Bergino Baseball Clubhouse

A special presentation from the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse. Our first podcast during these pandemic times… In the Fall of 2017, the now shuttered brick-and-mortar location of the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse hosted “Baseball in Black and White: The Watercolor Paintings of James Fiorentino.” In the Fall of 2021, the Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery in Bernardsville NJ hosted James Fiorentino and “Baseball in Black and White: Extra Innings.” I sat down at the beautiful Studio 7 gallery with my long-time friend and we had a wide ranging “inside baseball” discussion that touched on memories through the years, the life — and gifts — of an artist, mentors, watercolor painting, ballplayers, the cake boss, passion, process, the feeling when a painting is finished, and more. On Friday, December 10, we’ll be back at the Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery in Bernardsville NJ. If you’re anywhere close to the area, stop by between 6:00 - 9:00 PM. Meet James and see his spectacular original black and white watercolor paintings, while enjoying treats and a glass of wine. I’ll be conducting in-person video interviews for my multimedia project — “The Memory of America: Remember Your First Baseball Game.” The interviews take only 15 minutes or so. Would love to capture your story that evening. Hope to see you then. In the meantime, pull up a chair, relax, and enjoy our conversation… With love from New York, Jay

War in the Ring with John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro -- and special Roundtable Guest: Mitch Nathanson. A wide-ranging conversation touching on a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process and the challenges of a Young Adult book, Joe Louis and the IRS, Max Schmeling’s actions during the Nazi regime, Jim Bouton, Dick Allen, Willie Horton and the Detroit riots, the “First Game” project and memory, Janis Ian, Mudcat Grant and JFK, boxing in the 20th century, Major League Baseball in 1938 and its state in 2019. John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro are the authors of One Nation Under Baseball and One Punch from the Promised Land. Together, they’ve written about sports for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, VICE Sports, and Sports Illustrated. Ouisie is a six-time Emmy award-winning writer/producer of sports documentaries. John is the author of historical crime novels. They are married and live in the beautiful borough of Brooklyn. Mitch Nathanson is a Professor of Law at Villanova University and the author of numerous books and articles on baseball, including God Almighty Hisself. Mitch is a two-time winner of the McFarland-SABR Award. In the spring of 2020, his next book, Bouton: The Life of a Baseball Original, will be released. Thanks to our delectable sponsors: Sauce Pizzeria and St. Marks Wine & Liquor War in the Ring. Listen in...

Inside the tailgating, ticket-scalping, mascot-racing, dubiously funded, and possibly haunted monuments of American sport "For one year, I traveled the United States visiting sports stadiums -- all manner of arenas, domes, ballparks -- for the purpose of writing a book. The idea was to go beyond the ball games and architectural blueprints to explore the inner workings of these steel and concrete structures that hover over our towns, imposing their will on landscapes and skylines, to better understand our relationship to them -- psychologically, economically, politically, culturally, historically -- as individuals, as cities, and as a society." -Rafi Kohan Rafi Kohan is a freelance writer and editor. Formerly, he served as deputy editor at the "New York Observer" and has written for "GQ," "Men's Journal," "Wall Street Journal," "Town & Country," ESPN.com, and more. He lives in New York City and deeply misses the old Yankee Stadium. On a November evening in the Clubhouse, Rafi Kohan took us into The Arena. Have a seat and listen in...

The untold story behind the first great sports film... The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic On July 4, 1939, baseball great Lou Gehrig stood in Yankee Stadium and gave a speech that contained the phrase that would become legendary: "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." He died two years later and his fiery widow, Eleanor, wanted nothing more than to keep his memory alive. With her forceful will, she and the irascible producer Samuel Goldwyn quickly agreed to make a film based on Gehrig's life, "The Pride of the Yankees." Goldwyn didn't understand -- or care about -- baseball. For him this film was the emotional story of a quiet, modest hero who married a spirited woman who was the love of his life, and, after a storied career, gave a short speech that transformed his legacy. With the world at war and soldiers dying on foreign soil, it was the kind of movie America needed. Using original scripts, letters, memos, and other rare documents, Richard Sandomir tells the behind-the-scenes story of how a classic was born. The search to find the actor to play Gehrig; the stunning revelations Eleanor made to the scriptwriter Paul Gallico about her life with Lou; the intensive training Gary Cooper underwent to learn how to catch, throw, and hit a baseball for the first time. On a warm summer evening, Richard Sandomir led our intimate Clubhouse conversation and brought "The Pride of the Yankees" to life. Listen in...

