Hitting a home run
Way back when, Atlanta Braves’ fans like me entertained ourselves mostly by listening to a pair of announcers named Skip Caray and Pete Van Wieren talk over and around an often-pitiful major league baseball team. The team stumbled, but the announcers were classy. They knew baseball, they shared their insights, and they were just plain fun to hear, a lot more fun than the frequent mishaps on the field.
We’ve lost Skip, sadly, but we have now a reminiscence by Pete about the 33 years he spent behind the microphone, cleverly titled Of Mikes and Men, written with a terrific veteran Atlanta journalist, Jack Wilkinson. Pete and Jack will join us at the Georgia Center for the book on Tuesday evening, August 10, to talk about the book. You’ll love the stories, the behind-the-scenes peeks –including even more reasons to admire Dale Murphy — and the opportunity to hear Pete’s wonderful voice behind a mike once again.
Pete’s not alone that evening, either; we’re also bringing in Dave Cohen, another popular broadcaster (the voice of the Georgia State Panthers) and Hal Jacobs, a Decaturite whom many may recall from his fine writings for the AJC. Dave’s book has another clever title, Matzoh Balls and Baseballs, and yes, it’s about Jewish players in the big leagues.
Hal’s book, Ball Crazy, looks at baseball in a very personal way: it’s about the pressures and passion of baseball played by 12-year-olds and how their parent-coaches cope with it. It will touch some nerves with a lot of folks, I think.
In a way, it recalls for me the several years I spent coaching my then-8-year-old son’s soccer team, steamy hot afternoons watching kids digging holes in the dirt, dodging soccer balls kicked at them, waving at admiring parents and, most regrettably, parents who took everything personally especially the need to win, win, win. Hal knows all about that.
We invite you to come share the fun of this evening. If you’re a baseball fan — and given the Braves’ rise in the National League East pennant race this season, there seem to be a lot more of us — we know you’ll enjoy the chatter. We’ll have a few surprises for you, too, so bring your gloves, wear your jerseys and don’t be shy about stepping up to the batter’s box. You just might hit a home run.
