Posts tagged Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel

Baltimore Book Festival Friday September 25th

Friday September 25th marks the start of the 2015 Baltimore Book Festival. I am looking forward to attending once again (my fourth year in a row) and will be in the Author’s tent on Friday, from 11 am to 7 pm, selling and signing copies of Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, as well as my new, non fiction book, The College Baseball Primer. That evening, at 6:30 pm, I will be appearing at the Speaker’s Stage adjacent to the Author’s Tent, talking about Deadball and Baltimore’s lost ballparks of baseball.

Baltimore Book Festival Display for Deadball

Baltimore Book Festival Display for Deadball

This year marks the second year in a row that the Baltimore Book Festival has been held at the Inner Harbor.

2014 Baltimore Book Festival at the Inner Harbor

2014 Baltimore Book Festival at the Inner Harbor

In previous years, the Festival was held in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, adjacent to the Washington Monument.

2012 Baltimore Book Festival in Mount Vernon

2012 Baltimore Book Festival in Mount Vernon Neighborhood

Both locations had their advantages. Mount Vernon had a wonderful, neighborhood feel, surrounded by beautiful turn of the century buildings. The Inner Harbor brings more foot traffic to the festival, with its central, downtown location.

If you are planning on attending the Festival on Friday, please stop by the Authors Tent and say hello. Or, come heckle me during my appearance at the Speaker’s Stage. Either way, it will be great to see you.

Drinking Beer in the Left Field Tasting Room At Old Oriole Park

Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, is located on the former site of Old Oriole Park, once home to the Federal League Baltimore Terrapins and the International League Baltimore Orioles.

Six Pack of Old Oriole Park Bohemian Beer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Six Pack of Old Oriole Park Bohemian Beer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

In honor of that heritage, the brewery has released a new beer, Old Oriole Park Bohemian. The bottle’s label includes a photograph of a player at Old Oriole Park sliding into home plate, with the grandstand near the left field corner as the backdrop.

Bottle of Old Oriole Park Bohemian Beer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Bottle of Old Oriole Park Bohemian Beer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

On June 27, 2015, Richard O’Keefe, the owner of Peabody Heights Brewery, and J. Hollis Albert, III, General Manager of the brewery, welcomed guests to celebrate the official opening of the tasting room, which is located in what was once left field at Old Oriole Park.

Comptroller Peter Franchot Talks With  J. Albert Hollis, III, and Richard O'Keefe, at Grand Opening of Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

Comptroller Peter Franchot Talks With J. Albert Hollis, III, and Richard O’Keefe, at Grand Opening of Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

Several local dignitaries were in attendance, including Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, Baltimore Orioles Minority Owner Wayne Gioioso, Sr., and Delegate Mary Washington.

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Presents Governor's Citation to J. Albert Hollis, III, and Richard O'Keefe

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Presents Governor’s Citation to J. Albert Hollis, III, and Richard O’Keefe, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Governor's Citation Presented to Peabody Heights Brewery on the Official Opening of the Oriole Park Tasting Room

Governor’s Citation Presented to Peabody Heights Brewery on the Official Opening of the Oriole Park Tasting Room

Brewer Eli Breitburg-Smith gave a tour of the brewery. In the photo below, Brewer Breitburg-Smith and those assembled are standing in what was once center field.

Eli Breitburg-Smith, Brewer, Leads a Tour of the Peabody Heights Brewery for Dignitaries, including Comptroller Peter Franchot, Baltimore Orioles Minority Owner Wayne Gioioso, Sr., Delegate Mary Washington, and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford

Eli Breitburg-Smith, Brewer, Leads a Tour of the Peabody Heights Brewery for Dignitaries, including Comptroller Peter Franchot, Baltimore Orioles Minority Owner Wayne Gioioso, Sr., Delegate Mary Washington, and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford

The left field tasting room includes displays that celebrate Baltimore baseball history, including Old Oriole Park, as well as baseball artwork that captures the spirit of the game.

Old Oriole Park Historical Display at Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Old Oriole Park Historical Display at Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Posters of the book Deadball and the movie Field of Dreams Hang on a Wall of the Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

Posters of the book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, and the Movie Field of Dreams, Adorn the Wall at the Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

The tasting room is now open to the public every weekend, typically from 5-7 pm on Fridays and 11 am to 4 pm on Saturdays.

