Reading, Reading, and More Reading
Baseball books, film festival memories, and political commentary - all in one jam-packed edition!
I’ve been tracking my reading since the start of the pandemic but since the start of July alone, I’ve finished reading five baseball books and am working on my sixth right now. There are times where I could be watching a movie but I’m going to be honest: baseball books are getting much of my attention right now. Aside from the obvious press screenings, of course. The book reviews will be running on Dugout Dirt. Four of them are listed below. My review of Lou Boudreau’s memoir is running on Wednesday and I’m currently reading Todd Zolecki’s biography of Roy Halladay. ASG festivities and other obligations might prevent me from getting much reading done this week but I’ll do my best.
Between my personal book collection—still growing as review copies come in—and the local library, I expect that I’ll have plenty of book reviews running throughout the next several months. Unlike this newsletter, which isn’t sent as often as I’d like, I’m treating Dugout Dirt in a similar way to the main SATM with content running frequently. Maybe not daily but at least every other day for the time being. Dugout Dirt, like SATM on Buttondown, is entirely reader-supported.
In addition to reading quite a lot, the past week has also been productive in reorganizing, let alone throwing out a lot of film festival and awards season swag that’s been accumulating since 2018. Between film festivals and awards season, these things can build up to the point in which it’s completely out of control. In recent years, I’ve mainly held onto the things I wanted to while ditching the rest. But still, a small studio apartment can be really cramped!
Between the ASG weekend, next week’s Hall of Fame Induction Day, and the 2024 Paris Olympics, July is shaping up to be an exciting month for sports. Less so for other news but I’m burying my head in baseball books for self-care and mental health purposes.
One final note before I get into the link roundup: Dr. Ruth Westheimer passed away over the weekend. I had an opportunity to meet her not just once but twice. The first time was during my second Sundance Film Festival since Ryan White’s documentary, Ask Dr. Ruth, was holding its world premiere. She was the guest of honor during the first Shabbos dinner hosted by the Shabbat Tent’s Festival Shabbat Dinner and Lounge. The dinners were so popular that they broke them into two during 2019—Dr. Ruth attended the first while Peter Yarrow sung at the second. I only attended the first dinner but it was an unforgettable experience with Dr. Ruth delivering the D’var Torah that night. I would later meet her again when she was honored during the 2019 Critics Choice Documentary Awards as one of the Most Compelling Subjects.
Go figure that while writing this, you know who selected his VP nominee. Should Joe Biden lose, the nation is going to be royally screwed because J.D. Vance is even worse than Mike Pence. He is an isolationist, gives right-wing antisemitism a free pass, and promotes the Great Replacement Theory. The choice is not so much Joe Biden vs. Trump but American Democracy vs. Trump. These are the stakes that are on the line and sadly, those who voted against Biden in the primary because of Hamas attacking Israel…are about to hand Trump another term. This cannot happen.
Film Reviews:
TV Reviews:
Founding Brothers (2002 History Channel Documentary Series Based on Joseph J. Ellis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Book_
Home Entertainment Releases
Book Reviews:
24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid by Willie Mays and John Shea
Just Show Up and Other Enduring Values from Baseball’s Iron Man by Cal Ripken Jr.
They Call Me Pudge: My Life Playing the Game I Love by Iván Rodríguez with Jeff Sullivan
Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane by Tim Raines with Alan Maimon
Interviews:
News:
Olympics: