A different way to consume a book of baseball history

Twenty years ago, I signed a deal to write an oral history of the Baltimore Orioles. A work-intensive project ensued. I went around the country interviewing every major figure in the history of the team who was still alive at that point. Unfortunately, many have since died, including Earl Weaver, Elrod Hendricks and Mike Flanagan. I still have all the tapes of the interviews I conducted for the book -- dozens and dozens of hours. Right now, the tapes are stashed in a shoebox that’s stashed in a closet. One of these days, I’ll get my act together and figure out what to do with them so fans can hear them.

The book that resulted from those interviews, “From 33rd Street to Camden Yards,” was published in 2001. It’s a deep dive into the ups and downs of the Orioles from their inception in 1954 through 2000. I know for a fact that it doesn’t contain many, if any, errors because Brooks Robinson himself copy-edited it for me. You might remember him mentioning the book in the speech he gave when his statue at Camden Yards was unveiled. (You want to talk about my phone blowing up.)

Anyway, a fan of the team recently contacted me to say he’d really enjoyed the (not brief) audio version of “From 33rd Street to Camden Yards,” which is available through Audible. More and more readers, millions actually, are consuming books that way. As a new baseball season looms, I just wanted to (yes, shamelessly) point out that the book is available in audio form if you’re a fan of the Orioles, interested in knowing more about them and/or looking for “a listen.”

Kudos for The Streak (On Video, No Less)

In a nice development, my baseball book The Streak has been included on a list of  “Fascinating Books About Sports and Fitness” published by Ezvid Wiki, a major video wiki.

The impressive list of nine books includes other excellent works such as What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan and Football For a Buck by Jeff Pearlman.

I wasn’t familiar with Ezvid Wiki, and I admit, when I received an email from them, I hesitated to clink on the link. Where I work, I’ve been taught not to click on ANY unfamiliar links.

After doing a bit of snooping, though, I was pleased to discover that Ezvid Wiki is not only for real but a significant enterprise. According to their email, their YouTube channel has over 425,000 subscribers.

Anyway, below is a link to the video “9 Fascinating Books About Sports and Fitness.” It’s about five minutes long. Yes, you can click on it. The portion on The Streak begins at around the 2:30 mark.

https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/9-fascinating-non-fiction-books-about-sports-and-fitness-nIhxRX-Ebo_59

Talk, Talk, Talk

My public speaking calendar for the next month is crowded and varied. I’ll be talking football history, baseball, the NFL. Please consider a visit.

On Tuesday night, March 19, I’ll be at the Valley Inn in Baltimore for an event titled “Football and Fraternization.” I’ll be appearing with Jack Gilden, author of the excellent book, “Collision of Wills,” about Johnny Unitas, Don Shula and the Baltimore Colts of the 1960s. The event starts at 5:30 pm and runs for two hours. I’ll be selling and signing copies of my football book “The League,” about the NFL's difficult early decades. Contact Larry Lichtenauer (larry@lawrencehoward.com) for details or to RSVP. There is a cover charge. 

On Tuesday night, March 26, I’ll speak at Towson University as part of a panel on crisis management in the NFL. My task is to bring a hisorical perspective, based on my research for "The League." Also on the panel are Ray Feldmann (CEO of Feldmann Communication Strategies) and WBAL’s Pete Gilbert. The event begins at 7 pm at the South Campus Pavilion. Click here to see Towson’s announcement about the event.

Finally, on Tuesday, April 2, I’m honored to participate in the prestigious William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series at Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I’ll speak on Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken, Jr., baseball's legnedary Ironmen -- the subject of my 2017 book “The Streak.” My talk begins at 7 pm and is free. Click here for the Great Lives web page.

If you're interested in having me speak to a group, don't hesitate to get in touch through the contact page on this website. 

Reviewers Bullish on The League

My latest book, The League, about the early history of the NFL, won’t be out until October, but I’m pleased to report that its pre-publication reviews are extremely positive. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, signifying a standout effort, and called it a “rich history” that was “thoroughly researched and gracefully told.” Publisher’s Weekly also weighed in, writing that it was ”enlightening and fascinating” and “puts a nearly century-old story into contemporary context.” Booklist suggested that “fans who only know the league as it exists today will be shocked and fascinated by its early years.”

The book’s subtitle is How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire. It’s about the first generation of influential owners, all now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and how they worked together to keep the league alive when it was a third-rate, failing enterprise. The five men are George Halas, Bert Bell, Tim Mara, Art Rooney and George Preston Marshall.

This is my tenth book. It can be pre-ordered here at Amazon or Barnes and Noble (just click on the link) and any other major online seller. Basic Books is the publisher.

Here are links to the full reviews in Kirkus Reviews and Publisher's Weekly.

And here's a look at the cover:

The Great Match Race: Still Making News

It's hard to believe a dozen years have passed since the publication of The Great Match Race, my book about the first major sports event in American history, an epic horse race with North-South undertones that took place in 1823.

But I'm pleased to report that the book continues to receive attention and scrutiny.

Michael S. Rosenwold of the Washington Post recently noticed parallels between the 1823 race and Justify's attempt to win modern thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown. He quoted my book extensively in an article that ran on the day Justify won the Preakness Stakes in my hometown of Baltimore.

To read the article that ran in The Washington Post, click here.