Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach

I've just started "The Art of Fielding"; great, great book!

Just an FYI - Aparicio Rodriguez, the author of the book within the book, is modeled after Luis Aparicio, one of the all-time great shortstops, who played for the Chicago White Sox in the late 50's to 60's, which is when I first began to play and follow baseball. Did you know, that in those days, there was only one game a week televised, on Saturdays, as "The Game of the Week"? The World Series was played in the day, and I remember pleading (to no avail) with my mom to let me stay home from school in the sixth grade to watch the Dodgers and the White Sox meet in the World Series. I had to listen to the games surreptitiously on my transistor radio.

The first game I attended was in 1959 when the Dodgers first moved to Los Angeles and were playing in the Coliseum, a setting that overwhelmed the game, being much too large. All I remember was that we were so far away from the field that it was hard to discern the players. The first game indelibly etched on my brain (and which was the second I attended) was in August of 1961 when Mantle and Maris were chasing Babe Ruth's home run record. My grandfather, a lifelong baseball fan who still lived in Los Angeles at the time, got tickets for the Yankees vs. the Los Angeles Angels, who were playing in a little bandbox of a stadium in LA, named Wrigley Field, built by the same Wrigley's who built Chicago's same, and which was the previous home of minor league baseball in LA. My grandpa took my mom (also a lifelong baseball fan, taking after her father) and I (we rode the train from Oxnard), and to this day, over 50 years later, I still remember my first glimpse of the green grass when we entered the stadium proper - it was as if I entered heaven. :-)

My grandpa really knew how to watch baseball, and imbued in me several habits which I practice to this day, the first being to be at the stadium when it first opened and to proceed directly to the lower level seats to watch batting practice. We did so on this day, and I ended up 10 feet away from Mickey Mantle, watching him hit ball after ball into the stratosphere.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Recent Reads

Here's what I've been reading over the past year, all free courtesy of sdcl.org!

Record 1 of 54
TITLE Experience Hendrix [videorecording].
PUB INFO Chatsworth, CA : Image Entertainment, 2008.
CALL # DVD 782.42166 EXP.

Record 2 of 54
AUTHOR Donovan, Jim, 1954-
TITLE A terrible glory : Custer and the Little Bighorn : the last great
battle / James Donovan.
PUB INFO Boston, Mass. ; London : Little, Brown, 2008.
CALL # 973.82 DON.

Record 3 of 54
AUTHOR Grossman, Lev.
TITLE Codex / Lev Grossman.
PUB INFO Orlando : Harcourt, c2004.
CALL # F GROSMAN.

Record 4 of 54
TITLE Fodor's Washington, D.C. 2009 : [with Mount Vernon, Alexandria &
Annapolis] / [editor: Salwa Jabado].
PUB INFO New York : Fodor's Travel Pub., c2009.
CALL # 917.53 FOD.

Record 5 of 54
AUTHOR Buffett, Mary.
TITLE Warren Buffett and the interpretation of financial statements /
Mary Buffett and David Clark.
PUB INFO New York : Scribner, 2008.
CALL # 657.3 BUF.

Record 6 of 54
TITLE Legends of Hawaiian slack key guitar [sound recording] : live
from Maui.
PUB INFO Los Angeles, CA : Daniel Ho Creations, [2006]
CALL # HAW CD LEGENDS.

Record 7 of 54
AUTHOR Fraiser, Jim, 1954-
TITLE The French Quarter of New Orleans / Jim Fraiser ; photography by
West Freeman.
PUB INFO Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, c2003.
CALL # 720.9763 FRA.

Record 8 of 54
AUTHOR West, Ben.
TITLE Retiring abroad / Ben West and John Howell.
PUB INFO London : Cadogan Guides, c2004.
CALL # 643.12 WES.

Record 9 of 54
AUTHOR Proser, Jim.
TITLE I'm staying with my boys : the heroic life of Sgt. John Basilone,
USMC / Jim Proser with Jerry Cutter.
PUB INFO New York : St. Martin's Griffin, 2010.
CALL # B BASILONE.

Record 10 of 54
AUTHOR Stockett, Kathryn.
TITLE The help / Kathryn Stockett.
PUB INFO New York : Amy Einhorn Books, c2009.
CALL # F STOCKETT.

Record 11 of 54
AUTHOR Herczog, Mary.
TITLE Frommer's New Orleans 2010 / by Mary Herczog.
PUB INFO Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley Publishing, c2010.
CALL # 917.6335 FRO.

Record 12 of 54
AUTHOR Hitchens, Christopher.
TITLE Hitch-22 : a memoir / Christopher Hitchens.
PUB INFO New York : Twelve, 2010.
CALL # B HITCHENS.

