Long before the designated hitter, November World Series night games and $30 million salaries there was a game of baseball that many fans would probably recognize in its rudimentary form. Here in Springfield, we might not recognize the Capital, Lone Star, or Dexter Base Ball Clubs but they were all teams from our community that […]
Books
Posted inArts & Culture
From San Quentin to Springfield
Curtis Roberts of Springfield could be a bitter, angry man. He is not, even though he spent 29 years of a 50-year sentence in prison in California. It is hard to believe this slight-built man with sandy hair and a gentle voice was ever in jail. Shockingly, his crimes consisted of stealing a total of […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Peanuts, the crop that changed history
Jori Lewis grew up in Springfield, graduated from Springfield High School in 1996, and is now the author of Slaves for Peanuts – A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop that Changed History, an historical narrative that explains the development of the peanut industry in Senegal and its impact on slavery. Lewis went to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A first novel with ties to Springfield
Ralls Melotte is known for his work in art glass and architecture. A registered architect for over 50 years, he was a partner in the Springfield architectural firm Melotte, Morse, Leonatti, Parker, Ltd. In 2019 he retired, moved to Wisconsin, and has now added to his repertoire by writing his first novel, Cat’s Café, the […]
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Another legal thriller by Scott Turow
Chicago attorney and author Scott Turow has returned to fictional Kindle County for the setting of his 15th book, Suspect. Turow’s courtroom novels place him in the upper echelon of the genre along with such well-known writers as John Grisham and Michael Connelly. He and Grisham often appear together to boost their legal advocacy for […]
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Visit Midwest history
As the weather turns chilly and the leaves start turning, there is still time to get in one or two last outings before cold weather hits. Cynthia Clampitt’s book Destination Heartland – A Guide to Discovering the Midwest’s Remarkable Past offers ideas. Destinations include historic towns and inns, museums and living-history venues, forts and lighthouses, […]
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Finding what is not there
n Thanksgiving Day, 1928, Jim Thorpe played the final professional football game of his career. Chicago was the site and Thorpe donned the uniform of the Chicago Cardinals as they battled their crosstown rival, the Bears. Nearly a decade after its creation, the National Football League had settled into 10 franchises, six of them in […]
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The church of baseball
“I’ve tried them all, I really have. And the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in and day out, is the church of baseball.” Annie Savoy in Bull Durham. Ask any fan to name their favorite baseball movies and the 1988 classic Bull Durham is probably on the list. Baseball films come in […]
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African American history in photos
African Americans in Springfield is a new book by Mary Frances and Beverly Helm-Renfro of Springfield that brings to life African Americans who lived and worked in Springfield. Prominent African Americans who visited Springfield are also featured. Richly illustrated with nearly 150 black and white photos, the deeply researched book celebrates people who shaped the […]
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These honored dead
May 30 is Memorial Day. For many decades it was better known as Decoration Day, a day to honor fallen Civil War soldiers – South and North – by “decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” That’s how the Grand Army of the Republic – a […]
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Baseball is back
After a winter of discontent during which Major League Baseball owners locked out the players and essentially shut down the off-season activity that baseball fans know as the “hot stove” league, major league baseball has returned with a hard-charging one month spring training and a season that opens April 7. Here in Springfield the off-season was […]
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Power and politics
My first in-person encounter with House Speaker Michael Madigan occurred in 1998, when I was a Copley News Service reporting intern covering a news conference of his at the Capitol. I don’t recall the topic, but I do remember how he spoke so calmly and softly, you had to lean toward the podium to make […]
