(from press release)

Every baseball fan hopes for that elusive autograph, catching a foul ball, or maybe even chasing down a milestone home run ball. Now there is a book out there that will help these dreams be realized.

Taking Home A Piece Of The Game is a fan’s guide on how to get cool stuff at a Major League Baseball game. Inside you will find out how to put together a plan of attack for a day at the ballpark. With this book fans are almost guaranteed to take home a baseball, autograph and/or game-used items from every Major League Baseball game attended.

Through a blend of tips, information and personal stories, author and Major League “Ballhawk” John Witt reveals the information needed to accomplish all of this. John Witt has caught 4,868 baseballs at Major League games over the past 32 years. 2,829 of those baseballs were caught at regular season MLB games and 99 of those baseballs were game home runs. Witt has also collected thousands of autographs, game-used items, and other various goodies as well.

Witt shares stories about the more memorable home run balls that he has caught. His biggest moment came on September 13, 1998 when he grabbed Sammy Sosa’s 61st home run of the season on Waveland Avenue outside of Wrigley Field in Chicago. Witt has also caught home runs hit by Eddie Murray from both sides of the plate in the same game in 1987, the last roof-top home run at Old Comiskey Park, and even a Mike Schmidt home run ball at his first ever Dodger game in LA.

In the back of the book there are photos of some of the “Pieces of the Game” that Witt snagged in 2008. John also offers information on “Ballhawking 101” which is where fans can go to a baseball game to put all of the tips and information to use. Witt even guarantees that fans will get a baseball at the game or the fan will receive a full 100% refund of the “Ballhawking 101” fee.

Taking Home A Piece Of The Game is available at createspace.com and Amazon.com for $6.95 (paperback).

Kevin Costner stars and Kelly Preston co-stars in this romance/baseball yarn about a 20-year veteran and future Hall-of-Fame pitcher who has one last game to pitch with his current team, the Detroit Tigers. Billy Chapel, the character played by Kev, “is forced to reexamine his life” and has many decisions to make about baseball (he’s been traded and the owner has sold the team) and about his NYC-based girlfriend, Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston), who wants to leave him. John C. Reilly (Magnolia, Never Been Kissed) plays Gus Sinski, the tough, loyal and steadfast personal catcher. The movie is based on a fine best-selling novel by Michael Shaara and was directed by Sam Raimi, who has given us a number of horror/slash movies, some Xena and Hercules stuff, The Quick and the Dead and A Simple Plan.

For Love of the Game has Kev finally back where he belongs — in baseball. It’s a great story, with a pretty good director at the helm. John C. Reilly plays a terrific sidekick. And it has the beautiful and intriguing Mrs. John Travolta as the love interest. If you think this is the recipe for a great movie, you’re probably right. However, in this case you’d be wrong. This movie is the Godfather, Part III in the so-called Kevin Costner trilogy of baseball movies.

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Popular Milwaukee musical artist Eddy J. Lemberger has released his latest sing- and dance-along ditty called Brew Crew Boogaloo.  The tailgating song is expected to be popular as the Milwaukee Brewers are contending for the NL Central pennant.

“Countless people have asked me when I was going to write a Milwaukee Brewers song since our Brewers are picking up steam and generating so much excitement throughout Wisconsin,” said Lemberger.

Purchasing information is available at www.eddyj.com.

In conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the writing of the famous 7th-inning stretch anthem, the Hal Leonard corporation has published Baseball’s Greatest Hit: The Story of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

In 1908, Jack Norwoth wrote the lyrics and Albert Von Tilzer provided the melody.  Neither had seen a baseball game at the time.

Only the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday to You” are performed more often every year than “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

The book comes with a CD containing many renditions of the song, including one with former Chicago White Sox and Cubs announcer Harry Caray.

By Tommy T

To say that this movie has just about everything a movie could offer would not be an exaggeration. What do I mean by everything? How’s this for starters? Academy-Award winner (and pretty good athlete and one of the all-time great screen heartthrobs) Robert Redford . It’s an adaptation of a classic novel by another Academy-Award winning director, Barry Levinson. You want gorgeous women who can act? How about Tony-Award winning and 5-time Oscar-nominated actress, Glenn Close, Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey and one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood - Oscar winner, Kim Basinger? Okay, so the women are all top-notch, what about the men??? Again, nothing but all-stars — including Academy-Award winner Robert Duvall — and solid character actors such as Wilford Brimley, Robert Prosky, Darren McGavin, and Oscar nominee, Richard Farnsworth. (And it was filmed at War Memorial Stadium in my hometown, Buffalo, New York. Yes, that’s a big plus — and a whole other article!) (more…)