Record 13 of 54
AUTHOR Gorokhova, Elena.
TITLE A mountain of crumbs / Elena Gorokhova.
PUB INFO New York : Simon & Schuster, 2010, c2009.
CALL # B GOROKHOVA.

Record 14 of 54
AUTHOR Burke, James Lee, 1936-
TITLE Swan Peak : a Dave Robicheaux novel / James Lee Burke.
PUB INFO New York : Simon & Schuster, 2008.
CALL # F BURKE.

Record 15 of 54
AUTHOR Puchner, Eric.
TITLE Model home : a novel / Eric Puchner.
PUB INFO New York : Scribner, c2010.
CALL # F PUCHNER.

Record 16 of 54
AUTHOR Grafton, Sue.
TITLE U is for undertow / Sue Grafton.
PUB INFO New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2009.
CALL # F GRAFTON.

Record 17 of 54
AUTHOR Burke, James Lee, 1936-
TITLE Rain gods / James Lee Burke.
PUB INFO New York : Simon & Schuster, 2009.
CALL # F BURKE.

Record 18 of 54
AUTHOR Miéville, China.
TITLE Kraken : an anatomy / China Miéville.
PUB INFO New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, c2010.
CALL # F MIEVILLE.

Record 19 of 54
AUTHOR Montville, Leigh.
TITLE The Big Bam : the life and times of Babe Ruth / Leigh Montville.
PUB INFO New York : Doubleday, 2006.
CALL # B RUTH.

Record 20 of 54
AUTHOR Hiaasen, Carl.
TITLE The downhill lie : a hacker's return to a ruinous sport / by Carl
Hiaasen.
PUB INFO New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.
CALL # B HIAASEN.

Record 21 of 54
AUTHOR Verghese, A. (Abraham), 1955-
TITLE Cutting for stone : a novel / Abraham Verghese.
PUB INFO New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
CALL # F VERGHESE.

Record 22 of 54
AUTHOR Handler, Chelsea.
TITLE My horizontal life : a collection of one-night stands / Chelsea
Handler.
PUB INFO New York : Bloomsbury Pub., 2005.
CALL # 306.7 HAN.

Record 23 of 54
AUTHOR Skyhorse, Brando.
TITLE The Madonnas of Echo Park : a novel / Brando Skyhorse.
PUB INFO New York : Free Press, 2010.
CALL # F SKYHORSE.

Record 24 of 54
AUTHOR Kornfield, Jack, 1945-
TITLE A path with heart : a guide through the perils and promises of
spiritual life / Jack Kornfield.
PUB INFO New York : Bantam Books, c1993.
CALL # 294.3444 KOR.

Record 25 of 54
AUTHOR Lewis, Michael (Michael M.)
TITLE The big short : inside the doomsday machine / Michael Lewis.
PUB INFO New York : W.W. Norton & Co., c2010.
CALL # 330.973 LEW.

Record 26 of 54
AUTHOR Kornfield, Jack, 1945-
TITLE After the ecstasy, the laundry : how the heart grows wise on the
spiritual path / Jack Kornfield.
PUB INFO New York : Bantam Books, c2000.
CALL # 294.3444 KOR.

Record 27 of 54
AUTHOR Wilson, Susan, 1951-
TITLE One good dog / Susan Wilson.
PUB INFO New York : St. Martin's Press, 2010.
CALL # F WILSON.

Record 28 of 54
AUTHOR Starr, Kevin.
TITLE Golden Gate : the life and times of America's greatest bridge /
Kevin Starr.
PUB INFO New York : Bloomsbury Press, 2010.
CALL # 624.230979461 STA.

Record 29 of 54
AUTHOR Halpern, Justin.
TITLE Sh*t my dad says / Justin Halpern.
PUB INFO New York : It Books, 2010.
CALL # 818.6 HAL.

Record 30 of 54
AUTHOR Evanovich, Janet.
TITLE Sizzling sixteen / Janet Evanovich.
PUB INFO New York : St. Martin's Press, 2010.
CALL # F EVANOVICH.

Record 31 of 54
AUTHOR Turow, Scott.
TITLE Innocent / Scott Turow.
PUB INFO New York : Grand Central Pub., 2010.
CALL # F TUROW.

Record 32 of 54
AUTHOR Burke, James Lee, 1936-
TITLE The glass rainbow : a Dave Robicheaux novel / James Lee Burke.
PUB INFO New York : Simon & Schuster, 2010.
CALL # F BURKE.

Record 33 of 54
AUTHOR Ruiz Zafón, Carlos, 1964-
TITLE The angel's game / by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ; translated into English
by Lucia Graves.
PUB INFO New York : Doubleday, c2009.
CALL # F RUIZ ZAFON.