Old Oriole Park Beer Cases Stacked and Ready to be Filled

Old Oriole Park Beer Cases Stacked and Ready to be Filled, Peabody Heights Brewery

If you are a fan of the game and/or a fan of beer, be sure to stop by the left field Tasting Room at Peabody Heights Brewery. And while there, have a bottle of Old Oriole Park Bohemian on the very spot depicted in the label of the bottle that you are holding.

Celebrating Washington County Heritage With The Hagerstown Suns

This Saturday Night, June 20th, the Hagerstown Suns are holding “Washington County Baseball Heritage Night,” as part of the Suns’ 35th Anniversary celebration at Municipal Stadium.

Looking Forward To Heading Back to Hagerstown

Looking Forward to Heading Back to Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown, Maryland

I am honored to be participating in a book signing during the game, along with local authors Bob Savitt (The Blue Ridge League) and Austin Gisriel (Boots Poffenberger: Hurler, Hero, Hell-Raiser). In case you are wondering why I would be included as part of the Washington County Heritage Night, my book Deadball: A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, prominently features Municipal Stadium.

Former Washington County Big Leaguers or their families will be in attendance Saturday night as well. Included in the list of players who made it to the Majors is John Wilson (1913), Ike Powers (1927-1928), “Boots” Poffenberger (1937-1939), Vic Barnhart (1944-1946), Dave Cole (1950-1955), Leo Burke (1958-1965), Mike Draper (1993) and Nick Adenhart (2008-2009). The Suns also are honoring Mickey Billmeyer, a major league coach, and Clyde Barhnhart, a long-time county resident and father of Vic Barnhart.

And if that isn’t enough, the first 1,000 fans receive a free poster featuring Hagerstown Suns players from years past.

For more information about the event, click HERE.

 

Talking the Talk on Susan Scher’s “In Other Words” Internet Talk Radio

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It was a pleasure being Susan Scher’s guest on her radio program, In Other Words, on March 4th. Although much of her audience listens to her show as a podcast, the show was broadcast live at 10 am and, if you listen in, you will know it had much of the excitement of a live broadcast.

To listen to the broadcast CLICK HERE. You can also download an mp3 of the show to your computer or iphone. Look for the cloud icon at the top right corner of the WEBSITE inotherwords

We discussed my novel Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, as well as Baltimore baseball history, and the lost ballparks of  baseball.

I am looking forward to being her guest later this month on Radio One – on Friday March 27th – along with Orioles Historian and Author, Ted Patterson. More details to follow.

Walking In Williamsport on the Trail of Boots Poffenberger

One way for baseball fans to bridge the chasm between the last out of the World Series and the arrival of pitchers and catchers for spring training is to delve into the history of the game – maybe read a book or take a day trip to a nearby town or landmark with a connection to the National Pastime. Austin Gisriel’s Boots Poffenberger: Hurler, Hero, Hellraiser is an excellent choice if you are looking for a book to help pass the time until baseball arrives again this Spring.

Perhaps better, however, is spending an afternoon with Austin walking  in the footsteps of Boots Poffenberger through Williamsport, Maryland, the ballplayer’s home town. Austin was kind enough to show me around Williamsport this past November, just as the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals were cleaning out their lockers and scattering for the Winter.

If you have read Austin’s book, or if you know anything about Boots Poffenberger, you know that Boots had at least two great loves, baseball and beer. So it was fitting that our Williamsport Boots Tour touched on both aspects of his life. We started on the banks of the Potomac River at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Williamsport.

Williamsport, Maryland, at the confluence of the Conococheague Creek and the Potomac River

Williamsport, Maryland, at the confluence of Conococheague Creek and the Potomac River

Boots was born on July 1, 1915, According to Austin, Boots was named for his grandfather who piloted a boat  on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in and around Williamsport.

C&O Canal Lock 44, Williamsport, Maryland

C&O Canal Lock 44, Williamsport, Maryland

A rookie phenom pitcher with Detroit Tigers in 1937, Boots’s sporadic baseball career is well detailed in Austin’s book, as well as in the  SABR Baseball Biography Project article about Boots, also authored by Austin. When Boots wasn’t playing baseball (either during the off season or during those periods when he simply chose not to play, or was not allowed to play), he could be found at local establishments such as Ern’s Tavern at 35 North Conococheague Street in Williamsport. Now known as The Third Base Tavern (the “Last Stop Before Home” according to the sign), Ern’s was one of Boots’s favorite haunts.

