August Publications authors Steve Dittmore and Tom Alesia are making public appearances this weekend, giving you a chance to snare signed copies of their latest works.
Steve Dittmore is the author of Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger, while Tom Alesia authored Baseball Like It Oughta Be: How a Shoe Salesman’s Madison Mallards and His Renegade Staff Ignited the Summer-Collegiate Baseball Revolution.
First off: Steve will be signing copies as part of the Nashville Sounds’ The Nine celebration (6:35 p.m.) on Friday, June 20 at First Horizon Park. The Nine, a Black community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, and further diversify the business of baseball. You can find Steve signing at a table set up on the outfield plaza. Gilliam is one of the most famous baseball players to grow up in Nashville; First Horizon Park is located on Jim Gilliam Way. Follow August Publications on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Threads for the specifics as we get closer to the date.
Other upcoming appearances to note:
- Twinbill Podcast with Scott Bolohan (June 23 release anticipated)
- Interview with Bill Donohue, SportstalkNY, WGBB Radio on Long Island (July 6, 8:30 p.m. ET)
- Bob Davids (Mid-Atlantic) SABR Chapter, Zoom conversation (Washington D.C.) (July 19, 9 a.m. ET)
- Elysian Fields SABR Chapter (New Jersey), to be determined
And don’t forget about Steve’s appearance on the Nashville Baseball Podcast with Nashville’s preeminent baseball historian, Skip Nipper, as the pair discuss Nashville native Gilliam, local baseball lore and the Negro Leagues. We’d highly recommend downloading this podcast. You can download the Nashville Baseball Podcast on your favorite podcast network, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Buzzsprout and iHeart.
In Madison, Tom Alesia will be signing Baseball Like It Oughta Be: How a Shoe Salesman’s Madison Mallards and His Renegade Staff Ignited the Summer-Collegiate Baseball Revolution at the Madison Card Show in the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall on June 21. Baseball Like It Oughta Be is the deeply researched story of how the Madison Mallards became summer-collegiate baseball’s top draw, changed the face of the sport and brought new life to a downtrodden neighborhood and ballpark.
If you can’t make the Card Show, there are plenty of other online resources to check out the book. Tom talks about the Mallards and Baseball Like It Ought To Be on WISC-TV; check out the interview here. And be sure to check out Tom discussing the book and the Mallards on the Midwest Writers Room podcast and the Madison City Cast podcast.
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