Greetings and Readings
This Saturday February 16, 2013, I will be at Greetings and Readings book store from 1 pm until 3 pm, signing copies of Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel. Greetings and Readings is located just north of Baltimore at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre, 118-AA Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21030. Come out, buy a copy of Deadball, and be sure to browse through the store’s extensive selection of Ravens Super Bowl Collectibles. Here is a link: Greetings and Readings
For those of you looking for a way to spend the last official weekend of summer watching baseball, come out to the Frederick Keys on Saturday September 1st. Gates open at 5 pm.
I will be there selling and signing copies of my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel.
Also there signing autographs at Harry Grove Stadium will be Daniel Eugene Ruettiger – the inspiration behind the movie “Rudy.”
Should be a good night for baseball as the Keys are in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Keys are a minor league affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
On Saturday, August 4th I spent the day and night in Hagerstown, Maryland, as part of my continuing mission to get the word out about Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel. During the day, I had a table at the Discovery Station, an interactive children’s museum in downtown Hagerstown. Marie Byers, the mastermind behind the Hagerstown landmark, invited me to sell books at the grand opening of the museum’s new exhibit “Take Me Out To The Ballgame . . . More Than Just A Game.”
The Mayor of Hagerstown, Surrounded By Local Luminaries,Cuts The Ribbon
Attending the event was former major leaguer and Hagerstown native Leo Burke. Burke played for several teams during his several years in the majors, including the Baltimore Orioles, the California Angels, and the Chicago Cubs.
Calvin Stinson and Former Major Leaguer Leo Burke
Also attending from the world of baseball were two current Hagerstown Suns pitchers Brian Rauh and Ben Hawkins, both of whom commented on how early it was to be in uniform (10 am) following the night game they played the previous evening.
Ben Hawkins, Calvin Stinson,and Brian Rauh
Hagerstown Herald-Mail reporter Alicia Notarianni covered the event and filed this story Herald-Mail Discovery Station Article (in which she generously mentions by book).
Included at the museum on the first floor is an exhibit of Hagerstown Suns memorabilia on loan from Hagerstown resident Sean Guy, which includes an autographed jersey, fielder’s glove and cleats, once belonging to Bryce Harper.
Waiting For Customers In Front Of The Discovery Station's Bryce Harper Exhibit
That evening, the Suns game was the place to be in Hagerstown as the team was giving out Bryce Harper garden gnomes to the first 1000 gfans through the gnate. The line to enter the stadium snaked its way through the parking lot at the time the gates opened at 6:05 pm. If only they had been lining up to meet yours truly.
Suns Fans Line Up To Enter The Stadium For Bryce Harper Garden Gnome
Many thanks to the Suns fans who stopped by my table during the game to talk baseball and Deadball. Thanks also to Suns’ concessionaire extraordinaire Tyler Breeze who, after selling me one of his signature cheesy pretzels, came out to my table during his break and bought a copy of Deadball. As the game was winding down I could see him across the concourse already engaged in the first few pages of Deadball.
Hagerstown Suns' Concessionaire Tyler Breeze Filling The Time Between Customers By Reading His Just-Purchased Copy Of Deadball
Tyler – I hope you enjoyed the story of Byron Bennett.
WBAL's Brett Hollander
My interview with Brett Hollander on WBAL radio was broadcast before the Orioles/Angels game a week ago Saturday. Mr. Hollander is the host of WBAL’s Sportsline, which is broadcast weeknights from 6 to 9 pm on 1090 AM. Brett also runs feature stories during the weekend before Orioles games, which is when my interview originally aired. The interview aired a second time during one of his shows last week.
We covered a lot of ground – talking about Deadball, how I came up with story line for the novel, the history of baseball in Baltimore, the World Champion National League Orioles of the 1890s, and many of the famous lost Baltimore Ballparks such as Union Park, old Orioles Park (American League Park), and Memorial Stadium.
In case you missed it, here’s the link to the interview posted on WBAL.com:
My Interview With WBAL’s Brett Hollander
Man am I a fast talker!
Thanks for the opportunity, Brett!
On Friday July 6th I set up a table at the Hagerstown Suns game where I had the pleasure of selling and signing books for fans who had come out on Nora Roberts Night to see the Suns take on the Lexington Legends (the Suns won 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th).
Author David B. Stinson At Hagerstown Suns Game
While I truly enjoyed talking with Suns fans who stopped to chat or buy a book, nothing compared to the sense of accomplishment, the sense of the pride I felt when, quite unexpectedly, I saw my name posted in an Official Hagerstown Suns Publication on the stadium wall . . .
My Name Amongst The Fine Print
just above a men’s room urinal . . .
My Name Up In . . . Well, Up Above The Urinal!!
“What a relief,” I thought, as I read the flyer’s text: “Author David Stinson will be available selling his new book, Deadball, and autographing copies for fans.” The words flew off my lips. I read it a second time just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Seeing my name above the urinal in an official Suns publication (as opposed to scrawled in pen on the cinder block as if back in Jr. High) I knew I had attained a new level of, um, well, I’m not sure exactly what, but certainly a new level of something.
