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Babbling Echoes

Soundings from Yesteryear

H.A. Dorfman

Harvey Dorfman was an educator for twenty-seven years before entering the field of sport psychology. His stature in the field grew significantly during the twenty-six years of his second career. But through most of both professional pursuits, he was also a writer. Seven books and hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles have appeared under his name. This final volume is a collection of some of his favorite pieces. Included are personal reflections and social commentary, both sobering and satirical. Interviews of both public and private personages are included, as well as feature stories on subjects of general interest. These works appeared in local newspapers while he was living and teaching in Vermont and in The Rutland Herald, where he was a columnist and a feature writer. They have also appeared in The New York Times, The Miami Herald, and many other national periodicals.

Hamilton Books

Pages: 186 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7618-5927-7 • Paperback • December 2012 • $46.99 • (£36.00)

978-0-7618-5929-1 • eBook • November 2012 • $41.50 • (£32.00)

Subjects: Literary Collections / Essays, Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism, Sports & Recreation / Essays

Babbling Echoes

Soundings from Yesteryear

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Harvey Dorfman was an educator for twenty-seven years before entering the field of sport psychology. His stature in the field grew significantly during the twenty-six years of his second career. But through most of both professional pursuits, he was also a writer. Seven books and hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles have appeared under his name. This final volume is a collection of some of his favorite pieces. Included are personal reflections and social commentary, both sobering and satirical. Interviews of both public and private personages are included, as well as feature stories on subjects of general interest. These works appeared in local newspapers while he was living and teaching in Vermont and in The Rutland Herald, where he was a columnist and a feature writer. They have also appeared in The New York Times, The Miami Herald, and many other national periodicals.

Details

Hamilton Books

Pages: 186 • Trim: 6 x 9

978-0-7618-5927-7 • Paperback • December 2012 • $46.99 • (£36.00)

978-0-7618-5929-1 • eBook • November 2012 • $41.50 • (£32.00)

Subjects: Literary Collections / Essays, Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism, Sports & Recreation / Essays

Author

H. A. Dorfman was a staff member of the Oakland Athletics, the Florida Marlins, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays over a period of fourteen years. In 1999, Dorfman became a full-time consultant in sport psychology for the Scott Boras Corporation, an agency that represents professional baseball players. He was still consulting — and writing — at the time of his death in 2011.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Edmund and the Birds
Upland Winter, January-February, 1973

2. A Labor Day Revisited
The Manchester Journal, August 30, 1973

3. Theo North: Scourge of Christmas Past
The Bennington Banner, January 5, 1974

4. Good News for Mankind
The Manchester Journal, March 14, 1974

5. Youth Revisited, or, Victory for Milton and Friends
The New York Times, April, 21, 1974

6. Trying to Go Home Again
The Manchester Journal, April 25, 1974

7. Dear Visitor, Enjoy Our Home
The Vermont Times, September, 1974

8. The Udder Side of the Mountain
The Vermont Times, October, 1974

9. The Umpire Is Always Right, Except When He Is Proved Wrong
The New York Times, October 20, 1974

10. A Tongueless Grief
The Manchester Journal, December 19, 1974

11. The Chocolate Surprise Incident
The Manchester Journal, January 9, 1975

12. The Pinewood Project
The Manchester Journal, February 6, 1975

13. Lincoln Lore
The Manchester Journal, February 13, 1975

14. Relationship of Sports, Society, ‘75
The Rutland Herald, March 19, 1975

15. The National Pastime Or, A Little Bit of Luck
The New York Times, April 6, 1975

16. Call This Phenom’s Story a Change of Pace
The Boston Globe, May 9, 1975

17. You Get the Message?
The Manchester Journal, July 24, 1975

18. Woman Umpire Story: The Perils of Christine
The New York Times, August 17, 1975

19. Books, Children and Parents
The Manchester Journal, December 18, 1975

20. Christine Wren: Another Season
The New York Times, June 6, 1976

21. Casey Stengel, Facts and Much Fiction
The New York Times, September 26, 1976

22. Things Have Gone Real Well for Floyd Patterson
The Rutland Herald, October 10, 1976

23. No Hugging, Ma’am, Just the 3 R’s
The Rutland Herald, May 4, 1978

24. A Big Snoot Full of Very Sour Grapes
The Rutland Herald, June 22, 1978

25. A Barrel Full of Uneeda Philosophy
The Rutland Herald, August 3, 1978

26. Turning Back to One Who Made a Mark
The Rutland Herald, August 10, 1978

27. Dear Ms. Jane Pauley
The Rutland Herald, May 3, 1979

28. A 19-Year-Old Metamorphosis
The Rutland Herald, May 17, 1979

29. Their Night at the Races
The Rutland Herald, May 31, 1979

30. Dealing with Skeptics, the Little League, Coaches and Mothers
The Rutland Herald, June 7, 1979

31. Aunt Rose’s Lasting Gift
The Rutland Herald, June 14, 1979

32. Three Cheers Please for a Sportswriter
The Rutland Herald, August 2, 1979

33. There She Goes, His Ideal — and Hope
The Rutland Herald, August 16, 1979

34. A Father Gives His Young Son a Lesson, and Also Learns One
The New York Times, August 26, 1979

35. The Lone Ranger’s Call Heard Clearly Here
The Rutland Herald, August 30, 1979

36. From the Armchair of Harvey Dorfman
The Rutland Herald, September 12, 1979

37. Real Hearts Have Their Reasons
The New York Times, February 14, 1981

38. An Old Man and a Sand Castle
The Miami Herald, March 15, 1981

39. Coffee Cutoff Causes Chaos
The Boston Herald American, April 23, 1981

40. Pragmatism Is Perpendicular
The Rutland Herald, May 28, 1981

41. Banana Belt Still Fights an Old Battle
The Rutland Herald, August 15, 1981

42. Galbraith’s View of Vermont
The Rutland Herald, August 24, 1981

43. Herbie Dorfson Fights Back
The Hartford Courant, November 3, 1981

44. Lola Aiken: Another View from Putney
The Rutland Herald, February 2, 1982

45. The Right Idea, The Wrong Button
The Rutland Herald, April 1, 1982

46. It’s Also the Molly Stark Trail
The Rutland Herald, April 25, 1982

47. Hell Hath No Fury Like Nancy Kissinger
The Rutland Herald, June 17, 1982

48. Dad and Me
The Rutland Herald, June 20, 1982

49. Some Lives Go On
Previously unpublished, July, 1989

50. Late Shot
The Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2001

About the Author

Reviews

[Harvey’s] writing is a marvel — moving, funny, human, insightful, wise, and in [his] unmistakable voice.
— Frederick Buechner, Bestselling Author / Theologian

I had been thinking of writing something on the same topic [Harvey treated]. I’m afraid whatever I produced would be nowhere near as amusing.
— Richard M. Ketchum, author/editor/historian

I realized long ago I would never be able to thank [Harvey] enough for all [he has] done for me. The things I learned from [him] are far and away the biggest reason I have been able to succeed.
— Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies, Cy Young Award Winner, 2003

Harvey Dorfman’s writing shows him to be an excellent journalist. I’d hoped [he would be] interested in applying for a Nieman Harvard Fellowship. He is eminently qualified.
— Sidney Hook, philosopher/author and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Babbling Echoes

Soundings from Yesteryear

H.A. Dorfman

Babbling Echoes

Soundings from Yesteryear

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