Author Austin Gisriel In Front of Third Base Tavern, One of Boots Poffenberger's Favorite Haunts

Author Austin Gisriel In Front of Third Base Tavern, One of Boots Poffenberger’s Favorite Haunts

Boots’s legend lives large inside the Third Base Tavern. A table in the spot where Boots’s booth of choice once resided sits next to the tavern’s front window.

Where Boots Rested His Weary Legs - Third Base Tavern, Williamsport, Maryland

Spot Where Boots Rested His Weary Legs – Third Base Tavern, Williamsport, Maryland

A picture on the windowsill next to the table shows Boots in action, sitting in his booth at the Third Base Tavern.

Boots in his Booth at Erns Tavern, Now Third Base Tavern, Williamsport, Maryland

Boots in his Booth at Ern’s Tavern, Now Third Base Tavern, Williamsport, Maryland

As Austin has learned having written the book on Boots, there is no shortage of people in Williamsport who have stories to share about Boots. During the short time we visited the Third Base Tavern we met several such residents.

Continuing the baseball theme, we stop next stopped at Doubleday Hill, named after Abner Doubleday, the Union general who famously did not invent baseball (but did fire the first shot by the Union Army at Fort Sumter, South Carolina). During the Civil War, General Doublday commanded an artillery battery in Williamsport on a hill overlooking the Potomac River.

Doubleday Hill, Williamsport, Maryland

Doubleday Hill, Williamsport, Maryland

It is on that same hill, in Riverview Cemetery, that Boots is interred. Boots died in Williamsport on September 1, 1999.

The Final Resting Place of Cletus Elwood “Boots” Poffenberger

The Final Resting Place of Cletus Elwood “Boots” Poffenberger

As noted on his grave marker, Boots served in the Marines during World War II where, according to Austin, Boots spent much of the time entertaining the troops by playing baseball for the company team. Weeds covered a good portion of Boots’s plaque when we arrived, so it took a few minutes to find Boots. Austin made sure the headstone was cleared before we left.

Author Austin Gisriel Next to Boots Poffenberger's Grave Marker, Riverview Cemetery

Author Austin Gisriel Next to Boots Poffenberger’s Grave Marker, Riverview Cemetery

The last stop on our Boots Tour took us eight miles north of Williamsport to Hagerstown, Maryland. Boots’s played many games in Hagerstown at Municipal Stadium, including his last game as a professional ballplayer in 1948, when he as a member of the Class B Interstate League  Hagerstown Owls.

Municipal Stadium, Left/Center Field Wall Facing South Cannon Avenue, Hagerstown, Maryland

Municipal Stadium sign, Left/Center Field Wall Facing South Cannon Avenue, Hagerstown, Maryland

Municipal Stadium is one of the oldest minor league ballparks still in use in the United States and currently is the home field of the South Atlantic League Hagerstowns Suns, an affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Out beyond Municipal Stadium’s center field fence  is the Stadium Grill and Tavern located at 401 South Cannon Avenue.

View of Municipal Stadium through Center Field Gates Near Parking Lot to Stadium Grill and Tavern, Hagerstown, Maryland

View of Municipal Stadium through Center Field Gates Near Parking Lot to Stadium Grill and Tavern, Hagerstown, Maryland

Although Boots played many games at Municipal Stadium, Austin could not say definitively whether Boots ever frequented the Stadium Grill and Tavern.

Stadium Grill and Tavern, With Municipal Stadium in Background, Hagerstown, Maryland

Stadium Grill and Tavern, With Municipal Stadium in Background, Hagerstown, Maryland

It seems a safe bet, however, that Boots would have stopped by the establishment from time to time given the bar’s proximity to the ballpark (the current incarnation of the Stadium Grill and Tavern dates back some 50 plus years). The exact history of the building housing the Stadium Grill and Tavern, and its use during Boots’s last few years of professional ball, is another story for another day.

The Stadium Grill and Tavern Is Casual, But with Limits, No Backward Hats!

The Stadium Grill and Tavern Is Casual, But with Limits, No Backward Hats!

Even though we could not prove a direct link between Boots and the Stadium Grill and Tavern, we nonetheless stopped there for lunch.