Admittedly, I felt a bit uncomfortable bringing my camera into the men’s room to document my level of attainment. But persevere I did, and now I can share with you the proof that I’ve made it.
In a couple weeks I’ll be selling and signing books at the Bowie Baysox – July 22nd to be exact. Here’s hoping I’ll have made it there as well.
On Saturday July 7th, I had the pleasure and honor of being one of several authors who appeared at Turn the Page Bookstore’s 17th Anniversary Celebration. Best Selling Author Nora Roberts / J D Robb was there along with authors Virginia Kantra, Caridad Pineiro, Mariah Stewart, Karen White, and Diana Peterfreund.
The Writers Who Appeared At Turn the Page Bookstore's 17th Annula Celebration.
My table mate was Jennifer L. Armentrout is writes upper young adult novels. She has a terrific sense of humor, in addition to being a prolific and talented writer.
Author David B. Stinson at the 17th Annual Turn the Page Bookstore Celebration with Jason Aufdem-Brinke, Jim Robertson, and New York Times Best Selling Author Nora Roberts
Turn the Page Bookstore is located at 18 North Main Street, Boonsboro, MD. In case you missed the event and are looking for a copy of Deadball, they have several signed copies on sale at the store. Here’s the link Turn the Page Bookstore 17th Anniversary Celebration
One would think that, given how important Babe Ruth is to the sport of baseball, more would made of the fact that the baseball field where Ruth honed his skills as a child still remains to this day a baseball field in an area just west of downtown Baltimore.
The Infield at Babe Ruth Field, Baltimore, Maryland
Near the corner of South Canton Avenue and Route 1 just a half mile north of Interstate 95 is a ball field known as “Babe Ruth Field.”
Babe Ruth Field Scoreboard, Baltimore, Maryland
In 2007, as part of my research for Deadball, I visited the site, which at the time was still Cardinal Gibbons High School. Formerly, the school had been the St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, an orphanage and reform school run by the Catholic Church.
Dugout at Babe Ruth Field, Baltimore, Maryland
In addition to the cinder block dugouts and the chainlink backstop, one major difference between the field that Ruth played on and the field as it exists today is the orientation of home plate, which in Ruth’s day, was located in what is now centerfield.
Center Field at Babe Ruth Field, Baltimore, Formerly Location of Home Plate
Babe Ruth spent the majority of his formative years as a ward of the school, his parents having signed him over to the Xaverian Brothers out of desperation when he was just eight or nine years old.
Babe Ruth At St. Mary's Industrial School For Boys (Huggins & Scott Auctions image)
Brother Matthias Bouttlier, the school’s disciplinarian, helped harness Ruth’s natural abilities.
Home Plate at Babe Ruth Field, Baltimore, Maryland
In Deadball, the protagonist, Byron Bennett, then a member of the Cardinal Gibbons varsity baseball team, thinks he sees a game being played on the old St. Mary’s configuration of the field wherein George Herman Ruth hits a home run into the crowd of students sitting beyond right field.
Left Field at Babe Ruth Field, Formerly Right Field
With Cardinal Gibbons High School now closed and the facility no longer in use, the future of Babe Ruth Field is uncertain. Hopefully the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which owns the field, will continue to preserve the historic ballpark so future generations can stand where the Babe once stood and play ball.
Part of my writing process for developing the story line in Deadball involved several trips to Baltimore, seeking inspiration. On my first trip I discovered the Stone Tavern Restaurant, located two blocks east of the former site of Union Park at the corner of East 25th Street and Greenmount Avenue in the Harwood section of Baltimore.
The Stone Tavern Restaurant in Baltimore circa 2007
Given its close proximity to Union Park and what I believed was its former life as a Little Tavern shop, the Stone Tavern Restaurant was a perfect time piece to include in the book.
The Stone Tavern Restaurant Baltimore circa 2011
According to Dinerhunter.com, the Stone Tavern was once Little Tavern Baltimore No. 4. It opened in 1931 and promptly closed a year later.
Stone Tavern Restaurant Lunch Counter circa 2008
In Chapter Two of Deadball, Byron Bennett stops by the Stone Tavern for a cup of coffee after having visited the former site of Union Park. Once inside he meets Mac, a kindred spirit who, like Byron, believes he can see the past.
Stone Tavern Restaurant Booth Seating
In Deadball, I exercise creative license and describe the Stone Tavern as being covered in Formstone, “that plaster-based, counterfeit rock unique to East Coast cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia.” As is apparent from the photograph below, the Stone Tavern’s facade is, well, real stone.
The Stone Tavern - Covered In . . . Stone
The Stone Tavern Restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch. From experience, I can tell you it’s the kind of place you’ll want to wash your hands before and after you eat. Although the restaurant no longer offers “Buy ’em by the bag” hamburgers, I highly recommend the tuna salad on rye. So on your next visit to Union Park, be sure to stop by the Stone Tavern. You never know who you might meet there.
