Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel - David B. Stinson Author

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Touring the Lost Ballparks of Baltimore With Author Burt Solomon

By David Stinson on March 14, 2013

Burt Solomon and Terry Hartzell Touring the Former Site of Union Park

As a die-hard Baltimore Orioles fan and amateur historian, one of my all-time favorite books is Burt Solomon’s Where They Ain’t, The Fabled Life and Untimely Death of the Original Baltimore Orioles, the Team That Gave Birth to Modern Baseball, ranking right up there with James Bready’s Baseball in Baltimore, The First Hundred Years. Thanks to Terry Hartzell, a fan of both Burt’s book and my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, I had the opportunity to take both Burt and Terry on one of my Lost Ballparks of Baltimore Tours. Our first stop was the former site of Union Park at the corner of East 25th Street and Guilford Avenue, followed by a walking tour up Barclay Street to East 29th Street and the former site of American League Park, which is now a McDonald’s.

Burt Solomon and David Stinson Standing in Front of Memorial Stadium's Former Infield, Now a Youth Baseball Park Courtesy of the Ripken Foundation.

Next we walked across East 29th Street to the former site of Terrapin Park/old Oriole Park, where we confirmed that the 16 original row houses that sat behind what was once right-center field all remain at the site. After walking back to the car, we drove less than a mile from Union Park to the former site of Memorial Stadium, where pieces of brick and concrete from the stadium still can be found amongst the dirt, exposed by the weather.

After bidding adieu to Burt, Terry and I continued on to New Cathedral Cemetery, where four Hall of Fame Orioles are interred (John McGraw, Joe Kelley, Ned Hanlon, and Wilbert Robinson). Our final stop for the day was the former site of St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, where a young Babe Ruth was raised as a ward of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The historic baseball site includes the field where Babe Ruth learned to play the game, a building from St. Mary’s dating back to Ruth’s time at the school (the former Industrial Arts Building), and the former St. Mary’s Chapel, which was converted into a school building prior to Cardinal Gibbons High School arriving there in 1962.

I hope to conduct another Lost Ballparks of Baltimore Tour some time this spring. If you are interested in coming along, just send me a comment to this post.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged Babe Ruth, Baseball In Baltimore The FIrst Hundred Years, Burt Solomon, Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, James Bready, Joe Kelley, John McGraw, Memorial Stadium, Ned Hanlon, New Cathedral Cemetery, Oriole Park, St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, Terrapin Park, Terry Hartzell, Union Park, Where They Ain't The Fabled Life and Untimely Death of the Original Baltimore Orioles the Team That Gave Birth to Modern Baseball, Wilbert Robinson. | 20 Comments

Reading Out Loud In Baltimore’s Ivy Bookshop

By David Stinson on March 13, 2013

Photographic proof I can read!

Many thanks to the fine people at the Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore – Ed and Ann Berlin, and event coordinator Rebecca Oppenheimer – for including me in the store’s inaugural Starts Here Reading Series and allowing me to read from my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel. In addition to dusting off my reading out-loud-skills, developed long ago when my kids were still young and still wanted me around, I also had the pleasure of meeting and listening to fellow authors Jill Yesko, author of Murder in the Dog Park, and Lisa Airey, author of Touching the Moon. Thanks to everyone who came out.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged Ann Berlin, Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, Ed Berlin, Ivy Bookshop, Jill Yesko, Lisa Airey, Murder in the Dog Park, Rebecca Oppenheimer, Touching the Moon..

Reading At The Ivy Bookshop Friday March 8th

By David Stinson on March 6, 2013

Shake the snow off your boots this Friday March 8th and head on out to Baltimore for a book reading at the Ivy Bookshop. I’ll be there reading from my book Deadball as part of the store’s debut Starts Here Series. The reading also features Jill Yesko, author of Murder in the Dog Park, and Lisa Airey, author of Touching the Moon. “Meet some of Baltimore’s most intriguing authors” and “discover new literature of all genres from across the Baltimore metropolis and new talent in your own back yard.”

The readings start at 7 pm. Jill will read first, I will read second, and Lisa will read third. Books wll be available for purchase and signing after the readings. The Ivy Bookshop is located at 6080 Falls Road, just a few miles north of downtown Baltimore. Hope to see you there!

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, Ivy Bookshop, Jill Yesko, Lisa Airey, Murder in the Dog Park, Starts Here Series, Touching the Moon..

Smithsonian Bound

By David Stinson on February 24, 2013

I’m back at the Smithsonian today February 24th signing copies of Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel. It’s a beautiful day to spend some time down on the Mall. Stop by and say hello if you’re in the area. I’ll be at the National Museum of American History from noon until 3:30 pm, 1300 Constitution Avenue, N.W. My table is just outside the Museum Store on the Second Floor near the museum entrance off the National Mall. Here’s a link to the event: Smithsonian Institution Events Calendar

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged author event, book signing, David B. Stinson, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, National Mall, National Museum of American History.

