Well, the Hall of Fame's Golden Era Committee has spoken, and they somehow found this year's ten-player ballot entirely wanting. This is disappointing news to me on a number of levels — I was especially rooting for Minnie Miñoso, Dick Allen and Luis Tiant — and you can read my take on the announcement for Rolling Stone HERE. And while I forgot to mention it in the piece, it especially grinds my gears to think that Bud Selig has a better chance of getting into the Hall at this point than most of these guys do.
And speaking of baseball injustices, I've long suspected that Mickey Lolich got a bum rap over his 1976 stint with the Mets, a suspicion that grew larger while I was researching and writing Stars and Strikes. I couldn't get too deeply into it in the book, since Lolich was little more than a bit player in the fascinating drama that was the 1976 season, but I was able to expound at length about it in this piece for The Hardball Times.
In other news, I've started writing regularly for Fox Sports' Just a Bit Outside site. My weekly column, "Bloop Hits," examines the many amusing, endearing and flat-out awkward ways that baseball and music have crossed paths over the years. The entries thus far have featured the 1969 Cubs, the 1981 Dodgers, Mark Fidrych tribute songs, and (most recently) Dick Allen's 1968 doo-wop single. Look for new installments every Thursday (and please leave a comment if you're so inclined)...
Hmmm... what else have I been up to since I last updated this blog? Oh yeah — I wrote this piece on the rise and fall of the "Concrete Donut" stadium for the new website Sphere. Some folks have taken issue with me calling the Oakland Coliseum "the last of the concrete donuts," since Toronto's Rogers Centre still stands. And while they technically have a point, the Coliseum is certainly the oldest one still standing, as well as the only one that is still called home by both MLB and NFL (as opposed to CFL) teams...
Other than that, I just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who bought, reviewed, interviewed me about and/or otherwise supported Stars and Strikes this year. I'm still a little worn out from all the book signings and promotional events I did this spring, summer and fall, but it was totally worth it — just for all the incredible folks I met along the way. And of course, the book would make a lovely present for that baseball fan on your Christmas list...
Happy (and Funky) Holidays to you all,
Dan
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