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.

It’s remarkable that over 350,000 Major League Baseball games have been played in the past 136 years, yet there have only been twenty one perfect games. This makes it one of the rarest achievements in all of baseball, being bested only by the unassisted triple play and four home run game. What makes the perfect game unique, however, even from a basic no-hitter, is the fact that it’s a team effort. It isn’t only on the pitcher to achieve perfection by not giving up a hit, walk, or hitting a batter. His team must field all of their opportunities cleanly as well, because even an error can ruin a pitcher’s perfect game. So when we see the pitcher being mobbed at the mound after he throws a perfect game by his teammates, there truly is reason for everyone to celebrate; they were all a part of the accomplishment.

Another interesting part of the history of perfect games is the lack of run support many of the pitchers who have thrown them have received. Many of these feats have been accomplished with only one or two runs of support. When Sandy Koufax pitched his perfect game in 1965, his counterpart on the Cubs, Bob Hendley held a no-hitter through the seventh inning, and the Dodgers only run in the game ended up being unearned. And while this type of pitching duel has not been the norm, one or two lone unearned runs have not been uncommon as the deciding factors in perfect games. Whether or not the lack of run support has been a motivating factor in the eventual outcome can be debated, but it stands to reason that if the game is still in doubt, you will continue to push yourself as hard as you can, thus making a perfect game more likely.

I also find it fascinating to look at the complete randomness of the occurrence of perfect games. Looking at the list I have posted below, you can see the timeline with which they have occurred over the years. Note that in 1880 two occurred within five days of each other. Likewise, in 2009 two were thrown within twenty days of each other – and if you include Armando Gallaraga’s gem where the umpire got the final out at first base incorrect, there would have been three within a span of twenty four days that year. By contrast, there have been spans of decades where none have been thrown. In 1880, two were thrown within five days of each other, but then there wasn’t another one for twenty four years. Likewise, Charlie Robertson threw a perfect game in 1922, and we didn’t see another one until Don Larsen did it in the 1956 World Series, thirty four years later. It’s unexplainable, completely random, and utterly fascinating.

Finally, it’s interesting to note that the men who have thrown perfect games are generally regarded as quality Major League pitchers. There are several Hall of Famers on the list, including Cy Young, Addie Joss, Sandy Koufax, Jim Bunning, and Catfish Hunter. But even those who were not Hall of Famers were generally considered to be solid pitchers in their day. I’m thinking of pitchers like Len Barker, Tom Browning, David Cone, Mike Witt, and Dennis Martinez, among others. Only a handful of the twenty one have been guys who came out of nowhere to pitch a perfect game, and then became completely irrelevant. The aforementioned Charlie Robertson fits in to this category, as does Don Larsen. Larsen is well known, mostly because his perfect game was thrown in the World Series, but other than that, his career didn’t amount to much. And while Dallas Braden is still young, it’s hard to see his career taking off anytime soon. The jury is still out on Phillip Humber.

What does this tell us? Throwing a perfect game is REALLY hard to do, and you have to have the repertoire to be able to pull it off. No-hitters are not entirely uncommon, and there have been many pedestrian pitchers who have achieved a no-hitter while allowing a slew of base runners. A.J. Burnett comes to mind as someone who threw a no-hitter while walking nine, and getting only half his pitches over for strikes. In contrast, you can’t be sloppy if you want to pitch a perfect game.  You not only need the repertoire of pitches, but they have to be on, and you have to have pinpoint control. A little luck doesn’t hurt either. Some of the best pitchers the game has ever seen never threw perfect games. Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, and Warren Spahn come to mind. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have the “stuff” to pull it off. In fact, I’m sure there were many days where those guys could have pitched a perfect game if the ball had bounced their way. Such is the mystery and randomness of baseball, and sports in general.

One other fun fact – no pitcher has thrown more than one perfect game, but Ron Hassey had the privilege (and luck?) to catch two of them, having caugh Len Barker’s in 1981 and Dennis Martinez’s in 1991.