Deadball Goes To College

By David Stinson on February 1, 2013

Colbourn Hall, UCF Department of History

Last month my publisher received an email from the campus bookstore at the University of Central Florida inquiring about ordering copies of my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel. Long story short, turns out Deadball is one of eight required readings for Baseball and American Culture (AMH3930h), an honors course being taught this semester at the University. The course explores: “The history of baseball and its interaction with a variety of areas of American culture from the 19th through the early 21st century.” The course is taught by Dr. Richard Crepeau, a distinguished Professor of History at UCF, Author, and Chair of the Department. An honor, indeed! I certainly hope the students enjoy the story of Byron Bennett.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged AMH3930h, Baseball and American Culture, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, Richard Crepeau, UCF, University of Central Florida.

A VFW Hall, Canarsie Caskets, And The Ebbets Field Flagpole

By David Stinson on January 11, 2013

In August 2001 some friends and I took a day trip from Maryland to New York City to chase down historical baseball landmarks. Our stops included the former sites of Hilltop Park, the Polo Grounds, Washington Park, and Ebbets Field. While in Brooklyn, we also went in search of the Ebbets Field Flag Pole, which legend had it was located in front of a Brooklyn VFW Hall. That trip ultimately formed the basis for a chapter in my book Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel in which protagonist Byron Bennett makes a solo trip to New York City in search of the same sites.

In the news recently I read that the Brooklyn Nets had acquired an Ebbets Field flagpole, which it relocated to a plaza in front of their home field at the Barclays Center. According to an article on ESPN, the flagpole was acquired by Nets owner Bruce Ratner in 2007.

On my trip in 2001, we did not know which VFW Hall in Brooklyn had the famed Ebbets Field Flagpole and, as such, spent a good portion of time driving around Brooklyn visiting as many VFW halls as we could find. Ultimately, it was just plain luck (or intervention of the baseball gods?) that led us to the flagpole. While driving south on Utica Street toward the Belt Parkway, we caught a glimpse of a flagpole in front of a one-story, red-brick building with a plastic banner hanging from the roof identifying the building as the Canarsie Casket Company.

Ebbets Field Flagpole In Front Of the Canarsie Casket Company

The banner partially obscured another sign, carved in granite and set into the building’s brick wall which stated “Veterans of Foreign Wars.” We knew then that we had found the famed Ebbets Field Flag Pole. Next to the sidewalk was a “Building For Sale” sign, suggesting a then-uncertain future for the Ebbets Field flagpole.

Kratter Corporation Dedication Plaque for the Ebbets Field Flagpole

At the base of the flagpole was a piece of granite with the following inscription:

Center Field Flag Pole
of
Ebbets Field
Donated By
Kratter Corp.

Kratter Corporation purchased Ebbets Field from the Dodgers two years before their move to Los Angeles in anticipation of developing the site once the team departed for the West Coast. Marvin Kratter, the corporation’s president, donated the flagpole to the VFW in 1960, where it stood until it was purchased by the Nets in 2007.

The Ebbets Field Flagpole

The flagpole now resides just a short drive up Flatbush Avenue, two miles north of its former location at 55 Sullivan Place. So kudos to the Brooklyn Nets for helping insure that at least a small part of Ebbets Field remains in the borough. Also, its good to know that the flagpole no longer has the indignity of sitting in front of a building that manufactured caskets.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged Barclays Center, Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Nets, Bruce Ratner, Byron Bennett, Canarsie Casket Company, David B. Stinson, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, Ebbets Field Flag Pole, Kratter Corporation, Marvin Kratter, VFW Hall. | 3 Comments

Moses Fleetwood Walker and Oberlin’s Tappan Square

By David Stinson on January 2, 2013

In Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, protagonist Byron Bennett makes a stop in Oberlin, Ohio, in search of the the ball field where Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Welday, two African-American students at liberal Oberlin played baseball for the school in 1881 and 1882.

Moses Fleetwood Walker

Both Walker brothers later played professional ball in 1884, joining the then-major league American Association Toledo Blue Stockings during the team’s one season in existence. Soon after that season, African-Americans were banned from playing in the major leagues until 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color line.

Oberlin Ohio State Historical Marker

Oberlin College was established in 1833. Many of the buildings located on the south side of College Street date to the time when Walker played baseball for Oberlin.

Buildings Located South on College Street Across from Tappan Square

The ball field where Walker played was located in Tappan Square near the corner of College Street and North Main Street, on the southeast side of Oberlin’s campus.

Tappan Square, Oberlin, Intersection of College Street and North Main Street

Tappan Square is divided into four quadrants.

