When Nicholas Dawidoff was a boy in nineteen-seventies’ New Haven, Connecticut, Red Sox radio broadcasts from a distant Fenway Park filled his room at night.
As he writes in his new memoir, “men like Williams and Yazstremski … were knights errant, giant killers, young men of magical valor roaming through the American League.” They were also roaming through his imagination and standing in for the mentally ill father he saw only occasionally.
The Red Sox of the 1970s were the team of near misses and lost chances, the team that couldn’t win. That suited Dawidoff just fine. “I had come to believe,” he writes, “that nothing worthwhile comes without great suffering.” So it was with his favorite baseball team, and so it was with his childhood.
This hour: A tale of love, madness, and baseball, with Nicholas Dawidoff.
You can join the conversation. Is it only a game, or is baseball an allegory for wins and losses of every day life? Why is it that we root for the underdog on the playing field, but not in life?
-Jane Clayson, guest host
* * *
Guest:
Joining us from New York is Nicholas Dawidoff. His new book, a memoir, is “The Crowd Sounds Happy: A Story of Love, Madness and Baseball.”
His previous books include “The Catcher Was A Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg,” “In the Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music,” and “The Fly Swatter: How My Grandfather Made his Way in the World.”
You can read an excerpt from “The Crowd Sounds Happy” at RandomHouse.com.
Great Book, Nick. You are solidly among the amazing pantheon of brilliant and accomplished former “Goatville”-ians (and I’m not talking about the Red Sox Nation)
I have one small bone to pick with you re: your Sport’s Illustrated article about your kick-ball days in the schoolyard. As an objective sports fan, I think the presentation of the illustrious history of Hooker school kick-ball without acknowledging the hall-of-fame career of Jeff Klaus, is like writing the history of major-league baseball and failing to mention Willie Mays.
Jeff Klaus
Posted by Jeff Klaus, on August 14th, 2008 at 12:08 PMNicholas, I loved listening to your comments about baseball and your life. Your language was so descriptive and comforting that you painted pictures in my mind. I could have listened all day. Unfortunately, I had to leave the radio for a business meeting. I plan on downloading the interview tonight.
Posted by Wayne Starkey, on August 14th, 2008 at 10:48 PMEverybody knows that Jeff Klaus was a Hall Of Fame kickballer but what about Josh Pilot? Or Bobby Durham?
Posted by Jon Frost, on August 15th, 2008 at 10:56 AMOr Lamar Dobbs?Or Terry Heath? These Hooker alumni surely deserve recognition.
Truly affecting interview with a remarkable and youthful memoirist, Nicholas Dawidoff, who, in his impressive listing of memorable books in his life mentioned Freeman Dyson. I plan to check out Professor Dyson’s “Imagined Worlds” today and will, undoubtedly, acquire your book in the near future.
Thank you for your amazing observations and entranced writing, especially about the 100 or so Bazooka bubble gum pieces (LOL, uproariously, in the car) that you chewingly consumed in a day or so.
Rudy in North Augusta, SC
Posted by Rudy Nyhoff, on August 15th, 2008 at 12:46 PMDear On Point,
The first comment above is from Jeff Klaus,who I knew during early childhood in New Haven. Is it possible for you to send me his e-mail address so I can thank him for his note? I’d appreciate it very much. It was awfully nice to be on your program. Sincerely yours, Nicholas Dawidoff
Posted by Nicholas Dawidoff, on August 19th, 2008 at 10:48 AMNick,
I am at jklaus28@yahoo.com
Looking foreward to catching up.
Jeff
Posted by Jeff Klaus, on August 21st, 2008 at 3:41 PMIf it wasn’t for Mr. Lucas (John Lucas, our gym teacher) there would have been no after-school kickball league at Worthington Hooker.
His fro was bigger than a beach ball. His uniform consisted of black high-top converse all-stars, black nylon gym pants with a thick white stripe down the side, a white V-neck T’ and a big whistle. Each time a “kicker” came to the plate he cried, “Batter up! …Turn it loose!”
Loved your interview Nicky.
Jimmy Frost
p.s. Does anyone know where Lamar Dobbs is?
Posted by James Frost, on January 19th, 2009 at 12:13 PMHe’d be 49-50 now.