* In praise of baseball books

The legendary Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell published this piece praising the improved quality of baseball literature in his Free Press column of Aug. 16.

Among the titles mentioned (just to name a few) are Jonathan Eig’s Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig and Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season; Leigh Montville’s Babe Ruth biography, The Big Bam; and The Echoing Green, by Joshua Prager.

Reading Harwell’s story reminded me, in some bizarre tangent, of the scene in It’s A Wonderful Life in which a young Peter Bailey, looking for help to solve a difficult problem, sees a sign in Old Man Gower’s drug store: “Ask Dad. He knows.“

When it comes to baseball, ask Mr. Harwell; he knows.