It Happens Every Spring: DiMaggio, Mays, the Splendid Splinter, and a Lifetime at the Ballpark

by Ira Berkow

Overview

Culled from 50 years’ worth of columns from one of the country’s most popular sportswriters, It Happens Every Spring stands as a remarkable and evocative anthology that is guaranteed to delight baseball fans of all ages. Former New York Times columnist Ira Berkow captures the spirit of America's pasttime in this collection of opinions, stories, and observations from his long and distinguished career. From memories of Ted Williams and Satchel Paige to reflections on Jackie Robinson, Barry Bonds, and the soul of the beloved game, this work combines Berkow’s eye for detail with the comedy and drama revealed by the subjects themselves, bringing to life some of the most famous baseball personalities from the last half century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629373188
Publisher:	Triumph Books
Publication date:	04/15/2017
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Ira Berkow is a former sports columnist and feature writer for the New York Times, where he worked for more than 25 years. He shared the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of more than 20 books, including Summers in the Bronx, and the bestsellers Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar and Red: A Biography of Red Smith. He is the coauthor and editor of Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life, which was a primary source for the award-winning documentary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

I Headliners

The President Appears at a Ballgame 3

Messages and Prayers for an American Hero Dear Mickey 19

"A Day to Remember" Mickey Mantle 25

Ever the Perfesser Casey Stengel 29

Something Was Cooking Billy Martin 34

A Humbled Michael Jordan Learns New Truths 43

Where Had Joe and Ted Gone? 49

"The Slugging Professor" Ted Williams 52

For Williams, a Joy Found in the Debate 55

"And All that Cheering" Joe DiMaggio 58

Roberto Clemente's Legacy 61

"New Generation Is Taking Over" Satchel Paige 64

Nolan Ryan's "Exalted Victims" 66

His Remarkable Art and Science Tom Seaver 69

Willie Will Be There 76

Bittersweet Memories Roger Maris 80

Rose Gets a Single to Break Cobb's Career Mark for Hits 85

Charlie Hustle's Second Chance 88

A Vote for Wilheim 96

Drysdale Could Laugh at Himself 99

A Touch of Gold Brooks Robinson 102

II Jackie Robinson

Dixie Walker Remembers 109

Who's He? 113

Jackie and Pee Wee 117

III Special Moments

Cal Ripken Jr.: At the Very End 123

Game 7: A Stack of Goose Eggs 128

Frank Saucier: The Man for Whom Eddie Gaedel Pinch Hit 131

Executing the Potato Play 135

Vince's Story (With Assists from Mickey Lolich and Al Kaline) 138

Can the Cubs Really Be for Real This Time? 141

Yes, For Real They Were 144

McGwire and Sosa: An Unforgettable Race for a Revered Record 148

Solace for Mitch Williams 158

IV They Did Make a Name for Themselves

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Ping Bodie 167

A Minor-League Lifer Stan Wasiak 180

Up and Down, and Once Again Jack Lazorko 183

The San Diego Chicken, Feathers and All 191

The Spring Training Pheriom Hercules Payne 195

The Antelope Returns Emil Verban 198

Ralph Branca Looks Back, Back, Back 202

Bobby Thomson and the Shot Heard 'Round the World Stamp 212

One-Armed Brownie Pete Gray 215

He Did It with One Hand Jim Abbott 218

Left for Dead, Then a Major-League All-Star Lou Brissie 225

V George Steinbreener

I'm Like Archie Bunker 231

Analyzed by Freud 241

VI Executive Branch

Oh, the Troubles She and Her St. Bernard Caused Marge Schott 247

Reclusive Owner Speaks P.K. Wrigley 256

"And the Circus Came to Town" Bill Veeck 260

"The Green Fields of the Mind" Bart Giamatti 264

Master Bargainer Marvin Miller 267

VII Ballplayers' Wives

"He's Gone Fishin'" Johnny (Lois) Vander Meer 273

The Phone Rings Nellie (Joanne) Fox 277

The Story as Lived by Cindy Howe Steve (Cindy) Howe 280

VIII The Other Side of Glory

The Shooting of Eddie Waitkus 285

A Terrible Turn in the Road Ferguson Jenkins 290

So Close, Yet So Far Away Bruce Gardner 300

IX Viewpoints

His Confession Shoeless Joe 327

The Meaning of Baseball by Some Who Might Know 331

Cooperstown: Village of Facts and Myths 336

Tom Gorman's Final Call 341

No False Modesty for Henderson 345

All-Star Game: Whose Game Is It, Anyway? 348

Batgate: George Brett's Tarriest Moment 351

Hank Aaron: An Unusual Tribute 355

"What Would Koufax Have Said?" 359

Wrigley Field: The Boy, the Man, and the Ballpark 372

Comiskey Park: On Its Last Pillars 382

The Universe and the Case of Pete Rose 386

X Baseball and Writing

Painting with Words 391

Red Smith: The Shakespeare of the Press Box 401

Oscar Madison Passes Away 407

Ode to Marianne Moore 410

"They Served Ice Cream on Friday" Jerry Holtzmart 413

Some Baseball Is the Fate of Us All 416

XI Personally Speaking

Hank Sauer and His Glove that Disappeared 421

Jim Boucon and the Author: Two Baseball Careers in Opposite Directions 424

Jim Woods: At 17, and in the Big Leagues 431

Face to Face with Denny McLain 441

Final Countdown: The Fatalism of the Baseball Writer 444

Acknowledgments 447

About the Author 449