Tom Swift Writer’s Notebook

I wrote a column for the Northfield News about one of my favorite subjects. For a slightly longer version (one that does not adhere to the newspaper’s tight word limit), follow the jump.

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I had the rare and wonderful honor last night to discuss “Chief Bender’s Burden” with a book club. They held the meeting in perhaps the nicest house I have ever seen, on Lake Minnetonka, and the members were as welcoming as the scenery was gorgeous. And what questions! Readers always ask such great questions — which is fortunate, as the questions make me think of things I otherwise would have overlooked. Thanks to Mimi, Nicole, and the rest of the club, for the flattering invitation (and the delicious food).

Thanks to the New Brighton Bulletin for the kind review and fine interview. Says writer Cody Zustiak: “Baseball and Minnesota sports fans will surely enjoy digging into Swift’s research and being taken back in time to learn more about some of baseball’s best players and teams. The book is more than a look into Bender’s baseball career, as it is also a narrative on the prejudice and trials he went through … and one of the most well-liked people [of] his era.”

Here is audio from my interview with Don Shelby, Aug. 24, 2009:

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As I have mentioned, there is a review of “Chief Bender’s Burden” in the summer issue of Minnesota History magazine. Now, finally — so as to appease the masses clamoring for a follow-up — is an excerpt that is, coincidentally, from my favorite part: “This is a book worth reading and owning. It is well written and the research extensive and impressive. It is clearly the definitive biography of Charles Albert Bender and should be read and enjoyed by all those interested in baseball and all those who find human tragedies and triumphs both inspiring and instructive.”

I was interviewed by longtime Minnesota Twins television broadcaster Dick Bremer for the team’s Fox Sports Net pre-game show (August 17, 2009).

I had hesitated to mention I would be on television because I thought the act of saying so might wrinkle the universe, ensuring a programming change and, well, sure enough! I’ve been told that Monday night (August 17) will be the night. So that’s a guarantee. Unless, of course, I just messed with the cosmos again.

Rumor has it, I will make my television debut* tonight. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. Sometime soon anyway. I was interviewed by longtime Minnesota Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer recently about “Chief Bender’s Burden” for a segment that, I’ve been told, will air during the Twins pre-game show on Fox Sports Net at some point this week. For times, please check your local listings.

* The word debut was used knowing full well that this will likely also be my TV finale.

The Minnesota Twins have kindly invited me to speak to season ticket holders before the Twins-Chicago White Sox game Tuesday night. Should be a fun event with a lot of time devoted to Q&A — always the best part of my events — though it is not open to the public. As I understand it, I will also sign copies in the concourse for an inning or two.

I haven’t seen it yet but a friend spotted a review of “Chief Bender’s Burden” in the Summer 2009 issue of Minnesota History Magazine.

I will be Scott Hall’s guest on the KAXE Morning Show tomorrow (Wednesday) at about 8:10 a.m.

You write a book and hope someone in the media will care. But you don’t get specific. No. You don’t say — even if the only noise in the room is a snoring dog and a whirring ceiling fan, you don’t so much as whisper the words — “Hey, maybe Minnesota institution Nick Coleman will devote his Sunday column in the largest daily in the five state area to your book.” No, no, you don’t.

But then one day Mr. Coleman e-mails you and your first thought is not about a column — he doesn’t, after all, so much as mention the possibility — but rather you wonder: “Is this really Nick Coleman or someone impersonating Nick Coleman?” So you answer his single-question message, which isn’t about Charles Bender, “Chief Bender’s Burden,” or even baseball, and you go eat another turkey burger. And then the next morning this alleged Nick Coleman writes again and he says something about a possible column. But you don’t get your hopes up because even if you’ve never been in his league you’ve spent time in the newspaper business and you know this deal could get spiked for more reasons than you can count even if you have the use of electronic aids.

And your instincts not to tell anyone you don’t sleep with are proven correct as the weeks go by and you don’t hear anything more. Then you do hear something, an interview is scheduled, in fact, but that morning you answer the phone nervously only to learn that he doesn’t have time just now. He says something about the U.S. Senate and you think, “boy, if I had a nickel …” Then more weeks pass and you let it go. Until … until … you hear from him again and this time the interview happens.

Except even though you tell yourself beforehand that you won’t give all those long-winded answers you always give you hang up the phone knowing you just blew with gale force. And you figure there’s nothing anyone, even a national-award winning journalist, can do with that. But, miraculously, you are wrong and after you hear from a friend that a piece has been published — you don’t actually search for it yourself because you’re a freak — you sit in the chair, snoring dog at your feet, whirring fan above your head, and it hits you just how damn lucky you are.