Record 34 of 54
AUTHOR Moore, Wes, 1978-
TITLE The other Wes Moore : the story of one name and two fates / Wes
Moore ; afterword by Tavis Smiley.
PUB INFO New York : Spiegel & Grau, 2010.
CALL # B MOORE.

Record 35 of 54
AUTHOR Parkhurst, Carolyn, 1971-
TITLE The nobodies album : a novel / Carolyn Parkhurst.
PUB INFO New York : Doubleday, c2010.
CALL # F PARKHURST.

Record 36 of 54
AUTHOR Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
TITLE White House diary / Jimmy Carter.
PUB INFO New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.
CALL # 973.926092 CAR.

Record 37 of 54
AUTHOR Silva, Daniel, 1960-
TITLE The Rembrandt affair / Daniel Silva.
PUB INFO New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2010.
CALL # F SILVA.

Record 38 of 54
AUTHOR King, Stephen, 1947-
TITLE Blockade Billy [sound recording] / Stephen King ; [read by Craig
Wasson].
PUB INFO New York : : Simon & Schuster Audio, p2010.
CALL # CDB F KING.

Record 39 of 54
AUTHOR Houston, James D.
TITLE Bird of another heaven : a novel / by James D. Houston.
PUB INFO New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.
CALL # F HOUSTON.

Record 40 of 54
AUTHOR Barr, Nevada.
TITLE Burn / Nevada Barr.
PUB INFO New York : Minotaur Books, 2010.
CALL # F BARR.

Record 41 of 54
AUTHOR Rodgers, Judy.
TITLE The Zuni Cafe cookbook / Judy Rodgers ; wine notes & selections,
Gerald Asher ; photography, Gentl & Hyers/Edge.
PUB INFO New York : W. W. Norton & Co., c2002.
CALL # 641.509794 ROD.

Record 42 of 54
AUTHOR Vargas Llosa, Mario, 1936-
TITLE Aunt Julia and the scriptwriter / Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated
by Helen R. Lane.
PUB INFO New York : Penguin Books, 1995, c1977.
CALL # F VAR.

Record 43 of 54
AUTHOR Leff, Jim, 1962-
TITLE The Chowhound's guide to the San Francisco Bay area/
Chowhound.com ; introduction by Jim Leff.
PUB INFO New York : Penguin Books, 2005.
CALL # 647.9579461 LEF.

Record 44 of 54
AUTHOR Brown, Ann Marie.
TITLE 101 great hikes of the San Francisco Bay area / Ann Marie Brown.
PUB INFO [S.l.] : Foghorn ; London : Hi Marketing, c2000.
CALL # 796.51097946 BRO.

Record 45 of 54
AUTHOR Vargas Llosa, Mario, 1936-
TITLE The storyteller / Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated by Helen Lane.
PUB INFO New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1989.
CALL # F VAR.

Record 46 of 54
AUTHOR Sebag-Montefiore, Hugh.
TITLE Enigma : the battle for the code / Hugh Sebag-Montefiore.
PUB INFO New York : J. Wiley, c2000.
CALL # 940.5485 SEB.

Record 47 of 54
AUTHOR Vargas Llosa, Mario, 1936-
TITLE The Feast of the Goat / Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated by Edith
Grossman.
PUB INFO New York : Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001.
CALL # F VAR.

Record 48 of 54
AUTHOR Sinclair, Mick.
TITLE San Francisco : a cultural and literary history / Mick Sinclair.
PUB INFO New York : Interlink Books, 2004.
CALL # 979.461 SIN.

Record 49 of 54
AUTHOR Parker, T. Jefferson.
TITLE Iron river / T. Jefferson Parker.
PUB INFO New York : Dutton, c2010.
CALL # F PARKER.

Record 50 of 54
TITLE The Underground guide to San Francisco / Jennifer Joseph, editor.
PUB INFO San Francisco, CA : Manic D Press, c2003.
CALL # 917.9461 UND.

Record 51 of 54
AUTHOR Connelly, Michael, 1956-
TITLE The reversal : a novel / Michael Connelly.
PUB INFO New York : Little, Brown, 2010.
CALL # F CONNELLY.

Record 52 of 54
AUTHOR Hiaasen, Carl.
TITLE Star Island / Carl Hiaasen.
PUB INFO New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2010.
CALL # F HIAASEN.

Record 53 of 54
AUTHOR Nicholls, David, 1966-
TITLE One day / David Nicholls.
PUB INFO New York : Vintage Contemporaries, 2010.
CALL # F NICHOLLS.

Record 54 of 54
AUTHOR Le Carré, John, 1931-
TITLE Our kind of traitor / John Le Carre.
PUB INFO New York : Viking, 2010.
CALL # F LE CARRE.