Check out these two books below which detail the perfect games which have been thrown in the history of Major League Baseball. James Buckley’s book is a new, updated version which was published this year, (although it doesn’t include Humber’s game), while Coffey’s book does not include any of the games after 1999. Both books are excellent, as they walk you through each game, and give the background of each man who did it. Also of interest are the sections that deal with near perfect games, which give you an idea of how hard it can be to seal the deal, and how bad luck and human error can ruin perfection. Farther below is a list of the 21 perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball. Two were thrown before the modern era, when the rules were somewhat different from the modern game. Sometimes these two are not included on the list, but I’ve decided to include them in mine.

Perfect: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Twenty Perfect Games by James Buckley Jr.

27 Men Out: Baseball’s Perfect Games – by Michael Coffey

The 21 Perfect Games in Major League Baseball History:

• June 12, 1880 – Lee Richmond – Worcester Ruby Legs – 1-0 over the Cleveland Blues
• June 17, 1880 – John Montgomery Ward – Providence Grays – 5-0 over the Buffalo Bisons
• May 5, 1904 – Cy Young – Boston Americans – 3-0 over the Philadelphia A’s
• October 2, 1908 – Addie Joss – Cleveland Naps – 1-0 over the Chicago White Sox
• April 30, 1922 – Charlie Robertson – Chicago White Sox – 2-0 over the Detroit Tigers
• October 8, 1956 – Don Larsen – New York Yankees – 2-0 over the Brooklyn Dodgers
• June 21, 1964 – Jim Bunning – Philadelphia Phillies – 6-0 over the New York Mets
• September 9, 1965 – Sandy Koufax – Los Angeles Dodgers – 1-0 over the Chicago Cubs
• May 8, 1968 – Jim “Catfish” Hunter – Oakland A’s – 4-0 over the Minnesota Twins
• May 15, 1981 – Len Barker – Cleveland Indians – 3-0 over the Toronto Blue Jays
• September 30, 1984 – Mike Witt – California Angels – 1-0 over the Texas Rangers
• September 16, 1988 – Tom Browning – Cincinnati Reds – 1-0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers
• July 28, 1991 – Dennis Martinez – Montreal Expos – 2-0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers
• July 28, 1994 – Kenny Rogers – Texas Rangers – 4-0 over the California Angels
• May 17, 1998 – David Wells – New York Yankees – 4-0 over the Minnesota Twins
• July 18, 1999 – David Cone – New York Yankees – 6-0 over the Montreal Expos
• May 18, 2004 – Randy Johnson – Arizona Diamondbacks – 2-0 over the Atlanta Braves
• July 23, 2009 – Mark Buehrle – Chicago White Sox – 5-0 over the Tampa Bay Rays
• May 9, 2010 – Dallas Braden – Oakland A’s – 4-0 over the Tampa Bay Rays
• May 29, 2010 – Roy Halladay – Philadelphia Phillies – 1-0 over the Florida Marlins
• April 21, 2012 – Phillip Humber – Chicago White Sox – 4-0 over the Seattle Mariners

After four dramatic AL pennant showdowns in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Royals and Yankees were deep into a heated rivalry. On June 24th, 1983 they met in Yankee Stadium for a regular season game. Down 4-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Royals third baseman and future Hall of Famer George Brett hit a two-run homer to seemingly take a 5-4 lead. After rounding the bases he went into the dugout. Unfortunately Billy Martin, the Yankees manager, had picked up Brett’s bat and was showing it to the umpires.

George Brett was unusual among modern ballplayers in that he did not wear batting gloves at the plate. Brett, like many players before him, used a dark sticky resin called pine tar on the handle of his bat to give him better grip. A baseball fired from the pitcher’s mound to home plate at over 90 mph can be very hard to see; as such it became illegal in the early 20th century to do anything to darken, scuff, or otherwise change the appearance of the baseball. In addition, foreign substances can make the ball behave erratically, and these are also illegal. Any ball that has been marked or damaged is required to be replaced, which can be expensive. To avoid accidental contamination, an ancient rule was that pine tar on a bat was not allowed to exceed 17 inches from the bottom, which incidentally is the width of home plate. The rule states that any bat with pine tar exceeding this limit “is to be removed from the game”.

