Things I Wish I Could Have Gotten into the Comic Book Story of Baseball, Part 1

Having only 176 pages to work with, I couldn't come close to cramming in every baseball story I wanted to tell. So, to get some of these regrets off my chest, I'll post once in a while about other great baseball-related stuff I ran across while researching The Comic Book Story of Baseball...but couldn't get into the final book.

Here are the first three:

Baseball Comics #1, Will Eisner's sadly ill-fated 1949 attempt to start up an ongoing baseball comic. The story of Rube Rooky and his rough-and-tumble journey from backwoods iceman to the World Series is superb Eisner. (Is there any other kind?)

The story of Jackie Mitchell, who as a 17-year-old girl struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition while pitching for the AA Chattanooga Lookouts. (Although it may have been a publicity stunt.) Two years later, she would sign up for the House of David barnstorming team.

Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, the official mud used to dirty up baseballs before they're used in a game. The exact source of the mud is a secret. It is named after Russell "Lena" Blackburne, a manager and coach for the White Sox and Athletics, who starting applying it to balls in 1938.

Black Friday Art

Check out this cool Kyle Stecker art for my short story "Black Friday," due to appear May 30 at Tor.com:

Play Ball!

The Comic Book Story of Baseball is out today! Thanks to Tomm Coker and C.P. Smith for making it look so good, Jason Yarn for his indefatigable agenting, Patrick Barb and Chloe Rawlins for their sharp editorial and design work -- and you for reading.

What's that, you say? You would like to purchase a copy? Well, here's a way to find the book at your local independent bookseller via IndieBound.

Or here's the Amazon link.

And if you're going to pick it up at a comic shop (it won't be there until tomorrow), here's a handy Comic Shop Locator.

Need some convincing? Here are a few early reviews...

“Marvel comics veterans Coker and Smith deliver powerful graphics, tinted lightly with color for a marvelous vintage effect, while Irvine orchestrates a brief, masterly overview of this morale-boosting sport. Fans of any age will love.” -- Library Journal

". . . a lively and accessible chronicle of America’s pastime, with panels that crack and wallop with image and fact." -- Boston Globe

"Heroes, villains, long odds, and tall-tales: baseball history should always be presented in comic book form. The Comic Book Story of Baseball is probably the most accessible history of the game I've ever held in my hands. I'd recommend this little gem to anyone who wants to learn the history of the game and its colorful characters." -- Dirk Hayhurst, former Major League pitcher and author of The Bullpen Gospel

"Two great American art forms collide in The Comic Book Story of Baseball, and the result is a sprawling, comprehensive, tremendously fun look at the national pastime. It’s all here, from the Babe to Buckner, billy goats to Barry Bonds. Writer Alex Irvine and artists Tomm Coker and C.P. Smith exalt baseball’s triumphs while reckoning with its sins, and the result is a rich, thorough history that you’ll return to again and again, just like the grand old game itself." -- Jay Busbee, lead writer for Yahoo Sports

Baseball Countdown Numbers

If you were following along and perhaps wondering who some of the players were in the countdown to The Comic Book Story of Baseball's launch, here's a complete list:

60 Dallas Keuchel

59 Todd Jones

58 Jonathan Papelbon

57 Johan Santana

56 Mark Buerhle

55 Orel Hershiser

54 Goose Gossage

53 Don Drysdale

52 CC Sabathia

51 Ichiro Suzuki

50 Sid Fernandez

49 Ron Guidry

48 Torii Hunter

47 Jack Morris

46 Lee Smith

45 Bob Gibson

44 Hank Aaron

43 Dennis Eckersley

42 Jackie Robinson

41 Tom Seaver

40 Oscar Charleston

39 Roy Campanella

38 Curt Schilling

37 Casey Stengel

36 Gaylord Perry

35 Rickey Henderson

34 Kirby Puckett

33 Eddie Murray

32 Sandy Koufax

31 Dave Winfield

30 Nolan Ryan

29 Toni Stone

28 Bert Blyleven

27 Juan Marichal

26 Billy Williams

25 Satchel Paige

24 Willie Mays

23 Kirk Gibson

22 Jim Palmer

21 Roberto Clemente

20 Frank Robinson

19 Bob Feller

18 Darryl Strawberry

17 Dizzy Dean

16 Whitey Ford

15 Dick Allen

14 Ernie Banks

13 Dave Concepcion

12 Roberto Alomar

11 Sparky Anderson

10 Rusty Staub

9 Ted Williams

8 Martin Dihigo

7 Mickey Mantle

6 Stan Musial

5 Albert Pujols

4 Lou Gehrig

3 Babe Ruth

2 Buck Leonard

1 Sadaharu Oh