New interview with sports biographer Jonathan Weeks

Author Jonathan Weeks is back! Today he’s chatting with me about his new sports biography, Lore of the Bambino: 100 Great Babe Ruth Stories.

During his virtual book tour, Jonathan will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:
Weeks spent most of his life in the Capital District Region of New York State. He earned a degree in psychology from SUNY Albany. He migrated to Malone NY in 2004. He has published several books on the topic of baseball. He would have loved to play professionally, but lacked the talent. He still can’t hit a curveball or lay off the high heat. In the winter months, he moonlights as a hockey fan.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Jonathan. Please tell us about your newest release.
My latest book is about one of my favorite ballplayers of all time—Babe Ruth. My goal was to avoid superfluous material and just focus on the most interesting aspects of the Babe’s life. I would describe the book as a biography that reads like a “greatest hits” compilation. All of the most popular Babe Ruth stories (such as the Babe’s alleged “Called Shot” in the 1932 World Series) appear in great detail along with many of the lesser known fables.

What inspired you to write this book?
Of all the players in baseball history, Ruth was definitely among the most colorful. He was boisterous, fun-loving, uncouth at times, and larger than life. As a boy, his parents sent him to a home for troubled youths. Because of his difficult upbringing, he went out of his way to connect with fans—especially the younger ones. On the field, he hit the ball farther than anyone who came before him and set new records in just about every imaginable slugging category. Though his lifetime record for homers has been broken—twice—the Babe was light years ahead of his teammates and opponents. There has never been anyone quite like him since.

Excerpt from Lore of the Bambino:
Ruth was a habitual smoker. At one point during his career, he had his own brand of nickel cigars, which featured a picture of him on every wrapper. A man of enormous appetites, he lived his life to extremes—especially in regard to women. Cigars became the measure of his sexual prowess.

During his time with the Red Sox, the Babe roomed with pitcher Ernie Shore. It was not a good fit. The mild-mannered Shore complained about a number of Ruth’s bad habits, which included bringing women back to the room after curfew. One night, as Shore was trying to sleep, the Babe engaged in multiple rounds of noisy coitis with a woman he had picked up. Shore finally drifted off as the sun was coming up. When he awoke, the woman was gone and his teammate was in a deep slumber. He noted that there were four or five cigars in an ashtray next to the bed. Ruth later explained that he was in the habit of smoking each time he had sex.

A similar story exists involving Yankee outfielder Bob Meusel. While sharing a suite with the Babe during a road trip, Meusel noticed a parade of women coming in and out of the room all night. True to his nickname, “Silent Bob” minded his own business and was eventually able to get to sleep. In the morning, he asked Ruth how many women he had been with. The Babe told him to count the number of cigars in the ash tray. Meusel was somewhat startled to see seven of them.

What’s the next writing project?
My Babe Ruth biography is part of a trilogy. I have already finished a book on Mickey Mantle. It’s due out in 2023. I am currently working on a Joe DiMaggio biography. I hope to publish that one in 2024.

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book).
There are multiple challenges any time I begin a project. For starters, writing is a part-time gig for me. I have to balance my full-time job with writing and parental responsibilities. My kids are getting older now and have become pretty independent so that is less of an issue nowadays. Another problem I have faced in the past is writer’s block. I find that sometimes the words are there for me and sometimes they aren’t. I have continually managed to muddle through. Hopefully, I can continue to do so.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
Good question. I’m not sure how other non-fiction writers do it, but I like to research and write one chapter at a time. I will look up the specific details I need, take notes, and then assemble them into a coherent narrative on my laptop. I think if I did all the research up front, I would be left with a jumbled mass of disembodied anecdotes and facts. Worse yet, there are times when I can’t even read my own handwriting. LOL

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I have an office that is baseball themed. There is a bookshelf filled with books I have collected on the subject. The walls and shelves are covered with autographed baseballs and pictures. I grew up rooting for the New York Yankees and have been trying to collect as many autographs as I can from the 1977 and 1978 World Series winning teams. This is a challenge, given the fact that Thurman Munson, New York’s starting catcher during those two seasons, died in 1979. His autographs are difficult to find and cost a fortune.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
I have been rereading a lot of the classics that we covered in high school. I have to say that I found George Orwell’s 1984 to be quite chilling. It’s scary to see some of his predictions (such as the rewriting of history to suit our current beliefs) coming true. Beyond the classics, I am a big fan of Fredrik Backman and Stephen King. The best book I have read in the past year is The Book of Longings, by Sue Monk Kidd. It’s fascinating secular narrative of the Jesus story as told by a woman claiming to be his wife.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
If you decide to purchase a copy of my latest book, please leave a review. It’s tough for lesser known authors to get reviews. Your opinion as a reader does matter. Feel free to reach out to me on any of the links provided.

Links:
Amazon | Goodreads | Website

Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!

Readers, here is my interview with Jonathan about The Umpire Was Blind! Controversial Calls by MLB’s Men in Blue.

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