19 July 2007

FIELDS DREAMS

By Silene Gordon
GateHouse News Service

Thu Jul 19, 2007

Cape Cod - If you called David Ortiz a “banjo hitter” or a “Punch and Judy hitter,” which would he prefer?
Before you see Big Papi next time, you might want to have a copy of “Hey Batta Batta Swing!” on hand, just to make sure you’re speaking the right language.

    “Hey Batta Batta Swing!” is a baseball encyclopedia of sorts, enlightening readers in a fun and engaging style about the ways in which America’s Pastime has changed. Subtitled, “The Wild Old Days of Baseball,” the book entertains readers with stories of the days when baseball players wore colored jerseys that were determined by the position they played, not their team. Then there are stories about how players’ earned their nicknames, such as how Larry Berra became “Yogi” and how “Cool Papa” Bell got his name, despite his lightning speed. 

    Written by Sally Cook with co-author James Charlton, and illustrated by Ross MacDonald, the book was published by Simon & Schuster in February. 

    “I was an avid softball player,” said Cook, who appeared at Heritage Museums & Gardens Friday for a book signing event. “We watched a lot of baseball as a family. It was something that we grew up with.”

    After attending a baseball game with a friend several years ago, Cook was inspired to write a book about how baseball teams were named. She started by contacting Charlton, a family friend and a fellow “crank,” or a fan.

    “I knew Jim knew a lot, but I didn’t realize just how much,” said Cook, who discovered Charlton was a member of the Society of American Baseball Research. “The book started to become something more than I imagined at first.”

    Accuracy was a big responsibility, said Cook, adding that the authors had the book examined with a fine-toothed comb.

    “Our mission was to talk about how the game has changed, from the team uniforms to the equipment, and to give an overview of how the game is different,” said Cook, who spent a week on Cape Cod signing books at Cape Cod Baseball League fields and answering questions from fans at each stop. “There’s so much going on in our world today, our country. This is a light-hearted and fun book that will make people laugh and bring back memories of a more innocent time.”

    “Every parent, every grandparent should have this book for their grandkids,” said Renee Dunning, a Cotuit resident and a volunteer in the Cotuit Kettleers organization. Dunning connected with Cook after hearing about the book and considered it a wonderful way to help promote the book as well as raise funds for the Cape League.

    “Sally has just been amazing,” said Dunning. “We are so grateful to her for donating proceeds of the book back to the franchises. We’re very lucky to have Sally here.”

    For Dunning, reading the book stirred up many of the baseball images that caused her to fall in love with the game in the first place. She was stunned, then, to find on page 19 a reference to Josh Paul, who plays for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. 

    “Josh was my boy in 1995,” said Dunning, who served as the former Kettleers’ host mother that year. “I couldn’t believe it. For me, it was wonderful to see how localized the book is for Cape League fans.”

    “I strongly feel that there is nothing even remotely like this out there,” said Cook. “It’s unique. It contains obscure, fun facts that you’re not going to find anywhere else.” 
Cook said the book’s categorization as a picture book doesn’t limit its appeal to older readers. “I can’t tell you how many 60-year-old men have been buying this book. It brings them back to a different time. “I love the backdrop of sports,” she added, “but I’m not a sportswriter. I love what sports bring to life.” 

    “Hey Batta Batta Swing!” is Cook’s second picture book. Her first, “Good Night Pillow Fight,” was named Best Bedtime Book by Nick Jr. magazine and was a main selection of Children’s Book of the Month Club. In addition, she co-wrote “Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son” with legendary football coach Gene Stallings. The book, a New York Times bestseller, tells the story of the coach’s relationship with his son, who has Down’s syndrome.

    Before entering the world of children’s books, Cook was a reporter for the Associated Press, with articles appearing in The New York Times, Family Circle and McCall’s.

    Traveling to the Cape from New York, Cook said that she is smitten with the Cape League and what it offers baseball fans as well as the athletes.

    “I’m going to these games and there is this great atmosphere. You see families spending time together. There is a certain innocence there. It’s been fabulous and I’m already planning to come back next summer to see some games.”