http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog Peter Golenbock's weblog Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:04:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Jason Itzler, the owner of New York Confidential, the most successful escort agency ever, has written a book about his life. He made and lost a fortune owning a phone sex business, went to jail for smuggling Ecstasy, then started New York Confidential. He ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=56 I received an email yesterday from Ira Glasser to remind me that January 30 was Jackie Robinson's birthday. He would have been 90. Had he lived, he would have been a very happy and surprised guy. http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=52 As I watched the concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder what Jackie Robinson would have thought and felt. Jackie, who died a young man in 1972, was frustrated and angry all his life at the slothful pace of the civil rights movement. ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=51 Dr. Irving Kolin, a brilliant psychiatrist/friend who was so helpful in explaining George Steinbrenner's behaviors for my upcoming biography, and I went to see the Orlando Magic basketball team on January 9. The Magic, led by Dwight Howard, JJ Ridick, and a fabulous kid I had ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=50 Every once in a while a good book comes along, and the movie made from it is even better. In this case I'm talking about Stephen Pressfield's Legend of Bagger Vance, which was on TV this afternoon. I've seen it before, but it's one of those movies that ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=49 Ira Glasser, for many years the head of the ACLU, has written a powerful article about civil rights abuses forty years ago in today's Huffington Post. I am reprinting it here. Ira, who is from Brooklyn, has been a battler for constitutional freedom his entire life. See ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=41 The Tampa Bay Rays this year handed out cowbells to its fans, and by the end of the year the rooters from the visiting teams would hear a cacaphony of noise every time they tried to organize a cheer. The Rays fans don't know it, but the cowbell idea ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=48 Ever since the Yankees spent $423 million on C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Texiera, there's been a loud outcry from around the league. But if you look back in history, what the Yankees did is not new. When they bought Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, there ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=43 When it was announced that the Tampa Bay Rays were abandonning Al Lang Stadium and moving their spring training headquarters an hour or so south to Port Charlotte, there was a lot of gnashing of teeth about the move. The Rays owners said their motive was simple: to attract ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=46 Here's another take on the Yankees by a die-hard Yankee crazy Loving the Yankees Means Always Having to Say You’re Sorry By Jane Heller Jane Heller is the author of the coming memoir, “Confessions of a She-Fan: The Course of True Love with the New York Yankees.” (Rodale) “Unseemly.” “Insensitive.” “Galling.” “Grotesque.” These are ... http://www.golenbockbooks.com/blog/?p=44