I got a personal invite to contribute to John McCain's Presidential bid exploratory committee! Since they sent me a free return envelope for my check, I imagine I'll send him some unsolicited advice. Perhaps I'll post it here.
In other news, I'll be participating in goatdog's 1927 Blogathon. I'm afraid it might be a somewhat tenuous connection; my first thoughts of 1927, of course, turn to Ruth and the Yankees, and I thought I'd do something on the rise of Ruth's popularity with the newsreels--and low and behold, I find Paramount News started in 1927. Aha! I thought. Well, I found a disappointing lack of good material on the Internets, and then got busy with APS and such and forgot to do my homework. I did snag a copy of Reel Baseball (see the Booklist) from the library (sadly, Fairfax County, not the Library of Alexandria) but they sat on the hold for a couple of days, so I just got it tonight. Wherein I discover that none of the footage on the DVD appears to be from Paramount, and the earliest is from 1933.
Too bad. I'll make it stretch.
Let me disagree here, though, with the book's contention that this was baseball's Golden Age. First, that's tough to say the black and white footage included on the DVD doesn't need much black to show the players for half of the "Golden Age" time frame. Second, the very fact that the newsreels were the prime means most fans saw baseball belies this notion--how is it not better with major league teams from coast to coast, minor league ball affordable and available all over, Baseball Tonight for your moving picture highlights, and the vast majority of games available for your enjoyment on Internet radio, Internet TV, or cable/satellite package, if you can pony up the cash?
Of course, that's my opinion before more than a cursory flip through the book. I want to read it and watch the footage before defining the thread of my post/essay. Just wanted to get that criticism out so I can be more positive and thoughtful.
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