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Paranormal Romance

Our guest this episode is librarian Stephanie Hall.

Books mentioned

Search for these books and place requests at http://catalog.tscpl.org

•  Replay by Ken Grimwood
• Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
• Undead series by Mary Janice Davidson
• Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
• True Blood television series
• Jayne Castle
• Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost – first book is Halfway to the Grave
• Night Prince series by Jeaniene Frost – first book is Once Burned
• Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward
• Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter
• The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors
• Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Your turn to talk

If you have questions, comments or suggestions for future topics please comment on our blog post or send us an email at podcast@tscpl.org.

Calico Joe switches back and forth between two different narratives that take place 30 years apart.  One of the narratives follows the story of baseball phenom Joe Castle (nicknamed Calico Joe) who takes the major leagues by storm in 1973.  However, his career is cut short when he is hit by a pitch by Warren Tracey; a pitcher known to throw at batters on purpose.  The book shifts between this story and one set in 2003.  The other story follows Paul Tracey, son of Warren Tracey.  Paul has had to live with an abusive and alcoholic father who left his mother at an early age.  They rarely spoke after that.  He also had to live with the knowledge that his father hit Castle on purpose.  The novel centers around Paul’s attempt to set up a meeting between the reclusive Joe Castle and his father who has always denied that he threw at Castle on purpose.

Calico Joe hits all of the major themes that you find in a great number of baseball novels: relationships between father and son; a small-town player taking the majors by storm; questions about what might have been.  Grisham has an easy-to-read writing style that makes this book a quick and fun read that any fan of baseball would enjoy.

Grisham got the inspiration for the novel from the story of Ray Chapman; a player for the Cleveland Indians who was killed after being hit by a pitch in a major league baseball game in 1920.  While I recommend Calico Joe as a fun read, there is a book written about the Chapman incident that I consider one of best narrative nonfiction books about baseball that I’ve read.  It is called The Pitch that Killed by Mike Sowell.

It’s a cliché to say that truth is stranger than fiction, but in this case it’s true.  The 1920 season had tremendous storylines that all converged in a tragic, yet amazing way.  The New York Yankees had just acquired Babe Ruth fresh off his unbelievable record of 29 homeruns in a season.  In 1920 he would shatter that record by hitting 54 homeruns.  New York also acquired two-time 20 game winner Carl Mays who had a reputation as a head hunter on the mound.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians had already developed a reputation for being one of the worst teams in the majors.  However, stating in 1917 they finished third in the division two years in a row, and then second in 1919.  1920 looked like it might finally be their year, especially with future Hall of Famer Tris Speaker leading the way and one of the top leadoff men in the league in Ray Chapman.

To further add to the intrigue in 1920, word was starting to get around about the World Series in 1919.  Rumor was that some of the players from the Chicago White Sox had been working with gamblers and had purposefully lost the World Series.

What made 1920 so interesting is that all three of these teams were battling it out for the American League pennant.   The fateful game in which Chapman died took place in late August between the Yankees and Indians.  After Chapman’s death, the Indians dedicated the rest of the season to him.  He was replaced by rookie shortstop Joe Sewell, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career.  I won’t spoil the ending, although it did happen over 90 years ago so a quick search on Wikipedia will tell you what happened.  However, The Pitch that Killed takes you inside this story and makes it come alive.  It’s a must read for any baseball fan, but I think almost anyone would find themselves riveted by these true life events.

Oftentimes, certain players become symbols for larger issues in the world of baseball.  For example, the candidacies of Mark McGwire and other ‘90s era sluggers are often seen as referendums on the “steroid era.”   Other players such as Jack Morris and Jim Rice have been championed by more traditional voters who dismiss the advanced statistical analysis of players that has had a major influence on the game.  Conversely, players such as Bert Blyleven and Tim Raines have been favorites of the Sabermetric community.

I bring this up because of the recent selection of Ron Santo to the Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee.  Ron Santo has been one of the players most often advocated for by fans interested in advanced statistics.  Ron Santo played from 1960-1974 with all but one season for the Chicago Cubs.  Santo finished his career with 2,254 hits and 342 homeruns.  Very good career numbers, but for many people these were not “Hall of Fame numbers.”

