Reading Baseball

The SIU Saluki baseball program has an impressive history that includes five College World Series appearances and over 20 players who have made it to the Major Leagues.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson tells us how two former Salukis are teaming up to try to turn around one of MLB’s worst franchises.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked reaction across the world.

In this special commentary, Pete Peterson provides us a history lesson on the eastern European immigrant enclaves he grew up around in the Pittsburgh area at the onset of World War II and how a Ukrainian Catholic Church still raises money for a special orphanage in western Ukraine.

There’s little argument Barry Bonds is one of the greatest talents to ever play Major League Baseball.

But, because he was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, the career home run leader was recently excluded from the Hall of Fame for a 10th consecutive time.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson looks at Bonds’ career and how an unlikely supporter is pushing for his induction.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

February is Black History Month.

In his annual Reading Baseball commentary commemorating the month-long observance, Pete Peterson has the story of the winningest manager in baseball history, a Negro League legend who is not yet in the Hall of Fame.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Many of us likely have a favorite Christmas gift we remember from our childhood.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson remembers a baseball board game that he calls a Christmas miracle.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

It’s that time of year when Reading Baseball commentator Pete Peterson suggests a Christmas gift for the baseball lover on your holiday list.

This year, Pete explains why a recently released book could keep you engaged in the game right up until the start of the 2022 season.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

The St. Louis Cardinals recently parted ways with Manager Mike Shildt, despite the former scout and minor league manager leading the big-league team to three straight postseason appearances.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson explains how this isn’t an unusual occurrence in the history of the Cardinals’ organization.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

The end of the 2021 World Series this week got Pete Peterson thinking about the 1971 Fall Classic.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete looks back on the 50th anniversary of one of the finest individual performances in World Series history and the man who overcame so much to produce it.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Next to baseball, another passion of WSIU Radio contributor Pete Peterson is running.

If you’ve followed Pete’s commentaries over the years, you probably remember he ran the Pittsburgh Marathon at the age of 70 and the half marathon on multiple occasions.

In this commentary, Pete tells us about his latest running experience as a participant in the recent For Kids’ Sake Super Hero 5k and how a Carbondale Police officer played a role in the event.

Major League Baseball’s regular season is over.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson says the 2021 campaign left him longing for baseball’s glory days when hitters didn’t always swing for the fences, pitches weren’t measured by their spin rate and analytics didn’t dominate strategy.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, the author of Growing Up With Clemente and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.