Earlier in the season, wily Yankees manager Billy Martin had noticed Brett’s pine tar far exceeded 17 inches, but had decided not to say anything until Brett had caused the Yankees some damage. The two-run homer that gave Kansas City a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth was the perfect opportunity and he sprang into action, grabbing the bat and showing it to the umpires.

For several minutes Brett and the rest of the Royals watched curiously as the umpires inspected the bat and then measured it against home plate. Finally they motioned to Brett in the dugout and indicated he was out, ending the game with a 4-3 Yankees victory.

In a sudden, fantastic rage that would immediately become iconic, Brett tore out of the dugout after the umpires, seemingly intent on tearing them limb from limb. He was just barely restrained in time, his own teammates and manager trying to contain his temper tantrum-fueled state while simultaneously screaming at the umpires themselves. Brett would later say he couldn’t remember the actual tantrum, consistent with a person who has temporarily lost their mind.

In the near-brawl that followed, crafty Royals pitcher Gaylord Perry slipped the bat to the Royals batboy and sent him into the clubhouse to remove the evidence. Yankees manager Billy Martin saw him and sent Yankees security after him. As one of the TV commentators later remarked, “Brett has become the first player in Major League history to hit a game-losing home run.”

The Pine Tar home run has since often been held up as an example of the conflict between adhering fanatically to the letter of the law (and an ancient, outdated one at that) and the spirit of the game. In Brett’s case, his extra pine tar did not help him achieve an illegal advantage at the plate.

I will go one further and touch on a more complicated nuance that is rarely brought up when the Pine Tar controversy is discussed. The specific rule concerning pine tar simply states that if the bat has too much pine tar, “it is to be removed from the game”. Nothing is mentioned about a player being out. Therefore, even if one is inclined to a strict interpretation of the rule, the next course of action would seem to be to simply remove the bat from the game. The home run would still count, the Royals would have a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth, and if Brett came up to the plate again, he would have to use a different bat.

However, the umpires defined the home run as an illegally batted ball, which is an explicit out, resulting in their ruling and the subsequent tirade by Brett.

After the game the Royals immediately filed an appeal with the American League. AL President Lee MacPhail overruled the umpires under the premise that Brett’s use of pine tar was not an attempt to obtain an unfair advantage, nor against the spirit of the rules. The game would be resumed when possible with two outs at the top of the ninth, 5-4 Royals. Brett, Perry, and Royals manager Dick Howser were all officially ejected for their role in the subsequent outburst.

The game was eventually resumed on August 18th, but not before Yankees lawsuits, an injunction to delay the game by a New York Supreme Court justice, and a subsequent overturning by a second New York Supreme Court justice.

Only 1,200 showed up for the final outs to be played in front of a different set of umpires than the original game. Yankees manager Billy Martin protested every possible way he could think of to show what a farce he considered the ruling. He started left-hander Don Mattingly at second base, a cardinal sin in baseball. This remains the last time in Major League history a left-hander has played second. More importantly, Martin began the action by having the Yankees throw to first, claiming Brett hadn’t touched the base and the home run was invalid. The nonexistent Brett was ruled safe. The ball was then thrown to second, with the same results. Martin stormed out onto the field to protest, but the umpires were ready, with a signed affidavit from the original crew that all bases had been touched.

Martin’s attempts to wreck the game exhausted, he stormed into the clubhouse and watched TV. The Royals eventually won the game 5-4, the Pine Tar incident passed forever into baseball lore, and Brett and his infamous bat would eventually make their way to Cooperstown.

Picture Credit: Fotopedia

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.

Eh, okay. I can buy that. But if you’re going to get very culturally disparate humans together from every corner of the globe, no matter what the high-minded motivation, we’re also going to take our shadier baggage with us. Of course I could write about all the great and wonderful things the Olympics bring us, but that just wouldn’t be as much fun. What’s the Olympian subject of this blog post? Why, controversy of course!