However, he had many other qualities that were not fully appreciated at the time.  For example, he led the National League in walks four times and on base percentage twice.  He won five gold gloves and led the league in several fielding categories for many years.  In addition to this he was a nine-time all-star.  Santo also played in the 1960s in which offense in baseball was at its lowest since the dead ball era.  This is one of the reasons his career numbers are lower than similar players from other eras.  Unfortunately for many voters for many years, it wasn’t enough to overcome the lack of career totals in hits and homeruns.

Luckily, a change in mindset helped the voters see the merit in the selection of Ron Santo.  Over the past few years baseball has experienced a major shift in how it views what matters most in evaluating players.  No longer are hitters solely judged on batting average and pitchers on wins.  For hitters people have come to see the value in On Base Percentage, look at park factors and find ways to accurately evaluate their defensive value.  For pitchers people have recognized the value of doing well in the areas a pitcher has direct control over; home runs allowed, strikeouts, and walks.

For example, in 1993 Jack McDowell won the Cy Young Award based largely on the fact that he led the league in wins with 22.  However, he had an ERA of 3.37.  Compare this to Kansas City Royals pitcher Kevin Appier who was 18-8 with and ERA of 2.56.  Appier also gave up fewer homeruns and had more strikeouts.   However, the 4 win difference was too much to overcome.

Now look at the 2010 AL Cy Young Award.  Felix Hernandez won easily even though he only had a 13-12 record.  CC Sabathia, who probably would have won if this happened in 1993, finished 21-7.  However, Hernandez had an ERA of 2.27 compared to Sabathia’s 3.18.  Hernandez also had more strikeouts, and gave up fewer homeruns and walks.  He just wasn’t fortunate enough to play on a team that supported him with many runs.  Voters were able to look past the disparity in win total and figure out who had the better year.

This brings us back to Ron Santo.  His election has been a long time coming.  He was a player that many people advocated for for many years, and his election puts someone into the Hall of Fame who deserves it.  However, the sad part of the story is that Ron Santo passed away almost exactly one year prior to the day of his election.  Hopefully other players who are deserving who are not yet in (Tim Raines for one) won’t have to wait so long.

Related Reading

The Baseball Hall of Fame 50^th Anniversary Book

Treasures of the Baseball Hall of Fame

A Biographical Dictionary of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Cooperstown Confidential

The Cubs: The Complete Story of Chicago Cubs Baseball

The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract

Stotan! by Chris Crutcher

Speaking of Chris Crutcher, all of his books are highly recommended, but the first one I remember reading is Stotan!  Stotan! tells the story of four high school swimmers who are pushed to their physical and emotional limits.  Along the way we learn about each of the young men, their relationships, and the problems they encounter.   A great book for young adults, but I’m sure most adults would enjoy it also.

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers

Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of 17-year-old basketball star who deals with the pressure of growing up in the inner city while trying to make his way to the NBA.  A great book for basketball fans, but also a story that is about much more than just sports.

Shoeless Joe by WP Kinsella

While not necessarily written for young adults, Shoeless Joe is a book that baseball fans of any age will enjoy.  Best remembered as the basis for the movie Field of Dreams, Shoeless Joe tells the story of an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball field to bring back Shoeless Joe Jackson.  While you may know what happens there are many details left out of the movie, such as the world’s oldest living Chicago Cub, not to mention the wonderful writing and depth of character that you can only get from the book.

Summerland by Michael Chabon

I like any book by Michael Chabon and I love books about baseball so Summerland seems written especially for me.  In Summerland, 11-year-old Ethan is taken through a magical gateway by a mystical baseball scout.  This leads to a series of worlds in which Ethan and his team must compete against magical creatures in a series of baseball games.  Summerland combines American myth, sweeping fantasy, a coming-of-age story, and baseball into a wonderful book for both young adults and adults alike.

Baseball – Ken Burns 10 episode documentary on the history of baseball is a wonderful overview of the national pastime.  The first few episodes on the early years of baseball are especially good.  The highlight of the series is probably the episode on the Negro Leagues, which has something to offer even the most knowledgeable baseball fan.  While some of the later episodes rush by some of the modern events and can sometimes feel a little New York-centric, the stories and enthusiasm of former Kansas City Monarch Buck O’Neil (among others) more than make up for it.

