.  The tournament with 4 games each day runs through Saturday evening.

This years tournament is hosted by Topeka West and features other local teams Topeka High and Highland Park who will do their best to bring the trophy back to Topeka.  Other teams in the tournament are Wichita East and Wichita Southeast from the always powerful Wichita City League, and KC Washington.  Two teams from the Sunflower League Olathe South, and Lawrence round out the bracket.

The tournament has always been known for a high level of competition.  The Topeka teams always play the guests  from out state tough.  In the 2012 edition of the tournament– Last years champs Sunrise Christian Academy from Wichita featured numerous future Division I players.  Runner-up Topeka High gave this team all they could handle before falling in a physically played game.

Both the Caravan and the Invitational  are long standing events on the Topeka sports scene.  They are guaranteed to help you shake off the post holiday doldrums.

In 1973, both the Crimson Tide and the Fighting Irish went into the Sugar Bowl undefeated.  Strangely enough the Crimson Tide was already crowned National Champions by the UPI.  (In those days this poll named the Champion before the Bowl Games started. The poll sponsored by United Press International changed its policy following that season)

Then as now the SEC reigned supreme, and The University of Alabama was the conferences crown jewel. Even storied teams like Notre Dame from “up north” didn’t have much success traveling south of the Mason Dixon Line.  Bryant in a pre-game build up said this was the most important game in the history of the South.   Speaking  in his sandpaper like drawl, “people down here have been looking forward to this game for years.”    For Notre Dame it was the, “Era of Ara” and the tradition of long being a football power.  Coach Parseghian said he had coaches from the Midwest and all over the nation call to offer encouragement.

As the two teams took the field at Tulane Stadium the ground was wet from soaking rains and heavy thunderstorms earlier in the evening.  In fact it was noted that several tornado warnings were in the area as the game kicked off. From the press box Howard Cosell was summoned in by ABC to broadcast  games of this magnitude.  Cosell speaking in the overly theatrical voice he summoned for occasions such as these bellowed into his microphone.  “This is a dream match-up.  At Notre Dame football is a religion.  At Alabama it is a way of life.”   As in a lot of games of this importance the teams played evenly and scoring came on big plays and mistakes by one team or another.

In the book, Coach—The Life of Bear Bryant by Keith Dunnavant gives the following account of the game.  “Notre Dame and Alabama slugged out like a pair of heavyweight boxers.  The game was ugly, bloody, grind it out, bone rattling football at its best. As in a lot of games of this importance the teams played evenly and scoring came on big plays and mistakes by one team or another.   Notre Dame’s Al Hunter returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.  Back-up quarterback Richard Todd, scored on a 24 yard flea flicker pass, putting the Tide up but the kicker missed the extra point.  Notre Dame responded by driving for a field goal by Bob Thomas and led by a point 24-23.  With less than 2 minutes remaining the game turned.  Facing a 3^rd down and 8 from its own 2 yard line and Alabama wanting the ball back and Notre Dame not want to punt the ball from its own end zone.

So the football game became a  chess match.  Notre Dame trying to keep possession of the ball and Alabama needing the ball back to seize the victory.  Notre Dame’s coach Ara Parsegian and his QB Tom Clements won the war of nerves.  On the biggest 3^rd down call of his career from his own one yard line Clements faked a run and dropped back to pass from his own end zone.  He completed a 37 yard pass to tight end Robin Weber who caught his 1^st pass of the year.  That was the ball game and the championship.

The fact that this game was played not on New Year’s Day, but on New Year’s eve created a huge natonal interest.  In 1973 there were fewer bowl games and this was the only game scheduled for this time slot.    All over the nation people tuned in and huddled around the TV.  Sports fans and interested by standers took a break from their New Years revelry to watch part of the game.  The game played on ABC received huge ratings the Nielson Rating was a 25.3  share.  By comparison last years BCS game netted only a 14 ratings share.

Bob Thomas who kicked what turned out to be the game winning field goal, recounted in a December 9, 2012 New York Times article, “I heard one thing over and over when I got back home.  People were saying, ‘our whole party stopped to watch your kick.”  In a era that anoints every few years a game hyped as the game of the century, the 1973 Sugar Bowl certainly remains a classic and in the top 5 of the best all time modern games.

