{"title":"Steve Rushin","description":"Steve Rushin has been writing for Sports Illustratedfor the last 25 years and was the 2006 National Sportswriter of the Year. His work has been collected in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Travel Writing, and The Best American Magazine Writing. He lives in Connecticut.","products":[{"product_id":"sting-ray-afternoons-a-memoir-paperback","title":"Sting-Ray Afternoons: A Memoir - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a story of the 1970s. Of a road trip in a wood-paneled station wagon, with the kids in the way-back, singing along to the Steve Miller Band. Of brothers waking up early on Saturday mornings for five consecutive hours of cartoons. Of growing up in a magical era populated by Bic pens, Mr. Clean and Scrubbing Bubbles, lightsabers and those oh-so-coveted Schwinn Sting-Ray bikes. And of a father -- one of 3M's greatest and last eight-track salesmen -- traveling across the country on the brand-new Boeing 747, providing for his family but wanting nothing more than to get home. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eSting-Ray Afternoons\u003c\/i\u003e, Steve Rushin paints an utterly nostalgic, psychedelically vibrant portrait of a decade overflowing with technological evolution, cultural revolution, as well as brotherly, sisterly, and parental love. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Funny, elegiac... a remarkably sunny coming-of-age story about growing up in a Midwest world.\" -- NPR\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51434181034207,"sku":"9780316392259","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/N3-PSWOi6B9780316392259.webp?v=1790024712"},{"product_id":"the-34-ton-bat-the-story-of-baseball-as-told-through-bobbleheads-cracker-jacks-jockstraps-eye-black-and-375-other-strange-and-unforgettable-objec-hardcover","title":"The 34-Ton Bat: The Story of Baseball as Told Through Bobbleheads, Cracker Jacks, Jockstraps, Eye Black, and 375 Other Strange and Unforgettable Objec - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn unorthodox history of baseball told through the enthralling stories of the game's objects, equipment, and characters.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo sport embraces its wild history quite like baseball, especially in memorabilia and objects. Sure, there are baseball cards and team pennants. But there are also huge balls, giant bats, peanuts, cracker jacks, eyeblack, and more, each with a backstory you have to read to believe. In \u003cem\u003eThe 34-Ton Bat\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/em\u003e writer Steve Rushin tells the real, unvarnished story of baseball through the lens of all the things that make it the game that it is.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRushin weaves these rich stories -- from ballpark pipe organs played by malevolent organists to backed up toilets at Ebbets Field -- together in their order of importance (from most to least) for an entertaining and compulsive read, glowing with a deep passion for America's Pastime. The perfect holiday gift for casual fans and serious collectors alike, \u003cem\u003eThe 34-Ton Bat\u003c\/em\u003e is a true heavy hitter.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67922618089695,"sku":"9780316200936","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/3br7NTzU9780316200936.webp?v=1791179488"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/steve-rushin.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}