Interior of Stadium Grill and Tavern, Hagerstown, Maryland

Interior of Stadium Grill and Tavern, Hagerstown, Maryland

With a view from our booth of the last ballpark where Boots played professionally, it seemed a fitting place to end our Boots Tour.

A Room With A View of Hagerstown Municpal Stadium From the Stadium Grill and Tavern

A Room With A View of Hagerstown Municpal Stadium From the Stadium Grill and Tavern

If you haven’t read Austin’s book yet, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. And if you find yourself anywhere near Williamsport, Maryland, and are interested in a tour, I am almost certain Austin would be willing to show you around.

Third Time The Charm City at the Baltimore Book Festival

The Baltimore Book Festival is held during the last weekend of September each year. The annual event draws thousands of book lovers to Charm City for three days of appearances by local, celebrity, and nationally known authors, book signings, and more than 100 exhibitors and booksellers. In previous years it was held in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, just north of downtown in the area surrounding the city’s famed Washington Monument. In 2012 and 2013, I had the pleasure of selling books at that location.

Authors Tent at Bicentennial Plaza, Baltimore Book Festival

Authors Tent at Bicentennial Plaza, Baltimore Book Festival

This year the festival was held at the Inner Harbor and featured not one, but two Author’s Tents. My table in the Author’s Tent at Bicentennial Plaza was just a few feet away from stone markers honoring the 200th anniversary of the founding of Baltimore in 1797.

Bicentennial Plaza Marker, Baltimore Inner Harbor

Bicentennial Plaza Marker, Baltimore Inner Harbor

Underneath one of the markers is a time capsule placed in 1997 and scheduled to be opened in 2097. As much as I would like to, it is doubtful that I will be able to attend that event.

Baltimore Book Festival Table Mates  Raleigh Mann, David Stinson, and Seth Adam Kallick

Baltimore Book Festival Table Mates Raleigh Mann, David Stinson, and Seth Adam Kallick

On Saturday September 27th, I had the pleasure of sharing a table with Seth Adam Kallick, author of American Nightmare, A Tale of the Dead West, and Raleigh Mann, author of Jumping with Mixed Feelings, A Family Memoir. Raleigh’s daughter Beth accompanied him as well and offered free knitting lessons to anyone interested.

Authors Stage at Bicentennial Plaza, with Baltimore's Inner Harbor in Background

Authors Stage at Bicentennial Plaza, with Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in Background

At 6 pm Saturday evening I took to the Authors Stage at Bicentennial Plaza to give a brief history of the lost ballparks of Baltimore and talk a little about my book. The view of the Inner Harbor from the podium was spectacular. Thanks to Beth for agreeing to listen to my talk and thereby increase by 100 percent the number of people waiting in the audience when I arrived.

Day Two - Baltimore Book Festival

Day Two – Baltimore Book Festival – And, NO, the orange sign to my left did not fall and hit my head

On Sunday September 28th, my table mates were Barbara Mathias-Riegel, author of Curtain Calls, and Bill Fortin, author of RedEye Fulda Cold: A War in the Cold Novel. The Ravens played the Carolina Panthers that afternoon, providing the festival with an extra jolt of potential customers passing through the Authors Tent to and from the game. At one point in the morning there were so many fans walking by, the Authors Tent had the appearance of a second Ravens Walk.

Thanks to everyone who stopped to chat with me about Deadball and the lost ballparks of Baltimore, and especially those who were kind enough to buy the book. Thanks also to my table mates whose good conversations helped pass the time between customers.

Baltimore Book Festival Saturday September 27 and Sunday September 28

 

baltimorebookfestivalThe Baltimore Book Festival is back this weekend and I am excited to be appearing alongside fellow authors in the Authors Tent, selling and signing copies of Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel.

This year I will be appearing both Saturday and Sunday, September 27-28th in the Authors Tent located at Bicentennial Plaza.

On Saturday at 6 pm I will give a short presentation on my book at the Authors Tent.

This year the Festival will be held at Inner Harbor. The Authors Tent at Bicentennial Plaza is located southwest of the U.S.S. Constellation and south of the Harborplace Light Street Pavilion.

The Festival on Saturday runs from noon to 8 pm and Sunday from noon to 6 pm.