Hoop Dreams – Hoop Dreams is one of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all time and for good reason.  Filmmaker Steve James followed Chicago-area teens Arthur Agee and William Gates for six years as they chased their NBA dreams.  The film lets the viewer share in their triumphs and disappointments while at the same time giving a complicated portrait of how the system treats these young men.  Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time, Hoop Dreams is a movie that sports fans and non-sports fans won’t forget.

The King of Kong – While this is certainly not a traditional sports documentary, it has all of the elements of a great sports movie.  In this case the underdog is a teacher named Steve Wiebe who is on a mission to set a new record for the video game Donkey Kong.  No great movie is without a great villain, and there is none like champion video gamer Billy Mitchell.  The “character” of Mitchell alone is enough to make this an entertaining documentary, but Wiebe’s mission (some would say irrational mission) to set the official record really makes this movie something special.

The Two Escobars – Part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series, The Two Escobars tells the story of Colombian soccer player Andres Escobar and his murder after the 1994 World Cup.  Parallel to this story is that of drug lord Pablo Escobar and the impact he had on Columbia as well as his relationship with the Colombian national soccer team and Andres Escobar.  Whether or not you’re a fan of soccer (or sports) this is a fascinating documentary and one of the best from the ESPN series.

When We Were Kings – The Muhammad Ali – George Foreman fight in 1974, nicknamed the “Rumble in the Jungle” is one of the most famous of all time.  When We Were Kings takes you inside this legendary fight and the personalities that help make it famous.  The fight itself is only part of the movie, as it focuses on everything that happened behind the scenes.  If you only know George Foreman as a pitchman for grills and never saw Muhammad Ali in his prime, this film will help you understand what they were like when they were the two of the most famous and powerful men on the planet.

The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL by Mark Bowden

Whether or not the NFL championship of 1958 is the greatest game ever is probably debatable; what is not debatable is the impact the game had on pro football.  Bowden offers interesting insights into the game and the players who played it that make you feel like you’re inside one of football’s most memorable games.

Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship by David Fleming

Breaker Boys which tells the little known story of the Pottsville Maroons.  The Maroons were a semi-pro football team located in the heart of coal country in Pennsylvania that joined the National Football League in 1925.  In a very short amount of time the Maroons became an NFL powerhouse.  Breaker Boys tells about their rise to power, the backroom dealings that denied them a championship, and finally the end of the franchise by 1930.  An entertaining book about the early years of the NFL.

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger

The classic book about a year in the life of the Permian High School football team of Odessa, Texas.  Friday Night Lights focuses on the intense pressure that accompanies the players and coaches as they try to live up to the expectations and tradition of their high school football team.  The book has subsequently been made into a very good movie and TV series, but in this case the cliché is correct; the book is better.

The Pro Football Historical Abstract: A Hardcore Fan’s Guide to All-Time Player Rankings by Sean Lahman

Modeled after The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (which is highly recommended) The Pro Football Historical Abstract brings statistical analysis to football.  While Lahman is not as skilled of a writer as James, he does a good job of providing of overview of NFL history and the top players of all time.  Players are ranked historically at each position with a wealth of information behind those rankings.  There are also sections on the history of the game, how it was played, and how it has changed in each decade.  A great book to open up and read whatever section comes up, it is sure to get you thinking about who the best players are and see where your favorite players rank.

And for those of you who are planning on playing fantasy football this season, we have a program coming up at the library that will be right up your alley.  Join WIBW’s Terry Blount and Bruce Steinbrock on Saturday afternoon, August 13 from 2:00-4:00 in Marvin Auditorium 101A, as they present a fantasy football strategies program geared to help you dominate your league.  Whether you’re experienced, or a rookie, Terry and Bruce will help give you the knowledge you need to navigate your way through your league’s season, including your draft.

We would also like to invite you to join the library’s first fantasy football league.  Our draft will be Thursday evening, September 1, from 6:00-8:30 in the Hughes Room.  There is no fee to join, and no experience is required.  All experience levels are welcome, and the winner will take home a prize at the end of the season.  Registration is required and can be done at the Red Carpet Desk, by phone at 580-4545, or by email at nhohl@tscpl.org.  We look forward to seeing you there!