Mike Shannon – författare

"One thing about Max was that he was about as well-adjusted to his disability, if you want to call it that, as anyone could be... He even used his eye once to shut up an obnoxious high school coach. After he'd heard all the complaining he wanted to hear, Max took his eye out of the socket and handed it to the stunned coach, saying, 'You want to umpire this game? Here, be my guest.'"Everything Happens in Chillicothe is an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at the lowest rung of professional baseball, and a biography of Max McLeary, the one-eyed umpire and a most intriguing individual. Author Mike Shannon spent the 2000 Frontier League season attending games with McLeary and gives his account of the season here. The book speaks volumes about umpiring as a profession, relationships (particularly between Max and his estranged son, a minor league player; between Max and his long-suffering wife Patty; and between Max and his umpiring partner Jim Schaly), life in small-town America, and the various people connected with the Chillicothe Paints and other teams in the Frontier League. Many humorous and poignant stories, are told here for the first time, by McLeary, Schaly, and others.

Each work, chosen with exquisite care by an expert, is analyzed and summarized. Its greatness as baseball literature, its place in the genre, its peculiarities, weaknesses, strengths, how the critics went for it--all are discussed in such a way, with quotations, that reading or browsing Shannon's book is equivalent to absorbing a rich history of the sport.

It is widely, and wrongly, assumed that books are never so valuable as when they lie unopened before us, waiting to be read. Good books bear multiple readings, and not merely because our memories fail us; the desire to repeat a good reading experience can be its own powerful motivation. And for bibliophiles, books can also be works of art, physical objects with an aesthetic value all their own.This guide for the book-loving baseball fan is written by one of the most knowledgeable collectors in the country, author and editor Mike Shannon. Beginning with a history of baseball books and collecting, it also identifies the most sought-after titles and explains how to find them, what to pay, and how to maintain their condition.

This is a graphic biography of Fred Hutchinson, one of baseball's most beloved men. Hutch enjoyed a successful big league career, first as an All-Star pitcher for the Tigers and later as a pennant-winning manager with the Reds. And he is remembered for his final major league summer and a season he didn't finish.In the winter of 1963, after three straight winning seasons as manager of the Reds, Hutchinson was diagnosed with cancer. The former Navy man chose to stay on as manager for as long as he could. Steadily worsening, he guided the club through spring training and the first four months of the regular season. He was hospitalized in late July but after little more than a week he returned for another nine games as the 1964 pennant chase heated up. After relinquishing his post in mid-August, he returned to spend the final day of the season with his team, whose postseason hopes had come down to the final weekend. He died just over a month later. Major League Baseball has given the Hutch Award every year since 1965, honoring the player who exhibits the courage, dedication and competitiveness of Fred Hutchinson.

The Cincinnati Reds are recognized as one of the great teams in baseball history. Left fielder George Foster, an integral part of the Reds' back-to-back 1975 and 1976 World Championships, has never received proper credit for his contribution to their legacy.In 1977, Foster became the most feared slugger in the National League, batting .320, with 52 home runs and 149 runs batted in to win the NL MVP Award, establishing a new single-season home run record for the Reds' franchise that still stands. Yet Foster's big year was not enough to stem the emergence of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who roared out of the gate and ran away with the NL West Division pennant.This book tells the story of Foster's record-setting season and puts his pre-steroid era achievements in their proper perspective. The author chronicles the subsequent decline of the Big Red Machine and the rest of Foster's big league career.

Now in paperback, Mike Shannon's newest collection of memorable anecdotes from the game's past and present will appeal to all generations of baseball fans. It includes priceless stories from such legends as Ted Williams and Bob Gibson as well as from modern-day stars such as Mo Vaughn and David Wells. These humorous and touching tales will delight fans for many years to come.

Batter up - here comes the most memorable collection of anecdotes about the national pastime ever assembled. "Tales from the Dugout" brings together never-before-told stories from baseball personalities such as Roger Maris, Ken Griffey Jr., Pete Rose, Phil Rizzuto, and Gaylord Perry in this illustrated, one-of-a-kind compendium.

When it was originally published in 1992, Mike Shannon's Baseball: The Writer's Game as hailed as a unique exploration of what it takes to write about the national pastime. Brassey's is proud to present this new edition, expanding upon Shannon's original interviews with baseball's top authors and historians, including Bill James, Roger Kahn, W. P. Kinsella, Robert Creamer, Peter Golenbock, and Lawrence Ritter. Shannon delves into their different backgrounds, writing techniques, personal insights, and the aspects of the game and its history that interest them. Whether with an analyst like Bill James or an ex-player like Jim Brosnan, Shannon lets each explain in his own words the challenge and the joy that come from writing about the game. Baseball fans, whether they want to write about the game them-selves or not, will enjoy the unique observations and advice of baseball's greatest writers.