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Sponsor support and tips are used to pay for site hosting and renewing our domain name (CodBall.com). It costs $100 per year to keep us in the game. We currently have not received any 2010 support.
Jul
30
CodBall Conversation: Jim Collins (Author of The Last Best League)
Posted by Greg | Filed Under Codball Conversations | 6 Comments
Andrew and I caught up this past week with Jim Collins, author of The Last Best League which chronicles a season in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
A number of books examine the storied Cape league, but Jim’s narrative account of an entire Cape season is an enjoyable journalistic telling of the players, managers and dynamics of elite collegiate summer baseball. I would go so far as to say it’s a must-read for any serious baseball fan regardless of the level of baseball that interests you.
CodBall sat down with Jim beneath a big tent behind home plate in Wareham during the middle of the 2007 All-Star game. Jim is a perfect blend of kindness and intensity. He happily accepted our offer for an interview on the spot and leaned into the questions with enthusiasm and knowledge.
In this interview, we ask Jim how the 2002 story of the league might be written differently if he were researching and writing it today (less access, he fears). Twice published in a collection of the best American sportswriting, Collins also reflects on his techniques as a writer and his favorite baseball writers. He also provides an audio “afterword” for the book.
Listen to our conversation with Jim Collins, and let us know what you think.
Good interview.
I was surprised to hear him say that if doing that book now, his access might be impeded because there is now more commercialism present in the CCBL.
No matter how far the league has come financially and publicity-wise, the heart and soul of the league is still those who volunteer and run these franchises. In most cases, those people were there when Jim did the research for his book and allowed what I would think would be a similar level of access today.
[...] in Jim Collins’ The Last Best League, which chronicled Chatham’s 2002 season (see our CodBall Conversation with the author). In 2008, D’Antona was named to the All-Star Futures Game, played in the PCL All-Star Game, [...]
[...] in Jim Collins’ narrative account of a season on the Cape we know that players from the big state schools think their brainiac Ivy [...]
[...] is beginning to sag beneath the weight of books about the Cape Cod Baseball League. There are narrative accounts of a season, historical accounts reaching back over 100 years, picture books and [...]
[...] D’Antona (Chatham ‘02), one of the most interesting characters in Jim Collins’ The Last Best League, is headed to the DL of the Tokyo Swallows after suffering a pulled left hamstring (JapanToday). [...]
[...] of alumni including Evan Longoria and NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, a really bad movie, and a book (Note: the last two probably shouldn’t factor in your decision!). Despite their lower point [...]