The game to decide this seasons National Championship will be played on January 7, 2013.  Both schools view winning national titles as a near birthright.  For Alabama and Coach Lou Saban a win will be the third title in four seasons.  For Notre Dame and their Coach Rich Kelly this is their first shot at the National Title in years.  In the same New York Times article, Thomas recounted, “I guess we will see if Alabama and Notre Dame can get everyone to stop and watch again.”

In short the producers followed the high school careers of two high school athletes, William Gates and Arthur Agee.  I watched the over 2 hour long film when it came out and just recently re-watched the film.  It touched me as much as it did the first time I viewed the film.

At the movies onset both William Gates and Arthur Agee were very promising high school basketball players.  Growing up in the Cabrini Green projects of Chicago they were discovered by a talent scout who saw them play as 8th graders.  Both boys were given scholarships and enrolled at St. Josephs High School.  St. Josephs was   a private school featuring a long tradition of producing excellent basketball players.  At the age of 14 the two boys had dreams of stardom, championships and scholarships to Division I  colleges, and of course the riches of the NBA.  In the four years that follow, the 2 boys struggle with grades, injuries, unfair expectations, and finally not being good enough.

The power of the film is not only in the dreams of the young men portrayed.   You sober up real quick once you realize people like Agee and Gates, are left on the side of the road after the cheering stops. The film makes strong indictments about  educational and economic inequities, as well as values and moral choices facing young people as they grow up.  Several years ago Gates now a minister was quoted, ” so may people told me don’t forget me when you make the NBA.  I should of told them…don’t forget me then if I don’t.”

Both Gates and Agee do partially manage to fulfill part of their dream and achieve college scholarships;  Agee to Arkansas State and Gates to Marquette.  Sadly their dreams of NBA riches are never realized.  Having watched the movie again I wanted to know how the young men’s lives had turned out.

Agee has had a hard time finding his way.  According to a 2006 Sports Illustrated Article he has had several failed business ventures.  Including a failed movie career, a clothing line, and bouncing around several minor basketball leagues who signed him mostly for  public relations. In a more recent article Agee has found a mark in life through his Control Your Destiny Foundation, which encourages young people to follow their dreams.

Arthur Agee never made it to the NBA and most of the young athletes he talks to never will either.  His message is, stay in school and get an education.  Agee tells his own story of a broken dream and what happened to him once the ball stopped bouncing for him.

The same article relates that he and Gates remain friends to this day.  Gates himself has become a minister in Chicago near the same neighborhood he grew up in.  As a minister in Chicago, Gates serves as the perfect example of the need for a back-up plan. Drawing comparisons to Isiah Thomas in high school, Gates injured his right knee during his junior year and ended up doing more damage by returning to the court too quickly. Everything was going right for him, until the knee injury put a damper on his progress.

“It’s all about choices,” said Gates. “That’s what I try to get across to my own kids and the kids we serve at my church. It’s about empowerment and choices. Instead of a basketball scholarship, get an academic scholarship. Broaden your horizons.”

To me the power of the film is the stark reality of the lives of the people portrayed in Hoop Dreams.  That even in less than optimal situations the power to dream is what fuels people’s lives. The dream of the NBA was not to be, but the simple fact of the matter is Arthur Agee and William Gates are focused on improving lives. They were fortunate enough to be successful in life in ways other than basketball. And as Hoop Dreams so gracefully depicted, not everyone is that lucky.

I recently read several books that recount games that happened years ago but were very memorable.  Each game could be considered the best game ever played.   Each of the  books recount games with an underdog fighting a supposedly invincible foe.

Best Game Ever; Pirates vs. the Yankees: by Jim Reisler.

Reisler,  lovingly if not exactly tells of the events of the famous 7^th game of the 1960 World Series. The series matched up the New York Yankees and the Pittsburg Pirates.   The Pirates were a huge underdog.  They were managed by the redoubtable Danny Murtaugh, and led on the field Roberto Clemente, and Bill Mazeroski.  In the other dugout the Yankees were led by manager Casey Stengel.

These were the Yankees led by Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris.The Yankees had appeared in the World Series 9 times in the previous decade.  On the other hand the Pirates were perennial losers.  Having finished with only two winning records in the previous decade while finishing last 5 times during the 1950’s.  On the field this apparent mismatch was further underscored by the fact that the Pirates were outscored in the series 55-27.  Losing games 16-3, 10-0, and 12-0, while winning by scores of 6-4 3-2, and 5-2.

This nomination for the “Best Game Ever” centered on the ultimate pitcher batter confrontation between Ralph Terry and Bill Mazeroski.   The game ended on a bottom of the ninth inning home-run by Mazeroski.  The blast still remembered by Pirate fans is still the only time a World Series was decided by a home run in the last inning of the seventh game.  The result prompted Yogi Berra to say, “we made too many wrong mistakes.”

Bill Mazeroski would play for another World Series Champion in 1971 at the end of his career.  Based on this event and winning 9 Gold Gloves as the outstanding defensive player of his era, “Maz “was elected into The Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

The Yankees would go on to play in the next four World Series, winning two and losing two.  Ralph Terry a Springfield Missouri native would find himself two years later in a similar situation in the 7th game of the 1962 World Series.  This time he redeemed himself by getting the final out of a 1 to 0 game.   Casey Stengel was not as fortunate.  The fallout from this surprising loss led to his firing at age 70.  When his firing was announced by the Yankees, Stengel’s age was cited as the reason.  In response, the ever quotable Stengel remarked, “if that’s the case I’ll never make the mistake of being 70 again.”

The Best Game Ever:How Frank McGuires Tarheels beat Wilt and Revolutionized College Basketball,  by Adam Lucas

Before Dean Smith left Kansas for North Carolina and 30 years before Roy Williams left Carolina Blue for Jayhawk Blue and back again. The Jayhawks and the Tarheels met in one of the most famous and arguably the best NCAA final game ever.  The game, a triple overtime 54-53 win by Carolina who despite being undefeated were heavy underdogs against the Jayhawks and Wilt Chamberlain.  In making the case for the greatest game ever author Adam Lucas’ tells of how the undersized 1957 North Carolina team defeated Kansas led by the great Wilt Chamberlain.

.  College basketball in the 1950’s was played in a different time and age.  The sport was primarily a regional game, and the national interest was vastly different.  There were not terms like Bracketology, March Madness, Dick Vitale was a teenager, and of course there was no such thing as ESPN.  The game was played before a sell-out crowd in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium before 10,000 fans.  It was not even called the Final Four back then, and there were only 16 radio and TV outlets on hand to broadcast the game.

The case for greatness of the game on the North Carolina side lies in its coach Frank McGuire and his team made up of primarily New York Irish Catholics.  The Tar Heels were  led by All American Lennie Rosenbluth and Tommy Kearns a 5’11 guard who was tabbed to jump center against the 7 foot tall Wilt Chamberlain.  Wilt was larger than life he did things on the court no had ever done before.  This matchup helped to start the transformation that led college basketball from a regional passion to the national game it is today.

On the Kansas side the result of the game was shattering.  The triple overtime loss help to fuel Wilt Chamberlains unfair legacy as being a player who could not come through in the clutch.  With a one point loss he was fairly or unfairly branded a loser, who at the end of the big game would come out on the short end.   Years later Tommy Kearns the 5 ft 11 guard who opened the game facing Chamberlain in the opening tip, had this to say about Wilt.  “Wilt unfairly got the loser label attached to him after the game.He was supposed to go to Kansas, win three championships and move on.  And here we are being honored as legends for a 1 point triple overtime win.  The difference between winning and losing is extraordinary it really is.”

Wilt played one more year at Kansas and did not return until February of 1998. After 40 years his number was finally retired.   In a emotional speech he spoke to the crowd saying because of that loss I let the university, my team down and I let the fans down.

Best Game Ever:Giants vs The Colts and the Birth of the Modern NFL, by Mark Bowden.

This game focused on the 1958 NFL Championship game between the NY Giants and Baltimore Colts.  It was the first pro football game to go into overtime with the Colts winning 23-17.  This game probably was not the most artistic or aesthetically pleasing game ever played but its impact helped shape the NFL into the most popular game in our country today.

Bowdens narrative of the game and the stories of the men who played and coached in it is wonderful.  Plenty of inside information was given on the Glamorous NY Giants led by Frank Gifford, with assistants coaches like Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry.  The Colts represented the hard working town of Baltimore, led by men like Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry.

Following the game people began to see the potential that existed in televising football.   The game was growing in popularity in post war America, but football was still overshadowed by the national past time baseball.  This game proved to be a turning point in the games popularity as it was televised to millions of viewers nation wide.

One thing I love about the games we watch and the teams we root for.  We never know what will happen next.  Who knows when the next time that a light hitting second baseman hits a game winning home-run.  Or we see a 5 ft 11 guard jump center against a 7 ft tall giant.  The next great game is waiting to be played.

We know now the entire story of 9/11.  Each one of us owns a personal story about where they were and what they did when they heard the news.   We have felt the pain of lives lost.  Participated in candle light vigils, and other memorials.

This was a time when we became united.  Ordinary people looked to help out in anyway we could.  Rightly so the arenas and fields became dark, an entire week of the NFL season was postponed, and sports became forgotten.  Those who make their living playing games tried to chip in any way they could.  Much of these efforts centered on New York City.  Instead of being host to the Atlanta Braves, Shea Stadium – home of the Mets- became a staging center for relief and rescue efforts.  Instead of clinching the American League pennant, the NY Yankees visited fire stations.

In the days following the attack it soon became apparent that sports and the games we watch were going to play a huge role in helping our nation get back to normal. Our national psyche needed a boost in morale.  10 days after 9/11 (Friday September 21st) Shea Stadium once again was used for play.  According to baseballreference.com, the Mets played the Braves.  The result of the game was a dramatic home run hit by Mike Piazza off New York native Steve Karsay.   In stadiums all over the nation it felt good to cheer again.  Across town the Yankees were on their way to another World Series.

What stuck out in my mind was the way sports plays a important role in our nations morale.  When things are tough people just need a place to come together to cheer and forget about the day to day life.  This was true then and will be true next time as well.

The events of 9/11 caused the NFL to suspend play the weekend of September 15 and 16th.  This had never been done before, not even when urged to do so following the death of John F. Kennedy.  So as luck would have it I happened to be at Arrowhead Stadium on September 23rd.  The Chiefs were to play host to the New York Giants.  Arriving at the stadium I knew this would be a once in a life time experience.  The usually partisan crowd welcomed the Giants with cheers that made me think they were the home team.   There was not an dry eye in the packed stadium as the National Anthem was played, and the words, “the home of the brave” were sung as loud as I have ever heard them.

During the game a fire fighters boot was passed throughout the stadium and nearly a quarter of a million dollars were donated by the people in attendance.  It didn’t matter the home team lost convincingly.  It was just a chance to do what you do on a Sunday afternoon in the fall.

In many ways sports are called, ‘the Toy Department in the store of life.” For the most part this is true.  But it can also be a place for participants and viewers where a person’s  true character  is revealed. The two games I mentioned were just snapshot of what happened in countless cities all over the nation that weekend eleven years ago. When things are tough people need a place to come together.  To cheer and boo and just feel normal. To spend a few hours just forgetting about our day to day cares. We came together in a totally non-partisan way.  We were all Americans with hopes and dreams and lovers of freedom .          So here’s to what brings us all together.

Don’t get me started talking about how badly we need to remember this fact

For the United States Olympic team, the games were a mixture of failure, great feats of athletic strength, ineptitude by the coaches, a stolen gold medal, and finally, tragedy as the specter of worldwide terrorism took over and left its mark not only on the world of fun and games, but drug use into the modern age of terrorism and tragedy.

Spitz Swims to a Record 7 Gold Medals

In 1972 swimmer Mark Spitz boasted he would win 6 gold medals. He went one better, winning seven. In the same pool, fellow American Rick DeMont swam to an impressive victory in the 400 freestyle. Days later, DeMont, who suffered from asthma, was stripped of his medal. Drug testing following the race showed traces of a banned substance. Before the race, DeMont had asked his coaches to be sure the medication was on the approved list. Assured that it was, he took the medicine as directed. It turned out that the drug was not approved. The result caused DeMont  to lose his medal.

Triumph, Failure, and lack of Communication in Track and Field

In track and field, Frank Shorter won the marathon. Jim Ryun, competing in his 3rd and final Olympics, was tripped by another runner and lost his last chance to win a gold medal. Ryun showed his courage, got up from the fall, and gamely finished the race while holding back his tears. Sprinters Rey Robinson and Eddie Hart got ready to run in a preliminary race. As they neared the stadium, they heard the announcer call for their heat to line up. They missed the race, because the track coach had given them a schedule that was several weeks out of date. In a tearful interview the athletes told of their lost chance. The coaches and USOC officials tried in vain to pass the blame while they were being interviewed by Howard Cosell.

