We're in the Hall of Fame!

A month before the induction of six players for the Class of 2018, #DiamondsFromTheDugout was given the honor of leading off the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's 2018 Authors Series schedule. This prestigious annual series showcases top baseball books, and "Diamonds" features more than 40 Hall of Famers among the 115 baseball legends in its pages.

Thank you so much to the entire Hall of Fame staff for your hospitality, as this national No. 1 bestseller is now officially in the museum! On June 6, I gave a 45-minute presentation in the 55-seat bullpen theater, using their state-of-the-art large screen and podium computer to show pictures, videos, quotes and facts related to the book's stars, then signed copies in the Library Atrium. Patrons can find signed copies throughout this summer in the Museum Bookstore.

This book came full circle with this event, held in the same wing of the hallowed institution where it all began during my coverage of the historic 2007 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend for MLB.com. I remember setting out that Monday to write a book about 3,000 random hits, and then Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson telling me that same year about the one hit that had meant the most in his life. Brooks provided the Foreword for this book. Buy it now

Ready for January 6!

Here's the new display at Barnes & Noble Palisades Center mall, ready for the big #DiamondsFromTheDugout author event and bookfair at 2 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 6! I'll discuss the No. 1 bestselling baseball book and sign copies, and the bookfair will benefit the Clarkstown Family Resource Center - part of the massive Clarkstown School District. I'll stay there until about 5, so there will be plenty of time to sign, but get there early if you want to catch a baseball discussion. If you're in the NYC area that day, come out and join us, for a good cause! See the book tour page for the latest updates on official author events and the #BarnesandNobleStormingTour.

MLB Network Radio 12/16 & 12/23

It was a pleasure to spend the last three consecutive weekends talking DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT and baseball on MLB Network Radio, and that included an unprecedented doubleheader of sorts over the last two Saturdays on the SiriusXM network's "Remember When" show. The first audio clip here is from my Dec. 16 appearance with legendary NYC broadcaster Ed Randall, who was without fellow host and career-long Red Sox legend Rico Petrocelli. (By the way, the segment immediately followed Alvin & The Chipmunks and their holiday hit, providing context to the introductory comments.) The second audio clip is an encore return so that I could ask Rico for his thoughts about Yaz's story in the book, from the 1967 AL pennant-clinching game. Listen to that one, and you'll even get bonus material not in the book, because Rico gave me his own No. 1 hit.

9 Connecticut BN store signings in one day

The DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT official book tour page is updated with Saturday's #BarnesandNobleStormingTour. Bingley and I drove to nine Barnes & Nobles all over the state of Connecticut in one day: Stamford, Westport, Milford, North Haven, Glastonbury, Manchester, Enfield, Farmington and Waterbury. Sorry, Danbury -- couldn't make it there before 10 p.m. close! That's 21 Barnes & Nobles across the United States and counting on the DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT tour. Grab "the sports book of the holiday season" for family and friends!

My 2018 Hall of Fame ballot

I just mailed back my 2018 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Chipper Jones, Edgar Martinez, Jim Thome, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, Larry Walker, Vlad Guerrero. Read my 6,000-word blog post analyzing my entire top 20.

While I did not agree with Joe Morgan's email to voters -- neither the message nor the delivery -- I appreciate him being a part of my new book DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT.

Signed books in St. Louis

Signed copies of DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT are waiting for baseball fans right now at Barnes & Noble in St. Louis! Cardinal greats include Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Stan the Man, Big Mac and more. Perfect holiday gift. Thanks for the hospitality, Jolene & friends at Chesterfield BN! The books are right upfront and next to "The Cardinal Way" at that great location in West County, off Clarkson Road. 💎⚾️

Thanks, Brooksie

You won't find a better person than Brooks Robinson, and it was so nice to spend time with him in the cocktail reception before this month's Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association 18th annual Legends for Youth Dinner at Capitale in Manhattan. We had fun talking about DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT, which he helped make possible by providing the Foreword as well as the first insightful interview response about nine years ago that moved this entire project toward what became a well-received baseball book filled with everyday lessons. I'm proud to say that the book also benefits the Constance & Brooks Robinson Foundation, which helps important causes. I knew it was all meant to be when he agreed to write the Foreword on the very same day last April that I was inside Camden Yards posing with one of his statues. True story. Among the photos I took below is one of the 1955 Baltimore Orioles team stats, which is on a club-level hallway at the ballpark. If you look closely at that, you can see that a rookie named "Brooks Robinson" was 2-for-22 that first year, and that explains why he chose the hit that he did for this book! Don't miss his story and Foreword.

Baseball by the Book Podcast

Thanks to my fellow Sporting News alum Justin McGuire for having me on his Baseball by the Book podcast! DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT is episode 94 there.  Click here to listen.

On TV: Beyond the Game

Thanks to John Vorperian for having me on for an episode of his respected and long-running TV/Internet show "Beyond the Game" in White Plains, N.Y. It was fun to talk baseball and DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT in the studio. CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

The show originally aired on White Plains Community Media for Westchester County viewers on Nov. 3 and 4. If you want to see it there on TV, it will air again on Friday, Nov 24, at 9 p.m. ET, on Fios 45 and Altasce 76. Then it will air on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. ET.

MLB.com Newsmakers Podcast

Thanks Bill Ladson for having me on the MLB.com Newsmakers podcast to talk about DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT! You can listen to the interview here.

Legends Love Diamonds

One of the great pleasures of publishing DIAMONDS FROM THE DUGOUT is being able to show one's appreciation to the legends who made all those days of our lives so special. Here are two examples of beloved Yankee legends joining in the fun: Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams. Flip to their pages to see which hits they chose as their own personal favorites!