Tappan Square Looking West from the Center of the Square

At one time Tappan Square had several buildings located throughout the square. Those buildings are gone, with only two architectural structures remaining in the square. In the northeast quadrant of the square is an open bandstand. Southwest of the bandstand in is a stone memorial arch.

Stone Memorial Arch, Tappan Square

The stone arch commemorates Oberlin student missionaries killed during the Boxer uprising in China in 1900.

Plaque Honoring Oberlin Student Missionaries

College Chapel, a building that once sat in the south west quadrant of Tappan Square just south of the memorial arch burned down in the early 1900s. The ball field where Walker once played was located in front of that church, just to the north. A picture of the church and the ball field is available on Oberlin College’s website at: Tappan Square (link to Oberlin College Digital Collection).

The picture below shows the approximate site of the former ball field in what is the southeast quadrant of Tappan Square.

Approximate Location of Oberlin's Former Ball Field Where Moses Fleetwood Walker Once Played

Oberlin’s current athletic fields (Oberlin plays in the North Coast Athletic Conference) are located northwest of Tappan Square off Union Street. The John Herbert Nichols Gateway, erected in honor of a former athletic director, marks the entrance to the athletic complex. Dill Field, the school’s baseball diamond, is located behind Savage Field, the school’s football stadium.

Dill Field, Home of the Oberlin Yeoman

The Yeomen’s ballpark is of modest size, with a chainlink backstop and ten rows of metal bleachers on either side of cinder block dugouts. The baseball team has played in its current location since the 1920s.

Dill Field Scoreboard

The former site of Oberlin’s ball field where Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother once played is historic, deserving of a historical plaque commemorating the site and its former location. If you are a fan of baseball, Tappan square certainly is worth a stop, should you find yourself in north central Ohio. It is just a few miles south of Interstate 90 on Route 58.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged American Association, Boxer Rebellion, David B. Stinson, Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, Dill Field, Moses Fleetwood Walker, North Coast Athletic Conference, Oberlin baseball, Oberlin College, Savage Field, Tappan Square, Toledo Blue Stockings, Welday Walker.

On ESPN Radio and Back at the Smithsonian

By David Stinson on November 22, 2012

If you find yourself in the four-state listening area surrounding Greencastle, PA, this Friday November 23rd, be sure to tune into ESPN 1380 AM for Gordy’s Sports World at 1 pm. I will be Gordy’s guest talking about by my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel.

Gordy Schlotter, ESPN 1380 Radio Host

Also, be sure to tune into Gordy’s Sports World every other Thursday during the baseball off-season for the latest hot stove info brought to you by Austin Gisriel and yours truly, and hosted by Gordy. Our next show will be Thursday November 29th at 1:oo pm. Austin is a talented writer with keen eye (and pen) for baseball. Check out his blog at Austin Gisriel.

The Sunday following Thanksgiving – November 25th – I will be making my third appearance in D.C. at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, signing copies of Deadball next to the gift shop on the second floor near the museum’s entrance just off the National Mall. Here is a link to the event: Smithsonian Magazine Blog.

Remember, Deadball makes a great holiday gift.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged 1380 AM, Austin Grisiel, David B. Stinson, Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, ESPN, Gordy's Sports World, Greencastle, Museum of American History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Signing At The Smithsonian This Sunday October 21st

By David Stinson on October 18, 2012

I’ll be making my second appearance in D.C. at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History this Sunday October 23rd, signing copies of Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel next to the gift shop on the second floor near the museum’s entrance just off the National Mall. I was there last month as well and had a chance to meet many in-town and out-of-town baseball fans who stopped by the table. Here is a link to the event: Smithsonian Institution Events Calendar

Manning the Table at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History with Calvin On September 21st

The thought originally was that, with the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles both in the playoffs, pennant fever would be sweeping the D.C. Metro area, making sales of Deadball easier than selling bottled water in the Sahara. Well, for those Nats and Orioles fans who now find themselves already missing the national pastime and longing for pitchers and catchers to report (122 days), be sure to stop by and pick up a copy of Deadball for your baseball fix.

And here’s a shout-out to Rose, one of the Smithsonian’s guards, who was stationed near the Mall exit last month. A fine lady with the wonderful gift of gab.

Me and Smithsonian Museum Guard Rose

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged American History Museum, Baltimore Orioles, David Stinson, Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington Nationals.

If You’re Going To The National Book Festival This Sunday . . .

By David Stinson on September 21, 2012

If you happen to find yourself downtown this Sunday, September 23rd, perhaps attending the National Book Festival on the mall, and you want to take a break from the crowds, come see me at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum from noon to 3 pm. I will be at the museum store signing copies of my book Deadball. Books will be available for purchase at the museum store.

Here’s the link: American History Museum Calendar.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged American History Museum, book signing, David B. Stinson, Deadball, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel.

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