Here is a map of the festival. bbfmap

Celebrating New Beginnings at Union Park’s Former Site

East 25th Street, Baltimore, former site of Union Park

East 25th Street, Baltimore, former site of Union Park

The mission of St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center is to create and maintain equal housing opportunities for low-and moderate-income people in and around the City of Baltimore. A 501(c)(3) non profit organization, St. Ambrose’s main offices are located at 317 E 25th Street, adjacent to the former site of Union Park, once the home of the World Champion 1890’s Baltimore Orioles.

To celebrate the renovation of their historic structure, St. Ambrose is holding an open house on Monday March 31st in conjunction with the Baltimore Orioles’ Opening Day. St. Ambrose also will celebrate the baseball history that surrounds the historic structure in which it resides. St. Ambroses’ offices are housed in the distinctive red brick building that appears just to left center of the above photograph. St. Ambroses’ offices also can be seen in the the photograph below, with the building’s distinctive pitched roof appearing just to the right of the third base grand stand.

Union Park, Baltimore, Home of the National League Orioles, circa 1897 (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Union Park, Baltimore, Home of the National League Orioles, circa 1897 (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

I am honored to be a guest at the open house this Monday,  where I will talk about the history of the Union Park and give perhaps a few mini tours of the site, explaining where the ballpark once sat. I also will have available for sale and signing copies of my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel.

Before heading to the Orioles game Monday, or to pregame festivities at Pickles Pub, stop by the former site of Union Park, where the 1894 Baltimore Orioles brought home Baltimore’s first baseball championship, 120 years ago this year, and 60 years before the current-day Orioles arrived in Baltimore in 1954.

For more information about St. Ambrose and the open house, visit the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center website. I certainly hope to see you there

Smithsonian Friday and Fenton Street Saturday

I’m looking forward to spending Black Friday November 29th at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum outside the gift shop on the second floor (Mall Entrance). I’ll be there from noon to 3:00 pm signing copies of my book Deadball, a Metaphysical Baseball Novel. For those interested, here’s a link to the Smithsonian web site.

Saturday November 30th I will be at the Fenton Street Market in Downtown Silver Spring from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. It’s Small Business Saturday (and you can’t much smaller than my business!) so please stop by and say hello. My booth is No. 26. Here’s a map of the market area and here’s a link to Fenton Street Holiday Market web site.

Baltimore Book Festival Revisited

Baltimore Book Festival Authors Steve Bradshaw, David Stinson, and Pavarti Tyler

Thanks to those who stopped by the Baltimore Book Festival’s Authors Tent on Friday September 27th. I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to talk Deadball and baseball with you. I was fortunate also to have two outstanding table mates on either side of me who helped make the day both enjoyable and  memorable. Memphis author Steve Bradshaw brought with him copies of his books Bluff City Butcher and The Skies Roared (the first two in a trilogy), and word on the street is he pretty much sold out all his copies by the end of Saturday. Local Baltimore writer Pavarti Tyler was there selling copies of her books Two Moons of Sera – Omnibus,  Shadow on the Wall, and White Chalk (with free lollipops seemingly torn from the cover of the book). For Pav, a self-described “cross genre” author, the festival was a family affair, with her husband and two effervescent daughters helping to drive away the mid afternoon doldrums.

Me and the Berenstain Bears, the Berenstain Bears!

The festival was also a time for me to meet and mingle with some of our country’s most notable literary characters. Readers of my blog already may be aware of my encounter with Captain Underpants at a Frederick Keys Game two years ago.

Once again, I jumped at the chance to pose for pictures with the festival’s roving literary icons. Berenstain Bears Ma and Pa were there, although given how talkative they are in their books, I was surprised how quiet they were when I met them. No “gosh darn this” or “gosh darn that.” In fact, they just nodded and used their hands to communicate, no words at all.

Me and a Rather Subdued Wild Thing

The same was true for Wild Thing. He was anything but wild. No wild rumpus, nothing. Maybe it was just too early for him, or maybe he needed Max to get him going. I also had a chance to “meet” Curious George (no sign of the man in the yellow hat). He too seemed quite calm, not the least bit curious or mischievous. I’ll spare you the picture of me and the monkey.

Meeting BBF Man - A Highlight of the Festival

 

 

 

 

I also had a pleasant encounter with BBF Man, who did use words to communicate and seemed genuinely delighted to check out a copy of my book Deadball. I’ll spare you the picture of me and the man in tights as well.

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