USA vs. the Soviet Union in the Basketball game that never ended

In 1972, quite often the Cold War was played out in the sporting arena, as the USA and Soviet Union competed for world dominance not just in ideology, but on the playing field as well. This tension heightened as the two basketball teams prepared for the Gold Medal game. The US had never lost a game in the Olympics. In 1972, it was in no way a sure bet that the US would win the medal in the game it had dominated for so long. Coach Hank Iba had fielded the youngest team ever and was more notable for who wasn’t there than for who was there. All-American center Bill Walton chose to boycott the team in protest of the US involvement in Southeast Asia. Even so, the young American team held a 50-49 lead with 3 seconds to play. Then, inexplicably, the referees gave the Soviets the chance to inbound the ball 3 times, after the Americans had celebrated victory. Finally, on their 3rd try, the Soviet team hit a basket at the final buzzer to give them a 51-50 victory. An appeal the next day upheld the final result, by a 3-2 vote. (It should be noted that 3 of the five judges were from the Eastern Bloc). The silver medals the US team was awarded still sit in a safe in Switzerland never to be claimed.

Black September

If the Cold War was being played out on the sports field, at least it kept the battles on the field, not on the battlefield. A loss only damaged national pride. Then on September 5, the horrible specter of terrorism woke the world up to a new reality. Members of Israel’s Olympic team were kidnapped and eventually killed by their captors, called Black September. After a tense day of negotiations, the demands of the terrorist group would not be met.

Sportscaster Jim McKay of ABC, in perhaps his finest work, kept an anxious and disbelieving world up to date. Cameras panned from German soldiers in the Olympic village, hooded terrorists, and Israeli atheletes peeking through windows. There would be no negotiation with terrorists. Late in the day the kidnappers transported the atheletes to the Munich Airport, planning to board a plane bound to Cairo. It was there that the group was ambushed by German police officers. The guns of the Palestinians were turned on the athletes, and all 11 were killed. Five of the kidnappers were killed, too. Sports that day had indeed become the stuff of life and death. Jim McKay sadly reported with these sad words – “They are gone … All of them.”

After a few days of mourning, the games continued. The 1972 games were billed to be the friendly games, as German officials sought to show off a new softer friendly attitude. What were billed as the “Friendly Games” were anything but.

40 years ago I was a high school athlete with a moderate amount of ability. I believed in the adage that sports builds character. I’m older now, and instead of believing that simple bit of wisdom, I prefer to believe that sports reveals character. If this is true, then the Olympic games of 1972 and probably all games after have revealed to the world the best and the worst of our character.

I have lived in Topeka most of the past 30 years and I believe one of the jewels of the city,  is the park system. You would be hard pressed to find a neighborhood that does not have a park nearby.  My favorite park is area near the Crestview Recreation Center.  You can find me most evenings walking on the Shunga Trail.  (I’m not exactly sure of the exact distance of the entire  trail all I know it is a lot longer than I currently can manage to walk.)    Most of my time is spent on the portion of the trail located between Fairlawn and Gage.

Along the trail you will find  of people of all ages out there walking, jogging, running, and biking anytime of the day.   A couple words of caution need to be heeded. It is  always a good idea to walk or run with a friend.  The other bit of caution is that often the bicyclists fail to heed the posted rule to warn others as they speed past.  So be careful out there.

As you enjoy your ride or run you can’t help but notice all the other sporting activities going on around you.  There are tennis courts near the Crestview Community Center and the Kossover Tennis Center in Felker Park.  Of course to cool off there is a pool Crestview Center and plenty of places to sit on a bench to catch your breath.

In the summer softball is always being played, at either the 1 field near Crestview, or at the complex in Felker Park.  Some of the games are played at a pretty high level some aren’t but they are all entertaining.  A little further down the trail are soccer fields, a rugby field and MacDonald field where you can watch the Topeka Fireball League play baseball in the summer and a over 30 league plays in the fall

What really peaks my interest are some of the non-traditional sports I observe going on.   They all look like fun and the participants all have their “game faces on.”  I have tried to highlight some of the sports I see going on out there on a regular basis

