Long Balls, No Strikes: The Fall and Rise of Baseball
click on the title or cover to order online!
Morgan, Joe
Crown. 288p.
ISBN: 0-609-60524-0. $25

Morgan is presently a highly respected baseball commentator for ESPN and NBC, but this Hall of Famer was also second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s. Morgan's experience, passion, and candor help as he reveals what he believes went wrong and right with baseball over the past 20+ years. He also offers insights into issues such as the growing power of umpires, the shrinking presence of African Americans in the game, and the effects of inflated salaries. He believes that even after a great season last year, baseball needs lots of help to getting and keeping the fans. He doesn’t pull punches at all though he mostly talks about the game on the field. But his discourse is not only about the negative aspects, but he also identifies players and managers worth paying attention to.

Walkin' the Dog
click on the title or cover to order online!

Mosley, Walter
Little, Brown. 288p.
ISBN: 0-316-96620-7. $24.95

We meet the Mosley character, ex-con Socrates Fortlow again, but this time he is trying to bring kindness into the lives of the people around him in Watts. Through Socrates' experiences, Mosley debates the questions of race and responsibility.

Tale of a Sky-Blue Dress: A Memoir
Moss, Thylias
Avon Books. July. 288p.
ISBN: 0-380-79362-8. $13.50
click on the tile or cover to order online!

Moss has previously written mostly poetry and children's books, but here she writes her life story, sharing with the reader the roles light and darkness play in her life and the world. In a totally engrossing manner, she describes her life as the child of a maid and a factory worker living in the segregated South of the Fifties. She had barely turned five years old when she met her tormenter in a sky-blue dress. Lytta Dorsey was her tormenter’s name and she was Moss’s babysitter. Lytta and her family lived in the apartment below Moss’s parents’ own in Cleveland. This older girl was evidently crazy and constantly abused and harassed Moss, finally going as far as to rape her. Moss’s story is rather haunting and dark, but readers will see her flourish mostly because of the love of the man who married her. Moss relates how thankful she is that through everything, she learned true joy because of the interminable pain and oppression she experienced. Despite all, Moss has overcome her demons, winning many awards and grants including the MacArthur Fellowship Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship.