Blog Tour: TALES OF THE YANKEE CLIPPER by Jonathan Weeks

 

TALES OF THE YANKEE CLIPPER

by Jonathan Weeks

 

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GENRE:  NonFiction Sports Biography

 

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BLURB:

 

There has probably never been a professional baseball player more of a puzzle than Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio had a talent for keeping his emotions suppressed and his innermost thoughts to himself. Few could say that they really knew him. And even the ones who did found him to be unpredictable. He was a walking contradiction. He was quiet, but not necessarily shy. He could be both gracious and abrupt, approachable or aloof depending on the situation. Although he came across as humble, he had a tremendous sense of entitlement. He was complex, secretive, inscrutable. There were many layers to the man who came to be affectionately known as the “Yankee Clipper.” DiMaggio always felt that his actions on the field should do the talking for him. And for the most part, they did. To many, DiMaggio personified elegance, style, and grace. An impeccable dresser, he was married to two glamorous actresses. On the field, he glided almost effortlessly, never having to dive for a ball and rarely (if ever) making a mistake on the basepaths. He became the living embodiment of the American dream and a symbol of the country’s so-called “greatest generation.” But as time marched on, DiMaggio grew increasingly distrustful of the people around him. It was understandable—inevitable even. The third book in Jonathan Week’s Yankees trilogy contains an abundance of anecdotes, statistics, and other little known facts about the Yankee Clipper.

 

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Excerpt Two:

 

YANKEE STALKER

 

While recovering from an injury at the beginning of the 1949 campaign, DiMaggio began receiving love notes from a woman he was not acquainted with. At the same time, letters started turning up at the offices of various New York gossip columnists. They were signed by a woman calling herself “Junior Standish,” who claimed to be in a romantic relationship with the Yankee slugger. DiMaggio was familiar with a Broadway dancer of the same name, but had never actually dated her. When a handful of columnists reported that the two had become a couple, DiMaggio and Standish both made public statements to the contrary.

 

The plot thickened when the mysterious letter-writer attempted to make contact with DiMaggio at his hotel. After being turned away, she sent a note threatening suicide if her efforts to meet him were thwarted in the future. Alarmed by this turn of events, Yankee PR-man Arthur Patterson contacted the police and enlisted the help of a bodyguard to protect Joe.  

 

While police were investigating the matter, another note containing suicidal threats was delivered to DiMaggio’s hotel room. Hoping to produce some tangible leads regarding the author’s identity, details were leaked to the press. A 30-year-old woman was eventually taken into custody. While being interrogated by the assistant district attorney in Manhattan, she suffered a mental breakdown, screaming hysterically and threatening to kill herself. Police transported her to a Bronx hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Doctors agreed to release her into the custody of her father on the condition that she seek counseling and leave DiMaggio alone. She agreed to the arrangement and never bothered Joe again. Her identity was not disclosed to the press.

 

Incidents of a darker nature had plagued major-league baseball on prior occasions. A few weeks before DiMaggio’s stalker was taken into custody, a 19-year-old office worker named Ruth Steinhagen shot Phillies’ first baseman Eddie Waitkus in a Chicago hotel room. The troubled teen, who had developed an unhealthy obsession with Waitkus, ended up in a state psychiatric hospital, where she remained for three years. Waitkus recovered and played six more seasons. A similar scene had unfolded in 1932, when Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges was shot at the Carlos Hotel in Chicago by a showgirl named Violet Popovich. Jurges had broken off a casual relationship with Popovich, prompting her to behave irrationally. The infielder was shot twice—once in the hand and again in the ribs—but returned to action that year. He played in the majors until 1948.   

 

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 What was the biggest challenge in writing this book and how did you overcome it?

 

            Baseball writing is constantly evolving. Guys like me who have been at it for a few years sometimes struggle to keep up with the latest trends. Modern researchers are always trying to get the facts straight (rightfully so) and this has led to some unexpected changes. One such change involves the Washington Senators of Joe DiMaggio’s era. The team played its inaugural season in 1901. Although the club was officially named the “Nationals,” the moniker was never fully embraced by the public. And so, for many years, they were also known as the “Senators.” The Nationals (or Senators if you prefer) moved to Minnesota in 1961 and changed their name to the Twins. But things got confusing when a new expansion club carrying the official title of the “Senators” was placed in Washington and added to the AL lineup. After eleven losing seasons, the “new” Senators moved to Texas and became the Rangers. This at least partially eliminated any ambiguity until the Montreal Expos moved to Washington in 2005 and became the “new” Nationals.

            Feeling a bit perplexed? You’re not alone.

            The latest trend among researchers is to refer to the original Nationals (the club that made its American League debut in 1901) by their official name. The reasoning behind this is that the alternate “Senators” label was allegedly never in widespread use. But that does not actually appear to be the case—at least from my perspective. Almost every baseball book printed in the twentieth century refers to the original Nationals as the Senators. Changing that now feels a bit like revisionist history. What’s next? Will we be referring to the team that played in Cleveland from 1915 through 2021 as the “Guardians” because we find the club’s old name culturally insensitive? Not me. I’m a purist. And referring to the old Senators as the Nationals is akin to calling Beatles drummer Ringo Starr by his real name—Richard Starkey. Readers will note that, throughout Tales of the Yankee Clipper, I chose tradition over revisionist history.

            (Call me a rebel if you will)    

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Jonathan Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his father. He grew up in the Capital District region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field.

 

BLOG: http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yankee-Clipper-Reflections-DiMaggio-ebook/dp/B0CKBLVMM5/ref=sr_1_1

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

Jonathan Weeks will award a randomly drawn winner a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.

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