Tim Wendel

Going to miss Rickey Henderson. Here's the backstory about how I wrote about him for the first cover story of USA Today Baseball Weekly.

Rickey was the first professional athlete I encountered who spoke about himself in the third person. As in, "Rickey slides head first because it closer to the ground. That way Rickey doesn't get hurt."

The all-time base stealer was a major character in my book DOWN TO THE LAST PITCH.

Here a few highlights:

"People who played against me called me cocky," Rickey said, "but my teammates didn't."

Billy Beane, former Oakland GM: "He's the greatest leadoff hitter of all time, and I'm not sure there's a close second."

 Henderson about his teammate Jose Canseco and the rise/use of steroids in the A's clubhouse: "They kept that [stuff] a secret from me," Henderson told the New Yorker in 2005. "I wish they had told me. My God, could you imagine Rickey on 'roids? Oh, baby, look out!"

My heart goes out the A's fans. First, their ballclub leaves town and now the death of one of their all-time greats.

 

Thanks to Greg Rienzi for the terrific review of ESCAPE FROM CASTRO'S CUBA in the Winter issue of the Johns Hopkins magazine. He detailed my inspiration for the new novel. How I couldn't get Cuba out of my mind after my fourth trip to the island in early 2017. One of the amazing characters I met on this visit was our 80-year-old landlady, who first came to Havana as a member of Castro's revolutionary army. 

Greg's piece closes with a quote from Billy Bryan, protagnoist of the new novel and its prequel, CASTRO'S CURVEBALL: "Cuba is beautiful, but has a dark heart."

True, so true.

In addition, here's an online chat Greg and I had about ESCAPE for the JHU Hub -- https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2021/winter/escape-castros-cuba-wendel/ 

ESCAPE FROM CASTRO'S CUBA is a finalist for the CASEY Award, given annually to  the 'best' baseball book published this calendar year.

What surprised me the most about the news is that ESCAPE is the only novel among the finalists and, frankly, works of fiction rarely make the cut for the CASEY.

It is a stacked field of CASEY finalists, with Joe Posnanski's THE BASEBALL 100, Lonnie Wheeler's bio about 'Cool Papa' Bell and Dave Jordan's collaboration with slugger Dave Parker also in the running. Of the nine finalists, three are from University of Nebraska Press, which underscores the fine work editor Rob Taylor is doing there.

With ESCAPE being the only novel in play, I sort of feel like I've already won. And I'm not just saying that. As you know, getting traction for a piece of fiction is an uphill fight, so it makes your day when you hear that you're in the running for something like a CASEY.

Thanks to Mike Shannon and the folks at Spitball magazine for the honor.

Adam Wainwright's "pipe shots" to Derek Jeter reminds me of Denny McLain grooving one to Mickey Mantle in the memorable '68 season. Check out pages 126-129 in SUMMER OF '68.

Working my way through a lot of great research material from Cooperstown. Trying to tease out the threads for this new book, SIXTY-EIGHT. In search of narrative.

We've come to an agreement with Da Capo Press for SIXTY-EIGHT: WHEN BASEBALL SAVED AMERICA. Besides detailing the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and the pitching achievements of that season, I'll take a look at football and the Mexico City Olympics, as well as the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy.
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