Being the professional realist that I am, I have scientifically concluded that Olympic controversy can be broken down into three broad categories in order of ascending severity: competitive, municipal, and national/ideological. I will attempt to briefly address a single example of an historical high(low?)light in each subject.

First, the competitive. This is the stuff that has to do more with individual people. The athletes and officials that arrive at each Olympics represent their respective countries and are the best in the world. They have trained their entire lives for this moment. Motivation, tensions, and emotions are at a fever pitch.

In 1972 the American basketball team was still all-time undefeated in Olympic play. In the final game they took a 50-49 lead against the Soviets with three seconds to play. The referees then stopped the game with one second left and added three more seconds because the Soviets had been complaining they had signaled for a time-out at the three second mark that wasn’t awarded. The Soviets then inbounded the ball a second time and the horn signaled the apparent end of the game with an American gold medal victory. The Americans celebrated a second time, but both teams were then ordered back on the court again, the referees now saying the clock had not been properly reset. Play resumed a third time with the Soviets this time throwing the ball the length of the court for a game-winning lay-up at the buzzer. This time the referees said it was final. The shocked Americans refused to accept the silver medal. An American appeal was lost 3-to-2, with all three judges voting for the Soviets members of Communist countries. To this day the American basketball team refuses to accept the silver medal; they sit in a vault in Lusanne, Switzerland. American team captain Kenny Davis has it written into his will that his wife and children are not allowed to accept the silver medal either.

The second category of Olympic controversy is municipal. By this I am referring to the city government and infrastructure that hosts the Games. The prestige that goes with hosting the Olympics is enormous; the entire world is focused on your city for nearly a month. Politics and money clearly play a central role in landing and producing the Games. Corruption and Pollyannish financial predictions are common.

In 1970 Montreal was named the site of the 1976 Summer Olympics, allegedly in part because it was not a superpower during this highly-charged period. Excitement to host Canada’s first ever Olympiad was intense; Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau predicted “The Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby.” But the Olympics ended up being an utter financial disaster; before they began the province of Quebec had to step in to help Montreal fund it; the tower that was supposed to manipulate the retractable roof on the Olympic Stadium could not be completed in time, and ultimately Montreal would be mired in debt for the next thirty years. The Olympic Stadium was not paid off until 2006; by then it was hopelessly out of date and the final insult had come a year earlier when the Montreal Expos Major League baseball team had relocated to Washington, DC, leaving the aging stadium empty. The whole intractable mess was summed up in a tasteless political cartoon showing an obviously pregnant Drapeau on the phone inquiring about a particular medical procedure.

The third Olympic controversy category, and my personal favorite to read about or discuss, is the national/ideological kind. In theory the Olympics are supposed to be about the humanity of the individual athletes; the International Olympic Committee itself doesn’t even officially keep score of national medals. In actuality the Olympics do become about the nations themselves — who follows the Olympics without keeping track of their country’s victories? More importantly, the Olympics become a world stage for the expression of nationalism and ideology.

No Olympiad is more associated with nationalism and ideology than the infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics–the “Nazi” Olympics. Berlin was voted on as the Olympic site in 1931; two years later the Nazis came to power and in typical Nazi style seized the opportunity as a showcase for Nazi German pageantry and propaganda.

Among other things, the Nazis rounded up thousands of homeless Gypsies and put them in camps, but also temporarily took down the now-ubiquitous anti-Semitic signs. The German national team was composed almost entirely of Nazi-approved “Aryan” athletes. That most famous of Olympic traditions, the running and lighting of the torch, was a Nazi innovation of 1936.

In simple terms the 1936 Olympics may best be understood by a juxtaposition of Nazi Germany and the United States. The United States seriously considered boycotting the Berlin Olympics in protest of Nazi dogma. American Jewish groups were generally against participation, while African-American groups tended to support participation as a means of undermining Nazi claims of racial superiority. The United States would ultimately compete, but the city council of Los Angeles refused to spend $2,000 of taxpayer money to ship the 1932 Olympic flag to the Nazis.

No discussion of the 1936 Olympics would be complete without mention of African-American sprinter Jesse Owens’ track and field domination. He won four gold medals, including a four-man relay that included two Jewish-Americans and a second African-American. One of his gold medals came in the long jump. It was here that Luz Long, a visibly textbook “Aryan” German, struck up an impromptu friendship with Owens and gave him technical advice that Owens later credited with helping him win the gold. Long won the silver, was the first to congratulate Owens, and they walked arm-in-arm to the dressing room in front of the Nazi audience. In 1943 Long, a German soldier, would die of wounds suffered in combat in Italy. Hitler infamously refused to attend the medal presentations for the rest of the Olympics. Ultimately in 1936 the Germans would win the most medals and the United States would come in second.

So as July, 2012 rolls around, I will be eagerly awaiting the London Olympic Games like much of the rest of the developed world. I will enjoy the international flavor, the pageantry, the competition, even the architecture. But I will be waiting to see what kind of yet-unimaginable controversy, mild or severe, genuine or manufactured, flares up. It always does.

Further Reading:

The Olympics, a history of the modern games

The Olympics at the millennium : power, politics, and the games

The Olympics’ most wanted : the top 10 book of gold medal gaffes, improbable triumphs, and other oddities

Photo Credits:

http://www.texample.net/media/tikz/examples/PNG/the-olympic-rings.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle.jpg

http://www.fotopedia.com/items/7k3jkt6f5ca4b-G50tg4ZsITE

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iltempoperduto/2822202739/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-G00630,_Sommerolympiade,_Siegerehrung_Weitsprung.jpg

Bauersfeld is a graduate of Highland Park High School and Emporia State University, and has been at WIBW for the past eight years. He is the weeknight sports anchor, and covers all local sports, as well as KU, K-State, the Royals, and the Chiefs. He will be talking about what experience is needed to enter the sports broadcasting field, what schools have programs that will teach you those skills, and what positions are available in the sports broadcasting industry. He will also share what he does from day to day as sports director at Channel 13, as well as answer any questions you might have about sports broadcasting, or broadcasting and journalism in general.

This is a great opportunity for kids who are sports fans, who are not sure of what they want to do after high school, to learn about a profession where they can use their love of sports and turn it into a career. Likewise, this as a great opportunity for anyone interested in the broadcasting or journalism fields, outside of the sports arena, to talk to someone on the inside and see what it is really like within the profession.

We hope to see you here on April 22 in The Edge!

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.

Racquetball is a game that is not only fun, but will also keep you in shape. If you play with any level of seriousness you can’t help but get a workout, because you’ll be running and changing directions continuously in an effort to chase down the ball. For those who aren’t familiar with racquetball, here is a link to the basic rules. To just give a brief synopsis of the rules, the basic idea is to hit the ball off the front wall so that your opponent can’t retrieve it before it bounces twice.  And since you’re playing in a high walled rectangle, you can use either of the side walls, or the back wall as leverage to get the ball to the front wall. This can result in some interesting strategy, and usually a serious workout!

Here in Topeka, you can find racquetball courts at the YMCA, Wood Valley Racquet Club, and the Hillcrest Community Center which is a part of the City of Topeka’s Parks and Recreation Services. Unfortunately, these facilities do all require a fee or membership to use, but the health benefits and enjoyment far outweigh the cost. And the need for equipment is fairly minimal. You will need a racket and goggles which both can be purchased for as low as $20 apiece, and a can of balls, which generally will run you a few bucks. Get those items, find a court, and you’re ready to play! If you don’t have a partner, most facilities can help to match you up with other members who play, while if you’re new to the sport many times there are classes or tutorials for beginners where you will play with others who are at the same skill level as you. Playing by yourself could also be an option.

Here are some books from our collection that pertain to racquetball. I encourage you to check them out and give racquetball a try!

Racquetball Fundamentals by Jim Winterton

Skills, Drills, and Strategies for Racquetball by David Walker

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

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Certainly every sports fan has their favorite moments, opinions, or memories of what the NCAA Tournament means to them. One of my favorite aspects is the truly national nature of it, unique in American sports. Each year the Tournament is contested in over a dozen sites around the country.