I was recently interviewed by iSportacus, a Philadelphia focused blog.

The books editors at both the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press have recently devoted column space to Minnesotans in Baseball, a collection of dozens of the most famous baseball players born or raised in the state. The book was edited by Stew Thornley, award-winning author, foremost historian of baseball in the North Star state, and a guy I learned a lot from while writing my book. I also know many of the book’s contributors — all are members of the Society for American Baseball Research — and so I vouch for its credibility (unlike another recent work of local baseball history). The writing is accessible, I guarantee you’ll learn something on nearly every page, and Nodin Press did a nice job with design. If you are a Minnesota baseball fan (or have one in your life), I recommend picking up a copy — and not just because the profile of Charles Bender was written by yours truly.

While writing “Chief Bender’s Burden,” I looked everywhere I could think of for footage of Charles Bender. In my dreams I would discover lost in-game pitching footage. More realistically, I thought I had shot at something — a demonstration or even an off-field appearance. The man was, after all, in a movie. I swung and missed everywhere. But I didn’t look in all the right places because a short segment has now turned up on YouTube. Perhaps it won’t be the treat for you that it is for me, but if you’re interested, Bender is the man standing with a bat over his shoulder at about 1:08 and — best of all — there he is pitching at 1:25 or so. Hey, was that a nickel curve?

I know many well-adjusted human beings are and for a long time have been on Facebook, but it’s always seemed a little like fourth grade to me. That saying about mocking what we don’t understand comes into play here and although I’m not sure that I yet comprehend what it means, I am, alas, now among the masses. Should you want to be my friend I will surely want to be yours.

Charley Walters — former Major Leaguer and all-star at the St. Paul Pioneer Press — was kind enough to make note of “Chief Bender’s Burden” in his Sunday column. Keep reading well past commentary on Joe Mauer’s employment status.

I will be Mike Schikman’s guest on “Speaking Of …” Friday (May 22) evening when we’ll talk about “Chief Bender’s Burden” 55 years to the day after Charles Bender stopped pitching in this world. That’s 6:30 p.m. Eastern, WSVA 550 AM, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Thanks to Rob Hardy for the Q&A published at Northfield.org. Rob, a fellow writer and a keen reader, also has a personal blog that is worth the time. I especially enjoy Rob’s ruminations on writers and books.

Easily, without question, I got far more out of writing “Chief Bender’s Burden” than anyone will ever get from reading it. And the book only exists because I worked with an editor of rare patience, because I share my life with a woman of incomparable understanding, and because I belong to the Society for American Baseball Research.

The best part of going to Cleveland to accept the Seymour Medal was the chance to stand in a room and publicly thank some of the people — and an organization; I profited immensely from SABR’s deep well of intellectual capital — to whom I owe so much.

Two other highlights of the Seymour Medal Conference were the public reading at The Lit and meeting Dorothy Seymour Mills (pictured with John Zajc, executive director of SABR, and a guy who wears a tie as often as turtle wears a turtle neck). Dorothy — she let me call her Dorothy — said flattering things about the book during the awards ceremony and it’s hard to say how much her words mean to me. People who don’t regularly read baseball books may not recognize the name, but Ms. Seymour Mills and the late Dr. Harold Seymour wrote a seminal three-volume history of the game. In fact, as I told Dorothy, I can distinctly remember the moment I reviewed Baseball: The Golden Age and came across a small item that pertained to Charles Bender. Specifically, the Seymours wrote of American Indians who traveled a long distance to follow Bender’s exploits in the World Series. Because of their work, I dug deeper into that topic than they possibly could and after I tracked down contemporary news accounts, I was able to add an angle (in my opinion, an important angle) to the narrative that I otherwise never would have thought to explore.

So it was no small honor to receive something with the Seymour name attached to it. I didn’t know Dorothy would personally be on hand — she flew in from Florida to be there — and it was all the more special to receive the award in her presence.

Side notes: Dorothy, a prolific writer, is finishing a book of essays slated for publication in 2010. She has one reader already … Joe Posnanski gave a witty and insightful keynote address. I really enjoyed meeting Joe. You would never know by talking to him that he has more than once been named the Associated Press sports columnist of the year. He participated all weekend and yet still found time to polish off a Sports Illustrated cover story. … If you haven’t read Posnanski’s most recent book, consider it — even if you’re not a baseball fan.