Only 353 Days ‘Til Christmas

This is my pledge to you on these blogs of mine:  They will be short, to-the-point, and infrequent.  When James Cagney was once asked about his philosophy of acting, he said, “Get on … do it … and get off.”  Right on, James!

First, I have a book signing on Saturday, January 15th at 2 p.m. at Mysterious Galaxy bookstore and I’d be honored if some of you in the San Diego area will stop by.  Mysterious Galaxy is at 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., just east of the 805.   End of commercial.

Unfortunately, we’ve had to say goodbye to several noted authors in the last couple of years.  They include:

J.D. Salinger.  This reclusive New Englander had numerous short stories and essays published but only one full-length novel, the widely acclaimed “Catcher in the Rye.”  This great coming-of-age work was a huge hit with teenagers and was widely studied in high schools.

Michael Crichton.  Brilliant science-fiction writer.  One of my books once perched next to his on a shelf at the Bookworks in Del Mar, Calif.  This was just a freak of the alphabet, but I should have taken a picture.

Dick Francis.  One of the greatest mystery writers of all time.  Besides being page-turners, his works gave a fascinating look inside the world of English horse racing.

Stuart Kaminsky.  His Abe Lieberman and Toby Peters novels were nicely crafted and fun reads.  He’ll be missed, as will his lively characters.

John Updike.  Who can forget this Pulitzer Prize winner’s “Rabbit, Run” books?  Updike is considered one of the great writers of all time.

And that’s it for today, friends.  I promise not to write about death next time.  Do something nice for someone today.

Happy Holidays, Friends!

For my first-ever blog, I want to wish you all the very best for the season and a successful, productive new year. I’m not going to spend time dwelling on my fourth novel, “Souls on the Wind,” except to say that I’m delighted that it’s just been published and is now available on Amazon.
Instead, a few somber farewells. As most of you know, I used to be a sportswriter and am still very interested in athletics. We lost a few great sports figures this past year and I’d like to reflect on a few:
John Wooden, 99 – The greatest basketball coach of all time, and a truly decent man. His UCLA teams won an astounding ten national titles. I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Wooden twice.
Don Coryell, 85 – The only coach to have won more than 100 games in both college and pro football. Coaches everywhere still run his systems.
Sparky Anderson, 76 – This great baseball manager won World Series titles in each league, with his “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers. Sparky once mistook me for pro golfer Bob Dickson. Go figure.
Ernie Harwell, 92 – The most beloved baseball play-by-play man this side of Vin Scully. This courtly Southerner was the voice of the Detroit Tigers for 42 years.
Bob Feller, 92 – Before there was Nolan Ryan, there was “Rapid Robert.” This longtime Cleveland Indians fireballer threw three no-hitters, a record twelve one-hitters and won 266 games.
Bob Sheppard, 99 – The New York Yankees’ public address announcer for 57 years, Sheppard had a stately, eloquent voice and was revered throughout baseball for his dignity and impartiality at the mike.
Bobby Thompson, 86 – His “shot heard ’round the world” in 1951 may be the most famous home run in history. It capped the New Yorks Giants’ comeback pennant victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers, who had a 13-game lead over the Giants late in the season.
Wes Santee, 78 – The athlete you never heard of. Back when the four-minute mile was the rage and England’s Roger Bannister broke that barrier for the first time, everybody thought Santee would be the first American to do so. He never quite made it: 4:00.5 was his best.
Bill Dudley, 88 – A fleet running back out of Virginia U., “Bullet Bill” had a fine pro career with the Steelers and Lions. He was Detroit’s halfback in the first NFL game I ever saw, a Lions’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams at old Briggs Stadium.
There were others, notable George Steinbrenner, Merlin Olsen and Robin Roberts, but I’ve taken up enough of your time for now. Do something good today.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!