• Disc Golf (please don’t call it Frisbee golf)    The course is one of 3 in Topeka and 125 in the state of Kansas of the over 4400 disc golf courses nation- wide.  From watching the golfers I’ve learnt some of the technical terms and believe me they take the sport seriously.   If you are lucky you might come across the big name in disc golfing Eric McCabe from Emporia, or even the libraries own G.R. Marchant.
• Sand volleyball, what better way to get everyone involved on a summer day than taking off   your shoes and playing a friendly game of sand volleyball.  The game is fun to watch onTV during the Olympics, but I think it is even more fun to get dirty and play a set or two.
• The Heartland BMX offers competition for the entire family in the sport of bicycle moto-cross on their sanctioned course.  I was at the track one race night and struck up a conversation with one of the parents.  I enjoyed learning that  BMX racing is a organized sport. With teams and leagues and tournaments just like any other sport.   Competitors come from all over the area and races are held on numerous courses in Northeast Kansas.  The Topeka course is considered the best around.  If you would like more information call 271-1269.
• Bocce Ball is played by a loyal group on a field near the softball fields at Felker Park.  If you stop to watch you will find a friendly group of people.  They will invite you to play and they take their game seriously.  Games are played on Thursday night and Tuesday morning.  The group offers free lessons if you are interested call 272-8216.

As you can see Topeka Parks and Recreation offers a sport for everyone no matter the age.   If you are interested in any of these activities  many more details are found on their website.   Additionally you can find their  catalog in various places about town including the library.  I think it is great to see is that people of all ages, want to compete and be involved in an activity that they are passionate about.

1.  Excellent biographies by Robert Creamer on Casey Stengel and  Babe Ruth are worth your time.  Creamers’ book on Babe Ruth is considered the defining biography on the Bambino.

2.  I reccomend picking up any of the outstanding collection of essays by Roger Angell.  One of the most striking items from Angell’s essays is one ultimately published in “Season Ticket“, involving a spring training trip to see the Baltimore Orioles. While there, Angell interviews Earl Weaver, then the former Orioles manager, about Cal Ripken, Jr., who was about to start his rookie season. Angell quotes Weaver as saying about Ripken that, at whichever position the team decides (between shortstop and third base), “his manager can just write his name into the lineup every day for the next fifteen years; that’s how good he is”. Starting that year, Ripken in fact was written into lineups every day for more than fifteen years, setting the all-time consecutive games-played streak of 2,632 games. Angell’s quote of Weaver stands as one of the most incredibly prescient (and well-documented) “first-guesses” in recorded literature. 

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3.  Ball Four by Jim Bouton.  Written during the 1969 baseball season, the author a once a star pitcher for the Yankees kept a diary about life as a baseball player trying to hang on for one more year.  Set in the 1969 season, the author is a struggling pitcher for the Seattle Pilots.   who keeps a diary of his season Published in 1970 Ball Four is a funny, often poignant look at the life a major leaguer.  Written in diary form the author tells never before told stories of what life was really like in a major league clubhouse.  Bouton has written several other books but this is by far his best.  In fact the New York Times listed this book as one of the most important books of the 20^th century.

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4.  The Glory of their Times, by Lawrence Ritter. You need to be a bit of a baseball historian to read this one, but it tells the story of the early days of professional baseball by the men who played it. The author spent a lot of time travelling and interviewing players, some of them great ones some of them obscure ones.   The Glory of Their Times was published in the mid 1960’s and has been reissued several times since.  Beyond a sports book you get a glimpse of what life was like in our nation in the first thirty years of the 20^th century

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5.  I Was Right on Time by Buck O’Neil and The Soul of Baseball, by Joe Posnanski.  Both books deal with the same person– the legendary John “ Buck” O’Neil.   In my mind these are not simply biographies about an old baseball player.  They focus on a remarkable human being.  In learning about O’Neil you will find an example of a man who refused to let injustices hold him back.    They tell the history of where we have been and where we are headed as a nation. Both of these books were written from the heart.  Without becoming too preachy, in my opinion if you read these books closely they will open your heart to live life in a better way.

6.  The Boys of Summer, by Roger Kahn.  A  memoir and story of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950′s.  Kahn who was a reporter for the Dodgers, tells of the players career and life after baseball.   I consider this book one of the best books ever written 

7.  Teammates, by David Halberstram.  Published in 2003, Teamamtes is a story of friendship of four great baseball players.  Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Dom Dimaggio, and Ted Williams.  The book centers on a road trip to visit Ted Williams before his death.  It ultimately is a story not just about sports, but about friendship, and staying connected with each other as they aged. 

8.  Wait Till Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is her touching memoir about growing up in post war America.  The two loves of her life were her family and the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Goodwin recreates the 1950′s when the corner store was the place to share stories and discuss the virtues of your favorite team.

