Tales of the Yankee Clipper

 

TALES OF THE YANKEE CLIPPER

by Jonathan Weeks

 

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GENRE:  NonFiction Sports Biography

 

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BLURB:

 

There has probably never been a professional baseball player more of a puzzle than Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio had a talent for keeping his emotions suppressed and his innermost thoughts to himself. Few could say that they really knew him. And even the ones who did found him to be unpredictable. He was a walking contradiction. He was quiet, but not necessarily shy. He could be both gracious and abrupt, approachable or aloof depending on the situation. Although he came across as humble, he had a tremendous sense of entitlement. He was complex, secretive, inscrutable. There were many layers to the man who came to be affectionately known as the “Yankee Clipper.” DiMaggio always felt that his actions on the field should do the talking for him. And for the most part, they did. To many, DiMaggio personified elegance, style, and grace. An impeccable dresser, he was married to two glamorous actresses. On the field, he glided almost effortlessly, never having to dive for a ball and rarely (if ever) making a mistake on the basepaths. He became the living embodiment of the American dream and a symbol of the country’s so-called “greatest generation.” But as time marched on, DiMaggio grew increasingly distrustful of the people around him. It was understandable—inevitable even. The third book in Jonathan Week’s Yankees trilogy contains an abundance of anecdotes, statistics, and other little known facts about the Yankee Clipper.

 

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EXCERPT

 

CASE OF THE PURLOINED BAT

 

DiMaggio suffered a major scare during his 56-game hitting streak. On June 29, 1941, the Yankees traveled to Washington for a double-header against the Nationals (often referred to as the Senators). Joe had hit in 40 straight games and was poised to break the modern record set by George Sisler in 1922. His double in the opener tied Sisler’s mark. In the first inning of the evening game, Tommy Henrich was on his way to the plate when he heard DiMaggio shouting across the diamond. Joe couldn’t locate his favorite bat and wondered if Henrich had done something with it.

 

Joe was very attached to that particular piece of lumber, naming it “Betsy Ann.” He had been using it throughout the streak and worried that he might fall into a slump without it. A frantic search turned up nothing. The bat was gone. Forced to hit without “Betsy Ann,” DiMaggio flied out. Two innings later, he switched bats and lined out to short. In the seventh inning, Henrich gave Joe his own bat to use. Averting disaster, The Yankee Clipper lined a clean single to left field, claiming Sisler’s record for himself. Still, the loss of his favorite bat vexed him.

 

“Of course the guy had to pick out the best one,” Joe told reporters after the game. “I had three of my bats on the ground in front of the dugout but he got the one I wouldn’t take money for...the bat was just right for me. I liked the feel of it. I hate to lose it.”  

 

About a week later, “Betsy Ann” was delivered by courier to the Yankee clubhouse in a plain brown package. Behind the scenes, one of Joe’s assistants—a wise-guy named Jimmy “Peanuts” Ceres—had spent five days looking for the bat. As it turned out, the thief had ties to the Newark underworld (which was Jimmy’s domain) and also happened to be a braggart. When the thief’s identity was revealed, Jimmy paid the guy a visit with one of his associates. Specific details of how they persuaded the man to return Joe’s prized bat have never been disclosed. 

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

No. When I was a kid, I had many different aspirations. I was around for the Apollo moon missions in the late-‘60s and early-‘70s. So the first thing I wanted to be was an astronaut. When I realized how dangerous it was, I set my sights on studying the planets and stars. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that being an astronomer involved a lot of complicated math, so I bailed on that dream and started playing multiple sports.  I wasn’t tall enough to be a good basketball player. I couldn’t skate well enough to play organized hockey. And I couldn’t hit a curveball to save my life. So I eventually decided to write about sports. Those who can’t DO, write (I don’t think that’s how the saying goes but it’s true).  

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

My first book was published back in 2012. I had tried my hand at writing novels, short stories, and screenplays, all of which were rejected by multiple publishers. And then, someone I really trusted told me to “write about what you know.” I figured I had been following baseball for more than three decades and had a pretty good working knowledge of the sport. My first acceptance letter came as a complete surprise to me. You get so used to being rejected, you expect more of the same. But an editor from Scarecrow Press (an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield) stood behind my work. Her name is Kristin Karniski and I’m forever grateful .  The name of that book is Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History. It was a really fun project to work on. 

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

There are quite a few authors I really admire. Roger Kahn, Jane Leavy, Peter Golenbock, and Roger Angell for starters. Two of the best baseball books I have read in recent years are: The Wax Pack: On The Road in Search of Baseball’s Afterlife by Brad Balukjian and Cardboard Gods by Josh Wilker. Both of them incorporated baseball card collecting into the narrative and that is one of my passionate hobbies. 

4.What’s the best part of being an author? The worst?

I ‘ve been asked this question before and I always say the same thing: The best part of writing is the escape it provides. When you’re at your keyboard, it’s just you and the subject matter. Life’s worrisome details are temporarily put on hold (at least for me). The worst part of being an author is the process of writing itself.  I’ve admitted many times that writing is not always a smooth activity for me. Sometimes I have it and sometimes I don’t. On days when the proper words elude me, I have to hammer away at it like sculpting stone. It can be frustrating. 

5.What are you working on now?

I just finished a book about the World Series that will be released through Lyons Press next year. I’ve moved on to another baseball topic that is near and dear to me. But I’ll keep that under wraps until I actually sign a contract.  

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Jonathan Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his father. He grew up in the Capital District region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field.

 

BLOG: http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yankee-Clipper-Reflections-DiMaggio-ebook/dp/B0CKBLVMM5/ref=sr_1_1

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Jonathan Weeks will award a randomly drawn winner a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.

 

 

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