Jews are the proverbial "people of the book"
("Am HaSefer"). Jewish athletes are no different.
There is a long tradition of Jewish baseball players writing books.
So much so that it probably merits a future entry devoted to the topic.
Consider, briefly, the works of:
- Mike Epstein: The
Mental Side of Hitting - Steve Stone: Teach
Yourself How To Win - Al Schacht: Clowning
Through Baseball - Norm Miller: … Norm Who?
- Ron Blomberg: Designated Hebrew
- Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life
The most recent addition to this roster is lefty relief specialist Craig Breslow (thanks
for Ron
Kaplan's Kaplan's Korner for the heads up!).
Breslow is the author of the foreward to The Mudville Heritage: Baseball in Folklore and
Fiction by Tristam Potter Coffin. I've requested a review copy from publisher Rvive Books, and will review the book here when it arrives.
In the meantime, Mudville Heritage is, for those who collect books and signed books, a cool addition to the Jewish baseball library. I'm going to attempt to get Breslow to sign my copy of the book. I'll report back on results at a later date.
Highly recommend Minor Players, Major Dreams. If you enjoy Roger Angell, you will enjoy this book!