"Making My Pitch: A Woman's Baseball Odyssey" tells the story of Ila Jane Borders, who despite formidable obstacles became a Little League prodigy, MVP of her otherwise all-male middle school and high school teams, the first woman awarded a baseball scholarship, and the first to pitch and win a complete men's collegiate game. After Mike Veeck signed Borders in May 1997 to pitch for his St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League, she accomplished what no woman had done since the Negro Leagues era: play men's professional baseball. Borders played four professional seasons and in 1998 became the first woman in the modern era to win a professional ball game. Borders had to find ways to fit in with her teammates, reassure their wives and girlfriends, work with the media, and fend off groupies. But these weren't the toughest challenges. She had a troubled family life, a difficult adolescence as she struggled with her sexual orientation, and an emotionally fraught college experience as a closeted gay athlete at a Christian university. "Making My Pitch" shows what it's like to be the only woman on the team bus, in the clubhouse, and on the field. Raw, open, and funny at times, her story encompasses the loneliness of a groundbreaking pioneer who experienced grave personal loss. Borders ultimately relates how she achieved self-acceptance and created a life as a firefighter and paramedic and as a coach and goodwill ambassador for the game of baseball. Jean Hastings Ardell is an Author/Editor/Speaker/Researcher/Teacher. She is co-chair of the NINE Spring Training Conference, and author of "Breaking into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime." On a Thursday in June, Jean Hastings Ardell led our intimate Clubhouse conversation. A beautiful evening. Listen in...

A Pulitzer Prize-winner returns to the Clubhouse. It Happens Every Spring: DiMaggio, Mays, the Splendid Splinter, and a Lifetime at the Ballpark -- opinions and reflections on the National Pastime from one of New York's most popular sportswriters. As these gents would say... "It can be stated as a law that the sportswriter whose horizons are no wider than the outfield fences is a bad sportswriter because he has no sense of proportion and no awareness of the real world around him. Ira Berkow knows what is important about a game is not the score but the people who play it." -Red Smith "Ira Berkow belongs to that rare breed: a writer who specializes in sports but whose subjects represent a broad range in human aspirations and challenges." -Gay Talese "Ira Berkow is one of the great American writers, without limitation to the field of sports." -Scott Turow Ira Berkow is a former sports columnist and feature writer for "The New York Times," where he worked for more than 25 years. He shared the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2001 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer for commentary in 1988. He is the author of 25 books, including the bestsellers "Maxwell Street: Survival in a Bazaar" and "Red: A Biography of Red Smith." His work has frequently been cited in the prestigious anthology series Best American Sports Writing, as well as the 1999 anthology Best American Sports Writing of the Century. On a May evening, Ira Berkow led our intimate, indelible Clubhouse conversation. Listen in -- and you'll agree with those gents named Smith, Talese and Turow. Enjoy...

Hank Greenberg was coming off a stellar season where he hit 40 home runs and had 184 RBIs. Even with his success at the plate, neither Greenberg nor the rest of the world could have expected what was about to happen in 1938. From his first day in the big leagues, the New York-born Greenberg had dealt with persecution for being Jewish. From a teammate asking where his horns were to the verbal abuse from bigoted fans and the media, the 6'3" slugger always did his best to shut the noise out and concentrate on baseball. But in 1938, that would be more difficult than he could have ever imagined. While Greenberg was battling at the plate, his people overseas were dealing with a battle for their lives. Adolf Hitler, who had been chancellor of Germany since 1933, had taken direct control of the country's military in February 1938. He then began his methodic takeover of all neighboring countries, spreading Nazism and the early stages of World War II and the Holocaust. "Hank Greenberg in 1938" chronicles the events of that year, both on the baseball diamond and the streets of Europe. As Greenberg's bat had him on course for Babe Ruth's home run record, Hitler's "Final Solution" was beginning to take shape. Jews across the US looked to Greenberg as a symbol of hope. Though normally hesitant to speak about the anti-Semitism he dealt with, the slugger still knew the role he was playing, saying "I came to feel that if I, as a Jew, hit a home run, I was hitting one against Hitler." Ron Kaplan is an award-winning journalist and blogger. He writes about baseball literature and pop culture at "Ron Kaplan's Baseball Bookshelf," and is the author of three books including "501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read Before They Die." His work has appeared in such outlets as "Baseball America," "Irish America," and "American Book Review," among other national and international publications. On a Wednesday evening in May 2017, Ron Kaplan took us back to 1938. Listen in to our intimate Clubhouse conversation...

buck•et list - noun informal - a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime All New York Yankees fans have a bucket list of activities to take part in at some point in their lives. But even the most die-hard fans haven't done everything there is to experience. Sportswriter Mark Feinsand led us through ideas, recommendations, and insider tips for must-see places and can't-miss activities. And not every experience requires a trip to the Bronx. Feinsand has covered the Yankees for 16 years for the "New York Daily News" and MLB.com. He appears regularly on multiple television and radio outlets, including MLB Network, YES Network, and WFAN. On a Thursday in April, Mark Feinsand led our wide-ranging Clubhouse conversation. A fascinating evening. Listen in and enjoy...

