Kuttler: 3 baseball books from veteran Jewish observers of the game
From Hillel Kuttler at JTA.org on August 12, 2016, with mention of SABR members Jeff Katz and Dan Schlossberg:
For many, summer is all about the three B’s: baseball, beaches and books.
With the weather and pennant races sizzling, two journalists and the mayor of baseball’s mythical home village of Cooperstown, New York — all Jewish — have provided their takes about a sport that has captivated them for a long time.
The journalists — Hal Bock and Dan Schlossberg — focus on two National League teams: the Chicago Cubs, well-positioned this season to break a 108-year championship drought some consider a curse, and the Atlanta Braves, who won 14 consecutive division titles through 2005 but now have the worst record in Major League Baseball.
Bock covered baseball for The Associated Press for four decades, while Schlossberg also once served on AP’s baseball beat.
Jeff Katz is now serving a second term as mayor of Cooperstown after moving there to indulge his lifelong love of baseball. In the book, he researches the strike-dividing season of 35 years ago that resulted in first- and second-half champions and the majors’ best team, the Cincinnati Reds, missing the playoffs.
JTA talked to the three authors, who discussed Jewish anecdotes connected to the books and ruminated about growing up in the baseball-rich New York City area.
Read the full article here: http://www.jta.org/2016/08/12/arts-entertainment/3-baseball-books-from-veteran-jewish-observers-of-the-game
Originally published: August 22, 2016. Last Updated: August 22, 2016.