Many local college basketball fans might not be aware but since 1953 the state of Kansas has hosted the NCAA Tournament twenty-five times. In fact, in the 29 Tournaments from 1953 to 1981 the Sunflower State hosted the NCAAs 22 years, twice at two sites simultaneously and even had a run of fourteen Tournaments in a row from 1958 to 1971. As one would expect, the local schools have piled up a considerable amount of NCAA Tournament success instate.

Then as now, newer larger arenas tended to get awarded Tournament games. It all began in 1953 with Kansas State’s Ahearn Fieldhouse. Ahearn was just two years old and with a capacity over 12,000 was one of the larger arenas in the country. That year the B.H. Born-led Kansas Jayhawks began the tradition of Sunflower State NCAA Tournament games appropriately, winning the 1953 Midwest Regional in Manhattan before eventually losing 69-68 to Indiana in the NCAA Finals.  

Wichita’s Leavitt Arena and the University of Kansas’ brand-new Allen Fieldhouse hosted their first NCAA Tournament games in 1956. Kansas State had a bye and played Oklahoma City in Allen Fieldhouse but lost 97-93. In 1958 however, Kansas State won all its NCAA Tournament games in Allen Fieldhouse and claimed a trip to the Final Four before losing to Seattle. This puts the rival schools in the interesting historical position of having advanced to the Final Four from each other’s home court.

Kansas State upped the ante in 1964, beating Wichita State on the Shockers’ home floor of Leavitt Arena to advance to the 1964 Final Four, K-State’s last to date. This is the only time Kansas teams have played each other in the NCAA Tournament in the state of Kansas. The following year, Wichita State returned the favor a bit by winning the Midwest Regional in Manhattan (against Oklahoma State, not the Wildcats) and were awarded a spot in the 1965 Final Four, the program’s only appearance. Like K-State the previous season, they lost in the semifinals to a burgeoning UCLA program.

There are a few other particular years to note. In the 1960 Midwest Regional finals Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson-led squad ended Kansas’ run with an 82-71 win in Manhattan. Eleven years later the Jayhawks won the 1971 Midwest Regional in Wichita and became the last state team of the era to get mowed down in the national semifinals by the UCLA buzzsaw.

With their respective facilities growing older, Kansas State last hosted an NCAA Tournament game in 1969, and Kansas last hosted the NCAA Tournament in 1979. Wichita’s Kansas Coliseum was a 1994 first round site, and that has been the last time an NCAA Tournament game has been played in the Sunflower State.

• 1953 (Manhattan)
• 1955 (Manhattan)
• 1956 (Wichita, Lawrence)
• 1958 (Lawrence)
• 1959 (Lawrence)
• 1960 (Manhattan)
• 1961 (Lawrence)
• 1962 (Manhattan)
• 1963 (Lawrence)
• 1964 (Wichita)
• 1965 (Manhattan)
• 1966 (Wichita)
• 1967 (Lawrence)
• 1968 (Wichita)
• 1969 (Manhattan)
• 1970 (Lawrence)
• 1971 (Wichita)
• 1973 (Wichita)
• 1976 (Lawrence)
• 1978 (Wichita, Lawrence)
• 1979 (Lawrence)
• 1981 (Wichita)
• 1994 (Wichita)

I encourage everyone to read the book, but whether you’ve read it or not, I would also like to invite you to a program we have coming up here at the library on Sunday, March 4 from 2:00-3:00 in Marvin Auditorium 101BC.

During that time, Coach Roger Barta will be here, along with his son Brooks, who is currently the football coach at Holton High School, to talk about the Smith Center football program and what makes it so successful. They will talk about the values, philosophies, and expectations that have become synonymous with Smith Center football, as well as the philosophy of “getting a little better every day” that Coach Barta preaches to his team each year.

If you haven’t had a chance to read the book, or reserve your copy, here is a link to our catalog:

“Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen” by Joe Drape

We hope to see you on March 4!

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