"Quit praying for me alone, Ma, and pray for the whole team." -Jackie Robinson's letter to his mother in 1947, his rookie season Journalist and baseball lover Ed Henry reveals for the first time the backstory of faith that guided Jackie Robinson into not only the baseball record books but the annals of civil rights advancement as well. Through recently discovered sermons, interviews with Robinson's family and friends, and even an unpublished book by the player himself, Henry details a side of Jackie's humanity that few have seen. 42 Faith: The Rest of the Jackie Robinson Story also digs into why Jackie was the man he was and what both drove him and challenged him after his retirement. From his early years before baseball, to his time with Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers, to his failing health in his final years, we see a man of faith. Ed Henry serves as Fox News Channel's Chief National Correspondent. He joined the network in 2011. Henry has won numerous journalism honors, including the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress and the White House Correspondents Association's Merriman Smith Award for excellence in presidential coverage under deadline pressure. He also served in the prestigious post of president of the White House Correspondents' Association from 2012-2013. Prior to joining Fox News Channel, Henry was at CNN from 2004-2011. He began his career working for Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jack Anderson. On the first Thursday of April, Ed Henry led our intimate Clubhouse conversation for over an hour. Listen in and enjoy...

In his shrewd analysis -- Will Big League Baseball Survive? -- Lincoln Mitchell asks whether the sport will continue in its current form as a huge, lucrative global business that offers a monopoly in North America and whether those structures are sustainable. Mitchell places baseball in the context of the larger, evolving American and global entertainment sector. He examines how both changes directly related to baseball -- including youth sports and the increased globalization of the game -- and broader societal trends, such as developments in media consumption and celebrity culture, will impact big league baseball over the next few decades. On the first evening of December, Lincoln Mitchell led our intimate Clubhouse conversation. Listen in...

“This is a tough park for a hitter when the air conditioning is blowing in.” -Bob Boone When it opened in 1965, the Houston Astrodome -- nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World -- captured the attention of a nation, bringing pride to the city and enhancing its reputation across the country. It was a Texas-sized vision of the future, an unthinkable feat of engineering with premium luxury suites, theater-style seating, and the first animated scoreboard. Yet there were memorable problems such as outfielders’ inability to see fly balls and failed attempts to grow natural grass -- which ultimately led to the development of Astroturf. The Astrodome nonetheless changed the way people viewed sports, putting casual fans at the forefront of a user-experience approach that soon became the standard in all American sports. On the day after the completion of this year's wonderful World Series, authors Robert Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack tore back the Astrodome's facade while discussing the building’s pivotal fifty years in existence and the ongoing debate about its preservation. Listen in to our intimate Clubhouse conversation...

“For all who care about baseball, character, and leadership, Michael Tackett has brought us the inspiring and unforgettable story of a phenomenal coach and his legacy.” -Michael Beschloss, historian and political commentator Clarinda, Iowa, population 5,000, sits two hours from anything. There, between the corn fields and hog yards, is a ball field with a bronze bust of a man named Merl Eberly, a baseball whisperer who specialized in second chances and lost causes. The statue was a gift from one of Merl’s original long-shot projects, a skinny kid from the ghetto in Los Angeles: Ozzie Smith. “The Baseball Whisperer” traces the remarkable story of Merl Eberly and his Clarinda A’s baseball team, which he tended over the course of five decades, transforming it from a town team to a collegiate summer league powerhouse. Along with Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, future manager Bud Black, and star player Von Hayes, Merl developed scores of major leaguers -- six of which are currently playing. More than a book about ballplayers who landed in the nation’s agricultural heartland, “The Baseball Whisperer” is the story of a coach who put character and dedication first, and reminds us of the best, purest form of baseball excellence. Michael Tackett is an editor in the Washington bureau of “The New York Times.” Previously, he was a managing editor for “Bloomberg,” the Washington bureau chief of the “Chicago Tribune,” and a national editor at “U.S. News & World Report.” On an autumn evening, Michael Tackett led our Clubhouse conversation about a small-town coach who shaped big league dreams. Listen in...

“The Freedom of Information Act is a critical and sometimes underappreciated tool that allows all of us access to the records of our government. It was through the act that I obtained copies of more than nine hundred pages of FBI documents related to the Black Legion. These proved vital.” -Tom Stanton In the mid-1930s, Detroit reigned as the City of Champions. Within a six-month span, the Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings won a World Series, NFL title, and Stanley Cup -- a major-sports trifecta achieved by no other American city before or since -- and it happened as undefeated local boxer Joe Louis was becoming a national sensation. As the successes mounted, the national media made heroes of the city’s sports stars, and Detroit grew almost delirious, the string of victories providing a sweet diversion from the Great Depression. But beneath the jubilance, a nefarious plague was spreading unchecked. A wave of mysterious crimes had police baffled: bodies dumped along roadsides, suspicious suicides, bombings of homes and halls, flogging victims who refused to speak, assassination plots. All were the work of the Black Legion, a secret terrorist organization that flourished in Detroit until the summer of 1936. On a summer's evening in 2016 New York, award-winning author Tom Stanton took a teeming Clubhouse through a stunning tale of history, crime, and baseball in 1930s America. Listen in...