9.  Stan Musial, An American Life,  by George Vescey.   This is the most current book on my list.  Vesceys book tells the career of Stan the Man, arguably baseballs greatest living player. 

As a reader I’m hoping that the interest in quality baseball literature will never die. When I read and reread these books, I often find I’m reading more than a story about our national past time.  They give us a glimpse into issues our nation has had to live through and find ways to solve.   In so doing they become a medium to teach us about our history.  

Let me hear from you.  What are your favorite baseball books.  By the way.  These books and many more great reads are available in the Sports Neighborhood at the Library. Section 792.84 —796.756, in the West Wing of the Library.

The arena I visited was the Chesapeake Energy Arena, home of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. I had made the easy 4.5 hour drive to see the OKC team play my beloved Boston Celtics.   From the moment I walked through the ticket gate, until the final buzzer there was something going on.  A blend of rock, hip hop, and rap music played constantly.  There was a staggering array of give-aways, contests, and games.  Not to mention a break dancing Buffalo, parachutes falling from the ceiling and a character dressed up like a slice of pizza throwing frisbees into the crowd.

I’m pretty old school, I don’t even like Slugger at the Royals games.  I fully expected all this commotion would take away my enjoyment of the game.  But I had a blast.

On to the game itself.  I have been a Celtic fan for nearly 50 years and this was the 1st time I had ever seen them play  So what if the players I really wanted to see play were long since retired.   But the lure of the green uniforms caused me to put on a hat and look all over town for a green Celtics T-Shirt.  I stood and cheered for the current Celtics like I was a 12 yr old.  The current team is either too old witness the decline of future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, too young, or not good enough.  Without their All Star Rajon Rondo, who sat out the game, the Thunder with their young stars would lead by over 30 at half time.

It was enough to salvage a little pride when the Big 3 as they are called, mustered up enough energy to mount a come back that brought them to with in 6 points. Though their efforts fell short I left happy just to have been able to see just a glimpse of what they used to be.

Reflecting on what I saw there, I realized the people who run Thunder are marketing a whole package of entertainment.  They have managed to introduce professional sports to a whole new group of fans.    Sure the giveaways and music are fun.  But too their credit they kept the game as the centerpiece.  They understand that what they are selling  is a beautiful game played at its highest level.  I’m very happy I saw my first NBA game in 25 years.  I want to go back if I have the chance. After all I still need to go to boo Kobe Bryant before he retires.

Now I reliaze that the NBA is pretty far down on most Topekans list.  But I’m going to go to watch the game.   But much to my suprise I won’t mind the entertainment going on around me.

We’ve seen this scene daily on Sports Center..A star athlete stands at the free throw line.  The shot must be made or else the team loses, he lets the ball fly and clank the shot goes off the back of the rim. He choked the fans cry out.

The next highlight comes up and we see a player running the ball down the floor with seconds left on the clock   Out of the corner of his eye he finds the open player open just beyond the 3 point arc and swish the ball goes through.  We call this player a hero, one who comes through when the money is on the line.

While certainly great physical prowess is found in all athletes, what separates the hero from the goat is found in the brain.  By examining  brain processes  lead  to excellence in sports as well as what goes wrong when atheletes blow it in the big games scientists think they can enhance training techniques and improve performance under pressure.  In an article written by Nick Bascom in the January 14, 2012 edition of science news– “Brainy Ball Players”, found in the January 14, 2012 edition of Science News, Bascom contends the brain plays a huge part.  In pressure situations the performer must be able to block out all other distractions and let the brain sort out the relevant from the irrelevant physical cues.   Of course once the brain gets the message, the body still has to react appropriately.

Stress can play a large role in anyones life.  How a person reacts to the situation is pivotal to sucess

The study asserts atheletes might fail or choke when it matters the most because of the stress of situation or worries from outside life seeps in.  Witness the theory that golfer Tiger Woods struggles as he has tried to regain form following injury and personal problems.   More than one of Woods’ peers has suggested that he has become too worried about the mechanics of his swing and he should drop his swing coach and just go play golf.

In her book Choke, Sian Beilock believes choke prevention techniques derived from her sports research could also give student an edge at exam time, or help the job seeker ace that job interview. When Yogi Berra once stated that he, “ could not hit and think at the same time.”   Whether competing on the field, the classroom, or on the job, recent discoveries suggest that the key to living up to your potential is to train your brain well, and keep calm and focused.  I think that the 90′s pop group En Vogue said it best: “Free your mind, the rest will follow.”