* Lest we forget: Paul Hemphill

The author of Long Gone: A Novel passed away Saturday, Jul 11, at the age of 73.

Written in 1979, Long Gone doesn’t get as much praise as other titles; Some say was it was too cliched, with stock characters, but I thought it was a good ‘un, dealing with minor league baseball in the 1950s South. (It was turned into a 1987 TV movie starring William (C.S.I.) Peterson, as Stud Cantrell (the hero), as well as Virginia Madsen, Dermot Muroney, Larry Riley, William Gibson, and Teller.)

Hemphill also published a non-fiction book, Heart of the Game: The Education of a Minor League Ball Player, which profiled a marginal athlete for the Durham Bulls.

His obituary from The New York Times and another one from BronxBanterblog by Alex Belth, author of Stepping Up: The Story of All-Star Curt Flood and His Fight for Baseball Players’ Rights.

For the time being, you can still access Paul Hemphill’s website, with links to more obits.