I’m Blushing …

Posted: January 24th, 2008 | Filed under: Baseball | 38 Comments »

I’m proud to tell you that The Soul of Baseball was chosen as the winner of the 25th Annual Casey Award for best baseball book of 2007. I’m going to list the Casey Award winners below just because it’s a real honor to be in that company, and also because otherwise this would be a very, very short post, which as you know is against our Blog Constitution.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m not much for awards. All this stuff writers do is so subjective. A piece of writing is not meant to fit everybody’s eye. What makes one person laugh will make someone else groan; what touches one person will make another person want to throw up.

But I’ll tell you this award really means a lot to me. I joke a lot, but to be serious for one paragraph: It was an honor for me to write a book about Buck O’Neil. The man, as all of you know, was very special. He died a few months before the book came out, and I never got a chance to read it to him. I think it’s just human to wonder what he would have thought about the book. I think he would have liked it, I really do, and it isn’t like I have lost sleep thinking about this. Still, like I say, it’s human to wonder. It’s human to think, “Oh, I should have written it this way,” or “Wow, I should have gone about it differently,” or “Does this do justice to Buck? Will this help people remember him?”

I’m not saying an award changes your life. It doesn’t change anything at all. I’m just saying this award was really special to me. And especially this year because there were some really terrific baseball books that came out in 2007, including a couple by Casey Award winners. Unless it proves impossible, I’ll be at the award ceremony on March 2nd here in Cincinnati, so if anyone wants to come on down (or up), we can have some Skyline together.

Here are the Casey Award Winners for the last 25 years.

1983: The Celebrant, Eric Rolfe Greenberg.
1984: Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Peter Golenbock
1985: Good Enough to Dream, Roger Kahn
1986: The Bill James Historical Abstract, Bill James
1987: Diamonds Are Forever: Artists and Writers on Baseball, Peter H. Gordon, Editor
1988: Blackball Stars, John Holway
1989: The Pitch that Killed, Mike Sowell
1990: Baseball: The People’s Game, Harold Seymour
1991: To Everything A Season: Shibe Park and Urban Philadelphia, 1909: 1976, Bruce Kuklick
1992: The Negro Baseball Leagues: A Photographic History, Phil Dixon
1993: Diamonds: The Evolution of the Ballpark, Michael Gershman
1994: Lords of the Realm, John Helyar
1995: Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train, Henry W. Thomas
1996: Slide, Kelly, Slide, Marty Appel
1997: Play for a Kingdom, Thomas Dyja
1998: Judge and Jury, David Pietrusza
1999: Slouching Toward Fargo, Neal Karlen
2000: Cy Young: A Baseball Life, Reed Browning
2001: The Final Season, Tom Stanton
2002: Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston, Howard Bryant
2003: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Michael Lewis
2004: Ted Williams: The Life of an American Hero, Leigh Montville
2005: Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig, Jonathan Eig
2006: Game of Inches: The Stories Behind the Innovations that Shaped Baseball, Peter Morris
2007: The Soul of Baseball, Me.

38 Comments on “I’m Blushing …”

  1. 1: Levi Stahl said at 3:44 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Well-earned congratulations, Joe. Raise a glass and enjoy the moment.

  2. 2: Old Man Duggan said at 3:53 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Kudos, Johan. Shotgun a tallboy (32 oz., none of that 16 or 24 oz. nonsense) and shoot a couple of rounds into the air to mark the occasion.

    I totally bought the book already, too. Now I just have to read it…

  3. 3: Josh said at 4:04 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats Joe…. it was a great book by a great writer… keep up the good work… looking forward to the story of the “Big Red Machine”…

  4. 4: Paul White said at 4:09 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Heartfelt and deserving congratulaions, Joe. Now, as the good 70’s television fan that you are, I want you to pull a Count Mallachi and yell, “Let the pigeons loose!”

  5. 5: Minda said at 4:29 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Congratulations, Joe. TSOB really is a special book, one that I will re-read many times, and is completely deserving of every award that people want to throw at it.

    Old Man Duggan — READ IT NOW! You’ll be glad you did.

  6. 6: Thomas said at 4:55 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats Joe! I literally just finished reading it (got it for Christmas), wrote a glowing review for my own worthless blog, then checked over here.

    Keep up the good work, and let’s get Buck into the Hall!

  7. 7: Brad said at 5:00 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Joe, Soul has already met my criteria. Its in the stack with Moneyball, Friday Night Lights and Paper Lion beside the bed.

  8. 8: Owen said at 6:56 am on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats Joe! Loved the book (gave it to my dad for xmas). I’m glad Buck was there for you, and I’m glad you’re here for us, because without you I wouldn’t know a thing about Buck. I don’t even know how many times I ‘ve told the “Swathy” NYC elevator story.

  9. 9: Mike S said at 9:51 am on January 24th, 2008:

    By pure coincidence, I started reading the book one day before I discovered your blog. No offense Joe — the writing is good. But what makes the book sing is the subject matter.

    Love the new look (and the font).

  10. 10: dlf said at 12:15 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats.

