Reading Baseball

The St. Louis Cardinals organization has been rocked by the recent deaths of Hall of Famers and fan favorites Lou Brock and Bob Gibson.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson pays homage to Gibson, who was known for his intimidating pitching style and his strained relationship with sports reporters.

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.

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues.

People from the world of politics, professional athletics and entertainment tipped their caps this past summer to honor the players, many of whom were denied the hope of playing in the Major Leagues.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson tips his cap to a mostly overlooked Negro League player who broke his own barriers in the game.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and co-author, with his son Stephen, of the forthcoming book The Turnpike Rivalry: The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns.

Women playing professional baseball is almost unheard of. Just over 20 years ago, a California woman had a successful college baseball career and made it to the minor leagues.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson explains why he believes this remarkable woman should’ve been included on a list of the 100 most accomplished and influential women of the past century to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment.

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.

19 years ago a series of deadly terrorist attacks hit the east coast of the United States.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson remembers the day of the attack and the aftermath as he and his wife made their way to New York state.

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.

With the amplified call to remove racist references across the U.S. this summer, a recent column urged the Baseball Writers Association of America to rename an award for its industry that is connected to a man who opposed the integration of America’s pastime.

In his latest edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson suggests renaming the award after a man who dealt with segregation in his journalism career and went on to help African-American players overcome racial hatred and injustice.

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 Trump administration is now labeling teachers as essential workers. Some see it as a move to encourage school districts to open for in-person instruction for the fall semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

WSIU Radio contributor Pete Peterson is a retired college professor, and his wife, Anita, is a retired elementary school teacher. Pete says – pandemic or not – teachers are always essential.

The only Major League Baseball player to die from a pitch during a game lived in southern Illinois at the time.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson revisits the story of Ray Chapman on the 100th anniversary of what some refer to as baseball's greatest tragedy.

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.

After years of calls to change its team nickname, the Washington Redskins NFL franchise has finally relented. The team will be known this season as the Washington Football Team.

In this commentary, WSIU Radio contributor Pete Peterson looks back at the origin of the Redskins' name and how history shows changing nicknames is pretty common in professional sports.

Antiques Roadshow is a popular program on PBS.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson talks about a special piece of baseball memorabilia he would like to get appraised on the show.

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

American professional and collegiate sports are trying to return after having their seasons turned upside down during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In this commentary, WSIU Radio contributor Pete Peterson looks at how over 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu forced baseball and college football to adjust their seasons to deal with the devastating impact of that pandemic.