New Book Field of Screams Captures “Spirit” of Baseball

New Book Field of Screams Captures “Spirit” of Baseball

(Appeared on Fairfield.Patch.com 10/21)

By Mike Lauterborn

© 2010. All Rights Reserved.

10/20/10

Fairfield, CT – The spirits in Yankee Stadium must have been at work again, helping to lift its pinstriped home team up from a 3-1 American League Championship Series deficit against the Texas Rangers. At least, that’s what author Dan Gordon would have you wondering in his new book Field of Screams, about which he presented an overview Wednesday evening at Fairfield Museum while the Yankees and Rangers duked it out in the Bronx.

The presentation was part of the museum’s “It’s A Hit!” baseball-themed programming and exhibits that run through January 2, 2011, and attracted baseball enthusiasts young and old.

The book, co-authored by Mickey Bradley, documents some of the amusing folklore that surrounds the game. In effect, it offers “the soul of the game and the stories that memorialize its legendary players and historic moments.” The authors permit true believers and skeptics to have their say, leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions. At the end of the day, this collection of supernatural stories adds color to the legacies of the great teams and the game itself.

Gordon, who “lives and dies with the Red Sox”, and Bradley, a lifelong Yankee fan, are unlikely partners. “There’s been a little bit of tension over time, but we both have a deep appreciation for history and enjoy the fun stories,” said Gordon.

Previously, the duo collaborated to write Haunted Baseball: Ghosts, Curses, Legends and Eerie Events. It was essentially the first volume of these spooky stories culled from ballplayers, stadium personnel, umpires, front office staff and fans, exploring the amusing and often eerie connection between baseball and the paranormal. When the authors set out to research that initial project, they wondered if they would find enough stories to fill a book. They were aware of some of the famous curses and talk of ballpark ghosts. Still, they were stunned by how many stories were making their way around which had not been captured in print, and knew a second book would have to follow.

The old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, which had sat idle and overgrown for 10 years after ceasing operations, yielded a “rich cache of stories,” explained Gordon. This included the spectre of Ty Cobb running the bases, the roar of a ghostly crowd late at night and ghosts in the security office. The Comerica Park that replaced it had its own share of strange goings-on: metal detectors going off by themselves, a dark silhouette in a corner and a glass display case said to reflect Cobb’s image.

At Angels Stadium in Anaheim, CA, former players claim there’s an injury curse and have seen faces in the walls. At Boston’s Fenway Park, the image of a long-time announcer is often seen in the PA booth while a seagull that frequents the stadium is said to be the reincarnation of a former late owner.

If you ask Los Angeles Angels ballplayer Torii Hunter, he’ll tell you about hearing ghosts at Yankee Stadium “whispering in your ear the whole time you’re walking to the clubhouse, to the dugout, on the field.”

Literal truth or fanciful fiction? You decide the next time you take yourself out to the ballgame.

For more information about Field of Screams, visit www.fieldofscreamsonline.com. Published by Lyons Press, 257 pages, $14.95.