Tim Wendel

The two teams that met in the 1968 World Series -- the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals -- were among the most racially diverse institutions in the land at the time. Willie "the Wonder" Horton was among them. The Tigers' outfielder grew up in the Detroit projects and tried to stop the riots in  Read More 

Here's the link to the podcast of me with host Jay Goldberg at the Bergino Clubhouse in lower Manhattan.
http://berginobaseballclubhouse.podbean.com/2011/04/30/high-heat-with-tim-wendel-at-the-bergino-baseball-clubhouse/

I had a great time talking about fireballers and High Heat at the Bergino Clubhouse near New York University last week. It's a great setting, just around the corner from the world-famous Strand Bookstore. If I was ever was going to move back to New York, I'd take a long look at that part  Read More 

The unexpected twists can be half the fun of writing a book. At least they can keep you going. I've been deep into the working draft for SIXTY-EIGHT, the new one about when sports saved America. Several of the 1968 world champion Detroit Tigers mentioned playing against Tom Hayden, the student activist and major player  Read More 

Publisher's Weekly named High Heat one of its Top 10 sports titles for this spring. Here's the blurb:
For the hard stuff, Tim Wendel's High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time might suffice. It's as much about hard science as putting mustard on  Read More 

Da Capo editor Jonathan Crowe acquired two sports books, one on baseball and the other on golf. Crowe took North American rights to Johns Hopkins professor Tim Wendel's Sixty-Eight: The Year of the Pitcher—When Baseball Saved America from Chris Park at Foundry Literary + Media. Wendel focuses on that eponymous season when, thanks to  Read More 

Great to see Pat Gillick reach the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was once roommates with Steve Dalkowski and was a great source for High Heat.
Also, Marvin Miller should have gotten in and great to see my friend Davey Concepcion in the running.

I've been on the road a ton, researching SIXTY-EIGHT, a new book about sports in the year 1968. While the nation was being pulled apart back then, the sports world (baseball's Tigers and Cardinals, the rise of the American Football League, the Mexico City Olympics) was certainly memorable to watch and may have helped hold  Read More 

I recently finished the Afterword for the tradepaper edition of High Heat, which will be out in February 2011. Here's what I wrote about the Rays' David Price, who led the Tampa Bay Rays to a playoff berth last night.
"Every time I saw Price pitch during the 2010 season, I was tempted to say that  Read More 

I've returned from four days in the Detroit area. Caught up with family, attended the Knight-Wallace Fellowship reunion in Ann Arbor and had a great interview with ex-Detroit Tiger Willie "the Wonder" Horton. Research for the new book, working title SIXTY-EIGHT, rolls on.