  11. 11: robustyoungsoul said at 1:11 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Great work Joe, congrats!

  12. 12: Repoz said at 1:31 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats, Poz!

    I hate to admit it, but I did the weepy dance while reading the book and I haven’t cried since the Munsters switched Marilyn’s on me…or was it Bewitched switching Darrins…I forget, drugs and all.

  13. 13: Bill said at 1:31 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Wow, congrats. I realized that not only do I need very much to read TSOB soon (which, of course, I already knew), but as many baseball books as I’ve read, on that whole list I’ve read only HBA, Slouching Toward Fargo, and Moneyball. Lots of work to do.

  14. 14: Michael said at 1:48 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Hey hey! Congratulations, Joe! The book really deserves it. I have already given copies of it as gifts to a couple of people after buying my own copy at your reading in NYC last year. And thanks for posting the list–it’s a good resource.

    Again, congrats.

  15. 15: Oddibe Kerfeld said at 1:54 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Great news and well deserved. Congratulations.

  16. 16: roarke said at 1:55 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    A very well-deserved honor. Congrats! It was certainly the best book I read in 2007 (not just in the baseball category, either).

  17. 17: Noel said at 2:57 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats! Judging from the past winners, you are in pretty good company.

  18. 18: Byron said at 3:38 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats, Joe. Great job!

  19. 19: John said at 3:55 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congratulations. I haven’t read TSOB yet, but it is on the short list of things I must do while I am avoiding Super Bowl hype the next 10 days. I’m off to my local Borders now.

  20. 20: Rob said at 4:33 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Fantastic news Joe, Congratulations on the prestigious honor! Now if we can just get Buck into the Hall of Fame…

    Looking forward bigtime to the Big Red machine book, along side the early 1970’s A’s (who would also make a phenomenal book, hint hint…), the Reds of that era were the defining team of my youth, until Free Agency came and took a bit of baseball’s innocence away, at least for me…

  21. 21: Craig Hooten said at 4:39 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Great news and well deserved Joe. It’s a book I gave as a Christmas present and have also been encouraging my wife to read.

  22. 22: Josh in DC said at 4:47 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Joe, the voters had a very easy decision to make. Either they could have recognized your achievement, or rendered themselves irrelevant.

    Congratulations.

  23. 23: gogiggs said at 5:17 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congratulations, Joe!

    That’s some mighty impressive company you’re in now. All of the books I’ve read, from that list, are excellent, yours included.

  24. 24: Vart said at 6:19 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Well written and well deserved. Congrats Joe.

  25. 25: Carl said at 7:32 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Real good company, there. Congrats.

  26. 26: Ryan said at 7:40 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats! This is great news. I really love your book. Good stuff.

  27. 27: Louis Doench said at 8:02 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats Joe. I’ll eat some Skyline in your honor.

  28. 28: Charlie said at 9:40 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    That’s fantastic news Joe, and a hearty congratulations to you on a well deserved honour (yes, I’m Canadian). Echoing many here, I hope it does move Buck forward once more to Hall of Fame inclusion, and having also read a good number of the previous honourees, you are indeed in good company. And you belong in that number.

    And thanks once again to Peter King who put me on to your book, and through it, your blog. I’ve “paid forward” that favour and been thanked for it myself. A sure sign to me of the wondrous quality of TSOB.

  29. 29: Max said at 10:18 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    Congrats, Joe. That’s a great news. I love the book very much.
    Wish I could be there for the Skyline Chili in Cincinnati with you.
    Maybe catch you at Surprise, AZ this spring.

  30. 30: Paul R. said at 11:47 pm on January 24th, 2008:

    I actually just got the book for Christmas and I’m half-way through, and so far I love it. Congrats!

  31. 31: PEFACommish said at 12:18 am on January 25th, 2008:

    You’re welcome Joe. Today I handed out my 25th copy of your book, the second time I’ve given one to a baseball fan rabbi. I told him there are 100 sermons in there.

    Only one award? Gotta be more to come.

  32. 32: antoniomo said at 2:17 am on January 25th, 2008:

    Congratulations! A deserved award to a great writer.

  33. 33: ajnrules said at 2:24 am on January 25th, 2008:

    Congratulations at the award! I haven’t read any of the other nominees, but TSOB is definitely one of the best baseball books I’ve read. I read it for the second time the other day and it was still engaging and emotional.

  34. 34: Grant said at 4:08 am on January 25th, 2008:

    Congrats. Finally got, and read, the book.

    It brought me to tears. The good kind. While I admit this is far easier than I’d usually like to admit, it was a fantastic book about an amazing man.

  35. 35: Alan said at 4:34 pm on January 25th, 2008:

    Congratulations, Joe.

  36. 36: Creston said at 5:27 pm on January 25th, 2008:

    Congrats Joe!

  37. 37: JB said at 11:57 pm on January 25th, 2008:

    Congratulations, Joe. Very much deserved.

    I bought the book last year because I wanted to read about Buck and found your other blog after reading it.

  38. 38: Decker said at 6:09 am on January 26th, 2008:

    Congratulations! Hope I can make it to the Carnegie (the other one).

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